Christmas Time

This year is quickly coming to a close.  We have a Christmas Advent that includes an activity for every day this month.  We have had a very busy month so we've only done a handful of the activities.  Here's a list:

1. Picked out our Christmas tree.  This year we were kind of boring about that and just went to Lowe's.  They actually have really great trees for a really great price.
2. Watched a Christmas movie with caramel red and green popcorn.
3. Celebrated St. Nicholas Day.  We left our shoes by the fireplace filled with carrots for St. Nicholas's horse and then he left the kids a little pack of gold coins and a Smencil
4. Bought new ornaments.  We do this every year.  We each pick one that we like or that represents the past year.  Jeff got a glass golf ball, I got one that said Trip of a Lifetime in memory of our trip to Majuro, Ashtyn got a pair of velvet reindeer, Whitney got as little metal 2 dimensional cupcake in honor of her cupcakes company and Ethan got a cute little snowman holding a video game controller in honor of pretty much his one true love ha ha.
5. Decorate the house for Christmas.  Done and Done.
6.  Went to the Festival of Trees.  Our good friends the Slacks decorated a tree for their daughter Aubrey who has P.O.T.S.  It was called Christmas at Tiffany's because Aubrey got to do a photo shoot at Tiffany's jewelry store.  You can read about that HERE  The tree was gorgeous and we were so proud to be part of it.  Even the kids donated some of their own money.
7.  Made a gingerbread house.  Afterward the kids thought it would be great fun to use the extra frosting to make fake mustaches.
Hopefully this week will be less crazy and we do have some fun things to look forward to.

Stop

The other day I was driving home from picking up Ashtyn from school.  I was stopped at a light waiting to turn right.  A car ran a red light and smashed into another car that was turning left onto the street I was waiting on.  I witnessed the whole thing and it all happened within a split second.  At first I was a little stunned and I sat there dumb founded.  Then I realized what had just happened and I jumped out of my seat and went running toward the cars to see if anyone was hurt.  Luckily no one was- I am pretty surprised because the airbag in the car hit went off.  The accident was blocking my car and if you hadn't seen it you would have thought I was involved too.  We got the two cars pulled off to the side and I called the police.  I was the only one that stopped.  There were cars whizzing by right after it happened that seemed to be annoyed that the whole thing was delaying them in any way.  Like I said everyone was OK, but I was very surprised that no one else that had witnessed it did anything.  It was a very full intersection as school had just gotten out so at least 8 other cars saw it happen too.  Now I am not saying that I am some kind of hero-not at all.  The point I am trying to make is how often do we see others in distress and just keep going.  I am ashamed to say that  I have.  Maybe we don't want to get involved.  Maybe we think it's none of our business or maybe we believe that someone else will stop instead.  Sometimes it's not always safe or even possible for you to stop and help, but lots of time it is.  In our world today we get so busy running from one thing to the next that our minds don't even know how to see those in distress.  This video is a great reminder that opportunities are all around us every day if we are looking.  

Travis - Sing

Band I am loving right now.  Travis.  They are a British band that has been around since the 90's.  I pretty much love every single song they sing.  Especially this one.

Family Pics 2013

We got our family pictures taken a few months ago.  We went to the Donut Falls Trail head up Big Cottonwood Canyon.  We love the mountains so much and the scenery made for some great pictures.

In sad news- Brother Richard Sander in our ward passed away on the 25th from Alzheimers. He leaves behind his sweet wife Chris. We helped as a relief society with the funeral.

GoldOn Cupcake

One day Whitney came home and said can my friends and I make cupcakes??  I said sure and off she went.  Later I found out that she not only made them but went around my street selling them for a dollar a piece.  This was the first time she had ever made cupcakes totally unsupervised so they were not the best.  They only filled the cups 1/4 of the way full and then proceeded to bake them for way too long which resulted in tiny, hard, overly frosted cupcakes.  The neighbors still bought them so you've got to give her credit for trying.  It was that moment when GoldOn Cupcakes was born.  She and her four friends decided to start their own cupcake company.  They chose the name GoldOn with an O because there was already a company called Golden Cupcakes.

Ashtyn volunteered to help them set up their own website.  They learned a lot about how it's illegal to use other cupcake companies images on your site.  They also learned about privacy and how anything you place on the internet can be seen by others.  Whitney asked my AWESOME sister in law Malia to make her a logo.  She is super talented at this and was happy to oblige.  Here is how it turned out:

Then she took lots of pictures of the actual cupcakes they have been baking and added those too.  Here are a few:

 Ashtyn helped with this flower design on their chocolate peanut butter cupcake

They were baking almost every day so the moms decided we needed to have a little business meeting to set up some rules.  They only fulfill orders for people we know and that are close enough to pick up their orders. I have to admit that I thought this would fizzle out by now, but it's still going strong.  They are getting better and better.  They recently made a chocolate cupcake with marshmallow frosting that was to die for and that's saying something because I don't really like cake at all.  They have been saving all of their proceeds to go toward more baking tools they want to buy.  The moms even bought them matching cupcake aprons.  It's been pretty fun.  I am proud of Whitney and her initiative and drive.  Who knows maybe some day GoldOn Cupcakes will be a household name.   Here is a picture of the bakers:

Halloween

Here is the Halloween run down from our house.  First off I didn't get a single picture of my kids all together on Halloween this year.  Everyone was going in too many directions.  As far as costumes this year Ethan was a skeleton- he wanted to be a grim reaper but we couldn't find what he wanted in the price range I was willing to pay- so this was as close as he got.  We let our kids buy a Halloween costume every other year and on the off years they have $5 to spend on an accessory and the rest they have to come up with from what we have at home.  Whitney was a nerd and Ashtyn left for school as a pirate but then an hour before she was to go out trick or treating she decided to switch to the UP house.  The week before Halloween the kids and I went to our neighbor's annual Halloween party.  It was so fun and full of amazing food and friends.   The night before Halloween our ward held a Fall Festival and chili cook off.  I made Paige's white chili recipe.  I was in charge of a cake walk along with the rest of the Relief Society Presidency.  We gave a way lots of fun desserts and Kathy and I showed off our Thriller dancing- HA.  Then on Halloween day we went to the elementary parade and  I was in charge of both Whitney and Ethan's class parties.  For Whitney's we did a pizza and movie party and for Ethan's we did four stations- two games, a treat and a craft.  The craft I picked was from Pinterest.  I spent a few weeks making orange pom pom's and collecting all of the things I would need- yet some how I ended up having to stay up until 2 AM to finish things.  The craft did not turn out nearly as cute as it was on Pinterest but I think the games and the treat made up for it.  We played Chinese tic-tac-toe where I made big charts covered in Chinese characters and the kids had to find pumpkins with matching characters on the bottom to get their three in a row.  We also played guess who you are where you pin the name of someone to the back of each child and they have to figure out who they are based on how people talk to them.  The treat was apple mouths and Hershey's bats- again from Pinterest.  I wish I had taken pictures.  That night our street decided to do a little soup and bread party in the Barney's garage to warm everyone up before they headed out for the night.  Have I mentioned how much I ADORE my street.  We have the best neighbors and we do lots of fun things together.  Jeff took Whitney and Daisy out trick or treating with some of her friends.  Ethan went to his friends house and went with his dad and Ashtyn went with her friends.  I stayed home in my pajamas right where I like to spend the night and handed out our candy.  We don't get a ton of trick or treaters because you have to go out on the main road to get to our street.   I suspect that our Halloween's are going to get smaller and smaller as our kids get older and spend more time with their friends.  Happy Halloween!

My "Little" Girl

Ashtyn is small.  It wasn't very noticeable until Whitney started to pass her up and then this year as she entered Middle School.  She is very small compared to her class mates.  She is just 60 lbs and about 54 inches tall.  An average 12 year old is 90 lbs and 5 ft tall.  Being small- I tell her is a very good thing.    I am not worried about her being so small but a lot of people are.  She's had two doctors in her life and the first one made me get her tested for all kinds of things.  I appreciate his thoroughness, but I hate having to see her poked and prodded if she doesn't have to be.  The second one is also concerned because Ashtyn's growth curve is nowhere near the chart.  I hear comments about how tiny she is a lot.  Jeff and I are tall it's true, but we are both pretty slim so I know she's got slim genes.  I also have a short line of relatives on my mom's side so there are short genes as well.  They say that if you double your height at two years old that will tell you how tall you will be as an adult.  This proved true for me because at 2 I was 35" tall and doubled that is 70" or 5 ft 10 which is exactly what I am today.  However this is not always an exact science and can be totally proved wrong.  That is the case with my youngest sister Melinda.  When she was 2 she was only 31 1/2" tall.  That would put her at about 5 ft 3 inches tall at adulthood.  She is 5 ft 8 today.  She was also really small for her weight all growing up too- at 2 she was just a pound more than Ashtyn was.  We use to call her Minnie- which fit her because she was so small.  Well she turned out just right and I know Ashtyn will too. I try to tell her that being small is not a bad thing and that she should be proud of the way God made her.  What she lacks in size she makes up for in personality.  She personifies the quote "Thou she be but little, she is FIERCE" from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.  Only time will tell what she will end up like as an adult but for now she's perfect just the way she is.

                           

Arches 2013

Since we had so much fun in Arches last year we decided to go again this year and invite Jeff's family.  Camping for me is 30% fun and 70% hard work- but it's always worth it in the end. Here is the GOOD and the BAD from this trip including some of our favorite memories.....

The GOOD
1. Arches is BEAUTIFUL with some of the most spectacular sites you will ever see.
2. Arches is a short drive from Salt Lake.
3. The park was actually open despite the government shutdown.
4. We get to drive past Helper which always makes me think of my grandma because that's where she grew up.
5. Being all together with Jeff's family again- it's been a long time.
6.  The hikes are the BEST.
7. Mack's ear plugs- wow these are amazing.  I couldn't hear a thing and they are the most comfortable ear plugs around.  Too bad I didn't wear them the first night.
8. My nephew Corban- I was so grumpy the first morning there from getting no sleep but it was hard to stay grumpy when he smiled at you with his adorable chubby cheeks.
9. Being with my family- I love to be with Jeff and my kids.
10. Apples cooked over a roaring fire and rolled in cinnamon and sugar.
11. Watching the kids eat up every single word Scott said when he was telling them all about the crazy things he did growing up- Jeff too-I am a little scared for what Ethan will be like..LOL.
12. Delicate Arch is one site that everyone must see at least once in their life.
13. Being able to relax and not have a super strict schedule- despite the fact that I thrive on a schedule and get up tight when we don't have one- I know I 'm crazy.
14. Watching my kids with their cousins- we are so lucky to have cousins on both sides of our families that my kids adore.
15. Ethan thinking that wearing his winter gloves would protect him from a cactus- I guess that is kind of more bad because he got poked, but I thought it was silly of him to think that.



The BAD
1. I hate how much preparation a camping trip takes for such a short amount of time.
2. The lack of stars- last year there were thousands of awe inspiring stars to see and this year you couldn't see them because the moon was full.
3. It was FREEZING compared to last year.  I can't handle cold on my hands with Raynaud's.  It is THE most painful thing.  Even a small amount of cold makes my hands hurt so badly that I can hardly function and so this part SUCKED.
4. NO SLEEP- I have a very hard time sleeping out of my own bed- the strange noises, the strange bed, the cold- I got ZERO sleep the first night and very little the second night because I couldn't breath.
5. The fire smoke really got to me this time- my eyes and lungs were burning- hence the not being able to breath at night.
6. All of the laundry I am STILL working on.  UGH- I have been very tired and sick with a cold since we got home so it's been hard to jump back into my life.  Next time I need to schedule a vacation from the vacation to get caught back up.
7. The mean note that the campers next to us left when they left.  It was dripping with sarcasm, which I HATE!  I didn't dwell on it, but it ticked me off that they judged us without even ever speaking one word to us.  They made all kinds of assumptions about what kinds of people we were based on just a few hours and the fact that they left it anonymously was even worse.

As you can see there were more great things than there were bad- but I want to remember both.  I'm not sure if we'll do that trip again- but I am glad we got to experience it a second time.

BYU VS UTAH STATE

Jeff and I got to go to the BYU vs. Utah State football game in Logan.  I LOVE Logan.  I lived there for a year when I was going to school.  It was so fun.  I don't love football but being with Jeff is my favorite and watching the crowd is great.  It was packed- sold out!  We got there early and had to stand in line with a whole bunch of Aggies fans.  We were the second row from the top of the stadium.  There was a cute older couple next to us that held hands the whole time and didn't say a peep-just smiled.  There was also a fun family with three small kids in front of us that were cheering like crazy and reminded us of our kids.  We also got to sit in the section right next to the BYU Band and hear all of their great songs.  It was such a fun night and an amazing drive with all the beautiful Fall colors.

Pinewood Derby

Ethan participated in the Pine Wood Derby this year.  He had a blast building his car with Dad and Papa. Ethan did a lot of the work on the car himself and was really proud of it.  He named it Blue Fire.  It came in 3rd and 4th in all four of his heats so it wasn't the fastest car there, but Ethan had so much fun any ways.

Tanners Cabin

Jeff's best friend growing up owns a cabin in Oakley.  It is so fun!  We love spending time with these guys and jumped at the chance to hang out with them one weekend.

Middle School

How could I have forgotten to write about the momentous occasion of...................Middle School???  Ashtyn started Middle School this year.  How the heck am I old enough for that..ha ha?  She had been waiting for this day since I swear she was five years old.  Elementary School has long been totally boring and she was ready to move on.  We actually decided to permit into a different school then we are in the boundaries for because 3/4 of our school are in the boundaries for a different school.  It has been an adjustment but she's doing great.  It's definitely a lot harder for her to remember 7 different assignments and please 7 different teachers.  Plus there is a giant difference physically between a seventh grader and a ninth grader.  I think some of those older boys already shave.  This was the first year that she didn't want me to take her picture but as you can see she obliged.  Good Luck Ashtyn!

Selfies

Ashtyn LOVES to take selfies on the camera.  Every time I go to use the camera I will find hundreds of pictures of her.  I have come to love being surprised at what expression she deems worth.  Some of them make me laugh.  All of them remind me that she is a gorgeous spunky girl.  Here are a few I've found recently....

Fall Festival

We held our annual Fall Festival on the first day of Fall this year.  I didn't plan that- it was a day we had planned to have some of our friends come over for dinner and the opportunity just worked out perfectly.  I love this tradition.  We didn't do it last year and I missed it.  We made white chili, cranberry salad, corn bread, sparkling grape juice, and apple crisp with ice cream.  After dinner we tried very unsuccessfully to make lanterns I had seen on Pinterest.  Welcome Fall!