Oh yeah, I have a blog

Well, hello blog. I think I kind of just put you out of my mind for a month because I just didn't have the energy, time, care to write.
Now that I have found a tiny bit of energy, I'll put some new stuff up.

We made a snowy and LONG trip to Utah to be with family for Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday and I just can't imagine having to go without copious amounts of food and lotsa good fam time when it comes to my favorite. With blizzards, closed roads, and a ton of accidents all around us, we managed to make it without harm.

I wasn't disappointed! We got to have so much yummy food that we happily put on some holiday weight. Besides, it's not weight that's going to get me in the end. It's our kids cause they don't sleep when we travel = I don't sleep when we travel.

During daylight hours Afton and Ben were as content as could be with their cousins, aunts, uncles, Grandpa, and different toys to play with. Here are just some of the highlights in photos:

Reading bedtime stories with Grandpa Wayne, the all-time best story teller ever:

Sledding the day after Thanksgiving on the slopes of my Jr. High. The kids loved the super padded sled courtesy of Buff and Shaner:

Getting the classic horse ride and then getting tossed to the couch. All the cousins loved this one. It was a favorite with us when we were kids too:
More books being read to the kiddos by Aunt Buff:

And we got to have a fun afternoon with Grandma Jan and Grandpa Mark where Afton donned the Turkish Princess garb and loved every second of it. I loved watching my team beat that other team in football. Go Utes! (And thanks Jan, Mark, Jared, Rich and Janae for being gracious losers).


Now I'm very much in the Christmas spirit. It has been easy to slip into it this year for some reason. We just put up the tree tonight and got it decorated... maybe a lifetime early record for me. As has been my opinion the last few years, I really think it is all more fun with kids around. There's an excitement and a newness to it all because they just get so psyched for parties and presents and learning new songs. When they aren't screaming and fighting, I think I have the best kids in the whole world. :)

Our ward party was fun for the kids. Ben marched right up to Santa and told him he wants a Mr. The King car, then gave a big grin, took the candy cane and went on his way. Afton was brave enough to get on Santa's lap, then couldn't make a sound come out of her mouth after that. She WANTED to ask for a Princess dress, but didn't quite get it out. But at least she didn't cry. First year for that!

Ben super happy to be on Santa's lap:
Afton's brief moment of happy (too bad it turned out so blurry!):


Other than that we've been enjoying the snow and have been playing every day. We look forward to "gender day" when we find out if it's a boy or a girl I'm cooking. That comes right after Christmas and will be the best present ever. Since I forgot to put it in my earlier post, I'm due May 16, 2011.