‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

The morning of the 23^rd I was hurting for family pretty bad. Greg and I hadn't made any party plans with our friends for the holidays so, about 10:30 Wednesday morning we decided we were going to party it up at our house. We invited 3 families over to have a good old fashioned Christmas Eve Party. We had the traditional Soup and Breadsticks. I made some Chicken Noodle Soup (it actually was horrible, because I timed it wrong, so by the time everyone was ready to eat my noodles were mush!) Luckily there were a couple other soups there to save the day. Everyone pitched in to help make it a great night.
We started off eating then let the kids play for a while before starting our program.

For our Christmas Program we tried to put in some of everyone's holiday traditions. The Denney's have a tradition of doing a reading of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." I asked our friends, Matt and Alisha Lindsey, to do the honors. I think they thought I was a little crazy, but they were good sports and did an awesome job.

The Owen Family then hosted a white elephant exchange, including the traditional "Wright Family" passing game. I was glad this was one of their traditions because it was one of ours too! I was surprised at the boldness of my kids to get what they wanted. Tanner and Bryn had to steal their items from adults, not something I expected of them. Bryn ended up with a Hello Kitty Notepad and Tanner was the proud (very proud) owner of hand sanitizer. Funny kid, you would have thought he'd just been given $100. Kade was hilarious as the gifts were being passed from left to right; he thought it was the funnest game ever. I was worried he wouldn't want to give his gift up, but he played along with a huge smile on his face.


After the white elephant exchange all the kiddos opened their Christmas PJ's. So fun to have to have 13 kids running around in nice, cozy jammies as the excitement of Christmas was building.

 {And here is Tanner again showing off his hand sanitizer}

The kids played some more games as the party started winding down.

After everyone left it was time to set everything out for Santa and his reindeer.

Greg took care of sprinkling the reindeer food because (drum roll please) it was snowing!

The night ended soon after that. What a fun, busy way to spend Christmas Eve. We definitely missed our family in Utah (and Washington) but we are blessed to have good friends in Arkansas to help fill in the gaps.

“D” is For Dad

The kids LOVE their dad. Here are just a few pics we've taken recently of them. (Of course, Tanner is laying right where Kade wanted to, so we get a picture of Kade trying to fight his way into his desired spot.)

This is a picture Brynlee drew when they were talking about Dads at school.

She was also supposed to bring a picture of her and her dad into school to share with everyone.

Gingerbread Houses

We were able to do one of our favorite traditions the other night; making a Gingerbread house. The kids love expressing their creativeness through candy. Go figure. J We decided we were going to divide the house in 2 this year. Can you tell which side was who's?

Kade made several contributions to our night. I thought I was safe when I gave him 2 of the ornaments that came with the gingerbread kit. He had such a great time… but it didn't save me from any mess!

And this is what I found on my floor! (Plus a few extras) :)

We did have a good time, and the mess is still continuing as the slowly eat it up.  But it's worth it!
Gotta love it!

Class Parties

Brynlee had her class party this last week. I always love going to her school and seeing her in her element. Here she is all dressed up as Rudolph.

Here are the herd of Rudolphs that attend her school. All ready to hear a Christmas Story from Miss Becca, their teacher.

Chocolate Frosting Frenzy

Tanner has recently discovered his love for Grandma Bench's Chocolate Frosting recipe. Each day when he comes home from school he begs me to make it so he can smear it across graham crackers. Most days I have to tell him no. (You can't raise the kid on Chocolate Frosting, right?) But I gave in the other day, and earned the Mom of the Day award when I let him make it on his own. I thought I could completely stay away from the kitchen while he was making it, but I couldn't help snapping a few pictures. This kid loves his frosting!

5 Cents a Lick

I finally got all my Christmas Cards put together today... and I enlisted help from the kiddos.  5 cents a lick.  My sincere apologies if your card comes slobbery.

Brynlee's Turn

Little Miss Bryn has been growing up way too fast lately.  She has such a fun sweet sass to her  but I am always amazed at how sweet and caring she can be.  She definitely has a tender heart and enjoys 'mothering' those around her.  Sometimes this is a big help...  other times I have to remind her that I am the mom and I'll take care of it. 

She is learning so much at Special Start Preschool.  She has so many friends, I think it's a pretty even tie on what she likes best at school... learning or socializing.  Every 2 weeks they focus on a letter, color and shape, then they get to bring objects in for show and tell that correspond.  She absolutely loves this and has to have something new to take every day.  They also get to do gymnastics as one of their rotations during preschool.  This is probably the thing I hear most about.  She is always begging to get signed up for the 'real' class.  One thing at a time, is what I tell her. 

{Bryn and her class when they had a Policeman come visit} 

Her favorite part is when she got to sit in the back of the police car... where the bad guys sit.

{Bryn and her classmates playing in the parachute on PJ Day}

Bryn is also thriving in her ballet/tap class that she takes once a week at the Walton Life Fitness Center.  She has been chosen as "Princess for the Day" a couple times.  When this happens she gets to wear a "beautiful tutu and tiarra" and stand up by the teacher the entire time and lead the class in all their exercises.   They are learning the dances for their recital.  They'll be dancing to a couple of songs from Mary Poppins.  She comes home each week and practices her little heart out.  It's quite the show to watch.  She'll be in the kitchen while I'm making dinner saying;  "first I do this  and my hands do this, then when the songs says this, I do this and my feet do this, then when the songs says this I do this and then ....." on and on and on...going a million miles a minute.  I'll be honest.  Sometimes I make her practice silently.  But it's so fun to watch her do something she really loves, and something she's really good at.   It makes me smile. 

I just love this little girl.  I'm am so not ready for her to grow up.  I'm having way too much fun with her right where she's at.   Sass and all.

Welcome Back!

Hello everyone. I hope I am back from a long break of blogging.  I hope no one was offended when  you noticed we went 'private'.  It just felt right at the time and I promise, you haven't missed out on anything... I've been a complete slacker!

I'll be posting a few updates on the kiddos.... so enjoy!

Amy

Tanner

Tanner, as you all know is constantly going and nothing has changed since my last blog... we're still trying to keep up with him.




He is doing great at school. We went to parent/teacher conferences a month or so ago and the teacher had nothing but compliments for him. He is reading on a 4th grade level and sailing through his other subjects as well. She also said that he is "The most polite kid she has ever taught" (!!!!!) Can you believe it? I almost burst through the seams with pride.



They also had their 2nd Grade play; "Arf." Tanner was one of 15 from his class that had a speaking part. He played the part of Simon the English Bulldog and he did great! I am always in awe of his memory. He was able to memorize his lines without any help!

I wish I could find where to publish videos because I have a great clip of Tanner singing one of the songs.

These are a few of Tanner’s friends from the ward that are in his grade.

Tanner is also staying busy outside of school. He has recently finished up his last soccer game. I would say that we have come a long way these few months of the season. We went from staring at the geese flying by to really getting into the thick of things and fighting for the ball. Tanner is a really aggressive player and he has a great coach who is helping him learn to focus his aggression and kick the heck out of the ball. We are so proud of him!

A week after soccer ended Wrestling began. Tanner was really excited about this.... at least he was until he realized how much work it was going to be. :) But, I think we are making progress there too. Slowly. He is starting to learn and practice real 'moves'. I just wish he wouldn't practice them on his sister! Believe me; we have had plenty of chats about that! This has also been fun because Lynda sent us a bunch of Greg's old wrestling videos from his glory days, so we have been able to watch Greg WHOMP on his wrestling opponents in high school! I really thought I had pictures of a few of his practices, but I can't find them right now. I'll have to update that later.

Halloween: (Can you believe it's been THAT long since I've posted?) Tanner wanted to be a football player for Halloween. Easy enough. He was such a good sport and gave his slacker mom a break: On the way to school one of his friends said if he was a football player he needed to have all his pads and a helmet. Tan didn't miss a beat and just said "I'm a flag-football player." I could have leaned over and kissed the kid (but I knew that would have embarrassed him). I'm just glad his friend didn't push it and ask where his flags were. :)

All in all Tanner has just been busy being Tanner. He hasn't quit teasing his brother and sister. He hasn't stopped running circles around the house, he hasn't stopped making a mess of his room, and he hasn't stopped for one second. Just one of the many reasons I love this kid (except for maybe the teasing part.) :)

 

Interview Time

Please excuse the little helper... he was so interested we decided to do one for him!

To Come: Interview with The Tan Man

Good Night Little Mister

This is Little Mister. From the moment he was born a boy, instead of the girl we were expecting, he has had a mind of his own. Most kids like to cuddle with a teddy bear or a blanket at night. Not Little Mister. He'll take his leather gloves and shoes any night of the week. We will most definitely keep him and we will love him because he loves his leather gloves and shoes. Good night Little Mister. Sweet Dreams.

2nd Grade

Today is Tanner's first day of Second Grade and I've already learned something.... I'm embarrassing. For the last 2 days my conversations with Tanner have gone something like this.

Me: "Are you excited for school Tan?"
Tan: "Yes, but you can't come in my room."
Me: "But I want to get pictures Tan."
Tan: "Well, I have an idea, you can take pictures in the hall."
Me: "But I need to get some papers from your cubby." (trying to think of any tactic to get me in that room)
Tan: "Well, I can get the papers for you and hand them to you then you can take my picture in the hall."
Me: "Uh, ok."

So, the morning came and Tanner was up and dressed by 6:30. The morning went off with out a hitch. We were all ready to go with plenty of time to spare. We headed to the school, as soon as we got there Tanner was non-stop talk. He stayed right by us and chatted about all that was going to happen that day. Then we entered the school. Tan was 5 steps ahead of us from there on out. (I was choosing to think that he was just THAT excited.) Then we got to his room. I realized that he was THAT excited, but that wasn't the reason he was 5 steps ahead. We walked through the door and I snapped a couple pictures (he wouldn't even pretend to look at me.) Quickly begged a hug off him and left before we embarrassed him too much. I love that kid, I'm glad he loves school. And I know he loves me too (and it's not only because he was able to take a Lunchable for lunch today.)

All ready to go!

Ignoring Mom.

I love you Tan!

Utah 2009

We took our annual trip to Utah this last month and had a blast! Thank you to all you who put up with us for the 3 weeks we were there.

The past 2 years we have flown back for our vacation, this year we decided that we wanted to drive. With the ages of the kiddos and their lovely personalities (namely Kade) we knew the only way to make it was to drive through the night. We left about 4:00 (AR time) in the afternoon and arrived about 1:00 (UT time) in the afternoon. Overall, the drive went really well. Greg drove the majority of the time, but I was able to relieve him when he really needed it. I think the hardest time were the hours after the sun came back up. At that point we just really wanted to be at our destination. The last 4 hours from Cheyenne Wy, to Evanston Wy, are the longest EVER! (Next year we'll have to leave earlier in the afternoon.)

Our first stop was my parents cabin, which is about 30 minutes south of Evanston. The mountains were beautiful and we really started to feel like we were home. The days at the cabin were awesome. Lots of relaxing, 4 wheeling, wild flower picking, BB gun shooting, marshmallow roasting, fort building- fun. I believe this post's story is going to be told better through pictures than words.

{on our way to Lily Lake}

{stopping to pick wildflowers}

{Lily Lake}

{Kade fell asleep on the way home}

{Bryn and Nana}

{roasting marshmallows}

{shooting the BB gun}

{Tanner and Nana}

{Kade and Nana}

{in the fort}

On Friday my sister, Casi, and her sweet family were going to come up to the cabin to spend the rest of the weekend with us. And since Park City is set just perfectly half way between us we couldn't let that opportunity go to waste. So, my mom and I met her at the outlet mall and had a fantastic time catching up. I think it should become an annual tradition!

{roasting marshmallows with cousins}

{brynlee, mallory, lily & tanner}

{jared, casi, amy & greg}

{four-wheeler trip near millcreek}

Saturday was Brynlee's birthday and she was so excited to be able to have it in the mountains with her cousins. She was a spoiled little girl. I'm not sure what I would do without this little girl. She is so fun to be around and her sassy little personality definitely keeps me on my toes. She has a very tender heart and loves to 'mother' anyone or anything younger or smaller than her. She is a girl, her feelings can be hurt fairly easily, but a hug is the best medicine for this sweetheart. It seems that a hug can heal anything from a hurt feeling to a paper cut. She loves to play with her dolls, follow her brother around, do arts and crafts and help me with any project I'm working on. I thank my lucky stars each night that she is mine.

{bryn gets to help ice her own cake}

{lily, mallory, brynlee}

{happy birthday brynlee!}

Sunday we headed to my mom and dad's house where we were going to spend the rest of the week. On Monday Greg had to fly back to Arkansas to work (darn paycheck) but before he flew out we were able to get together with some good friends, the Hutcheon's. We packed up both families and headed over to Cabela's so the guys could shop and the kids could be entertained. I think it worked well on both accounts. Even though Tanner was 4 and Bryn was 18 months when we left it was so fun to see how the kids picked up right where they left off.

Later that afternoon after I dropped Greg at the airport I went back to Hutcheon's to visit some more with Janis and Heidi was able to come along as well. It was great to see you two! Thanks so much for fitting us into your schedules. It is always so much fun when we get together.

{kade, porter, tanner, dallin, weston, brynlee}

{meeting up with the Hutcheons}

Tuesday was spent catching up with Grandma Denney. We were able to spend a couple hours at her house as she entertained the kiddos with whoopie cushions and the pet turtle. We love you Gram!

{Gram Denney and some of her grand & great grand kids}

Tuesday afternoon I was able to catch up with my friends and roommates from Snow Becky Hill (Dumont) and Carrie Wageman (Hinck). Becky has been through the battle of her life with Breast Cancer this last year, so it was a sweet reunion and good to pick up where we left off from. I loved the idea of leaving the kiddos behind and hitting a restaurant. We'll have to remember that for next year! You Girls Are Awesome!

{carrie, becky, amy}

Wednesday was another girl’s day out. Gram Merrill and my aunt Mary were able to come and wrestle the kiddos for the day while Mom, Casi and I hit the shopping trail. Just like to good ole days, except I think Casi and I finally out-shopped our mom! We didn't think that would ever happen.
The rest of the week was full of family as the entire family was able to get together for more birthday parties, a trip to the Bean Museum on BYU Campus, family pictures and swimming. Friday morning I was able to go for a 20 mile bike ride with Dad. It’s his usual thing to do on Friday morning, but the first time I was able to go with him. I had a great time watching my Dad zoom around the trail and trying to keep up with him. Thanks for sharing Dad! Friday closed off when the girls’ were able to go dinner at Applebee’s and “Hello Dolly” at Hale Centre Theatre. What a fun night! It's good to be reminded how wonderful it is to be surrounded by family.

{a bunch of the cousins}

{casi, lewis, nana}

{ready to head out on the trail}

{lily, bryn, mallory, kade}
{at bean museum}

{scott, dad}

{more of the cousins @ bean museum}

{marianne, casi, amy, mom, hannah}

{getting ready to see "hello dolly"}

Greg flew back into SLC Saturday afternoon where he was whisked away to family pictures and from there we headed down to Fairview for the last week of our trip. As we pulled into the driveway Grandpa Ralph was on the tractor and had Kade completely engaged in any movement he made. Tanner hardly waited for the truck to stop before he was out the door and almost knocked Grandma over with a big bear hug, and Bryn close behind. They quickly became reacquainted with their favorite spot of the farm, Bryn and Kade fed the horses so many apples, I am sure it wasn't good for them. Tanner blazed a nice trail around the yard with his four-wheeler. Tan, Bryn, and Kade were able to ride the horses by themselves. And on our last day there Tan graduated and was able to take the horse out of the corral into the pasture and ride by himself. The week was a full one with lots of cousins coming to visit, lots of horse rides, go-cart rides, four-wheeler rides, Toby the dog, tractor rides, swimming, catching snails, four-wheeler rides with Toby, trips up to the mountain (lovely 20 degrees cooler), family pictures, Pioneer Day Parade and luncheon, and just plain a TON of fun.

{snail hunting at the mountain property}

{going}

{going}

{going}

{gone}

{this is how it was all week}

{tori, brynlee, spencer, garrick}

{pioneer day parade}

{cooling off}

{tanner and scooter}

{grandpa ralph, kade, scooter=heaven}

{brynlee and scooter}

{erin and brynlee}

{abby and kade}

{kade pushing carson}

{group ride}

{tanner has graduated to riding in the field by himself!}

{grandpa ralph and kade on the tractor}

{toby time}

{brynlee, erin, abby, tanner}

{grandpa ralph and kade}



It was so hard to say goodbye and head back to Arkansas. I tried to talk Greg into another day, but we really did need to head home (darn paycheck.) We truly are blessed to have the families we do and we cherish the memories we make while on our vacations back to Utah.