The hunt for the family gift...

We decided to have the kids hunt for a family gift that we will share together over Spring Break. I used a magnetic page to print out a postcard from Mexico and cut it into several pieces. The kids had to find the clues to each piece throughout my Mom's house. One of the funniest moments came from a clue that would lead to the fan in a bedroom. The clue read, "something that Mom and Dad like to sleep with", because we like the white noise that a fan makes. Morgan read the clue and said, "I know! No clothes on!!!". Priceless!
We are looking forward to our adventure to Isla Mujeres!

Christmas in Montana

My sister-in-law is unbelievably creative. This was their Christmas tree cut from old doors.

Making a gingerbread house

A family game of poker...this picture of Cole cracks me up! (cigar or Pirouette wafer cookie?)

"The Outlaws"

We had plenty to celebrate this Christmas, but, apparently, I didn't take too many pictures while we were celebrating! Christmas in Montana started with watching Jordy and the Knights play 2 basketball games. We hung out at the local watering hole and saw plenty of old friends, bowled a little, and laughed quite a lot. We celebrated my brother, Jerry's, sobriety. We had a birthday party for Mom and shared Christmas Eve together at her house. Christmas Day was pretty quiet, as we played with our new things, and prepared for the drive back to Utah.
We are surely blessed.

Mom's 70th Birthday Celebration

We were in Havre for Christmas for several days, so we had a belated birthday celebration for Mom. All the kids and grandkids went to Uncle Joe's for dinner and cake. My mom has always collected chickens and roosters, so this cake was pretty appropriate for her. That cake was a work of art. Hope you have an amazing decade, Mom!

Winter Extravaganza Skating Show

Morgan and Avery

Morgan performed a skating routine to "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" at this year's CHFSC Winter Extravaganza. She had a great time doing this number and looked so cute in her outfit. Thank you to all the friends and family that came to support her and the other skaters!

Sugar Cookies!

Notice the Diet Coke at the end of the island?

Hmmm... these go better with milk.

Taking a break from decorating to practice the sanitizer dance

Sugar cookies are one of the kids' favorite holiday treats. It is a tradition to cut out the cookies and spend a couple hours decorating them with yummy icing.

With Rich helping this year, the cookie decorating was a snap!

Some of the cookie cutters that we still use are ones from the late 1960's and early 70's. Memories!

Sunday Brunch

The little table makes a great fort!

Full of french toast and mimosas

Reagan and Morgan

The cutest little snowman-holder ever!

Jazz Band Concert

Cole and his Jazz Band group, Combo #7, played a great show for us!

Each of the members of the group had solos in one song. All the bands had excellent performances tonight-- fantastic talent at Eastmont Middle School! The band director wouldn't allow flash photography during the performance, hence, this shot.

She passed her tests!

We had a nail-biter evening as Morgan took her first two figure skating tests. These tests are done to allow the skaters to move to higher levels in competition. The tests are done at scheduled times, with several judges, and *DEAD SILENCE* in the ice arena. We all knew that Morgan could do the moves she was supposed to, but the silence was crazy! She did an amazing job and can now move to a new level of competition this spring!

Coca Cola Holiday Caravan

The Coca Cola Holiday Caravan came to our neck of the woods on Sunday, December 11. The kids thought it was pretty cool... we have a miniature version of this truck that used to be Papa's.

December 1

Here I am, with my Christmas cards nearly ready to mail, the tree decorated, and the first window of the advent calendar opened. We have so much to be grateful for this holiday season. We are thankful for our family and friends, for each other, for the warmth of our home, for our health, for our jobs, for the food that nourishes us, for the bodies that let us walk the dogs, play football, ice skate, go to the gym, and carry us where we need to go, for our pets, for the simple things, and most of all, for the time we have to spend together.

Merry Christmas to you all!

""And there were, in the same country, shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them! And they were sore afraid...And the angel said unto them, "Fear not! For behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all my people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ, the Lord."

"And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the Heavenly Host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth peace, and good will toward men."

"That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."" ~Linus Van Pelt

(adapted from Luke 2:6-14)

Rich's Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my amazing husband. We have been "dating" for over 18 years now. It is safe to say that I love you more with every passing year. Thank you for being a fantastic husband, father, provider, and friend. You deserve an incredible year! Love you!

Thanksgiving

Joe and Gretchen

Looks like Marcia is pinning the hat to the thermostat

We all have so much to be thankful for. One of those blessings was sharing Thanksgiving with the Browns. I worked at the U that morning, then we all pitched in to make a yummy dinner. In the meantime, we laughed our heads off with Marcia, David, Jenny, Shane, and Codi. After dinner, we played a rousing game of Pin the Hat on the Turkey and a few other games.

We spent our last holiday with David and Marcia's boxer, Gretchen. She was diagnosed with lung cancer earlier this month. We are so grateful that she played in the park and went for a few more walks before she said goodbye.

Rest in peace, Gretchy Girl.

Borderwarz

Three of the Jordan Ute Football Bantam teams put together a team to play in Borderwarz, a postseason football tourney that was held in Woods Cross, UT this year. Each evening leading up to the tournament, the team practiced under the lights and on the astroturf at

Jordan High School.

Come game night, we bundled up as though we were heading to Antarctica. We had many layers on, hot chocolate at the ready, and our Digger spirit along for the ride. The game started at 8PM, the same time as a huge snowstorm blew in. The flakes were about 2" in diameter and the football became a slippery rock. We lost to a team from Vernal, UT. The next day, it was sunny, but we again lost. This time, to a team from Idaho. Both teams that we played had some huge kids on their teams.

Football season is officially over. We enjoyed supporting the boys and their coaches and getting to know the other families. I love the fact that at the end of the tournament, Cole said, "well, I was happy with the way I played, even if we didn't win.". Yep, that is what it's all about.

2 coaches and some early Friday mornings

Morgan is still very passionate about ice skating. Most mornings, I struggle to get her out of bed. On Fridays, however, she sets her own alarm and gets ME out of bed so that we can get to the rink by 6:30 AM. She loves it! She started working with a second coach at the beginning of November, so one works on technical skills and the other works more on her choreography. She is preparing for the Winterfest show and is also learning her competition routine for the upcoming spring competitions. I have to say, we are not there as much as some skaters, but we certainly spend our share of hours there. Love you, Sis!

Park City to Celebrate!

David and Greg

48 and 39... how did that happen?

this cartoon pays homage to Utah's "metered shots" in drinks

Greg and David flew into SLC on Friday night. We headed up to a Park City for a fun evening. The celebration started with dinner and cake to celebrate Greg's and my birthday. We were joined by Debbie, Louis, and Alex. Cole and Morgan stayed behind at the condo to watch movies while we headed out. The Herrings hosted the band Flashback Heart Attack at the Downstairs. Great music, laughter, and drinks. Thanks for a fun time, Greg & David!

Disney on Ice

Marcia treated Morgan and I to Disney on Ice at the Energy Solutions Arena. We had amazing seats and loved the costumes and performances! Morgan was checking out the skaters' abilities this time, not just their pretty costumes. She would say, "I know how to do that!". We had a great girls' night out!

39?

How did I get to be 39? I have to say, my body does not feel 39, although my ability to do 5 things at once has decreased a bit! The 30's have been good to me...

• I have learned so much more about who I am, who and what is important, and to trust my gut instincts.
• I have learned that others' choices are just that--theirs.
• I have learned that my husband is more incredible every day.
• I have learned (and am still learning) that the house doesn't have to be perfect all the time; there is time to stop and read a story or play a game.
• I have learned that cancer still scares the crap out of me.
• I have learned that my job as a nurse will always challenge me and reward me, but that my job at home is what truly fulfills me.
• I have learned that I am less crabby if I get to the gym consistently.
• I have learned that respect and a sense of humor go a long way in a marriage.
• I have learned that my kids are very different, but both amazing.
• I have learned to say "no" a little more.
• I have learned that my past is just that; although it did help me become the person that I am.
• I have learned that I might always have the desire to have one more baby.
• I have learned that I like change; that every change helps me grow as a person.
• I have learned not to spend so much emotional energy on things I can't fix. (still a work in progress)
• I have learned that I will probably always have dog hair on my furniture.
• I have learned that I'd rather have money in the bank than more things.

I am sure there were many more things that I learned in this decade. I still have another year of learning in my 30's... I will do my best to soak it all in!

Happy 70th, Mom!

My mom turned 70 on November 2! We are waiting to celebrate with her during the Christmas break, as she was in Illinois at the time of her birthday. It is hard to believe that she is 70. She is so pretty and is always dressed just right. 70 is the new 50, I guess! Love you!

Halloween

Savannah, Lauren, Avery, Audrey, & Morgan

Connor, James, Cole, Tyler, and Taiyo

Frightening!

We had a fun Halloween, starting with a party on Saturday for the adults hosted by friends, Ella and Sue. We carved our pumpkins on Sunday evening with a fire burning and the "Monster Mash" playing. On Monday, Cole and Morgan had a few friends over for dinner and trick or treating. The boys were almost too cool for going door to door, but did go out for about an hour and had a blast. The girls, with Rich a few steps behind them, made their rounds in the neighborhood and got more candy than they could ever eat (I hope).