The Rexburg Idaho Temple

This is the right way to ring in the New Year!

One of the big reasons we went to Idaho in the middle of an Arctic Freeze (taking these photos nearly killed us)is because we wanted to go through the Rexburg Temple open house. I was expecting a much smaller temple. It is so beautiful. It is absolutely stunning with the white snow all around. The inside is just as spectacular. It was really neat to be able to take our kids.

For Your Ice Only

Idaho is so stinkin' cold! No joke, it is so frigid that it is impossible to ever get warm. Our car heater stopped working because it was too cold outside for it to keep up! Everyone got into the action and went out for some fun in the snow, or as I like to call it Mt. Everest training!

You may think this is Ryan but it is his twin Celeste. PK is ready for anything!

Jed tried out his new coat. The kids and PK built this snow fort right next to Celeste and Jed's driveway. There was a ton of snow.

We spent most of the time sledding. Celeste and Jed have a perfect hill right in their back yard (until someone decides to build a house there). It is just the right size and so convenient.




Bryce, Gavin, Bryan, Candace and Eathan are ready to go.

Aunt Colette got all of the girls ready for the big New Year's Eve party. Even Katie got her first taste of a fancy hair do courtesy of Colette.
Celeste had hatched a plan to fool the kids. While they were out sledding she pushed all of the clocks ahead 2 hours so when they got back in they would think it was late than it was. She told them they could stay up until midnight and they were so happy. It was nice putting them down at 10 - hey no harm, no foul right? The really sad part is that I fell asleep at 11pm - Sorry PK I was wishing yo a happy bday in my dreams.
Celeste and Jed took great care of us and it was so much fun (aside from the fender bender on the way up- see Colette's blog for details)!

Another B Day for Eman!

Who says having a birthday at Christmas is no fun. Eathan usually gets more than one party and this year was no exception. On the 26th we had a little family dinner with Ryan and Heidi, PK and Heather, Colette and Gma and Gpa Alexander to celebrate again. It was pretty low key but fun to hang out with everyone.

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Celebration and cake number 2 for Eman. On the 26th with aunts and uncles and grandparents. Gavin is already making plans for his party in July!

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Party number 3. E's favorite restaurant is McGrath's Fish House. This party was just for our little family on his actual birthday the 27th.

Katie and Uncle Stevie hanging out!

Santa Came to Town!

Grandma and Grandpa Alexander came to Salt Lake this year. We decided that it would be easier for them to start rotating around for Christmas and we got them first! I don't think that we will like this idea next year when it is someone else's turn for G'ma and G'pa! Spencer was here too and of course Stevie. We spent Christmas Eve together by going to breakfast and then shopping and then we went to a movie and dinner.

Grandma and the boys put a puzzle together. It took a couple of days. Spencer got some slippers from Mom and Dad, they were 3 sizes to big! Mom was mad because Dad had tried them on in the store and they fit. Jessie did the same thing with a pair of slippers she bought for herself! Way to go Dad and Jessie!

The kids got new Jammie's that they opened on Christmas Eve.

Darrin let Dad push the snow for him. Stevie Dewey hung out at the house most of the time but was glad that he had his own bed to sleep in.

Katie has the best seat in the house! Katie loves to drink anything she can. She will take any cup as long as she gets a little taste of what we have. This cup looks big enough for her to climb in.

EMC 6th Ward Christmas Party

This was the first year for a family Christmas party in our ward. It was early and so everyone came in Jammie's. It was so fun I hope we do it again next year.

Colette's Christmas Surprise

For the past year Darrin has wanted to get Colette a new computer. Today he woke up and said let's buy Colette a computer today. So he started calling his brother's and Darrell and Joan to get them to pitch in. It made us over an hour late to Lorna's Christmas party. After the party was over we all went to PK's to give Colette her present. She was very surprised and very happy. Now Darrin can put her to work on some of his ideas, Cookie Athlete is at the top of the list. Plus, she can now blog and we can keep up with her family.

There is nothing like a good old fashioned surprise. G'pa looks great in the bow from the package.

Colette talked us into going to Price the next day to help her set up the computer .

After all the hard work setting up and transferring files DK was all tuckered out!

Grandma Lorna's Christmas Party

Lorna's party was in Provo this year. It was held at the church again. I remember the first year I was a part of the Keller family we met at Lorna's house! The family has grown so big we would never fit now. But the number of grand kids and great grand kids hasn't stopped Lorna from getting a gift for everyone! This year Santa made a visit to pass out the gifts - what fun!

PK was front and center with the kids for the program.

Joan and Katie. Colette, Heather and Angela show off their craft.

Call Us Mean if You Want to.

Many of you have had to frustrating experience of trying to get Gavin to eat veggies and fruit. As you know, it doesn't happen. PK has a standing bribe with Gav that he will buy him a great prize if he eats fruit or veggies. Alas, as badly as he wants to he just can't make himself do it. Enter Kelsie. As we were hot tubbn' one night she told us about this cookbook "Deceptively Delicious". It full of recipes that include hidden veggies. So we bought one online that night and waited anxiously for it to arrive. When we got it we found a recipe for hot cocoa with sweet potatoes in it. Surely Gavin would taste the difference. We didn't have any sweet potatoes so we used some of Katie's baby squash. We mixed it up and served it up and waited for Gavin to trow it up, but he drank it and loved it! Eureka! We have found a miracle. Darrin made me try some too and it actually is undetectable. Who would have thunk it?

Katie and Eathan love their veggies, thank goodness!

It's so great, Eman is 8!

After several years of attempting to have a big birthday party for E we finally figured out that 2 days after Christmas was not a great time. So, this year we had the party on the 14th of the month before holiday craziness began. It was perfect. E decided to go to the Utah Museum of Natural History. They have a Super Sleuth party where the kids have to solve a mystery. They learned how to take and read lip and finger prints and how to identify acids in clues. The kids
had a blast.