January

January is just flying by! We have been so busy this month.  Oakley found out just before Christmas that she made a travel club volleyball team and so with that and all the school projects she has been doing she has been crazy busy.  All of that on top of being in the dance studio 3 nights a week!

Also this month Rhett had his 2nd pinewood derby.  The ward didn't buy enough cars for all the boys and since Ryan is over the scouts and needed to go to the scout office anyway he told them he would get one for Rhett.  Well....the scout office was completely SOLD OUT and the only other store that we know that sells them was out also.  :(  Luckily Oakley's clogging teacher heard me talking about it and since she is a scout leader she happened to have 4 extra cars at her house she was getting ready to return to the scout office.  So I ran and got one from her.  Ryan and Rhett got right to work and BROKE THE CAR!! I wanted to die! So....back to the clogging teachers, begging for another car I went.  They decided to go with a different design and this was the final result.

 The LEGO CAR!!

 He had a fun night.  I had my brothers kids that night and one with stomach flu so I sent the boys to the pinewood derby without me.  This year our ward had a local guy bring in his track with the big screen and the score board and even a loop in it.  They boys LOVED it!!

Also this month Dallin finished and graduated from the DARE (drug awareness) program through the school. 

 This is the only picture I got of him that night and of course he was speeding past so it is blurry.  I am proud of him.  They make you do a lot of work with the DARE program and he worked hard to graduate!

Laiklie started basketball for the first time ever this month. She is the only 1st grader on a team of 2nd graders.  They are all her best friends though so she sure loves it.

Her first game was a little rough.  We even had a few tears.  She is such a shy little thing that she wasn't sure she wanted to go play.  Thanks to a great coach he got her out on the court.  Of course right after she got out there the ball hit her in the head and we were back in tears. ;)  After a little more convincing she tried again.  She has had several games now and really likes it.  We especially like when we get to play other all girl teams, or today we played a bunch of the tiniest boys you've ever seen. It makes it fun when they all do well.  They are the hot pink "Sparkles" and SO MUCH FUN to watch!

Christmas 2013

I am still trying to get use to writing 2013 on my checks....and what do you know....it is now OVER! Christmas comes and goes SO FAST every year! It is seriously MY FAVORITE TIME OF THE YEAR! I would listen to Christmas music for months before if Ryan would let me! I love the sounds, sights, smells and even the shopping.  I just love it all.  I love teaching my children about the birth and life of the Savior and feeling those feelings of love so strongly.  What an amazing time of year!

 It doesn't look like many presents under the tree this year because most were small, but it was one of our favorite years! We surprised the kids this year with some fun gifts that they had NO IDEA they were getting.  It is probably their favorite Christmas by far!

 Stockings, our new wedge gym mat and the boys ski's .  They have already hit the ski slopes and LOVE having ski's of their very own!

 This was Dallin's surprise that he wasn't expecting.  He just finished hunters safety and his dad decided he needed a hunting gun.  He can't wait to shoot it.  We are just hoping it doesn't knock him on his butt when he does. ;)

 Oakley got surprised with a laptop.  JUST WHAT SHE NEEDED! With her honors classes and then starting high school in the fall we decided this was something she will definitely use! Where she is teaching dance too it will come in handy for that as well.  She was so excited! She never expected a laptop to be under the tree!

 And the two little's Rhett and Laiklie got the ipods they have been dying to get for a few years now! They were SO EXCITED!  Laiklie kept saying, "IS IT REAL?" This has been their favorite present and I am actually kind of hoping the excitement of it wears off as they go back to school.  I hate them sitting on the couch playing games for hours at a time! Not my idea of fun!! 

 Rhett and Laiklie also got furby's from Santa.  We still aren't quite sure about how these fuzzy little guys work.  Laiklie's keeps changing from a girls voice to a boys.  Weird! :) They love them though.

Ski goggles to go with the ski's! Funny story about the goggles....I bought them a week or so before Christmas, but they were the only things I bought that day, so I just put them SOMEWHERE instead of stashing them with the other gifts.  Christmas Eve while the kids were at grandma's party we came home to wrap presents and I looked EVERYWHERE for where I stuck the goggles.  I never could find them so I ended up running back to town Christmas Eve morning to grab another pair of goggles.  I still have not found the original ones I bought.  Who knows where I put them?!!

This was a GREAT Christmas! They kids got all they wanted PLUS more!  Other than another round of the stomach flu (I think it just comes to our house every year with Christmas) we had a GREAT 2 week vacation with family, holidays, game playing, skiing, sledding and everything else that comes with winter/holidays!  Such a great way to finish a great year!  We are SO VERY BLESSED!

Cousins Christmas

We have a Grandma Party every Christmas with Grandma Hawkins and the kids love getting together with their cousins!

 New Christmas church clothes!

 And because grandma can't help her self :) a second Christmas outfit!

 and every year GRANDPA-CLAUS makes an appearance! They LOVE it!!

Christmas pj's.  This year duck dynasty was the theme! We ate dinner, played games and the kids watched a movie and stayed the night while mom and dad went home and wrapped presents.  Grandma Party's Rock!

Tie Slides

I talked my cousin Kyle into making my two little boys some antler tie slides.  My aunt use to make them when my brothers and cousins were little and I always loved the way they looked.  Kyle hadn't made any before, but he did an INCREDIBLE job.  Dallin's has a deer head on it and Rhett's has a full body elk on it.  They were suppose to be for Christmas, but I was so excited about them that I gave them to them early.  They LOVED them!!  They have already wore them to church several times! So fun!!

Pre-Christmas 2013

 Decorating the tree.  One of our FAVORITE things to do!

 Santa made it to the ward party!

 Laiklie

 Dallin - he really wanted that bag of candy!:)

Rhett

Priesthood Preview

Tonight was the Priesthood Preview.  I have been to a Priesthood Preview before.  I was a counselor in a primary presidency and then a primary president and so I have actually been to several Priesthood Previews before, BUT.....

never with this guy sitting by my side.

Tonight was DALLIN'S PRIESTHOOD PREVIEW! I can hardly believe he is big enough to receive the priesthood this next year.  Is he ready? Not quiet, but he will be.  Dallin is INCREDIBLE! He amazes me every day.  He has a strong desire to do what is right.  He wants to and tries very hard to be obedient to not only his parents, but his Heavenly Father as well.  He is a great example of hard work and kindness in our home.  He will be a GREAT priesthood holder.  I got teary eyed several times tonight (especially as he joined the other 3 boys in singing A Young Man Prepared!) thinking about how fast he is growing.  I remember the stubborn little boy who would only wear wranglers and wouldn't leave the house without his cowboy hat.  He use to tell people he was going to be "tres" (three in Spanish) years old at his birthday.  It seems just like yesterday.  Tonight they talked about these boys going on missions and I looked at my boy sitting next to me......and he winked at his momma.....and I thought HOW WILL I EVER SEND HIM?? I pray everyday that I am preparing him not only to be worthy of the priesthood he will soon receive, but also to be worthy to serve a mission for the Lord.  I sure love this kid and I know before I am ready the time will come to send him on that mission and I will be as proud of him then as I was tonight sitting there in the primary room with him eager to get the priesthood.  I sure love you Dallin!

Mr. Fuzzy

I did a post yesterday on Laiklie.  She is ONE OF A KIND! She makes me laugh everyday and it didn't surprise me when  this is what I found on her dresser today.

 She calls "him" Mr. Fuzzy! "He" is a ball of elastic string she has strung out and balled up together.  STRANGE!

 A close-up of Mr. Fuzzy

And every ball of fuzz needs breathing holes. :)  She CRACKS ME UP!!

She has always been this way.  She takes random things and NAMES THEM and then keeps them FOREVER! She took the ends I cut off an orange one day and named them Mr. Clammy. She cried a few days later when she found Mr. Clammy in the garbage. :) She also cut a corner off of one of my wash cloths one day and named it Mr. Snuffles. She packed Mr. Snuffles EVERYWHERE with her for weeks.  Mr. Snuffles has now died (that's what I heard her tell her cousin recently)....or in other words got lost!  Laiklie is such a fun girl and keeps life interesting for sure!