S D.A.R.E. Graduation

Every year the 5th graders get a chance to participate in the D.A.R.E. program. It lasts several weeks. They learn about saying no to drugs, alcohol, and violence. They learn songs to help remind them what to do and they each have to write a report. S did a great job on his report. After their class was over, they got to perform the songs for the parents and then had a graduation. S really enjoyed this program and it was fun for us to watch him be excited about what he was learning.

New Years Eve 2011

We celebrated New Years Eve at my MIL's. T spent the evening with a friend and then we picked him up right after we rang in the New Year. We spent the night playing games, eating, laughing, eating, and enjoying our time together. I can't believe how quickly 2011 went by. Here's to another year!

Christmas Night 2011

We went to Grandma and Papas for dinner on Christmas. Dani and I had fun playing around with scarves trying to figure out cute ways to wear them in our hair.

I like the idea of a quick "do", especially for summer!

Ange, Yoho, and Reggie were on their way out as we were coming, so I got a quick pic of Reggie with his new toy!

Baby Jakob is getting SO big. Love his round cheeks:)

Tate enjoying her dinner.

Present time!

Christmas Afternoon 2011

We made our way over to Grandma D.'s for lunch.

We spent a little time there, talking with cousins, exchanging gifts, and eating.

DH took a little snooze.

Nice face M:}

Enjoying the Day

After church on Christmas we came home and enjoyed some fun family time.

The girls had a blast together.

M doing her nails.

J got right to work on her Fancy Nancy puzzle.

The boys building Hogwarts castle.

Christmas Morning 2011

We told the kids that they couldn't wake us up before 6am. They did pretty well, but didn't quite make it until 6. They came in at 5:45, so we decided that since they slept so well, we would get up. Plus I think DH and I get almost as excited for Christmas morning as the kids do.

Everyone was thrilled with their Christmas!

S got a scooter, 2 Harry Potter lego sets, and some other fun stuff!

He's been waiting and wanting a Razor for quite a while.

M really, really, really wanted a leather jacket. She got that and some $$ to go shopping with. I think she was pretty excited about that!

J also got a scooter, a Fancy Nancy doll, and lot of other girlie things. She also got a penguin hat, which she LOVES!!

T loves fish. He has a smallish tank, maybe 15 or 20 gallons. He's been wanting a bigger one, so we decided that that was what we would get him. We got him a 55 gallon tank and gave him some money to go buy some fish! He was thrilled.

Everyone was happy with their morning and spent the next few hours playing with their new stuff. We went to sacrament where M got to speak. She did a great job; the whole meeting was very nice. I thought it was nice to go to church on Sunday and to get a reminder of what the real meaning of Christmas is. It was a great day all around.

Christmas Eve 2011

We went to my moms for lunch on Christmas Eve. The kids played, we made cookies, and Grandma had some ornaments for them to paint. It was a fun afternoon.

Afterwards, we went over to my mother-in-laws for our Christmas Eve tradition.

We had dinner, which was delish and then opened our new jammies!

These 3 girls were all over T. They love him and he is so good with them.

Everyone anxiously waiting to open their jammies.

The kids love this tradition.

S and Wyatt

Grandma read the Christmas story from the scriptures, then we had a Christmas sing-a-long. The girls led the music. It was a fun evening.

A Concert

J & M put on a concert for us. J was the flutist and M was the conductor, ticket taker, treat bringer, and MC. I love when they come up with cute games.

WARNING: Not For The Weak

While we were in Idaho for Thanksgiving, M had a mole removed. A few days later my brother texted me and let me know that the pathology report came back abnormal. I kind of had a freak out moment because I wasn't sure what that meant and I didn't want anything to be wrong with M. It's a scary thing to think that something could be wrong with your child. I wished over and over that it was me who had something wrong, not my daughter. Alec reassured me that everything would be fine. So, M and I hitched a ride with Mom and Dad and headed back to Idaho 2 weeks later. When we got there Alec explained that when moles are removed they rate them on a scale from normal to melanoma. Midline on that scale is atypia. Then, atypia is rated from mild, moderate, and severe. M's mole was severe. So, I was very relieved that we caught it when we did and that we were getting it taken care of.

I watched the procedure and it was very interesting. He numbed the area and then removed the remaining mole and some of the skin around it. This picture is after everything was removed and he is stopping bleeders, and cleaning it up, getting it ready to be stitched.

Here is the piece that was removed. A little gross, I know.

Here she is all stitched up. She did great. DH gave her a blessing before we left and then I got a blessing from my Dad when we were in Idaho. I know that helped calm me down and gave me peace of mind that things would work out.

Afterwards her Aunt Kelly took her to get a shake and bought her a few books. What a nice Aunt. She was pretty sore for the first couple days and then off and on for the next 2 weeks. The day after Christmas I removed her stitches. She still has to take it easy for the next week or so, but things are healing well. Her pathology report came back clear. Yeah! I'm so grateful that we caught it. I'm also grateful for a wonderful brother who does amazing work and was able to help us out. Now we have to be careful and keep an eye on her moles.

Christmas FHE

On Monday, Papa and Grandma, Ange, Yoho, and Reggie, and Dani, Greg, and Tate came over for FHE. For some reason this is the only picture I got. We had treats, listened to a Christmas story, and had a small lesson. It was nice and relaxing evening spent with family!

Games

J wanted to play games with me today. She made hot chocolate, put out some treats, and set the game up. We enjoyed Fancy Nancy, Jenga, and Monopoly Deal. The boys joined us for a few of the games. We had Christmas music playing in the background. It was very nice and peaceful!

Christmas is Here

Well, Christmas is well under way in our house!

We started the month off with our ward Christmas party on the 1st.

On the 2nd we went to our annual friend Christmas party.

On the 3rd we went to Jaxon's baptism and then came home and decorated the tree.

After church on the 4th we went to my parents for dinner.

We spent FHE on the 5th reading a Christmas story.

The 6th was a fairly mild day, but M went to a YW activity.

I had my work Christmas party on the 7th.

And, today the 8th I went to a jewelry party while DH went to his work party.

Phew, that's a lot of stuff.

We have a lot more fun activities look forward to.

December promises to be wonderful and Merry!

November Family Party

Jaxon is our November birthday. I can't remember everything he got, but I know he got:

jigsaw puzzle

Juju Bees

Jr. Mints (I think)

...and several other "J" things.

As always we had a great time with great food!

Discovery Center & Golf

T went golfing for the first time with DH and Alec. I was told he did a really awesome job. He had a blast and now wants his own set of clubs.

While they were golfing, the rest of us went to the Discovery Center in Idaho.

J laying on a bed of nails!

The girls making a movie with a green screen.

S making giant bubbles.

Another fun day!

Boise Zoo

The day after Thanksgiving we loaded up in the car and headed over to the Boise Zoo. It was a little chilly, but there were no crowds so it was perfect. We had a lot of fun. I decided that if I ever got a pet, I would want a finger monkey.

Aren't they so cute?! I think so!

J loved the play things. She thought the giraffe slide was super fun.

Kelly liked the slide too:)

The kids had fun "trying on" these giant ears.

T's turn!

Even Alec got a turn!

My cute J, love her!

Katie was a good sport and spent a lot of time with the kids. The girls loved it!

We also "tried on" the giant tortoise shell.

Everyone really had a great time.

DH was a good sport and played along with everyone else.

Doing a little safari driving.

Love my bubba!

Fun cousins!

We had a great visit. I always love going to spend time with family!

(For some reason some of my text is underlined and I have no idea how to fix it. Help?)