Sunday was the best day ever. Scott was able to get some tickets to the spoken word and the Christmas Program. He could only get four so Jackson was a sweetie and let the girls go with us while he stayed home with Sierra.

The program was amazing and I think I'm now a big fan of Natalie Cole. Her voice was beautiful.
I especially loved her voice when she sang "The Holly and the Ivy". the absolute best part was at the end when Pres. Monson thanked her for coming and told her "We are so proud of you" then gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek. It brought tears to her eyes as well as ours. THEN they had her and the other guest turn to the choir and they sang "God be with you til we meet again". She broke into tears. It was just so moving. She thanked the church and said how wonderful everyone had been to her and her staff and it was one of the best experiences of her life. wow. She is the coolest.

After we went to brunch at Little America. Soooo good. The girls loved it.














A visit from Santa while we ate. He loved Noelle's red and green bands around her braces.
































I love this gingerbread house at the Hotel.

Thanksgiving!

We were supposed to go to Ken and Shan's house for Thanksgiving but Jackson came down with strep. We were worried he would give it to everyone even though he had started antibiotics, we debated going or staying. We thought Scott's parents were not going because they were getting over colds, and then we thought Ken and Shan were going to her parents instead. Long story short we ended up getting everything we needed the day before and as I was deep into preparing dinner Darlene called (Scott's mom) saying no, everything is still on and to come up. *sigh* Too late. Oh well. It would have been nice to be with everyone for dinner but this was ok too.












Ash helping with the stuffing.












Goofing off with Halloween costumes while bringing up the Christmas decorations.












Mmmm, potatoes.












Sweet potatoes with lots of butter, brown sugar and
marshmallows. YUM!!












Turkey!













So strange to just have the six of us for Thanksgiving. It was quiet but still wonderful. It would have been nice to have our parents there.












Sierra the silly.

Bingham Ball 09

I don't have any pics of Ash at Bingham Ball yet, I didn't get any but Ashley assures me she will get me some. I did get a pic of the fruit tart I made for the dessert.

Halloween 09!! So much fun, the weather was so nice.
Sierra got a little cold so we got the car and did a few more houses. Click on pics for up close and personal..:)












She loved dressing up as Snow White, she even had
the cutest shoes that lit up as she walked












Ash found her own Ninja costume and played the part perfect.


















Noelle was out trick or treating , Ash said she would photo shop her in later.













Joey's party was so much fun! I made bread bowls,broccoli cheese soup and licorice caramels. Joey made the most delicious soup, it was weight watchers so that's what I had. There was cake, cookies, bruschetta, cheese, fruit, meatballs, artichoke dip and a cheese ball! I could have gone crazy but I was so good. I had a bite of Chloe's birthday cake..it was a bundt! I had to. I had so many comments on my feather eyelashes, I'm glad I decided to wear them.

I just found all my old neighborhood buddies! Thank you Tamera!! I see many of them on facebook but this is even better.

It has made me realize how much I miss them all. I had hoped to keep in touch and let myself believe that nothing would change because I wasn't moving very far. It seems though that it changed everything. I felt like a part of me had been amputated. To see all the family pictures and what everyone is doing. It's like the phantom pain of that part that is gone. It makes me so sad, and happy at the same time. I have made some incredibly wonderful friends where I am now but they can never replace the friendships I had. Sometimes it's good to open up wounds, clean them out, let them heal. It hurts but you know it will get better.

Guess what?? I got a job! I actually got a job I had been wanting for about a year. I am the assistant pastry chef at Kneaders. It's part time and perfect. I am so excited. I start tomorrow.

Change can be good.

Cornbelly's at thanksgiving point Sierra and Noelle LOVED the corn pit. I could hardly breathe in there because of the corn dust. They were covered in it.
In the corn maze. We got so tired that we ended up quitting halfway through. Sierra was dragging and so was I. Noelle of course had tons of energy.












Sierra wasn't so sure she liked the maze. She was worried we were lost.






























































Ashley went to Homecoming Saturday night, she looked gorgeous!

Birthday Bash 09!

Yep, It's that time of year again. Four birthdays in three days.
This year was my 40th and wow did it come with a bang. So much fun. Take a look.

Last weekend we went on our Stake Pioneer Trek. We had eight "kids" in our family five boys and three girls.

We had prepared for several months, going on hikes, making our family flag. We had a BBQ with all the kids trying to get them excited to go.

We were fortunate that this wasn't a survival trek, we could bring snacks and even our deodorant and tooth brushes. Yea!!

The first day we went five miles. We came upon a part were the water was up to our knees. The mud underneath was slimy and sucked at our shoes. The smell was horrible. I'm guessing it was from the dead carp that we saw floating around us.

That night we had a wonderful dinner of chicken, salad, fruit and apple or cherry pie with ice cream. After dinner we learned some fun square dances and pioneer dances.

The clouds were dark and threatened to rain but it never did. The night was cold and the tent was small but we made it though the first night. The next morning we went five miles and stopped for lunch.
I brought with us a five pound sack of flour that we wrapped in a baby blanket and carried all the first day and half the next. At one of our mid-trek family activities we told stories of pioneer families that lost child after child and the hardships that they endured. We buried our flour sack baby by the side of the trail and all felt a small part of the sadness and sacrifices the pioneers made to come to this valley.




After lunch we went another five and half miles. The boys pulled through many places that were covered with mud..or mud and water. That night we rested in the shade after we made camp. We had another wonderful dinner of fried chicken, potatoes, beans, salad and fruit. Dessert was cherry and chocolate cheesecake. Yum! We were fed very well. I can't imagine going on a trek were we had to make our own food. After dinner we had a devotional and testimony meeting. We have some amazing kids in our stake and in our own ward.

The next morning was our last and we slogged the last five miles through mud and and water that was freezing. We also had the Women's pull. The men and women were separated and each had their own little meeting. The men played games and told stories and the women were entertained with a skit. We then had to pull our handcarts with only the women in our family through a half mile of freshly turned up dirt and sand. We had to rest several times, I was red faced gasping for air and dripping sweat. When I saw the men come around the corner half way into the pull I teared up and wanted to let them help us. We finished the pull with help from two of the stake women leaders but no men. We all made it through and I was very quiet for the next mile until we had lunch. It was quite the experience.
We had another mile to go after lunch. We went through a "river" that they made for us. We were all happy and excited that it was almost over. We came through the bushes and the kids families were lined up cheering us on. It was such a great moment to see them all there. As soon as we got done the clouds opened up and it started to rain.
It was almost as if it were waiting for us to be done and held back until the very last moment.

We had such an incredible experience. I would do it again especially now that it's over and I can look back and see all that we felt and learned over the three days.