The Lost Year

This year will forever be known as my lost year. I was so focused with teaching and Michelangelo kept the camera at his studio so I wasn't able to take as many pictures as I would have liked during the year. So some pictures are borrowed and some events are not recorded with pictures. I think I got most of the important ones though. Here is my attempt at a quick catch up.

In the spring Monkey turns 8 and Bug turns 5!

 For my Dad's Birthday we went on a Penguin Excursion at The Living Planet Aquarium

. This penguin laid beneath Bug's feet for most of the visit and kept all the other penguins at bay. It was pretty funny.

 I took the girls to our Friend's campout this summer all by myself. Michelangelo had to work and I was pretty proud of myself for pulling it off. It was also nice to know there were plenty of friends around to help if I needed it. We had a lot of fun.

 For my side of the family's extend family reunion we went to Cove Fort and Bryce Canyon. It was beautiful! I love being with my family.

 All the girls started school. I started teaching for my first full year. Monkey started 3rd grade in the Spectrum program. Bug started Kindergarten. Boo started Daycare at the High School. They take great care of her and she gets to be with her sister for part of the day.

I began the school year with my own class of 2nd graders. They are the cutest people in the world. I love being their teacher!

 Monkey and Michelangelo entered the State Fair. This was Monkey's first time.

 Michelangelo won the Grand Prize award and First place in the Professional Sculpture category! In other art related news; Michelangelo made a strippling warrior sculpture to go along with the 2000 young men that marched in the Bountiful Handcart Days Parade. It was so popular Deseret Book has started selling them in their store. He also continues to receive orders from all over the country for his Native American Lacrosse pieces. Things are going really well for him.

 We spent alot of time on the Soccer Fields this year with both Monkey and Bug playing Soccer. Monkey is getting pretty good! Bug is starting to get the hang of it and loves making new friends each game. Boo loves to play games on the sidelines.

Boo and I had our Birthdays. Boo turned 3. I am 10 times that plus a year. Boo loved blowing out the candles but got a little confused when everyone sang Happy Birthday to Mommy as well.

Thanks giving was wonderful. Monkey was in the school musical, "Annie", and she and Bug were also in a singing group called the Gingerbread Kids. Monkey had 5 or 6 solos depending on which night it was and Bug kept us laughing withe her antics. She finally figured out that if she wants a solo next year she has to sing all the time this year. Needles to say the last two performances were much improved. Lets just hope she gets a solo next year.

Christmas was wonderful! The girls were so cute together and we had a grand time with family. I may post more about this later.

I got a camera for Christmas so hopefully I will be better at posting. My goal is once a month.

Photo taken by Amy Carlston at http://serve-sunshine.blogspot.com

 Despite being a lost year 2012 was a great year. I am so excited for 2013!

Christmas and New Years

I know another graduation picture. But I somehow missed this one and wanted it on my blog.

 After graduation, the Christmas festivities came quickly. It was so fun to watch my girls do gingerbread kids. This was Bug's first time and she seemed to love being up there singing with her sister.

It was Monkey's second year and she had a beautiful solo. I love listening to my girls sing.

Putting up the tree is always fun. I love having all the lights turned off except for the Christmas tree lights and being able to ponder about the purpose of the season.

My mom took everyone that could come to see the Zoo Lights. It was pretty neat. Most of the animals were sleeping and my favorite was the big tiger asleep on it's back, pressing his paws against the window. It was incredible to be so close to such a massive beast.

It was a cold night. This is Boo inside a snack bar under the heater waiting for hot chocolate and churros.

 

We were troopers and had a lot of fun.

Two monkeys.

I love this shot of Bug with her hat over her face to keep herself warm. :)

 

Christmas was wonderful. Monkey wanted books and a watch. Bug wanted bugs, a microscope, and make-up. Boo wanted a pillow pet. She also lovvvves her talking Elmo.

New years brought around the traditional Eggs Benedict cooked by my one and only Grandpa "O".  I love it when he cooks.

I know 2012 will bring exciting new adventures to us this year.

Christmas time is here.

Christmas was wonderful. We started Christmas Eve by meeting with my Dad's side of the family to go caroling. I love going caroling with my family it brings back a lot of good memories. We had a smaller group this year than I am used to but it was still fun. Michelangelo stayed home because he was sick, more on that later. I was grateful for the warm weather, but I was missing the blanket of snow we usually have for Christmas Eve. After caroling we went to my parents for a shepherds dinner. Instead of an extravagant meal, it was simple, because the shepherd would have had a simple meal that night as well. Luckily it wasn't exactly what they would of eaten, because I don't think my girls would have eaten unleavened bread, but it was filling with the summer sausage, cheese, grapes and bread. My dad read from Luke the Christmas story and then we listened to Michael McLean's new story about the Forgotten Carols. I love the music to the forgotten carols and I think that the message of the songs is so beautiful. Then every one got pajamas from a secret santa.

It literally took me five minutes to get all three girls to look at me at the same time. My siblings were laughing because it was taking so long.

When we got home we put our family presents under the tree.

There was even one for me from my hubby and girls. I was so excited! It's not often Mom gets a surprise.

Then Santa came!

The girls loved their presents:

Monkey had told Santa she wanted a pillow pet and then she changed her mind and when she saw him again she told him she wanted a blizzard maker. I did some research on the blizzard maker with her and we found out that it wasn't the greatest. I wasn't too keen on the 20 minutes I would end up turning the thing to make a couple of ounces of ice cream for her. She decided to leave a note in her stocking telling Santa she just wanted a pillow pet. And I found out later that she left another note as well telling Santa I was on the naughty list... Guess I better be nicer this year. Yikes.
Bug just wanted a Barbie and Lala was happy to have a new toy. Christmas morning was a success and Bug seems to love her ladybug pillow pet even more than her barbie.
We opened family presents.
Monkey made Daddy a picture, and gave Bug and Lala homemade playdough. Here is the recipe I got from my neighbor:
Homemade Playdough
3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups salt
3 TBS oil
2 TBS cream of Tarter
3 cups water (with a few drops of food coloring added)
Mix and cook over low heat.  It will be lumpy at first.  As it cooks, it turns into a ball.  Cook until it's not sticky to the touch.  Cool on wax paper.  Makes 4 good sized playdough balls.

Bug made pictures for Daddy and Lala and gave Monkey fancy gloves:

We just used mod podge and put glitter around a pair I had found at the store. Bug loved doing it. Most of the glitter is still on today.
Lala following tradition gave her sisters band aids for Christmas. They last for about two weeks, I think.

I received a beautiful bracelet from my family it was made by one of Michelangelo's students. It is gorgeous!

I mentioned earlier that Michelangelo wasn't caroling with us because he was sick. We had all been sick at one point or another that week, and I don't know if it was a flue bug or just a really bad cold, but it knocked me and Lala out for a couple of days. And the girls and I are still sniffling from it. I hope it goes away real soon.

 

We are looking forward to the coming year and wish you a happy 2011!

Gingerbread kids

Monkey was involved in a singing group this holiday season. It was so fun to go see her perform and it really brought the Christmas Spirit to our home as she would practice her songs.  They sounded so great!

One of her concerts took us to the Dickens Festival in Salt Lake. It's fun to see people dressed in the time period with a short carriage ride and lots of things to see and buy for Christmas. They even had Santa that the girls got to see, but they don't allow for personal cameras. You will just have to trust me that they sat on his lap except for Lala. She screamed bloody murder when I made the slightest move to put her on his lap.

Putting up the tree

We put up the tree! Since I am behind with my postings this post will be mostly just pictures. YEAH!

Everyone helped including Lala!

School is out. Let the season begin!

Christmas Catch-up

Since I got incredibly sick the day after Christmas and then started school I haven't had a chance to post anything from our holidays. So for my records here is a quick summary.

My beautiful girls 12/24/2009
This was supposed to be for our Christmas card that never got sent out.

Caroling with the Thackers 12/24/09

A neighbor requested the 12 days of Christmas, instead of 5 golden rings "K" got a white gold ring!
So proud of my brother. He has chosen really well and the proposal was so sweet.
I'm getting another sister on June 12th! Hooray!! I love getting new siblings. It's so fun.

Five generation photo with Grandpa. He is turning 80 next month. He is one of the hardest working men that I know. He is amazing and still going strong. I couldn't get all my girls to look decent in any of the pictures, so here's the best one. At least Lala is looking in the right direction.

We went to look at lights afterwards and talked about Christ's birth.
After Santa came I got this shot.

And you have to have a picture of the Christmas tornado. Mr. Call and Monkey are holding up bendaroos, the only thing Monkey asked for Christmas. Bug absolutely loves the dollhouse. The girls play with it everyday.

The girls got bunkbeds during the Christmas break. Bug was so excited to be in a big girl bed she was jumping up and down. It was soo cute.

This year turned out to be so great. We are so loved and so blessed.
We have such amazing family and friends and a loving Heavenly Father and Savior. I'm so lucky to have such a great husband, and three beautiful loving girls.

Merry Christmas! (better late than never.)