The Polar Express and Christmas 2011

For Christmas this year Grandma and Papa bought tickets for everyone to ride the Polar Express in Williams.We have been wanting to ride it for a long tome so we were all very excited. We went up a couple days early stopped in Mesa to see the temple lights and stayed with our friends Rob and Marnee in Prescott. Then we continued up to Flagstaff where we checked into our hotel and then back to Williams to ride the train

 Before we got on the train

The girls -  Bailee Kylee Lexi and Tristin - with matching bathrobes and pigtails of course

The boys - being goofy and not matching anything

Uncle Zack and Aunt Liz getting into the Holiday Spirit with pajamas and Santa hat

Jadie Noah and Eli enjoying their hot chocolate and sugar cookies

Santa even came aboard!

Koston seeing Santa for the first time

Jadie with Uncle Matt and Aunt Afton playing with the jingle bell Santa gave them

The cousins after the train ride

Jared was able to get a hotel room for a really good deal through the Ritz so we stayed another night up there and even got to roast marshmallows in the fireplace and make hot chocolate

The next morning the kids got to play in the snow - this was the bottom part of the snowman that that Brandon Paul and Mel made the night before

Grandma even found a box that we could slide in

Lexi getting nailed by the snow on her way down

Jadie learned to cover her face after seeing Lexi

Bailee made it down in one piece and still smiling

Raden tried to go over the snow ramp like a penguin

And yes even I got to go down and get in on the fun -

It was a great trip and we hope to do it again this year !!!!!

Christmas seemed to come and go  - my goal for this year is to have everything finished the first week of Dec so I can actually relax and enjoy the Christmas season. I was just so stressed out and so busy I feel like I didnt  take the time to just sit and ponder - with hot chocolate by the Christmas tree no less.

The kids made chains to help count down the days

They each got a couple things but the big gift this year was a new puppy - we named her mjinga - jina for short which means "silly" in Swahili. We learned it from our friens Efu and Laurel when we overheard Efu calling his son Kahlil that - and the name stuck. So far she is a pretty good puppy.

Make sure you check out Jadies face  - classic

Fall break 2011

We were able to go to Freddy and Beverly's cabin over the whole fall break - My mom and dad came up the first three days and had a hard time leaving! There is just something that happens when you go there - slower pace, no computer or electronics, so the kids have to go outside and use their imagination!

We were able to see it snow!

Lexi and Jadie trying to catch snowflakes

Morning after the snow - everything was frozen with ice. I was able to take a short  walk by myself while mom and dad watched the kids and just enjoy it.

The leaves were just starting to turn and made a great back drop for a picture of Grandma and Papa - By the time we left all the leaves were yellow

The kids helped rake leaves - with helmets on for extra protection. Radens friend Camron was able to come with us and Raden was glad to have a boy his age to ride bikes with and hang out with.

Grandma helped the girls make leaf art to hang up

And the girls gathered flowers, acorns and pine cones to decorate with

Of course it isn't a family trip unless gets hurt - Jadie got stung by a bee on the forehead. She was a trooper! Although she sometimes still says she cant do something because  her head still hurts where the bee stung her.

One of my favorite things to do at the cabin - swing on the porch swing! Grandma and Papa with Jadie and Koston.

And it isnt ALL fun and games - Jareds mom and Dad came up and Gina and Kameron and the boys had to re-coat the cabin for winter. Luckily no one fell off the roof - or chimney- and died. Its all good!

We are so grateful that we have to opportunity to be able to go to the cabin and get away from all the craziness for a little while!  I am already trying to find a time when we can go back!

More catch up for 2011

 So here are some more things that we did the last half of 2011 - not in any order whatsoever

Raden shaved his head like an old man for crazy day at school

Jadie decided she loves a clown costume that Grammy originally  brought  for Koston - that my girl!

 Bailee turned 12! Its been alot of fun having her in Young women with me!

Bailee had her fall orchestra concert and was invited to two honor orchestra concerts

Koston decided his favorite chore is dishes...

and sorting out the utensils ...

and taking piano lessons ...

 and learning to walk.

And of course when it rains in Tucson what do you do?   Grab an umbrella and go stand in it!  Dont worry - there was no lightning or thunder

Lexi lost her first tooth...

And turned 7!

Halloween brought Cleopatra, a little devil, a witch, a fairy and Yugio

We also decided to carve 4 faces in one pumpkin and Bailee had her own little one.

Koston had to practice wearing the devil hood - cutest devil ever!

Early Christmas gifts from Lexi

And "just because" presents  from Lexi too. It says "This gift is love. You can not see love. It is in this bucket"  It seriously doesnt get better than that!

Koston turned one and I think his favorite gift was the balloon

He loved his cake!

 Warning Kahlil to stay away from his cake!

 Now that is one content  little boy!

We had Thanksgiving at Jare'd station with the crew and their families - It was a lot of fun and the boys only got called out once during dinner!

We went up to Mesa and ate dinner at Pete;s fish and chips and then were able to go see the Christmas lights at the temple. Beautiful as always. The kids pointed out that even though the temple didnt have Christmas lights they thought it was prettier than the grounds with the lights.

Then of course we ended the night with Bahama Bucks. Nothing like it! And those are the small size! Definitely a new family Christmas tradition!

2011 Family pictures

I love getting family pictures!!! I am able to freeze time - if only for a moment.

catching up

I have one of those few and far between moments right now - when the older three kids are at school and and the younger two and puppy are all asleep. It is so quiet!  I have been wanting to catch up on my blogging so I can print it out to a book and help the kids catch up on theirs too. So here is the first step - catching up on the last half of the year 2011:

This past summer the Huachuca  Mountains in Sierra Vista by Jared's parents burned 

This is where it jumped the highway

That street sign says Miller Canyon Road - That is Jared's parents and Gina and Kameron live.

I wish I had blogged about it when it happened because now I have forgotten a lot of details, but to summarize it - they were forced to evacuate not once but multiple times and had to stay with friends. There were a couple times that they thought the house had burned down and weren't sure what was going to be there but in the end they were blessed and their house didn't burn although the fire came directly across the street from them and other homes were lost. But of course, just as they got settled back in though, the monsoons started and that mountain flooded - the water and mud came into their back yard and got up to about 4 feet on the back wall before the gate gave way - which was lucky that it did. The bottom of the house got away with about a foot of mud on it, No water had gotten in the back door because the back porch mat had flipped up and sealed it. After days of ward members, friends and families working to clear it, they finally got the mud out and are looking to re do the yard this year. We had pictures of it but I cant find them on the computer - I wish I had them though because it is hard to believe.