Temple Lights

We switched things up this year and it worked like magic. 

Gorgeous night!

Gingerbread Palooza

 What Jon (pretty sure he's speaking for all the guys) thinks of the mandatory group shot.

 I think we need to keep Jamie in charge of setting up where the camera is placed. 

But I like that her leg got in the shot.

And Bree with the double bunny ears to an unsuspecting Jer.

She's so sneaky.

Loved all the creations of the night!!!

And especially loved that Jer missed a meeting to be there:)

Piano Recital December 2011

The kids did great once again!  This year they turned it up a notch and memorized 3 songs each.  That is no small feat and I am so proud of them and how hard they work.  

 Denise and I also did a little duet, Sleigh Ride, this year.  It was really good for me to have to learn a new piece and to have to play it in front of people. That is definitely not my thing, but it is good to have to stretch and do hard things.  

And we made it through without having to stop:).

Thanks Denise for letting us be guest at your recital it was fabulous!

Adult Christmas Dinner

DELICIOUS Dinner, hilarious games, great gifts and staying later than we should have made for a fabulous night.  This might be one of my favorite parties of the year!

Chocolatey Yum Day

Loved having the girls over to do some dippin!

So glad I did because I might not have otherwise known that:

 I need to change the setting on my camera. 

Maryann thinks she can have a real one, not just the leftover bits and pieces.

 Jamie is driving a new car, so you have to watch for her.

 Riley does not like where her new balls are.

And dipping over 100 pretzels is WAY more FUN with FRIENDS!!!

These girls are LIFESAVERS!

I am SOOO lucky to have such sweet friends!

Jon Schmidt, Steven Sharp Nelson, & Long Lost Friends

Thanks to Denise, I was able to take the kids to one of the coolest piano/cello concerts I have ever been to!  And as if it could get any better, we ran into these guys!  

Loved seeing them!!

 These two heard piano like they've never heard it before.  Jon Schmidt played with is head, his arms, his feet and even upside-down.  I think their favorite part was either hearing David Guetta's "Without You", or the Coldplay song.  Or it might have been when they merged 'The Sun'll Come Out Tomorrow' with some Star Wars Imperial March song.  It was pretty phenomenal.  These guys are crazy talented. My favorite was when they pulled a young volunteer out of the audience to do an impromtu duet with Jon. 

The kid was AMAZING.  Such an impressive night.

But who am I kidding? The ultimate favorite part was seeing the Sheppards:) 

(and I was a little giddy because guess who was sitting 3 rows behind us? The AZ young mother of the year who also happens to be my favorite blogger.)

So mad I didn't get a picture with Denise since she's the reason we ended up at the concert.

Thanks Denise, it was an incredible night!!

Wintery Date Night

 Feeling the winter chill and holiday spirit in the air, Jamie laid out the perfect date night ...

(perfect except for two people who were missing argh!)

Yummy dinner, crisp walk, fabulous lights, cozy fire, planning session, outer space enlightenment, and setting up the Riley/Jamie one-on-one b-ball match made for a delightfully relaxing evening. 

So glad that valet made us go back for more. 

Gingerbread Houses with YW

 Hollie with her amazing planning and thinking ahead got gingerbread houses for each girl. 

And they had a ball making the most creative little houses ever!

Might just be the cutest group of girls ever. 

Happy Ri Day!

Or should I say Ri-month as it is better known around here?

Your birthday lunch was tricky you might say....

first, securing the date, then finding a table for 10, being rescued by the nice man who moved for us, then moving again, and being locked in with no refills (Kathleen and Sarah came through with the save phew).
But it was all worth it to have a partyin lunch to celebrate you!
And since you put the kibosh on the toast let's just take a moment here to say...

To Riley: 

She's always the first one to volunteer to help with anything...whether you're moving, cleaning, or being rubbed by a cat.  She'll chauffeur you, go to lunch with you, cook for you, or host a party for you like she's Martha herself.  She will even take you to gno when you're brand new, and still be your friend after feeding your husband and daughter when you're a no show. She's the first one to build you up when you're having a crummy day, she makes you laugh (especially when certain words make her laugh), and she forgives you when you slip up and leak out certain very important surprises. And tho she may not sing with you (or her husband) she can whip out an ornament like nobody's biz.  This girl has hidden talents.
(She can even pull off date nite with a migraine.)
Cannot believe we've been friends for over 5 years now. It has been a blast, you make life so fun!!

Can't even begin to say how lucky I am to have you for a friend!!! 

We love you Riley!!!

Happy Birthday!!!

Recording Artist and Art Artist

 There's Jake playing the recorder in the school concert.  

He was jammin.

 They sounded amazing playing song after song....very impressive!

And Breezy displayed her artwork out in the hall...this girl has skills.

And they both have some pretty fabulous teachers too I might add!

First Santa Sighting..

 was at the ward Christmas party on Friday night.  

Luke was questioning the authenticity of this jolly bearded man...I think he might have been on to something.

He was reluctant to sit on his lap, so he stood beside him and told him he wanted a toy for Christmas.

He's so easy to please!

And even Bree got in on the action.  

I keep thinking it will be her last year, but then I saw Rachel Crook and Sydney Potter paying a visit to him, so maybe she has a few years left in her yet:)

And as to what she asked for?

A microphone

and

Two airplane tickets for me and her to go see Rachel and Brad in Florida.

Crossing my fingers that Santa delivers on that one!

We missed Jer and Jake who were having a ball on a scout campout.

But we had a fabulous Sunday today.  

We all piled up in my bed and read stories together.  

My favorite Sunday in a long time:)!

Hiking Camelback

 Pre-hike pic.  Aw they were looking forward to a nice little stroll up the mountain.

About halfway there we took a little break.

 And to our surprise, we ALL made it!  

Luke sang Humpty Dumpty had a great fall all the way up the mountain. 

Jake did not like that one bit.

 Could not have been a more beautiful day!

 Incredible view!

 I think the way down was even harder than going up.  

Definitely scarier.

Everyone was a trooper, but I think Luke and Jer might have won the prize.  

Jer was so patient with him and Luke just walked and hummed the whole way.  

The rest of us had some pretty fine moments too:

Jake's 100% chance you'll die if you fall from here call,  telling Adam about the Phoenician, Jer telling me to get lost, telling all the runners they could do better, Riley giving a "smile and nod" to a strange man who didn't know Jon was just behind him, breaks with Britt, Jer taking the inside track, Jon helping Luke only to get denied, just 10 more minutes to the top (x10),  getting dark way too quick, cell phone calls and taxis home, and the freakish man that claimed Breanna was long lost clear up the mountain all by herself.  

But best of all was going grungy to Barros and not caring one bit!

 Loved that half of Anthem just happened to be there too.

Thanks Mums for pushing us to the top, we loved it.

Making this an annual event for sure!