Merry Christmas! These are a few of our favorite things...

Jordan (age 8)
Backyard forts, sandbox creations, friends, Kirby... our dog, father and son camp-out lincoln logs, playing the piano for FHE, and make-your-own pizza night

Tanner (age 10)
Soccer medal, school, art projects, art trophy, cooking, ice skating, late nights with friends, sandbox creations, backyard forts, helping Dad, and playing street hockey with Braden

Braden (age 17)
Hockey, snowboarding, texting, friends, movies, building construction class, money made from working at the elementary school, weekends spent with Amber, and time with family.

Amber & Travis
Doggie Roxy, living in an actual house, nanny-time with Will, Paige & Grace, school, work, boat, fishing, snowboarding, and weekends in Eagle Mountain.

Mike
Time with family, steady work, coaching ice hockey, High Priest Group, Costco cookies, dates with Danae, and stove-top popcorn,

Danae
Dates with Mike, time with kids, phone-calls with sisters, girls nights, coaching soccer, reading, working at the school, Activity-day girls, 5 yr. old Primary class, and blogging :-)

Our family wishes your family a very Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving

This year Thanksgiving was at our home. We enjoyed spending it with Danae's parents, Grandma, and sister Becky's family. The kids all had a great time at the kids table and later building gingerbread houses together.

Girls Night Out

Danae went out with the girls for a birthday celebration. We wore feather boas and sparkle eye liner. We ate a yummy dinner, danced, laughed and had a great time! We finished the evening with Cold Stone's Peanut Butter Perfection! MMMmmmm, Our FAVORITE!!

Tree Fort

Jordan, Tanner and two neighborhood boys have been working hard to build a fort in the back field behind our home. They have collected many building supplies from pruned tree limbs, old boards, rope, tarps, etc. Just as they get it built some kid comes along and tears it down. This time they built it with a look out tower and rope all around with a No Trespassing sign in front. They are very proud of their fort. Unfortunately, the fort has been deemed unsafe and is having to be torn down. A picture is worth a thousand childhood memories!

Reflections Contest

Last night was the Reflections recognition night. Jordan entered a picture of a frog and an amusment park made of Knex. He received two medals. Many of the kids there loved he ferris wheel.
Tanner painted a watercolor painting "Underwater adventure". He won a trophy and will now go on to the Council level competition, in January. Congratulations Tanner! He also entered a spotted lizard which he received a metal for.

Tanner goes to Clearcreek

Tanner and 50 or so other 5th graders left for Camp Clearcreek this morning. It is a school camp where they stay overnight and enjoy lots of fun activities. He has been so excited about going all month, but when it was time to get in line to board the bus, he got a panicked look on his face. I asked him if it would be better if I went back into the school, and he said probably so. I went and hid around the corner to watch and he started talking to friends. I'm sure he'll have a great time. The weather is great here and will be perfect for their big hike tomorrow. We will miss him.

Happy Halloween

Our family enjoyed Halloween this year. The day before was our school's carnival. We all dressed up. Mike is "Darryl" from "The Newhart Show"
On Halloween afternoon Mom and Amber went to the school to watch the parade and peek in on the classroom parties.
For Halloween night, Tanner dressed up as a soccer player. Jordan was dracula. Amber dressed up as a bumble bee and took them trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. (Her friend Suzy is a cat) After work Braden went with some friends to a YM leader's house to play video games. Danae and Mike madly made dozens of doughnuts for friends and neighbors. Sadly we were to busy to take pictures to prove our labors.

Creating this years jack-o-lanters

Tanner and Jordan had fun scrapping out their pumpkin, and creating their jack-o-lantern's faces. Braden's is a snowbording logo, and Mom and Dad's jack-o-lantern is hanging out on the bench.

Tanner's Witch

In school, Tanner's class made witches with a pop bottle and old nylons for the face. He sewed the hat and cape by hand. Great Job!!

Witches Night

Danae was persuaded by the crazy neighbors to go to "Witches Night" at Gardner Village. Fun, she said thinking that they'd wander around looking at all the fun mechanical, whimsical witches that they are famous for this time of year. Oh no, for this special event we must dress like witches. Now, if it was just acting like a witch, that I can do, but dressing up...not my thing! :-) As you can see they made me, and I had a great time! ;-)

We cackled for coupons and had fun strolling around the shops. There were thousands of witches, and it was fun looking at all the creative hats and costumes they wore. One lady carried a live owl on her arm. It felt like we were on Dargon Alley.

HOCKEY has begun

Braden is enjoying another season of Hockey. Braden is a great captain, and encourages all the players. Here are some fun shots of him. GO 91!!

Backyard frog habitat

Tanner and Jordan caught 21 tadpoles in a marshy area by our park. Many are now frogs, so they turned a corner of the backyard into a habitat for them. The whole family, plus neighbor kids have fun watching them swim in the "pond", burrow in the mud and hop around.

Soccer!!

Soccer games began this week. Tanner and Jordan are both playing this year. Danae is assistant coach of Jordan's team. The entire game she yelled, "KICK, and run!" For some reason the kids kicked the ball and stopped. Both teams played well, and both boys did a great job and helped their teams. (Jordan is the one wearing the red shorts)

First Day of School

Even though it is only mid August, and it is 90 degrees outside, school has started.
It seems to begin earlier and earlier every year. I can remember wearing sweaters on my way to school when I was young, and the smell of the crisp, cool air.
Braden, who opted out of a photo is now in 11Th grade. EEK!! He is taking a construction class where he will be part of building a house from the ground up.
Tanner is in 5Th and Jordan is in 3rd. Both like their teachers and have already had homework. Danae is back to work part-time at the elementary school. This week she went though twelve cases of paper!! She is thrilled to have Fridays off!

Family Reunion

We had a fun time becoming reacquainted with Grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. We appreciate many traveling far distances so that we could all be together. Highlights were our family's first white-water rafting trip. A picnic at Derkes Lake and visiting Shoshone Falls. A tour of the newly built Twin Falls temple. Meeting two new babies. Climbing Trees, playing at the park, and just being together.

Thanksgiving Point Gardens

Before school starts we spent the day at the Gardens at Thanksgiving Point. It was a beautiful cool day. We took a picnic and wandered through the various gardens. Tanner and Jordan loved being anywhere there was water. They fed the fish in the lake, and found some frogs in the stream. In the children's gardens there was a fun Noah's ark were the animals squirted water. There was also a fun maze made out of tall bushes, and a cave with rocks to climb. It was a great relaxing day!

Lego and Liberty Lands

For the 4th of July we enjoyed a yummy chinese buffet (Jordan was grossed out seeing an Octopus Salad, with tiny whole octupuses) and a fun game of bowling. Jordan bowled a 95 (with bumpers) He was very pleased to come in second after Dad. Afterwards we visited a newly built fun center in Lehi just off I-15 called Liberty Land. The boys chose to try out the race cars. Here's a SHORT video as they race around the corner. Sunday Mike's parents were here from Canada. We enjoyed a QUIET Sunday afternoon visit as all 3 boys were creating Lego Land in the basement. As you can tell they had ALL the lego out. Times haven't changed much since I can remember building cool houses out of Lego with my Dad on a Sunday afternoon.

Summer Fun

We have had a GREAT summer so far. Mike has been working, thank goodness. Side-jobs have been a huge blessing. Danae had a relaxing time in Colorado for 4 days visiting with her brother and sisters, and their families.

Braden is working in the mornings at the school. He had a great time at Stake Youth Confrence (Book of Mormon Quest). He's been playing on the summer hockey league and spending time with friends.

Tanner and Jordan also put on their first basement performance. It was a play about a hunter and a bear and how they became friends. We were very impressed. Their props were inventive. We loved the lamp-lit fire, and the hot dog sock being roasted over it.

We have been doing science experiments. The favorite has been the homemade volcano. The neighbor kids came to watch the eruption. Very Cool!

Tanner and Jordan have been critter hunting. They have kept tadpoles and have loved watching them change into frogs. Jordan has practically loved them to death! Tanner is holding a blow snake which he held onto for about an hour and then released it WAY up in the hills at his mother's request. This is what comes from living in the country!