New Years Eve

12 ADULTS + 17 KIDS = Happy New Year!

It was fun.

It was lively.

It was entertaining.

and...

it was a little crazy!

For New Years Eve we invited some of our new friends and their families over to our house to celebrate! We asked every family to bring a hearty appetizer and also to prepare two Minute-To-Win-It games (it's a game show on t.v.) to play. It worked out perfectly!

After we stuffed ourselves silly we shuffled the lil' people upstairs where we had movies and video games to entertain them. The adults were ready for some serious competition!

We divided into two teams; GENTLEMEN vs. LADIES.

Let the games begin!

Of course the LADIES were the big winners of the night, and NOT because I was the scorekeeper (which Tyler insists is the case)!

There were several small children who started to crash at around 8:30 p.m.. We decided to pour our sparkling cider and toast in the New Year a little early, that way those with little people could take them home and put them to bed.

The Theriaults were the only family to stay until midnight and "officially" ring in the New Year with us. It was a great night and a wonderful way to start out 2011 year!

Leia Mais

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was... well, very different for us this year.

For the past 13 years we have always celebrated Christmas eve in the home of Ty's parents. We would head up to North Salt Lake and be wined and dined all... evening... long. *sigh* Those were the "good ol' days" when I was able to take our little family over to a parents house. I'd tote along my token side dish and call it good. Now I have to actually be in charge of "the fun" and "magic" of holidays and special events. Luckily, I've had good role models. I'm slowly taking traditions from both of our families and morphing them into our own.

We were so excited to have Cranpa Pearson with us to celebrate Christmas. We started our Christmas Eve festivities in the home of some of our very good friends, the Leavitt's. Rachel had put together a nativity scene for the kids to participate in. Maidie was an angel with Eric playing the role of Joseph and Talmage represented one of the shepherds. I led the music while Ty and Cranpa took pictures and video of the event.

After the kids finished playing out their manger scene, we headed back to our house. Gucci had brought our Christmas jammies with her when she visited back in November, finally, we could open the packages we had been staring at for the last month. It was fun to have this tradition continued. We put on our jammies and then skyped with Gucci, Great, Sheldon and Shannon in Salt Lake City.

Gucci also sent the kids a book of The Night Before Christmas. It was one where she could record her voice reading the book to us. It was really special to sit and listen to her "reading" the story to us.

Gucci even remembered to send a little something special for Pepper le Pew.

It's been a tradition for Ty and me to take a kissing picture in our Christmas jammies. Here is picture #13.

The kids had been very good this year, so it was no surprise to wake up Christmas morning and discover that Santa had been to our house! Ho~Ho~Ho!

Merry Christmas 2010!

Leia Mais

Army Men.... Take Cover

For Christmas this year we were able to have Ty's dad come and stay with us. In true Grandpa Pearson tradition, he took Ty and the kids to do some last minute Christmas shopping the day before Christmas Eve. Talmage had been asking for a BB gun for Christmas. Well Sauce, ask and ye shall receive!

They were so excited and even got to help pick out their own guns. Before we had the boys open their new toys, Ty had a sit down discussion with them on how to safely handle their BB guns. Then they opened their guns and Ty gave a safety demonstration on how to load/hold/fire their new weapons.

Grandpa gave Miss. Mae a Rapunzel dress AND a Belle dress. For her, Christmas was over, nothing could top her new dresses!

Grandpa also picked up some army men to use as targets. The kids were a pretty good aim. Their were many mangled and disfigured army toys strewn about.

Grandpa and Ty even joined in the army men obliteration. They had nice form, something we'll have to work on with the boys.

These two terminators are on cloud nine! What little boy doesn't want a BB gun? I always associate BB guns with the movie, Christmas Story. All I could think of while they were out back was, "you'll shoot your eye out"! Let's hope they were listening during their safety lesson!

Thanks Cranpa!

Leia Mais

The Christmas Card

Oh, the joys of creating that perfect Christmas card!

I grabbed my kids one December afternoon after we had just come home from church. They were all cleaned up and looked respectable, so I thought this was a perfect opportunity! They on the other hand were hungry and not wanting to participate. And when I say, "they", I actually mean, "him", and if you know my family you know which "him" I am referring to. In the end I took some pictures that I quite liked, but it took many a shot to find that right one.

Check out Eric's facials, he definitely is the comedian in our family. He cracks me up, and his brother and sister too! He was our answer to some comic relief this fine afternoon.

This one was my favorite from the first few shots. I like it because it caught the moment as we were in it. My two somber children on the bottom, and then Eric on the top, being Eric, as my two other kids are oblivious to his antics.

For our second round of pictures I went to my archived box of Gucci's Christmas hats. I love that the Gooch gives us not only Christmas jammies, but also something to sport on our head for Christmas Eve as well. We had a small broo-ha-ha over the Santa hat with beard, but in the end, everyone was pleased with their head decor.

And, drum roll please......

The finished product. I think it turned out quite cute!

Leia Mais