Blue & Gold Banquet, and a story about T

We went to the Blue & Gold Banquet for S the other night. We combine with 2 other wards so there was quite the crowd there that night. S got his bear badge, a gold arrow, and 3 silver arrows. They had a cute little "initiation" into the Bear group. They called the boys up and had them reach into a bucket and it let out a bear growl. Then they got "scratched" by a bear claw. It was pretty darn cute.

Last week we went to a parent appreciation dinner that the deacons put on. Sadly I didn't get any pictures. The boys cooked the meal as part of their cooking merit badge. T helped bake a cake, strawberry with chocolate frosting. He was so proud. The boys served the parents and it was fun to just be there with them, and hear about what they've been doing. Most of the time I think he really enjoys scouts, but not always. For example here is a little conversation (not verbatim) that T had with DH:

T: "Dad I don't want to go to Scouts anymore."

DH: "Why?"

T: "Because we didn't even play basketball AT ALL!"

DH: (laughing) "What did you do?"

T: "Some guy came and talked to us about computers."

DH: "Was it for a merit badge?"

T: "Yeah."

DH: "Well, then?"

T: "Well, I want to play basketball."

What a stinker!

Emily and Jose's Wedding

Em and Jose

T and Reggie, such cute boys!

Once the music came on, Tal would not stop dancing. She was darling.

I love this picture of her and Yoho. Look how happy she is.

Papa gave a little speech and words of advice the to bride and groom.

Dancing the night away!

Cake cutting and a toast!

Tal looked adorable. She is such a cute little thing, I sure love her!

J was on Reggie duty while we were finishing getting everything ready.

The room looked beautiful. I loved the center pieces.

Cake table

Candy table. They had little cellophane bags, that the guests could fill and take home.

I thought that was such a cute idea.

I'm glad we were able to go to the wedding and be with Em and Jose on their special day!

Sidenote:

As we were cleaning up after the reception, S came running in to the room holding his mouth which was bleeding and crying. When he got to me I saw that his tooth had been knocked loose. It was pointing up towards his lip instead of down where it should be. We rushed into the bathroom where I twisted his tooth and then pulled it out. It was very bloody, so we got him all cleaned up. Apparently him and T had been wrestling and T accidentally kicked him in the mouth. I felt so bad because when S first came in he was crying saying that T kicked him in the face and knocked his tooth loose. So, in the heat of it all, I lost my temper and told DH to get T and help me take care of things. Poor T got busted, and then we found out that it was an accident. I hate when things go like that. I need to work on finding out the whole story before punishing anyone. DH and I felt so bad and apologized to T. He was a pretty sad little boy, but felt better after we had talked to him. Luckily it was just a baby tooth and not a permanent one. I know I learned a lesson that night about being more patient and I hope the boys learned one too. Sometimes it is hard to be a parent, I just hope I'm doing an okay job.

California

We made the long journey to California yesterday. The kids were behaved fairly well. We made some fun stops and got here in good time. Now the kids are off riding quads with DH. I just bought our 7 Peaks Passes for the summer. And we will be getting ready for the wedding shortly! Busy and fun times for all!

Em's Bridal Shower

We had Em's bridal shower at my house last Saturday. She had a lot of people come and got a lot of nice things. She got a really pretty purple comforter for her bed, some decorations, and stuff for the kitchen. Em is going to be a great wife and I'm excited for her to start her life with Jose!

We had a lot of yummy food to enjoy and played some fun games!

Sidenote:

Talked to Em and Talia this morning. I sure miss them, they are in California doing last minute preparations. Tal is such a cute baby and is so lovable. Em said plans are moving along. I sure I wish I could be there to help get things ready. Her colors are hot pink and lime green which I think is going to turn out so pretty. I did get to see a picture of her in her dress, and she looks beautiful. I can't wait to get there and to see how everything turns out. I'm sure it will be lovely, everything Em does turns out so nice. I also can't wait to get to know Jose better. I've spent some time with him, and I really like him. Him and DH get along really well. I hope they live in Utah so we can see them all the time. I would be so sad if they moved away. I love weddings, they are so much fun. Counting down the days!!!

S's Opera

Every year the 4th graders get an opportunity to put on an opera. They learn all about operas, then they get to make up their own. They do all their own costumes, props, and even make up the lyrics to their songs. It's pretty cute. S was a crane and their opera talked about being a good friend to everyone and including everyone. I thought it turned out really well!

Grandma and Papa came!

My little crane!

Talia was so hilarious! I was taking pictures of S and she ran up to the props and just stood there smiling. She would not leave until I took her picture. Love that girl!

Engagements

We've had a lot of excitement around here lately. My brother Michael finally popped the question to JaNee!! We all love her and are excited that she will be part of our family!!

Their big day is on March 31!

My baby sister Em actually got engaged before Michael. She is marrying Jose who is very nice and I think will treat her and Talia well. Their big day is just around the corner, Feb. 19!

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Pretty Pretty Princess

J got the game Pretty Pretty Princess for Christmas. She was so excited to play, and the boys were nice enough to join in. T was a little embarassed to have his picture taken, but I told him it was okay it was for his sister. He sort of rolled his eyes at me and gave me a funny smile. What a good sport. J was thrilled to have everyone play. DH and I have also taken our turn playing.

J and Her Snowman

It's funny when it snows, the different things kids want to do. This particular snowfall J wanted to build a snowman. She was the only one, so she bundled herself up and got to work. Her snowman turned out super cute, and she was so proud of it!

Gel Toes

We took the girls on a double-date: J with me and M with Grandma.

We went to a spa and got gel toes. It was very fun, and the girls had a blast. I wish I would've gotten a picture of all our toes, but I didn't. It was a great date!

More from December

More old pictures from December!

How can you not love this face?

I want to just kiss her all the time!

And him?

Yes, I'd like to be able to give him kisses everday, but he lives too far away:(

And what about him?

Also super kissable! Love me some babies!!

We went to the Riverwoods for FHE one night and they had the whole placed decorated like a "Winter Wonderland". It was very pretty. Afterwards we went to Krispy Kreme for donuts and hot chocolate, the perfect way to warm up!

Christmas in February?

December was super busy for us. So busy that I didn't really post anything. So, for journaling sake I have to post what our December was full of:

opening presents christmas morning,

sharing moments with family,

visits from neice and great-neice,

and from baby Joneaux,

more christmas morning fun,

showing off his loot,

and hers,

and hers,

listening to Grandma read the Christmas story to us,

watching a slide show in our new Christmas jammies,

enjoying yummy food,

spending time with cousins,

visiting temple square,

warming up inside the Joseph Smith building,

enjoying the beautiful sight of the temple,

looking at the lights,

taking a break for a snack,

a quick photo op,

shopping and ice cream at the mall,

playing songs with the bells,

family party gift exchange,

acting out the nativity,

annual Christmas dinner with friends,

making fun memories,

christmas crafts,

and christmas treats!

We had a wonderful holiday season. It's fun to go back and see all the fun we had. I'm so thankful for a wonderful family and for wonderful friends that we can share this special time of year with. We felt so blessed this past Christmas. We have been going through some particularly hard times in the last year and a half. This Christmas we were literally showered with gifts and love. Throughout the entire month we received anonymous gifts. Gifts, cash, groceries, more gifts, more food, and more gifts. I could not believe it. It was overwhelming. I felt so blessed and was so grateful to those people for helping to make Christmas better for my family. I wish I could thank each person individually, but I can't. I hope that in the future we will be able to pay it forward. To help put a little more Christmas joy into the lives of someone who is struggling. I thank Heavenly Father for sending those angels to us, for helping us in an extremely hard time. Heavenly Father is aware of us, he knows our needs and he won't leave us. I don't know why we've gone through some of the trials that we've been faced with, I don't know if I'll ever know. But, I do know that Heavenly Father will be there to help us every step of the way. I'm so grateful for the experiences that we've gone through, for the things that we've learned, and for the love that we've felt. It truly was an amazing Christmas season!