Fun times....Fun Times!

The day after Christmas our family enjoyed the "cinemark theater" gift certificate that was given to us to see "Bedtime Stories". What a cute movie. We all enjoyed it and can't wait to buy it when it comes out on DVD. We got home in just enough time to have Uncle Travis, Aunt Betsy and the kids arrive at our home. We enjoyed the evening with them eating more food, playing games, and watching movies. The adults enjoyed staying up until 2:30 in the morning talking..... but were reminded the next morning that we're not as young as we use to be! The kids don't wait for Mom & Dad's to wake up.......we roll on their schedule! :-)
Since we had received so much snow the Dad's took all the kids, (plus a friend), but (minus the baby) sledding at a nearby hill. They were gone several hours. The kids had a great time. When arriving home.....we made soup, and hot chocolate for all of them to warm their tummies! Then the next activity of playing and jumping at "jump on it" came soon after. We had a great time with Trav's family and all the many hours we got to spend with them.

Christmas Day!

Santa Claus came!!!!!
It was a relaxing day......full of presents, food, food, food & food! :-)
We anticipated the arrival of Uncle Travis & family but unfortunately they got snowed in and arrived one day late! I will post more pics of our fun adventures with Aunt Betsy, Uncle Travis & cousins!

Christmas Eve

This year we decided it would be easier to stay home than to travel away to Grandma & Grandpa's house for Christmas. Even though it was a quiet day and evening it was an amazing day!
We wanted to spend the day as a family, doing a service for someone else. Our family always looks at Christmas time not only as a time to reflect on our Savior's birth, lots of food, time with family & friends & Santa's visit, but we look for a way to help those in need. Each year we do something different. This year we had given food to the food bank earlier in the Season, but time passed us by and we realized that our family had done nothing for someone else.
Darrick and I called the kids into the family room early Christmas Eve morn to discuss what we could do! We had lots of ideas, but nothing was coming together...so we decided to say a prayer and ask for help!
We were amazed when the kids went into their rooms and grabbed their own personal money to donate towards "the service" we were hoping to provide.
After driving around and running errands......we stopped by our local "community action" and asked what needs they had at this time. We decided we would buy lots of diapers, wipes, formula & baby soaps for the babies who's families have fallen on hard times. We headed to Sams Club....loaded up on these items and headed to the register with the money we had in cash. When all was totaled up.....we had $.08 to spare. The kids were excited and we all felt better and happier by "Giving" a gift to a stranger for Christmas. We headed home, cooked a great dinner, read the story of Christ's birth out of the Bible, opened our 1 present (pajama's of course), sang Christmas Carols and ended the eveing by watching Scrooge! We couldn't have asked for a better day! Well.....we wish we could have had more family around to share the fun with. :-)

Happy Birthday Shay Shay Man!

Shay wanted to get 10 of his friends together and play a football game down at the school's field for his birthday party. Fine by me. The whole party consisted of opening presents...eating cupcakes....driving down to the school.....watching them play.....and taking everyone home. A party a Mom loves to put on! :-)

We let the kids pick where they want to eat for their b-days and Shay picked Panda Express. We even give them the option of going to Outback Steakhouse......but no....it was Panda Express tonight, and not only Panda Express, but Panda Express at the Mall's Eating Center. I had to get a picture of our fine dining!


Here is the cake to go along with the theme of the birthday party.

Happy Birthday Shay! We are so glad that you came into our family 10 years ago. You caused a great scare when you decided you would try and come into the world when I was only 7 months prenant, but by the time you arrived and with the great help of life flight and great doctors and nurses....you are still here with us. You are a great kid with a big heart. You definitely entertain us with your talents in skateboarding, rollerblading, bike riding, and scootering. Our heart skips a beat when you fly off your jumps and we're thankful that no big injuries have happened so far. We have seen you succeed in all you do and we are proud of you! We love you and hope you had a great b-day!

Gingerbread Houses

This is my gingerbread house. It reminds me of a Grandma's Gingerbread house. I love the Old Fashioned candy used for the roof. It reminded me of the candy I use to eat at my grandma's and great grandma's house.

This one is Naomi's. She finally decided on a flat roof since her graham crackers kept falling.

Naomi hates when I take pictures of her.....especially when her hair is wet and undone! She's a cutie anyways.

Shay's gingerbread house collapsed but he was okay with that and Nate decided at the last minute that he didn't want to do one. He helped me out in the end with mine.

A Baptism, Festival of Trees, Dinner, A Break-In, More Dinner & Snow

We had a very busy Sat.
Sat. morning we got ready for Steve's Baptism. I have never been to a baptism where someone was being rebaptized. It was amazing....the Spirit was so strong and of course we love Steve. We were all so happy for him on this special day! We know that he has gone thru a lot and we welcome him back! Yeah!!!!!
After the baptism...Brenda and Steve had us back to their place for a luncheon. We had to hurry and feed the kids, feed ourselves, pick up Grandma Bufton, change clothes and get Naomi ready in hair, make-up, costume, etc while we headed up North to the Festival of Trees. Naomi and her dance team performed their Christmas dances and Naomi was able to dance. Yeah! WE are glad she is feeling lots better and able to perform once again. Her team and the other teams did great.
We walked around and looked at all the trees that are donated for this occasion. If you don't know what the festival of trees is.........it's a chritmas favorite around here. People donate trees that are decorated, gifts, wreaths, gingerbread houses, etc for display. People then buy these trees and all donations go to the Primary Children's Hospital here in SLC. All proceeds (entry fee, donations, food) go to the hospital. It is an awesome sight and the building is huge and full of all these amazing trees usually dedicated to a loved one who has died of cancer or has been a patient of Primary Children's. It is emotional as you walk around and see pictures displayed of those who have passed away. It is also amazing to see how many trees have been sold and how many times you see the same family name that has purchased these trees. I love Christmas and the Spirit that comes out in everyone during this time of year.
We then met Darrick's family at a restaurant in SLC for dinner. We had a great dinner and were planning on heading to Temple Square to see the lights when we found out that Darrick's brother's van had been broken into. They broke the passenger front window, stole my sister in laws purse and cell phone, their daughters coat and a brand new can of formula. There is nothing that upsets me more than people stealing from others. After cleaning up the glass from inside and outside of the van and taping platic in the window...we decided to call it a night and headed home. Sorry guys!
Sun. night we had several of Darrick's cousins over for Soup and Hot Rolls. It was fun to see them and visit with them.
Today I am watching it snow outside. Luckily it's not sticking to the ground, but I can say without a doubt....I am not ready for snow. We have had such beautiful weather and I was hoping it would last.
There's our weekend in a nutshell!

More Fishin' pics

Here are a few more pics of our Thanksgiving morning fishing trip. I would be doing an unjustice by not commenting on R.D.'s PINK hat. I let it slide both days that we went fishing, but I just can't take it anymore. It's a good thing he is the Master Fisherman that he is because most men can't get away with that look. Spencer was completely unwilling to take his shirt off. R.D. was trying to get us to take a picture holding our fish with our shirts off.....I didn't feel it was appropriate. Spencer was all for it.....he was just scared the pictures would get loose on the internet. He was afraid of the constant ringing of his telephone from Modeling Agencies! I can relate. Thanks for a great time guys!!!!

Thanksgiving Weekend!

Darrick started his Thanksgiving Holiday a little early with some buddies Wed & Thurs. morning by meeting up with them and fishing for Browns & Rainbow trout. They had a lot of fun.
After Darrick returned home on Thurs. morning we packed up the food that we were in charge of, the drinks, the luggage and kids and headed North to Darrick's brothers house for Thanksgiving. We had a great time with family. Travis and Betsy were great hosts and had lots of fun activities planned. The weather was beautiful and the kids had fun playing with their cousins. I had my camera but not the battery so I didn't get any Thanksgiving dinner pics. We did get a few later on but I will post them later.
We played frisby golf, hide and seek in the woods, football, etc. We played games at the house, ate lots of food and attended the Christmas Light Parade. Most of Darrick's family was there and it was really good to see all of them again!

Giving Thanks!

Today as I was driving around and running errands....I found myself thinking about Thanksgiving and all the many things I am thankful for. I love this time of year, the changing of seasons (even though I am hoping to skip over winter, or at least the snow!), the holiday cheer that's in the air, and the time to reflect on our lives once again as we get ready for a new year! Time just goes by too quickly. I find myself stopping occasionally and just looking at my kids, my husband, our lives....what we want to achieve.....what we need to do better at.....and if there is a way to just "stop" time. My kids are growing up to quickly and even though it's exciting to enter new changes in our lives....it scares me to think they'll just keep growing.....and eventually leave. Oh No!!!!
Today has been one of those "stopping to think" days and I just wanted to list the things that I am thankful for:
*My Savior and his atoning sacrifice! And a Heavenly Father who knows me!
*My husband who brings so much light to my life. He is one of the hardest workers I know. He is one of the most giving men out there. He is such an example to me and makes me a better person. And he does nice stuff for me all the time! (brownie points)
*My kids. They are my life. They bring more happiness to my life than I thought possible. Even after bad days with them....I go to bed happy and having a desire to be a better Mom to them. They are all so unique and beautiful and I am so grateful for them.
*My extended family. For the relationships and love that we have with one another. The blessing of having others care about you and be there for you thru good and bad. The memories that we make and can take with us when we're apart.
*My health. I have often taken my health for granted, but watching others go through trials and pain....I am thankful for each and every day that I have to be active and free of sickness.
*Good friends. I find myself blessed with those that we call our friends. They are a big part in our lives. It's nice to have friends close to share time, stories, football games, movies, dinner, etc....with! I am also thankful for those friends back home who I have been able to keep in touch with and those I have recently been reaquainted with.
*A home that provides warmth, shelter, love, memories and that holds our family close and tight.
*And then all the big "small" things we take for granted each and every day. The sun rising, food that fills our bellies, cars that get us places, work that we have, air that we breathe, teachers who teach my children, neighbors who watch out for us, running water, DISHWASHERS, electricity, beautiful mountains, money to pay for all our material possesions and banks to keep the money safe (most of the time :-). I could go on and on but neither you or I have that time.

I challenge each of you that reads this....to stop....and think about all the blessings in your life and the things that make you happy....and take a minute to just be thankful!

Full of Football Weekend!

Darrick and his Counselors planned a "Turkey Bowl" Flag Football Game for this past weekend. They hoped for more men to show up but the ones who did had a great time! The two 18 year olds that showed up gave all these "old" men a good workout. I used the word "Old", but the oldest one there was my husband who's 36, and we really don't count that age old right? Come Sunday these men were all a little bit sore and only 2 of them had broken fingers.....OUCH! :-)

We actually thought at this moment that BYU had a chance to win! Whoops! We're still mourning! :-)


We had some friends of ours (The Boardmans) that moved away several months ago come and visit this past weekend. It was really fun to watch the game with them and have them stay at our house on Sat. night. The kids had a great time playing outside, inside, outside & inside again and watching movies. Too bad that BYU lost but the food was good and the company even better.

Injury update!

Naomi visited a sports medicine doctor today who we thought did an awesome and thorough job examining her. After twisting....lifting....and prodding several areas around her hips and legs they decided to take 2 more x-rays after examining her other x-rays and seeing something in them they wanted to get a closer look at. I have a hard time seeing anything but the bone in x-rays....so I trusted their judgement. After the others were taken and the doctor brought them up on the screen....I couldn't believe the things we were able to see. So cool!! Anyways, she said that Naomi had stretched her secondary growth plate (?) and with another week off dance and some stretching exercises done at home, she should be able to perform at her next dance performance on the 6th of Dec. We were so relieved it wasn't anything more serious and anything that would have kept her out of dance. She's still really sore but that is improving slowly! We're crossing out fingers and hoping for the best in the next coming weeks.

Fall Leaves

Each Fall we have to rake and pick up so many leaves. I tried to stay on top of them this year by using the "blower" and piling them onto the lawn where I could then mow over them with the lawn mower. I did this 3 times and then we got a pretty good wind storm that blew the leaves off most of the trees in our yard and our neighbors yard. After holding off a week, (and having leaves dragged thru the house each time the kids would come inside from playing)Dad and the boys got to work. I am so glad to have the fall leaves cleaned up once again. I do have to mention how beautiful our "Fall" has been this year. We have enjoyed the cool mornings but warmer afternoons. Most years we go from Hot to Snow. We will enjoy this weather while it lasts.

Dance Recital & E.R. Visit.....All in just a few hours!

Naomi was excited, nervous, excited, sick to her stomach, excited, and so on for her upcoming Christmas Dance Recital on Fri. night. Rehearsal had gone well the night before and she had practiced her solo over and over and over again. She was excited to perform her solo for her Dad who hasn't seen it yet. All seemed the same as performances before.....the hair and make-up, the packing of costumes, and all the extra's to pack for the "just in case" moments. Friends and Family were going to be there to watch and Naomi seemed fired up and ready to go.
Her first dance with her team was fun to watch and she did awesome! The 2nd dance started off great but as the dance progressed we saw her smile fade and tears fill her eyes. She kept dancing but everyone around us noticed the limp she now danced with. My first thought was that she hit her heel (which has been bruised) a little too hard and that all would be fine. I went backstage to find Naomi (with one of her teachers) crying and trying to walk around. She wasn't able to walk, and all she could say is "I have let my team down.....why did this happen to me......I have to get back on stage (yeah right!)......I have disappointed all of you and my teachers." It's hard as a Mom to see your kids hurt and upset in this way. After carrying her to her dressing room and having her dance teacher Alexis look her over, we came to the conclusion that Naomi would not be dancing any more that night. She had heard a pop when she went down in her splits and her leg filled with pain that would'nt go away. Tears still flowed and off we headed to the E.R. down the street. We weren't sure what happened. Was it a pulled muscle? A torn muscle? Pulled ligaments? Hip flexor? We didn't know. They x-rayed her at the hospital only to tell us that the bone was not fractured. Yeah....we kind of knew that one. We were hoping they would at least be able to tell us what happened to the muscle if anything. They said that would take an MRI to figure out and couldn't get her in last night. They recommended a sports therapist to see on Mon. We are now icing the leg...20 min. on and 20 min. off and doing the ibuprofen fun. We are hoping and praying it is nothing but a hurt muscle that will allow her to be back to dance soon. What a night! Thanks to all those who called or text messages with concern for Naomi. I think she's going to live. :-) Her Dad will have to see the Solo at competition! We are so sorry Naomi!