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?)

Tal and I

Found this cute picture on my phone.

I sure love this girl!

Christmas Devotional

We went to Mom and Dads last night for dinner.

Afterwards we gathered around the t.v. to watch the Christmas Devotional.

It was a fun night!

$16.91

I went to Old Navy today to do some exchanges and to get a few things for Christmas. They were having a sale and I had a coupon for $30 off of at least a $60 purchase. So, I went in search of some good deals. I ended up with:

pajama bottoms for DH

3 t-shirts for DH

3 shirts for me

3 pairs of socks

After all the discounts, my grand total was $16.91!!

That was a savings of about $109, I think I did pretty good;)

Witches Weekend Craft

We made these cute "Give Thanks" blocks during our Witches Weekend.

I love them!!

Its a good reminder of everything we have, and all the things we need to be grateful for!

YW in Excellence, Pack Night, & Recognition Night

We've been busy with the kids events lately.

M had her first YW in Excellence night. Their theme this year has been the 13th Article of Faith, and they've really focused on being "seekers". M gave a little talk on her Virtue project. When she went to MD, she had the opportunity to finish her Virtue project, which is to read the Book of Mormon cover to cover. They did this in 2 days. She told about her experience doing it and how much she really enjoyed it. She is excited about YW and really wants to start working on some more of her Personal Progress goals. It will be fun watching her learn and grow.

M and her friend Shae.

S received his Traveler pin and a couple belt loops at his Pack Night. He really has some great leaders who help the boys set and accomplish goals. He's close to getting his Webelos badge!

J had recognition night for activity days. They each got to display some things that they like. J put her table together all by herself. I think it turned out super cute!

Each girl got to display a talent that they have. J did a dance with her friend Morgan. They did a really good job. The dance was super cute.

I love being able to go to these nights with my kids and to celebrate the wonderful things they are learning and doing!

I Have My Ticket!

I got my ticket for Thursday at 8:45 p.m., I can't wait!!

Such Nice Girls

I spent the weekend being sick, YUCK! I hate that. I felt really bad because we weren't able to do anything on Saturday. DH was working and then went to the BYU football game and I was sick all day, so the kids just had to keep themselves busy. They were pretty good for the most part. M and J were super cute little helpers. They brought me Pero to drink and warmed up my heating bags. They sure made being sick a lot easier. They even cleaned the living room and did the dishes while I was taking a nap. Such nice girls!

A Surprise 40th Birthday

My BIL turned 40 this year. We threw a Mexican themed surprise birthday party. It was a blast. We had it set up like a restaurant, made menus, and served the guests. The food was delicious of course and we all had a great time.

Some of the kids playing around.

We even had a pinata for him.

I think he really had a great time and I know the rest of us did too!

Halloween Night

Tanner was Jimmer this year.

My beautiful fairy.

The nerd.

Dead Bride

M and T went with their friends' for a little bit and then we stopped by Grandmas. The kids got enough candy to last for months. I'm already tired of having little wrappers all over the house, but oh well. The weather was perfect and everyone had a great time.

Family Halloween Dinner

Sunday night we went to Mom and Dad's for a yummy Halloween themed dinner.

J and Sierra decorated this super yummy Graveyard dessert!

Grandma told all the little kiddos a very cute Chocolate Chip Ghost story.

Cute little cuddly kids.

Getting ready to eat.

Power Outage

Yesterday the power went out while I was at work for about 2 hours. As we were trying to figure out what happened we found out that it was very widespread and the power was out for the entire city and many surrounding cities. No one knew when it would be restored and there was a lot of talk about food being ruined or homes being too cold. As time went on I got to thinking about how lucky we are, and it made me very grateful for modern day conveniences that we enjoy daily. Things that we often take for granted. We are pretty lucky to live in the homes we have and to stay warm there, to have food to feed our children, to have t.v.'s, microwaves, blow dryers, washing machines, and the list goes on. We sure were glad when the lights came back on. Who knew that a power outage would make me think about all that?

Halloween Family Fun Run

Andrea and Yoho invited us to go do a 5k with them. It was a pretty cold morning. J, Reggie and I only lasted a mile before J's foot was hurting SOO bad she couldn't finish. So, we walked back to Mom and Dad's and started making breakfast. When all the rest of the runners came home we enjoyed delicious pumpkin pancakes with apple cider syrup!