The ice skates were hung.....

The ice skates and stockings have been hung......

The gifts have been delivered.....

The house has been decorated.....

My dresser has been refinished......(a little Christmas present to myself)

Christmas cards have been exchanged.........

Presents have been wrapped........

Christmas goodies have been baked..........

Now I am ready to sit back and enjoy. Have yourself a merry little Christmas!!

Snippets of Christmas

Time is flying by this month! So much to do in such a short time. Here's what's been going on around our house. First of all, a little decorating. When we were decorating the trees, Avery was busy making herself into a Christmas tree. She said maybe she could stand in the middle of the room and be our tree. She fashioned a tree skirt around her, some beads, and even a present. I tried to do a side by side comparison for you, so you can see the amazing resemblance!!
























Here's what Bailey is excited to give her friends this year..... Lazy One pajamas. That's pretty much what she wears at home all the time.

Here they are modeling them. Trying them out on a "late night" that usually happens every Friday night. :)

Two weekends ago, we went to see the lights at Temple Square with Brent and Jessica. I think the kids' favorite part is riding the TRAIN! Here's our adorable cousin Ella.

Here's our other adorable cousin Tiffany, whom we've gotten to see alot of lately since she's attending USU. It's been so fun having her join us for all the holidays! In this picture we're missing Jessica and Ella, were you guys taking a bathroom break?!

I enjoyed warming up in Barnes and Noble afterwards with some hot cocoa. I miss having a bookstore in Logan!! Just as we were about to pay for our cocoa, they came over the intercom and announced that all hot cocoa would be just $1 and then swarms of people came and got in line behind us and we were the first in line for the deal. It was our lucky night!

Well, I'm back. I'm sad to say it's been over a year since my last post, which means I'm not doing a very good job at documenting my kids' lives, and so I'm starting my New Year's Resolution early!! I'm going to stay on top of my pictures and in touch with all of you! Yes, I can do it! I'm blaming my lack of blogging on my new addiction...... Pinterest. Oh how I love it. Now I have about 25 projects that I'm working on in my brain, never finishing any of them. The funniest thing I ever saw is this pillow, and I must get it!! (Christmas hint hint)

If Dave saw this in a store, he would buy it for me. I must drive him crazy. Because he is the exact opposite of me. I call him my dream maker. Because while I just dream about things, or forever start and never finish things, he is a take action kind of guy who spends more time doing and less time thinking about it. For example, I've dreamed about organizing my garage for as long as I can remember. I asked him to build me some cabinets, and in ONE DAY this is what he did.
This makes me so happy I could cry! Cabinet doors are coming soon, and then I won't even have to see any of my stuff. He's my dream maker.

Wish we were here...

LAKE POWELL 2010

This is where Avery always rode in the "fast" boat, with her hands up like she's on a roller coaster, and squealing the whole time. :)

Was it really just a few weeks ago that we were basking in 90 degree weather? Hard to believe it was in the same state, it seems like worlds away. We really went through withdrawal when we came back from Lake Powell, aka HEAVEN. My kids kept saying they missed it.

Where else can you wake up every morning with nothing on the agenda except surf, swim, eat, repeat? We all loved surfing, it's highly addictive! Since we've been back, Cade has said at LEAST once a day, "I want a boat". He has started a boat savings bank that now has $87 dollars in it, and he has researched on the internet to find the one he wants to get. He even set up a lemonade stand in October to raise money for the Lund boat. We're taking donations, if anyone feels sorry for the poor kid.

We stayed with our good friends the Croney's on their awesome houseboat, Sparticus II. They have kids the same ages as ours, so it was alot of fun for everyone. We haven't been for a few years since we no longer have a houseboat, and we have missed it so much. It truly makes me happy being there!

Our spot.

The kids immediately got to work exploring our canyon and declared this little ledge by the boat to be "Lizard Island". It worked out nicely for us, because the kids spent all their time there on the island, leaving just the adults on the boat. :) Cade is carrying "Poseidon's Staff"

Bailey is the fisherwoman in the family......

Avery liked digging in the sand, and here she is blowing bubbles.

Gotta love Lake Powell hair!!

The boys were on fire duty, they kept it burning and even made us a nice clean pathway to our campfire. Cade would do just fine living on an island.

Avery posing on top of the boat. This picture was taken seconds before she sliced her toenail off by jamming it into the metal plate that the railing is attached to. Ouch!!

He may be 40, but he can still surf!! They don't call him "Big Wave Dave" for nothing!!

He had to show the kids how to cliff jump.....

But they decided this was more their kind of cliff. Thank goodness!

Bailey and Cade did some skiing, surfing and kneeboarding.....

We went on a really cool hike through a slot canyon, and the kids caught tadpoles and frogs.

I love to hear the words "Mom, take my picture"! It's a rare moment.

This hike was unlike any other I've done here, it was really amazing!

Avery and her new best friend Halle in her favorite seat on the boat. They could be seen giggling, cuddling, telling secrets, and holding hands the whole time.

We definitely need a boat.

Thanks to our friends for a week we'll never forget!!!!

Survivor Man

To celebrate Dave's (ahem) "big" birthday, I wanted to send him on a little trip down memory lane, and do it Survivor style. Since he is a survivor of 39 years on this earth, it was time for him to pay homage to some of the people who have played a part in his life along the way. I would have liked for him to have visited more of his friends, but for the sake of time, I tried to keep it simple. And I didn't want to completely embarrass him. :) I gave him a Survivor T-shirt to wear, a torch with a clue on it, and a camera to document it.


This is where it all began, and one of the first places he went. These are his loving parents who raised him to be the incredible guy he is. I am forever grateful for them! I love this picture of Dave's parents in front of their house. It reminds me a little of the picture of the farmer and his wife in front of the barn holding the pitchfork, you know what I'm talking about?

Another stop in his home town was to visit his former boss of 9 years at the Crossroads Restaurant. Dave has always been such a hard worker, and as a result he has formed lasting relationships with all the people he has ever worked for.

Of course he had to stop at Bear River High School, where he found his high school friend waiting for him with the next clue. I love that Petey found a mullet to wear for the occasion! He joined Dave on his journey, and yes, he wore the mullet the entire night!

Here's Dave in front of his high school 22 years later. He's a babe, I know. The years have been good to him, he doesn't look that old, right?

Next he picked up another high school friend, Dan, at Dan's parents' home, because he's spent alot of time there in his life and they have been like a second family to him. Dan & Janette joined him on his journey too, and the next clue sent him to the old house on Capitol Hill in Salt Lake.

This is one of the first houses we rented when we were first married, and I was waiting there for him. The house was a shoebox, and we were dirt poor, and it was a crime infested neighborhood, but those were some of the best times of our lives!

Next we picked up some more longtime friends, Kami & Bryon. It's Bryon's birthday on the same day, and we all went to Hooters...... because that's just our kind of humor. And then to an improv comedy club in Salt Lake.

Thank you everyone who helped me celebrate my guy. And Petey, thank you for the mullet.

And now I will leave you with a birthday message that Dave's employees left on his video camera for him. They are so funny.