Happy Birthday to You!

My Dear Erica,
I hope this day has been filled with happiness and joy. I'm so grateful to have you as a daughter. Thank you for being such a good kid and for all your helpfulness. It has been so nice to have you as my oldest girl. Time goes by so fast, it seems like just a while ago we were following you around cheering at games and events. How I've loved being your mother. You make your dad and I so proud with the choices you make and the life that you are living. I'm so very happy about a new grand baby. I can't wait for you and Nick to feel and love all the things that go along with a baby. I have such wonderful memories of starting my family. You kids mean the world to your dad and me. I love you and hope all your birthdays are happy ones! Thank you for being so grateful I think it is one of your best qualities. You'll be such a good mommy.

Tis The Season

Twas the night before Christmas...

The twice baked potatoes, bacon water chestnuts, PJ elf, puzzles, and stories. A surprise phone call from Erica lets the kids know they are going to have a new niece or nephew. We have lots of fun, even if it seem like were missing someone all night.

Christmas morning, 7:30? It's about time. Tara gets to go first because she never gets to. Every one opens presents one at a time. The house is quiet and orderly. We have a wonderful Christmas, lots of love, lots of gratitude, just not lots of kids.

I'm so grateful for the birth of Christ, so grateful for what that means to me in my life. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good life.

Turkey Triathlon

Swimming!

Biking!

Running!

In the past few months Jen and Jessica have been getting ready to do the Turkey Triathlon, Steven thought it sounded like fun so pretty soon he was talking Jeremy into racing with him. Jeremy is in pretty good shape since he just finished cross-country. I was a little nervous about the swimming, I'm not sure how much swimming Steve or Jeremy had done. The race is eight lengths of the pool, a five mile bike ride, and running a mile and a half. Eric and I had so much fun watching the race and thought everyone did so good. Steven was only passed by one person and that was Jeremy. As Jeremy passed he thought he heard his brother call him a punk! When every thing was over Jeremy won over all and Steven came in third for the men, forth over all. (a girl beat him) I'm just saying. Jen and Jessica had a super race, I'm pretty proud of all of them.

TRICK or TREAT!

It was so fun to have Matt, Jenny, Trace, and Maddie come visit us for Halloween. They sure made cute Jack O' Lanterns! Trace even pick out pumpkins for his family, notice he has the big one. Trace drew his face and his dad helped carve it out.

I'm glad I have Jeremy home still. He'll carve pumpkins with me. Maddie's pumpkin is cute and little just like her. She even shared a few smarties with her Jack O' Lantern. She was pretty scared of the pumpkin guts.

Look at the cute dragon and dinosaur that showed up just in time to go Trick or Treating. It was so much fun to have my kids and grand kids home for Halloween.

Our Fall Weekend

Saturday afternoon during Conference we drove up Cedar Mountain to see what we could see while listening to words of wisdom from our leaders. Steven and Jessica had come to spend the weekend with us, so it was nice to get away and spend time with them. Cedar Mountain has always been one of my most favorite places, but as you know the last few years has been hard on the old gal. We still found her beauty as we drove her back roads we felt like we was visiting an old friend. Of course she is an old friend, for years we took children to her sturdy log. There it was again our trusty log. Soon we had perched Jessica up on it for the first time.

Our family picture has dwindled to just the three of us, Eric, me, and Jeremy.

Sunday between sessions we ran to the reservoir to cook our lunch, tin foil dinners. As you can see Kenni and Latara came home late on Saturdays to be with us. We had such a good time just spending some time together.

Cross Country

I'm so pleased with Jeremy. He has been running Cross Country for a couple of years now. I thought it would be fun to post a few pictures of him. This is from his race yesterday in LaVerkin. Jeremy came in eighth. Jeremy had a great race even though it was hot, right around a hundred degrees. Good job Bear! It was so fun to have Grandma Darrington, Aunt Maridee, cousins, and sisters there to watch.

Happy Fall

This is for you Erica. I love the way Fall and Halloween feels.