Christmastime at Temple Square

There's no better way to ring in the Christmas season than to go to Temple Square in Salt Lake City. I love it!  And I'm glad we went right after Thanksgiving to avoid the freezing cold later on. I didn't get any pictures, but we ran into Greg and Tina and the kids...including Josh! It was so fun to see them. We chatted for a bit and then moved on. We had just got there and they had been there for a while. I also always love to visit the Salt Lake Temple because that's where Scott and I were married. It's so beautiful:)

We started out with some hot chocolate at 

our car and carried it with us to the Temple.

At the Conference Center North of Temple Square.

Silly kids at the Conference Center.

Beautiful Salt Lake Temple.

The Creche on the Temple Grounds. I love hearing the

Luke 2 narrative and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing

in the background. "The First Noel" and "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" 

sounded so beautiful and in a perfect setting.

The other side of the Temple with the reflecting pool.

Happy Family!

Thanksgiving

What a fun day this was! Of course my back was killing me after all the cooking, my oven TOTALLY needs to be cleaned, and I pulled a muscle in my arm opening a stuck window and then lifting a 26 lb turkey! But it was fun to have Scott home and to be together as a family, play games, music, and have aunt Jeanie over too...

Meat and veggie tray

Laura and Heather playing some Celtic Christmas music

 This picture of Jacob is so sweet. Love it!

Playing 'Dungeon Quest.'

The family with aunt Jeanie.

Pumpkin and Apple pies. I ran out of steam so I didn't make anymore!

This was more than enough though...

Daniel!

I totally forgot to blog about Daniel! He had a birthday party and played soccer too this Fall. Daniel's party was a 'Mad Scientist' party. Way fun for the kids...a bit hectic for Scott and I:) Here is Daniel making some slime. We used this as an arrival activity.

Here the kids are combining baking soda and vinegar to a baggie. The bags ballooned up and then popped!

"Color Walking" activity. The colored water traveled down the paper towel to the next glass.

"Elephants Toothpaste!"

 Mentos in coke! We did a bunch of these and gave each child an individual bottle as well. There were more experiments, cake and ice-cream, and play time. Fun party!

 Playing soccer...

 And not...

Spring to Fall random pics.

 Laura played softball for MMHS 2012

Laura played first base and loved every minute of it!

Laura, Courtney(pitcher), and Alex (3rd base)

 Jacob's piano recital Fall 2012

He's doing really well and seems to get into it!

 

Jacob's football team. He's the second from the right
on the line. One of the biggest kids on the team!

Jacob was a first string player-Nose Guard on D-line and Tackle on o-line.  About a month before the season ended Jacob hurt his knee. It started to get better so he played again and then re-injured it! I finally took him in a week before the season ended to find out he has Patellar Tendonitis. Had we gone in at the beginning, he would have been able to play in the play offs. He was on a really good team and had great coaching. Hopefully next year will be better!

Ryan played football this year too, but I never got any pictures...he was injured too! He first hurt his left thigh. He couldn't run. Then he got a concussion. It was kind of scary at first! After the game he came home hyperventilating and felt all kinds of pressure on his chest. He also had a massive headache. The Cat Scan didn't show anything, but the Dr's said it was a mild concussion. He had a headache for a few weeks. There WAS some kind of leak in Scott's old car and we wonder if that caused the breathing issues. But he WAS hit in the head during a game so...

 Daniel turned 7 on September 15th. He's growing
way too fast! He didn't want a cake--he doesn't really like it.
So we had root beer floats! It worked and he was happy:)

Heather turned 18 on October 15th! Talk about growing fast.
It was just yesterday that she was my inconsolable screaming infant.
I don't know why she wouldn't pose for a picture:) We will get
professional portraits for her 18th birthday soon. She has yet to have a party too...
We're going to make her!

"I'm going to live with you forever!"

A conversation between Daniel and Scott...

Daniel: "I'm going to live with you forever!"

Scott: "What if we move?"

Daniel: "I'll still live with you."

Scott; "What if we move while you're on your mission?"

Daniel: "I'll go on my mission early so you won't have time to move before I get back."

Scott: "We would never move while your gone. We would never hide from you and you can live with us as long as you want."

Daniel: I'll buy the Bliss' house and live right next door to you. They'll be dead anyway."

Scott: "Maybe their kids will put them in a retirement home."

Daniel: "Yeah...I'll live there and me and my kids will climb over the fence and come in your house."

Scott: "You can live with us as long as you want."

Daniel: "OK. I'll have seven kids, plus me and my wife, plus you."

Scott: "What if your wife doesn't want me and mom to live with you guys."

Daniel: "You won't be living with us, we'll be living with you!"

Scott: "What if your wife doesn't want to live with us?"

Daniel: "Then she can move out. Then she can live with her parents. Our kids too."

Scott: "That's really sad...Don't you think you and your wife should live together?"

Daniel: "OK I'll make her let you live with us."

Heather: "Maybe we should have this conversation in ten years."

Random Summer Pictures

Happy Birthday Scott!

Hmmm...

Heather is always so patient with Daniel:)

Daniel coming out of the water slide on the

last day of swim lessons. Daniel is on

the right.

Jacob

Framing the basement. 

Scott's brother Greg is in the background.

Three tired men. We are so grateful for Greg and Eric

coming down to help. They finished the whole North

side of our house in one day! We're getting ready to go

back to Home Depot...after we replace Scott's car...

Jake 6th grade.  

Daniel 1st grade.

Ryan 8th grade

Heather: Senior 

Laura: Junior

Ryan-baseball

I never take good pictures of my kids

in action, but here is Ryan getting ready for

a game.

Lazy summer day

The girls talking and playing with Ninja.

Our pretty cherry tree:)