PINEWOOD DERBY WINNER

Last year Jaxson's car did not do so hot in the pinewood derby race, so he was really hoping for a good showing this year. Time got away from Dan and they started building his car the night before the derby. Last year they bought a kit and worked on it for weeks, this year Jaxson wanted to make his own, so Dan went to Hobby Lobby multiple times and purchased paint, decals, weights, tools, etc. We remembered that the winning cars last year had the majority of the weight in the back of the car, so they focused on installing the weights in the back.

When the car was complete, it looked like a winning car, we just didn't know how well it would do on the track. Lucky for Jaxson - it was a winning car! The look on his face as he raced past his competitors was priceless. He was so proud and so happy. The only person he couldn't beat was his good friend Kaden Pierce. Kaden took first place last year and repeated his victory this year. Jaxson came in second and took home a trophy to prove it.

I guess waiting until the last possible minute wasn't just a bad idea after all. (Madi had given her Dad a hard time the night before, but I guess he showed her.)

A BIRTHDAY SURPRISE

We decided to do a surprise party for my Mom's 60th and my Dad's 16th birthday this year. Jared and Erin came into town and we had the family over for dinner. Little did my parents know that the basement was decked out for the party and everyone had made food for the party. After dinner was over the doorbell rang and our first guests arrived. Ralph and Bettyann Baer from our neighborhood on Sharron Drive. It was a fun evening to celebrate with my parents. Lots of friends, family and neighbors stopped by to wish them a happy birthday. Friends that couldn't make it, sent notes for their memory book. I was glad to be a part of the evening and do something nice for my parents. Below is the invitation we sent out to everyone.

Marlene’s now sixty – Steve’s turning sixteen,

could you imagine a crazier scene?

It’s probably illegal in all fifty states,

so were running out of time to celebrate!

A surprise get-together from six to eight,

on Sunday the 19th, there’s no time to wait!

Soon Marlene will be in a holding cell,

while poor young Steve tries to post her bail.

Never been kissed, NO – this isn’t the case,

Marlene’s been a cougar on the chase!

Not so sweet after all, is this birthday pair,

so stop by, say hello, offer up your prayers.

SOLIDER HOLLOW TUBING

Jared and Erin came into town for Presidents Day weekend and we all went up to Midway to go tubing. We found a great deal on Groupon for half the cost, so Dan and I took the kids out of school to spend a family day together.

As always my kids were in heaven going up and down the mountain. This is my kind of sledding as well,when they pull you up the mountain and there is no work involved. The best thing about the day was that it was sunny and beautiful, we were shedding layers throughout the afternoon because it was so warm.

Kaitlyn wasn't quite as happy as the rest of us and was a little frightened going down the hill (quite the contract to Reagan, who had the biggest grin on her face), so Jared and Erin took turns staying back with her, while the rest of us would go up the hill and hook up our tubes to go down the mountain together. The more weight you have the faster you go down the hill. I had to get mad at Dan one time because he put he feet in the snow to slow us down at the bottom of the hill and all the snow kicked up and went down my shirt - it was so COLD!

At the end of the day, we stopped in a little bakery for some pastries when Dan realized he was missing his phone. We looked everywhere for it in the car and even tried his find your phone app, but nothing worked. We called the Solider Hollow and check with the front office and they didn't have it either, so we decided to drive back to the tubing hill, so see if we could find it on the mountain or in a tube. We spoke with a couple of workers and no one had it. Dan left his name and number at the front desk, but no luck. When we arrived home, there was a message from Solider Hollow stating that they had his phone. One of the workers had it and turned it in during a shift change. Tho following morning he had to drive all the way back to Midway to get his phone (So I made him get more pastries, while he was there!)

VALENTINES DAY

We started off Valentines day a little early this year by having a Valentines Day dinner with Grammie and Papa on Sunday. I made chicken cordon bleu with pink mashed potatoes and pink gravy. I prepared some red jello parfaits, and made heart shaped rolls. We ate in the dining room and enjoyed some Valentine's Day Trifle after dinner that Grammie brought over.

On Monday night Dan and I took Madi and Jaxson to the Desert Star Playhouse to see CSI Provo. We laughed and laughed, this was one of the best shows they have done. The kids loved going out on a date with us. Gratefully Grammie and Papa watched Reagan so we could attend the show together.

I had a fantastic time preparing the kids Valentines this year. Using pinterest is awesome and gives me lots of ideas! I made them dynamite out of Rolo's and told them they were the BOMB! I gave them love potion, and Zots for I love you Zotz and Zotz! They also got Valentine socks and crazy/silly string.

Dan got a six pack of Mountain Dew, with a tag "I love you - I DEW, I DEW, I DEW!"

On Valentine's Day I made heart shaped cinnamon rolls for breakfast with strawberry smoothies and sent them all to school so I could work.

Later that day I sent Reagan to playgroup with her "Cereal"-sly think your sweet valentines (cereal boxes with conversation heart) and then I arrived at Jaxson's class to head up the Valentines party. We made butterfly pencils, decorated doughnuts, had Valentines sodas and played a few games including, stack the hearts and darts!

That evening Dan and I went out to dinner with some of our closest friends. I had made reservations at Ruth's Chris steakhouse and then we went off to see the movie This Means War. It was an incredible night - great food, fantastic conversation, lots of laughter at dinner and the movie. It was a great way to spend the day (or days) with all the people I love!

BLUES CLUES

Last night Reagan was pulling some attitude with me - because she didn't want to go to bed. I was explaining to her that she needed to listen, when she told me

"But, Mom, one of my shows says - I CAN DO AN-Y-THING, THAT I WANT TO DO!" (This was said, partially sung, with a sassy tone in her voice.)

I told her that if that's what Blues Clues was teaching her that she couldn't watch it anymore because it was teaching her to be naughty.

It never ceases to amazes me the things she comes up with - I guess it should by now, but she still catches my off guard.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

We had a fabulous Christmas season this year between Christmas parties, volunteering, spending time with family and friends and singing in the church choir for Christmas.

Early in the month Reagan and Jaxson both attended an elf party at Reagan's preschool teachers home. It was a late night party, so Dan and I got to enjoy and evening out Christmas shopping. Next all the kids attended the annual Grammie's Christmas party and had a sleepover at my parents house. The kids enjoyed making cookies, playing games, crafts and watching movies together. The next morning everyone came to our ward Christmas breakfast.

We spent an evening volunteering at the Utah Food Bank and brought in bags of food to donate. I love doing this with my kids because we get to donate our time instead of money and sometimes that is more important. Later that same week my girlfriends and I went downtown and volunteered at the Candy Cane Corner. This is a place where the homeless can come with their case worked and pick out items for their kids for Christmas. While serving at the Candy Cane Corner, we sorted items, organized the brought new items out on the store shelves. This is our gift to each other instead of exchanging gifts and I am so glad we started this tradition last year. (The only thing missing was Jolynn, who came up with the idea a year ago.) Our family also enjoys participating in the Night of Sharing our neighborhood does each Christmas in lieu of neighbor gifts. The kids get to visit with Santa, roast marshmallows and have some yummy treats, while dropping off gifts to Santa.

The Monday before Christmas, we had a FHE and made gingerbread houses. Everyone made their own and they are all very unique. Reagan's idea was to put as much candy on hers as she could. Next she decided to line her entire house with marshmallow trees (it was pretty cute, she didn't want to leave any trees for anyone else to use). Jaxson in his mind had a brilliant idea, but he couldn't get the graham crackers to cooperate. He wanted to cut them in all sorts of shapes and that just wasn't possible. He even took a marker to the graham crackers and drew a reindeer - he thought he could cut it out. Because his plan was foiled, he was a little disappointed, but with a little coaxing, he got right back into it and made a huge sledding hill outside of his home. Madi decided to go with the 1970's look and make a flat roof home. It was easier than pitching the roof; next she made Santa's sleigh and put it on top of the roof - it was darling! Dan and I both made smaller homes, cottages if you must and tried to outdo each other on the decorating. Like I said earlier, all were cute and very unique!

I took the younger kids to go see Santa Claus at the mall. When Jaxson was asked what he wanted for Christmas, he told Santa that he wanted his parents to have a vacation, a cruise to be exact. He is so thoughtful! He just didn't have any big desires this year for Christmas, it made it really hard to shop for him. Reagan asked Santa for a Ariel Barbie - the one with the legs, not the mermaid tail. She also requested a Sleeping Beauty dress.

On Christmas Eve, we had the kids open their presents from each other and from us. As always they received new pajama's and ornaments for the Christmas tree. Because Madi and Jaxson were so into ball this year, I made them ornaments that represented their jerseys. Madi's was a purple softball jersey and Jaxon's was a blue football jersey. They both had their pictures on the back of the ornament. Reagan's was similar, but instead of a sports jersey, it was a dancer, with her little recital picture on the back side. Madi gave Dan a gift certificate to Maverick - the girl knows her dad so well. Earlier this year when we were very short on funds, he commented to Melissa and I "My bank account is empty and I only had a dollar to my name, so I went and got a drink at Maverick." Madi also gave me a beautiful watch band in black and red, my favorite colors!

Next we headed over to Grammie and Papa's house to celebrate with Scott and Ali, and Grandma Ila. It was a small gathering this year due to Melissa and Chip visiting Montana and Becky and Doug and Jared and Erin both living out of state and not able to come into town for the holidays. We had dinner, watched the kids open their gifts and then continued on with our annual white elephant gift exchange. We even let Madi and Jaxson participate this year because their were so few of us. Gifts exchanged included; a musical tie, Grinch boxer shorts, a fish, a slap watch, Bean Boozled, a stocking full of candy, amongst other things. Jaxson ended up with the fish and he was so excited! He really didn't care about anything else at that point because he had his fish.

We had planned to go sledding with the kids that night up in Park City, our car was packed and ready to go; however things got off to a late start and we didn't end up going because there was not enough time. Both Madi and Reagan were crying because they were so excited to go! We decided last year when we went on Christmas Eve that we would make it a tradition and our plan didn't work out. We promised the kids we would go another time and we ended up taking them to the movies instead.

Christmas ended up being on a Sunday this year, so we had to fit in Church on top of everything else. Luckily it was just sacrament services, but I was a little worried how we were going to make it all work. Our kids are not early risers and we usually have to wake them up to open presents. I had to make sure everything was in order, because we had to be early, due to singing in the choir. I french braided Reagan's hair the day before, so I would have to do unbraid it, brush it and put a headband in. I made a crock pot breakfast and sticky buns the night before, so all I had to go was put them in the oven. Then Dan and I got up early, showered and got ready, so after we opened presents we would be ready for church. The morning went like clockwork! The funny thing was is both Reagan and Jaxson were up and ready to go, we had to hold them off, while we got ready and waited for Grammie and Papa to come over for breakfast. Jaxson complained that we never eat breakfast before presents and we couldn't convince him that every year we eat before presents (even though we do). After breakfast we all went downstairs and the magic began! Reagan received a new Barbie house and barbie furniture, along with her Ariel Barbie and Prince Eric of course. She got a new robe and was so excited because her Daddy wears a robe. When she got down to her final present, so was so sad because she thought Santa forgot to bring her a Sleeping Beauty dress. I told her that maybe the present she was holding was her dress and she told me it couldn't be, because last year when she got her Snow White dress, it wasn't in a box like that. Sure enough when she opened the box - there it was. She was extremely happy! Jaxson got some new basketball shoes, laser tag and ihome dock for his ipod (which turned out to be drama, because he couldn't find his ipod. He cried - which he should have because the kid loses it all the time!) I finally found it in his room tucked away and he was so happy. He also got a new skeleton robe along with some Shawn White clothes that he was very excited about. Madi was extremely pleased to find a Justin Bieber cut out in her pile of presents, along with a Kindle and some new boots.

He headed off to church, and to my surprise we were on time! Dan and I both sang in the choir this year along with both of my parents. The meeting consisted of several musical numbers and one speaker, which was also my mom. She did an amazing job! After which I did a solo and I pulled it off! I was so nervous because I really hadn't had time to practice and it was a song I had never heard until two weeks prior to the performance. Lucky for me it came together beautifully! I loved being a part of the choir and being able to sing songs about my Savior. It really helped set the mood and brought the spirit of Christmas into my heart this year.

After church we had a couple of hours before we were expected at Nana's home. Dan and I decided to open our gifts in the mean time. A funny thing happened because I wrapped both Dan's gifts and a couple of my gifts (we have an agreement that I will have something new to wear on Christmas as long as I buy it). Well, one of the gifts I wrapped I put the wrong name on the tag and had Dan open it, when he saw it he was very confused because he thought the sweater looked very feminine. He tried to say thank you, when I saw it and said "oops that one was for me." She sighed relief and then busted up laughing because he really thought it was for him and he didn't know what to think. We both received some nice gifts, Dan got some new driving gloves and I got a auxiliary input to be installed in my car.

Later that day at Nana's house we had dinner and opened presents. Reagan received a new play kitchen, Jaxson got a remote control helicopter and Madi got some new Tom's and Justin Bieber Cologne. We stayed the rest of the evening and played games with the family.

I couldn't believe how perfect the day was, until I realized that because we got to attend church it made the day so special. We really got to put Christ back into Christmas by attending church services today and I loved it!

REAGAN'S DECEMBER PERFORMANCES

First she had a tumbling recital where they got to show off all the tricks they have been learning. Reagan has struggled with tumbling and hasn't liked it much because she knows some of the other kids are ahead of her. She is not quite as flexible as some of the other girls and this creates a challenge for her; however she was very excited to have me come watch her routine. She has tendancy to find me in the crowd and with a big smile wave in the middle of the performace! I LOVE IT! They warmed up as a group before getting started - they always practice straddles and splits and these are the things Reagan hates (But I know they are good for her and I have seen her improve during the past couple of months) During the routine they did cartwheels, and arch walks and kick-overs, just to name a few. It will be interesting to see how far she will come during the second half of the year.

Next Reagan had a dance performance that the parents got to come watch during class. Her big recital wont be until the end of the year, so this was just a little number her dance teacher put together for Christmas. All the girls wore Santa hats and pretended they were carrying Santa bags. Reagan just smiled and did the routine so cute. I couldn't beleive how far he has come in the past year, last year I beleive she just threw her teddy bear all around instead of doing the moves, this year she had them all down and was so proud and excited to be doing the dance. She does prefer dance over tumbling (but I know it is becuase it is easier.) What a little cutey she is!

THANKSGIVING IN CALIFORNIA

We headed off to California with the rest of the family to spend Thanksgiving at Jared and Erin's house. We were so excited to be able to see them and spend some time in warmer weather. We stopped to picked up Lydia on our way out and then drove straight through. I know Dan was exhausted, because we arrived at 3:00 in the morning; however it was completely worth it. We stumbled in and slept anywhere we could find a place because everyone was asleep except Jared and we didn't want to wake anyone.

We played musical beds all weekend because their were a total of 20 us of staying in Jared's 3 bedroom home, which was under 2000 square feet. We slept on couches, the floor, on air mattresses, in the stairwell (basically anywhere we could find an open space). Melissa and Chip and Ali and Scott even pitched tents out in the backyard for extra space. Talk about a zoo! Becky and Doug stayed in a hotel, which was probably wise considering I'm not sure where they would have fit.

The weather was absolutely beautiful! Better than we anticipated and the temperature continued to rise throughout the week. We played at the park and just sat outside soaking up the sun. The kids loved the playground, in addition to playing football. We also started planking and T-Bowing anywhere we could, which was hysterical!

On Thanksgiving morning we all headed over to the movie theater to see Arthur's Christmas - WOW that was an expensive movie. A kids matinee price was $9.00. Once we got settled into the theater, the movie didn't start, the projector was broken and it didn't start for another hour. So back to the snack bar we went for pizza and more drinks. It turned out to be the most expensive movie we have ever been too. But once the movie started it was worth it.

Everyone pitched in on preparing the Thanksgiving feast. I made appetizers, pumpkin pie and turkey suckers for all the kids. Ali made homemade rolls, Mom made more pies, Erin made her garlic mashed potatoes. We all worked together making the remainder of the dinner and we ended up eating around six-o-clock. After we gorged ourselves, we played bingo with the kids and then the adults played a round of Bunco. No one left empty handed as there were prizes for all. Us girls had a fun time choosing all the gifts the night before at Target. We even thought about buying game pajamas in remembrance of our game shirts a few years ago; however no one could justify spending the money.

My condition on going to California for Thanksgiving was making sure someone would go black Friday shopping with me. This has been a tradition of mine and something I look forward to every year, so most of us girls decided to go. Black Friday shopping started early this year with stores opening at midnight instead in the early morning. Unfortunately this experience was not as fun as it is in Salt Lake. (Their are too many people in California! We stood in line to get into Target for at least an hour. They would only let so many people in at a time.) I never experienced lines like this before. The only benefit was that it was warm and we were not freezing, waiting in line. I also didn't have a big list of items to get; in addition to being sick, also very tired and not having a lot of extra funds to spend, I just wasn't in the mood to shop. So after Target Scott took Melissa and I home, while Becky and Ali continued to shop.

Jared had promised Lydia he would take her ice skating while she was in town, so we jumped in the car and went to one of the local outdoor malls. They had set up an outdoor skating rink. When we arrived the price was astronomical - $18.00 a person for an hour. With that said, Jaxson and Lydia were the only ones who ended up skating. We watched form the sidelines, some of us did a little shopping and snacking; while Reagan rode the merry go round in a different part of the mall. After which we all had lunch and then headed to the beach to meet everyone else.

At the beach I brought Santa hats, as I wanted to take Christmas card pictures. Who knew that the humidity would do such a number on my hair so quickly. Well we ended up with some good shots of the kids at least. After pictures we spent the remainder of the afternoon, collecting seashells, playing in the sand and jumping the waves. There was not a dry kid in the bunch - but there was not a frown either. Joy filled their faces as they raced up and down the beach. The funny thing is, I have never been to California when it is actual beach weather - I am always there during the winter, where everyone still has their pants on. I guess one day I will make it back during the summer months and my kids can really enjoy the beach!

Mom and dad offered to watch all the kids one evening, so the adults could go to dinner together (Yes, they are crazy!) We went to a beautiful, outdoor Mexican restaurant and spent the evening relaxing and listening to the Mariachi band.

I was really hoping to visit Disneyland while we were in California, but we were worried about the crowds due to the holiday. I had an idea that if we waited to go on Sunday and drove home on Monday, it might not be as crowded because most vacations would already be headed home. Dan was still unsure of the idea; however Melissa and Chip decided to go, so at about 11:00 PM we decided to join them. The kids were asleep and didn't even know we were going. We wanted to get up early because the park opened at 8:00 AM and we figured if it was crowded, we could leave early. We got out the door a little later than expected, but arrived in Disneyland around 9:00 AM. To our great surprise the crowds were minimal, we were getting on rides in five to ten minutes. The longest ride we waited in line for the entire day was the submarine ride. Mostly due to Cash having to go to the bathroom right before it was our turn to get on, so we had to wait a couple more submarines, in order for him to get back. Reagan was in heaven! As soon as we walked in the doors, there was Mickey Mouse waiting to greet us. We also stopped by to visit Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, which was the highlight of the day. Reagan wanted to go on everything the big kids did - she loved Splash Mountain (Crew was very sad because he was too small to ride it), she even went on Space Mountain and didn't even cry. I don't know that she loved it, but she is a thrill seeker indeed. Madi and Jaxson were a little disappointed that we didn't have time to venture over to California Adventure - this is where most of the big rides were; but they were good sports and kept great attitudes throughout the day. We rode Buzz Light Year several times, as this is a favorite amongst the kids (and adults). We had delicious snacks and fruit in the park and by the end of the day - we didn't leave early, the kids were all tuckered out. Melissa, Chip, Madi and I headed to Indiana Jones to take one last ride, while Dan stayed with the kids. When we returned, every single one of them was asleep. Dan was trying to hold both Reagan and Crew, while Cash and Jaxson crashed out on the table. It was an amazing day, not to mention 80 degrees outside. We returned home after dark and headed back to Utah the following day.

Jared and Erin were gracious hosts, even though we took over their home. I'm sure they were glad to get things back to normal after the mass exodus of people. We sure enjoyed our time with them regardless of the craziness!

While visiting the beautiful west coast we took a drive down to Balboa Pier in Newport and had lunch at Ruby's diner. The kids loved watching all the fishermen and after lunch couldn't resist jumping the waves and soaking their clothes before we left. While on the pier, Reagan stuck her head through the railing and lost her bow in the ocean (I was not pleased - as it was my favorite bow. I got over it later that day).

FOOTBALL IS MY LIFE!

Jaxson decided to play tackle football this year. What a commitment that turned out to be. The entire month of August he practiced two hours a day, six days a week. When the season started, practices slowed to three nights a week with games on Saturdays. We ended up traveling from Kamas to Magna for games, so needless to say football became our life this fall.

Not only did Jaxson play football, I volunteered to be team mom (now I know why no-one volunteered for this job, it was unlike any other team mom experience I have had in the past.) Basically I had another part time job! It was meetings, packet folders, fundraisers, apparel order forms, weigh-ins, uniforms, pep-rally, game treat reminders, parties, lanyards, banners, player gifts, coaches gifts, half-time treats, end of season banquet; not to mention daily texts and emails. Although it was time consuming, it was worth it! Jaxson had fantastic coaches and the coaches wives were extremely nice and helpful. We had a fun time organizing nacho and pizza parties after practices, swimming party and did lots of fun things for game treat reminders. I will never forget the practice that I did hot chocolate. I had to prepare it ahead of time and it boiled over. My oven has never been the same because the hot chocolate got in between the oven door in the glass. Every time I look at my oven, I am reminded of football because I can't get it clean.

Jaxson played defensive end and tight end this year. He also was in position to play back up quarterback for the team. His team made it to the playoffs and lost in the semi-final game in a bitter cold overtime battle.

Football was a great experience for Jaxson, some days he loved it, some days he didn't. It really depended on whether he had a good game and played his best. He never complained about going to practices - he loved being with his team and made some really good friends. I was so impressed with the coaches and how they loved those boys. They were hard on the them and made them give 100%, however they were always fair and ALWAYS focused on the positive. Their most important goal was that the boys enjoyed playing and would want to play again at the end of the season. The discipline and the unity these boys received over the season was unmatched! It was remarkable to see the respect between the coaches and the players.

We ended the season with a fiesta/taco bar! The boys received amazing posters of them in action throughout the season. They also got dog tags and water bottles with their player numbers. One of the parents made a DVD of the season and handed out a copy to all the boys. Needless to say they didn't go home empty handed.

One of the coaches that night paid me the nicest compliment "He told me he had coached football for many years and had seen a lot of team moms, but never had he had a team mom like me. He told me that I was the best and I made the season so easy for the coaches." That was all I needed, so make me do this job all over again.

GO UTES!

For Dan's birthday this year I bought him season tickets to the U of U football games. The tickets were hard to come by because season tickets were not available (everyone wants them because they joined the Pac 12). I looked into joining the Crimson Club, because if tickets are available, they are offered to the Crimson Club first; however that wasn't even a guarantee. I started looking on lone and called many people selling tickets. In the meantime my brother Scott told be of a friend of his that was trying to sell his tickets. Ironically I called the same guy and asked him if his tickets were still available. He kind of paused and said "I have a friend who's sister is interested in them, but I still have them." I asked him if his friends was Scott English and he relied "Yes!" I told him I was Scott's sister and yes I was interested in purchasing the tickets.

We had a great time going to the games together, we figured out that riding Trax was really easy as well, because the red line starts in Daybreak and takes you all the way up to Rice Eccles stadium. Dan couldn't get away with not taking Jaxson to a game, so I gave up my seat so he could go - He loved it and wanted to go to the rest of the games; however i wasn't willing to give up my seat for the remainder of the season.

Our seats were in the red zone - it was great not to have to sit in the bleachers; plus we got to know Scott's friend Jason and his wife Candace, as we sat by them each week. It didn't matter if the weather was hot or cold, we enjoyed attending the games. I just came prepared with hand warmers, hats, gloves, etc.