Wow, life has been a blur since we got home from our cruise! Christmas was tons of fun. Christmas Eve we went to my mom's house for her annual Christmas Eve Party. My entire family was there but Cindy, and you could definitely feel a difference without her there! It was the first Christmas Eve in my entire life I haven't had my sister there, and we all missed her a ton. The kids reenacted the Nativity. Tori was Mary this year, Baylee was the "head" angel as she called it, and Kade and Cole were shepherds.. We were just glad Cole decided to NOT be a rock this year :) The kids also did a little talent show which Kade was so excited to get to play his violin in. And of course Santa came to visit that evening.

Christmas Day we spent at Janet and Robin's house. It was lots of fun hanging out with them and playing.

Then the day after Christmas we took off for Dumont. It was SO much fun. We stayed a week with no crashes or major injuries.

Thanksgiving in the Caribbean!!!

This is definitely the way to spend thanksgiving. If I had my way we would do this every year! It is really relaxing to just sit out by the pool everyday and have someone wait on you, then when your hungry head on in to the buffet! We had a great time!

We spent the first two days running around Disney World. You really need a full week to be able to see this place, it was huge! The castle looked really cool at night decorated for Christmas.

Baylee and Charlee on the ferry from St. John back to St. Thomas. We were the last ones on the boat!! We tried to get in as much time as we could at our second home! And we were so excited to take the kids and Lacy's family to St. John so they could get a taste of the place we love so much.

Playing in the water on St. Martin.

Our little boat on the pier at St. Martin.

Where else can you ice skate,

play nine holes of golf,

and do a little boogie boarding!!

Kade in the pirate parade through main street on the ship.

Cole on our first formal night. This about sums up his whole attitude in the dining room!

Can't be a good cruise without hitting the ice cream machine! We had a contest on the last day to see who could build the biggest and prettiest cone, Bay won! She even beat both her aunts :)

Sunset!

The bus ride back to the airport, doesn't everyone look way excited!

Grandpa

Last weekend we went to Salina for my Grandpa Allen's 90th birthday. It was a lot of fun to see all my cousins, aunts, and uncles. I have such a great family, I just wish we could spend more time together. But my Grandpa is still just as amazing as I always remember him. He drove himself and his new wife to the party. I think that is pretty impressive itself! But as everyone was talking about memories they had with him, he remembered everything! He talked about his life with my grandma and taking care of her for 13 years because she had alzeimers. And he also talked about his new wife and how happy he is. He totally deserves it! It was funny told us that when they talked about getting married they decided they would both go have physicals and if everything was okay with them they would get married. My Grandpa has always been such a good example to me of hard work and commitment. He was a farmer his whole life, and just an honest good man.

So much has been going on I don't even know where to start!

First, I did something I thought I would NEVER do. Travis and I rode in a 30 mile bike ride in St. George on saturday. I know for most people that is no biggy, but for me that is huge. If Trav hadn't been there with me I would have never finished the entire thing. The hill from Washington into Hurricane is HUGE and I thought I was going to die. I so would have turned around at that point without Travis there with me. But it was actually a lot of fun (minus the part I thought I might die) and I want to work up to doing longer rides. I learned so much about myself during that ride. I learned I am a total quiter but also that I am stronger than I think. And I learned that when I get to the point I can't do anymore, Travis is always there to help me. It was a fun weekend, with great friends that are total inspirations to me to get better and ride longer! (although I don't ever see riding up Snow Canyon in my future :)

For other news, Tori officially quit gym. It is a bitter sweet day at our house. She has done gym since she was 1 1/2 and has been doing competitive since she was 4. It is going to be so nice not spending 14 hours a week at gym, but we are really going to miss watching her compete. She has never really had a normal childhood because she has spent so much time at gym so this is going to be an adjustment for her. But she is really happy with her decision, and she isn't totally done she is going to keep doing a tumbling class and we will see what else the future holds.

Baylee ran for student council and won. My mom spent an entire Saturday here helping us make signs, and Baylee definitely had the cutest ones in the school! She is going to be the 6th Grade Representative. We aren't really sure what that all means, but we are so proud of her for putting herself out there and trying something new. She was so funny, the day after we had hung her signs up at school she came home and told me all these people she didn't know were telling her hi and even knew her name! She didn't put it together that her picture was all over the school and they were recognizing her from that. She is doing great in Middle school, I obviously spent the summer worrying about it for nothing.

Injuries

It has been a tough week on feet at our house! Tori crashed on her scooter and we thought for sure she had broken her foot. Her and I headed to the emergency room. My wonderful mom met us there and took Cole. I don't know what I would do without her! No matter what, if I need her, she is there the second I call, love ya mom! Anyway, turned out to be just sprained and they sent us home with a set of crutches. It has put Tori out of competing until January though.

Then on Monday Cole was trying to get a popsicle out of the freezer and dropped a package of frozen meat on his toe. We went to the dr. yesterday because the pressure just wasn't releasing and they burned a hole in his toenail to relieve it.

Our house is not a safe place to have your left foot these days :)


Oh, and just as a side note.... My sadness at being all alone a couple of mornings a week is GONE! I have a new found love of actually getting things done alone :)

My baby is not a baby anymore

Today was Cole's first day of Preschool. When we got to school he tried telling me he didn't need me to walk in with him. Little does he know he still needs me! Well... maybe it's me that still needs him to need me. It was hard dropping him off. How did he get old enough for school already? We are blessed to be in Mrs. Purcell's school. I know she will love him and take care of him.

Back to school already???

You know in about May I was so excited for school to be out because then our lives would slow down a little and I would be able to get so much done. Things like working out every day and going to the grocery store! Well here I am the last saturday before my kids go back to school, I don't think I worked out more than 3 times the entire summer, and I haven't seen the inside of a grocery store in weeks! Why is it that the "grass is always greener on the other side" theory is always so true for me? I am thinking how sad I am my kids are going to be gone all day again, but also now I can get everything done I need to do everyday! Ha, this time I am going to out smart the "grass" theory and just realize our lives are crazy busy and I never have time to get everything done I need to.

I truly am sad school is starting already. I love having my kids home, and not worrying about homework! And I especially love we get to sleep in (my kids don't even roll over until about 9:30 in the morning now!) But I am also excited for the new adventure of a new school year. Baylee is beginning a new phase in her life and I am so excited for her. She is an incredible person and I know she is going to do great in middle school. Tori and Kade both have great teachers, and they both have a lot of friends in their classes. I LOVE our elementary, we really do have the best principal in the world. And Cole is starting his school career in the absolute best pre-school ever. We have been so blessed to have all 4 of our kids attend Mrs. Purcell's school. She is a loving, kind, beautiful woman who has been such a blessing in our lives. I just hope she is ready for Cole, cuz he's nothin' like the other kids!

Today we decorated Travis' seminary room. He is really looking forward to teaching seminary again this year. He is such a great example to our family of service. He loves the gospel and he loves working with the youth. Seminary has been a really challenging calling for him as well as us but it has been a huge blessing in our family and I am so glad he gets to do it again this year.

So, whether we are ready or not here comes another school year full of homework, projects, and hopefully lots of really great memories! Oh, and I totally intend on being super organized and making to the grocery store at least once in the next week or so :)