Christmas Day at my parents house. We had a yummy dinner, then opened presents, the kids favorite part! Sophie and Halle learn how to use Sophies new leapster, and the kids once again doing a Nativity. What a great time of year that we get to spend with so many that we love and care about.

Christmas Day Celebration

Halle and Porter leaving carmels and chocolate milk for Santa

The kids got MP3 players for christmas- they love them! Now they can stop using our ipods.

Halle got a Barbie House with all the furniture

Christmas Eve Festivities

Josh wearing the ba-humbug hat...fits him perfectly!


Little Halle in her Santa hat and new christmas PJ's from grandma wright, what a doll!

"The Boys" posing with Santa..aka Craig

"The Girls" and Santa..

Me and Charity (Josh's oldest sister)

Little Ashlyn was the Star in the Nativity

Porter reading his part as Joseph

All the kids did a great job with the nativity

This was most of us on Christmas Eve..What a great family and a great time we had

Kathy and her girls love to cook, and do it so well together. She gave us aprons that matched for us to wear while preparing Christmas eve dinner.

Catching up....

Christmas Eve started with a day of Sledding in Holden. The kids had a ball and Halle and I crashed into the fence once, other than that a great day!!

Happy New Year!!! (thank goodness)

Well January 1st, 2010 and so glad it is, 2009 was filled with lots of fun things as well as some things that we are glad have passed and thankfully don't have to do again (like turning 30!)

We had a great Holiday Season, and a lost camera to prove it. So pictures soon to follow as we recover the camera from Grandma's house. We celebrated Thanksgiving with my family, watched the boys take their annual beating in the "turkey bowl", after they are finished they all line up at the medicine cabinet for a dose of Ibuprofen..HAHA. It is tough to get old.
Wrestling season also kicked off the first of December so Josh is super busy with practice and tournaments.
We had a Great Christmas with christmas eve being at Josh's parents (our neighbors) he had 9 of his 10 siblings there with the other to come the day after Christmas. It was so great to all be together. We got some good pictures, we had a visit from "Santa" (Josh's mom bought a Santa and in return for her cooking prime rib for dinner she told the guys they had to draw to see who got to wear it. They all immediately complained about it, but dutifully drew his paper when it was his turn. The brother who drew the designated paper would not fess up-but Jake was eventually caught. He threw a royal fit saying he would not be santa to our stupid kids, he did not even have kids there! It was pretty enjoyable just watching the fit! But in the end Craig (ambers husband) gave in and was the best santa ever! He made the all but true comment "for being a bunch of world class athletes, your brothers are sure a bunch of poor sports!" and I could not agree with him more.
Christmas Day we went to my parents for a wonderful meal and more presents! We have such a great time together and I am thankful that we all get along so well
The kids were spoiled as ever, Porter getting Legos and Halle getting a Barbie house fully furnished. (Pictures to come soon!)

The last of the memories this season off hand is when we received a picture message on my phone from Matt saying that Santa came early for Maggie his 1 year old. It was a picture with Mags and her darling new kitchen...The kids immediately were saying it's not fair and why did santa come to her already. I told them Maggie must have been such a good girl she got to have christmas early... Halle looks at me and says "Mom, she still poops her pants!, that is not fair!"
Nothing you can do but laugh! Gotta love the kid!

Hope the new year is filled with as many great memories as last, all but turning 30.

Halloween- Picture Overload!!

Porter and Halle aka..Cinderella and Cowboy... aren't they darling??

The cousins had a great time and trick or treated together. Porter, Kate, Maryn, Chole, Sophie and Halle

Me and the Kids...

Porter and Halle's pumpkins...They drew the faces and then a grown-up carved them for them. Halle made her's a little difficult with eyelashes and all but Daniel did a great job. They turned out so cute!!

Another of the cousins with Maggie this time. Isn't she a darling kitty..

Porter drawing his face for carving

Grandma and Kate at the pumpkin patch

Porter trying to decide.. so many to choose from

Halle with the face she drew to be carved.. lucky Daniel was up for the challenge

Grandpa pushing Sophie and Halle in the wheelbarrow. They were the first to pick out there pumpkins.

Porter and Halle with one of the cute witches at Gardner Village. We had so much fun!

Me and the kids posing for a quick photo-- Josh was in Canada working for Halloween...

One of the witches that forgot how to fly her broom!!!

We had a great Halloween....We went to Salt Lake to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa Stephens and our cousins. We started the day at Gardner Village to see all the cute Witches, then off to the pumpkin patch for picking the best pumpkins for carving. We had some lunch then back to Grandpa's house to carve.

The kids loved getting there hands messy in the pumpkin guts, all but Halle she ran away and said she was not touching the guts!! So mom and Daniel did her dirty work.

The kids got dressed up and off we went Trick or Treating. My parents live in a great neighborhood and we were only gone for 1 hour and the buckets were full. Halle was true to charater the whole time with her wand and purse. She delicately walked from house to house, the she found out uncle Spencer would carry her so she would get her candy at the door, the yell "Spencer!" and he would pick her up and away they would go to the next house.

Porter ran from house to house, no stopping him. What a good trooper.

We had a great weekend and look forward to another great Halloween next year!!!

We had a free day and took the kids to the Living Planet Aquarium in Salt Lake. Boy did they have fun..

This was story time with Mrs. Starfish

Josh and Porter, Porter is trying to get brave and touch a sting ray... eventually he did it. They were really friendly and showing off the day we went. They were coming out of the water and up on the walls. They really seemed to like us touching them.

We spent the rest of the day shopping, and going to two movies. That is Josh's dream day is movies all day.. he got porter to go to the second one with him. Me and Halle just kept shopping and picked them up later. What a great day!!