Christmas Work Party

Zack's work at Velocity Webworks threw a company Christmas Party. They had a great potluck dinner, gingerbread house competition and white elephant gift exchange. They have been a great company to work for! It really has been such a blessing in our lives. His boss, Dan, is super flexible with Zack's teaching schedule and always gives Zack lots of great compliments and encouragement. We're thankful that we were led to Velocity Webworks!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Oh my! It has never snowed this much in Souther Utah. We have at least 6 inches out in the yard. Church was cancelled since they don't have snowplows and the roads are very slippery. The county has asked that we don't travel unless its an emergency. This is crazy! The kids on the otherhand love it! They are building snow forts and snowmen. They're have snowball fights and freezing their toesies!

Brooklyn's Hairstylist

Since mom always gets her hair done, I think it's my turn!

My Birthday

It takes a lot of hot air to blow out 34 candles. Good thing I have plenty to spare. LOL! Stephanie spoiled me with a great haircut and style. It's nice to have a stylist in the family that lives close by! Zack and the kids took me out to Texas Roadhouse for a birthday dinner. They were wise enough to not tell our waitress since that would have ruined my good mood. At home we celebrated with cheesecake covered in strawberries. I'm pretty sure the highlight of the day was when Brooklyn woke up and came to find me. As soon as she saw me she said, "Happy birday to you Mommy!" Here's to 34 years! I hope the next 34 are a little less eventful!

Temple Night for the YW

We have a great new ward! Katelyn is really enjoying the Young Women's program here. The girls are all very welcoming and she fits right in! We got a short notice that they had temple baptisms tonight but didn't want to pass up the opportunity so Katelyn got dressed and ran over to the church. She was able to attend with a few of the girls in the ward! She was very thankful for the opportunity to feel the peace of the temple in a crazy week!

Rylee's 8th Birthday

We celebrated our little niece Rylee's birthday here at the house! She's been staying with us for the past 7 months and we've really got to know her better. Rylee loved all the attention! She has a big heart and loves to talk. She is an attention seeker. She loves all the things princess. Her favorite color is red. She likes to write notes and learn new things. She was very excited to learn to ride her bike recently with William's help. She was pretty excited to tell her dad she no longer needs training wheels. We love you Rylee! 

A Visit to the Man in Red

Katelyn had a Christmas performance at the Main Street Park for the St George City's Christmas Tree lighting ceremony. We were spoiled with hot cocoa and a visit from the man in red. The kids all got a picture taken with Santa Clause and made their wishes known. Santa had some work to do!

The Novembeard Friendly Competition

Zack and his brothers had a friendly competition of growing a beard. Here's the result of a month of growth. Zack-the old man, Charles-the growler and Jed-the panhandler. Who wins? We may never know.

Thanksgiving 2013

Another Thanksgiving come and gone. It was a lot less stressful than years past. I was done with all my dishes by Wednesday, we played with the kids and enjoyed time together. The food was good and Brooklyn got plenty of baby time. We reflected on all the blessings of this past year. A new home, good health, and good jobs. We've been surrounded by many people who have shown us love and kindness. We've been well taken care of. Our children are happy and secure. It's a good life. This past several months have been rather eye opening with our living/family situation. It has brought our family closer and we are more grateful for each other and for God's love in our life.  

An early birthday present

Zack surprised me with an early birthday present. A picture of the Salt Lake Temple by Robert A Boyd. I've admired it at Deseret Book for a long time and love having it displayed in my own home.

Thanksgiving Day hat

Joshua is very proud of all the hard work he put into this Thanksgiving Day hat. He wanted to make sure we always remember his pilgrim hat. He's a very hard worker!

Baby Dash

Brooklyn is obsessed with this little guy. She talks about him all the time. She was thrilled that he came to play with her. Brooklyn would not leave Dash alone for even a minute. He seems to be rather fond of her too! Cute little cousin buddies! We're excited for Brandon and Goldie to move here and bring little Madison for Brooklyn to play with. A girl cousin old/young enough to play with. Yeah!

Stephanie Graduated from Taylor Andrew's Hair Academy

Tim threw Stephanie a graduation party after she finished up her hours at Taylor Andrew's Hair Academy. We're so proud of her for all the hard work and dedication she's put into hair school. It's a lot of work especially with two little ones to care for too. Good job Stephanie!

Ring around the Rosie

Brooklyn loves to play with the girls. If she can get them to play ring around the rosie they will play until they're all too exhausted to do anything else. It's fun that they can play so well together and Brooklyn loves being the boss.

My little men!

I love my little men and the big guy too! These boys keep me on my toes but also make sure that I'm one happy mama! They are very loving and sweet to their baby sister. They are good boys! I'm very thankful for each one of them!

Halloween 2013

I think all kids love Halloween festivities. The dressing up in costumes, parties galore, treats of all sorts and candy, lots of candy! At least my kids absolutely love Halloween except the scary parts. This year was no exception everyone picked out a fun costume and filled up on candy. Katelyn was pink to the core (everything was pink on that girl), Taylor dressed as 007, William dressed as the Hulk but couldn't find his mask to save his life, Joshua was a black ninja, Matthew dressed as a knight and Brooklyn was a very cute little lady bug! Aliyah was dressed as a blue ninja, Rylee and Lizzie both dressed as fairies. They all had a blast!

 

New furniture

I am feeling rather spoiled by our new furniture! Things are coming along in our new house. We are all loving the space. We went from 2000 square feet to about 2800 square feet and the layout is so much better! It's a tri-level with 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and a 2 car garage on 1/3 acre lot in a cul de sac. 

Our little visitor

We got to watch little Jaxton while his mom was out. Brooklyn absolutely adores her baby cousins. She was a big helper and loved every minute of it!

It's party time!

Brooklyn is 2 and she's loving all the attention! We celebrated her birthday with the family. She was showered with gifts and showed complete excitement for each gift. Our little Brookie is such a sweet girl. She loves to hug! She loves her Grandpa and Grandma. She cries when we drop the kids off at school and don't head over to "Papa's house." She loves babies, puppies, shoes, jewelry and dressing up. She loves to be outside or on her dad's "pie pad" (ipad). She calls all babies "Baby Dash" (one of her baby cousins is Dashten). She loves bath time and shopping. This girl is just happy! She is such a blessing in our lives!

Brooklyn turns 2 years old

I love this sweet girl! She is definitely a blessing in each of our lives. She has brought so much love and happiness to our family. I'm so thankful that she ours!

Moving day is bitter sweet

The day has finally come! We have officially moved out of our home that we occupied for the past 5+ years. We've put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into it. It holds many memories. We brought two of our babies home to this house. We've made it our own but now we are ready for a new adventure. A new family is set to buy it within the next couple weeks and begin a new chapter in their lives here. 

Here's the new house that we will make into our home. There is a little work to do but that just makes it feel more like ours when we are all done. We'll make lots of new memories in this place to last a lifetime! 

PVHS Homecoming Parade and the Show Choir

Katelyn is part of her school's show choir this year performing in all kinds of events. Tonight she was part of the PVHS Homecoming Parade. It's a great opportunity for her to meet lots of kids and learn more about singing and performing. She really likes it!

Elk's Lodge Eye Fair

We took the girls over to get their eyes checked out at the Elk's Lodge here in town. They put on a free eye fair and activities while you wait. The kids had fun! Rylee and Lizzie even got their faces painted. 

Dixie Rodeo Roundup

We attended the Dixie Rodeo Roundup Parade. The kids loved all the candy and parade participants! The Lion's Club always does a fantastic job with the Rodeo and keeping the spirit alive.

Shopping Buddy

This girl has style!

Enjoying a little more sunshine on Labor Day

We decided since it's labor day weekend we might as well enjoy a little sunshine! We weren't really dressed for playing in the water but that makes it more fun right?!?

Consignment Shopping

Consignment shopping is probably one of my favorite activities for a Saturday morning. This little buddy makes it that much better! Look at these great finds! Maybe next time I'll actually buy something after we get all moved in of course.

Married to a nerd

This is probably one of the best people I know. I'm thankful to married to this guy! He makes life enjoyable even when things around us seem so tough!

Surprise Party

I dragged this crew over to the Vernon Worthen Park for my sister's birthday party! The kids had a blast and enjoyed the entertainment that was provided. I'm thankful for family and all they do for me. Happy Birthday Jennifer.

Bike Rodeo

We invited the St George City Police Department to put on a bike rodeo for our cub scout troop. The officers did a fantastic job! We are so thankful for these fine men who serve and protect us.  

Playing at the Park

We spent the afternoon playing at the park in Washington City. It amazing what you can discover if you get a little extra time on your hands to play!

First Day of School 2013

This is a year of changes for our family! Krystal's girls have been staying with us since May with their dad, Ryan. We are moving into a new home across town in October and the kids had to switch schools minus Katelyn. Katelyn is 12 years old and in 7th grade at the intermediate school. She loves school and all that entails. Taylor is 10 years old and in his last year at the Elementary level in 5th grade. He's feeling pretty grown up! Aliyah is 9 years old and in 4th grade. She likes all things boy! William is in 2nd grade and is 8 years old. He's actually pretty excited about school this year. Rylee is 7 years old and going into 2nd grade. She loves to talk, talk, talk and dress up! Joshua is starting 1st grade and 6 years old. He is super nervous about going to school for the whole day but he adjusts well to change so he'll be just fine. Lizzie is 5 years old and beginning kindergarten. She is becoming quite a big girl and is super excited about starting school. Matthew is 4 years old and wants to be in school with all the other kids. We'll be putting him in preschool a little later this year. It looks like another great school year for us!

 

Our newest nephew...Jaxton George

Tim and Stephanie finally had their baby boy. Meet Jaxton George Somerville! He looks like a mini version of his daddy with the blondest hair ever!

Frisbee golf in Southern Utah

Mathis Park in St George, Utah has a disc golf course. Zack was thrilled and the kids loved all the frogs they found in the Virgin River that runs along the park.

Independence Day Road Trip

Our littlest nephew Easton was born just a few weeks ago and we decided to travel up north for his baby blessing. We were able to join in on the 4th of July festivities with Zack's family.

Grandpa Chuck hosts an annual Independence Day breakfast up in Cottonwood Canyon which we were able to enjoy!

Charles and Erica were kind enough to entertain all of us during the weekend festivities.

Our sweet little nephew Easton.

The Tree House Children's Museum in Ogden was a blast for the kids. We had a hard time getting them out of there when it was time to go.

Traveling home was another adventure in itself! We really enjoyed the free petting zoo on our way home it broke the trip up just a bit. We are glad we were able to enjoy the holiday and baby blessing with family.

Dressed for success

My baby girl is growing up way to fast! She woke up this morning and got herself all dressed for the day. Some of its on backwards and its 100 degrees outside but she looks pretty cute! I was impressed! 

Celebrating Emily's Birthday

Aunt Paige and Emily came down to southern Utah for a visit. We got to join them in Emily's birthday celebration! With a houseful of children we traveled over to the main street park to cool off and eat cake. The kids had a blast and we loved have our visitors! Happy Birthday Emily!

Electronics...it's what brings us together

When I was growing up the kids were all scarce unless there were cookies or ice cream. Cookies and ice cream brought the kids in without much effort. Kids today like electronics. They seem to have a radar to them even the baby seems magnetized to it.  

The Tooth Fairy is at it again...

Rylee lost a tooth and was pretty excited to share. She even shared her tooth fairy money with her sisters and got them a treat!

Pregnant bellies and buddies

Jaerick & Matthew

These two have a lot of fun together and they're pretty silly too!


Brooklyn & Lizzie