I have such a hard time throwing things away. Everything my kids bring home is precious, and I feel guilty getting rid of it. But we simply don't have room for all of their crafts... So I've started taking photos of their cute creations and then I can keep the memory and the image of them without the clutter. As for papers, I have an album I put their cutest pictures inside. It's still hard for me to decide what to keep sometimes, but hey, I'm doing the best I can considering I'm a packrat + indecisive... not a good combination.


A bulletin board in Gwendolyn's classroom. She made the Christmas tree on the top left.



Some of Gwen's Christmas projects.



A snowman Christmas ornament... just in case it gets destroyed.



Gwen and her friend, Kaylee, wearing their hats from their Kindergarten Christmas program, and her gingerbread house that was devoured rather quickly.



Leigh Anne made this poster to hang in her classroom for her Special Me week.



Gwendolyn's Special Me week poster.

Christmas in ARIZONA!

We drove to Phoenix to spend Christmas with Alice's brother's family. We had a fabulous time being with the Andelins and enjoying warm weather again!

The kids put on a puppet show of the Nativity on Christmas Eve.



Cousin David plays some Christmas music while we sing carols.

A visit from Santa finished off the evening. He brought them new pajamas for Christmas morning.

Bethany reads the kids a bedtime Christmas story.

Christmas morning!!!





Check it out... no coats and no shoes in December!!!







We couldn't resist stopping at the Grand Canyon while we were there.

A Trip to the Kerns' House

We went to Tucson to visit our Aunt, Uncle, and cousin. They have an awesome backyard, and since it was too cold to swim we played hide-and-seek and light saber wars.

Alice is 30!

Friday night Matt planned a Girls Night Out for me and my friends. We got manicures and went out for pizza. We had so much fun! Saturday was our family party, on my birthday.




The family went to a "Say no to drugs" Fun Run in the morning. It was freezing, and it actually snowed a bit later.


The kids in character


I requested pie for my birthday dessert!





Do the kids look excited for this pie or what?

Hyrum Lake with the Kirkhams

Not a bad location to fly a kite! Look at Daven flying it all by himself.














This is the closest "beach" to Logan. It was a little rocky but still lots of fun to play in the sand and the water. The Kirkhams brought their boat and pulled the kids on an inflatable jet ski. It's always fun to have friends with boats ;) Someday we'll get a boat too.

Camping Trips this Summer

We went on 4 camping trips this summer. Sometimes we wonder if it's worth the effort to stay just one night... in the end we always say yes! The kids love it, and it sure fits the student budget. Here are some pictures from our trip to Cascade Springs with Heather and Carlos and Bridger Campground with our family.









































The kids are playing with melted forks and spoons. They can turn any object into a toy.