Ringing in 2011

We spent the New Year holiday up at Stonehaven. We went skiing, and sledding, played in the snow, played games, ate too much delicious food, and watched fun movies.  Good times!

Dallin tearin' it up on a black diamond.

Poor Hayden taking a face plant.

Cousins Jemma and Carter

Uncle Jacob getting stuck on the sled run.

Sean just off by himself enjoying the snow.

a cool little snow fort

We spent a long time making enough snowballs to make this snowman family.  It was really fun!

We used caramel corn for the mouths and it looked like the snowmen had horrible teeth!  

So we all put caramel corn in our mouths for this picture so we could all have matching horrible teeth with the snowmen.  That of course, just made us all feel so ridiculous that we couldn't stop laughing.

You can have too much of a good thing.

Just a pretty view of Arizona on the way home.

Jacob's Eagle Court of Honor

The day after Christmas we went out to California to visit with the family out there, attend Jacob's Eagle Court of Honor, and spend some time at Stonehaven.  

Sydney meets her Great Grammy.  

Sydney's middle name, Hazel, is for my Grammy's mother, 

Hazel America Stoddard.

The delicious cake at the Court of Honor.  

Hayden thought the eagle was a bat.

Congratulations, Jacob!  Good job working so hard to get your Eagle.  

What a great example you are to all your little nephews.

Dallin's already planning who he's going to invite to his Eagle Court of Honor.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

Like many other families, on Christmas Eve, we sing carols, and reenact the Nativity while reading the account in Luke.  I love that tradition.

It took a good dose of humility to post this picture of me.
I only did it because it was the only picture we have of all the family gathered for carols.

After the Nativity, we prepare for Santa's visit in the morning by building forts out of the presents.  We hide in these forts and so we can secretly watch Santa when he comes the next morning.  Everyone has a hiding place.  This is Hayden making a tower of presents, that we had to dismantle, because no body could hide behind it.  But it was still a good tower.

Then, and we have a "dress rehearsal" to test the hiding power of our hiding spots, and how quiet the children can be.  Grandpa Stone pretends that he is Santa, and walks around the room, making sure everyone is hidden.  At the end, of the rehearsal this year, I made some smart remark about how he forgot to bring us the presents.  Hayden who was hiding with me, was appalled, and reminded me that we be VERY QUIET when Santa comes.  No talking!  Then it's off to bed, because the sooner you go to bed on Christmas, the sooner Santa will come.

The next morning, (after being up for a good portion on the night in the bathroom with the lovely stomach flu that ruined several of our holiday plans,) we got up early to hide and watch Santa!  He brought Sydney a highchair, 

(because the other one met an untimely death . . . I should post that story sometime), 

 

Hayden, an easel so that he can stop coloring on walls, Sean, a thomas the train shed, Daphne a pink razor scooter, and Dallin a Lego Indiana Jones Playstation game.  (He asked Santa for a laptop, an ipad, or and ipod.  Ha! I'll get one of those before he does!)

Here are the kids wearing their cozy jackets that Nona made for them.  They love them and wear them all the time.

Sydney's First Christmas.

Sydney and Uncle Jacob

Papa and Dallin playing some of the piano music we got Dallin for Christmas.  We got him a book of Star Wars songs and a book of Harry Potter songs.

The Christmas feast.  

Emma made this delicious amazing jello.  It took like two days to make!

What a wonderful day together!

We lucked out this year

And got to have Christmas at our house for the 2nd year in a row!  Thanks to Julianne being largely pregnant, Mom and Dad came out here to visit again this year.  It was so fun to have them out here!

Fun in the Snow

Warming up by the Fire

Games, of course!  

Sydney meeting her "Papa" for the first time.

We love to exchange massages in our family

Lilly and Hayden.  

Oh, these two.  

One minute they are hugging, and the next they are screaming at each other.  I won't deny it's mostly Hayden's fault.  He is kind-of bipolar with her.  He loves to make her laugh, and if she doesn't find him hilarious, then he gets upset.  

Today I heard him saying, "Laugh, Lilly.  LAUGH AT ME!  1. . . 2. . . 3. . .  

I SAID, laugh at me!"

wow.  

Hayden has spent a lot of time on the dryer as a result of his misbehavior towards Lilly. 

Hopefully he'll figure out how to be nice soon.

"Plippers," "Pupe," and other sayings

Hayden:  I need my plippers, mom.  (slippers)

Sean--What does "but" mean?  And I don't mean the one you poop out of.

Dallin--(on fast sunday)  I want to do what's right, but I'm just so hungry!

At breakfast one morning, the kids were all asking for stuff at the same time and reaching over each other spilling multiple things.  Finally I said, "Everyone needs to stop clamoring for the food.  First, we'll say a prayer and then I'll help you all get dished up."  Sean responded, "I'm not clamoring for food, Mom.  I'm just clamoring for the syrup."

At pack meeting a lady was smiling at Sydney and said, "Oh you're so cute!  Maybe I'll just take her home.  Can I take her home?"  In response, Hayden got very upset and yelled,  "NO!"

We went over to visit Barbara tonight for Family Night.  At home, before we left, Sean told Aunt Julianne and Aunt Emma that we go to visit Barbara because she is a widow and we don't want her to be lonely. Barbara is our next-door neighbor from our old house.  We visit her on the holidays and she loves to see the kids and give them little treats.  We sang to her and brought her some banana bread and a homemade scarf.  She had us in for some yummy sweet bread and sparkling cranberry cider.  The kids were really well behaved this time and didn't break anything in her house.  (thank goodness.) They said "Please" and "Thank you," and "Merry Christmas" and gave her great big hugs.  While we were eating the goodies she served us, Sean said in his loudest voice, "We come to visit you because your husband is DEAD.  He died, right Barbara?  Your husband is dead."  Good grief!  Thank goodness she is a little hard of hearing and doesn't understand a lot of what the kids say--I don't think she heard him, even though he repeated it several times.   We love Barbara so much!  She is so good to our children, and we always feel happy after we go visit her.  What a sweetheart.  Her mother lived to be 100 years old.  So hopefully we'll have many more years to visit our Barbara.

Sean refers to yesterday as "the back day," and tomorrow as "the front day."

Hayden:  "Sydney puped again."  (puked)