Happy New Year!

It’s the end of 2009. We spent tonight at Steve & Shannon’s house. Lisa, Nathan and their family came over, so did Scoop and Cori. All my kids stayed up until midnight. That includes Preston - Preston who didn’t have a nap the entire day. Wow. He was really good though. He loved blowing his blower and liked it when his blower crashed with other blowers. What a fun boy. While waiting for the ball to drop, Mike made No Names (which his dad declared the best thing to come out of Monroe), and we played several games. It was pretty fun, there was always at least three games going on at the same time. That doesn’t include the Wii either. Spencer was playing Mario Kart with Stockton and asked him, “How are you so good at this?” Stockton replied, “I’m awesome”. He’s humble too I might add.

Preston

Ticket to Ride

Spencer, Mike, Steve, Aimee, Nathan

Bananagrams
Erica, Scoop, Stockton, Mike
Maysen, Erica
Lisa ~ Bananagram Champion

Jacob & Shannon

Erica & Scoop

Jorja ~ ready to ring in the New Year

Happy New Year!

Scoop & Maysen

Nathan, Aimee, Michael, Lisa, Taylor

Spencer, Shannon, Steve

Weston, Brandon, Jacob, Erica

First Family Photo of 2010!

Maysen, Mike, Jorja

Stephanie, Preston, Stockton

After all the guests left, we tucked the kids in their beds and then Steve, Shannon, Mike, Spencer and I played more games. Shannon and I finally went to bed at 3:30. Who knows when the guys got to bed, they were busy playing Pirates. I’m going to be so tired tomorrow! What a way to start 2010!

As the last entry of 2009, I feel I need to make some sort of conclusion. Our family had a fun, fun year. I know many people worried about us, but we have been really okay. We don’t know what 2010 holds in store for us, but we know we will have many changes. Thank you to everyone who has made us feel so loved. I have the best husband and children around. There is no where I would rather be than with my own family . . . and that is pretty cool.

My Family!

DI

This morning Mike took the kids on their long awaited trip to DI. I don’t know why they love DI so much, but they do and their favorite DI is the one in Idaho Falls. I skipped the trip and went to see my cousin BROOKE! She arrived last night from Coeur d’Alene. My grandma & grandpa took Preston and I over to the Fuller’s. Then I was double lucky and Courtney walked through the door soon after I arrived. It was great to visit with the Fuller family, even though it wasn’t very long.

As soon as I came home from the Fuller’s, we packed up and headed for Utah. Mike and the kids declared the DI trip a success. Mostly based on Maysen’s finding of Calvin & Hobbes books for $1 each. We were worried about the roads because it was snowing pretty bad, but once we started it wasn’t awful. The kids were excited to be back with their cousins again.

We spent the rest of the day playing Mario Kart and after the kids were in bed, Ticket to Ride. Not to brag, but I won. It’s something I am capable of doing when I am playing with first timers. It is now 1 am and we are tired and headed to bed!

Leaving the Cabin

I woke up this morning and realized that we forgot to read our scriptures yesterday! No 100% club for us. We were doing really good. We had made it about 25 days, and that is really hard when you are on vacation! Oh well, we will start our 100% club again today.

We left the cabin today. I had so much fun this trip. I love being around my family, especially at the cabin. The cabin is one of the last pieces I have left of my childhood. It is also nice to be able to share something I loved so much as a child with my own children. It’s a perfect place to be together with my family because it is just us. We can be ourselves and enjoy each other without dealing with the outside world. Who knows what it will be like next year. Hopefully Mike & Christen can come, but John & Cassie will have moved away and Brett & Rachel will be living in Japan. Hopefully we will be able to see each other often. I don’t like being so spread out from my family – I know I started it, but I’m coming home soon!

Jorja & Marie

Jorja

We left the cabin (spotless, my sister-in-laws are amazing!) and made it to Grandma & Grandpa’s house. From there Brett & Rachel left for Boise to see Rachel’s family and Matt, John & Cassie left back to Utah. I hope the roads were okay. They are suppose to be worse today, but at least we won’t be driving at night!

I love being at Grandma & Grandpa’s house. We were able to just have time to sit and talk with them. Grandpa is such a tease. I love watching my grandparents interact with each other. We stayed up talking until we couldn’t keep our eyes open very well. Except for one person. One very small person. PRESTON! He slept the entire way from the cabin and was wide awake! His sleeping pattern is so messed up. While we were tiredly talking, Preston was running around like crazy yelling “Speed boost!” as he jumped off the two stairs on the outside of the room. We pulled him into our bed to sleep, but it took quite awhile. I can’t get frustrated with him when he’s so dang cute! (Too bad he knows that secret and uses it to his advantage.)

Sledding, Cabin & Fun

Fun! Fun! Fun! I love it up here! We have had the best time so far. Steve & Sharon let us borrow another 4-wheeler. We were able to take two 4-wheelers up to the Springs. The Springs was awesome this year. Super fast! Stockton stayed out there for hours. I was able to make three runs down on a sled. That was all my body could handle, but it was worth it. I was able to drive the 4-wheeler up several times though. One time Stockton sat in front and I let him drive for a few seconds. Pretty cool for a 9 year old boy. Jorja had a great time at the Springs and was not ready to come back. Maysen REFUSED to go. She was in tears while I was trying to convince her. “No! Please don’t make me!” Oh boy. The last couple of years the snow has been so heavy that the Springs were pretty slow. And she got lost. I tried to explain that this year is different and she would love it, but she would not be persuaded. Poor girl doesn’t know what she is missing.

Preston & Mike (Ella, Ange & Maysen)

Jorja
Brett & Marie

Preston & Mike
Rachel, Brett, Marie & Dad
Preston & Mike

I came back from sledding at the springs to find Preston asleep on an overturned chair. Hmmmm. Wonder what happened there?

Preston

We spent most of the evening playing games. Maysen and Brett had a Pirate game that went down to the wire. Seriously it came down to one roll. Brett was victorious. Stockton loved playing the new Bananas game (Bananagrams). He’s a lot better at it then I am. Rachel played many games with Jorja while we played Ticket to Ride. After all the kids were in bed, we stayed up playing Mafia. Bubs still refuses to play. All because ten years ago we ganged up on him. Bubs was always the first person the mafia would kill. Then if Bubs wasn’t killed we assumed he was the mafia and we would kill him first. It was so funny, just not to Bubs. My dad would always do awesome death scenes when he was killed. John was mafia three times in a row (doot!) and Cassie won the last game. Life at the cabin is wonderful!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my 36th birthday! And for my birthday, I got old. I broke myself. Well, I’m not sure what I did but I know how I did it. I think I bruised my tailbone. It hurts like the dickens! Stockton and my brothers made this awesome jump on the sled hill. I had been too chicken to go off it because the hill is really icy right now. The sledding’s great, but I was nervous about the jump. So, I copied my brothers and went inside where I put a pillow in my snowpants. I then was excited about the jump. I decided to take it sitting down because I had a pillow in my pants. The jump was great but the pillow didn’t help the landing. I am hurting so bad right now. I didn’t even get an awesome picture out of it. I got an okay one, but not cool pictures like the guys did. Stockton got hurt too. He took the jump and landed on his back. But his picture is great! And he’s not hurting anymore, so that is good.

Stephanie ~ bad idea

This morning my dad made birthday scones! Yummy! Then we had church at the cabin. My dad received permission from his bishop to have church up here. Maysen, Stockton and my dad all gave talks. My grandma let me take up some of her Children’s Friends that they could look at. They are from the 50's and 60's.

My dad

Most of the day was spent outside. Everyone had fun! Fun! Fun!

Jorja, Preston, Stockton, Maysen

Preston

Stockton

Stephanie & Preston ~ pre-jump

The best way to get up a hill!
Preston, Mike, Stockton, Maysen, Jorja

Preston
Jorja

Cassie & Maysen
Stockton ~ the time he got hurt


Stephanie & Stockton ~ pre Steph crash, post Stocky crash
John
John again

Maysen & Preston
Brett

Mike

Bubs made a yummy dinner tonight. I made a jello with it. (Ouch! I just sneezed and it hurt SO bad!) I put candles in my jello for my birthday cake. That was before I realized that my wonderful sister-in-laws had made an Asphalt Pie. (Mint chocolate chip icecream in a pie shell.) I think Ange spearheaded that effort. Thanks!

Jorja, Preston, Stephanie, Stockton

Birthday jello ~ Birthday pie was a TON better!

I’m going to bed early tonight. Hopefully I’ll feel better in the morning. By the way, if anyone calls our house and get Jasmine the psychic, we don’t know why that is happening. We use Vontage for our phone. When we left, Mike took our Internet router down so we could use it on our trip. Apparently now when you call our number you get Jasmine. Hopefully we will get our same number back when we get home. Weird.