A Look Back In Time - 2012

It only took me until July of 2013 to get caught up with 2012.  Oh well.  At least it's done now.  This year we were busy, busy, busy carrying on with our lives.  We really enjoyed all the time that we were able to spend with family and friends.  The kids loved all the activities that they took part in.  It's always so much fun to watch them grow and develop their talents.  We will leave "A Look Back in Time 2012" with our Taylor top 10 for 2012.

10.  Ashlyn entered 4^th grade and Avery entered 1^st.  They both completed another year of soccer and still love it. 

9.  Blake has grown up so fast and has realized that he is big enough to stand up to his big sisters.  He loves to beat on them, taunt them, and wrestle them to the ground.

8.  We have had lots of visitors come to our house this year.  We welcomed many family members into our home and we had our share of unwelcome visitors as well.  Such as: a pigeon, a humming bird, and a lizard.  Don’t worry, everyone made it safely back to their homes.

7.  Avery started gymnastics this year.  She has a great talent for it.  She is very flexible and loves turning herself into a human Gumby.

6.  Ashlyn started playing softball and piano this year.  She pitched a few games during softball and also played in her very first piano recital.

5.  Erika was pressured by her friends into running the Moab 1/2 marathon in March.  It was a great experience and she is very thankful to them for pushing her to do something she didn’t think she could do.

4.  Trent took Blake on his very first Father/Son campout this year.  Blake loved roasting marshmallows and playing in the dirt for hours on end and Trent loved having his little buddy around to share in the camping (sleeping in the back of the car) experience with him.

3.  Erika and the kids were lucky enough to see the USA Women’s soccer team play in Utah.  It was a great game!

2.  Blake lost his very first tooth this year and had a visit from the tooth fairy.  It’s just a shame that it took falling face first onto the tile, and a visit to the dentist for it to come out. 

 1.  This year, Trent and Erika are celebrating their 15 year wedding anniversary.  The past 15 years have been filled with many amazing experiences and great memories.  Here’s to many, many more!



A Look Back In Time - December, Seth's wedding

We packed quite a bit into the last week of December, so brace yourselves for lots of pictures.

Our nephew/cousin, Seth got married in Arizona at the Mesa temple shortly after Christmas.  We were so excited to go to the wedding and see Seth and Kirsten get married.  The kids couldn't wait to see their Snyder cousins again.  2 times within 4 months is a record!  It was also great because the Lopez cousins live 30-40 minutes away from where the wedding and reception took place.  We were able to stay with the Lopez family and play with them for a few days.

They got a fire pit for Christmas so we had to make smores in the backyard!

 The next day we got up early and headed to the Mesa, AZ temple to witness Seth and Kirsten get married.  Don't they look so beautiful and happy?!

 Here is the Taylor family (minus Tory) outside the temple.

 Our kids love being on temple grounds.  Don't they look adorable in their wedding/Christmas clothes?

 After the wedding and reception we spent the next few days with the Lopez family just hanging out and enjoying each others company.

The Nintendo DS was a favorite among the older girls.

 Sliding down the stairs on blankets was a hit with the younger two.

 You can't have a cousin get together without movies, popcorn, and sleepovers.

 The whole group.  We had so much fun together.

 The perks of being a Principal of a school is that you can take your kids to play in the gym whenever you want.

 We had to have a little early birthday celebration for Liisa and Avery before we left.  We really love spending time with cousins :)

 We returned home and had the Snyder clan waiting for us.  Most of them had never been to Las Vegas and they had only 2 days to experience it.  They weren't to fond of the strip, so we stayed closer to home.  We had a lot of fun playing Just Dance 4 on the Wii.  The highlight was when Trent and Steve battled it out.  That night Craig and Brooke announced that they were expecting their 1st baby!!!

 The next day we did something that we hadn't ever done before.  We went to the Hoover Dam.  It was really fun to walk along the dam as well as the new bridge that was built to drive over.  The kids thought it was pretty spectacular.

A Look Back In Time - December, Christmas

Oh how I love Christmas with my family.  This year, instead of opening their pajamas on Christmas Eve, I made each of them a big fleece blanket.  The girl's blankets were purple and zebra and Blake's was brown and 49ers.  Here they are reading "The Night Before Christmas" with Trent.

 The kids set out cookies and carrots for Santa and the reindeer.  They also wrote him an adorable note.

 We were able to celebrate Christmas at our house with most of the Taylor family and Thatcher's girlfriend Kelly, and her mom Gayle.  One of the first presents that the girls opened were the ones that they bought for each other with their own money.  Ironically they both bought each other the same thing.  A pen/highlighter that said "sister" on the side.  It was so cute to see their faces when they opened them.

 After all the craziness of presents and wrapping paper everywhere the kids realized that there was an envelope in the Christmas tree.  The envelope had a letter from Santa saying that there was a present in the bathroom.  Trent went to check it out and guess what he found?  A hamster!  The kids were so happy!

 They named her Puffles.  She is a fancy bear hamster that is black and white.  She is so cute and so much fun to play with.

 Thatcher and Trent modeling their new sweatshirts.

 Blake playing Legos with Uncle Thatcher.

 Ashlyn playing Just Dance 4 on the Wii with Thatcher and Tennille.

 Here is the one group photo that we got before Gayle had to head back to Arizona. 

 We ended the day with a beautiful ham dinner that everyone helped with.

I really love Christmas time.  While it's fun to receive presents, it's even more fun to surround ourselves with family and focus on the true meaning of Christmas.  I love seeing my kids faces as they watch their sibling open the present that they worked so hard to get for them.  I am so blessed to have such an amazing family.  I am blessed to have the knowledge that my Savior loves me and that he lived his life, died, and was resurrected so that I can follow His example and live with Him again.

A Look Back in Time - December

Ashlyn went to King Putt with her softball team to celebrate the end of the season.  It was Ashlyn's first time there and what and experience it was.  She won the 1000 ticket prize!

 She also went miniature golfing and played laser tag.

 This is what she chose to buy with her tickets!

 Ashlyn's school choir was chosen to sing the National Anthem at the Las Vegas Wranglers Hockey game.  They also sang Christmas songs during one of the breaks with a few other schools.

 Here is Ashlyn's choir singing the National Anthem.  Ashlyn is in the 2nd row center wearing a Santa hat.  All I could think about was what an incredible experience this was for her and how she will remember it forever.  Of course, I teared up.

 Ashlyn's soccer team competed in a 3v3 tournament for fun.  They played really well.  They only had 6 players on their team for this and none of them were their star scorers.  They still made it to the championship game where they lost to their rivals, the Lucky Charms.  It was devastating since the Mighty Mustangs hadn't lost a game in 3 seasons.  Oh well, it wasn't a regular season game anyway:)

A Look Back in Time - November

Warning... this is going to be a long one.

Avery celebrated another successful season of soccer with coach John and coach Troy.

 I was able to go with Avery on her very first field trip.  She was so excited to ride the bus. 

 Riding on the bus with her friends Diva and Taliah.

 The Shark Reef never disappoints.

 We celebrated Thanksgiving with just our little family this year.  As much as I love having extended family around, this year seemed to turn out perfect.  Every member of the family participated in helping with the meal as well as setting the table.

Blake and Avery were very intrigued by what was inside the turkey.  Ashlyn... not so much.

 Avery played with the preschool toys while she waited.

 Ashlyn and I were tired after working so hard.

 The day after Thanksgiving we set up our Christmas decorations.  I love our house at Christmas time.

 We decided that instead of opening their pajamas on Christmas Eve we would open them the night that we set up the tree.  This way the kids can wear their warm jammies longer because the cold nights don't last long here in Vegas.

 Blake was trying to be a robot, but had a little bit of a mishap when trying to get his helmet off.

 I didn't have any pictures of Ashlyn with her new soccer team while they were in their uniforms, but here they are at their end of the year party.  These girls and coaches were so nice and welcoming.  They made Ashlyn feel right at home and she had a great season.  Despite playing 2 age groups up, the team came in first place and undefeated.

 Towards the end of the softball season Ashlyn started pitching.  She had never pitched before, but she did a great job!  We are very proud of her.

 Back in September, Ashlyn started taking piano lessons from a lady in our ward, Sister Jex.  She is quite the natural.  Ashlyn had her first recital in December and was in tears before it started.  But, she came out, played all 3 pieces and was the only one who had all of them memorized.  She did a fantastic job!!!  Here she is with her teacher right before her very first recital.

 Our family after the recital.  We were all so proud of Ashlyn.