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!