Making Kora Laugh

This is pretty dark, and not the greatest quality, but I thought it was so cute. Not sure what the deal is with my son and his lack of shirt. Maybe he thinks he's Jacob or something. He's so skinny, though that he reminds me more of Edward.

More Christmas Pictures

Oh, the kids.....

Miss Kora Alice
Phillip with Trevor (I didn't get a good one with Trevor in it)
"Hey, that's my mom!" -Kilee with Mallorie and Storie
Storie did not like to have her picture taken.
Smiley Cole with the kids



Mr. Cole
Storie and Kilee
Anabeth - wish I would have taken more pictures of her
Anabeth, Kolby, Storie, and Mallorie


Such silliness!!!
At the Mesa temple lights



saying goodbye to Papa

Christmas in AZ '09

Christmas was great this year. It was so nice to be home. I loved the weather so much, and so did the kids. Anytime we went out, Kolby would say, "Ahhhh, Arizona is just right," and I think I would have to agree. It was wonderful being able to go outside without bundling up, or even bare-foot if you wanted to. We got to see my Papa, from Colorado, my brother Kevin, his wife, Helen, and daughter, Anabeth (finally), from California. We also got to see my cousin, Jeff, his wife, Tracy, and their daughter, Alex. For Christmas dinner, my mom's cousin, Kay and her husband came over, as well as my mom's Aunt Harriett from Oklahoma. Of course, my youngest brother, Phillip, and youngest sister, Kilee were there with their families too. It was really fun spending time with them and all of the little ones. We did LOTS of shopping and eating at all of my favorite restaurants. We also had our family pictures done. The kids saw "The Chipmunks" and "The Princess and the Frog," and I got to see a few movies too. I think my favorite one was "The Blindside." Weather was good for the drive home, and the kids had their new DS's to play, so that kept them entertained. I really wasn't ready to come home to the cold yet, but it was time to get back to the real world, I guess. I had a dream last night that we moved back to AZ. I even dreamed about my new house's floorplan and everything. We had a pool too. Wonder what that means....

Winter Dance Recital '09

Mallorie in her Hip Hop costume. I'll have to take a picture of her in her ballet costume and post that later.


Mal, after the show with her friend (and neighbor) Ryan

Kolby had to get in on this one too.
Backstage

Ice Cream Freeze - Strike a pose!

1st Annual Christmas Recital

Before we left for Phoenix, I had my first Christmas piano recital, and it was a success. I felt as though the recital went really fast. I guess when four of the nine, played such short pieces, it's not going to take much time. I was very pleased with all of my students performances. Whenever I hear them play, I can't help but feel amazed and proud at how well they are playing. I'm not sure how much of that is because of my influence, or if they are good just because they are all so bright and talented. Whichever it is, I'm just glad to be a part of the learning process, and I'm glad that they are excited about music too. I really do enjoy teaching, and these are all really good kids. In this picture are nine of my students. I have two more, but they were not able to attend that night, and Ellie, sadly has moved to UT now, so we will miss her. Hopefully she will continue with the piano there.