Christmas 2012

Tis the season to be crazy! 

The holidays are always a busy time and we seem to load them with fun. I didn't take my camera to ALL our fun event, but I did capture a few. 

Great Grandma Jerry!

Ben's Grandma, Jerry Powell, is a concert pianist. She eat, breathes and lives piano. She has taught in Salt Lake for a billion years. She invited Hailey and Aubrey to have a sleepover at her house and learn a Jingle Bells piece that the three of them can play together--on one piano. Hello? What Great Grandma has kids come over for a sleepover?!? She is so awesome! I never even met my great grandparents. I am so thrilled that my girls get a chance to know and love their great grandma! I love it when generations can connect. I think it gives the girls a better sense of self and the roots they come from. They performed their "big concert" on Christmas Eve at the Powell family party. Below is a picture of them after their sleepover when I went to pick them up!

Station Park Ice Skating

Of course we can't celebrate the holidays with out going iceskating at Station Park! They have this wonderful little outdoor ice rink for only $2! The fountain splashes and play Christmas tunes will you skate by the giant Christmas tree and Santa's cottage. It wasn't even very cold. We had a great time!

Christmas Eve

It is our tradition to celebrate Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpa Powells. We love getting together with the family and doing the Nativity and reading Christmas stories and of course, LOT OF PRESENTS! 

Below: This year was especially fun because grandma and grandpa cleared out their garage and then gave all the kids fun gifts to play with in the garage. The littlest grandkids got plasma cars (wiggle cars) and the two older girls got ROLLERBLADES, which they were VERY excited about. We turned on some Christmas songs and had a little roller-party in the garage for hours!!!

My cute little santas!

I LOVE this picture of Hailey! Grandma Powell gave her those silver boots and she was modeling them for me.  I just snapped this picture with my cell phone and I wish it wasn't blurry. It is so darling of my little tweenie.

To our suprise it turned out to be a "White Christmas". When we arrived there was no snow, while we were inside eating, opening gifts and jammin in the garage, it DUMPED snow!!!! We went outside to play for a minute. Grandma insisted we were her sweaters. Hilary ended up rocking this awesome holiday outfit!!!

Quin got the chance to teach Jonas how to blow snow. Jonas thought that was pretty stellar, until it got too wet and cold! 

This is the Christmas card Grandma and Grandpa Powell sent out this year. 

We had a wonderful White Christmas Eve at the Powells!!!

Christmas Day

Santa came after all! Hailey and Aubrey received Ninetendo DSi's from Santa and Ashley got the Little People Disney Princess castle. Everyone was thrilled with their gifts. Santa rocks!

We spend Christmas day at Grandma and Grandpa Places. It is a full house and the gift exchange is a "happy madness." Everyone is excited about what Santa brought and everyone has stories to tell. The Hudson/Rudds, Mercers, Powells, Morgans and Aunt Star and her kids all come! It is quite the celebration! It is crazy, but it is family.

The crazy chaos cousin gift exchange

After HOURS at Grandma Places we were not done partying so we went to Mercers to do a little  Disney Just Dance Wii Party! Loren was really getting into it with the girls! I love family!!!

Merry Christmas! It was a wonderful 2012 with friends, family and fun! Here's to another wonderful year together!!!!

Get Well Grandpa Powell

My poor father in law has really had a terrible year. He hurt his leg falling off the dock at Bear Lake and one thing led to another and he ended up having about four or five surgeries this year. He was constantly either in recovery or getting ready for another surgery. It was heartbreaking. The girls and I wanted to do something to let him know we love him and to bring him comfort. We came up with the idea of making him a blanket. The girls picked out a darling fleece fabric that says "Grandpa" "Papa" "Gramps", etc., you get the idea. They also picked a brown and white polka dot fleece for the backside. 

Aubrey is making the heart sign with her hands to show her love from Grandpa.

 We went home and cut the edged and had the girls tie all the edges together.

 Even Ashley helped.

 The blanket was big and it was a lot of hard, tedious work but we talked about all the things we loved about Grandpa as we went along. When he got out of the hospital we went to visit him and bring him his blanket. He was very happy to have something to remind him of his granddaughters love for him. We love you Grandpa, now get better soon!

In All Things Give Thanks

I do like November because Thanksgiving is the perfect precursor to Christmas and cleanser from Halloween. This November I was super busy with the elementary school PTA and being in-charge of the Grandparent Breakfast. We had 1,500 people come to the breakfast over a 3 day period. It was hectic and fun and exhausting. (However, I don't have any pictures.) I love volunteer work. I find it so rewarding to just do something to just do it. I also love working with and meeting new people. 

Volunteering at the Food Pantry

This year the PTA setup an opportunity for the elementary kids to volunteer at the Bountiful Food Pantry. The girls and I went one evening to work. It was fascinating to see how things were operated and help out a bit. The girls enjoyed doing their task (to double bag grocery sacks) and I tried to teach them what a Food Pantry was and what we were doing to help others. I'm never quite sure how much is sinking in, but I hope something did.

Pre-Thanksgiving at the Powells

We switch off families for Thanksgiving Day each year. This year it was a Place family year so we had a pre-Thanksgiving Day meal and celebration at the Powell's the Sunday before. 

I happened to snap this picture of Aubrey as she was coming down the stairs. It turned out to be a great photo.

Ashley's birthday happened to fall on Thanksgiving day this year, so we did a pre-birthday party for her at Powell's too. She LOVES getting toys!

Thanksgiving Day at the Places

This past year both my niece and nephew (twins, 19 years, James and Rachael) moved in with my parents. Their mother, Kim and her husband Troy are going through a divorce and with all the mess a divorce brings, it was better they lived with Grandma and Grandpa. I can't believe how much they have grown living with my mom and dad. It has truly changed their lives. Their father, Paul, passed away when they were five and they didn't have a good father figure/roll model for the majority of their lives. It's the little things they missed out on, like someone teaching them to be responsible and shovel snow when it snows, or mow the lawn, or just regular things you'd expect a father to teach his kids. This year was special because my dad taught James to carve a turkey. James did a great job! 

Of course, I was too busy eating, chatting and playing games to take any good Thanksgiving Day pictures, but it was a fun day and we even had a little mini party for Ashley because she officially turned 2!

Calling all the Monsters!

Ahhhh, fall. The time of year when my children's heads match holiday decor. I really didn't fall in love with fall until I had children. It might have to do with their pumpkin hair, but I'm not sure. I'm still not a gruesome Halloween fan, but I do like silly Halloween and harvesty stuff. Here are a million pictures of my little pumpkins and the fun we had this season!!!

Pack's Pumpkin Patch

Just a mile or so down the road from our house is this wonderful little pumpkin patch. We love going to Pack's because it is really a family place. It has a hay-maze for the little kids and a HUGE pumpkin patch where the girls can pick their own pumpkin. 

This is silly, but I really do LOVE how my girls hair shines in the sun, especially in October!

Aubrey picking her pumpkin

Hailey finding her pumpkin

And of course Ashley, has to find and carry her own pumpkin, just like her sisters did!

Look at this view! Does it get any better than that? I grew up on the east bench and never got to see a view like this. Now that I live on the west side of the mountains, I will never go back to living on the bench, I'd miss this view too much! I LOVE seeing the mountains every day.

Time to Carve!

Costume Day!! Happy Halloween!

Hailey = Cleopatra, Aubrey = Spider Girl

Below: I discovered that there comes a time in every woman's life when she can no longer pull off being the fairy tale princess, and she must come forth as the evil witch. That day had arrived. 

Aubrey begged me to dress up for her class Halloween party. Never want to disappoint! 

Malificent!!! (Evil Queen from Sleeping Beauty)

Doesn't she look different with dark hair? She got a kick out of wearing a wig!

My sweet pumpkin fairy!

Watch out for those webs!

Happy Halloween 2012!