1.19.2014

the holidays

Well, this is a long over due post! These first picture are from Scott's birthday, all the way back in November! But they were too cute not to share. It was a gorgeous day and we decided to do a little miniature golf and then out to eat to celebrate our main man! Such fun with these boys of mine!


We started our holidays off with a bang, recitals, performances, class parties, it was all sorts of fun. We were busy every.single.day. in December! Below is Eli at his Christmas performance. I insisted he wear his nice clothes and bow tie.... he insisted on the ball cap. Good thing he is such a charmer!

 They were so cute at their little performance, I loved it. He is lucky enough to have class with cousin Aleah, which he loves. They spend many afternoons together after school because they are such good buddies.  After his preschool performance, Ali came home with us and we had fun doing some Christmas crafting!


 We had such a fun time on Christmas Eve! It was just the four of us. We went up to Salt Lake. First stop was at Grand America hotel, where they have several toy window displays throughout the main floor of the hotel. They have a little scavenger hunt to fill out as you walk around and then you get a treat at the end! The boys loved the windows and it was great because it was warm!! We weren't out in the cold for so long!
 These are their scared faces from the Yeti....
 They also had a life size gingerbread house. All made from real gingerbread, frosting, and candy.
 Of course mom had to pose by the ONLY girlie window.... and I forced Will to stand by me, doesn't he look thrilled? Hahaha!
 My most favorite picture of the evening. After walking through Grand America, we headed up to City Creek. We walked through Deseret Book, bought a couple things and then walked over to Temple Square. We saw lots of cute missionaries, one from Bolivia that we got to practice Spanish with. We went through the visitors center, saw the Christus, and saw the awesome nativity and narration. We took the boys into the Tabernacle to see the organ. We walked around and saw the lights as it was getting dark.

 I love the gray church on Temple Square next to the Tabernacle. I wish they would still build our church buildings with this much design and beautiful architecture. I love the colors and the steeples and the windows were so pretty. We got to go inside it, it is very similar to the Tabernacle and has an even older organ!
 After one last scary picture with the lights in the background, we ducked into the Joseph Smith Memorial building to the Nauvoo Cafe and ate soup and hot chocolate. It was the perfect little ending to a fun afternoon! Then of course we rushed the boys home to open PJ's and go to bed!

After we sent the boys to bed Scott and I "relaxed" (wink, wink) and ended up eating Top Ramen because we were still hungry! :) Then we watched a movie and headed to bed early ourselves.  Below is Christmas morning, waiting so patiently to go see if Santa came.

 Stockings are always the funnest part! I love putting fun little random things in there for them to open. They were just thrilled that it was Christmas! I was thrilled they slept until 7!



 New Bball shoes for both boys, who have now started bball season and are loving it! They loved this gift, and I'm happy to see them getting used! :)
 The aftermath.... always so fun!
 On Friday after Christmas, we made our way up to the cabin. It is the perfect little get away, especially after Christmas! Not to mention it was gorgeous with a lot of snow to enjoy! The follow pictures are out of order, but oh well. This was a snowmobile trip we took to Mesa Falls.  We have been there several times in the summer and it is gorgeous, but even more stunning in the winter! Plus it is fun to ride the snowmobiles in.










 We had such a blast at the cabin. We were there with the Hopkins family. We snowmobiled A LOT, probably 20-30 miles per day. Mark was super kind and generous with his snowmobiles and we had a lot of fun. It is a trail riders paradise up by the cabin. We also snowshoed, sled, and laughed a lot. We played games, watched movies, and laughed more. We ate lots of good food and just had a blast.

This picture is way out of order..... but it is of some of the girls in my class at UVU from last semester. They are so sweet. I have loved the opportunity to teach and hope I can continue to do so for many more years. It is so fun getting to know my students and their different cultures. They become like my little kids and I love seeing them learn and progress! Look how much taller I am than they are and I'm not even that tall!!

 We enjoyed a couple BYU basket ball games before the holidays, as well as the last BYU football game, in the rain!!


 Will had several violin performances this year. He played at the festival of trees, the Dickens festival, and did a little recital. He played a solo of Good King Weceslas each time. I love watching him play! He is doing such a great job!!

 We had cousins over for Christmas ice cream (peppermint and egg nog) and the boys got into a little Parkour competition..... shirts off of course!
 Mom and Dad took us to see Bar J Wranglers, which was a blast! They always have a great show and great music! Below.... our table set for Christmas breakfast!

Last but not least, my two little "Who's." We had Scott's family's (aunts) Christmas party. It was Grinch themed, so of course she had all sorts of Whoville attire we could dress up in. Aunt Becky always has the best ideas and best decorations! It was such a great holiday, we really enjoyed every moment and made lots of fun memories.