Christmas 2010...

The Christmas season started off with a bang.  After Thanksgiving at our house we went to a fun little Christmas festival in Vernal where the boys got to pet a real camel, ride a pony, play in some bouncy houses, get cotton candy and churros, etc...all free of charge (Vernal rocks!)  It was a lot of fun.  Later that weekend we went out to our niece Kaitlyn's 3rd birthday party.  Man they know how to party.  They had a princess party with the birthday girl dressed up as Snow White.  They had a full course meal, a balloon artist, a giant pinata, cake and ice cream...the whole nine yards.  It was a lot of fun!  Later the boys and I went to Ogden's Christmas village.  They just loved looking in all the little houses.  It was pretty cold but they didn't want to leave.  It was Carter's first time going and Maddix's second or third.  They loved it.  We did however miss Santa Clause there and had to go visit him at our local grocery store later on.  We got a ton of snow right before Christmas and Maddix and I built a "bucket snowman"...(we couldn't get the snow to roll so we had to pack it in a bucket.  A trick we learned last year from Grandpa Lou).  This year the boys even received a phone call/message from Santa.  It was really cute and they both enjoyed listening to it over and over.  We still haven't deleted the messages.  Santa knew that Maddix is an artist and that Carter loves chicken nuggets.  He even knew they wanted another ride-on vehicle.  The tractor they got last year was too hard to share anymore.  So Maddix wanted a "by side by side" aka a yamaha razor-side by side just like grandpa and grandmas.  They got really lucky and got a very similar arctic cat side by side they can both enjoy and even haul some stuff in the back.  We were able to enjoy Christmas morning in our newly finished basement.  Maddix was worried Santa wouldn't know to bring the gift downstairs so we left him a note.  Along with their ride on they boys got a few other toys.  Maddix got some Iron Man paraphernalia (which is why he's in a costume in our family pic) and Carter got some "Chuck" dump truck toys.  He loves anything to do with trucks or tractors.   It was a great Christmas for all of us.  We enjoyed spending time with our families, my brothers, dad, and Brenda all came out here this year so it was a lot of fun being together.

Fall Activities

This fall was a fall of firsts!  I made my first rag quilt.  I made it for our friend Cicile and her cute little baby Isaac.  Then we celebrated Ben's Granny Helen's 85th birthday.  She is such a funny sweet lady.  She hates to have her picture taken but allowed some at her party.  I love this one...she looks so cute and happy.  She is so much fun to be around.  The great grandkids and some others went out and helped clean up all of her leaves.  We love our granny!  Next was Maddix's first primary program.  He did excellent.  We practiced his line over and over and he knew it backwards and forwards.  We told him if he did a really good job and said it loud and clear and didn't get scared that he could have a special treat.  We went to the store the night before and he picked out his own bag of powdered donuts.  I told him if he did a good job saying his line then he could look at me after and if I gave him a thumbs up sign then that meant he earned his donuts.  Well, when it came time for the Sunbeam class to say their parts most of them got too scared and just turned away from the microphone.  Maddix and one other little boy were the only ones to say it by themselves with no help!  As soon as he said it he turned and looked at me and of course I was giving the thumbs up sign.  He was so excited that he did good that he immediately returned the thumbs up sign.  The whole congregation chuckled and turned around to see who he was giving the thumbs up sign to.  It was a classic moment.  I wish I could have video recorded it.  He was so proud and happy that all his grandmas were there and grandpa larry.  He kept looking at all of us and would just turn on the cheesiest grin.  And when it came time to sing, he didn't know the words (no big surprise) but would just look around and yawn!  It cracked me up.  He did however know the chorus the "Follow the Prophet" and would chime in then.  He loves that song and went through this really loud clicking his tongue stage.  He would go around the house clicking to the tune of that song...what a nut.  Then onto Turkey Day.  It was my first time having it at my house.  It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be.  It was just intimate with us, my mom, and Ben's parents.  The turkey turned out good and our mom's brought several of the sides...so it wasn't very bad at all.  Maddix made the turkey hat my "turkey boys" are wearing!