Bed Routine

Kynlee cracks me up! She likes to be surrounded by all of her favorite stuffed animals when she sleeps, not to mention, PINK everything. Each night, she takes the time to arrange spots for her stuffed animals, leaving barely enough room for herself. I think there are 18 dolls on her bed, or should I say on her pillow! She has 3 Web Kinz, a Build-A-Bear, gifts from Grandmas, friends, the Easter Bunny, and Santa. I would say that I have bagged just as many stuffed animals, per kid, that are in storage until we have more room. Kynlee treasures each one and in return they help her to sleep tight!:)

Reading Achievement

I am such a proud Mom! Karley came home from school and showed me a Reading Award she received from her teacher. It said that she has increased 6 levels in her class! Her teacher also told her that she has improved the most in her class. She has come such a long way with her reading. Twice a week she goes to a private Reading class during school. She loves her Reading teacher! It obviously has helped her out. I was so thrilled about this news that I treated her to an Oreo shake. She deserved it! You have worked so hard...keep up the good work Karley!

Musical Number

I played my violin in Sacrament meeting yesterday. I love being asked to play at church. I am definitely not as good as I was in my younger years (which I never thought I was very good), but I always jump at the occasion just to keep up my skills. I usually like to play the 2nd violin part, but the last few times I've played the 1st violin part. I've gotten so brave...it's been fun! Yesterday, I played a duet with one of my Mia Maids, who is Kynlee's private violin teacher. She is in 8th grade and is far more advanced than I ever was. We played my favorite hymn, "How Great Thou Art". It was such a beautiful arrangement and although I didn't make it through without errors, I was complimented on how wonderful it sounded. Thank you! I know that we can feel the spirit through music. I feel that when I play the violin, I am sharing my testimony of the Savior. It's a powerful and amazing feeling! I am so thankful for parents that endured many years of my complaining, drove me to and paid for private lessons, supported me in concerts and performances, and who proved to be my biggest fans. I am more grateful now for this talent and for the opportunities of sharing it once in a while. I look forward to the next time!

Calling High

I have been serving in the Primary organization for 10 years. I have been a Nursery teacher, Activity Day Leader, 2nd Counselor, 1st Counselor, Substitute Chorister, Cub Committee Chair, Substitute Cubmaster, President, and my latest callings have been a team Primary teacher with Matt, Webelos Den Leader, and Cub Advancement Chair. I think I have almost done it all. I have loved being in the Primary, especially since my kids have been in it. I always pictured any other organization as being scary. Well, on Christmas Sunday, I got called to serve as 1st Counselor in the Young Women's Presidency. AHHH! Actually, when Bishop came to give me the calling, I was excited! As the day went on, I remembered how much time I spent praying to know who to choose for my Counselors in the Primary, and I was humbled to know that the new YW President had done the same and Heavenly Father had confirmed my name to be one of her Counselors. I am definitely overwhelmed as I learn of and try to keep track of my responsibilities. We had our first activity last week and I had a blast! It was so fun to see their personalities come out. This last Sunday, I taught for the first time. I am over the Mia Maids. It went better than I expected...I wasn't nervous, they willingly participated in reading scriptures and answering questions, complimented me on a good lesson, and hugged me before they left. In just a short time I think I have been accepted by these sweet girls!:) I have been on a "Calling High"! It just feels so good! I do feel like this calling has come at the perfect time in my life. Matthew is in YM and I am excited to be able to participate with him. Also, Kynlee comes into YW in less than 2 years. I know that this experience will help me be a better Mom to my sweet daughters as I prepare them to be righteous Young Women. I am so grateful to serve and I hope that I will be an instrument in the Lord's hands.

Snow Hut

Over the break, Matthew and his best friend, Cameron, built a snow hut at the green belt behind Cameron's house, just across his back fence. They have a "SNOW" camp out coming up soon for Scouts and wanted to get some practice with building their sleeping quarters. They worked hours on it, shoveling and packing snow into a huge pile, and then digging and scraping the cave out with little garden tools. They even made spots inside for the candles to go. After working so hard, they put a bunch of sleeping bags down on top of a tarp. Yes, they planned on sleeping in it! We let Matthew stay over for "practice" reasons.:) They ended up going inside at 4am, not because they were cold, but because they were squished. I don't know how they withstood the freezing cold air on the way inside. Once in, they made some hot chocolate and after talking and laughing for an hour, they went back to sleep indoors. They learned that, when they go up this weekend to build their snow hut for Scouts, they are going to make the space inside bigger. Only crazy boys would be so excited to sleep out in the snow! In this picture you can see the candles they used to keep them warm and the tools they used to dig out the hole. They also had a makeshift door.

Two big boys snug as bugs in a rug!:)

Standing outside of their hut. They were so proud! Can you blame them? It's awesome!

Polar Bear Swimming

In our desperate attempt to find something, other than playing in the snow, to do with the kids, we finally decided to go swimming. Yes, I said SWIMMING! I love having a pool that we can swim in all year. Once the kids were in and warm, it wasn't any different than swimming in the summer...except for the SNOW in the scenery. They even got out and went off the diving board! The kids have had so much fun doing things with their Georgia cousins. It was very emotional when we had to say goodbye. We love you and will miss you tons!

This picture cracks me up! It shows how cold it was, because the kids wore their robes and snow clothes. Doesn't the steamy water look inviting?:) They couldn't wait to jump in and warm up!
Matthew, Kynlee, Karley, and Kenzie
Matthew and Jarod

Kynlee and Grace

Uncle Nathan had fun making snowballs and throwing them at the kids while in the pool. It was probably the only time they liked getting hit with a snowball! The snow melted instantly once it hit the water.

The kids hanging out in the hot tub.

Jarod's feet were so cold that when they were in the water they felt like they were burning. He kept sticking them out of the water to cool off. It was so funny!

Winter Wonderland

The kids have been waiting for it to be cold enough for the snow to stay on the ground. Well, they don't have to wait any longer. It's cold and the snow is here to stay! The Cogbill and Thompson cousins came to visit and were just in time for a couple of really big snow storms. They had plenty of snow to play in! They loved playing in the backyard and then going sledding down the hill at the park. I don't have any pictures, but the adults went sledding too. We had a blast racing down the hill!

These crazy cousins had so much fun in the snow!
Mason, Karley, and Kynlee getting ready for a snowball fight.

Matthew and Kaej building their fort around the snowman they helped build.

Kynlee made one of the largest snowballs!

Karley made a fort under her soccer nets. Grace and Kenzie liked being in it too.

This is a video of Matthew jumping a picnic table on his sled. Pretty cool!

Matthew and Kaej

Kynlee getting ready to speed down the hill.

Kylie and Kenzie

Karley and Kortney

Matthew chillin' and looking like a stud after racing down the hill.

Kenzie carrying her own tube up the hill. So cute!

Grace, Kenzie, Kylie, and Kynlee showing how deep the snow is. Wow!

Matt doing the dirty work and shoveling the snow off the driveway. That's a lot of snow!

This is the biggest, widest snowman I've ever seen. He's in our neighborhood. The sign he's holding says, "Bur! It's cold, give me hot cocoa." I'd have to agree that it is cold and hot chocolate is exactly what warms us up. We have had tons of it!

Christmas Magic

Merry Christmas! What a fun time of year. I believe there is a bit of magic in the air as we listen to Christmas music, look at Christmas lights, are surrounded by friends and family we love, and most of all, remember the birth of our Savior. We were so happy to have the Cogbill and Thompson families spend Christmas with us! We love you! Our family went and stayed at a friend's house, who were gone for the break, to make room for our visitors this holiday season. It worked out so nice!

After our yummy Christmas ham for dinner, I had sugar cookies for the kids to frost for Santa.

Aunt Cassie liked the frosting!:) The cookies turned out awesome!

Later that night, the grand kids put on a play about the Savior's birth. Grandma Slider traced and cut out the cute costumes and most of us girls had fun decorating them. Matthew was one of the Wise Men, Kynlee was the Angel, Karley was the Donkey, and Kenzie was the Star. It was so sweet!

Grandma Slider started a new tradition by having each of us give a gift to our Savior. We wrote down something we would like to work on next year and put it inside of a stocking. Each of us hung our stockings on the tree.

All of the cousins in their Christmas pajamas.

The kids on Christmas morning. They couldn't wait to see what Santa brought for them.

Santa brought each of them sleds, but Mom and Dad got them the Wii and Rock Band!

They love the soft and beautiful blankets that Grandmama made for them!

Kenzie got the "Swimming Baby" from Grandpa and Grandma Debbie. It was just what she wanted!

They got Karley what she asked for...an MP3 player!

We broke out the Wii right away. It is so much fun for us all!

Grandma Slider made each of the grand daughters Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls. There was so much time and love put into each unique doll!
They are so cute!
The girls love them!

Polar Express

Last night we drove up to Heber to go on the famous "Polar Express" train ride to the North Pole. It was snowing like crazy all morning, but luckily stopped by the time we headed up their. Nathan, Cassie and their cute kids came in from Georgia a couple of days ago, so we thought this would be a fun outing with them. Along with their family, Steve and April's family, Grandpa and Grandma, and our family, we safely made it to Heber on-time. We were all bundled up for the cold weather. Once we were on the train and moving (at a speed of 9 - 13 mph) we enjoyed hot chocolate, cookies, Christmas songs, the Polar Express story, site of The North Pole, and a visit from Santa. The ride was 90 minutes in length. The kids loved sharing this experience with some of their cousins! I'm not sure if we would ever do it again, because it's costly, but we definitely had a blast and made a wonderful memory.

(For some reason I couldn't get the Slide Show to automatically play on the post. Just click on VIEW ALL IMAGES and then click on ORIGINAL VIEW. It will show the slide show how I created it.)

Santa's Little Helper

Last Christmas season, a cute, little Elf came to our house. He is one of Santa's special helpers. The kids decided to call him "Buddy". He is our very own magic Elf. Buddy has returned again this year. When the kids got home from school, there was a present at the door for them, directly from Santa himself. They were so excited, because they knew right away that it was Buddy. This little elf is Santa's eyes. He watches everything the kids do. Each night he quickly flys to the North Pole to see Santa and reports what he has seen. Have the kids been GOOD or BAD? When Buddy comes back he hides in a new place and waits for the kids to find him. Sometimes he stays in the same spot for a couple of nights!:) It is always so exciting to see who can find Buddy first...and he comes up with some really clever spots! There is only one rule the kids have to follow: Do Not Touch Buddy, or he will lose his magic. There have been a couple of times when the kids have seen him fall from his spot. They know not to touch him, so when they come back to Buddy later, he has magicallly returned to his spot. Wow! Santa Claus gave Buddy one rule: Do Not Speak, and he follows that well. The kids do their best to be good, because they know that Buddy is always watching them. We all love this special visitor!

News Flash

Fox 13 News did a special "Cool School" feature this morning at the Elementary school the kids attend. This was such a big deal...it was pretty exciting! They did LIVE segments throughout the early morning. One of their segments was the 4th graders playing "Jingle Bells" on their recorders. This included Kynlee. She has practiced so much, that she is pretty good on it and knows lots of songs. Overall I think that all the students did a good job this morning of proving that they are a "Cool School".

Kynlee with her recorder. Waking up earlier than normal didn't stop her from being so excited to play on T.V.!
When I first turned the T.V. on this morning, to my surprise, they were showing off the mummy wraps that some of the 6th graders made. I ran and woke Matthew up so he could look for the one of him. Sure enough, he saw it! His is the last one on the right. So, in a way, Matthew was on T.V. also!

After I dropped Kynlee off, I poked my head in the Cafeteria room and saw "Big Budah" from Fox 13 News. Can you guess why he is called that?:) I ran over to get a picture of just him, but he insisted I be in it too. I had just come from working out, so I was still in need of a shower. Gross...oh well!

(Before playing the video, press PAUSE on my Christmas music)

I rushed home to record Kynlee's T.V. performance. Unfortunately, she is behind a taller kid on the far side of the stage, so just part of her face is shown. Look carefully and you might see her. It was still neat and I know she played her heart out!

Sitting On Santa's Lap

We had our Ward Christmas Party Friday night. The girls were so excited to go! Along with having a yummy dinner and a cute program, we enjoyed the company of good friends. We are so blessed to be in this wonderful Ward! The highlight of the night, of course, was our visit from Santa. The kids sang Christmas carols in the hallway as they patiently waited to sit on his lap. They each got a bag full of yummy treats for being so brave. Thanks Santa!

Kenzie had no fear of Santa this year. She is so big!

Karley could hardly wait for her turn to sit on Santa's lap.
Kynlee matched Santa...so cute!

Matthew was headed out the door with his friends when I grabbed him to sit on Santa's lap. Thanks for letting me get a picture son!