Maui

I'm finally posting pictures of our trip to Hawaii- our camera died right before we left so we had to buy a new one and it's taken a minute to figure everything out! We spent a week in Maui and loved every minute of it. It's such a beautiful place and the weather was absolutely perfect. I think we should spend a week there every February, it was heaven to leave the cold and the smog of Utah and soak in the sun and the beaches! We spent alot of time on the beaches snorkeling, we hiked into the National Park and to see volcanoes, waterfalls, took a boat out to do some whale watching, and just took in the sun. Thanks to our parents and my siblings for taking the kids- it was a nice break!

Haleakala National Park (Volcano @ 9500 ft. elevation)

You could see the whales surfacing from the beach so we took a boat out to get a closer look. They are amazing and huge! It was crazy to see them jumping out of the ocean and swimming around with their babies. They were so close to our boat we could watch them swimming underneath the boat.

Black sand beaches.

We hiked up to this beautiful waterfall in the state park.

I love the colors, the green plants against the black rock and the blue ocean. Everything was so amazing.

So Beautiful.

I talked Nathan into a Hawaiian Luau.

KEEP UTAH'S WATERS PUBLIC!!!!!!!!

House Bill 187 is trying to limit public access to Utah's waters. You can try to read the whole bill but it is a little confusing. Google it and there are some good blog's out there to help you understand it. Plus the link below also gives you info about what is going on, so go there and if you feel that you don't agree with the bill please sign the petition.

Nathan

http://www.petitiononline.com/21809/petition.html

Spelling Bee Champ!

Today was the 3rd Grade Spelling Bee and Hatalee took 1st place! Way to go! We're so excited and proud of you!

First Time Skiing-

Hatalee went skiing for the first time this week! Her school class took a field trip up to Soldier Hollow. She was so scared and nervous to go, so I was glad Nathan was able to go with them. She came home all smiles, and had so much fun! The only thing she didn't like was the noisy bus ride.

Moon as bright as Sun

I just wanted to post some pictures from last nights moon.  It was very cold but fun to get some good pics of the moon being so close to the earth. I took these pictures at 8:00 last night.  Also check out Brian's blog for some more great moon pics from Moab.

Nathan

Happy New Year!!

We spent New Years Eve with my family eating and playing games. We even had a little dance off with the Wii. I don't think I've laughed as hard as I did watching Todd and Brian compete against each other. We gave the kids glow sticks and they were entertained for hours. They ran crazy untill midnight, we light some sparklers and some fireworks and called it a night. Hap, Hap, Happy New Year!!!

Uncle Rico even made an appearance.

Christmas and Sledding

Maren woke up Christmas Morning and was really surprised that Santa had brought her toys instead of coal. I guess the night before while she and Hatalee were laying in bed, she told Hatalee she would be getting coal because she had been naughty. Then she proceeded to tell me that even if your naughty for a couple of days Santa will still bring you toys, because look what she got. She is such a little mess, I think she gets it from Nathans side of the family. Micah laid on the floor and played with his train for hours. He is in his own little world when it comes to trains and dinosaurs. He filled the train with his "saurs" and watched them go around and around the track.

The day after Christmas we took the kids sledding up to my Aunt and Uncles house. They had so much fun with all of the snow. They just kept on going and going...

Micah went down and couple of times and actually liked it, untill we made a train and crashed. Everyone ended up on top of him and he was face down in the snow. From then on when anyone asked if he wanted to go he'd just say "I fall", and would have nothing to do with the sleds. I was sneaky and caught this picture of him (that's why he's not screaming and covering his face).

Christmas Eve

We spent Christmas Eve with Nathans family. Grandma Zoey prepared a delicious fondue dinner. The girls put together a little Christmas program. We had to go buy a Christmas piano song book for Hatalee to practice with. She played the piano, Maren made some pictures to go along with the songs and used the Nativity for props. We hurried home and left cookies and milk out for Santa. Hatalee even put his cup of milk in the fridge to keep it cold, because nobody likes warm milk.

Merry Christmas!

We're so grateful for the season and for all that we have been given. We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Happy 9th Birthday Hatee Bug!

Happy Birthday to my tenderhearted, caring, sweet, shy baby girl! I can't believe it has been 9 years! I'm so thankful to be your mom and be a part of your life. I love you and hope you have a Happy Birthday!

Hatalee wanting to ride her new bike in the snow storm.

Happy Birthday!

First Snow..

The kids rushed outside to play in the snowstorm this weekend-

I guess Micah forgot about snow from last year, he ran out before I could put a coat or even a pair of boots on him. He laid down and started making snow angels with the girls, then realized he was wet and a little cold.

Making Gingerbread Houses

Mom and I found these really cute, little gingerbread house kits this year. We thought they would be great for the kids since they lose interest so fast, and the adults always end up finishing the houses. The kids loved them untill Ty Ty started calling them "outhouses" because they were so small. Thanks Ty. In the end they were just the right size for the kids, they had fun decorating and eating all of the candy, and they don't look like "outhouses"!

Thanksgiving

We had so much fun this Thanksgiving Holiday. After looking through my pictures of the weekend, this is what I'm thankful for- I'm thankful for the gospel in our lives, and the joy it brings to us this Holiday Season.

I'm thankful for my own family and my husband. I'm thankful for the time we were able to spend together this Holiday.

I'm thankful for our Heritage. I'm thankful my children have Great Grandparents and Grandparents who love them. I'm thankful for their example.

I'm thankful for "Guitar Hero", it kept not only the kids entertained but all of the adults as well! Happy Holidays!