2010 Wrap Up

Wow! Another year bites the dust! What a year it was... full of ups and downs and twists and turns and honestly part of me is glad to be moving on. But also grateful for the ability to look back and be humble and grateful for trials (well some trials) and have the ability to look at them and want them to shape and mold me and allow the Lord to teach me the things I need to learn so that I can walk through the refiners fire. So that's how I am looking at it... 2010 (especially the beginning and the end) was a chance to be refined :) And I hope and pray I can be a better person and be able to take my experiences and share them for the good or with others that might need someone who can understand.
So on to some more fun things... Top movies for us- Well honestly I think the kids movies were my favorites this year... How to Train your Dragon, Karate Kid, Toystory 3 and Tangled were all so awesome and ones that I fell in love with as well! Ryan loved Inception and Sherlock Holmes. We both also liked Date Night, and Iron Man 2. And that's about all I can think of that were really that impressive. Music... well for us any new Blackeyed Peas were a must listen, we loved Rihanna and Katy Perry this year, Taio Cruz, Jay-Z and Alisha Keys New York song, and Miley Cyrus' song party in the USA. None of our teams did much of anything to speak of. We found out Brett Favre is a man slut, which all of poor Ryan's sports hero's are ending up to be that way :0.
All family and friends are doing well and we continued to strengthen all of those relationships. We continue to love where we live and pray that that will continue. Ryan didn't get any moving violation tickets this year.... HOORAY!!!!! and I think his favorite parts about this year were getting his Bronco and coaching football. One of my favorites was hiking the Subway with my family! For me this year was just about keep on keepin on. I tried my best to embrace my family and friends and start to develop some hobbies and interests. My kids are all in great health and excelling in their lives which as a mom helps me to feel accomplished, even though its really there accomplishment, but some how it makes me feel good to know that they are doing so good and on the right course!
New Years EVE we had the Schenks over for some fun. Of course there was yummy treats to eat, card games and movies to watch. It was a great way to close out the year, lots of fun and laughter in the comforts of your own home. We are lucky to have such great friends.
Looking forward to 2011 I feel hope and excitement and a calmness that the Lord will direct our lives if we but let Him and stay outta the way. I love looking forward to all my kids stuff they have going and continuing to strengthen me and Ryan's relationship. And I think for the first time in a long time I am going to try and put some of me first too! Thank you 2010 but don't let the door hit ya on the butt on the way out :)

Christmas

Favorite parts of the day!!! -The kids were so nice to each other in the morning taking turns and being grateful for their gifts! -Ella asked who every present was from all day and then shouted out a big thank you to them! - Christmas breakfast... breakfast casserole and orange pull- a-parts. -Kids wish lists were all complete and they had a great day! - Ryan got me my totally not needed and irrational but so wanted and couldn't stop thinking about it ever since I saw it white dress coat!!!!! -Loved surprising him with his watch, which he loves and hasn't stopped wearing! - Mason riding his new bike from Nana and Papa. -Mason being excited to start snowboarding. - I want Ella's new boots for me. -Mason spent the whole next day building his new Lego ship. 7 hours straight and didn't even take time to eat! Love gifts that they get lost in! -Ella trying to figure out a name for her American Girl doll. The possibilities were Mocklie, Aillie, Emily, or Ellie; I am hoping for Ellie or Emily :) -Claire couldn't stop opening presents. It didn't matter who it was to or from. -Uncle Craig actually stayed awhile at my parents to chat with us! -Lots of smiles and laughs. -Major Nerf gun wars all day with Masons 2 new guns. -Johnny's crazy wrapped present to me which literally took me 20 minutes to open and find a picture of what my present actually was. -Claire dragging her new puppy around all day. -Surprised it only took 1 hour for Claire's new barn (which is fabulous) to get colored on with markers:)-Ryan and I crashing together at the end of it all to Christmas Vacation feeling totally blissful! What a great day full of family, gifts, traditions, good food, fun, laughter and memories.! Lets hope I took enough pictures to tell the story!

eVe

I love Christmas eVe almost as much as I love Christmas! Rich with traditions and lots of laughter, I look forward to this day every year! I love thinking about Santa coming and getting ready for him. As a little girl we would go to my Grandma Gerri's house at night for dinner and bingo (usually winners got a yummy big candy bar and bragging rights for the night) and to open our gifts from her, and then to Christmas street and Bible street on the way home! The last 6 years or so, when my grandma got sick and passed away, we have moved it to my parents house for the same traditions... a yummy dinner, Bingo (only now its "high stakes" or "white elephant" bingo), Christmas jammies for the kids, and sibling gift exchange!
Also now on Christmas eVe, we get to go to a brunch with Ryan's family in the morning and get our Christmas jammies! This year we went to Kneaders for our yummy breakfast (love their french toast and caramel syrup and really love their hot chocolate! its my favorite right now! I can't get enough of it, and don't even wanna think of the calorie content) and had a fun time chatting it up and I must say the pick on the jammies this year was awesome! My kids and I have lived in them ever since we got them! Thanks Steph!









On to my parents for lots of laughs and good food... on the menu were my famous ribs, turkey and ham, potato salad, beans, corn, and my chocolate cake for dessert! The kids loved their jammies and had a great time running, literally running around and screaming, with their cousins. Mackay and Dallas looked awesome in the Christmas sweaters! And we had a great time at Bingo this year! Mitchell won the best gifts... Dallas put in the funniest pictures of my parents making faces and Mitchell got both of them at different times! too funny... Brodie got the Tow Nutz, that were meant for my dads Vespa, but still funny. Mason won the bopit, Ryan won the LaCaille gift card and I got a neck massager! PERFECT!!! Mitchell also put in the most exciting gift... a picture of their sonogram of their new baby due in July!!! So excited for them. So that makes all 4 of my brothers having a baby next year! I cant tell you how hard we laughed all night! Contributing to the laughs was the present that all us kids went in on for my parents... we converted some of their home video tapes to DVDs for them. So after dinner we started watching them! Major laughs! I was sooooooo grumpy as a 14 year old! Unbelievable! all I can say is... my poor parents! But we loved listening to what brats we were and taking a trip down memory lane! It was a great night and a fun way to start the Christmas festivities!

Maaco Bowl

So I guess if you dangle a sideline pass and a boys trip to Vegas Ryan will turn into a Ute fan for a day! Alan is a lucky enough to have sideline passes to the Utah games and for the holiday bowl this year he took Ryan, Marshall and Troy with him to go and play with the big boys on the sidelines. Jeff and his brothers were also down there for the game so that made it even more tempting for Ry to go! Now why it had to happen on the week of Christmas is beyond me and was not my favorite time for him to go but it all worked out for the best... he got a fun boys trip and I got 3 days 2 nights to get everything around here done! Cleaning, the rest of Christmas shopping and all the wrapping done! So it worked out good for the both of us... even if I did miss him tons! The boys had a great time... even if the Utes lost to Boise State (which I don't think Ryan felt too bad about :) but fun for all!

Christmas Cookies

I love having the neighborhood kids over every year to decorate Christmas cookies! Its total craziness with a mess of frosting and sprinkles to clean up after but one that I wouldn't trade for anything! I am so blessed to live by such great people and my kids have just the best kids and friends that surround them! This year we had the Bye family, Brennys, Lomus, Housleys, Leroys, and Schenks... a total of 20 kids under the age of 8, and 6 dozen cookies to decorate. What a party! Hope they all had fun! Merry Christmas!