Energy Solutions Arena

Here are some pictures of when we took the entire family to Energy Solutions Arena to see BYU play Hawaii. We had a great time . . . and I must say, I did an AWESOME parallel park job with the Suburban right out the front door, all by myself :)))))

We had such great tickets on the 16th row, but alas, the kids wanted to go to the very top.

Christmas Fun

A couple weeks ago we had the opportunity to take the kids to Energy Solutions Arena to see BYU play Hawaii. We had awesome seats on the 16th row, but the kids wanted to go all the way to the very top. Amber sat glued to the game and Kelsea watched it, but the other kids were all over the place - we did not stay to the end of the game :)

When we were done we took everyone on Trax and went to Temple Square to see the lights. It was cold, but really not that bad. After Temple Square, we went to dinner at Su Casa, then we went to the Festival of Trees - I waited in line for over an hour to let the little kids sit on Santa's lap. Brianna and Amber waiting with me and did not seem to mind how long it took. It was a great night!!

Celebration of the Arts Production

From September to November, Jason, Kelsea, and I had the opportunity to participate in a "Celebration of the Arts" Musical Production. It was absolutely amazing!! We performed the first week in November and everything went so well. I had the time of my life and Jason is really glad that I talked him into being in it as well. Here are some pictures from the show:

Opener

"The Music Man"

I was a pick-a-little lady

"Bye Bye Birdie"

Jason and I were parents that were upset with our teenage daughters for following Conrad Birdie. I seriously wouldn't have posted these pictures, since my face it so funky all the time, but Jason looks GOOD!!

"Annie"

I was a Boylin Sister (the three ladies that sing on Bert Healy's radio station)

and Kelsea was one of the orphans

"Les Miserables"

I was in the chorus

Curtain Call

Someday

Life is full of 'Somedays!' Someday I'm going to do this or someday I'm going to do that, someday I'm going to have this or someday I'm going to have that . . . well, for years my number one someday has been to go on a cruise with Jason. We are celebrating our 15th Anniversary this month and its the perfect opportunity for me to fulfill that 'someday' . . . right?! Well, not this year. When you have six kids (four of which are in school), holidays to plan for, piano to teach, and everyday life to fulfill, going on a cruise with your spouse is not in the mix - even a night away seems impossible.

So, I have been sitting here feeling a little bit sorry for myself - especially having seen so many other couples that have gone on cruises this year!! I want to go SO bad and I feel like it is never going to happen. I want to go somewhere ALONE with Jason!!!!! I want to have one week away from ALL the cares of the world where Jason and I can just enjoy each other and have FUN together. We just don't get to do that ever! I mean we have alone time every night when the kids go to bed and we go on dates every week, but it just isn't the same. I want to GO somewhere and be away from everything that we are responsible for. I want to just relax on a boat or a beach and just talk and laugh together without any sweet little children interrupting us!

But wait! Haven't I been able to do so much already over the past 15 years . . . YES!!! So now I'm talking to myself when I say, 'girlfriend, you have done more than enough over the years to compensate for not getting to go on your cruise this year!! You have gone to Hawaii twice with Jason and have been able to take the children to Disneyland 3 different times - how in the world could you feel sorry for yourself that you are not going on a cruise this year?!!" I think sometimes we get caught up in seeing what others are doing and we wish we could do the same, but we forget that we may have already done so many other things and it is not necessary to do more. I'm not going to say that I am not bummed that we don't get to go this year, but I am going to say that I am VERY grateful for all the things that we have already been able to do and I am VERY grateful for the kids that we have and for the responsibilities that come with having them. I am VERY grateful for the mere fact that Jason chose me and that I have been able to spend the last 15 years of my life with him. That could have been different and my entire someday list would have been nothing to compare.

When I was 14 years old I wrote a someday list about the man I wanted to marry and that 'someday' came!!! I am truly grateful for that and all of my other 'somedays' just do not matter!

Fall Break

For Fall Break we were going to go to St. George, but we decided to wait and go for Thanksgiving. Instead, we decided to surprise Jason and go to his work to spend some time with him. We went to the top floor of the Church Office Building and looked out over the valley, then we went to Temple Square, the Visitor's Center, the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, The Mayan, and Gardner Village. It was such a fun day and the kids all had a great time. Jason was really excited that we came and surprised him :)

Family Pictures September 2010

Instead of ordering school pictures for each of the kids, we have chosen to get pictures of the whole family, professionally done, at the beginning of the school year so that we can have a family picture AND individual pictures of each of the kids. We went with my good friend, Shauna Powell (Little Lime Photography) this year and she did a great job. We had our pictures taken at the Timpanogos Temple and it was beautiful. We have had so many Urban type photos lately that I thought it would be fun to just go for pretty flowers and nature.