Family Portraits

All Through the House..

Christmas is the best holiday, and even though it's a lot of work, at some point I feel a spark and let myself become wrapped up in the "magic" of the season.  I want my kids to have cozy, warm, fond memories of holidays at home.  Fireplaces, cozy scents, soft slippers, warm cuddles, cocoa, homemade goodies, good stories, snowball fights, Christmas secrets, advent, service to others, fun traditions, and most of all time together.

Neighborhood Luminary Walk Party

This is the same Santa's lap Jacob has sat on since he was a baby! He is the real deal. 

Elise and Shannon who's home from college!
Master Hay Rider... and a pretty cute Santa too.
Red noses, hot chocolate
Snow ball fight with Brother Rogers  :)
Lynn is the official driver of the hay rides... he LOVES it and even got a generator this year so he could have music and lights.
Singing Carols...  Our neighborhood Luminary walk party has become a tradition 9 years now, thanks to wonderful families who started it.  The first real holiday snowfall was that day, so it made a very festive atmosphere!  We line our sidewalks with luminaries, Christmas music is playing, bon fires are going, Santa comes, kids are singing, cocoa and cookies flow and it's a wonderful time to be together with great friends!

Christmas Party

Christmas Party with book club friends I LOVE!!  Husbands came and Skanchy's hosted - what a fun night!!  :) Pictured:  Christie, Heather, Katie, Carolynn, Ginger, Debbie, Meghan, Linda, Jennifer.

Thanksgiving '09

Grownup's Table... ok, not so grownup.  The kids table emptied so quickly I didn't get a shot of them before they ran off to play!  I think they inhaled their food.

Karaoke is very helpful in burning off Thanksgiving Dinner calories...
Jacob and Luke
Elise, Alec, Eric
Ok, we have no excuse for this picture, except to say it was Gloria Gayner's "I will survive"  I would not have even has posted it, but it made me laugh really really hard!  It looks as though our eyes are closed and yes, we are pointing...  I think disco fever was burning inside us or something.  I hear there is a video, I'm scared.
Ty, Luke, Jacob
Elise and Eric gettin' their groove on
Teresa and Naomi-- too cute.
Mom and Dad singing a love song!
This is what Isabelle though of her Daddy's singing...  below.
Scott and Chad unleashing it all...

Thanksgiving was a great time to stop, give thanks and enjoy the harvest season.  I had time to reflect on many blessings this season.  Now that we have family history work on two Mayflower Pilgrims that came to America, Thanksgiving has an even deeper meaning to me.  John Alden and Priscilla Mullens came on the Mayflower as two young people and married sometime after the first winter when so many Pilgrims died including all of Priscilla's family.  They went on to establish communities and have ten children.  John and Priscilla have since be characterized as "the pilgrim couple" that we see from all the pictures to statues etc.. during Fall.  They are a great example to me of sacrifice, faith and hard work.

We had a really fun, relaxing Thanksgiving holiday. Dinner at mom and dad's was fabulous- ate way too much-- and had a very entertaining karaoke night.  The kids had a ball, ok and so did some of us adults!  It was a weekend of games, movies, relaxing, cyber shopping :) and family picture time!  

Park City Girls Trip

Mom, Elise, Teresa, Debbie

We spent a long weekend in a fancy resort in Park City with the girls.  It's a very very fun tradition and kicks off the holidays!   We missed ShayLynn, Jenna and Nikki a lot!!  We shopped, and ate out, and shopped and enjoyed the resort and shopped.  That pretty much sums it up!  

WIzArD oF oZ mUsiCaL

Unbelievable performance by AF High Drama department.  Wow-- great musical.  Jacob is reading Wizard of Oz right now, so he absolutely loved it!

Fall Formal '09

I have fallen behind again blogging...  but am trying to update a few pictures at least.  These are from Elise's Fall Formal, from what I remember a busy hectic day... I had a stake primary activity that day and with all Elise's activities going on, we missed her date and I never got a picture of her-which I was not happy about--  but I do have these, so I thought I'd share them!  Elise is pictured with date Corey and good friends!  It was a memorable night at the old BYU Academy building (where Elise' great grandmother attended school) which is now a beautifully restored library.

TRicKs aND TrEaTs...

Candy Bar Display



Trying his best to be a scary Zombie Mummy.


Elise on her way to school all Jedified....

Getting in to character....

One smokin' Jedi (real braid included) and a Mummified Zombie

Locked and Loaded for little ghosts and goblins... We have a tradition of giving big chocolate bars etc... for Halloween- because lets face it, it's all about the candy. Over the years, word gets around, so we are prepared! We handed out over 230 giant lollypops and candy bars this year. We let the children come in and choose. Lynn was going to add up how much $$ that was, but I distracted him with a Kit Kat bar.
Poor Witchy Kitty.... Is this animal abuse? Jacob chose her costume this year, she was NOT happy. Halloween was very fun and NOT freezing cold! I even left my door open for trick or treaters. It was beautiful weather. Elise had parties to go to, so Lynn was on "tailing Jacob duty" (he did not want any parental supervision this year) and I was on "Door Duty" I looove Halloween! So much fun. We had music playing outside and the kids were so adorable. The BOO lollypops were a bigger hit this year than the candy bars. Thank you Peppermint Place Candy Factory!