Visit From Family

Jon and Jenny came up for Thanksgiving and were able to stay with us for ten days.  It was fun to see them and I was glad that the kids could get to know one another.

 Ben was very territorial and earned the nickname baby vampire because he kept biting Violet when she would try to play with his toys.  Other than that the visit was great and we really enjoyed having them here!

 Dancing with cousins!

 Violet, Bethany, Ben, and Sam

 Love our cousins!

Jaxson and Matthew playing a very serious game of Wii!

Thanks for the good memories Jon and Jenny!

Thanksgiving

Every year we go out to dinner for Thanksgiving! I love this tradition. I don't have to do tons of dishes so I actually get to participate with the family and the activities.

Bethany and Sam can't wait to start eating!

Andy, Scott, Sam, Timmy, Bethany, Matthew, Ellen, and Ben

We had a lot of family and friends join us this year in our tradition at Gustav's.

Grandma and Grandpa Lay

Brevin, Brent, T.J., Ian, Amy, and Davis

Jenny, Violet, Jon, and Jaxson

Clint, Owen, Evan, and Kerry

Jasimyne and Grandma

Maddy, Amy, Brevin, and T.J.

We ate our Thanksgiving feast around 11 and then went to a movie.  After the movie we went over to the church and played dodge ball with the kids to get all that good food to digest.  After a little exercise we all came back to the house for our favorite appetizers, pie, and games!

I am so thankful for my family and the good times we share together.  It is my favorite thing to do, to be together, laugh, and make memories!  There is nothing better than family!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Matthew's 10th Birthday

Matthew is 10! He is super sweet and is such a good helper. He is always willing to play with the younger kids and if there is a baby around he is ready and willing to hold it!  He is good in school and great at it. He always brings home good grades and when I meet with his teachers they always LOVE having Matthew in their class! We LOVE having Matthew as a part of our family!

Matthew has a major sweet tooth!  He could be in the opposite side of the house and I'll get in the cupboard for a little treat and Matthew is right there asking me what I'm eating.  It's amazing that he can sense sugar from that far away!

Matthew's friends!  He has a lot of them because he is such an awesome kid!

Matthew's favorite gift, a Kindle Fire!

Happy Birthday, Matthew!

Halloween

 I have to admit that Halloween isn't my favorite holiday but I do love watching Andy and the kids carve pumpkins and how excited the kids get when they see their ideas carved out on the pumpkin.

 

Sam chose Swiper the Fox!

 

 Bethany decided she wanted a smiling pumpkin with stars for eyes.

 Timmy's is Picacho.

 

Matthew just wanted something scary.  It reminds my of the pumpkin head in the story Sleepy Hollow.

 

 Scott went with the grim reaper.

For costumes this year we recycled what we had and improvised.  Scott was an endermen.  Ben was superman because that's all I could get him to wear.  Matthew was one of emperor Palpatine's guards.  Sam was Robin, Bethany was a princess, Scott's friend William was a contruction worker, and Timmy was a Home Depot man.

Happy Halloween!

Letting Loose

Timmy has a hard time sitting still at school so when he gets home sometimes he needs to unwind by making funny faces or rolling around on the floor. All those things that are unacceptable in the classroom!

First Day of School!

Here we go again!

 Bethany-Kindergarten, Scott 7th at ITech, Sam-Preschool, Matthew-4th, Timmy-2nd

I can't believe I will only have one home with me this year!  Where has the time gone?

Have a great year and fill those little minds with lots of knowledge!

Lazy Summer Days

 Bethany chillin' out in her chair on a lazy summer day.

 

Ben is always up to something.  He keeps me on my toes.  

 Him and Sam both!  It's really sad when the garbage men come to your door to tell you that your baby is outside in a diaper!

Sam doesn't even need to be outside to reek havoc.  Apparently this boy loves to be baby soft!

Utah Trip

We were able to make a trip down to Utah this summer to help my sister Hillary and her husband Ryan finish a bedroom in their basement.  While we were there we were able to squeeze in some fun!  Actually, Andy worked most of the time and I took the kids to do fun things.  He did go with us to Lagoon but missed out on Cowabunga bay.  I guess we'll just have to go back!

Early on in the trip we went to visit my Grandma Atkin.  My kids love to go there.  She has a big yard that they love to play in and she has a basement full of toys.  They love Grandma's house.

We went to Lagoon with Andy's brother Steven and his family.  I didn't take any pictures at Lagoon but luckily I remembered my camera when we went out to lunch with them a few days later.

We went with my Sister and her kids to Cowabunga bay.  Andy stayed home for that outing to work on the basement.  But for the most part the kids just really liked to play in the sand box in Hillary's back yard.

On our last day we met Grandma Jeppsen at the Brigham City Temple for the open house.  It was a great way to end our trip!

A Little Play Time With The Big Boys

 My mom always told me that the youngest thinks he's as old as the oldest.  I have found this to be so true.  Ben was out playing with the boys outside and thought he could do everything they could do!

Scott being silly.  I had to post this to use later as blackmail!

I don't think he could've gotten his pants up any higher without hurting himself!

Figuring It Out

Ben is learning new things everyday.

Today it was how to take his shirt off.

4th of July

For the 4th of July Grandma decided we needed to have a bike parade.  So she went out and bought all sorts of stuff for the kids to decorate their bikes with and this is the result.

Scott refused to join in the fun and then decided to pick on someone NOT his size and lost!

Should've decorated your bike Scott, it would've kept you out of trouble!

 Happy 4th!