Christmas Season 2011

We had a very busy, but fun holiday season this year.  With the baby on the way, I haven't been able to keep up and do as much as I would like. But we had a great Christmas and spent lots of time with family and had a great time together.

We started off the holiday season putting up decorations and decorating the tree.  The kids love this part. And we even got Javan to help this year.

Ally got to dance at the annual Tree-for-All on both Friday and Saturday.  She looked so cute.

Ryan was super excited to see Santa.  While we were waiting in line he was getting pretty impatient.  I turned around once and he was gone.  Pretty soon a friend said "Hey, Ryan is sitting on Santa's lap, do you want a picture?"  I guess he couldn't wait.

Ethan was too busy or too cool to sit on Santa's lap this year but Ally was super excited to tell him what she wanted.  But she wouldn't tell me what she told him.  She said it was a secret.

Ta-da!  They did so good, and were so cute.

Z

Ally and her friends Jaclyn and Tenli before their performance.

Little baby Heather Sloan Shumway was born on Dec 16.  She is such a cutie with chubby little cheeks.

We had a fun party at Grandma Heather's and Grandpa Glade's with some of the cousins.  Baby Sloan was only 2 days old.

We had our annual Christmas Eve party at Grandma Debra's and Grandpa Craig's where we had delicious soup and scones, opened presents and played games.

We came home and opened our Christmas jammies and got ready for bed so Santa could come.

Earlier that day Javan and Uncle Steve had taken the kids sledding.  Ethan took a header into the sled in front of him and banged up his face.  He had a pretty good gash and swollen cheek.  He was pretty tough though.

I happened to get a picture of Christmas "before" just after Santa came.

Just starting to open presents.

And here's the aftermath. Even Leo got some tasty treats.

They didn't get to spend too long playing with their news toys, but they sure looked cute in their new Christmas outfits for church.

 What a great holiday season spent with family and friends.  We love you all and are so happy to have you in our lives.  

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Thanksgiving and Polar Express

We spent Thanksgiving this year with Javan's mom and siblings. We had a nice relaxing day, lots and lots of yummy food, and plenty of cute kids.

This is the little kids table. They are so cute.
I guess that makes this the big kid table. They're pretty cute too.
Jax's first Thanksgiving. He was loving the yummy food.
The next day Shan and Mike took us to Durango to ride the Polar Express. We were all super excited. I dug out the Polar Express movie and let the kids watch it on the way over. We arrived in Durango, got checked into our hotel, changed into jammies and headed over to the train station.

Here's all the kids in front of the giant Santa, before we boarded the train.

A family photo at the train station.
Here comes the train!

Ethan and Ally amazed by the train.
The boys with their golden tickets.
And the girls.
Finally made it to the North Pole to see Santa and his elves.
Ally couldn't believe it. Wouldn't it be great to be a kid again.
Santa even got on the train to come see all the kids.
Santa giving Ethan and Ryan a jingle bell.

They even got to sit on Santa's lap. Then they sat on some horse statues.
That night back at the motel the kids had a great time in the pool with their cousins.
What a fun weekend spent with family. Thanks Mike and Shan for the early Christmas. We had a blast. Love you lots.

Happy 6th Birthday Ally!

Oh my goodness, my little girl just turned 6 years old. We have been counting down to her birthday for months now. She knew which day it was on the calendar and would turn the pages and show me where it was and ask how much longer. Needless to say, she was super excited for her birthday.

Grandma Shannie took Ally out to lunch all by herself on her birthday and spoiled her rotten. Then Grandpa and Grandma Halls came down for dinner and helped us celebrate some more. They gave her this doll, which she absolutely loves, and has been carrying around since.

She had lots of help opening her presents.
The next day we had a little birthday party with some cousins and friends. We did some fun crafts.
Opened presents.
Posed for a picture.
Got a picture of Ally with her Rapunzel cake, and crazy hair.
Sang happy birthday.
Blew out the candles.
And ate some delicious cake.

Happy Birthday Ally!

WE LOVE YOU!

Las Cruces

Well, if you remember my post about our trip to Hawaii, you might remember that I said Amber and Steve would be leaving there soon. And they did. To beautiful Las Cruces, New Mexico. We're so glad that they are back in the continental United States and within driving distance of home, so that we can see them more often. They bought an orthodontic practice and moved to Las Cruces in June.

I have been trying to plan a trip to visit them ever since. We finally made it down in November. It takes about 8 1/2 -9 hours to get there. The kids did great, and so did Grandma. My kids were so excited to see their cousins. They just ran around for hours being crazy and having fun. I wish we could have stayed longer.

During our stay we went to White Sands. When I told Ryan we were getting ready to go to a big sand place he got all concerned and said "But I didn't bring my swimming suit." White Sands is really awesome. Its crazy that there is just a ton of white sand as far as the eye can see. The kids had a great time "sledding" down the dunes.

Ally and Havyn taking a ride down the dunes.
Cole giving Ethan a push to get started. Ethan was a bit nervous.
Ryan and I trying it out. And Ethan making sure were didn't wreck.
Ryan heading back up for round two.
Oops! Havyn bites the dust.
Ally and Taylor.
Amber and Grandma wtaching the kids.
Like I said, white sand, as far as the eye can see.
Ryan and Ethan. That's pretty cute.
Family shot on the dunes. Javan stayed home to go hunting with a friend.
We also went to an old little spanish town called Old Mesilla. We didn't know it but they were having a little festival. There were a bunch of groups dancing, some little carnival rides, vendor booths. It's a pretty cool little place.

This was at one of the little shops at Old Mesilla. Ryan loved these little animals and asked if I would take his picture by them. (Hum, looks like it didn't load all the way. I don't think we're missing anything.)
All the kids in jail.
We let the kids ride a few of the rides.



We also went to visit Jensen Orthodontics. My kids had their teeth washed while we were there by some of the very qualified staff. Uncle Steve was a good sport to let them play around.
Madi and Taylor helped Grandma out with a new hair color.
We had a great time visiting. Like I said, I wish we could have stayed longer. The kids get along so well, and it's nice to let them spend time with their cousins. Cole and Ethan have both said they wish they were brothers. Although they probably wouldn't get along as good if they were. Wish we lived just a little closer so we could see them more often. Thanks again guys for another fun vacation, even if it was only for a few days.