Christmas

We had a great Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve with my parents, Noelle & Janson, Taylor’s Mom, and Mikelle & John. We ate dinner, had a white elephant exchange and a short talent show from the kids. Jayden left a note with the milk and cookies for santa requesting that his last years Christmas pajamas be mended in the toe where a small hole was forming. Magically, the next morning they were repaired. Jayden awoke at 2:30 a.m. ecstatic that Santa had already come. We regretted to inform him that he had to wait another 6 hours before opening any presents. Let’s just say it was a very long night. Morning came and the kids got what they wanted for Christmas. We headed up to the Yates’ for a late brunch, then to Judi’s for Dinner with the family. It was a great Christmas.

Christmas Parties!!

We had a great time at the Yates’ Christmas party. We had the kids act out the traditional nativity scene as well as perform talents they have acquired. Jayden and Skyler did a great job of singing “Jingle Bells”. Once again, Santa found time out of his busy schedule for a quick visit and to pass out a few presents. We also had an after Christmas party with the Pikus family. We headed up to Brigham City for sledding, 4-wheeling and a great dinner.

Gingerbread Houses

We were able to squeeze in the gingerbread houses this year. Of course it ended up being all the girls and kids while the guys watched the football games. I think the kids ate more candy than was placed on the houses. As you can see, Noelle’s “castle” took 1st place.

Christmas Programs & Parties

December is such a busy time of year; however, I believe it is also the most memorable season of the year. Skyler had a little speaking part for his pre-school Christmas program and sang a few of the songs he knew. It is always fun to help out with the kids parties at school. I helped the kids decorate stockings at Jayden’s 1st grade party. They also decorated cookies, made reindeer & ornaments and even had a visit from old St. Nick!!!

Christmas Piano Recital

Jayden continues to excel on the piano. He played “Go tell it on the Mountain” for his Christmas recital and did an amazing job. We absolutely love his piano teacher. She is very relaxed and allows the kids to play songs they enjoy. She has a program that allows her to find the songs they like and adjusts the music to their level.

EUROPE

I had the opportunity to take a girls trip with my Mom, sister & her baby Lacee. We had such a great time. We flew into Germany and stayed a majority of time in Igls, Austria. We loved staying in one place and exploring the small towns around the area that did not attract as many tourists. We loved the small town of Schwaz. It was full of cobble-stone streets, quaint stores and lots of BAKERIES!!! We ate amazing gourmet food nearly every night and enjoyed the Christmas village in downtown Innsbruk. We were able to watch Noelle race which is always a highlight and then headed towards Torino, Italy. We stopped in Milan to sightsee, shop, & find my mother-in-law the perfect Italian man. We have to admit, we did find a few. It was a much needed trip and well worth the long flight and jet-lag.

Festival of Trees

It is a yearly tradition for our family to attend the festival of trees. My mom and I always wonder why we torture ourselves due to the fact we usually end up crying a few tears by the end of the evening. Some of the stories behind the trees are soooo sad, but we are grateful for all those who attend and donate their time and money to such a great cause.

Decorating the Tree

One of the kids favorite traditions is decorating the tree. With A LOT of supervision, they do an amazing job. It is after the tree is decorated that the challenge begins. Ornaments are usually found around the house and not always in one piece. Skyler decided to put candy canes on the tree this year so of course Aysia was a sticky mess nearly everyday.

Park City

We took a quick trip to Park City to spend some time with the Robinson family. It was fun to see Tom & Adrianne and their cute family. The kids had fun swimming (in a very warm pool) and hanging out with their cousins.

Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving. We were invited to Rob & Gege’s house with the Pikus family for the feast. Their house was very accommodating and allowed the kids plenty of room to run around. The girls sat around and chatted and cleaned while the guys played video games and pool. We went to the movie “Bolt” that evening which was really cute and the kids loved it. The kids then put on a fabulous fashion shows where they showed off the latest trends. The next night, we were back over to play Ghost in the Grave Yard. We love to play that game with all of the kids. It is very comical to listen to the adults run around and scream like little girls. If you haven’t played in while, I strongly suggest it!

Polar Express

We went with our friends Bart & Shonnie and their 4 children on the Heber Creeper’s “Polar Express”. We went to the North Pole to pick up Santa Claus and then the kids were able to tell him what they wanted. Mrs. Claus gave each of us cookies and hot chocolate. We then read the book “Polar Express” together and sang Christmas Carols. It was a great way to begin the Holiday Season.

Zach’s Farewell!

Taylor’s brother Zach has been called to the Anchorage, Alaska mission. We are so proud of him and look forward to receiving his letters. He gave a great farewell talk and was greeted with several friends and family back at the house to say their goodbyes. We will miss you Zach!!!

WOW!

Jayden participated in the reflections contest this year in the art category. The theme was “Wow”. He decided to draw pictures of places around the world that he has visited or would like to visit some day. Although he didn’t win, he had a great time coloring and next year he decided he would like to make up a song or write a story.