Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

We drove to to Idaho this past weekend to spend some time with Jen's parents before Christmas. The kids were so excited for the trip that they probably asked every day in December if it was time to go see Grandma and Papa. The roads were clear going up but coming back they were pretty scary at times. It was so worth the trip though. Grandma and Papa have finished fixing up their new home with beautiful carpets, hardwood floors and really nice furniture. The kids were excited to go outside and check out the barn and play with their dog Taz. Cameron was really sick the first night we were there but with a father's blessing and some Heavenly inspiration he was able to get some rest and start feeling better. The presents we opened didn't seem as important as just spending time together. The kids were, however, very excited to get lots of new tracks for their GeoTrax set and we even got some suprise presents that we weren't expecting. Thanks so much Mumzy and Daddy for a wonderful weekend. I'm sure the kids will make sure that we are up to visit again really soon.

On Christmas Eve we headed back to Utah over snow covered roads. The summit was snowy with patches of ice so Jen put her nose in her book and trusted Dennis to get us home safe. The kids got nice long naps so they were ready to play and have fun at the family party. It was such a relief to make it with no incidents and it was great to see Dennis' parents, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews. I didn't count how many of us were there, but it was a lot. Thank you everyone for your thoughtful gifts. We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas day.

We are not sure of our New Year's eve plans but hope to see our friends Don and Eliane before they head to New Orleans. Whether you stay home or head out to party with friends, we hope you are safe and enjoy ringing in the new year.

Snow!!

We finally got some snow here - two storms, two weekends in a row. Both storms dropped about 8 inches. The first snow melted before the 2nd storm hit so it hasn't been too bad. We wanted to let the kids go out back to build a snowman, since this was our first wet snow, but the snow was so heavy that it kept breaking branches from the tree that covers the back yard. (We usually get really dry fluffy snow that doesn't pack well. Perfect for skiing but not for snowmans.) Hopefully tomorrow it will be better so Cameron can build his snowtanker and Kylie can build a snowpenguin.

We also put up our Christmas tree last weekend. The kids were VERY anxious to get it decorated. We tried to get pics of the kids after decorating. They were quite hyper so this is the best we could get.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We really hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We spent the afternoon in Eden, UT (up Ogden canyon). It was beautiful but freezing cold! We had lots of good food and yummy desserts. Cameron and Kylie love to see their Grandma and Papa as well as all of their aunts, uncles, and cousins on their daddy's side of the family (and a few neighbor friends). The turkey card was drawn by Cameron. We'll be sending a copy to both sets of grandparents. Kylie's Indian costume was from preschool. And by the way, we didn't drive the four wheeler around although I'm sure Dennis would have loved too. It just made for a different photo spot than the big barn wall. Happy Holidays Everyone!

Fiskateer Roundup

Jen headed down to San Antonio, Texas this past weekend to be trained as a Fiskars Product Demonstrator. This all came about through a site called http://www.fiskateers.com/. Jen started participating on the site in July of last year. There is a blog, message board, and a gallery to post projects. It is one of her favorite sites to visit with its challenges and give aways and really nice members. The site is run by Fiskars, the orange scissor people, to give consumers an opportunity to discuss their products and share creations. There are 4 lead Fiskateers who were getting more and more requests to visit stores to demonstrate the tools and products. Fiskars decided to expand their demonstrators to those 4 plus 50 more. Out of over 2500 Fiskateers, Jen was chosen as one of the "Nifty Fifty!" Fiskers paid for her trip to San Antonio and provided her with the tools and training that she needs to "share the Fiskars love." Now that she is back, she is looking for 20 people in her area to train as certified Fiskars demonstrators. She is also qualified to demonstate Fiskars products at big box stores as well as local scrapbook stores. It is an awesome responsibility for which she is very greatful. Take a look at her blog for a rundown on her fun and exciting weekend at the Fiskateer Roundup: http://cardsbyjen.blogspot.com/

October Happenings

We've had a super busy October! Dennis and Jen headed down to Florida for a much deserved weekend. It was our first real vacation without the kids in 5 years. We stayed with Jen's friend BobbiLynn, the site administrator at CircleofCrafters.com, at a beachhouse on St George Island, Florida. The weather was just beautiful! The butterflies were migrating the day we arrived so they were practically everywhere. The beach in front of our house had a sandbar that went out several hundred feet so we were able to swim in the ocean the first day with really small waves. It was like a gigantic swimming pool (with sting rays and jelly fish to watch out for). Dennis and Jason enjoyed fishing off the cut while BobbiLynn and Jen looked for sea shells and enjoyed the sunshine. We also went to church in Apalachicola on Sunday before heading home. It was the smallest chapel we've ever been too. There were only 11 cars in the parking lot and one of the families was from Utah as well. It was wonderful to hear the testimonies of the members there. The flight home was really long but well worth the chance to go to Florida again after 10 years.

The kids stayed home with Grandma Jonna who flew down from Boise. They went to the Aquarium, the Pumpkin Festival, Carl's Jr, Chick-fil-A, and Applebees. They had enough fun that they didn't miss us as much as we thought they would. They didn't even want to talk to us on the phone while we were gone.

The day we came home, Cameron had art class and then we headed to a ReAL soccer game. The kids had a great time. Thanks Leo for the tickets! It was the last game of the season and Leo invited all of the mascots from schools and teams around the valley to join in the fun. The kids got a really cool soccer ball that Leo signed and Dennis and Jen got some really nice hoodies with the ReAL team logo on them. Dennis also got to reunite with some of his friends from his days in Stanford and San Jose, California.

Kylie had a Halloween program in preschool on the 25th. She knows all of the songs by heart and was singing them for weeks before the program. However.....the day of the program, she was upset and refused to sing any of the songs or even smile. Oh well. Maybe next year.

The kids had fun dressing up for Halloween. Cameron was a construction worker and Kylie was a doggy doctor (vetrinarian). They had fun trick or treating around our neighborhood. We didn't stay out very long as it was starting to get really cold.

Jog-A-Thon

Cameron did a great job at his school's jog-a-thon last week. The track was 1/6th of a mile and he made it around 8 times in 20 minutes! He had a great time jogging and walking with his friends.

When he first came outside, I noticed that he was in "awe" of something. Finally he said, "Mommy, look at all of the construction barrels and cones!" He loves construction and especially cones so he had the greatest time touching them (in the middle of the jog) and hugging them afterwards.

I have to add a cute picture of Kylie too. She was collecting flowers at a friends ciente anos fiesta (15th birthday party) and loved giving them all to mommy.

State Fair

Cameron and Jen came home with ribbons again. This time from the Utah State Fair. Cameron got a 1st place ribbon for his iris fold dolphin (scroll down to see the card and video) and an honorable mention for his drawing of a power line repair truck. Jen got a 1st place ribbon for her Salt Lake Temple iris fold. (This pic is with her county fair ribbon.)

Jen also did a demonstration of iris folding and a free Make & Take. Here is her card making blog with pictures and even some free patterns: http://cardsbyjen.blogspot.com/








The kids favorite part of the fair was the pony ride. It was pretty late at night and the kids looked like the ride was going to put them to sleep but they both said it was their favorite part.

Idaho!

Jen's Mom and Dad are selling their home in Middleton, ID and are moving to another home in a nearby town. Jen and the kids went to visit one last time and it was a wonderful visit (until Jen got sick the last day there). We met Grandma at work and headed over to the coolest park in Boise - Ann Morrison Park. We fed the ducks and geese, played in the water fountain, and played at the playground. Grandma spent lots of time taking the kids on walks and playing with them. It made us really wish we still lived near Boise and we are seriously considering moving up that way. We are saying prayers and keeping our fingers crossed that Dennis can find a good job up there. There is plenty of housing (8000 houses on the market not including rentals) so the cost of housing is cheaper there than here in Utah. It would be so nice to be close to Grandma and Papa again.

School's In!

Both of the kids have started school. Cameron started half-day kindergarten on September 1st. His teacher is really nice but is taking 6 weeks off to have a baby really soon. Cameron really likes school and seeing his friends but seems to get amnesia when he gets home. I'm going to have to volunteer one of these days so I can see what he does there for 3 1/2 hours.

Kylie started preschool on September 6th. She only goes for 2 1/2 hours 2 days a week. Even though she is only 3, her teacher has another little girl her age in class and they are both doing great. She is learning to write her own name and starting to recognize letters. She is also becoming quite the little artist. She is drawing a kitty cat in this picture.

Mommy is enjoying her two afternoons free each week and planning to try copyediting or go to the temple more often. Just having two afternoons of quiet is really nice too though.

Family Pictures

After 4 years, we finally had family pictures taken. The photographer at Target did a great job. Here are a couple of the pictures.

Cameron iris folds a dolphin

Here is Cameron iris folding the dolphin that he took a 1st place ribbon at the county fair. He did such a great job!

Congratulations Cameron and Kylie (and Jen)

Cameron and Kylie (and Jen) all brought home ribbons from the county fair this year. Cameron's drawing of a line repair truck done when he was 4 took a 1st place, high blue and a Sweepstakes ribbon. Kylie's drawing of a bunny, turtle and ghost took a 2nd place ribbon. Cameron's iris fold of a dolphin took a 1st place ribbon and Jen's iris fold of the Salt Lake temple took a 1st place ribbon too. Jen also entered two photos and won a 2nd and 3rd place ribbon.

It was fun going to the fair with Jen's sister's family as well as our Aunt. The nephews had fun on the bungy jumping thingy (don't know the real name) and Cameron and Kylie had fun making a oragami wand with one of their cousins. We also ate at the Mayan before we went and although service was slow, the food was really yummy.

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July everyone! We celebrated by attending the Sandy City Fireworks. There were fun slides for the kids, good music and we ran into some good friends. It was lots of fun.

Kylie had fun wearing her daddy's hat and sun glasses and looked really cute in them.

This is Cameron's new pose for the camera. We don't know where he got it from. Its kind of silly but definately Cameron.

Kylie vs Markers

Kylie just hasn't been able to master coloring with markers while watching TV. She gets a little distracted and soon the marker is in her mouth and on her face. The first picture is what happened while she was coloring while watching Dora the Explorer.

The second incident happened while I was helping Ms. Shirley upstairs. I heard the kids screaming with delight and came down to this.

At least for another year, Kylie may not watch TV and color with markers. And definately not without some adult supervision! Thank goodness they are washable!

Cameron Graduated...

from Preschool! Congratulations! It has been a really fun year. He has gone on so many fun field trips and learned so much! He loves his teacher and is glad we live close by her. We see her at church every Sunday and occasionally at the store.

His graduation program had lots of songs. When asked what he wants to be when he grows up, he said "A loader driver." His teacher commented that he loves construction trucks and is the artist of the class.

Cameron will start Kindergarten in August and is excited to be in the same class as best friend from preschool and another friend from church.

A Letter From Greg Wiggle (Page)

It takes a lot to make Jen jump up and down screaming but this letter did just that. We sent get well cards to Greg Wiggle when he had to step down several months ago due to an illness. We were so excited to get this personalized and signed letter from Greg. He had mentioned on the Wiggles website that he was going to send thank you letters to everyone who had sent him cards and well wishes.

Thank you Greg for making all of our day!

P.S. The kids jumped up and down screaming too but I think that is because Jen was ;)

Happy 3rd Birthday Kylie!

Kylie turned 3 this month! We celebrated with a party with a few of her friends. She wanted a Go Diego Go cake and we gave her friends Dora and Diego books as party favors. The kids played outside on the swings and colored the front sidewalk with chalk. We had lots of fun!

We went to the zoo this month with Cameron's preschool. Shirley joined us and we had lots of fun! The kids enjoyed playing with their friends from preschool and we got to see a white Crocodile. Sadly, there will be no butterfly exhibit at the zoo this summer :(

We have also learned that it is best to not let Kylie watch TV while coloring with markers. This isn't the only time this has happened and what is funny is that she seems to not really think about what she is doing. From now on, only crayons when the t.v. is on.