I'M the next American Idol!

I'll be the first to admit that we are HUGE American Idol fans, so what better way to celebrate the new season than with our own family tryouts. Each person would pick their own song and tryout for the other three judges. After long and careful deliberation, we picked our songs and began our tryouts. Allen rapped "Pants on the Ground" (an original composition from this season). I sang the smash hit from a few years ago called "I am Your Brother". Hannah was going to sing a Taylor Swift song but cracked under the pressure and couldn't finish (we still put her through to Hollywood though). But, the surprise audition of the evening came from Porter who blew us away with his version of "Pump up the Jam" complete with dancing. He took the audition very seriously and was well prepared. He, of course, got his golden ticket, along with three others from the Kaysville, UT auditions.

Dancing the night away...

Our friends Rich and Lara really know how to throw a New Year's Eve party. I thought we were having a lot of fun, but I didn't know what fun was until we started playing "Just Dance" on the Wii. It is by far the funnest game I have ever played. You have to do the dance moves along with the dancer on the screen. I was a little nervous at first, considering how terrible a dancer I am, but it was so much fun! Before we even knew it, it was almost midnight. I can't believe we made it until then. Thanks to the Nye's for a fabulous night!

The men danced to "I Like to Move It", from Madagascar. They were so hilarious to watch!



The great thing about this game is that kids and grown-ups can play. It is easy enough for the kids, but still a ton of fun! Hannah was so dang good at this game. She won every round she played. I'm glad she didn't end up with my dancing genes.

Tate didn't do much dancing, but he sure had a good time!

Christmas 2009

Christmas at our home was again magical this year. I began to wonder if this would be the year that Hannah would figure "it" out, but she's still as much of a believer as the younger ones. I'm actually worried that Porter will now figure it out before her. She's just so sweet and believing. The day was fun, busy, and tiring, and I forgot my camera for the majority of the day, so I only have a few pictures to share.

The kids on the Sunday after Christmas in their new church digs.
Christmas Eve was spent with Allen's family. All of the family was there except one granddaughter, so we couldn't resist the chance to get all the kids together for a picture with their grandparents. Allen's sister Heather and her family were visiting from Kentucky. We hadn't seen them in over two years, so it was so fun to see her and her family.

Another tradition, jammies on Christmas Eve. I love new jammies!

Three wise guys! This quickly became a favorite game for the kids over the Christmas break. It's amazing how their imaginations work.

I Love December

December is rapidly turning into one of my favorite months. I absolutely hate winter, but I'm really trying to make the most of it. Below are a few pictures of some of the fun things we have done during the month. I guess it is possible to have fun in the snow and cold.

It's been a few years since we've attempted Temple Square, so we decided to give it a try for FHE on Monday. It was cold and very crowded, but so much fun! There is something magical about all the lights and the feel of the big city (well, as big of a city as we're going to find around here.)

To make the trip to Salt Lake more exciting, we decided to take FrontRunner. We caught the train at the Farmington station, rode it to the SLC central. From there, we rode TRAX to the Gateway where we stopped for dinner at Applebee's. Then we rode TRAX again to Temple Square. The trains were packed! It reminded me of the subway in New York, minus the rats and the smell. What a great night we had together!

Closer to home are the Lights Before Christmas in Layton Park. It's a fun little light display of various animals and assorted other shapes. Going for a donut at Krispy Kreme after makes for another great FHE.


Sledding has provided another great winter activity. We have a great little hill right around the corner from our house that is the perfect size for all of the kids.

Tate Turns Three

I really, really love my little Tate, and I can't believe he's already three. I ask him everyday to stop growing, but he just won't do it. Tate is such a complete crackup! His little world revolves entirely around guns. Everything in the household can become a gun if needed; sticks, bananas, chicken nuggets, pencils, etc. Needless to say, I couldn't think of anything to get him for his birthday besides guns ( which everyone in the world was already getting him). He got cowboy guns, nerf guns, rifles, etc. I even decorated his cake with army soldiers on it.


I decided to give Tate a new room for his birthday. I'm sure he wasn't really thrilled with that as a present, but let's face it, he got enough for his birthday from everyone else. He didn't need anything from me. I absolutely refused to decorate his room with guns, so I settled for a safari/jungle theme. I had an absolute blast doing his room. He got a new bed, dresser, paint, bedspread, etc. He seems to love it!

October Fun!

I've had so much fun reading everyone's Halloween posts! Thanks for inspiring me to rejoin the blogging world. I've been in a bit of a blogging rut, and I needed a good holiday with fun pictures to bring me back. Although, I seem to have forgotten how to upload pictures, so they're all out of order, but I thought I better just finish the post or I'd never get back to it. Our October was full of so many fun activities. I absolutely love the fall! It's the best time of the year!

Hermoine and Harry at grandma's Halloween party. It was scary how well Porter pulled off Harry "Porter" (as he called it).
Hannah was a good sport to participate in the donut-eating contest. My mom and dad throw a fantastic Halloween bash. Games, food, treasure hunts, etc. It's the best party around!My dad even built a coffin for the kids to play. Creepy, yes, but tons of fun!

Our next biggest event of the month was the purchase of our new dog "Snuggles". He's a 3-year old Bichon and has been such a great addition to our family. I never thought I would own a dog, but I finally gave in to the rest of the family members that have been begging for one. And I'll even admit that I kind of like him.

Here are the kids before trick-or-treating.
Allen and Hannah attended a daddy-daughter Halloween bash for Activity Days. The Indiana Jones costume was hastily thrown together at the last minute. I think Allen pulled it off pretty good. His beard could finally be used for something useful.
Building Halloween haunted gingerbread houses turned out to be one of the messiest, yet funnest activities we did all month. Hannah and Porter decorated their houses for such a long time. I had no idea they would love it so much. That will be a new tradition for us.
Last, but definitely not least, was an enjoyable evening spent at the pumpkin patch. It was such a gorgeous night and we had so much fun taking our little wagon deep into the patch, hunting for just the right pumpkin. I love fall and I love spending it with my most favorite people in the world!

Hoop Lake

I finally decided that it really wouldn't kill me to go camping. I'm not much of a camper, so going to Hoop Lake in the Uintas took a lot of convincing. Luckily we had a trailer (I don't think I'm quite ready for a tent.) Can it still be considered camping if you're in a trailer? Personally, I think that's the only way to go. Anyways, this was my first trip to the Uintas and it was beautiful. We had some great friends to enjoy the experience with and I'm really glad we went.
Camping sure isn't what it used to be. Mike whipped up an outdoor movie for the kids. It ran off his generator. He's so clever! I never would have thought this would be possible in the wilderness. He even had popcorn for the kids!
We were also able to benefit from Mike and DiAnna's fun Polaris Razr. It's a big 5-man off-road vehicle. It was a ton of fun! We were able to take it clear up the mountain and through rivers and puddles. The kids absolutely loved it!

Hannah caught her first fish and Allen grilled it up for her for dinner. She loved it!
Porter also caught his first fish. He wanted no part of eating the fish though. That's my boy!
Tate and his BFF, Kelton (my friend Lara's son). They are so cute together and had so much fun!

I love these guys!