December 2012

We have had a lot of fun this December.  Justin's parents took our family on the North Polar Express train this year.  This was a fun experience for all of us.  The boys got to see Santa and Mrs. Clause, drink hot chocolate, eat a cookie, and receive a Christmas bell.  The train ride was the Heber Creeper and it took us down to the end of deer lake and back, starting in Heber.  While on the train, there was Christmas music playing, singing Christmas carols, eating goodies, and dancing with elves.  Although I felt is was way to expensive, it was definitely a fun experience especially when someone else pays for it. 
Christmas was fun.  We went to Justin's parents a few day before to see the family that had come into town, have dinner, and exchange gifts.  Christmas Eve was spent at great grandma Mangum's house, where we had dinner, sang carols, heard a spiritual thought, and heard grandma's announcement that this will be their last year of hosting Christmas.  That was a sad, needing to happen years ago announcement.  Although we will miss that tradition, it will be good for a new tradition to arise.  Then just yesterday we spent the evening with the Mangum cousins where we exchanged gifts, had dinner, and played Dance Dance Revolution 4.  This dancing was done by everyone, even grandma and grandpa did it.  We had a great time.
Justin also took off the week between the two holidays.  So we have had a lot of great time being together as a family.  Whether we went shopping, visited with family, or just hung out at home, it was nice to spend some extra time with daddy.
Hope you enjoy all of the pictures. 
Sorry about the side ways pictures.  For some reason google wants them this way instead of the correct way that I did them.  

Waiting to get on the train

Santa

Jumping with grandma

Dancing with elves

Christmas Bell

Enjoying the new hoop

Always happy on daddy's head and pulling his hair

group hug after opening each others gifts

Woo Hoo

first doll with hair that can be pulled

Leaves

I'm loving my new camera and enjoying the great shots.

Our family loves jumping in the leaves. Check out the fun we had.

October

So I don't know if anyone even looks at my blog.  But Justin and I decided that I would continue posting on the blog as part of a Journal or history of our family.  So here goes.  October has been filled with a lot of things.  It first started out with Quentin and I entering a charity race for the Lift a Life foundation which earns money and helps out kids in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.  It was Quentin's first 5K race and he did an awesome job.  We both had a lot of fun practice running together and running the race together.  Even though Quentin ditched me in the race (which I told him to do, because he could) it was still great fun for us to do together.  The rest of the month was full of the end of soccer season, a soccer party for Quentin's team, a lot of illness (stomach flu, colds, and kidney stones), Halloween, and a baby shower.  We have had a lot of fun and been way more busy then I would have liked.  But life with kids as I understand is just a busy life.  

The boys are still enjoying school and making a lot of new friends and enjoying their time with their old friends.  One of the following pictures is of the two oldest boys on crazy hair day.  They went with a hair style from the Grinch.  They had a fun day.  

For Halloween, we didn't do much.  Justin was really ill and only ventured out for a few things here and there.  We carved pumpkins for family night a couple of nights before, went to the ward party Tuesday which was a carnival for the kids, and then trick-or-treated to a couple of blocks.  For the rest of the time, we stayed in and watched some Halloween movies and rested.  We had a power ranger, a zombie punk rocker, a warlock, and a witch.  Whitney's shirt said, "Daddy is under my spell"  The outfit was compliments of Grandma Hemingway. 

I got a new photography camera which I have thoroughly enjoyed and so some of the pictures of Whitney are test drives of trying out the camera.  I also got the opportunity to take pictures of Terri and her family Saturday and had a lot of fun doing.  

If any of you out there do read this and would like pictures taken I would be happy to gain more experience and take pictures for you any time.  

I hope you enjoy the pictures. 

Post race poses.  Quentin took 3rd in his age group,  I took 2nd in my age group.

Zombie punk rocker

Warlock

Power ranger

Witch

Tummy time.  She loves to roll around.

Post carving pictures

Thomas the tank engine showed up at our ward party to give rides. 

Face painting at our ward party

Whitney thinks her socks are the best kind of chew toy.  I can never keep them on her feet.

Tummy time with her sock.  Life couldn't get any better.

Crazy hair day.

September

So I'm a bit behind.  Life has been busy with soccer and school starting.  Here are a few pictures of the boys first day of school, Whitney's first solid food feeding, and the circus.

boys excited about going to school together

Cyrus' first day of first grade

Quentin's first day of 4th grade

We had a great time at the circus.  It was a dragon theme and we had great seats.  We got there early enough to be able to see the clowns and pre-circus show.  One of the clowns was playing peek-a-boo with Whitney and she was very happy about it.  It was well worth the break from soccer and a great time spent together as a family.

Whitney wasn't a big fan of the cereal at first.  She seemed to enjoy playing peek-a-boo with her bib more then eating.  But she did enjoy eating with the family for dinner. 

fell asleep while I was cutting the boys hair

peek-a-boo.  Her favorite thing to do when she has any kind of blanket or towel.