Ice Skating and Temple Square

my kids currently love the barbie movies. one of the movies has ice skating scenes so i thought it would be fun to take the kids ice skating. as soon as we got on the ice and brayden said it was too slippery to skate, i thought i'd made a big mistake. but we persevered, even though it took us 20 minutes to go around the rink one time. i didn't take into account the fact that I'm not a good ice skater either. but we took lots of breaks and they eventually got the hang of it. they rarely let go of the wall, but they didn't want to stop when it was time to go.

My parents and I took the kids to see the lights at Temple Square. We got there really late and it was cold, but fun. Unfortunately, the visitors center was closing so we weren't able to go and see the "Jesus Statue." brayden was so upset hestarted sobbing. so the next morning we had to make a second trip to temple square.

Christmas in Utah

obviously, i don't know how to rotate a photo. can someone help me? bridger's blessing was a success. all my siblings and both mr grandmas came and, of course, mom and dad. bridger was quiet and asleep during the blessing. whenever i'm typing in all lowercase, it's because i've got a baby on my lap.

ben and i met heather and dan wiest at the roof in slc. ben and i were celebrating our 10th anniversary. and bridger came too. this is the tree at the joseph smith memorial building.

santa claus always makes a personal visit at our home on christmas eve. we're closely related.

christmas was a lot of fun, but i think next year we'll stay home to unwrap presents and go to utah the next day. it's too much work packing all the presents and then many of the small pieces get left behind when we go home. i wish we could have seen more of you this year. maybe next year we'll be able to get out more often.

Look Who's Smiling!

I love Bridger's smile! He only smiles a couple of times a day, but I love it when he does. He loves looking at lights and I think that's why he's smiling here. He is such a big boy--you should see his chunky thighs.

This is our new home in Flagstaff. The snow has been falling hard and the kids have been having fun building snowmen. We love our new home, it is a rental though. We're a little commitment shy since our home purchase in New Mexico went so badly. So we're happy renters, especially with 4 bedrooms and a lot of room to play. We had a deer in our yard a couple of days ago. The kids thought it looked like one of Santa's reindeer. They walked outside to try and "catch" it, but he ran up into the mountains. Now that you've seen this picture, you know that some parts of Arizona are cold! There are mountains in Arizona and there is snow. I didn't know this a year ago, but I'm living in it now. It's a nice touch of home for me and the kids are loving it.

Baby Bridger

Bridger is our sweet little redhead. Everyone who sees him loves his hair! We were at a restaurant the other night and all the waitresses were gathered around swooning at him. They said he should be in a commercial. I think if we lived in Hollywood, this kid would have a career. Will his hair stay red or will it all fall out by his first birthday?

Is this picture a little creepy? I like it better in black & white.

So, what are we up to? Ben just bought a dental practice in Flagstaff, AZ. He's working there full time and commuting from Payson for this week. We'll be making "the move" on Saturday. We found a beautiful rental home. It's a 4 bedroom, brand new construction and it's got room fot us to spread out. I'll be home schooling our kids until after the Christmas break. We all want to get settled in before starting a new school. I hope it's a good school and ward. Those two things can make or break where you live.

Family Photos

We had our pictures taken recently so here's a sneak peek at our photo shoot. Yes, the one with the pillow and fake star background is totally cheesy. You get what you pay for at sears, right?

Here We Go Again!

I want to be an official blogger. I've had several requests that I become a blogger and I've even had a couple of demands that I become a blogger. Why is it so difficult for me to join the blogging world? I'll start simple and advance as I continue. I love all of your blogs so thanks for inspiring me.