I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking the kids to scout camp. I want there to be a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived.
~Marjorie Pay Hinckley~

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Hey Santa!

So it can't be Christmas until we sit on Santa's knee and tell him our wish for Christmas! This year we saw him early, the week before Thanksgiving, at the Enchanted Forest.

Brennen's wish is for a Buzz Lightyear gun, which is different from what he told us previously. The rule in our family though is once you tell Santa, you can't change your mind, so Santa still had plenty of time to pull it off!

Aubree's wish is for the new Harry Potter Scene It game with all 8 movies. Or pretty much anything to do with Harry Potter.

Tyson's wish is for an iPod. Can Santa do that? I guess so, if you are very good!

Cambree is still not much of a Santa fan, but she still managed to tell him she wanted Dora.

Kaden thought he was too cool for Santa (Gosh I hate this growing up stuff), but was informed that if he didn't talk to the big man, his wish may not be granted. So he stood there (too big for his lap mom!) and told him he wanted a General Grevious Lightsaber.

Fall Fun

We have 7 huge trees in our yard along with many smaller ones and bushes as well, so fall raking is no small task. Luckily, my kids think it is the most fun job ever!





Sunday, December 11, 2011

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Carving Pumpkins

One of the best things about Halloween? Carving Pumpkins of course!
You gotta scoop those guts out! Sometimes it's a two handed job!

This little girl had way too much fun getting that pumpkin ready!

Caution: Artist at work.

Not so sure about this!

Big brother may not like it, but Tyson finds the grossness facinating!

And the finished products! Cambree was so proud of her pumpkin!

Tyson loves spooky! His scary Jack o Lantern had 11 eyes!

I don't know what weird face this is, but Aubree did a great job carving all by herself!

Brennen had a MAD pumpkin!

Kaden and origami Yoda.

All set to spook!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Sister's Weekend

In Oct, I had the fantastic opportunity to spend a weekend with my mom and three sisters. It was os much fun! We went out to eat, went shopping, stayed in a hotel, went to a (grown up) movie, and just had an all around good time. I am so blessed to have these amazing women not only as my sisters and mom, but as some of my best friends!

Smile for the camera!

This is how we really are -- WEEEEEEEET!

Cheerleader pose!

Checking our Facebook!

Stylin at the mall!

Out to lunch -- and no one needed their meat cut up! How nice!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

The Pumpkin Patch

The weekend I took off with my sisters, Bruce took the kids out to his sister's house in Herriman to see their cousins who just moved here from Cambodia. While they were there, they wen to the pumpkin patch to pick out their pumpkins for Halloween. I wasn't there, so I can't really describe the pictures, but they are cute and it looks like they had a lot of fun!









I'm so grateful that my kids have such a great dad who will take them while mom gets her batteries recharged.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Soccer

Late summer and early fall mean soccer season at our house. This year we had 3 boys playing.
Kaden had an awesome team this year and they had a lot of fun! He learned so much about the game and how to play the different positions. His best position was defender, which he got pretty good at. Their team only lost 2 games and those were close games.


Tyson had a great time in soccer. Not only did he learn and improve, but 2 of his best friends were on the team with him. He also loved playing defender, but I think it's because he didn't have to run as much. They don't keep score in his age division, but they had a pretty good team and his coach gave him defender of the year award for his team.



It was Brennen's first year playing and his dad was his coach. He was the youngest kid on the team and it showed. He would get really distracted and forget a lot what he was supposed to be doing, but he had a great time and was especially excited that he got to have treats after every game!