Snow Day

Before our vacation time was over, we had to go and play in the snow.  Grandma Ruth & Grandpa Mike went with us.  We drove up past Stirling City and found a fun hill. The weather was great and the snow was cold--perfect for sledding!  We all took turns on the sleds, threw a few snowballs, and enjoyed some hot chocolate.  It was a great way to finish off the year, 2012!

Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas to all!

We started out this holiday month by going to our
ward Christmas party.

Christmas is . . . smiles, presents and a snowman by the tree.

We found some snow this year before Christmas . . .
right in g-ma's backyard!

Once There Was A Snowman . . .

Yes, it's the traditional Christmas pinata! 

Candy, cousins, & singing carols at Grandma's & Grandpa's Christmas Eve celebration

Isn't this what Christmas is all about?

After many years of waking up Christmas morning in the same house, this year we spent Christmas Eve night
at Grandma Ruth's & Grandpa Mike's so we could be with them on Christmas Day.

After the traditional bible story, we opened gifts together.  There were a lot of fun things to open this year--Ticket To Ride game, umbrella, comfy pink chair, new weight set, remote control airplanes--we were so blessed.  We enjoyed the day, company, and new gifts.

Santa did have to leave a couple of gifts at home, since they wouldn't fit into his sleigh.  The kids still enjoyed waiting to open gifts when we came home. 

What was waiting for them . . . a new outdoor basketball hoop and a green house!

One of the gifts Kiana received this year was all the fixings for a new pet.  After we came home from our holiday visiting, she was able to go to the pet store and pick out her very own pet mouse.  Miss Charlotte is making herself at home and Kiana is now enjoying and learning all about pet ownership. 

(This is a first in our home.  The closest we've gotten to having a pet is either pet sitting for someone or if you'd like to count goldfish, we've had a few of those during the years--wish us luck!)



Happy Birthday Gina!

I am loved!

 (My birthday loves--Mexican food, family, & hugs)

41 years and counting . . .

Driving Permit

We are going to have another licensed driver in our family very soon.  On Seth's 1/2 birthday, December 12th, we were down at the DMV so he could take his written driving test. 

He passed!

Now he asks to drive everywhere! 

Once he turns 16 in June, I'm sure he will be asking for the car keys even more!  This kid will love his driving freedom and also not having to ask others to drive him to his favorite place to eat . . .

Taco Bell!

Eagle Scout

After all the hard work, the day finally came where we could celebrate Seth achieving the rank of  Eagle Scout.  We had so many people come and congratulate Seth on this great accomplishment. Both sets of grandparents, family, and lots of friends were able to be there!

Here is Seth receiving his Eagle Scout Award.

Here, Seth is placing the Mother's & Father's pin. 

He also received an American flag that was flown over the state capitol.

Seth awarded Dave Lupton, his scout master, the mentor's pin. Dave was a big influence in helping Seth attain his Eagle rank.

Seth's Uncle Branndon was able to present him with his Eagle Neckerchief. 

Since we had moved to Yuba City, after Seth had completed his eagle scout project, he was able to have his previous Bishop (Wright) along with his current Bishop (Davis) come and say a few words about him at his court of honor.

Here is Seth's scout troop. 

Yes, Seth is still having fun!



Basketball

Seth made the basketball team!

Go Falcons!

Here a few pictures from some of Seth's games.

There will definitely be more to come!

Thanksgiving

Shot gun shooting + family + cousins + turkey + good food =

Happy Thanksgiving 

Family Pictures

Well, . . . we finally did it again . . . it's only been 2 years! 

We reluctantly got into matching clothes, packed our tri-pod and grumpy family into the car, and drove to a park to take family pictures.  I don't know why such a fuss is made out of this simple ordeal. 

The results were great! 

Thanks family . . . let's do this again soon.  (Ha, Ha)



Apple Hill

For years, our family has heard about a place called Apple Hill.  It is a collection of many small apple farms where you can eat & buy delicious food and look at various handmade projects. This year we decided to go and check it out.  It was about an hour drive from our home, so we picked a Saturday and made a day trip out of it. We enjoyed some awesome tri-tip sandwiches, caramel apples, & apple donuts.  We even bought some fun souvenirs along with a variety of apples to take home and enjoy later. It was a great way to spend a fall day together as a family.

Happy Halloween!

I love Halloween.  Maybe it's the spooky decorations, the costumes, or the candy.  It's been a lot of fun these past years helping the kids dress-up and go trick-or-treating.  They may not all dress-up now, but we always find fun ways to celebrate the holiday.

Pumpkin Carving--this year the kids decided to really take it serious. They found fun carving kits and spent over an hour designing their pumpkins.

Kiana dressed-up like a baby this year, we roasted pumpkin seeds, and Aaron hosted a seed spitting contest for the youth activity.

Happy Halloween!

Baby Brooklyn

Brooklyn has arrived!  My sister had her baby! My mom was able to spend some time with the newest grandchild.  We only wished they lived closer.  Texas is a bit too far for us to travel to right now.  We do get daily picture updates.  New babies are the best!

A visit to Chico . . .

We took a day trip to Chico. 

Kiana was able to see her girlfriends, Megan & Grace, and . . .

Andrea & Seth were able to be a part of the

Chico Stake Road Show. 

It was a fun-filled day!

"If you buy one completos . . . "

School Pictures

I have a 6th Grader . . . 

I have a 10th Grader . . . 

I have a 12th Grader . . . 

AKA . . .  a SENIOR!!!

Love this girl!

September

Here is a quick recap of this past month.  

It sure goes by fast when you keep busy!

We started off the month celebrating Labor Day at Lake Oroville.  Most of us tried the toys behind the boat (Aaron--knee board, Gina--knee board, Seth--wake board), but all of us enjoyed the refreshing water. 

Thank you Uncle Jeremy & Aunt Brynn for a fun day at the lake!

On the 12th of September, Aaron and I celebrated 20 years of marriage.  I received my traditional pink roses from "My Man" and the kids decorated our driveway with fun sidewalk chalk messages to help celebrate our day.  We were also able to go to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner--YUM!!!

The kids really miss their friends in Chico.  So when their youth group traveled down our way to attend the temple, they invited Andrea & Seth to go with them.  

The Temple + Friends = GOOD TIMES

Near the end of September, we took a quick trip back to St. George, Utah to attend Aaron's grandmother's funeral.  We were able to see a lot of family and then took a brief tour of the St. George Temple.  Andrea wasn't able to go with us this time because she would miss too much school, but she was with us in spirit.  

(I think she actually enjoyed having the house all to herself for 3 days!)

On the way back, we stopped in Las Vegas and played some games at Circus Circus.We all know that it's a waste of money and it can be quite addictive, but it's SOOO much fun!

Oh, and this month we also spent a lot of time together . . . 

well, at least we were in the same room together!  

Moving Day!

Well, after a lot of talk we finally did it--we moved to Yuba City!  On Saturday, we pulled all of our belongings out of our storage unit in Chico, filled up a moving truck, and traveled south.  We were so blessed to have a lot of help loading up in Chico. 

 We were then received with open arms in Yuba City.  So many from our new ward (The Sutter Buttes Ward) showed up to help us unload.  We all seemed to be immediate friends.  We soon found out that many of the members in our housing development were members of our ward--even our next door neighbors!

Here is a quick tour of the rooms in our new (rented) home.  4 bedroom, 3 bath, reading nook, pantry, and indoor laundry.  It will be quite nice for Aaron and I to have our own bathroom and Andrea LOVES having her OWN room. We are trying to make ourselves at home!  We will miss Chico, but are slowly adjusting to our new home and city.

Kiana's Birthday

Since we were all busy starting school on Kiana's birthday, we had her offical birthday celebration on Friday night.  Going to Hula's for dinner and getting together with her friend Grace put a HUGE smile on her face.

We can't forget the cake & ice cream.

Happy 11th Birthday Kiana!