swan valley

the kids had fun playing on the snow piles outside

morgan was nice enough to come out and help entertain the kids

owen trying to "snowboard"

carson taking a break

swan valley

snowed in

the roads were supposed to open up at 3am, but when we woke up at 7am it was still closed. so we played some more!

owen

madalyn

wesley, morgan, and owen

star valley to swan valley

after playing outside for awhile we headed to our motel to get settled and allow the men to have a "man ride" on the snowmobiles. we were staying in little two bedroom cabins right next to each other so it was very convenient.

during our down town we visited the local "mall" also known as kings and let the kids each pick out a little dollar toy. that kept them until their dad's returned and we were able eat dinner courtesy of pizza hut.

we enjoyed a nice night of games and food. the next morning we shared some doughnuts and chocolate milk, packed up, and headed back to aaron's grandpa's for some more fun in the snow and a yummy lunch.

our trip was coming to an end so we packed up and started our journey home...only to find that from swan valley on the highways were all closed due to blowing snow. the lowry's were about an hour behind us so we called to let them know about the roads and reserved them a cabin right next to us. so, we were able to unload and enjoy another night of games and food.


owen's choice of entertainment to pass the time until his buddy arrived

wesley's choice of entertainment. he seriously would stay out there all day long.

kevin and madalyn

the weather was really calm in swan valley so we played outside quite a bit.

star valley

the weather was so great for our adventure.


kevin and me

keivn LOVES being outside.

aaron

aaron and kevin

star valley

owen and carson looking like birds in their masks.

madalyn had a hard time moving around in her gear...but, she was warm!

cheers! lots of hot cocoa to go around.

the purple girls (brenda, paige, morgan)

greetings from wyoming

last weekend our neighbor friends, the lowry family, invited us to experience star valley, wyoming with them and do some snowmobiling. of course, we would never pass up snowmobiling especially when it's combined with good company, so we jumped on the opportunity. the boys were so excited to go and have a sleep over with their buddy.

we followd them there saturday morning (it is about a 2 hour drive) and the weather was perfect. the party began at aaron lowry's grandpa's home. they had three snowmobiles going and a nice sledding hill for the kids to play on. we had a nice time playing there and visiting with aaron's mom and aunt who where also there for the weekend.


wesley loves everything about snowmobiling. his dad is SO GLAD!

owen and carson...best buddies.

morgan and madalyn. madalyn is pretty comfortable with the lowry's (which is a great thing) and had no problem taking a little mid-morning snooze in morgan's lap.

kevin and wesley

soccer star

owen started indoor soccer last month. he LOVES IT! he runs hard and consistently scores at least 2 goals.

a friend from church put together this little team and her brother agreed to coach. it has been so fun knowing most of the kids on the team (most of them were on owen's tball team). his best neighbor buddy, carson, is on the team too and they have proven to have a little system. carson plays goaly and will throw the ball out to where owen is waiting across the field and owen it hussle it straight down the field and score. it's hilarious when they really get going.

i think soccer will be in owen's future.

this is how we roll!

last night our church ward had a ward party! ROLLERSKATING!

it was a lot of fun for kids and adults alike! i always forget how much fun rollerskating can be. kevin and i dusted off our roller blades and he took me for a couple spins around the floor.

owen was so TIRED of falling by the end of the night. he really gave it his all. and by the end of the night he had really improved.

welsey was a natural. i think he would really enjoy having his own pair of skates.

thanks for the fun iona 10th ward!

valentines day

madalyn loves her pillow pet and keeps it close to her like a loyal pet would do. she also enjoys sleeping with it.

but, madalyn's favorite part was enjoying her very own box of chocolates...and anyones box who wasn't wise enough to move it out of sight!

happy valentines day everyone! so thankful for my valentine!

happy valentines day

happy valentines day!

we enjoyed a nice breakfast of waffles w/ strawberries and whip cream! i'm actually the only one who loves this breakfast, but everyone else enjoyed nice big belgian waffles with syrup!

the kids have been BEGGING for pillow pets since they came out early last year. but, i never thought the fad would last long. well, i was WRONG! and so we caved for valentines day! the kids LOVE them and carry them everywhere. and i must say, they do make for a really soft pillow.

chocolate cake

sunday night kevin said he would bath the kids by himself if i made him a chocolate cake! in my opinion that is an AWESOME deal!



not sure which is more irresistible. that face...or the cake!

blurb book 6

blurb book number 6 has arrived!

i gained a new appreciation for my blogging habit when i lost all my pictures from all of 2010 on my computer! thank goodness i had some of them on my blog.

here are some of my favorite pages from the new book:

toothless

last night during our superbowl party owen walked up to us with a little tooth in his hands. his tooth had been loose all week but i wasn't expecting the removal of it to be so easy! he was so nervous when he first showed us, probably thinking it was not good that his tooth just fell out. but we were all cheering and excited for him so he got over it quickly.


owen showing off his baby tooth.

the tooth was SO TINY! and i must admit i became a little bit emotional waiting for the tooth fairy to arrive last night. i can't believe my baby is already old enough to lose teeth.

owen asked A MILLION questions about the tooth fairy. he wanted to know how this whole thing works. i think it made him a little nervous thinking that a little fairy would be coming in his room that night and lifting up his pillow. when we went in to check on him he was sleeping as close to the wall as he could and was sleeping on a totally separate pillow than the one that was covering the tooth. such a funny little guy!

but, he was thrilled when he woke up to $1 bill under his pillow!

a weekend not to be forgotten

this past weekend was the most anticipated weekend my family has had in a long time.

my parent's stake held their stake conference and elder jeffrey r. holland and elder gary walker were there to participate...and with my dad serving in the stake presidency he was asked to host elder walker at his home for the weekend.

we were able to hear my dad speak along side these great men. saturday night my dad introduced me and kevin to elder holland. elder holland gave me a hug, he said kind words about my dad and family, and then he told me and kevin to "be happy". we enjoyed a nice visit with elder walker saturday night at my parents home over pie. and sunday afternoon we were able to visit with elder walker over lunch at my parents home.

their words during these meetings, and the conversations with elder walker in my parents home were so touching and revealed so much to me! these men have devoted their entire lives to this truth and have sacrificed much to serve, teach, and inspire. and even amid all this sacrifice they are happiest men i know! i am SO thankful for their strength, their example, and their love!

a weekend not to be forgotten!