Annual Dessert Auction

Every year for the past 3 or 4 years, the scouts have held an annual Spaghetti feed and Dessert Auction as a fundraiser for Scout camp. This year, the money was used for the Trek the ward is going on. This annual dinner was held last night and the boys were prepared. They came up with some fun ideas for cakes, to auction off. The following are the pictures of the boys with their "projects". It was a successful auction, I was really pleased with the boys and their impressive work!

Bryon's Uof O football cake. Didn't he do a great job!?! The first cake he ever did himself!

Tyler's muddy worm brownie dessert, also done on his own. If you have never had one of these, you have to make them for a child's party sometime, they are always a delight!

Jeremy and his hot dog cake...a little help from Mom!

St. Patrick's Day at Our House

Okay, so truthfully, I would probably surpass many holidays or special occassions if it weren't for my children! For this I am truly grateful for the excitement they bring into every occassion. For any of you that followed my blog last year, you know that we started new traditions for St. Patrick's day. The children came home claiming there was a leperchaun that pays visits to any house where someone puts clover under there pillows...they were right! Last year and this year we had one visit and leave a treat for them where the clover was tucked neatly and readily under their headrest. So, they started out the morning beaming as they entered the kitchen with their chocolatey gold treat and awaited their breakfast of green eggs and ham (the only time their mother makes it). Apparently festivities continued at school and thereafter here at home where they wanted to make sugar cookie cutouts of clover with fun sayings on them. They even carried a cat cage around with them hoping to capture some lucky leperchaun that might still be lurking about. For dinner we enjoyed a lasagna with garlic bread, green salad, lemon-lime kool-aid, lime jell-o, spinach, and pistachio pudding for dessert after which they headed out for Young Mens and Scouts. It was a fun day. Thank goodness for the excitement and bright hopes of wonderful children!

Green eggs and ham breakfast

Alyssa lends style to the occassion!

Michael and Justin contributed in the spirit of fun.

The children and their neighbor friend decorate and (eat) the sugar cookies.

Jeremy's festive table setting! Isn't he amazing?!!

Celebrations of Life!

Okay, so I am very bad at keeping up on blogging. It isn't that there aren't enough things going on in our family, actually quite contrary, which is probably why I am so bad about it! But this morning as I was cleaning the much neglected kitchen cabinets, I thought of all the many things we do in our lives that we don't share. There is so much to be grateful for! There has been a period of time that I just figured no one was reading or cared about our blog...but in the end, I have decided that it doesn't really matter. Does it? What matters is that we recognize our blessings and share them with those we love. So I'm starting to do that today. After all, it's somewhat like a scrapbook, wouldn't you say? I thought I'de start with Valentine's day. Here's to those we love!

                                                      The boys eating their Valentine cupcakes

Alyssa adding the sprinkles.

See the flowers behind her? For some reason I can't find the picture I took of them. They were my gift from Steve. I gave him a heart full of See's chocolates. Also I was unable to find the picture of the boys Valentines'. It is a tradition to make cards and give them away to one another. The morning of Valentine's day, the children look forward to going into the bathroom and finding a Valentine gift from Mom and Dad sitting on the counter with handmade cards for each one of them. What would life be without traditions? They are something we can count on and look forward to, don't you agree?

Our Christmas memories...

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

A Surprise!

And...IT'S ANOTHER GIRL!!! Can you believe that after 5 boys we even got a girl, much more, we were able to follow that recipe a second time in a row?! We are thrilled. The boys really wanted another sister. We all think it will be good for Alyssa. I think she and Justin have the best spot in the family. I really loved having sisters just older than me and brothers just younger. I got to do all the boy AND girl things. We feel really blessed and cannot believe how soon the baby is expected to be here! This has been one of the best pregnancies and has gone by really fast. She is expected May 1st and will be here before we know it. Just working on names now...any suggestions?!

Christmas Festivities!

Ward Christmas Party: Sitting on Santa's lap, whispering wishes for Christmas joy!

Of course Christmas time is one of our favorite times of the year! We enjoy the marshmallow roasting, woodburning fires, candy canes and Christmas tree pickings, (although we opted for our old reliable fake one this year). There's lots of Christmas shopping and envelope stuffing, package mailing and cookie baking. I can't wait to get started...

Last night Justin placed the star on the already bare bottomed Christmas tree. We are now down 4 or more beautiful bulbs that Alyssa took care of for us and the stockings are hung by the chimney with care and lists for Santa of impossible gifts in the minds of our little ones. Sugar plums? If it was only that easy! Hopes have dropped as we have declared a "no electronics Christmas". As we ran down the children's list, Steve declared, "what ever happened to tommy wants a ball?" and my declaring, " and Suzie wants a doll?!" Think we were being silly? Quite possibly, in a seriously incredulous way! We have hopes they will find that the packages they recieve will contain gifts that make them forget that they didn't recieve those electronic devices and rather encouraged interaction and relationship strengthening games and toys instead. As Christmas draws nearer, I have been opting to make my Christmas a little less stressful and focus more on those things that add the Peace and Joy we hear ever so much about this time of year. I have been extremely mindful of President Monson and Uchdorf's talks last Sunday in the Christmas devotional. Let's keep it simple, and full of meaning. So far, it's a lot better than last year's December. At least for me!

Today I am Thankful

Yesterday was Thanksgiving day and also Steve's and my 18 year anniversary. As I look back at those years, my heart is just full of gratitude for the love that has only grown and strengthened and increased over those years. Boy has the time gone so fast! I guess that 's the way you feel when you are happily married to the man of your dreams. We are so blessed in so many ways. All Novemeber long, I reflected and thought of my blessings and tried to figure out what I was most grateful for, only to find more blessings and that it was even harder to figure out which one was the greatest. When it comes down to it, I have decided I'm thankful for the Gospel in my life. If it weren't for the gospel of Jesus Christ, I never would have made the choices I made and been where I am today. So here is to 18 wonderful years and all the beautiful lives that have become symbols of the love which has grown through those precious years! Happy Anniversary to my sweetheart and wonderful children I am truely grateful for all of you.