christmas party

We had our family christmas party at my parents home in draper. We had a crab and shrimp dinner, gingerbread house making contest, cousin gift exchange, a visit from santa, nativity scene involving the kids. We also made gingerbread cookies the other night and the kids thought it was the best activity. Thanks mom and dad for putting that all together and hosting the party, it was a great success!

audreys adventures

Here are just a few pics of audreys daily adventures and some pics of our new family member too!

Ty's Bionicle Birthday Bash!

Our little Ty turned 4 on sunday, and we had a bionicle birthday bash for him on saturday afternoon. Bionicles are one of his favorite toys. I didnt get a lot of pictures because I was so busy doing games and food, but here the few pics we did get. Ty is such a wonderful child. I am so happy I get to be his mom! I have loved all 4 years of his little life so much and I am excited for each and every birthday to come!!


the cake (its a bionicle mask, I know hard to tell)

putting together his power mines legos!

cousin carter and Audrey Lu

Hunting '09

Trying to shoot a squirrel that was teasing them! It knew they didn't stand a chance of hitting it.



Mallows!

Audrey the butcher!



Tyler loves going fast, hes my little daredevil


Audrey looks like she fits in with the Cullen clan

This was not just for a picture, He really did hike with them this way!
what a Man!

Every year we go hunting in the fall. We went for 4 days as a family and had a wonderful time. Most men love having their hunts be a time away from the women and children but Brandon involves the kids and I in every aspect. Its a real treat and a a sacrifice on his part I am sure. I am pretty sure I was the only woman on the whole mountain, and I know our kids were the only kids under thirteen on the mountain. Its such a great way for the kids to come to understand hard work, life, death, good stewardship, resourcefulness and team work in action. Brandon shot his dear the first morning of the hunt before we were even out of bed. A little while later, the whole family went up to where the kill was and hiked out to the deer. The kids loved seeing the deer and Audrey kept trying to lay on it and pet it (yes I checked her for ticks). Brandon and I drug the whole deer back up a hill a quarter mile to the jeep. If you have ever drug a deer you know how heavy they are (talk about dead weight). The kids hung in there with us and were good sports about all the hard work. The next several days Brandon helped me TRY and hunt for my own deer. I saw a couple of two points, but decided it wasn't worth all the work that would follow the kill, so I pressed on in hopes of something bigger. After a few morning and evening hunts and not even seeing a bigger buck I decided that I had had enough. It gets tiring hiking morning and night. Brandon cooked the kids dinners and breakfasts while I was out and was such a help to make it fun for me. The kids learned to shoot a slingshot, watched their dad butcher a deer completely, roasted mallows, ate tinfoil dinners, and we all got really dirty! It was a wonderful time and I hope to keep the tradition alive in future years.

I couldnt resist posting these bed head pics of audrey, but see she really can be a beauty!

kindergarten

Jack had his first week of kindergarten. I was nervous and he was excited. He loves every minute and even gets to ride a bus. He was so cute the first morning and even said "Mom I want to walk all by myself to class, you don't need to come with me. " I was proud of his independence but soooo sad that my boy didn't need me anymore. The one part of this whole experience that I LOVE is getting to spend more time with my little Ty and Audrey just the two of them. It gives Ty a chance to be the big kid for a while each day and I get to see new things from him each day.

4th of July fun!

Happy Birthday America!

Fireworks



Fishing
Swimming
River walk
Lehi Rodeo