The end of another year...

I always find New Years to be a bitter sweet holiday. I'm excited for the fresh start of a new year but also sad to see another year gone. We have had a roller coaster of a year and I can honestly say I'm glad we survived it. But We had some milestones this year that I can't believe I'm even old enough to experience. Alexys turned 16 and that just still blows my mind. Only two more months and she will be 17 and I will be counting down the last year of my baby being a child. =( It's a dirty trick that gets played on us parents....

Anyway here is my last post of 2011 and I hope you all have a great New Years celebration. Be safe and live it up!!

Looking for our Christmas tree.

Craig and Katie while looking for our Christmas tree.

It was quite the trek for us. We no longer have our Suburban so we had to go at it on foot this year. =( =)
Alexys taking a break after having walked all the way to the bottom of the canyon and back again. The rest of us only made it halfway to the bottom.

Christmas Morning!
This is the first year that Alexys was awake before me and Craig. I was actually sound asleep at 6:30 and that is amazing for me. I'm usually up waiting for the kids to get up. It was fun to be on the other end for once. We also managed to keep the opening frenzy at bay. We took just over an hour to open everything. It was a great morning.
Katie got some pretend ice cream cones so we had to take an ice cream eating break while we were opening gifts.


Craig got a new Tampa Bay football jersey and also a rugby ball. He loves both sports so it make sense to us. =)

Alexys had a good morning but she didn't get much sleep. Katie slept with her and woke up every hour to ask if Santa had come yet. LOL!! So we have Katie to thank for our wake up call. This is Alexys with her new zebra and bongo drum her Dad got for her.

Katie had a super fun morning. We had to calm her down a few times. She would have just opened all the gifts on her own otherwise. This is her with her giant caterpillar.

This was the final gift for all of us. The girls already knew what it was but they were still excited to finally get to open it and use it.

We finally joined the club of modern LCD televisions. We decided to go all out though and get the 3D one. It is pretty cool and I have to say that we live in an amazing time.

I got lucky on our countdown on the computer today and got a picture of this moment in time. My family will understand why I was so excited to see it. I love you all and hope that this next year brings great things!!

Happy New year!!!!

Alexys "Waitin' for the Man with the Bag"

Alexys on December 14 singing with the H.S. Jazz Band.

Merry Christmas!

Click on the picture to enlarge.

We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and that you have all the happiness that you deserve.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!!

How many can I make up for with just one Post???

Part 1 of this post.

I'm not sure why I haven't blogged in so long. I can only assume that my last post was needed by someone that only looks at my page every few months.

LOL! I know funny right? =)

Anyway that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Does anyone else have the problem where when you post to your blog everything suddenly looks like you put 5 spaces between each line? That drives me CRAZY!!

Anyway....

I have had a million things it seems that I wanted to blog and then I of course get side tracked and then it never happens.

I need better focus I guess.

Here is a short list of what has happened since my last post.

I may or may not get around to blogging all of it.

1.Alexys injured her shoulder while doing a back flip off a bridge.<

2. School started

3. Homecoming week

4. Alexys learned to play the drums in Percussion

5. Alexys me and my Mom went to General Conference =)

6. Spent a week in Park City

7.Hogle Zoo for Katie and me

8. Play rehearsals almost every day for two months

9. Put our house up for sale

10. And the most important of all, we survived it all =)

Now for part 2 of this post

Well Alexys just finished her first play with a lead role.

A little different lead role but a big role none the less.

She was the Narrator and sang throughout the entire play.

She has done a few other plays and even had a few speaking parts but she had a pretty big role in this one and I think she did a great job.

I'm glad she had the opportunity to do this. She has come such a long way since last year and her ability to get up in front of a crowd is amazing. She has nerves of steel.

Katie was able to be one of the children in the play too.

She really enjoyed doing it. She is a natural at it. lol.

Here is a picture of the cast after the bows had been taken.

Great Play and very talented group of kids.

Alexys with her flowers.

Katie got some too but she was already in bed when I took this picture.

Part 3 of this post:

Well I decided to change my music on here.

I love Christmas!

One of my favorite Christmas songs ever is I'll be Home for Christmas.It has been sung by so many different artists and every one of them has a different feeling for me. Well I decided to share all my favorite versions of it with you. So each of those on my list are the same song but different artists. So take a moment to listen to them and think how they all have a different feeling about them. Or don't I don't care. =) There are so many wonderful songs for Christmas that make me feel the spirit of the season. I could never say only ONE is my favorite. So many songs so many meanings and I love them all for different reasons.

This one I love because for me it makes me think that one day I will have my whole family together again for Christmas. It will be the best day ever.I hope you have that hope in your heart this year and always.

Have a great Thanksgiving!!

Finding Humility

Why is it we as humans are so slow to humble ourselves? I think all of us at one time or another (Hopefully more) have felt our Savior with us. Comforting, listening and loving us. So why do we not make ourselves available to Him at all times? It's an amazing feeling when he is near. That is not a feeling I can forget completely. I guess the problem is time. The longer we go between that feeling the harder it gets to remember it. I find myself getting so busy with life that I forget to take time to make time for Him. Some simply don't want to put in the time. The sorrow I feel for those that deny themselves the right to that feeling is greater than I can say.

I love My Savior.

I know he is there for us. I know he carries us through our darkest moments. Even when those moments are long. He will never give up on us. I'm thankful for this knowledge. Life would be too hard without it. I know that our Heavenly Father is waiting for us to humble ourselves a little everyday so he can bless us. I have had to humble myself a lot this past year and I am grateful for the opportunity to have done this. I have found a new appreciation for the scriptures and the messages in them. They are there for us to find answers and to comfort us so we know we are not alone. I know I will have to be humbled many times over in this life. That's how we grow and learn but how I wish it didn't have to be so hard sometimes.

I bear witness to anyone that may read this. I know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true. I know that God is at the head of it. I know that he loves each one of us. He is aware of our pains and joys. He wants us to be happy and has sent us a way to find true happiness. I'm thankful everyday to have been born into this Church and am grateful for my testimony. It makes life a little easier to know why I am here and where I hope to get to some day. I don't want to get to the end of this life and not have my family with me. I love them all more than anything and when all is said and done I hope they are all there too. I hope they are stronger than this world. When this life is over I want it all not just a glimpse of it.

Don't make his sacrifice for you be in vain.

I hope that for whatever reason I felt I needed to post this has helped someone. Or maybe it was to help me? Strong possibility. But go out today and think of all you have been blessed with an then do something for someone else.

That's the best way to thank Him.

So much to say so little desire to say it. =)

I have skipped a few things with my blogging but because it takes so long to download or upload, or whatever it's called, pictures I have only done this one. I will probably try ot get the other things on here soon but for now I am running on very few patience with this program... ANYWAY!! =)
We went to a family reunion for my side of the family. We were able to go down to Heber Girls camp. If any of you have been there you know how fun it can be. We had a great time. It is such a beautiful place and I hope we can go back someday.

These are some of the things we saw.

Stinging Nettle? Pretty but not good to touch. Or is it Milk Weed?? I don't know.

=)

More purple flowers. I need to learn the names of stuff.

Cameron, Alexys, Craig, and Clayton on a hike to look out over the valley.
It's a very beautiful place. This year was very green. I guess it's usually pretty brown and dry by now. We were lucky because it was perfect weather and flowers were still blooming.

Heber Girls Camp!!

Me and Craig up on an overlook mountain above the camps.
This camp is over 8400 acres. That's a big camp. You can see the lake we canoed in about 2 hours after this picture was taken.

We did the challenge courses they have at this camp. They are fun and we got to go to two different ones. I got so many pictures of both times but I don't want to try and get them on here. >=(

Craig climbing the swinging log that's about 30' tall to get to the cable.

Craig on the cable that's about 30' in the air.

Alexys getting off the zip line. It was hard with the lighting to get a picture when she was going so fast so this is the best we got for the zip line pictures.

Me running back the rope for Craig to use on the zip line after I had finished the course.

Those harnesses are not flattering on someone my size.
Or anyone for that matter. =)

2x4 balance walk way thingy.

The balance beam/ teeter totter

We stopped at Temple Square on our way home. We only spent about 40 minutes there but it was well worth it. We spent a few minutes up by the statue of Christ and then we walked around and looked at all the amazing and beautiful architecture. And then we went into the South visitors center where they have the small replica of the Temple. It is pretty cool. Less than an hour isn't a lot of time but I loved every minute of it.

The Salt Lake Temple.

This is the Assembly Hall at Temple Square.

Beautiful building.

Friends and Fishing

For the first week of July we got to have our friends the Parks come and stay with us. We only get to see them once a year. Usually they stay with family when they come but we got lucky this year and got to play host. =) Craig and Mike got a chance to go do a little fishing and Vanessa and I went out and saw them for a few minutes.

These are a few pictures I got.

We miss you guys already!!

Craig just a mile or so above the Ashton Reservoir

Mike and his little man Baby Thomas.



Thomas and Katie

Mike pulled this out of his pocket after I took the picture of him and Thomas.

Boys are so weird!

More of our July

We went up to Ashton for the fourth of July. We had a nice time. They throw a ton of candy and they also go down the street then turn around and come back for a second time. I guess that's why we got so much candy.

Katie got a workout running back and forth with her candy. She got mad at a few people that didn't throw her candy.

Here she is in action.

Alexys and Craig finally felt bad for her and went to help her out.
Alyssa came and sat with us. We love our Fred!!
And yes those are tractors we were watching. =)

Katie posing for the camera.

Hope everyone had a great July 4th!!

A month since my last post??? Wow!

We have been very busy this month already. July always seems to be like that. We went to Rigby Lake and camped for three nights. They always have a big party there with fireworks before the fourth. We had a great spot and even were lucky to get a private spot on the beach. We had a great time.

I'll post more of this month in a few days.

My patriotic toes. =)

The beach across the lake from us at Rigby Lake. That flag was huge!

Katie enjoying a smore.

Craig enjoying the water.

He'll probably be mad for me posting a picture of him without a shirt on. I think he has nothing to be ashamed of but I guess we are always our own worst critic.

And yes that is Craig. He looks like he's in disguise with the hat, beard and glasses. =)

I love you Craig!!

Playing in the sand.

Katie exploring the water

Loving the water and sun.

Alexys Was loving the dragon flies. They would land on her fingers and toes while she floated in the water.
Close up of the dragonfly on her finger.

The girls playing in the lake.
(Me, Alexys, Katie)

Reagan and Tanner came to visit for a few minutes.
They stopped by a few times since we were only about 300 yds. from their back door. =)

I forgot to call and tell Craig we needed firewood so he went into the trees and came back with this for wood.

She loved the sand.

Katie waiting for the fireworks Sat. night.

Alexys and I got a little crispy after the day on the water. Her sweatshirt matches her legs. We won't even talk about this pose. =)