Christmas

 Christmas Sunday

 I went to  my Mom's for a few days during Christmas break. My kids love playing with their cousins.

 The barefoot challenge. The tradition is that you have to run around the house in the snow with no shoes on. We used to do this all the time as kids, especially at night during sleepovers. Before the boys started, Dallin started chanting "We are men!! We are men!!" So funny.

 This picture is hanging on the wall at my Mom's house. This is Calli's wedding about 3 years ago. My mom made all the vests that the little boys are wearing! I love all the grandkids in this picture, they are adorable.

 I took the kids to the sledding hill that we used to sled down when we were kids. I spent so many hours here! It was fun to watch my kids enjoy it like I used to.

 Juliette looking at her cousin Adam.

 Visions of sugarplums...

 Edmond made the perfect snowball.

 Snow forts!

 Val brought some massive sugar cookie men for us to decorate.

On the last day that we were there my Mom put presents under the tree for my kids.

 Our Christmas card this year.

 On Christmas Eve we invited some friends over and had appetizers for dinner. It was fun to share this tradition with friends.

 At the last minute me and the kids made some paper chains out of wrapping paper, since most of my decorations and nice dishes are still packed.

 Beanie Boo's in the stockings. Tradition.

 Kids all got new riding toys this year.

 It aint Christmas unless you have sugar cereal for breakfast.

 More pictures out of order. Juliette and Dorothy above, they are the cutest little cousins! They play like best friends, and they are only one year old.

 

 

Winter

 B took Edmond up to the slopes to learn how to ski. The instructor taught his little class the basics and took them down a couple times, and then Edmond was on his own for the rest of the day. He was a natural and went down the hill at full speed for the entire day. B said that he was glad that he waited until Edmond was seven...he saw some parents up there with three years olds and they had to work with them all day. Edmond learned quick and was an independent skier within an hour. I was older (probably 10) when I learned to ski too, and it was easy.

 We'll take the kids up to ski a few more times this year, and probably get some season passes next year. We are loving living in the snow and being close to a ski resort! We are excited to teach the kids how to snowboard too, but we'll have them learn how to ski first. Seems like everyone I know (myself included) learned to ski and then learned how to snowboard. To me it seems like learning to snowboard is a little harder and the crashes are more painful...so we'll start with skiing.

 this picture is out of order and I'm too lazy to change that, but here is B making Grandma Great's fruitcake. It is so yummy!!!

 The wind where we live is unlike anything I have ever seen. It blew our trampoline over!!! See it in the background of the above picture? And look at all those tumbleweeds in front of our porch. Those collected there in one night.

 These tumbleweeds collected in front of our garage.

 Snow fun. We love the sled that Papa made us. We use it all the time and people stop me in the street to ask where I got it.

 Sugar cookies. Such a messy tradition, but the kids love it.

2015 Wrap-up

 I found these photos in my phone from a few months ago. We went to look at a house in the country and there was the cutest little swing on a tree, and the lighting was perfect, so I took some pictures of the kids.

 Edmond wanted me to take a picture of him climbing the tree. My boys always want me to take pictures of them climbing trees.

 Selfie!!

 We were coloring and listening to Christmas music when "Rockin' around the Christmas Tree" came on and the girls immediately jumped on the table and started dancing. Dancing on the table is not something that we allow, but I had to take a picture before I made them get down.

 Scarlett took some pictures of Juliette.

 I got Invisalign. My teeth were shifting, especially on the bottom, so I decided to get it fixed since it will only get worse with age. So far it's been fine. Teeth are such a pain. I've always wished that God would have made them more like fingernails, where they grow back over and over every time they get damaged. It's a bummer we only get two sets.

 Beautiful sunset.

 Boys sleeping together. Edmond gets in Charlie's bed all the time because he doesn't want to mess up his own bed and have to make it again in the morning.

 We paint a lot when the boys are at school.

 Scarlett had the camera for a bit and took a picture of the tree and some pictures of herself.

We had a friend over and it was all about superheroes and playdough for a couple hours.

 

My cousin Tara sent me this old picture of the two of us when we were kids. We had so much fun playing together!