Ho! Ho! Ho!

This is what we did today.

A Few Recent Pictures

Thursday night we went to Blackfoot for a wedding reception. Megan, who I have not seen in over 6 years just got married in the Idaho Falls temple. Megan was one of my Beehives back in Arizona. It was so fun getting to see her. I'm really glad she found me on Facebook. How funny it is that her family moved to ID after we did. I also got to see Allison, one of my other Beehives. She was a bridesmaid and is now taller than me (not that that is hard to believe) and beautiful as well. I can't believe that Megan's married! It makes me feel very old. She looked absolutely beautiful, and her husband seems like a really good guy. I'm so proud of her and the decisions she's made with her life. She and her husband will be living in New Zealand, where he is from. I wish them lots of happiness.


Kolby has a couple of real super-hero capes, but he still seems to prefer the good 'ol blankie tied around his neck. (Love Mallorie in the background chilling on the couch.)

Thought this was a cute one of Mal-Mal.

Kolby and Mallorie talking to Trenton on Skype. They'll spend hours just being goofy. Nobody makes them laugh as much as Trenton can. I'm so glad they can still get to talk and "see" each other whenever they want. Trenton just got a laptop, so calls us a lot and wants us to get online and talk to him.

Mallorie's Art

We are going to Arizona for Christmas. Wooowhoooo!!! I can't wait. When we told Mallorie that we were going, she was so excited that she asked if she could start packing. Every day since, she has asked too. For Thanksgiving Kolby made a placemat at school, and Mallorie didn't get to. So, she has decided to make Christmas ones for everyone in the family. So far she has only made two. The circle is where the plate goes. I knew she had been working on these, but the other day I found something else she had made. (scroll down)



She made a list of all of the people she needs to make placemats for. She has 11 big people listed and then little people too. She's checked off the two that she's already done. I don't know.... is this a sign of OCD?

A Few More Halloween Pictures

Give me some candy!
I was in a Twilight/New Moon phase. Counting the days, and I loved it.
Aww, Kolby the Cheesiness!
Yes, it's December, and I'm just now posting these Halloween pictures. I've been pretty bad lately about updating. Piano lessons and volunteering at the school have really kept me busy. I have eleven students now, and I'm getting ready for our Christmas recital in a few weeks. Thanksgiving was fun. This year we celebrated Thanksgiving with our next door neighbors, and their family. My parents went on a cruise with my older sister, Taryn and her family for the holiday. So, luckily Tricia invited us to spend it with them. It was nice being around another family, even if it wasn't my family. At least it had a familiar feeling to it all, and I wasn't quite so homesick. This year I went shopping for the first time ever on Black Friday. Tricia, her sister-in-law, and I, the bargain shoppers that we are, were up at the crack of dawn, and in line at Wal-Mart by 3AM. I'm happy to say that I got the two items I needed and got a great deal. That's really all I bought, but it was fun checking out the other deals and seeing people go crazy. After we were done with our shopping, we went to breakfast, then headed home to take a long winters nap. I had such a good time, I may have to do this again next year.

Conjoined Pumpkins

More Halloween Pictures

I pray that I'll get lots of candy tonight.

Ward Party

Count Kolby and Mallorie the bride - My Mom sewed Mal's dress. It's hard to see the details because she wore a long-sleeved shirt under it, but it was really pretty.



This year we had a total of six kids at the party. I was watching three extras for a friend who went to UT, and also Ryan, from across the street. They were all very good and had a great time. I thought they all looked very cute as well. After they went down the line of cars at the Trunk-Or-Treat 4 or 5 times, we went home read Halloween stories and watched a Halloween cartoon. It was a fun night.

Spirit Week

This week at school was spirit week. Kolby and Mal had lots of fun dressing up like rock-stars and wounded kids for fake an injury day. I didn't get a picture of them on rock-star day, but I did Kolby's hair in a faux hawk. It looked so cool, and I really wish that I had taken a picture of it. Mallorie was Hannah Montana. Kolby had already taken off his bandages by the time he got home from school on injury day, so I didn't get a picture of that either. But, Mallorie kept hers on and didn't want to miss out on an opportunity to pose for the camera. I was busy this week with preparations for Family Fun Night. It was Weds. night along with the Book Fair, and I think it was a success. I did an International Night. We had over 200 people at the school, and it seemed to run very smoothly. I had estimated the right amount of food, except for the horchatas. I think we'll be drinking horchata for the next 50 years and I don't really even like the stuff!! Besides horchatas, we had nachos (Mexico), rice (Japan), and pineapple (Hawaii). I'm glad that it went well, but mostly I'm glad to have it over with.

I love the turquoise color in this one.
Two chimneys?
Old Faithful
Cousins at Mesa Falls Lodge






Hoof-prints?
This pool reminded us of those infinity pools. Don't think I'd want to take a dip in this one, though.



This reminded me of something out of Star Wars. I thought some type of snake-like creature would come out of this at any minute and swallow us up.

Phillip and Christtina's Visit

Jeremy and Philly with Kolby and Mal, looking at the Falls
That's one enormous burger!
Me and the little guys
Jeremy and Cole
Christtina, Cole, Trevor, and Phillip
I love this one
Phil and Trevor feeding the ducks. Trevor would yell, "here you go ducks," every time he threw bread to them.


My bitty brother, Phillip, Christtina, Trevor, and Cole came to visit us for a few days, and we got to go to Mesa Falls and Yellowstone again. We had a great time, I just wish that they could have stayed a little longer. We took Trevor to feed the ducks at the green belt one day. Phillip and Jeremy went golfing. We went shopping, and we got to eat at Bubba's and had Reed's Dairy. Christtina was hooked on huckleberry ice cream. We also ate at Big Judd's after Yellowstone. She and I tried to share the Big Judd special, which is 2 pounds of hamburger. We maybe ate 1/3 of it each. It was huge! I feel sick thinking about it. It was so fun getting to spend time with them, and also getting to see my new nephew, Cole. He is such a cutie! He is a very happy baby, always smiling. I also enjoyed their dog. I think I need to get one. Now that I'm home alone during the day, I feel like an empty-nester. I need a dog to keep me company. I should probably get a job, or go back to school, or something.

Two Big First Graders

"Back to school. Back to school, to prove to Dad that I'm not a fool. I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don't get in a fight. Ohhhh, back to school. Back to school."
I don't know why Kolby is making a sad face in this one. It must be because he'll miss his mother so much.

Mallorie was so excited for school to start, that she laid out her outfit (complete with lunchbox, backpack, shoes, and headband) three days in advance. As it turned out it was rainy, so she had to wear something a little warmer for the first day.