Winding Down the Year

Hello!  

I know it's been awhile, life seems to have sped up the last few months and time has just gotten away from me. 

Here's a fast recap of the last few months!  

Just warning you now, more pictures than words.

Lauren started taking piano lessons.  

 We swam and ate a LOT of sno cones this summer.

 Lauren's cousin B had a fancy birthday party downtown for her 8th birthday at the Lion House. 

 Darcy turned one!  We threw her a very informal birthday party...

 complete with a doggy safe cake in the shape of a bone.

 Grew an awesome garden and our apple trees started producing!  YUM! 

 

Graham earned his Arrow of Light Cub Scout award, Greg earned his Wolf and more arrows than I can sew on a uniform. 

 These two ran a lot of miles in cross country - their team took home the 1st place all county trophy for the 2nd year in a row!

Poor girl was bit by a cat!  :(

 

 There were long, lazy summer days of lego building in the backyard

 

Dan and I celebrated our 12th anniversary at the Waldorf Astoria (postponed a week due to strep) but worth the wait! 

 

I crossed a big item off my bucket list when he took me to see Diana Krall in concert!

 Graham turned 11

 The boys started 3rd and 5th grade

 LuLu started Kindergarten

 Greg danced to Thriller with his 3rd grade class

 For Halloween I had a bride...

 Percy Jackson

 and Batman take over the house.  

We started some other MAJOR things around here but it deserves it's own 209 posts!

I Had a Birthday...awhile ago....

I had a birthday!!

I wanted to write about my big day - and since time seems like it's in slow motion these days, it feels like it was just yesterday. 

I started celebrating the night before with my best friend, Kjersten.

 (Looking hot with our feathered hair circa 1990)

 We went to Nordstrom and hoarded free samples, smelled 100 new perfumes trying to find a new perfect one for summer, oohed and ahhhhed over $400 shoes and $3000 Burberry purses that we will never own and picked out some new make up.

This made us very hungry, so we split some flatbread at The Cheesecake Factory (try the pear and blue cheese one - SO good!) and ate cheesecake until we were sick.  It was SO good!  Such a fun night - I love that we have been celebrating birthdays together since we were 12.  Almost 30 years...yikes.

I woke up the next morning to little giggling kids who gave me these awesome gifts...

 My very own BeyBlade from the boys (they gave me a good one, I might actually win a match now!)

 And Lauren wrapped up her Rapunzel tower just for me.  

The presents starting coming in!  My sweet in laws drove up to give me these pretty flowers and say hello.  

I met my cute friends Marcy, Rachel and Leslie for lunch at my new favorite place, Cafe Bella Rue for a yummy sandwich and gelato. Have you been there?  The sandwiches are SO good! 

Later that night we got some Olive Garden to go at my mom and dad's - which was good because I started feeling really, really awful/weird and had to lay down.  

 I saved my piece of cake for breakfast the next morning (don't judge, you know you'd eat bithday cake for breakfast if you could too...)

 It was a great day with friends and family.  Dan always treats me like a queen and spoils me rotten.  I love it.

Couldn't miss a shot with my dad - ever since his stroke he's decided to go all rebel by growing a beard, his first one ever in his 70 years.  

My mom and I hate it, but if this makes him feel like a tough guy, then whatever.  ;)

Greg's Baptism Day!

I would love to say what a great day it was...

   

And for Greg, it WAS!  

 We are Mormon and Greg chose to be baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints earlier this month!

 He was a little nervous, but pretty excited to have his dad baptize him!

 He loved wearing his new "grown up" tie.  I really need to learn how to do that...tie a tie!

We had a nice program at the church where his Nanny gave a talk on testimony.  We were able to share this day with our Bishop's family and their son, one of Greg's friends.  

In our church, we baptize by immersion.  Greg does NOT like being cold and was relieved to find that the water was nice and warm in the baptismal font that morning!  

We all came home afterward for a nice luncheon.  He wanted me to serve his favorite food, steak.  But we went with some other favorites, hot dogs, chili, chips and salads.  

He requested his favorite desserts of Rice Krispy Treats,  

BYU Mint Brownies    

 and a blue dinosaur cake from CostCo that said "Choose the Right"

 (ALL Greg picking that one out!)

I was so happy my mom and dad could be there!  Dad was in the hospital 2 nights earlier so it was a little iffy there for awhile....him and Greg are great buddies, it would have been sad for him to not be there.

 I have ZERO pictures of me and Greg on this day...NONE!  We did a few family shots outside and someone changed my settings so they all turned out like this: 

 Yes - that's a picture.  We look like aliens. 

 It was a great day...

Greg had no idea that after a crazy Friday of cleaning and getting the house/food ready that I did not get more than one hour of sleep!  

For some reason I woke up in the middle of the night, and I knew if I went back to sleep, I would NOT wake up.

Dizzy, shaking, total out of body horrible experience. 

I needed to go the hospital but I knew if I did, I would miss his early morning baptism.  

So I stayed up. All.Night.Long!  Went to his baptism a dizzy and sick mess but made it through to an InstaCare visit later that day after everyone left!  WHEW!

I am so proud of Greg and his choice to be baptized!  

  

Christmas 2012!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!  

 

I spent Christmas Eve driving 30 miles an hour on the freeway to head up to the University Hospital to visit my dad. 

 

The kids had made some sugar cookies for Santa and decided to make a few special ones for Grandpa.

We had a short Christmas Eve lesson and then hurried back on the road home before it got much worse. 

The kids loved playing in the wheelchair and I think all the noise they made had my dad grateful we were leaving so soon.  

We got home in time to clean up the kitchen and get ready for our traditional Christmas Eve Dinner - pizza and sparkling cider.  Afterward, the kids said their good-bye to Trixie the Elf and got to open one gift each (which is always new pj's)

We headed downstairs to read "The Night Before Christmas" and watch some Christmas videos put out by the church.  

A new favorite is the story of the red coat.  A short 2 minute video with a simple message of showing compassion and love to others.

 I was shocked and delighted at how fast they fell asleep and we got to work!  

I didn't get to bed until 2 a.m.  :(

Christmas morning the kids started ringing their bells and we all went out to see what Santa had brought.  

We gave the kids half of what we normally do, mostly due to my lack of planning.  

 

I'm sure some of it was done sub consciously since the clutter in my house is driving me mad.  

The thought of more sends me over the edge. 

 They were still beyond thrilled - so happy and grateful.  We gave Lauren an umbrella and I thought she was going to DIE with happiness.  

We couldn't stop laughing she was so excited about this!

 I could NOT find a BYU snuggie to save my life, so my sweet friend Julie sewed these for me.  

 I love that the kids loved them - this was the present I was most excited to give them!  Perfect for movie nights downstairs! 

 We had a nice, relaxing morning and then went down to Orem to see Dan's family for a late lunch.  We drove back downtown to see my dad again for a little while and then headed to Temple Square to see the lights. 

 The Visitors Center wasn't open but it was great to see all the beautiful lights and I loved that there was hardly any crowds. 

 The kids loved the life sized nativity scene and it was really touching to listen and watch this on Christmas Day.  

 

We didn't plan this all out but it was really the perfect way to end the day.

 I am no professional photographer, although I love trying...this picture makes me laugh.  

Dan and I kept trying to get a shot of the two of us..we aren't very good at accomplishing this most times. 

 I loved all the pretty luminaries and lanterns.

 Dan and I walked around looking at the lights on Temple Square for our first date 12 years ago.  So this could have been really romantic - but we had 3 kids and a Darcy with us.  So it wasn't. 

 At.all.

 

That's okay - I'll trade that for a evening with these cuties.    We hurried and left to pick my mom up at the airport, came home and went to bed.  

It was a long and busy day, but really perfect,  I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!  The wheels in my mind are already spinning on my New Years resolutions - but you know how I love a good project!