sledding 2015

Katie making a snow fort

We love it when we are able to go to the cabin to celebrate New Year's.  This year Lisa's family, Paul's family and Dad were there with us.  We had such a great time!  I think the kids spent most of their time sledding.  Even though it was very cold outside, they spent hours and hours out there each day.  They even went night sledding.  It is great that they plow all the way down to the power plant because it makes such a great sledding path.  All of the cousins had such a fun time together!

Kyson going down head first

Taking a break from sledding to build a fort

Jadon trying snowboarding.  He got pretty good at it!

Jaxon was also pretty good at the snowboard thing

Kierra, Jake and Kyson having fun throwing each other in the snow

Kierra, snow angel

 



 This is one of my favorite pictures because it shows how much fun Katie is having.  She loves this little sled.  She spins around and around the whole time she goes down the path.  She goes pretty fast too.  She's quite a trooper.  She never says she wants to go in.  She will stay out for hours!

Jaxon liked to wait at the bottom and jump over whoever was coming down

 

The kids somehow came up with the idea of riding down the sledding trail hooked together in a circle.  They would hold onto each other's feet and spin in a circle while going down the hill.  It was really fun!


What a wonderful time!

Christmas 2014

 We had a fun Christmas season.  We started out by going to Airborne with the Byers family on Christmas Adam (the day before Christmas Eve)  Unfortunately, I was having so much fun jumping that I didn't take any pictures.  On Christmas Eve, we did our annual tradition of going out to dinner and to a movie.  We went to Francessco's for dinner and then to big hero 6 for the movie.  It was good!

 After we got home from the movie, we set up the sugar town.  Dale and the kids gave me two sets that I didn't have so that was fun to add to it this year.

 After that we opened our Christmas eve jammies and then watched "It's a wonderful life".  This was the first time for all of the kids, except Jadon, to watch it.  They watched the whole thing but I'm not sure they loved it as much as I do.

Chrismas morning before all the madness began!

Kyson with his new crazy cart that Santa brought him and Jake.  Too bad it snowed on Christmas day so he couldn't use it

 The siblings drew names, like always, to give gifts to each other.  Katie was very excited to give Jadon his gift.  It was a Utah hoodie.

Kyson and Jake had each other this year.  Best buddies!

 Kierra got a picture of Gladys coming up to our door on Christmas morning.  My kids are always so excited to see their grandma. They love her so much!

 Jake got a ton of pokemon cards for Christmas.  As soon as he opened them, he found a spot to sit on the floor and organize them.  He stayed there for a really long time.

 My kids and Dale gave me a toilet for Christmas because we have plans to redo our main bathroom this year.  I was really excited.  I love my family!

Katie with her elastics that go to the loom she got

 Christmas night we all went to my Dad's for dinner.  This year, instead of giving cousin gifts, we did a service project.  We made blankets and bags for the Ronald McDonald house.  It was fun!

All the cousins that were there

It was a fun Christmas but there was definitely a huge void without my mom there.  She has always been such a big part of Christmas.  Her house is always decorated for Christmas and she always made Christmas special.  Lisa made her bread and gave us all a loaf.  I love that bread and it will always make me think of mom because she always made us that at Christmas.  I had a hard time getting into the spirit this year and I think it was because I really miss my mom.  But Christmas time always makes me grateful for my family.  It is so much fun to do fun things together.  There is magic in the air that I just love.  I'm happy to have shelter and the things we need.  It's weird to think that next Christmas Jadon won't be with us.  I'm also having a hard time dealing with that.  At the same time, I'm so excited to have a missionary in our family.  Merry Christmas!