The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...2 days before Christmas!

So, we had an interesting afternoon. I was having a nice conversation on the phone with Rebecca when all of a sudden there was a loud crash and parts of the ceiling came down where I was in the living room. We looked out the window and a truck was right on our front porch. Unbelievable! The boyfriend was teaching his girlfriend to drive his grandpa's truck that he had taken without asking. She apparently lost control and ended up in our house!911!!! The police, fire dept.,city building inspectors, parents of the drivers were there screaming at the kids,Channel 5 news crew, friends, neighbors, and strangers came for a looksie-very exciting afternoon! Fortunately, there were no injuries. Elyse and friends had just been playing in the front yard-less than ten minutes before the accident. Just when I think life can't get worse...it gets worse! We decide to laugh instead of cry! But we count our blessings that no one was hurt-we are safe and healthy with just a mere broken house ! Merry Christmas! We're hoping for a better 2009!!!

Christmas card pictures...sooo fun!!!

Every year about Thanksgiving time I start to panic thinking about the dreaded Christmas card photo. What to wear, where and when to take the photo, what and where to purchase the card...etc., etc. I spend WAYYYY too much time and effort in attempts to create the perfect card that invariably is NEVER perfect!!!This is the picture I really wanted to send because anyone who has ever tried to take a photo with a toddler would really appreciate it!!! Why do we pressure ourselves to create the perfect Christmas card when in reality our lives, looks, and kids are far from perfect?! Every year I think maybe next year I will totally skip the whole Christmas card pressure...but then I recieve the first Christmas card from far away family and friends with their darling picture perfect family photos and it gives me such pleasure to look at each and every card I recieve that I'm sure I will succumb to the pressure every single year and send out some type of card in hopes of keeping in touch with those we may only hear from once a year...but sooo look forward to that correspondence!

Lots to be Thankful For...

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. It was our first year to spend the whole day with just our little family. It was really nice, but we also missed having the big crowd with us this year! I have prepared Thanksgiving the last few years and thought I could use a break, but I couldn't NOT make our Thanksgiving a little bit festive-I really do enjoy cooking, decorating, and entertaining! Kim started the tradition which we have enjoyed now for many years of a SEES chocolate turkey on everyone's plate (which is usually eaten WITH the dinner instead of after-oh well). We also had our traditional turkey dinner complete with mom's special sweet potatoes which only Darin and I eat-lots of leftovers! We asked the kids what they were thankful for:Mitch-braces finally off, making the basketball team, and getting his driving permit. Tanner:sports. Austin-friends, BYU football, and the gym. Elyse-her grandparents, friends and her room. Nick-a family that adores him! And mom and dad are thankful for our health, Darin's job,great family with parents who are a great example through their missionary service, and the blessings of being members of the Church. We worry about many things at this time as far as his job and the struggling business, but just try to have faith that everything will work out eventually. Most importantly is our wonderful family and friends who are so great to show their love and concern for us-what would we do without it?!! We love you all!!!

Kissin' cousins!

We are so happy to live close to Kate,Kyle and family. It has been lots of fun getting to know their kids-they are too cute! And as you can see-they sure love Nick! And...who could resist those chubby cheeks!!!

Sunday, November 16th-Elyse's 7th Birthday

Can't believe our little Elyse is seven! She is such a sweet little girl and we are so grateful to have her in our family. She really puts up with a lot being the only girl. Rarely complains about all of the sporting events she attends-she always seems to find a friend to play with. She had a great birthday even without a big princess party this year. She went on a treasure hunt to find her gifts and she told me that it was so fun she would like to do it again on her next birthday. She also saw High School Musical 3 with mom(who really enjoyed it!)and her best friend, Addie. On Sunday she was so glad to have her cousins come over-she loves for them to come over every Sunday-and they helped her celebrate. By the end of the day she was exhausted and went right to sleep with her new doll.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

You just can't beat Halloween in Arizona. A gorgeous 80 degrees. All the neighbors sit outside on the driveway and hand out treats. One neighbor goes all out with a spooky haunted house that is a big hit with both the young and old!(Very entertaining watching kids get chased down the street by characters in mask and knives) We loved having Kate, Kyle, and kids for a yummy dinner and trick or treating. (Only one small mishap with Licity-see Kate' blog). Austin was an injured baseball player-ball in the eye(hate when that happens), Elyse was a beautiful kitty and Nick was the cutest dragon EVER!!! We took Elyse and Nick to pick out pumpkins. Nick could not believe the size of those pumpkins-he was thrilled!

Fabulous trip to Lake Mead

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It's nice having friends with connections!We were invited to go to Lake Mead(right outside of Henderson,NV) and stay on a houseboat over Fall Break week with 2 other families. We had 2 ski boats,2 jet skiis,tubes,and wakeboards(we just brought our fun selves!)It was a vacation we will always remember! And thanks Kate for watching our little Nick for the whole week!It made it way more enjoyable for ALL!The weather was amazing! Austin loved the fishing every morning. Elyse loved playing in the sand. Darin was thrilled he STILL has it after all these years-the pink 80's retro ski worked like a charm. He also did fabulous on the wakeboard-once he got up:showed his boys who's the boss! Mitch, Tanner, and Austin wakeboarded like pros! I gave it a try and got up the first time-no problem,until I was up and then I went down-hard!(Not as young as I think I am!) The teenagers played some rowdy games of Nertz at night, spent lots of time in the hot tub, and watched movies till they fell asleep. The adults were grateful for some relaxing time,good food(especially the lemon cake!) and conversation,watching our kids have so much fun and Tylenol PM.

Football

So, I've never really been that into football. But, having 4 boys who love, play, and watch football like crazy-I guess I am kind of a football mom(I even found myself watching a game the other day when no one was around YIKES!)So it's sad after a great season that Mitch says he is done playing-he was a starting safety and reciever for Gilbert High for 2 years, but he now wants to concentrate on basketball-and his schoolwork!Of course Austin will continue to play-still is BYU's biggest fan and has high hopes to one day be a BYU football player(please, no one burst his bubble yet!)

NICHOLAS IS ONE!

Why I love babies? They are just so squishy and cute. I love the toothless smiles and the squeals of delight. I love the way they crawl-Nick is fastest on his hands and feet-like a monkey! I love the little fat hands and feet. I love the soft baby hair with curls in the back! I love when his brothers and sister come into the room and pick him up and kiss him and play with him. I love how they smell after a bath and I love to kiss him goodnight! We have really enjoyed our quick year with our baby Nick!