Chopping Down the Christmas Tree

We went to Price the day before Thanksgiving to buy a $5 tree permit. We then drove to 30 min down the road and began our search for the perfect tree. The kids loved running through the snow, and I was hoping the pick of the year wouldn't be found at the bottom of a ravine, 40 minutes of walking away from the van (yea, we've done that before). We found some options, but Andi insisted we keep looking. (I'm sure it was because of her keen 5 year old sense of knowing that we could find the tree meant just for us, and not because she just liked running in the snow!) So, with Andi as our guide, we did find the perfect tree! Nate cut it down, and then our own personal tree measurer did his job. Cam is over 6'3'' now, and before we left home we had him reach up and see how much taller the tree could be than his hand. After the tree was laying in the snow, he got to stretch out beside it and make sure we cut it to the correct length. So helpful! The tree got tied to the top of the van, and home we came. It was a great day!

Andrea and Tiffany's dance

Tiffany and Andrea take creative dance classes at BYU - I teach both of their classes. Each year, children are invited to create their own dances. They show the dances to the program director, and if the dance is chosen, the children perform in one of two evening performances at the Richards building on campus. The girls were chosen to perform in both shows. This is from the first show, and not quite as good as the second time, but still cute. They don't get a chance to practice on the stage, so it can be challenging to not get a bit turned around. It is called "Primary Jamboree", and the song is done by Inside Out.

Red is not our color!

This is the view we had on the lawn outside our front door.
It says "GO UTES 11-0"

This one says "Utes #1"

Here it is - our red Y. The top part doesn't look as red in this picture, because Nate was trying to wash it off with hot water. It got rid of the frost, not the red. Nathan mowed the lawn after the game to get rid of the red, but some neighbors thought it was mowed off because BYU lost so miserably. They obviously don't know my husband very well - he is a die hard BYU fan, come what may. Just not into a red lawn. I didn't get my camera out before we threw away the 14 or 15 cans of red spray paint stacked neatly on the front porch. My children are so lucky they got to hear the "don't vandalize" talk throughout the day. They loved it, and were grateful for the opportunity to hear it!

Things one shouldn't have to hear in the morning...

7:43 am "Mom, I have a note that says I can't go back to school until I bring in a record of my 7th grade immunizations."
"Ok then. Let's pull out the paper and make a copy."
Come to find out, we didn't have a copy of the immunizations.
"Why didn't you tell me about this after school yesterday, when we could have gone down and picked up a copy for you to take today?"
"Well, you were busy, and I didn't want to bother you."
"Why did we only get one night to do this?"
"Well, yesterday they pulled us out of class if we didn't have the shot record turned in. One of my friends got pulled out, but his mom had dropped the form off in the morning, so he went back to class."
"So, they told you about this last week."
"Oh yea, but I forgot."
7:45 am - the time he should have left for the bus.
7:48 am - the bus has now left the corner....but it doesn't matter, because we have to wait until 8:00 am, when the pediatric office opens and we can get a print out of the shots, and then go check him in to school, AFTER giving the office the magical form that allows him to go back to class.
Isn't it nice to know that our children are safe from un-immunized children. I now have proof!

How cute!

Yesterday Andi informed me that all of her dolls had a new name for the day...Chiwawa. OK then! Perhaps this is a not so silent cry for a longed for dog. I'm ok with dolls named chiwawa, since I don't do dogs.

Champion bowling night. Jas turned twelve on Friday, and we went to BYU to eat and go bowling. We had a great time - and we LOVE the gutter bumpers!!

Halloween kids

It was a beautiful Halloween night with a fairy, nerd, cell phone and genie. Our neighborhood is fabulous! The kids went trick or treating, and I felt like it was a ward social! How often do we go door to door to say hi, and visit with ALL our neighbors as we pass on the street?