The end of an era

So, after 17 years, we have finally purchased a new car! The Geo has been fabulous, relatively very few problems, but seriously, it was time. After a week of stressing, worrying, freaking out about doing this without Mark here, thinking I found the car I wanted, and then changing my mind... May I introduce the Batmobile! Shiny black outside, all soft and black inside. No more shaking or rattling. It's a beautiful thing.

Zach turns 10!

So this year for Zachs birthday, we went to a Utah Grizzles hockey game! It was so much fun, we really have to do that more often.

The next Sunday was his actual birthday, and since Mom was already here because of her knee surgery, Kimmie came down and we had a little party. Mom gave him a couple of shirts; a new Einstein to replace the one he's outgrown, and a Star Wars math one. He also got a new coat, some clothes, and a Lego set he's been wanting. Instead of cake, he asked for pie, so we made a banana cream pie and a coconut cream pie; so yummy!

And then the next Thursday, Zach was finally able to have a party with his friends. Landon, Nephi, Collin, and Andrew came over just to hang out. They watched a movie, ate pizza and lots of junk food, and I made some Star Wars themed cupcakes. He thought it was all very cool.

So it's begun

Maybe this means we'll have a white Christmas?!?!?!

Halloween 2010

What a fun Halloween! I love homemade costumes, and if you can do it out of stuff you've already got, even better! I never thought we could beat Zach's Boba Fett costume from last year, but this years Einstein was too much fun. And all it took was a fake moustache and a can of white hairspray. Alli's lifeguard costume came from her board shorts, left from a dance routine a couple of years ago, and a tee Kimmie brought her from Hawaii last year. Jonathon's hat came from a trip to Disneland last spring, and he already had a jacket that made for a great Indiana Jones. Kimmie was the Spider Woman, and I was a green witch, but none of my pictures turned out well. Seriously, so fun!

Science!

Lunch on Halloween; mummies, blood punch, cheesy caterpillars, and eyeballs.

Dinner at Mom's

We've been making either cookies or cupcakes to decorate for Halloween the last few years, and it's been so much fun! This year Macy wouldn't stop eating the candy, and it was so much fun to watch her try to sneak it whenever she thought Dad wasn't looking. Kimmie made an awesome starry night, a la Van Gogh.

Lagoon

This year for our birthdays, Kimmie took us all to Lagoon! She did it last year, and it was so much fun. This year we went during Frightmares, which produced lots of laughter, and a couple of scary moments. The dancers with the chainsaws (ha ha ha ha!) really kind of freaked Zach out. Somehow, there are no pictures of Kimmie...I wonder how that happened. Alli and Zach went on Wicked with me and Kimmie, and we all screamed in the most wonderful kind of terror, and we got all three of them on the Samuri! Jonathon loved it, Alli hated it. So much fun, though!

And so he goes....

The time had finally come. It was honestly such a relief to finally have him leave, not because I wanted him to go, but because we were finally able to move on. He can't come home until he leaves, after all!

Blackfoot had a little parade with the soldiers marching through town, ending up at Jensens Grove for hot dogs.

Hanging out at the airport, waiting for them to leave. Seriously, way too much emotion, just go already!

See you next year!

Yellowstone

So, the last time we went to Yellowstone Park, Jonathon was not quite a year old. It's been a while. This time we went with Mom, Kimmie, Chris, Eve and Sev. Sadly, Mark was in Boise for AT and wasn't able to come. We drove up Sunday afternoon, stopped by Mesa Falls (I forgot my camera...) and then continued on up to the Park. We drove up the west side of the upper loop and out of the Park to Gardner MT where we spent the night. It was snowing so hard when we left the park! It made for some beautiful trees along the side of the mountains. The next morning we checked out Mammoth Spring and then drove the rest of the upper loop, down to the falls, and then went home. For years, we went almost every summer, and it was so fun to finally go again.

Sev having fun with the carved bear while we waited to eat.

Mammoth Springs and the canyon, and a seriously enthusiastic Zach. He loved the big rock at Mammoth Springs; he called it a t-rex tooth. But when we asked him to smile, that's what we got. The strangers walking by thought it was hilarious.

Of course we had to stop at Tower Falls, and of course we had to have ice cream!

First Day of School 2010

Zach is starting the 4th grade, Alli the 7th, and Jonathon is starting his senior year! The first day of school for most of the high schoolers isn't until tomorrow to give the freshmen a chance to get used to the school without everyone else around. Jonathon happily stayed in his pajamas while the other two left early.

Craters of the Moon

Before school starts, and in-between Marks many training trips, we wanted to run out to Craters of the Moon. We went last year, but it was a quick trip, and we didn't have time to do everything. This trip we had more time, so we had a picnic lunch, climbed the spatter pots, and crawled around in the caves. The kids thought that was so cool, and Zach gave me a heart attack climbing out on a ledge. Fun!

Oregon!

We had a quick trip this year, due to the funeral, but it was still worth it. It's always so much fun to see the Holmes, and we were able to spend some time with Tolman, Audrey and Kaleb, too. We spent a couple of days on the beach, and went to Newport one day to the Oregon Coast Aquarium where we saw all sorts of sealife; jellyfish, octapus, crabs, turtles. The kids loved it; Zach was in awe of the shark jaw and was so excited to have his picture taken in it! He was, however, not nearly as excited to have his picture taken in the crab hat. Crabby!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Ah, I just love to hear Johnny Mathis sing that. Totally puts me in the mood!
Not knowing for sure if Mark will be here for next Christmas, we tried really hard to make this Christmas a really good one. Everything we did involved hot chocolate, and cookies if possible, we played lots of Christmas music and tried to be really involved in what was going on.

Here are a few of my favorite things:
*Christmas decorations~ I am particularly fond of our stockings. Charlie Brown and Linus, and the framed "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" print Chris made for me one year.


*Chocolates~ When I was little, I couldn't wait until I was old enough to be able to help dip chocolates. I remember the first year I was able to help Mom, we dipped them downstairs in the family room with the windows open and listened to a BYU football game on the radio. I love that my kids want to do it too.



*Gingerbread houses~ This is one of the traditions I remember doing every year for what seemed like my entire childhood. I wish I had been better about doing when Jonathon was little, but we didn't start doing them until a couple of years ago, thanks to Kimmie.


*Christmas Eve with the Evans~ It's so nice to be able to do Christmas Even with Evans and then Christmas Day up at Moms. That way there's no rush, we can enjoy being with our families. I wish I had Christmas Eve pictures with the Evans, but being me, I forgot my camera. So here's another favorite:
*Sugar cookies~ Yum Yum Yum, and the kids are getting old enough it's not nearly as much work as it used to be.


*The looks on the childrens faces~ The excitement, the giggles, the ripping of the paper. This year we papered over the entrance to the living room so the kids couldn't peek, and it was the best! I am totally doing that from now on. Zach, being the youngest, got to break through the paper first, and we were finally there to see the looks on their faces. Usually they get up, sneak in and look at everything (without unwrapping) before we wake up. This was way better!

*Christmas ornaments~ One of my happy memories involving my father is of him giving us Christmas ornaments. I have 3 or 4 that he gave me, and they are very important to me. Almost all of our ornaments have a specific memory or event attached to them, and I love them all for that.

Halloween 2009

So this year for Halloween, Zach dressed up as Boba Fett (one of the coolest costumes I have ever made!) and Alli was an '80s-ish pop star.

They were able to wear their costumes several times, for school, parties and the actual trick or treating. On Halloween, Alli's friend Natalie came over for the afternoon and the kids decorated cupcakes and painted pumpkins.



For the Trunk or Treat, Alli's friend Carlee came with her little sister and all the girls got all decked out in their makeup and jewelery, while Zach kept asking "how much longer until they're ready?!?!?!?!". Afterwards they went and did some authentic trick or treating we had an impromptu dinner party, complete with the kids favorite, Primordial Ooze, marrow and bones, caterpillars, mummies, mold and mildew and monster eyes. Yum!

Ketchup!

I have lots of catching up to do, so this may be a long post. Between trying to clean up the mess made while redecorating, trying to get the Relief Society dinner over with, and getting a "fun" case of the flu, I haven't been able to sit down and keep up on my blog. Here's hoping things get better!

We had a fun Valentine's Day; it lasted all weekend! We had pink pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream for breakfast, we all went to a movie and dinner with my mom and then made sugar cookies Sunday afternoon.

Then the next weekend, while Kimmie was here, we made me a new workspace designed by Mom! AND we refurbished that ugly cabinet I've had in the dining room forever. Now it's in the living room and so pretty!

Before

After

For our Enrichment meeting this month, I was assigned to bring cupcakes for a centerpiece and dessert. I thought this was a great time to try some new things, so I found some new recipes and got to work. The strawberry swirl cupcakes with the fluffy frosting were so sweet, and phenomenally messy, as you can see on Alli's friend Natalie. The classic white cupcakes with coconut frosting were to die for! And then I later found a recipe for a strawberry buttercream frost that was so yummy! That was a fun week.

Then this past weekend, Zach was baptized. It was a fun evening, with Grandpa Evans and Grandma Toy talking, Alli led the music, and I sat there and enjoyed it all.

Christmastime

What a busy couple of weeks we had! First, Chris and Eve "popped" in for a visit with Sevi! Kimmie was expected, so more company was a surprise!

While they were here, we dipped chocolates.




A few days later, we decorated gingerbread houses with Grandma, Kimmie and the Deans.





Christmas Eve brought the annual Nativity and Christmas jammies at Grandma and Grandpa Evans.





Christmas morning started way too early, with lots of fun presents. I think my favorite, though, was Zach's Clone Trooper helmut; he looks like a bobblehead!



Jonathon got what he wanted; lots and lots of iTunes cards.



Grandma Toy gave Alli a Madame Alexander doll, and made her a wedding dress for her! Alli was in heaven.



We went to Mom's that afternoon to open presents and have dinner and play in the snow.






After Christmas, we went to Orem and spent a few days at Kimmie's. We went sledding at Rock Canyon, we played the Wii a lot, watched movies, went to a Utah Grizzlies hockey game (so much fun!), saw Bolt in 3-D, and went to Temple Square to look at the lights.










It was such a fun Christmas! We have been so blessed.