Skiing at Sundance

(Uncle Mike, me, Shannon, Cory, Aunt Penny, Kelly, Shea, Jerry, Boston, Judd)

Yesterday, Shea and I went with a lot of his family skiing at Sundance.  I have lived here all my life and have never skied there before yesterday.  Sad, I know.  Now that I have all the warm winter gear, my excuses are dwindling.  I'm glad that it won't be such a production to go from now on.

Thanks Cory for a fabulous day!

Christmas

We had a great Christmas this year.  The kids were the perfect ages and the excitement was infectious.  I was so excited to see their faces and their reactions on Christmas morning that I hardly got any sleep on Christmas Eve.  That, and it took us until 1:30 to build the kitchen Santa left and set everything up.  

The kids didn't wake up until 7:45, and that was only Cooper.  We had to wake Camden and Lucy up so Coop didn't go crazy!  They were so sweet to each other all day and I love the picture of them on the stairs anticipating seeing what Santa brought!

Lucy loves that her new "chitchen" has a phone! 

The boys were excited about the few games that Santa brought.  We have been playing them together and it has been so fun!

At long last--Heelys!!!!!

Shea was fun to shop for this year because he actually made a list.  We have been enjoying blu ray movies as a family.

Coop, Lucy and Camden are enjoying racing the remote control cars they got.  The boys were sitting there and Lucy plopped herself down in the middle and smiled when she saw that I was taking this picture.  She is so funny!

It was a great day.  We had eggnog pancakes (that were not a hit) and stayed home and played until 2 p.m.  That's a long time for us!  Nana, Papa and Kelly came over to see what Santa brought and Grandma, Grandpa, Matt and Marc came over later.

After we were showered and ready, we loaded up and went to my parents' house to enjoy a yummy prime rib Christmas dinner.  We opened gifts there and visited with family for a while.  Then we headed to Nana and Papa's house for dessert, more eating and more presents.  

Christmas Eve

Can I just say how much I love these kids?  We had such a great Christmas!

Matt, Crazy face Camden, Shea

We spent Christmas Eve with our families.  It was great to spend the early evening at Nana and Papa's house where we ate, played games and talked.  We are so lucky to have both parents so close to us.  We don't know how we could ever choose one family to celebrate with over the other!

The Burr grandkids in their Christmas jammies.  Camden, Lillian, Audrey, Lucy, Cooper and Eli (who was only happy when he was holding someone's cell phone.  That kid is going to be a techno geek for sure!)

Baby Lillian's first Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve Sledding

Ava and Lulu loved the adventure!

Cooper catching some air

We took the kids to Rock Canyon Park for some sledding on Christmas Eve day.  We had a great time there with Ben and Olivia's family, Adam and Ashley's family, and Zak and Ava.  While there were a lot of people with the same idea of how to have fun, the park was big enough for everyone to have a hill to sled on.

We took Ashley Salo's younger brother, Jaymes, and he spent time building a sweet jump.  After that, normal sledding for Camden and Cooper wasn't nearly as fun.  They went off that jump probably 59 times and loved it!

Camden launching off the jump

Ben was so cute to take the girls down some runs--Lucy loved it!  (Audrey did too, but you can't tell from this shot)

Lucy and her honey

Lucy spent a lot of time on a sled with Ava.  It was so funny to watch Zak pull them up the hill and then send them back down to Shea, who was waiting to catch them at the bottom.  They took some spills, but they smiled the whole time.

Christmas, Christmas time is here

It has been a busy, but happy and festive holiday season for us.  Everything that was on my list has been accomplished and now I am enjoying spending the Christmas break with my family.  Today with all the snow that fell, the kids and Shea went out and built a snowman.  All the snow last week didn't classify as "snowman snow" and wouldn't stick together.  We got enough today to make up for it though.  We have a 6 foot tall snowman in the front yard, and you can't even tell where the kids rolled his sections because it snowed so much.  With today like it was, I was grateful I had my shopping--grocery and gifts--done.  

The month started with me hosting an Enrichment progressive dinner for our ward.  It was a great activity--but A TON of work.  I had Shea snap a photo of my table settings.  

Last week we had our ward party at the church.  The kids had a great time, and it was the only party where our family isn't double-booked.  It's going to get a little crazy in the next few days!  I love having both families so close though, and I'm happy we get to spend our Christmas with them.

Sunday night was my maternal grandparents' party.  My grandma and grandpa go to so much work to feed all of us and shower us with gifts.  It was great to spend time in their home and to know how much they love me and my little family.  I felt awful when we had to eat and run to Shea's immediate family party that night too--but I wouldn't have missed that party!  We had a tasty prime rib dinner at Cory and Shannon's house, the kids acted out the Nativity story while Papa read it from the scriptures, and we exchanged gifts.  The kids were so excited and so cute.  

I have to say I am so proud of my boys for really trying this year to understand gratitude.  They are working on appreciating everything they get--even if it's not what they want.  They mention it in every prayer we say as a family.  One of my 4-year-old cousins had a fit when he opened a gift that was exactly what Camden and Cooper had received.  He stomped and cried and hit.  When we got to the car the boys' first comment was about how he should have just been grateful for what he got.  I have such good kids.  I hope they stay that way.

Tomorrow brings two more parties, more food, more presents, and two visits from Santa.  I'd better get to bed!

(and Blogger is not my picture posting friend.  Can you figure out the captions by yourself?)

Gingerbread houses and new traditions

Thanks to Holli and Phil for inviting us over to decorate gingerbread houses.  I'm always impressed at how much my kids love to create.  Camden and Cooper each decorated their own house this year, and I got to help Lucy.  She was very into it for a lot longer than my boys were at her age.  

I love this time of year.  For some reason my to-do list has felt more methodical this year and has not been as daunting.  The village went up without a hitch, the tree was much easier to light, the kids did a great job hanging all the ornaments at 4' and under, my shopping is mostly done (thank you Amazon and Smith's Marketplace), my neighbor gifts are sewn, my Christmas cards are ready to be addressed, my calendar is filled with family parties that don't conflict--yet, and I've been able to really focus on the meaning of Christmas this year.

We had the opportunity to go to a live nativity on Saturday evening.  Even though Laman and Lemuel (i.e. Matt and Marc) complained during the short hay ride, everyone had an enjoyable time.  I was overcome by the spirit as I stepped into the barn where a young couple and their real baby were portraying the Holy Family.  It was so easy for me to think back 2000+ years ago to the first Christmas in Bethlehem.  Having been there twice helped too.  

After seeing the whole nativity, we enjoyed complimentary hot chocolate and I read the story about how the living nativity tradition started.  Basically, it is a fundraiser to pay back the Huntsman Cancer Institute for treating the family's matriarch through pancreatic cancer.  I was moved to tears as I read the quote on the small paper that one little boy had exclaimed, "How come every year we go see Santa, and this is the first year we have come to see the Baby Jesus?"  I had to ask myself the same question.  

The nativity experience gave Shea and me a wonderful opportunity to talk to our kids more about the Savior's birth.  That night we had a tender family discussion and prayer.  I thought for a moment that maybe I was doing a few things right when Camden prayed, "We're thankful for Christmas.  If we don't get what we want, please help us to love it anyway."  Sweet kid.

Now if I can let that same peace and love be in my heart for the next few days.  I'm a little stressed about having 16 people, in two rounds of 8, come to my home for a Relief Society progressive dinner.  Should I pull out the paint and touch up the few spots that have been driving me crazy for months?  I'm tempted.

Also, I'm stressing about getting primary ready for the beginning of another year.  Luckily, I have a fantastic presidency who each do a phenomenal job and volunteer for everything.  We have an early January activity to plan, binders to compile, a room to decorate, and teachers to orient.  

Oh yeah, and the first grade party needs to be planned.

And I have to finish being trained for cub scouts.

But it WILL get done....eventually.

Thanksgiving celebration

My dad and brothers and Shea are the worst at pulling faces for the camera.  Maybe that's why I never take any of them!  Ashley and my hottie look cute in this one though.

Cooper's photo of baby Lillian

Marc's favorite position--and shirt

Mitchell(my cousin) and Cooper

Ben and Audrey

Grandma and Lucy's favorite pasttime

My dad--when I tell him to smile and look happy to have his picture taken

Grandma DeWolf, Ben, and Adam.  I like to be on the opposite end of Grandma's picture taking frenzy

Ashley (Cam's woman) and Cameron and Lucy's baby doll

We had Thanksgiving dinner this year at my parents' house.  It was a wonderful day filled with good food, "special" family members, and a serious lack of photography skills.  No matter how hard I try (and Shea says I don't try), I can't get decent pictures, and I never get the shots of the people and moments I want to remember.  I'm always too busy chatting or something more pressing.

Happy Bithday, Dear Candy!

Today is my very wonderful and loving mother-in-law's birthday.  As far as MILs go, I have one of the best and most beautiful.  I couldn't ask for anyone to love me or my children more than Candy does.  She is always willing to feed us, watch the kids, or just spend time talking and laughing with us.  She also has an amazing cooking talent.  Lucky for me, she is willing to share her tricks and recipes for the sake of her good-looking son.  Candy, I hope you have a very happy day, and I hope you know how very much we love you!

One year older and wiser too...

It happened.  I knew it would one day.  Most of my friends reached it before I did and so I was in good company when I finally arrived.  I turned 30 this week.  And it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  

I woke up on Tuesday and my boys were so sweet.  They wanted so much to be included in my birthday party.  They asked where I was having it and I told them it would just be at home.  "Mom, I love home birthdays!"  Cooper said.  So I knew I had to have a kind-of party with my kids.

While they were at school, I went to lunch with Shea and Lucy, my mom, and Ben and Olivia's family.  They had come to drop off a gift when we decided to go to Pei Wei.  It was very good.  We also went to Nothing Bundt Cakes and got a cake for my party.

At four o'clock, my grandparents, Shea's parents, Kelly, and the Conroys came over for cake and presents.  I was spoiled!  Shea gave me a new red Kitchen Aid mixer that I have been wanting since before we were married.  Now I'm ready to make my own bread and to start baking more!  The kids opened most of the presents and I loved watching them be so happy.  They were so happy and loving all day.  It was the best.  

I decided that this year I didn't care about getting older, I just care about being loved and remembered.  I really was.  I got so many phone calls, texts, emails and visits.  It was a great day!  My sweet friend, Jerianne, had contacted all my family and some friends and had them all write something nice about me.  She then printed everything out and gave it to me as a wonderful gift.  Thank you, everyone, for your kind words.  It made me feel so loved!

After cake, Shea sent the kids home with his parents and we went to Sundance for my birthday dinner.  It was delicious, and I enjoyed just being with my handsome hubby.  He really made my day great, and I love him!