Christmas Fun

I made a calendar and hung it in a spot in our kitchen to help us countdown to Christmas. Every day, we flip the date card over and there is an activity on the back that we get to do. The kids enjoy it and it's been great to enjoy more family time each day. We've made an effort to get the shopping, decorating, etc. done early so that we can just enjoy the spirit of Christmas all month. Things still come up and it's still crazy sometimes, but for the most part it's working. One of the traditions we started several years ago was sleeping under the Christmas tree. The kids sleep on mats on the floor, and I get the couch! We watch a movie and have treats, and have a great time. We've gone to dinner, gone out for a cookie treat, and other fun things.

Do you have room for the Savior?

Thanksgiving

We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving, full of lots of laughter, food, family and fun! Because of the snowy weather in Utah and Idaho, our Idaho family decided to come on Monday evening. It was a nice surprise! It was great to spend more time with everyone. We enjoyed a great meal - with lots of people helping. Many hands make light work.
Doesn't the turkey look great? Kennedy is checking to make sure the temperature reads correctly,telling us it's done.
A familiar sight throughout the day - gathered around in the family room reading through all the newspaper ads! We had to see if there were any great deals worthy enough to brave the crowds on Black Friday.
We spent a lot of time with this cute little 2-year-old Lucas. He is full of spunk and quite dramatic, and kept us laughing. He enjoyed all the attention, and loved having Kayden, Kennedy and Savanna to play with. He had them wrapped around his finger. He wanted to stay at our house all the time, and we would gladly have kept him!
A long tradition in our family - playing bingo after dinner. Lots of prizes and pasta (number markers) everywhere.
We also spent a great amount of time lovin' on this sweet baby girl, McKinley. She was rarely put down and got more hugs and kisses in these few days than she'd had her whole life! She's a very good baby and we never heard her upset. We wondered if she ever cried.
We went to Thanksgiving Point to see the lights that you drive through. It was a cold evening, but we were cozy warm in the car. At the end, we got out for just a minute to see the reindeer. Kayden didn't come prepared with a coat, but luckily we had an extra blanket in the car.
The week went quickly and we were sad to see everyone leave. We are blessed with a wonderful family whom we love very much.

BYU Football

Are these some of the cutest BYU football fans you've seen?We are a BYU football-loving family. We support our team through rain and snow, thick and thin (and there has been a lot of thin this year!). There's nothing quite like being in the stadium with 65,000 other fans cheering your team on. The atmosphere is electric! We train all the kids at a very young age to cheer on the white and blue. So far it's working.It was a sad day at our house when we lost to Utah by one point. But better days are ahead and we'll get them next year. Go BYU!

Awesome

I found this piece of artwork on a table in our family room where Kayden keeps all of his "treasures." I don't know when or where he created it - but I suspect it was in a lesson for church. It is so fitting - each descriptive word fits him perfectly. Kayden brings so much to our family - he's quiet and unassuming, and doesn't like to stand out in a crowd. But he's very grateful and is always the first to express his thanks for a meal that is served, or when we take them somewhere, or for any and everything. He does have the attribute of never giving up. He is a great example of this daily. He is so kind - especially with younger children. Look at this picture of him and McKinley! I'm thankful that I found this little treasure of his and that it can remind me of his cute personality. Love you much, Kayden!