Christmas

This is the first year we were at home for Christmas. My family came up to Idaho and stayed at my grandparents house. It was the best of both worlds. We spent Christmas Eve at my grandparents house and then we came home and did the stockings and santa stuff at our house then went back to my grandparents house for gifts and a fun dinner. We all had a great time and and a wonderful holiday season.

Halloween, Wedding and Thanksgiving

Things get so crazy this time of year. I finally have a few minutes for a quick update. Here are a few pictures of the kids on Halloween. Hallie was Elphaba from the musical Wicked, Madilyn was Minnie Mouse and Carson was a cow. They all looked so cute and Carson was even old enough this year to get in on the trick or treating fun.

My brother Wade got married the weekend before Thanksgiving. The kids had a great time getting all dressed up and being a part of the wedding. We are very excited to have Callie as part of our family.

We spent Thanksgiving at my uncles house in Heber. We had a great time. The kids got to ride on my uncles horse and we all had a great time visiting.

Family Pictures

We decided to give in and do the dreaded family pictures. By the time we get done the kids (and mom) are usually crying. This year was no exception. It was so windy and freezing, by the end everyone had red noses and we couldn't feel our fingers. The kids did really great considering and thanks to the magic of photo shop we were able to get a few pictures.

Triathalon

Hallie did a youth triathalon up in Rexburg last weekend. Some our friends own a development up there and they organized the event on their property. There were 180 kids that participated. They were from 5-12 years old. Hallie was in the 5-7 year old group and they had to swim 50 yards, bike .8 miles and run .5 miles. It was so much fun and Hallie did such a great job. Way to go Hallie we are so proud of you.

Next year we plan on attending again and Madilyn will also be old enough to participate!!!

BIRTHDAYS!!!

Wow, it seems like we have had nonstop birthday parties at our house. Hallie and Madilyn had a joint birthday party at a fun center called Leo's Place. Leo's Place has all sorts of fun things for kids to do, like slides and climbing and games, etc. They had a great time. We ended up having nine kids at the party and all were well entertained. Both girls wanted to get their ears pierced for their birthdays. After many unsuccessful attempts to get the girls courage up, Madilyn got hers done and then Hallie followed a week later. She couldn't let her little sister show her up. They both look very cute are so so excited to change them and accessorize with them. Carson has also had a birthday. He turned two years old. We had a little party with his cousins down in Utah and with Grandma and Grandpa Hobbs. It was lots of fun.

Carson helping in the kitchen

This year we decided to try and grow a garden. It has been great, but I think we did a few too many zucchini plants. We can't eat them fast enough. Today I decided to make a bunch of zucchini bread. About half way through I got a phone call and left the kitchen to talk. When I came back about two minutes later this is what I found. Carson had gotten into the butter and it was all over him, the walls, the floor and there was even some on the ceiling. He seemed to think he was really funny. After MANY hours of cleaning (and some crying), I think my kitchen is finally clean.

California

We took a great vacation in San Diego for a week with my family. We went to Sea World, the Wild Animal Kingdom, and the San Diego Zoo. The kids loved seeing all the animals. Carson thought that every animal was a cow. He would "MOO" at everything. At Sea World we got to pet a dolphin, and some star fish. Hallie was the only one of the kids brave enough to touch them. We went to Old Town San Diego and the kids got little guitars. They love playing with them, but they are a little loud for me. We went to the beach several times. Hallie and Joe loved to play in the water. Madilyn and I enjoyed laying in the sun and working on our tans, and Carson took naps in the stroller both times we went. We had a great time and were very thankful to have family there with us to help us keep track of the kids.