McKell:)

Miss McKell turned 12 years old in April.  She has grown up too fast.  She wanted to have a big birthday bash - so we did.  April was really busy with dance competitions and everything else, but we managed to squeeze in a fun party after school one day.  She wanted to have a swimming party - and luckily with a few connections we were able to use the pool at a hotel and swim, have snacks and open gifts.  Also, McKell and I got to spend the night at the hotel which was super fun!

Leah, McKell and Berkley in the pool

Also, the hot tub was lots of fun!

More fun in a full hot tub

McKell has sweet friends and got so many great gifts

McKell kept saying she wanted a nerf gun - a complete surprise to me,
but Berkley got her one and it is pretty cool

Lots, and lots of laughter

All 15 girls = lots of fun and noise:)

Meg, Berkley and Emma decorated her room.
McKell was surprised to come home from school and find them hiding
and her room full of sweet posters and tons of toilet paper.

And last, dinner with the 4 of us at Texas Roadhouse - yum!

Lacrosse

Our number 1 Lacrosse player.

Braxton is doing great this season. The season started with a tournament is Las Vegas and now they have had a few regular season games.

Here is Braxton in action. The game is super physical and is hard to watch sometimes.

Braxton puts everything he's got into this game and gets pretty aggressive.

It will be a great way to end his senior year:)

First Performance

McKell had her first dance performance of the year on Saturday. It wasn't a competition, but a good practice performance. The dance is super cute and so are the costumes. The makeup looks so great but it is such a killer to put on:) Lucky me, I guess I will get lots of practice as competition season is just starting. They did great in the dance, but the music stopped before the dance was over. So overall, it was a great half of a dance.

Lately . . .

Lately, life has been crazy, busy as always! Here are a few things that have been happening in the past few weeks. I have been out of town almost every Saturday since the beginning of the year judging dance/drill team competitions. I love it but it's hard to work all week and leave every Saturday. And basically my backside hurts from spending all weekend sitting on high school bleachers:) My judging is almost over, but McKell's competitive dance stuff starts this weekend.

McKell and I did take one weekend off and go watch my oldest niece compete in the Jr. Miss pageant in Rexburg. Emily did fabulous and really she is beautiful inside and out. Lots of family came to watch, including my parents.

The girls watching the pageant. It was a long night but really great.

Braxton went with Megan to the Sweetheart's Dance this past weekend. I got home in time to snap a picture.

And of course, lots of time hanging out with friends. McKell and Ali at Pizza Pie Cafe.

McKell and Emma being silly - what cute girls!

Happy Birthday:)

Today this goofy, yet groovy, guy turns another year older. He is absolutely the best husband and father ever! I don't know how I got so lucky:)

Happy Birthday Derek!

Finally Christmas 2011

Our Christmas was filled with all things wonderful:

Cousins and lots of family

Movies

Getting gifts

Giving gifts

Talent shows

Minute To Win It Games

And lots of other stuff too like a hilarious family sing along, great food, Ugg boots, and tickets to Wicked:) Truly the most wonderful time of the year!

December 2011

I love the holidays. I feel like we did a lot of things to prepare this year, but I didn't have my camera out for most of it, which is so unlike me. Here are a few things we did this month, before Christmas:)

Jay, Hollie and their girls stopped to spend the night on their way home from Park City. We loved having them here. The girls had lots of fun playing and I loved reading some of our Christmas stories to them. I got to read some that my kids are too old for like, "Dora's Christmas Present" and "Arthur's Christmas." Also, one of my favorites, "I Believe in Santa Claus." It was great.

Also, another last this month - Braxton went to his last Christmas dance at LHS. He went with Serena, a girl from another area of Utah that he met at an FBLA conference.

And one more picture of them because I realized this is the only picture that got taken of our tree or any decorations this year.

McKell made this wonderful gingerbread house at Activity Days and was so proud of it. She did a great job and she was so pleased with how it turned out.

I noticed I had taken this picture along with many others at the school - empty stage and empty risers - this probably doesn't mean much to most people but to me it means my programs are over:) They were all great but it is such a great feeling when they are done and I can stand alone and clean up the auditorium in complete silence.

A few other things that I don't want to forget that happened, even though I have no pictures: we had pizza by the tree, drove through our neighborhood to look at Christmas lights, delivered neighbor gifts, had a yummy breakfast and played games with Ken and Janae and their family, and I went to a fun "Favorite Things" friends party with some fabulous gals in my neighborhood. December was great!