January 2013

Having fun with Megan on New Year's Day -
Megan took this cute picture

Megan enjoyed a cousin birthday party and sleepover 

Zachary started Karate and is doing well at it

Joshua is going off a cliff here!
Joshua and Eddie skiied a few times in blizzards
and cold weather that no one else wanted to brave.

Megan enjoyed a sledding activity with the Stake Young Women

YW sledding train
January has been a very cold and snowy month -Kimberly
was sick most of the month with one kind of cold or other, along
with Megan, Zachary and Emma - Joshua and Eddie stayed pretty healthy

Joshua gave a talk on this Sunday, which was the last Sunday
before his friend's mission

They enjoyed the cookies that Kimberly makes every Sunday
for Joshua's friends - a fun tradition

Megan and Joshua enjoyed watching this Provo High/Timpview game -
Megan took a great photo here

Kimberly is now the Young Women Personal Progress leader -
she hosted the first monthly Personal Progress Night at our house
and made this cute banner for it (thanks to Pinterest for ideas -
a Young Women value is on each owl).

Megan and her friend enjoyed a late concert in Provo
with the Neon Trees - thanks to Aunt S. for taking them:)

Here they are with the drummer - cute!

December 2012

Merry Christmas!

At the BYU Christmas party - Zachary was so excited! not

At our real estate company's Christmas Party

At our Ward Christmas Party
We also had a dinner at the Lion House for Immigration Lawyers (while
the kids watched "Wreck it Ralph" at a theater in Salt Lake), a dinner with
the Communications department at BYU, a Bishop's breakfast at the Stake
Center, a High Council party at our house, etc.

Megan and Zachary went to an awards ceremony for the District
level of Reflections 

Zachary got 2nd place and Megan got Honorable Mention for
their photography in their age groups - way to go!

I made this tree skirt - with a lot of hot glue:)

Our real Christmas tree with all our presents

I made pepper jelly (with jalapenos and red peppers) for high councilors
and neighbors - yummy! (My first time making any kind of jam/jelly).
I also gave M&M bags with a spiritual thought to all the bishops,
candy canes with another spiritual thought to Zachary's classmates,
"Snowman Soup" in bags to Megan's and Joshua's friends (Megan
mostly made those), etc.

Joshua made this jewelry box for Kimberly and this chair in woodshop -
great job!

Megan decorated this box as part of a present to her friend who likes stars

Joshua and Megan skiing at Alta

Zachary skiing at Alta - he's good at turning instead of snowplowing

Zachary in the lodge at Alta

Beautiful snow on the trees Dec 18

Beautiful sunset from our backyard while Mom and Dad came to visit

We had a nice dinner at our house with Mom, Dad, Kirk and fam,
Carleton and fam, Cordell, his girlfriend Laura, and Canyon -
Courtney came later when it was over - this is a white elephant
gift exchange we had after dinner

We also played a fun "Minute to Win It" set of games - this was
a fun game of trying to get the red nose to stick on your nose
without using hands (until the end :)

We also had a good time going through all 32 boxes sent from
Grandma Vivi and Granddaddy that Mom had packed up in
Texas and Uncle Chris delivered - it made quite a mess - thanks
to Jodi, Robyn, Mom, etc. for helping clean it up!

Here's a picture Mom took while staying in San Antonio to help
sort through Grandma Vivi and Granddaddy's things that
wouldn't fit in their new place - don't they look amazing!

Here is a beautiful chest and two chairs (one behind the couch)
that we inherited from Grandma Vivi and Granddaddy - thank you!

We also inherited the nice brass-topped table for Eddie to use by his chair.
We love all the other mementos we received from them, which will keep
them close always - love you!

On Christmas Eve Zachary helped make sugar cookies and
cupcakes as last minute neighbor gifts and to eat:)

We had a fun Christmas Eve dinner with Eddie's family

We also played games and did a nice Nativity Scene

Emma with her littlest cousin - Emma loves babies:)

Cute Christmas Eve jammies

Merry Christmas!  Opening Santa's bag on Christmas morning...

Zachary got a guitar from Santa, and also other fun presents
like a Karate class, science experiments, books, games, etc.

Can you tell what one of Megan's favorite patterns is?  She got
a nice piece of luggage and purse from Santa, along with clothes,
a Paris bag with fun Bath & Body soaps and perfumes, roller blades,
an art kit, an iPod touch, etc., as well as nice friend gifts of Paris art
and jewelry, winter hat and gloves, etc

Joshua got his heart's desire - a "Go Pro" from Santa, along with
his Hurley sweatshirt, his first razor, wall art, iPod touch, etc.

Emma loves her little piano from Santa, as well as her Discovery
Toys block and books, baby cell phone with keypad for texting,
laptop toy, purse, things to go in her purse, etc.

Mom, Dad, Canyon and Cordell had fun opening presents, too

Here we are in the middle of Christmas - Eddie likes the chair
massager, leather bag, and action camera (like "Go Pro") that he got.

Courtney and her girls came to open presents, too.

After opening presents - one of Emma's favorite was her phone.
I like my homemade jewelry box from Joshua, frame collage that
Megan made for me, the nice Bath & Body lotions and soaps
and camera from Eddie, etc. Most of all I'm grateful for our Savior
and for a wonderful time we've had with family!

We had the most delicious Christmas brunch at Kirk and Jodi's house
after opening our presents

One of my only pictures of Mom - while she was talking after
our yummy brunch, right before we played some fun games

Here we are, not quite expecting a photo, about to listen to Kirk's
new piano

It was too cold for skiing the day after Christmas, so Eddie, Joshua, Cordell and
Canyon were the only ones brave enough to ski (the had also gone on
Christmas Eve - die hards:).  The next day most people went
to Rock Canyon Park to go sledding - I stayed back for a much-needed nap:)

Here they are ready to go down together on our many sleds/tubes

Mom got a nice picture of the temple close by to the sledding

The next day after a wonderful breakfast with Allan and Summer
at her family's house, some of us went sledding again, and I finally
went, too.  The weather was much better and the snow was even
better for sledding.  Eddie and I are about to go down on a double
tube together in this picture.

Mom and Megan about to go together, with Eddie in the background.

Eddie, Kimberly, Megan and Joshua

Mom was ready to head home to CA when she fell down our stairs  -
it was too dark and she missed the hallway!  We are so sorry it
happened and gave her a broken nose, wrist, and a vertebra!
She was so brave and positive about it all, sure that she must
have avoided a bad car accident that could have happened, or
some other bad thing, and was glad that she had no permanent injuries.
She got out of the hospital on New Year's Day and drove home the
next day.  We know her faith has blessed her, as well as us!

Model of Nauvoo Temple used as decor at the Stake New Year's Eve
Dance.  The theme was "Stand Ye in Holy Places".  Joshua and Megan had fun
at the dance after we had a nice visit with Mom at the hospital and
a fun dinner at Winger's with just our family.

The top of the temple with draping above - some of the draping over the gym
held 2013 balloons, which was a lot of fun for the kids to have drop on them
at midnight.  They also enjoyed dodgeball, foosball, ping pong, board games,
dancing to "Just Dance 4" wii game (ours) projected on a large screen for
everyone to dance to, and hugs and kisses (on the cheek):)

Happy New Year!