Valentine's Day 2014

 Several years ago, I started a tradition of making a special Valentine's dinner and giving my kids a little gift.  This year 3 of the people in our family were gone on Valentine's Day so we celebrated it on Sunday.  We had homemade pizza and a chocolate fountain.  The kids were pretty excited about it.

 Dale always gives his girls something for Valentine's Day.  This year he didn't want to spend a ton of money on flowers so he looked on the internet and found a way to make roses out of duct tape.  He was planning on making a dozen but it took so long to make them that he made one for each of us. We all thought it was very sweet that he would do that and love our flowers.

A few days later Dale taught Kierra and Katie how to make duct tape roses.  Kierra is very crafty and quite good at making things like that so she whipped out a bunch of them.  Katie is a little young but she still enjoyed cutting the tape while Dale assembled the flower. 

The finished flowers

Jake turns 11

 In the past, when it was someone in our family's birthday, we all went out to dinner together.  This year we decided that we were going to take the birthday child out to dinner all by themselves.  Jake chose to go to La Luna.  We had a really nice time spending some one on one time with him.

Jake eating his favorite dessert, fried ice cream

 Jake chose to go see The Lego Movie for his birthday.  He really liked it.  It was so much fun to look over at him and see him laughing the whole movie.

Jake with his birthday presents

Jake off to his school on his birthday

Kierra made Jake's birthday cake

Every year I take a picture of Jake with my mom on their birthday.  It's fun that they get to share that day together.  Jake is one of a kind.  I've never known a kid like him.  He is so smart.  He is constantly telling me little pieces of information that he has learned from reading informational books.  He is like a little sponge.  The funny thing about him is that it frequently seems like he isn't paying attention but he is.  He is currently very into legos and video games.  He does really well in school and his teacher loves him.  Jake is a really sweet kid and we are lucky to have him in our family.

Ice Skating

 Kierra has recently developed a love for ice skating and she wanted us to go with her.  Fortunately, when I called the Olympic oval, to check the hours, they told me that night Comcast was sponsoring a skate for free night for their customers.  What a deal!  So, we decided to go.  Not only did we get to skate for free but they gave free churros and hot chocolate.  And...we won 4 free skating passes in the drawing. I love free things!

Dale helping Katie with her skates

Dale helping Jadon with his skates.  Jadon couldn't get the laces tight enough

Katie absolutely loved skating!  who wouldn't though if you got to hold hands in between two big people and basically float around the rink!

Kierra made Katie try it by herself

 Jake and Kyson didn't quite get the hang of ice skating.  Kyson said it hurt his feet and Jake is basically gumby.  We would try and help him and he would fold in all sorts of directions.  Because it was pretty crowded that night, they wouldn't allow the walkers that help kids learn to skate, out on the ice.  We are going to take the kids back another time so they can try it with the walkers.


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 We had a great time together.  It was fun to skate again.  It brought back memories from when I was young.  Katie wants to sign up for lessons because she loved it so much.

Jaxon has been ice skating a few times before and he doesn't enjoy it.  He did get on the ice once...for our family picture

Jaxon's 13th birthday

Carter Ricks, Josh Lowry, Cameron Farley, Jaxon, Gavin Hiller, Mitchel Ostler and Dylan Tingey

When I was updating my blog a few weeks ago, I couldn't find Jaxon's 13th birthday pictures.  I finally found them.  Yay!  So he had a party at the cabin to celebrate his 13th birthday.  He brought 6 friends and Dale and I went as the chaperones.  They had pizza and watched a PG-13 movie, since he is legal now.  They also played all sorts of games in the cabin and a few outside.  Unfortunately, there was a funeral in our ward the next day so we had to get up and leave pretty early in the morning.  They had a good time while we were there though.

Pigging out on pizza!

Jaxon wanted to play the candy bar game.  He got a box of gumballs and ate the whole thing

What a handsome 13 year old!

Jaxon turned 13 on a Sunday which he was pretty disappointed about.  At least it wasn't a fast Sunday.  I can't believe that I have 3 teenagers living in my house now.  Time is flying so fast.  Jaxon continues to excel in sports and is good at any sport he tries.  He received a bow and arrow for Christmas and is very good and has amazing aim.  He's playing basketball right now and is doing great.  Of coarse, we are getting excited for the next baseball season to start.  Jaxon is doing well in school but has found out that middle school isn't as fun as he thought it would be.  Too much work.  He is coming along in scouts.  He is close to getting his eagle and I will be so thrilled once that is done so that I won't have to push him along anymore.  Jaxon has a very strong personality.  That's all I have to say about that.  He is an affectionate kid and always wants to give me hug.  He's funny.  He is taking Theatre this semester in school.  I think he will have a lot of fun if he doesn't think it's too nerdy.  I worry about Jaxon all the time and I hope he knows that we love him and want him to be happy.  He asks me all the time what I would wish for if I had one wish.  I tell him that I wish that all my kids will be happy and stay on the right path.  I hope he can help that wish come true.

2014

Kierra getting crazy with her root beer

Katie and Jake

Kyson, Kierra and Katie

For New Year's Eve we stayed at home and played games and then pigged out on junk food.  We played several hours of connect four and then played a game on the ipod called heads up.  We had a good time together.  I'm excited to start a new year and I hope that I can make the changes I want to make this year.  It's been great to get back to my blog.  I wasn't able to blog for a long time because my computer was on the fritz but I got a new computer for Christmas so I will be able to keep up with what's going on with our family again.  Yay!  Happy New Year!

Christmas 2013

Sugartown village

 I love Christmas!!! It is always so much fun to have the excitement of Christmas in our house.  Christmas Eve is probably my favorite part of the holiday season! I love the tradition we have of going out to dinner and then to a movie.  This year we went to Texas Roadhouse and then to see Frozen.  We had such yummy food and the movie was AWESOME!!! We started another Christmas Eve tradition this year.  Dale bought me the precious moments Sugar Town when we first got married and we only got it out for 2-3 years.  Once Jadon could walk, we decided not to get it out because we were afraid it would get broken.  It's been in storage ever since.  This year, Jadon suggested that we set it up for Christmas.  I decided that it would probably be ok since the kids are old enough to trust with it.  We used our kitchen table to set it up.  The kids loved getting the pieces out and putting it together.  I forgot how much I love the whole set.  It was so much fun to have it set up for a few days in our kitchen.

Enjoying dinner at Texas Roadhouse

The kids waiting to open their Christmas Eve presents

Jaxon shooting the bow that Santa gave him

 Gladys gave Jadon, Jaxon and Kierra some banks that are breakable.  She wrapped them up in confetti.  As soon as Jadon opened the box he looked up at me and said "Mom, I'm going to make a mess!"  He then proceeded to throw confetti everywhere.  Not just once either.  Every time someone opened a present, he scooped up the confetti and threw it all over them.

 Our house was covered in confetti!  Jadon (with the help of me, Dale and Gladys) were cleaning up confetti for quite a while.  It was pretty hard to scoop up.  We vacuumed, swept and scooped until we thought it was gone...then someone turned on the fan.  Confetti went flying all over again.  We had to clean it up 3 times before it was gone.  Jadon says it was worth it. 

This Christmas was the year of the new shoes.  Dale, Jadon and Jaxon all got new shoes.

Kyson's 9th Birthday

 We all went to La Luna to celebrate Kyson and Katie's birthdays.  Before we went in Kyson asked me not to tell the waiter it was his birthday because he really didn't want them to sing to him.  So, of coarse, I had to tell the waiter.  They gave Kyson and Katie a sombrero and some maracas and some fried ice cream.  I think Kyson was ok with it once he got the ice cream.  After dinner, we went to see Despicable Me 2.  We had a great night celebrating my two little ones.

 Ever since Kyson went to scout camp, he has said that he wants a bow and arrow.  We were pretty excited to give that to him for his birthday.  He was very nice and let everyone in the family take a turn shooting the bow and arrow.  We spent a few hours outside having a great time together.  I love his serious face when he is shooting.

Kyson is such a great little kid.  He wants to do what's right most of the time and is always concerned about everyone else, especially Jake.  He is constantly reminding Jake what he needs to do.  He is a kid who worries a lot.  He wants to make sure everyone is safe and doing what they are suppose to.  He is doing very well in school and is super good at math. He has become really good at sports and enjoys playing anything, especially football with the neighbor kids in the back yard.   He is a really special little kid and I'm so thankful that he is in our family.  I love you Ky-ky (he hates it when we call him that)!