Sledding in our yard!

It snowed so much on Christmas Eve that we could even sled in our yard! We had a drift that was taller than our 6 ft. fence in the backyard! The kids and even our dog had so much fun!

A Holly, Jolly Christmas!

Merry Christmas 2008! We had a blizzard on Christmas Eve!! So we spent the whole day at home. We were planning on going to Adam's parents, but the freeway was closed down! We had a great day at home though. We watched some new movies, the kids played with their toys, and we even cooked a ham! We had a great day with just our family, and it was a storm we won't forget!

An igloo?!

Adam and Shayne had a fun time building an igloo for the "kids". I think it was equally fun for them!

I was so impressed with how it turned out! Shayne had an igloo maker he had gotten for the scouts. It built a perfect dome. The kids can stand up in it! It's been a fun thing for them to go outside and play in. Even though the winds are blowing like crazy it stays nice inside their little igloo.

Christmas Decor

We were so on top of things this year! Adam was such a good husband and the day after Thanksgiving he put up the Christmas lights. They look so good! And of course we decorated the tree, and got out all of the decorations for the house. So far we've only broken one ornament (thank you Ashton)- but I'm sure that won't be the last. (thanks in advance Ashton)

We only had one casualty in this festive occasion and that was Ashton getting his hand stepped on as Adam came down the ladder. Ashton only cried about that one for about an hour. (not exaggerating).

The boys decided stockings were just big socks and went up and down the stairs many times with them on- thus wearing out my 26 year old stocking completely. And so we broke down and bought matching stockings for the whole family- even for the new baby. :)

Double the fun!

This year we got to have two Thanksgivings! My family (my brother and his wife, my sister and her husband and my sister and her boyfriend) came up from Utah, and my parents surprised us and came on their way home from Kansas. We had a great "pre-Thanksgiving" feast. Then on Thanksgiving Day we went up to Adam's sister's house and had a great meal there with his family.

We only had one casualty and that was Ashton getting smacked in the head with a swing. He got a pretty good shiner! But everything else went well. Adam and I even made a mean cheese-ball! There's a first time for everything.

Double the fun, meant double the food, and I must say we were getting pretty tired of turkey leftovers- but we have much to be grateful for.

Our little gymnast

Ella did not inherit any flexibility from me that's for sure! (Maybe Adam's hiding it somewhere!) She is amazing and definatly the most flexible and coorinated person I know. (I'm not at all biased I know. :) ) I got to sit in her class on Wednesday and watch her, and it was a lot of fun. Here are a few pictures of our future olympic star.

Happy Halloween

My kids will be the first to point out that Halloween is my least favorite holiday. I have just always hated scary, creepy things, and this year was no exception! In fact, we didn't even carve pumpkins. Ella brought a cute pumpkin home from a field trip and she told me it was to pretty to carve-so we didn't. Aaron said, "You don't like scary things, but you like me being a super-hero...right mom?" I quickly assured him that I love that he dresses up as a super hero (almost every day-not just for Halloween!)

Of course the kids dressed up and went trick-or-treating, as much as I am anti-Halloween, I'm not anti-candy. :) Ella was Tinker Bell -the same costume I wore when I was her age, Aaron was Buzz Lightyear (with wings this year) and Ashton was Batman. Ashton is obsessed with Batman.

So trick-or-treating was a lot of fun and a huge success- we got about 5 pounds of candy which should last us for a couple of weeks anyway! (I am eating for two!) :)

Cookie time!

Aaron made me laugh so hard today. He was helping me make cookies. We were getting ready to mix them, when he said, "Wait, I need to get something!" And he came back with an old paint-ball mask that Adam had given him. I asked him why he needed that and he explained it was to protect his face from the flour! :) I thought it was hilarious.....and then of course he got to lick the bowl.

Some good family fun!

Who would have guessed that Pocatello has an indoor miniature golf place?! We were so excited to discover it! The kids had a blast. They were really getting the hang of it. And Aaron does really well left-handed. As for Adam and I, we didn't get in a lot of golf, but we had so much fun watching the kids and cheering them on. Adam and I will have to go back when it's just the two of us sometime.

It's snowing!

I can't believe it! It's October and it's snowing..... a lot! I took pictures yesterday and then of today (Oct. 12) and it's just unbelievable! There's probably 8 inches on the ground and it's still snowing! The kids have had fun. I didn't think we'd have to dig out the snow clothes already this year though. :)

The Wild West!

We surprised the kids and went to my parents for a long weekend. We all had such a good time. The kids of course got to ride "Danny", who is so gentle and good with them. And they reward him with handfuls of apples! They were very excited to be real cowboys ( and girl) :). As you can see in the pictures, they were all smiles.

Soccer Mom

I am officially a soccer mom. Ella is #3 on the Flames. I get a kick out of watching her method of soccer. Ella is a terrific runner. She just doesn't like to run and kick at the same time. She likes to keep a safe 10 foot radius between herself and the ball. :) But we still cheer! Actually today she did have some really good kicks, so I believe by the end of the season, maybe she'll only keep a 5 foot radius! We love her and are proud of her regardless of her skill level! Perhaps cross country is going to be her sport though.

A little one on the way!

We are expecting our fourth child in January!!!!The doctor's say it's a girl ( they were pretty confident, but I'm always a little unsure after Ella's experience). We have a boy and girl name picked out and clothes for either, so we're set!

The third child!

Ashton was born April 23, 2006. He is just 15 and a half months younger than his big brother. He is always trying to do everything that Aaron does, and is quickly catching up to him in size. Ashton is a rough and tumble little boy. He loves to get dirty, and play hard. He loves going on truck rides with Adam, and loves to play with his brother and sister. Even though he's tough, he does give the world's greatest hugs.

Our first boy!!

Aaron was our tax break baby! Born on December 31st 2004, Aaron was the last baby born that year in Pocatello. Aaron loves to play Buzz Lightyear, dig in the dirt, play with trucks and anything else with wheels, he's a tree climber, and also loves to spend time with his sister and brother. He's my big helper now that Ella is in school.

First comes Ella!

May 24th 2002 was the birthday for our first baby Ella! The ultrasound said she would be a boy, but I knew better. She's definatly all girl. She loves soccer, gymnastics, playing piano, playing 'Polly Pockets', spending time with friends, and is a Mother Hen to her two younger brothers.

Ella started 1st grade this year. This is her first day of school picture. It's been hard having her gone all day, and the boys miss her too. We make sure our morning walk is during her first recess, and we make a point to say hi!

You had me from 'hello'!

Adam and I both knew we were meant for each other from the very beginning. We dated for a very brief time ( only 2 and a half months) and were engaged. In our dating we only saw each other on the weekends since I was going to school at BYU and he was living in Idaho. We were engaged for about 3 months and saw very little of each other during our engagement, since I moved back home to Washington. We were married February 3rd 2001 for time and all eternity in the Idaho Falls, Idaho temple........and the rest is history!!!