Saturday Fun Day...

Thanksgiving break was the best! It was so awesome having Mike home for 4 days, and just relaxing. We were able to sleep in, eat good food, visit family, go sledding, go shopping, and we saw Tangled. Saturday was filled with excitement from the moment we woke up.

Saturday morning Brayden got a phone call from Grandpa and Grandma inviting him to go to the BYU/Utah game. Saying he was ecstatic is a major understatement! He quickly got bundled up, and waited patiently for them to pick him up. He had the best time and was so excited that the Utes pulled out a win!

 Kaylee had a birthday party Saturday morning. She got to go have Breakfast with Santa...in her jammies! She loved every second of it, especially celebrating with one of her best friends, Hallee.

Kade was a little ticked off! Kaylee got to go to a birthday party. Brayden got to go to a football game. He told me, "MOM, it's not fair! I get nuufffing!!!" So to cheer him up, we took him to Chick-fil-a for a peppermint chocolate chip milk shake. He was pleased with that. He also got to spend the afternoon playing with his cousins.

It's Snowing!

The kids woke up Sunday morning and were ecstatic to see so much snow. From the moment they woke up they were begging to go out. Luckily we have 1:00 church and got to enjoy the great outdoors, before heading in to get ready.

Kaylee and Katrina

                                                            Yum, Snow!

          Kade and Evan shoveling the road. Kind of weird. Maybe next time they will work on the sidewalks.

 I think they quickly realized they weren't having much success shoveling and decided to sled instead.

MMMM! I love this kid. I love pictures of him bundled up with rosy cheeks. He LOVES being outside in the snow. The cold does not bother him at all.

  Mike and the kids had this great idea to build a ramp off our deck. They worked all together to get it done.

 Shovel, pack the snow, shovel, pack the snow. I think Mike just wanted an excuse to not be working on the driveway. Eventually he did have to stop playing, and get the important stuff done.

 Their hard work paid off. They enjoyed sledding and snowboarding down our little ramp. They have played on it for hours and hours. Much more convenient then taking them over to the sledding hill.

After they were all done we found this little bird trapped under a screen on the ground. The other day during a wind storm I heard something hit my window. I'm pretty sure it was this little guy. He was sitting in the snow, just freezing to death.

 We felt so sad for this little bird. He was barely hanging on. We tried all we could to get him warm and revive him. But after about an hour when we checked on him, he had died. The kids were so sad, they had even named him "Bitty."  On the way to church Mike asked the kids what they will remember most about the bird. Kade replied, "One, he was a bird. And two,he died." Great memories.

 You can't play out in the snow without coming in for a cup of hot chocolate. The girls thoroughly enjoyed making up their own cup, complete with chocolate, carmel, marshmallows, and peppermint. Yummy!

I know it won't last long but I am enjoying this snow. As the snow fell that night, I sat on the bench on my front porch wrapped up in a big blanket and a cup of hot chocolate. It was so beautiful to watch it fall. Everything was completely white and crisp. I was kind of having a bad night, and I was quickly reminded of the beauty I am surrounded by. I am truly blessed. I may have moments where I forget, and get wrapped up in pity. How quickly the Lord will remind us that life is good. I am thankful for that and the special moments I get with my kids. 

I came across this talk by President Monson today, and am so grateful for the reminder.

If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly.I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and non-existent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now.

Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us.

Thomas S Monson

Time Out for Women, Salt Lake City....

I had the opportunity to go to Time Out for Women again, this time in Salt Lake. This conference is seriously so fabulous, I can't get enough of it. Their are so many great speakers and music that is so uplifting and beautiful. You walk away feeling new, and light, and a little less stressed out. This time I arranged for some ladies from my ward and my mom to go with me. I have a really hard time planning things, it's totally stressful to me. But I'm glad I did, it was worth it. It was a great weekend filled with yummy food, good friends, and great messages.

The conference was held at the Salt Palace and their were so many people there. They will be touring to many different cities in 2011, and I totally recommend it to anybody!!! I will be going, maybe even twice again:)

Here we are waiting for things to begin on Saturday morning. Staci, Kristi, Sheri, and Krista. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture with Brandi, who came with us Friday night:(

 My mom, Me, and Heidi

Food always adds delight to my life. So luckily, we got to try out some yummy downtown restaurants. Friday night we went to J Wongs Bistro. YUMMY! It was so great going with a big group because we got to try so many different dishes. On Saturday during our lunch break we went over to Settebello. We had the best pizza ever. And to top it off, we all enjoyed a yummy Dr. Pepper.

                                                      Eat up Kristi! That's one big pizza!

 After the conference with our cute bags they gave us. Everything turned out perfect (except a slight tummy annoyance I encountered Friday night.) We even got out of there just in time, right before the storm hit.

I walked away with so many great thoughts, notes, insights, and hope for things to come. I have ordered the DVD of all the speakers from Time Out, so anybody needing a lift or encouragement, call me!

Primary Talent Show...

This past week the kids had the opportunity to participate in the ward primary talent show. They were so excited when they found out they were having this activity. The hard part was deciding what they wanted to do. All three kids decided that they wanted to dance (love it!!!) They got together with our next door neighbors and started practicing. They worked so hard and were so excited to show off their talents. I am so grateful my neighbor,Vivian, helped the girls and choreographed their dance for them. We just let the boys "freestyle."

Kaylee and Katrina getting ready to perform to Taylor Swift "You Belong With Me." I had to leave early so I didn't get to see their performance. I hear they did really well.

"The Crosscut Crew"

Kade, Brayden, and Evan before performance time. Brayden was soooo excited. Earlier in the day he said, "Mom, I can't wait. Today is my big day." Luckily I got to see them perform before I had to leave. They did a really good job. It was funny to watch the intensity they performed with. It was even funnier to listen to the girls SCREAM for them. They were up out of their seats squealing, dancing, and clapping. I think I'm going to be in trouble.

                                                                            The Robot

They had so much fun doing this. It was a great experience for them and it really boosted their self confidence. I am so grateful for the primary for doing this, and providing a safe place for them to showcase their talents.

How Kade spends his days....

Playing, playing, playing!

From the moment Kade wakes up he asks, "Can I call a friend?"

He stays busy in the circle with all these little boys. They ride bikes, scooters, play guns, jump on the tramp, dress up as super hero's, dig in the dirt, and eat otter pops. These boys are go, go, go!

It's going to be a long winter not being able to go out.

Tanner Dance...

Kaylee had a dance performance this past week at her school. They have teachers come from the U of U and teach them all about using their bodies and motion to express themselves. Kaylee's class did an interpretive dance about a folk tale they had been learning about. It is fun to watch the kids move and not be afraid to dance!

Kaylee waiting for her turn

I was filming the whole time, so I didn't get many pictures. But afterward she posed for the camera.

Halloween 2010...

Preschool Halloween Parade

  Kade's class (check out Hulk on the end. He was so awesome! He played up the part to the T!) Gotta love the one and only beautiful bride in the class. She kept telling the boys she was so excited to get married.

After the Halloween parade we went up to Mike's work and the kids trick or treated to some of the office workers. They loved showing off their costumes and getting handfuls of candy. We also got to enjoy a pizza with Dad before he had to get back to work.

Carving pumpkins.

This is something that I love to do, and love to make an art out of it. Mike doesn't quite understand why we can't just free hand the pumpkin and be done. The kids don't like touching the pumpkin "guts" and I don't let them get near the pumpkin drawing. So really I should just carve pumpkins by myself one day when they are at school. But what would be the fun in that? I was actually quite proud of Mike this year, he made quite an improvement over last in the carving category (if you don't remember go here.) Brayden also carved his very own pumpkin this year. So I was only left with Kaylee's this year. And it was only once, but she did grab one handful of guts to scoop out. Big milestone.

                                          Ariel, Frankenstein, and BMD (Brayden Michael Davis)

Halloween night was cold and rainy. Mike was kind enough to take the kids out trick or treating while I got to stay inside in the warm house. The kids were totally excited to go out, but only lasted about 45 minutes before they were too cold. They decided they had enough candy to fill their buckets.

Kade-Percy Jackson (Ancient Greek Warrior)

                                                           Kaylee- Athena Greek Goddess

Brayden- Roman Soldier

                                                            Brayden just lovin his candy, all 145 pieces.
                                                           Kaylee admiring what she got

                                                                Kade taking inventory

 The second Kade got home, he started laying it out in lines and piles. He would sort it one way and then another. And everyday since he dumps it out and sorts it again. He lines them up nicely in rows. That kid know exactly what he has in his bucket. Their is no sneaking any chocolate from him.



Cornbelly's...

When it's Halloween time around here, their is one thing you HAVE to do, you have to go to Cornbelly's. We were on fall break, and we wanted to go to Cornbelly's on fall break. We were determined. It had been snowing all day, but toward the afternoon the sun poked through the clouds and melted it all away. We had a ray of hope, maybe it would end up being warm enough to go. Our dear friends had invited us to go with them, so we jumped on the invitation, and off to Cornbelly's we went. We packed out coats, hats, mittens, leg warmers, long johns, anything you can think of (well except extra socks and hand warmers. those proved to be much needed later in the night.)

Despite the very cold weather we had a glorious time. We ended up finding our way through the corn maze successfully. And when I say successfully that means only a few tears were shed. We played in the barn full of dried corn. Note: I am still finding corn falling out of clothing as I am washing the clothes. Then off to the go-carts. Too bad I forgot I had my camera with me until it was dark.

 Kade and his future wife Addi (hee hee.) Can you tell by the look on their faces they did not like the big, black, scary, dark, monster we tried to take them into. Oops. The second try at the blow up Haunted House didn't go so well either.

 Don't let their faces fool you....they didn't like the big, black, scary, dark, monster either. Kaylee and Hallee are just happy to pose anytime.

 The big jumping pillow. Doesn't this look like fun? Well it probably is if you're not frozen cold. The night kind of went down hill when half of the kids slid off the pillow into a puddle of water...in their socks. They were already frozen cold, water doesn't help that.
 Here again is Kade, marching to his own drum. On his own pillow, with his shoes still on (smart boy. who really takes off their shoes when it's freezing cold?) He was oblivious to the drama going on, just happy to be bouncing away. By the looks of his jacket, maybe he fell in the mud puddle a couple times. But he stayed warm and dry. He was a little ticked that his time on the pillow was cut short by his very "smart" brother and sister.

 Luckily we got the kids warmed up just long enough to check out the fairy princess (and prince) section of the park. Gracie, Kennedi, Hallee, and Kaylee in Cinderella's carriage, just waiting to be whisked away.

This part was so cute. They had different dress-up outfits the kids could put on, and a stage to perform. Even the boys got into character with knight costumes and swords.

 After a few hours, I think our toes were cold enough, and our cheeks rosy enough. It was time to get out of there! The warm heater in the car never felt so good!

I just wish I would have gotten a picture of the mother's and their happy smiling faces as they endured such a lovely, cold, dramatic evening. Better luck next year.

Gardner Village Witch Hunt....

We try every year to go to Gardner Village to do the witch hunt. Luckily we got there before the weather turned yucky. The kids love spending time there, seeking out their favorite witches. It was fun this year because they changed them up a bit. But please ignore my children's choice of clothing and their facial expressions in the following pictures. Who knows what they are thinking half of the time.

Here is Kade, always marching to the beat of his own drum

                              Kaylee and her friend Reese (I'm not sure where Lauren was for this pic?)

 Kade, Brayden, and Zac

 Checking out some witches brew

 Reese, Kaylee, Lauren, Kade, Brayden, and Zac

And of course we had to take the picture with the infamous "girlfriend." For some reason she is the witch that we must see every year. The kids have this secret (or not so secret) crush on her.

We finished our witch hunt and turned in our papers for a yummy cookie at the bakery. I'm a little sad that it was so busy, and we felt a little rushed. Next year we will have to plan a little better and not go on Witch's Night Out. However we had a lot of fun, and enjoyed one last day in the sun before the ground was covered in snow.