Piano Recital

Kylene and Spencer had their winter piano recital on December 13.  Spencer played "O Christmas Tree".  It was his first ever recital.  Kylene played "The March of the Nutcracker Soldiers".  Zack Edge, Amirah Hanna, and Hannah and Caleb McCombie also were in the recital, so it was fun to get to perform with some friends as well.  They all did wonderfully!

 Spencer and Zack just before the show...

December Memories

December has been a wonderful month, full of the joy and happiness of the Christmas season.  It has been busy, but not overwhelmingly so.  We have enjoyed Christmas traditions and time with family and friends.

Last year it was SO cold the beginning of December, we broke down and bought a tree at Lowe's.  This year, I really wanted to go back to our tradition of cutting a live tree at a farm.  I was so excited when I found out about a tree farm only 10 minutes from our house!  It had several varieties of trees that I had never seen before, and REAL reindeer!  We ended up choosing a Blue Spruce. (A neat tree where the new growth from the last growing season was noticeably bluer than the rest of the tree, but it was very pokey!)  The kids had hot cocoa and candy canes and looked at the reindeer while we loaded the tree on the van.

Here is our night of decorating the tree.  Skyler got to do the honors of putting the angel atop this year.  We did it Sunday evening right before Kyle left for a week on business in Hawaii.  (Poor guy!)  We missed him terribly but were excited for him; he got to go to Oahu and the Big Island, to Hilo (where he grew up)!  He loved driving around, visiting his old stomping grounds, and visiting his Hawaiian brother, Micah, in Pahoa.

 It was fun decorating our home for Christmas for the first time.  I gave the kids free reign of their rooms, and they went to town, Skyler in particular.  The top two pictures are of his Christmas tree with ornaments (the little paper balls), his Nativity with the reindeer and angel looking over it.  In the one on the right, you can see the little baby Jesus in the manger, with the other dolls being Mary, Joseph and the Shepherds with animals.  He spent hours arranging everything and stringing and re-stringing his Christmas lights.  He is a hard worker, that one!

We also enjoyed an evening of decorating a gingerbread house.

The week before Christmas we had the Edge Family over for dinner and a gift exchange.  We had a great time together playing chimes, opening presents, and eating lots of food.  We taught them Telestrations and it was a hit!  We love the Edges!

Monday, December 22nd, Kyle's parents arrived in Spokane!  We were so excited to have them here with us for Christmas.  Our main gift to them was a ride on the Santa Cruise to the North Pole on Lake Coeur D'Alene.  We had a wonderful time despite the cold.  There were so many neat light scenes, and thankfully all the kids made the "nice" list.  Phew!

This has nothing to do with Christmas, but I finally finished our family wall display!  I borrowed a friend's Cricut machine and created our family mission statement in vinyl letters.  I am so excited with how it turned out!

 Also this month, we enjoyed: Kyle and I date night out to plan Christmas and do a little Christmas shopping (PF Chang's); Zack's 10th birthday party at Gatto's Pizza; fun Ward Christmas Party (see Santa pictures); Kylene and Spencer's piano recital; Kylene's class Readers' Theater, caroling through the neighborhood with the Spencer's and other neighbors (so fun; I hope it's a new tradition for them and we get to come!); and, hosting a Primary teacher's meeting at our home.

Here's Kylene, Jeanessa, and Emersyn as soldiers in "The Christmas Truce", one of their class Readers' Theater.

We feel so blessed by all we have received and for the wonderful year it has been; we recognize that it all comes from the Lord.

Andon is Potty Trained!

It is official!  My sweet little Andon, my stubborn little mule, is officially sans diapers!  That was his Christmas present to me.  And one I am most grateful for, of course.  It was several months in the coming, and dragged out much longer than I hoped (my own fault), but he did it!  He earned his new toys, new underwear, and his treats back.

Andon was ready to potty train this past summer, but I was too busy with moving, yard work, and family vacations.  I told him when he turned three he got to be potty trained, but still I put him off.  Finally, sometime the end of October/beginning of November, we made the jump.  He did really well for a few days, and I thought I was in the clear.  But then he decided it was easier to wear diapers and he refused to wear underwear (or had accidents).  I decided to lay off forcing him, but not before telling him no more fruit snacks or treats until he chose to be potty trained.  We waited a week or two, then after our trip to Utah, I checked out a bunch of potty-training books, bought him another "prize" he could earn, let him choose his own favorite Thomas the Train underwear, and told him I was not going to buy any more diapers.  Something "clicked" in his brain this time (that or he got tired of no sugar), and he was potty trained basically in a day.  After a few more days, he was wearing underwear full time, had earned his two train prizes and Thomas underwear, and we are now loving life, being diaper-free for the first time in 10 years!  Woo hoo!  Way to go, Andon!  I love little diaper-less bums and how skinny they suddenly look.  So precious.

Santa Claus Came To Town

Utah Vacation, Part Two

Friday morning we headed to Spanish Fork to visit the cemetery with the Rummler's, then we headed to BYU to visit the campus and see all the changes.  It was so fun taking our children and telling them about adventures during our time there.  It looks so different!  We hit the Bookstore and the Creamery, although we could only get a little sample of ice cream since most everything was closed for the holiday.  It was still yummy!

Then we headed to Salt Lake and walked around Temple Square and toured the Conference Center. It was cute to watch the children's amazement and wonder at how large it really is and to see in person what they normally watch on TV.  We also visited the Joseph Smith Memorial Building (the view!) and walked through City Creek Mall.

At 5:30 we met Christine and Scott and family, and Alyson and Brent and family at a yummy Italian restaurant a few blocks from Temple Square.  Christine had made reservations and it worked out perfectly.  We enjoyed dinner together, then headed back to see the lights on Temple Square.  It was so crowded since it was the first evening they were on for the holidays, but it was so fun feeling the Christmas spirit and taking it all in amidst the crowds.  We loved it.  We took pictures, walked around, and tried to stay together:).  The Rummler's then said "goodbye" and we walked around a little while longer, then headed back to the Romney's house. 

The rest of the weekend we spent enjoying with them.  They threw a little party for Kyle that evening, then Saturday we relaxed and went to Deseret Book, went to Antelope Island (so neat and such a beautiful day!), and then had a blast playing at Dartside that evening.  Dartside is an indoor nerf gun arena where Tristan works, so we got to have him be our referee while we tried to shoot one another with nerf guns.  All the kids loved it and it was so fun watching how intent they were, especially Skyler.  I haven't played Capture the Flag in a long time, and I even got the flag one of the games! (As did Kylene and Skyler!)

 

Sunday morning we went to Sacrament meeting and listened to Tristan speak, then met up with our friend, Kevin Thomas--whom we were giving a ride back to Spokane--then headed home.  The drive went really well, the roads were great, and we loved having an extra friend to break up the monotony.  (Really, it was a great reason to get to see them one last time; we miss them!)

We got home tired but oh, so grateful for our wonderful extended family (living and deceased), the Gospel, and this beautiful earth.  It was such a joy-filled trip and I'm so glad we were able to go!  I feel so very blessed.

We Love to See the Temple

We loved driving the "Temple corridor", if you will.  We didn't take pictures at all of them, but we stopped whenever we could.  I love these pictures of my kids!

Just for memory-sake, here are the temples we saw: Boise, Twin Falls, Logan, Ogden, Bountiful, Jordan River, Oquirrh Mountain, Draper, Mt Timpanogas, Provo, Provo City Center, Salt Lake, and Idaho Falls.  I think I got them all.  Such a neat opportunity for my kids to see the Houses of the Lord dot the earth.

Family Vacation to Utah & Thanksgiving

Our trip to Utah was FABULOUS!  We had such a wonderful time and I'm so thankful we were able to go.  We looked forward to it for a long time and even with all the anticipation, it did not disappoint.  It turned out to be important time together with our immediate family, fun time with extended family, time learning about our family history and seeing several cemeteries, seeing Temple Square and the beauty of Christmastime there, and seeing lots of beautiful Houses of the Lord!  So much fun.  The weather turned out to be amazingly beautiful with no snow on our drive; such a blessing!

We visited Anneca's grave before we left.  Then stopped in Beaver Dam, Utah, to visit Johnson Family graves (my maternal grandmother, Ruby Johnson Thornley); Smithfield, Utah, to visit Thornley family graves (my maternal grandparents); and Spanish Fork, Utah to visit Barney & Simmons' family graves (my paternal grandparents).  We also were able to see a good friend's brother's grave in Smithfield (Qwin Warren, Tina Spencer's brother), and an aunt on my maternal grandmother's side in Spanish Fork.  The kids are pretty used to cemeteries by now and had fun exploring and discovering.  Alyson's kids taught them how to do grave rubbings.  I read family history stories much of the drive there on FamilyTree, and learned some amazing stories about my ancestors.  My paternal great-grandmother had five stillborn children prior to having her first child who survived.  She had 13 total children.  What an amazing woman!  My paternal great-great grandfather (several "greats", actually, not sure exactly) was the first mayor of Spanish Fork, and he has a remarkable-Joseph Smith-like conversion story.  It was so neat to read.  I totally felt my heart being "turned to the fathers" and it was such a sweet feeling.

 (Beaver Dam Cemetery, above)

(Smithfield cemetery, below)

  

(Spanish Fork cemetery, above)

While in Cache Valley, we stopped for a brief visit for my cousin, Mandy, who is exactly one day younger than I (can you tell?!  Her and I, pictured below.)  Also, her mom, my mom's sister, who always confuses my youngest children because they look a lot alike.  We also saw my grandparents home (looking much less well-cared for), and made a stop for some Aggie Ice Cream so we could compare it with the BYU Creamery. A must when visiting both valleys, don't you think? :)

Then we headed South to Alpine to stay a couple of days with the Rummlers.   We had Thanksgiving there and all had a great time.  It was fun to see their new home, go on our own "Turkey Trot" Thanksgiving morning, and relax and play and visit.  The kids all had a blast playing with the cousins and their many toys, including their "secret room".  Alyson's "big kids" were great playing with my "littler kids".  Alyson and several other helpers made a delicious Thanksgiving spread, and we enjoyed way too much pie and ice cream.  We have so very much to be thankful for.

More of the adventure to come...

First Day of Snow

The kids were so excited with our first snow...less than one inch!  Skyler shoveled our driveway and two of our neighbors.  And he spent over an hour on our back patio "shoveling" the snow and building his first snowman of the season.  First, the head, then the rest of the body.  He worked SO hard on it and although it was a sad, little snowman, he was so proud of it.  I am so proud of how determined he is and how hard he works to accomplish what he wants to, despite having obstacles in his way:). (Very little snow is a large obstacle when building a snowman, wouldn't you say?) :)

Surprise! Kyle is 40!

Kyle turned the big 4-0 on Wednesday, November 26th!  Happy birthday to my favorite man in the world! 

He wasn't too excited about hitting a new decade.  Several months ago he mentioned that I had never thrown him a surprise party, so I would tell him several times when his birthday came up, "You're having a surprise party," or, "Are you ready for your surprise party?"  It was me being a bit of a party pooper, since surprises are much more his thing than mine.  But, as it got closer, I stopped bringing it up.  One day I asked him if he really wanted one.  He told me to please not worry about it, since he knew I was a bit overwhelmed with everything going on.  I told him that was okay with me, if he was sure.  Then I thanked him for letting me off the hook.

But, I didn't really let him get off that easily!  It took a bit of figuring out--with the awesome help of Sara Edge--and we finally concocted a plan that would work.  We were going to be in Utah for Thanksgiving on his actual birthday, so I planned it for the Saturday before.  That same day (the 22nd), we went to the Kroc Center in Coeur D'Alene to celebrate reading the entire Book of Mormon as a family (woo hoo!  So exciting!).  We spent all morning and afternoon there, then came home and got changed then went over to the Edges' for dinner.  (This is the part that was a huge help; I didn't know how else I'd get him out of the house.)  While we were there, the Thomas' came over and decorated and let the other friends who came into the house.  At about 6:20, I told Kyle we'd better get the kids home since they were so tired (which they really were), and we headed home.  We stopped by the church to get something for my Sharing Time lesson the next day so the Edges had time to get to the house before we did. 

Kyle was genuinely surprised!  We had over 30 friends here to shout, "Surprise!" and wish him a happy birthday.  We had his favorite carrot cake and ice cream and visited while the kids played.  It was a fun night.  

The following week, Kyle got to continue his birthday celebrations.  Monday night for FHE, he opened his gifts from all of us.  Wednesday, we gave him little strips of paper that said 40 things we love about daddy, then they went together to make a puzzle.  Also that evening, we arrived at the Rummler's house and sang to him and had ice cream.  Then Friday night when we got to the Romney's, we again celebrated.  Christine had a mint ice cream cake that we all enjoyed!

So, I think it's safe to say, that despite the bummer of turning 40, he had a happy birthday.  We are glad and sure do love our daddy!  As do many, many other people!

New Favorite Spencer Quote

At dinner, I was explaining positive and negative numbers to the kids.  After I explained, I said, somewhat teasingly, "Comprende' Por Favor?"  (I know this isn't correct Spanish, but it's what I said.)

Spencer immediately replied, as if he were offended, "Hey, I am not Korihor!" (As in Book of Mormon fame:).)

Crackin' me up!

10th Birthday Party!

I can't believe our beautiful girl from heaven is 10!  Seems hard to believe, yet there she is, becoming such a beautiful young lady.  She celebrated Saturday, November 15th, with eight of her friends at a Polka Dot Party.  (She LOVES all things polka dots.) (Her actual birthday was November 18.)

Jeanessa, Paisley, Emersyn, Dalaina, Olivia, Kenzie, Coalie, and Sara Edge all came to help her celebrate.  We played Twister, popped polka-dot balloons filled with prizes, painted our finger nails (with polka dots, of course)!, opened presents and had cake and ice cream.  The girls also found time to jump on the trampoline and play hide and seek. 

Here they are playing Twister and popping balloons:).

Painting nails and showing off the finished product.

I made her a polka dot cake, inside and out.  (It had colored cake balls on the inside, although they didn't turn out as bright as the cake on Pinterest:).)  Emersyn came a little early and the two girls put the finishing touches on the cake.  Here they are decorating, then Kylene blowing out the candles.

 Looks like I accidentally made collages twice!  So, here are a few duplicates, just for fun...

Happy 10th Birthday, Kylene!!

October Fun

The McCombie's had a great pumpkin patch/fall party in their garden during Priesthood session the first weekend on October.  So much fun!

Some of our favorite families at the Pumpkin Patch party.

Silly kids!

Silly Andon; and, two ladies I hope I can be like when I grow up:).

Snowdon had spirit week the second week of October.  Kylene enjoyed Crazy Hair Day.

 The last day of Spirit Week was our first annual Snowdon Pride $tride: a fundraiser that turned into a great spirit building opportunity for the school.  I helped a lot on the committee and we ended up raising over $14,000 for the school!  The kids loved the t-shirts, each class made a banner, and they all loved the walk/run and activity stations.  It was a beautiful day weather-wise, too, so everything came together well. 

Andon and Skyler got a hold of a couple of my scarves and turned themselves into Maori warriors.  They had a ball laughing and dancing and wrestling.  So hilarious.

Playing one afternoon with my two preschoolers.

We had the Thomas' over for dinner one evening.  We always have a wonderful time with them.  The kids love playing together and the adults have a great time talking.   They are moving to California in a few weeks and we are going to miss them so dearly.  I wish I could make them not move!  We truly cherish their friendship.

Skyler and I had a great six weeks of soccer.  I enjoyed coaching his cute team of 5 & 6 year olds.  My favorite part was how proud Skyler was that I was his coach.  April & Landon Thomas were on our team as well, which we loved.

 Spencer & Kylene playing in the leaves at the last soccer game of the season.

 Pumpkin carving time...