Please Don't Feed the Animals

When I put Lacie in her seat to eat breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack, the dog appears out of nowhere.  Here's how it goes......  (Some may think this is gross, but it's just part of life around here).

I don't have to sweep that much under her chair either.  Just Kidding! (but it's kinda true)

Friends

FRIENDS.  Good FRIENDS.  This is what I want most for my children.  My personal opinion is that if you have good friends, friends that do good, friends that "choose the right", friends that are a good example and make you want to "choose the right" also, then everything else will fall into place. 

So, a couple weeks ago we found out a boy in our neighborhood and LDS ward has cancer.  Now lets back up almost 2 months ago.  Ryan has a really close friend who lost his dad to cancer on Dec. 3.  The day of the funeral the weather was snowy/rainy, basically yucky. But when we got home Ry got out his basketball and went outside for a long time.  He shot hoops for close to an hour, apparently working some stuff out in his mind.  I thought we had talked it all out.......

Now Ry has lots of questions! Poor guy has gotten a dose of real life in the last few months.  Then we find out this boys family is planning a head shaving party cause they are starting treatments this week.  We told the R and T about it and asked if they would support this family (and their friend) and shave their heads. It was more than just a question, it became a conversation for several days.  So to make a long story short last Friday Jan. 21 there was a head shaving party.  There were so many people they had to change it from their house to the church to fit everyone.  We didn't know everyone cause this boy's football team came also!  Anyway here are some pictures from that night.  But first, back to FRIENDS..... I'm so glad I'm surrounded by people like this.  Even more grateful my kids are surrounded by people that are willing to support each other and be good friends!

(Ryan and Toby went first.  Larry got his head shaved also but it wasn't quite as drastic as the boys!)

**I don't know how to put all the photos in a cute collage thing all together so this will take some scrolling**

RYAN



TOBY

LARRY

THE BOYS

WITH SOME FRIENDS

GOOD Friends - SO Important!

Lacie

We can't believe our baby Lacie will be 1year old in a month and a half!!  A couple of weeks ago she figured out the whole crawling thing!  She was so close, for so long and all it took was for the kids to open up the doors on the entertainment center.  She saw all the videos and DVD's spill out and she had to get to them, so off she went!

Here she is the other night.

Poor girl, poor me, Lac hasn't been sleeping very well for the last couple of months.  First, she got a couple of new teeth then a terrible cold.  So, yes, she has been sleeping in our bed.  Last night was the first time she was in her crib in months!  But now that she is crawling, naptime (in our bed) is a little more exciting.  As soon as she wakes up or if she doesn't fall asleep right away, she rolls over and sits up.  The other day when my Dad was over staying with the kids he was having a hard time getting her to sleep.  He said she would crawl right to the edge of the bed and he was afraid she would go off.  She probably would, he's right.  So I came home and this is what he had built on the floor of my room.  He said she had a hard time gettitng over the pillows, so he felt she was more safe.  Of course he's right, again.

And here she is getting into everything.  This time she found Alexa's sucker she had left on the floor (in a bag).  I thought she had been quiet over by the toys for a while.  She of course had been busy with the giant sucker!  And LOVED it!!!

Look at her nasty shirt and her face.  Her dirty mouth is kinda hard to see but it's all sticky and fuzzy (from the carpet?) and brown from all the different colors on the sucker.  And that piece of sucker on her leg..... it's totally stuck to her pants.  I picked her up and it didn't fall off.  Gross.

She's a CRAZY girl and we love her.  I have a feeling this summer will be so much fun now that she can get around!

Cavities

Whoooops.....  Alexa had a few little cavities when the kids went to the dentist last week. Today she had them filled and here is her smile 3 hours later.  I wanted to take a picture when we got home but she wouldn't let me cause it felt really funny.  This is the first time she has had fillings so it was a new experience for her.  She did awesome at the dentist!! (Not that I want to do it again, though.)

Beautiful Winter Day

Here is a beautiful day after a big storm.  I took these on New Years Day.  The sun finally came out after a snow storm that lasted several days and even though it was FREEZING, actually way below freezing in the single digits I thought the snow was so pretty.  Here are the Wasatch Mts. on the other side of the valley from us (east side).  Enjoy!

We have lived here for almost 6 years after living in south western Virginia.  I love the mountains and make a point to notice them every day when I go out.  Even though I like the spring and summer temps here I love the look of snow covered mountains!

Merry Christmas 2010, Happy Birthday and Happy New Year !!!

We had a great Christmas this year.  I hope my kids remember the real meaning of Christmas and how greatful we are for the birth of our Savior.  Every year I wonder if I have taught them enough.  We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast Christmas morning at Grandma and Grandpa Jeffs house after opening presents.

So, here are a few pictures from Christmas morning.

Just coming down the stairs to open presents.  Yes, Toby is in his underwear.

Alexa found Julie the "American Girl Doll" she's been admiring (and really wanting) under the tree!

Another of her favorites was this sucker from Ry.

Even Sunny found something waiting for her.  And Ryan was surprised by his ipod he thought he wasn't getting :).

Toby was excited to find pillow pets for everyone and quickly claimed the dolphin.

Lacie wasn't sure what to think of all the wrapping paper and mess but I think she could feel the excitement in the air!

On Monday the 27th Alexa got her ears pierced!!  She really wanted them pierced and was very brave.  We heard a girl in the store say to her mom, "That little girl just got her ears pierced and didn't even cry."  She was very excited to show them off and can't wait to wear "different earings everyday" she says.

Five days after Christmas was my birthday.  Larry surprised me by taking the day off, taking me shopping and then to dinner at one of our favs, PF Changs.  It was delicious!  We came home and had cake and icecream with the kids, Grandma and Grandpa Jeffs and my dad.

(Lacie really wanted to grab the candles.)



The next night was New Years Eve and we celebrated by having a quiet house.  R, T and A went to celebrate New Years with their cousins at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  I was told they finally went to bed at 3am.  So they came home and took a nap.

As I look back over 2010 the first thing that comes to my mind is having Lacie join our family.  She changed our lives (for the better, of course) and we have never been the same.  We did lots of baseball, baseball and baseball, Alexa started dance and we took some fun little vacations.  We are greatful for our family and friends that make the rest of our life great.  I'm excited for a wonderful 2011 and can't wait to see what it brings.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

FUN Times

I love this time of the year with all the fun memories, fun activities, birthdays, time with family and friends and remembering what is really important.  So with all that stuff and more, for us (and everyone) this month especially is very busy!  So here are a couple of important things this month so far....

First we had a birthday.  Yup, that would be Toby's 7th Birthday!!!  I can't believe my little baby Toby is 7!!!  When I was pregnant with him we didn't know he was a boy.  We didn't find out until the moment he arrived and I was sooooo excited for Ryan to have a brother.  Toby was born about 2 weeks early at 2:56am on a Tuesday.  He came into the world early and fast.  He came before the doctor could get there.  When I was pregnant I knew I had an active baby because he moved constantly!  After he was born, nothing changed.  He was always moving and wiggling, even when he was asleep, he would never totally relax.  7 years later, nothing has changed.  He used to watch tv while doing a headstand on the couch! (I'm totally serious).  Now he watches tv while jumping up and down, especially when he watching a BYU football game.  We LOVE Toby!  He has the funnest (is that a word?) personality.  If you want a good laugh, hang out with him for a while.  He is very smart and is a great brother.

Here are some pictures from his birthday.  Some are opening presents on his actual birthday and some are on Saturday at his party.  He took a few friends to Incredible Pizza (and we found a few more friends there) and they all had a blast!  It's a pretty fun place and the food isn't that bad.

Next was Alexa's first dance recital.  She was so excited!! And she did wonderful!!!!!!  Here she is in her costume.

(I know that's not the greatest picture but that's her class while performing.)

And lastly (actually it was before her recital) I played with the Herriman Community Orchastra.  It was alot of fun and I was pretty proud of myself!  This is my hidden talent (I don't know if talent is the right word) but I can kinda play the violin.  I played many many many years ago in school and stopped for various reasons.  A couple of years ago I met one of Ry's friends mom and she said she taught violin.  So, long story short, I started taking lessons again.  She plays in the HCO and convinced me to play for the Chrismas Concert.  The music was hard but I loved it.  Can't wait for the next one, I think in the spring.

(I'm in the back so you can't see me very good.)

We have had a great month so far.  The kids are excited about Christmas.  Even Sunny has presents already.