Christmas 2013

Living close to family and friends this Christmas made for a very busy holiday season, but a very merry one as well.  I love being able to be a part of our extended family traditions, but still come home to our own house and have our family traditions as well.  We started off the festivities with my family's annual brunch at Little America.  It was so great to have everyone together and the food was delicious too!

My oldest Sis and her cute family at Little America

My cute family!!

Big thanks to Nana and Papa who organize this fun event for all of us to enjoy!!

Sherman had fun playing musical laps.

Got to love that smile.

I had the pleasure of sitting at the table with my dear grandma and Schuyler.  I love these two so much and am glad to be a part of their holidays.  We miss Grandpa James each day, but it hits especially hard at family gatherings and holidays.  Our hearts are with him and I know he's with us.  We miss you Grandpa and wish you were still here.  His AMAZING GRACE lives on forever.

We were lucky enough to have Gma Judith and Papa Sherm spend the night with us Christmas Eve.  Here they are watching a special movie about Jesus' Birth.  So glad they were willing to sleep in the guest room and be a part of our festivities.  

Santa delivered for the boys...

...and mom and dad

Lots of candy and smiles Christmas morning

Look who showed up Christmas morning...aaah!

Later in the afternoon on Christmas day we headed to gma and gpa's house for Christmas Dinner.  The cousins had a great time playing with each other and even though most kids did not have snow clothes, they ventured out to the sleds!

All the fun might be catching up with him!

Everett's Christmas Program

Everett did an amazing job singing in his Christmas Program.  It was so fun to see all the kid's smiles and even have a visit from Santa.  Everett had a twinkle in his eye and a glowing smile while Santa entertained the kids for about 5 minutes!  Such a great way to surprise the kids at the end of their program.  I love you Everett and am so grateful that you do your best at life!  You're an amazing singer!!

Thanksgiving in Cabo

My parents invited us to spend Thanksgiving in Cabo with them and we said YES!  We had such a great time relaxing by the pool, eating tacos from the taco bar, running a 5k, and sliding down the giant slip n' slide.  Great family memories in an amazing location!

These photos speak for themselves, warm sand, beautiful view, amazing kids!

The kids could not get enough of this slip n' slide!  Such a simple, yet brilliant idea!

Nana and Sherman hanging out in the condo!  Check out that view!

The man of my dreams! Happy Thanksgiving sweetheart!  You give me so much to be grateful for. 

Everett became really great pals with this Life-Guard, Luis.  Luis taught him the solar system in the sand.  He also let Everett change the flags every night before he left his station.

Gma Jackie's Annual Pumpkin Carving Party!

 Grandma Jackie outdid herself again!  We all had a fantastic time at the annual pumpkin carving party and contest.  Everett was so happy that he won a ribbon!  There were some great pumpkins this year - a cat, a haunted house, a Darth Vader, and many more.  Thanks Grandma Jackie for dinner, treats, carving supplies, and so much love!  We love you!!

Sitting by his pumpkin that is half covered by his arm.

 A quick hug from our fantastic host!!

 Soaking up all the fun!

 Hanging with one of his favorite cousins!

Beautiful Soccer Day!

Everett was a star at his last soccer game.  He's come a long way from his first game.  He loves chasing the ball, has scored several goals, and is always "at cause" with the game.  Way to go Everett - we love watching you play and having fun with your friends.  We're proud of all that you accomplish.  

Gma and Gpa Butters came to support!  Lil Sherm always finds his way onto to Gpa Sherm's lap!

Waiting for the ball

Re-fueling!

Ready to go back in!

Action Shot - go Everett go!

Star Valley

We just returned home from a magical weekend in Star Valley, Wyoming.  Our good friends The Hansen's invited us to join them at their cabin for the weekend and we are so glad we could attend.  The boys made memories to last a lifetime with great friends!  I love seeing my boys running around and enjoying the beautiful earth we live on.  My boys were in heaven.  They shot bb guns, road 4-wheelers, putted on the golf course, collected leaves, played star wars, watched movies, played ski ball, and ran and ran and crashed! Thanks Christian and Ashlee for the fantastic weekend!

The 4-wheelers were a huge hit!  The boys loved riding around the cabin and driving around looking for deer.  Sherman kept asking: "pet it, pet it".  Sadly we were never able to get close enough.

Dad is the best driver!

 These boys could not be happier.

 And just in case riding a 4-wheeler wasn't cool enough, Everett got to drive his very own 4-wheeler around the cabin all by himself.  He and Carter did hundreds of loops and never tired!  

Love this little adventure seeker!

Sherman Turns 2

Sherman is Two!  Can you believe it?  I can't!  The first two years are some of the most exhausting, but they also fly by so quickly.  Sherman is a delightful, witty little toddler.  He loves to be silly.  If anyone is laughing he starts laughing too.  He loves to be tickled and he LOVES his dad.  He loves keeping up with the big boys - when it comes to playing catch and jumping on the tramp he can hop in and play with the 4 year old's no problem.

Sherman loves animals; especially horses.  Almost everyday he says "Nay...Nay...Farm..."  It's his way of asking to go down to our local petting farm to ride the horses.

We're so glad you're in our family Sherman and love you so very, very much!!

The Birthday Boy with his fishy cake!

 Brother is always close by to help...especially when there's cake!

 Happy Birthday's been sung and it's fair game to stick your fingers in the cake!

Sherman on his 2nd Birthday!

Riding the horsey...he never wants to get off!

Backyard Campout

Our dad is the best, most spontaneous dad ever.  Last night we got home late from Grandma and Grandpa's house and as mom was getting Sherman ready for bed dad surprised Everett and set up the tent in the rain in the backyard!  While Ryan set up the tent, Everett watched and kept excitedly asking me what dad was doing. Ryan finally told him they could sleep in it - he was sooooooooo excited.  Fun night!

Sleep Tight!

Hawaii At Last

 After many long hours of fairly uneventful travel, we made it to Hawaii!!  We were so excited to hit the beach and enjoy the beautiful ocean.  Our time there was short, but we did our best to cram a lot of fun in!!

 Everett Climbing a Tree by our hotel

 The best Family Photo we have from the trip.  We loved our evening walks to the strip mall for frozen yogurt.  Great Island treat for the whole family.  The boys had so much fun running on the board walk, playing in the grass, sand, ocean, and pool.  Such great memories.

 My sweet Aunt Amy helping me with the boys as we explored the Iao Needle.  Right when we arrived at the state park it started pouring rain.  We've been here so many times, but never rain.  This time it really felt like a rain forest!  The boys loved it.  

 Eating at our favorite breakfast restaurant - The Gazebo.  The boys had fun making silly glasses while they waited for their food.  

 Beach Time!  Everett tried snorkeling and loved seeing the fish.  Daddy jumped off black rock several times, and mommy held down the fort on the shore.  For those of you who know me well, I semi conquered my sand phobia this trip.  You'd be proud :)!

 The Banyan Trees are always a big hit.  The boys had fun climbing and exploring these very strange trees where the roots grow from the branches to the ground.  

 Look at these handsome guys!

After they were done exploring the Banyon Trees we headed to Cheeseburger and Paradise for a burger and 4th of July fireworks over the ocean.  Great Trip! Fun Memories!