Family Fun

New Year's Eve Day was all about the kids.

We spent the day in Logan at the Family Fun Center and then to Fredrico's for lunch.

We all had a BLAST!! I love the holidays!

First Snow of the Year

If you know me, you know I HATE to be cold.

So needless to say, any winter sport is not my thing.

Taking a few pictures was bout my extent of participation in the following activities....

here are 2 of probably the 5 I took before it was too cold, and I went back inside.

Aaron and Amy took the kids on the big sled.... which we usually pull with the 4 wheeler. Aaron claims this big sled is too big for the 4 wheeler with this many people... I don't know if I buy that.... maybe this "hates to be too cold" thing runs in the family?

Cory took this on December 13th. One of our first big snow storms. I had to work that morning, so Cory let the kids go out to play. They were still out when I got home.... they had soooo much fun! (can you guess whether the Saturday chores got done FIRST before play?)

The Pouter

Gage absolutely loves to ride the skid loader with Grandpa.

His ears are fine tuned to the roar of the motor and the back up beeper.

He will come running and shouting.... "mom, grandpa's on the skid loader!" and is instantly rounding up the "gear" he needs to head out in the cold.... long before any of the rest of us can hear it.

Today was a repeat of those events.... but only after 10 or 15 minutes, Grandpa had to bring him back in cuz the loader got a flat, and he needed to go home to change it, and he would be back to get Gage. However, Gage just wasn't getting it, and immediately started to cry, ran in his room to pout, and this is what I found a few minutes later.....

Silly kid. Pouting doesn't pay..... it puts you to sleep!

Post Christmas Blues

Today I am having a little Christmas "Let Down" I guess you could call it. It's not really a depression, just sad to see it all end. I really enjoyed it this year. (strange since it started out like not feeling like Christmas to me, and feeling like I wanted another month before it came) I could have come away with not one gift for myself, and it would have been just as good. I LOVE that feeling of shopping for someone, and then giving it to them...... hoping it makes them happy. We really tried to have a more Christ centered Christmas this year, and more family activities. We spent more time than usual with each other, and I just don't want to see it end. I asked Cory last night... "Do you really have to go to work tomorrow?" I have really enjoyed just being at home with my family all day long, and soing activites and playing together day after day. I think we all should have this kind of "Vacation" every year. The kind where you stay at home, and everything else in life ceases, and you are just TOGETHER. Normal vacations consist of planning, traveling, running here or there to see this and that, and it's just busy and hectic. Not to mention a lot of work and money. I am liking the kind of Vacation where we just stay home and focus on each other and doing things together.

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Christmas Day

Christmas was a wonderful day.

We were all spoiled once again.... as you can see with every one's smiles.

The power was out for 4.5 hours in the afternoon. And we all had a wonderful 2 hour nap and then played games, read stories, and cleared snow. I even finished up our Christmas Turkey dinner on the Gas cook top the "old fashioned" way with pots and pans..... (no crock pots and microwaves!) and it turned out great, and the power came back on just as we were sitting down to eat.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is usually spent at my parents home, with yummy food, a "little present" game that has different amounts of cash hidden inside, and our usual family history story we get from mom and dad.

This year was a bit different. Most of my siblings didn't stay overnight, so it ended earlier than usual, and we exchanged gifts with the person we had drawn the name of on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day.

This year, one of the gifts we gave Mom & Dad was a little family book that I made. It had a section in it of each of their children and their families. It had a current family picture, a typed up testimony of each adult, and the 2 older grandchildren, a hand or footprint for each grandchild along with their name and age, and then a picture collage of each grandchild.

I think they liked it. I know I did. It was so good to actually read my Husband's testimony, since he refuses to share it publicly. I never heard complaints from my sister, but my brothers weren't very excited to do their part. Too bad for them, their good wives made them do it anyway.... Thanks for your help!

My Baby.... turned Little Boy

My Baby is no longer a baby. It makes me sad. But He is so dang cute and more and more fun as the days go by.

He caused quite a ruckus getting him here, but has been an angel ever since.

Today he turns 3. And Currently He loves......

His daddy and Grandpas

Big Trucks

Front Loaders

Skid loaders

Little Einsteins & Handy Manny

Root Beer & Chocolate Milk

Fire Trucks

Pop Tarts

Three years old today. (He got to go to lunch at Red Robin, and then to Grandma Caroll's house for Cake and Ice Cream.) I asked him several times what he wanted for his birthday, and all I could get out of him was "A Spiderman Cake", so that is just what he got!

As a toddler.

My sweet little man as a baby.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG BOY!! WE LOVE YOU!!

The Gingerbread House of 2008

It's tradition that we do one of these every year.......

and it's always a good time.

Kids Christmas Pictures

I always take my kids pictures in front of the Christmas tree every year. This year it happened to be just before Church today. Wow! They are growing so fast! I wish I could FREEZE them just how they are right now!

The Nativity

I have a few Nativity Sets.

I have a pretty, all glass one, that my YW President gave me when I was a Laurel.

I have my Mom's, that I believe she made, at some point in her life..... that I really like, but it's a rather large set and it takes up alot of room to set the whole thing out, and it doesn't have a stable.

So this is the one I usually set out every year. I like it, and it's just the right size.

So who remembers "Christmas Around the World?" This particular company from back in the 80's, was a HUGE part of Cory's life. His mother was a local District Manager while he was growing up, and she sold this particular form of "home interior" products. (It was later known as House Of Lloyd) Anyway, this Nativity was one she had form that, and she gave it to me because I really liked the Stable that came with it.

This is one of my favorite pictures of the Christ Child. My Visiting Teachers gave it to me the Christmas before I moved from Syracuse. I always set it out on my mantle. Doesn't it just make you want to pick him up and snuggle with him? I LOVE it!

Harmony Program

Kassie and Kambree sing in little singing group called Harmony. Their Christmas recital was tonight, and they did such a super job! They both love to sing and look forward to their practice once a week.

Tonight was a special night for them, and their Grandma's and Grandpa's came to listen too, and then came over for dinner afterwards.

Great job girls! Keep up the great work!

We love you!

Look What I Found!

Seriously. Like 1 hour after I blogged about it. If I would have known that was all it would take, I would have done it weeks ago!

**I have to apologize to my children for implying they might have something to do with it..... this time it's all on me!**

Some Favorites #2

One of my first Christmas purchases after we moved to this house (and we actually finished the fireplace) were these Stocking hangers. I didn't grow up with a fireplace and mantle, but I had always wanted one. They are just cozy and homey. I was so excited to finally have a mantle to hang stockings from for Christmas.

I LOVE snowmen, and have collected them for a few years. This table is in my entry way, and this is the spot for the snowmen collection every year. The sign was a gift from a great friend, Amy Jo. I love it, it's perfect for my little snow buddies.

This was a new thing this year. Just kind of happened. I bought the metal candle holder to go on my piano several months ago, but just hadn't got around to purchasing or finding the right candles to go in it, so it's just sat on a shelf in my garage for months. After we decorated for Christmas, I thought of it out in the garage, and figured it could finally come inside..... I just filled it with a few cheap ornaments from good old Walmart. Now I need to find those candles for when the holidays are over with!

Some Favorites #1

I grew up with REAL trees for Christmas. My Dad's cousin owned a Garden Nursery two houses away, and during the holidays they used the Nursery for a Tree lot. We always went as a family for FHE for a little walk down the street to pick out our tree.

However, when we moved up north, and bought our home, we were farther away from our little "hometown" tree lot, but we still bought a new tree for the first couple of years. But since that time we have added two more kids and some larger furniture, and we just don't have the room for a real tree. So we have been decorating my little Alpine trees that are already in our family room the rest of the year. This year we decided to do two of them.

(I just really liked this picture..... how it's not totally clear and the lights are a blurrrr)

In Syracuse I was in the Young Womens organization in our ward. I loved it. That was one of the hardest things for me about moving. I loved the ladies I worked with, and I LOVED the girls. They were an amazing source of strength, and I learned so much from them.

This hand work was a gift for Christmas from Jackie, she and I served together over the Mia Maids. (for you locals..... Jackie is Janet Stark's sister-in-law) I love it. It is one of my favorite things to get out at Christmas. It reminds me of her and brings back wonderful memories. It sits on my mantle right under a picture of the Savior.

If You Could See Me.....

...... I would be smiling! I am so happy! I have really missed my good camera. Some how a couple of months ago we misplaced the battery charger for my good Canon camera. ( I say WE because I KNOW I had to have help from some certain little people) So I have been using my little camera that fits in my purse. I didn't replace the charger, thinking it would turn up some where, some time. But I couldn't take it anymore, and wanted my good camera for the holidays, so I called Inkleys where we bought the camera in the first place, and a new charger would be $40.00. I really didn't want to spend $40 on that right now, so I googled it and found a place that had one for $15. I knew it wouldn't be as good, but hopefully my good one will still turn up. So now I can use my GOOD camera, and I am so excited! I missed it! I will finally be posting some of my favorite things about Christmas.......

Cory Update

Cory's hand is healing. He had an appointment last week and they removed the stitches in the long zig-zag area in his wrist. There were 41 stitches there. They left the stitches in up in his hand area and he goes in this Thursday to have those removed.

He hasn't really been able to work. He can go and meet his employees and lay out a job, meet with contractors, and bid plans. Yesterday and Today he is trying to get a boiler up and running in Huntsville. Not alot of lifting or heavy work, but he came home last night really sore and hunting his pain pills.

All in all, he is doing well, and it's getting better. Thank goodness for Aflac!

The WORST Job In The House

I absolutely HATE to clean the fridge. I would rather scrub bathrooms and toilets. When I am pregnant, it's Cory's job, cuz I would throw up..... too bad that will never happen again.

The "Before" Picture. (Notice how far away it is, so you don't really know how dirty it really is)

All empty, and getting a good cleaning.

Kambree wanted to help, so I put her to work at the sink washing out the door shelves and the crisper drawer. (She was actually a really good helper!)

The finished product. Ahhhhh, glad that's done..... for who knows how long. :D

Am I the only one who thinks this is the worst job in the house?

Mr. "Boy Scout"

Somebody needs to repeat boy scouts. He didn't learn proper knife saftey, apparently.

Cory was trying to cut and pry apart something last night, cutting towards himself, and the "exacto" knife slipped, going right into his wrist. So at 9:45 pm we headed to the ER.

Ahhhhh, lidocaine. It makes everything better. (if you can survive the initial burning)

Getting it all cleaned out.

The inspection...... and they found he also cut his tendon to his little finger. So we had to wait for the hand specialist to come from Logan to repair it.