Winter

I'm not a fan of the heat. I love snow, and the cold, and the idea of having a white Christmas. Fires are so cozy, and hot chocolate is so such a perfect winter beverage.   However,  this Winter was HARSH.   It was one of the wettest (aka snowiest) Winter's on record. It was fun for the first month or two, but by March/April I almost forgot what it felt like to be warm!  I'm not one to get depressed, but this Winter had me in a weird funk.  Luckily, there are plenty of indoor entertainment centers around here (museums, aquariums, indoor aquatic centers, and so on) that we made lots of visits to.

We had a nice, simple Christmas.  The elf came for a visit, and did some fun things  around the house while he was visiting.  I always try to simplify Christmas, but it never really works.  I love christmas, but it can be such a stressful holiday (and it really shouldn't be that way).  I love seeing my boys happy though, and the magic they bring is priceless.  Jason's mom came to visit us a few days before christmas, and we went to a Christmas light show.  It was wonderful, and the boys really enjoyed driving though the lights.  We opened the sun roof to get a better look, and had a good laugh when an avalanche of snow from the roof fell on Jason and his mom.

Wesley and I also took skiing lessons in January.  It was really fun to face our fears and try something new together.  Wesley struggled a little bit, but persevered and did a good job.  I figure if we are going to live in a state that has the greatest snow on earth, we need to learn how to make the most out of it!


Sorry these pictures are all out of order.  I'm still trying to figure out the best way to transfer pictures from my camera and phone.

Our elf left us magic seeds and magic dirt.  The boys planted them, and the next day magic candy cane covered marshmallow lollipops grew! 

The magic seeds turned into these awesome marshmallow pops! 

These are the ornaments each boy picked out this year

We have so many family members who live out of state and ship their gifts to us, our living room is usually covered in Amazon boxes every Christmas 

Blake got a fun Thomas the train advent calendar this year, and behind each door was a mini train! 

Each day leading up to Christmas the boys pulled a chain, and each day had a suggestion on a way to serve others and bring Christ into Christmas 

Ward breakfast with Santa event 

Our Primary is amazing, and the leaders plan such fun events 

They even had a professional photographer taking pictures (Chase and Blake had a cold and missed the event)  

Santa left a lot of fun gifts! 

Trying to use all the fun gifts that Santa left is a lot harder to do in Utah than it was in California 

Wesley had an amazing primary teacher last year who had so much love for her class.  She showed so much love for Wesley, and I can't explain how much that meant to me.  At the end of the year she had all the kids dress int heir PJ's, and took them to see the lights and to get hot chocolate.  She then gave them each a little gift.  She left a lasting impression on Wesley that he will remember the rest of his life.  

 :-)