2007 In Review

In January my baby (aka: Pookey, Mash, Mash Potato, Super, Super Smash, and Fred) turned 6!

The girls did some playing in the snow and I took some great pictures. I am learning how to be a better photographer.

In March, Sue got asked to her first dance! (With Trent of corse)

Trent said "I'd be tickled pink if you would go to prom with me". Sue answered back " I'd be blue if I didn't go to prom with you!"

In June we went to Tuacahn Amphitheater in St. George to see My Fair Lady and Cinderella. We also visited Snow Canyon while we were there. It was a "loverly" weekend!

We did our annual trip with my mom and the Lowry's...

"Mash" lost some teeth...

In July, Loo got to go to on a trip with the 5th/ 6th grades. She lost one of her tennis shoes in some knee-deep-mud on a hike, and Mrs Graham (her teacher this year) gave up her shoes for Loo to wear. The teacher walked for 3 miles with no shoes on!

Super and Loo took tumbling and couldn't get enough of it! They do it all the time in the living room. It drives Sue CRAZY!!!

Me, Sue and Melinda went to a "geek party". Well, that's what we like to call it anyway. Melinda's friends, and us got all vamped out with shirts that read "Bite Me Edward". We put black nail polish on, made our faces really pale, and even had vampire bite marks on us. It was so fun! It's not every day that you get to see the Relief Society President looking Goth! Then, we went to Barnes and Noble for the Eclipse book release. (If you haven't read the Twilight books, I strongly suggest that you do. They are FABULOUS! ) Oh, and thank you Melinda for introducing them to me!

We got a new grill, and now everyone wants to cook dinner. Talk about strange! Why didn't we get that sooner?

My cousin Jake got married in August, and Loo looked so beautiful in her new dress. She felt like a million bucks in it too. She kept posing for the camera!

We went to see Helper Idol. My niece was performing there, so we went down on a whim! We had a blast! Megan did a great job too!

Sue turned 16 and we had a surprise party for her. We asked everyone to come in their beach attire, and we had kind of a luau/beach party!

Loo turned 11 this year! To celebrate her b-day, we went ice skating. It was cool to go there in 100 degree whether (literally). The girls have been going ice skating with Trent most every Tuesday, as well as taking lessons! Super is now beginning skate 2 and Loo will start skate 3!

Here are our first-day-of-school pictures. "Super" is in 1st grade, Loo is in 6th and Sue is a JUNIOR! I AM OLD!!!!!!!!!

We started golfing a little this year with Jason...

Sue and Trent went to Homecoming and Sadies together before his mission. He left on November 28th.

And the rest of our year, is already posted on our blog (thank heavens)

Lights at Temple Square

One of the fun things about Christmas time, is the concerts and performances our kids have. We have enjoyed several this season, but one of the most memorable, was downtown. We love going to this performance, because we get to look at the lights. Many times, we have wanted to go downtown, but don't want to because of the traffic and crowds. This performance, gives us an excuse to get out!

You may ask, "Why was it memorable?". Well, for one thing, the lights are amazing! But the other thing, is that the choir was dropping like flies! About midway through the first song, this cute girl in the front row completely passes out! Everyone in the choir and in the audience, was looking around trying to decide if they should keep going or not. Mr. Moore (their teacher) didn't miss a beat, and on they went. About 1 minute later, another girl in the front row, grabs the two girls' hands on each side of her, and starts shaking, and losing all color in her face, she finally sat down, and then passed out. The first girl stayed laying on the floor through their ENTIRE performance. Both girls were fine, they both just locked their knees and forgot to eat.

After the drama, we were able to go outside and take some pictures ...

What did we get?

So, one of the most popular questions of Christmas time is "Wha-did-ja-git"? I'll share some of the highlights of our gifts.

Well, the most funny gift was from our children. They gave us Nice n' Easy. . . yes, that is hair dye! They told us, "The box says '100% grey coverage', and tonight, we are going to do it!" Oh, how we love our children!

Sue got a stereo for her room. Trent gave her bunch of stuff including a watch, and a coat. Trent's grandma, "Grandma R" gives all the grand kids a box of cereal for Christmas, and this year, Sue received a box from her too!

Loo got a digital camera and a cool HUGE dog book.

super got some Barbies and Barbie clothes.

Our cool family gift, is a Wii. (though we haven't received it yet, we are still on a waiting list)

Christmas Traditions

Well, the holidays are winding down now, and I wanted to take a second to share some of our favorite traditions.

The first thing is to put up the tree the day after Thanksgiving (but almost everyone does that don't they?)

Then, on November 30, we have our children write their Christmas wish lists, roll them up, and place them inside their shoes by the front door. Santa's elves come and take their lists to the North Pole for Santa to look over. They also leave behind a small gift and some treats. This year, the elves left slippers for each of the girls. It's a great way to get excited about the holidays.

The next thing we do, is watch a movie together on Christmas Eve. The past couple of years, the favorite has been Elf.

And lastly, on Christmas morning, we have the whole family over (well, whoever wants to come, that is) for a Christmas brunch. We always have sausage casserole and sticky buns. I think out of all of our traditions, our kids have come to enjoy this one the most. In fact, a couple of years ago, we were thinking about not doing it any more, but when we asked them if we should stop, they insisted we continue. So we have.

Halloween:
New floor, paint, window treatment, and rug.



The girls at the witch festival at Gardner Village

Well, here we go. Our first message on our family blog! I feel really cool now!

Sue:
Turned 16 in August. She purchased her first new car last month. She loves getting inside and starting the car. (that's about all she can do right now since she doesn't have a license yet.) She has been very busy over the past several months, getting in any moment she can with the love of her life -Trent . Trent left on his mission 3 weeks ago Wednesday. He is headed for Rochester, NY.

Loo:
Is 11 now. She loves to read. Gregor the Overlander is her favorite series of books, but she enjoys most anything she gets her hands on. She has also been doing piano and playing the snare drum at school. Now, she would like to get her own drum set. Good thing our house is a little small for that. She also loves tumbling and ice skating.

Super:
Will be 7 in January. She also shares Loo's love of reading. She loves the Clifford Big Red Reader series, as well as David Shannon books. she is very much like her dad. She LOVES movies. She can quote most anything after seeing it once. Right now, her favorites are Hairspray, Elf (she has an affinity for Elf culture), and Pirates of the Caribbean (all of them). She loves to do tumbling and ice skating too.

Us:
Around Halloween, we decided the carpet in our living room had to go. It was a whirl-wind remodel. In just three weeks, we patched walls, tore out the baseboards and carpet, repainted, and installed hard wood floors. It was a very rewarding project, but, it really took the steam out of us for the holidays.

Normally, sometime after Halloween, we find a beautiful sunny day, and put up Christmas lights on the outside of our home. We have added to our light display the past few years, so when it's done, our home looks beautiful! This year, we just couldn't muster up the energy to put them up. All we managed was the tree inside (thank goodness) and a strand of lights around our front door and down the banister, and on two of the bushes in the front. Talk about boring! Oh well, maybe next year.

Jason still loves golf, movies, and the Jazz.

Brandi is now old, but she still loves reading, scrap booking, and watching movies with the family.