Christmastime!

My wonderful parents came to visit us in early December. We went to see the lights at Los Abrigados in Sedona. It was a nice cold walk but a lot of fun.
Such a cute bundled up baby!
I love the scarves with a cactus in the background. It really does get chilly in northern arizona!
My pretty little snow princess. She likes to spend 10 minutes getting bundled up to play in the snow for five minutes and then come inside asking for hot cocoa. Repeatedly throughout the day. We've already had 3 snow days this year with cancelled school.
A little picture of Christmas in our home. I'm not huge on decorating because we're still renters and all decorations need to be up high and unbreakable. So for now, we decorate with stockings, a tree and a wreath.

Thanksgiving in Oregon

My in-laws have a loft where all the kids like to play. This beautiful yellow ladder is the only way up to the loft so Bridger was trying to make his way up there. Maybe next year.
All these wild turkeys (about 30) and deer were roaming the Stark's yard on Thanksgiving morning. We were about to put one on the dinner table but Dad insisted they were his pets not his dinner. Pretty brave poultry if you ask me.
Everyone jumped at the chance for a family walk. It was a great day and a nice time to get out of the cramped house.
"yeah, baby!" is Christer's signature saying. He has been struggling with cancer for quite some time and his body is starting to lose the battle. All his kids made an effort to come together this Thanksgiving to be with him. Luckily, he's still holding on and wanting to get out of the hospital and back home to continue living. We love you, Christer!

Family Photo Shoot

Ben and I have been married eleven years now. We have lived in 11 different homes in 4 different states, completed 12 years of college, have 3 great kids, have 1 dog who now lives with grandma, have a lot of debt and still have a lot of fun being together!
Bridger's puppy, "baby jose" was in a lot our photos because Bridger's nap was interrupted for our photo shoot. He is a big part of our family, especially at bedtime.


Ben and I are always smiling it the family shots, but the kids never are. Why is it so hard to get them all to smile at the same time? We promised ice cream and the dollar store!
I love this picture of Bridger because it shows his red hair, blue eyes, button nose and adorable personality!
Ella was being difficult today because she wanted all the pictures to be about her! We had to promise to let her be in her own pictures in her choice of pose in order to get her to cooperate for the family photos. I'm sure this is a sign of times to come. She also wears snow boots year round!
Brayden is growing up into such a handsome young guy. He is so kind and sweet and sensitive. Today, he decided to bring 2 of his brand new lego guys to our photo shoot. Of course, they were lost in the leaf-covered mountainside within the first 20 minutes. He was pretty upset that we wouldn't spend the whole day trying to find them.