Sledding!

My parents and Lara came to visit last weekend so we decided to go sledding. We got to enjoy the snow, the sun, hot chocolate, a nice fire and each other. It was a good day.

How we met! (Tagged by Jamie)

1. Where did we meet? We both went to American Fork High School.  I do remember thinking he was cute in high school, but we didn't officially meet until after high school through a mutual friend  at Pizza Hut where I worked at the time.
2. What was the first thought that went through your head when you met? HOT!
3. Do you remember what he/she was wearing? Nope.
4. Where was the first time you kissed this person? In Eagle Mountain outside his home in my car after coming home from a Tim McGraw concert in SLC.
5. Where did you go for your first date? The Lehi Rodeo... now I am really starting to sound like a REDNECK! haha
6. How long did you know this person before you became a couple? About 5 years after I knew of him.
7. How did he/she ask you out? He called me.
8. How did he propose to you? We ate at Rodigio Grill in SLC, then went up American Fork Canyon up to Tibble Fork. We walked around for a while and sat on a rock. After a while we went to the jeep to leave and he "supposedly" lost his keys so we had to go back to look for them by the rock. It was a set up; instead I found a Ring. It was fun.
9. Do you and this person have kids together? Yes, 4 very lively kids!
10. Have you ever broken the law with this person? No. Well not on purpose!
11. When was the first time you realized you liked this person? Before he went on his mission to Brazil.
12. Do you trust this person? Absolutely!
13. Do you see her/him as your partner in your future? Of course!
14. What is the best gift she/he gave you? 4 kids
15. What is one thing He/She does that gets on your nerves? His love for playing chess online on the computer.
16. Where do you see each other 15 years from now?  Enjoying watching our kids grow up and having fun along the way. Daniel will be working hard I am sure and hopefully I will be done or working on a college degree.
 17. What causes the most arguments? Dumb things that don't matter. 
18. Who do you tag? No one, you are all safe. :)

Our kids had their Christmas program last week, they did a good job and they were so cute. Here is a picture of the kids with Santa after the program.

 We had a lot of snow last week and had to shovel our way out on Thursday... I am sure it's not as bad as other places but it was a lot of snow for here in Caliente. 

Christmas

On Saturday it finally snowed! Our kids were so excited that they ran out to play in their bare feet. It has been snowing the past few days and we now have a lot of snow on the ground. It melts quick here so we will enjoy it while we can. I decided to put together a Christmas Card and post it here on our Blog.. Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday...

Hailey turned 7 yesterday! She had a birthday party and we all had a lot of fun. We love you Hailey!

Brazil

Here are some more pictures from Brazil.

View from our hotel.

Boat ride around Buzios.

Corcovado

Sugar Loaf tram.

Back home with our kids again! Thanks to everyone who helped watch our kids while we were gone. It means a lot to us.

Brazil

Here are some pictures from our trip to Brazil. It was a much needed vacation. It was nice to relax on the beach and tour Rio de Janeiro.

This is overlooking Rio de Janeiro from Corcovado. This is where the Christ statue stands.

We went to a soccer playoff game in Rio (Flamengo vs. Palmeiras; Flamengo's won). The soccer players are really good and the crowd really gets into the games, it was a lot of fun to watch. 

On the weekends they shut down the street next to Copacabana Beach so people can use it. We rented this 2 seater bike and biked to the end of the beach. 

Here we are on Copacabana Beach. It rained about half the time we were there, this day there weren't many people on the beach because of the rain.

We took a boat tour around a city called Buzios. It is just north of Rio de Janeiro. It is a pretty town.

Halloween!

The kids had a ton of fun trick or treating this year. The kids got too much candy,  and their pumpkins were full! We will have to monitor their intake so they don't get sick. haha! We sure had fun taking them around to the homes here. It was nice weather and no need for jackets so they didn't have to cover up their costumes.

Hudson aka "Jack Jack"

Harrison aka "Batman"

Hayden aka "Clone Trooper" (he made sure no one called him "Storm Trooper" haha)

Hailey aka "Spider Witch"

Las Vegas

Dan was in Las Vegas for a business trip last week. On Friday (Halloween) it was Nevada Day so the kids had the day off of school so on Thursday we decided to go and stay Dan's last night with him. The kids had a ton of fun, we went swimming and afterwards we went to eat and then went to a Pumpkin Patch with some friends of ours. The kids were sure worn out after the long day. Hailey did a bungee trampoline ride, she was a little scared but ended up having a lot of fun. They kids also got to jump and ride down a big blow up slide.. good times.

Hailey the Artist...

Today a neighbor of mine stopped by to let me know that Hailey won a poster contest. The contest is for the National Association of Conservation Districts with the theme of "Water is Life". Hailey took 2nd place for Lincoln County and won 1st PLACE for the State of Nevada (K-1st), he let me know that her poster is now being sent to the national contest! The school had the kids enter the contest so I didn't get to see what she has drawn, but my neighbor told me that they will be having a dinner for her and the other winners and I will be able to see a picture of it there. She will also receive a money reward from the County and the State. We are so proud of her! She has always told me that she wants to be an artist when she grows up. She practices drawing and painting all the time at home. Hailey, I love you!

Hudson

Hudson's birthday was on a Sunday. Unfortunately, the whole family was sick with the stomach flu and Hudson had it the worst. He was sick for a week, throwing up all over the place... poor guy. Boy are we glad that is over with.

Hudson didn't know what to do with the candle. He just stared at it until finally we had to blow it out for him.

Tagged by Chanda

4 Things I love about my husband

1. He loves me and tells me how beautiful I am.

2. At times he has to put up with my mood swings and he handles it very well. :) 

3. He is an awesome dad. The kids love to play with him and he tells them some great imaginative stories. 

4. He works hard for our family and is a great person to be around. 

4 Movies I would watch more than once

1. Lord of the Rings 

2. Gladiator (of course not the rated R version) :)

3. Dances with Wolves

4. Pride and Prejudice

4 TV shows I would watch more than once

1. Law & Order (the original)

2. Avatar- I know it's a kids show, but it is so good. In fact, M. Night Shyamalan is making a movie of it. It's due to release in the summer of 2010, so obviously I am not the only one who likes it.

3. The Mentalist

4. Til' Death

4 Places I have been (I am spoiled in this area)

1. Africa

2. Europe

3. Asia

4. South America

4 People who email me regularly

1. Lara

2. Amy

3. Daniel

4. The rest of my family

4 Favorite Foods

1. Lasagna

2. Ham & cheese sandwich

3. Roast & potatoes

4. Anything to do with Oreo desserts

4 Places I would like to visit

1. Brazil- Lucky me, Dan & I are going in November :)

2. Italy

3. Africa on a safari

4. Nepal to see the Himalayas

4 Things I am looking forward to this year

1. Going to Brazil in November

2. Finishing book 7 of Harry Potter

3. Thanksgiving with the family

4. Christmas

4 People I would like to tag

1. Lara Langi

2. Heather Christensen

3. Karyn Sonnenberg (tagging you back for last time) haha

4. Richard & Kara Higginson :)

Hudson makes it a year!

Hudson turned 1 year today amidst a total lack of fanfare.  We did buy him a new set of clothes and we will have some cake later today.  We do love this little guy a lot though.  He is our "spoiled" child.

I passed the Utah Bar!

Well, my nerves were edgy these last few weeks waiting for the Utah Bar results.  I didn't study much, mostly because I didn't have much time.  This morning Dave Mink (my cousin) called to let me know the results were out.  (Congratulations Dave for passing too!).  Fortunately I passed.  As soon as I told Hayden, he responded "when are we moving back to Spanish Fork?"  LOL--life is good.

Pioche Labor Day Celebration

This past weekend was the Pioche, NV Labor Day Celebration. Daniel volunteered to be in the dunking booth. The kids each had a turn dunking him and they thought it was the greatest thing ever! We also went to the parade and the kids got a lot of candy.