Cabin Fever

This year (Oh, I guess I should say last year), I decided to do something different for Christmas. It seemed that none of our kids had anything in particular that they wanted, so, instead of on presents, I spent the money on a cabin rental in the mountains. I searched for weeks trying to find something big enough for our ever-growing family, and also something I could afford. I first looked at cabins in Brianhead. They were awfully pricey, so I tried near Zion National Park. I found a couple of beautiful cabins that were just newly finished and just the right size. Robert and I went up to look at one and I instantly fell in love. So, on the 23rd of December, we went up, taking two vehicles loaded to the top with food and toys and anything else we might need. Robert even bought a beautiful Christmas tree just for the cabin. The kids and their kids began arriving that night and pretty soon the house was filled with yummy smells and happy kid noises. It was amazing. There was about 8 inches of snow on the ground when we arrived, but it snowed for the next 2 days straight and we ended up with over 2 feet. It was so fun to sit in front of a warm fire and watch the beautiful snow outside. On Christmas Day we even went outside and sat in the jacuzzi during a snowstorm. It was so fun, and I think Abby loved it. It is a funny feeling sitting in 100 degree water and having snow fall on your head. All of the kids had a great time riding the 4-wheeler. Robert even pulled the kids on sleds and tubes with the 4-wheeler. We had a big turkey dinner on Christmas Day and the next night Kelton smoked a ham for us, it was so good! Friday, we drove down into Zion National Park and got some great pictures, I don't ever remember being in the park when there was so much snow. On Saturday, the rest of our kids arrived and even the Jacks came up for the night. Robert treated everyone to buffalo burgers at the Buffalo Grill and we headed back to the cabin for our last night. We played some cards and then fell exhausted into bed. We came home on Sunday after cleaning up. All in all, I would say it was a great success. I hope we can do it again.

Christmas Cookies for Santa

Christmas Eve, Kristl started rolling out the dough to make sugar cookies for Santa Claus. Of course, Abby had to help. She was just chattering away with her mom when after a few minutes she got kind of quiet. I looked over at her and she was rubbing flour all over her face. She wasn't laughing or acting silly, she just had this look on her face of complete bliss as she smoothed the soft flour on it. I tried to get the video camera in time to catch her, but I missed the funniest part. We we all laughing so hard it was difficult not to let her see us. So, here is the video I got: (Turn the music off on the right by clicking on the little pause button. Then you will be able to hear the video.)





At the beginning you will hear Kristl tell Abby to "sneeze toward daddy". She had just gotten some flour up her nose and had sneezed all over the dough.

Brrrr Baby...It's Cold Outside!!!

We had enough snow
in the back yard...

...for Natalie and Drake....

...to do some serious sledding (okay, serious if you're 3).

Snow in St. George??

Yep, it snowed in St. George a couple of weeks ago. And not just a few flurries, this was the real thing. We got about 4 inches over night, it was beautiful. School was canceled the next day, December 17. Now, for those of you who live with this every day during the winter, you are probably wondering why school was closed. Well, a lot of students come in from outlying areas and because the roads had not been cleared, the busses could not bring them in. This only happens about every 10 years down here, so we are just not prepared.

Natalie, Meet Santa

On December 6, we had our church Christmas breakfast. Near the end, Santa showed up as usual. But, Natalie was just not to sure about the jolly old man. We could not get any pictures of Drake because he was not going to take any chances and had a death grip on the underside of his dad's arm as Kelton tried to sit him on Santa's lap. So, this was the only picture we got.

Just give me some time....

Okay, I know that things are out of whack here and I am tired of fooling with it. So I will try to get some lessons on how blogger works and then I can come back and fix it. I have looked at all of Kristl's, Adrienne's, and Amber's blogs and they are amazing. I thought something was better than nothing at this point. But I promise I will work on it to make it much cuter.

It's About Time!! A NEW POST!!

Ya, I am a complete slacker! I have great intentions, but as you can see, I just don't get it done. Well, it is Sunday morning, 6 am. , Kody has just left for work and I cannot go back to sleep. So this seemed like a good idea. Hmmmm, now where to start. Since I last posted, several things have happened. Ya, we got Raven, and then we gave her away. She was crazy! She was so attention-starved, she would literally attack whoever came out the back door, and by the end of summer she had grown to about 5 times her original size and weight. So after much careful consideration and with the help of Amber, (it was her children, mostly, who were getting attacked), she has a new home in Kanarraville with a couple of very nice gentlemen. I miss her, but, not much. I still really miss Jax. Last night I told Robert, "I need a pet". He said, "Okay, go get one." We just don't have much luck with dogs, we had Jax the longest, 4 years. So I think I might just put that on hold for a while.

Mighty Matt!!

July 3rd brought us our second grandson, Matt. After having a very tiny, petite, and still petite at 2 1/2, Abby, Kris and Rich have a big, chubby-cheeked son. He has the sweetest bedroom eyes and the prettiest smile you've ever seen.






Number 6?

In September, Kaley got a call from Dallas, Texas that her nephew, Sage might be available for adoption, and was she interested? She and Berni were very interested and so started the process. It has seemed like a long haul, but hopefully they are nearing the end. We made a trip down in October to meet with Social Services and we got to spend 3 days with Sage and his wonderful foster family. Everything has gone very smoothly, the home study and the background check are finished and now they are just waiting for the word. We are hoping they will get him before Christmas, but that might be a miracle. But hey, isn't Christmas the time for miracles?? This will give us 3 grandsons and 3 granddaughters.












Sage will be two on December 21. He is so sweet and so smart. He has some developmental delays and is socially way behind, but I think he will catch up quickly with lots of love and attention. His foster mother, Heather is amazing with him and she keeps Kaley up to date on everything that happens.

Empty Nest? (Almost)
Kelton and Amber and kids are moving out this month. It has been fun having them with us, we really enjoyed being able to see their kids every day. But they really need a place of their own. We will miss them. Our house is so quiet and so clean. And, I can put something somewhere and it will actually be there the next morning when I go to get it. So, now all we have is Kody and he will be gone after he graduates in May. He hopes to leave for boot camp (Marines) in June. It will be so strange, we have not been alone for 32 years. I think I could get used to it.