January is lame-o.

I think it's been a month since I have seen this blog last. I keep thinking of all the funny things I am forgeting to write down, but I deciding I don't need to beat myself up about it. Like President Hinkley said, "Just do your best." : D

(YES! I totally have an excuse...)

Besides, January is dumb. Especially Wednesday and Thursdays. Sunday and Monday have a spiritual high from church and FHE, Friday and Saturday = date nights and sleep-ins, but the middle of the week is just as fun as poo.
The one highlight of this month is watching Tyler play basketball. He's on the Junior Jazz team through the city and also a traveling team. As the biggest kid, he is the "ball stealer" under the net. I am needing to learn the game better because I have a feeling that I will be watching many more to come. His last game they scored 20 points. Tyler scored 16 himself. :) What a kid.
But the problem is that when I watch him play my heart bursts from love and pride and all those goody momma feelings. He still runs the way he ran when he was three. He raises his eyebrows to try and stop from crying. His feet are humongous and it makes me want to squeeze him in a tight momma bear hug. But I have been told that I can't say "You are SO adorable and cute" during half-time. We agreed on some code words that I am allowed to say instead, (but not during the game, only before and after). And so I now yell random things that I hear Nate yell, except I don't really know when to say them.

"Defense!"

"Box out!"

"You should've got that!"

Anyhoo...Here he is, #14:

 The Vernal newspaper came and took pictures, (except I didn't know he was a photographer from the newspaper). I thought, "If that guy can go under the net during the game, so can I!". So I did. :) Thank goodness no one yelled at me. hee hee

 Boy has it been a fight trying to teach Mason not to go past the black line. He's pushing the limits...

But the cutest thing is watching these two boys love each other. Last night around midnight I went and checked on them and Tyler was asleep in Mason's bed (bottom bunk) holding him in his arms all cuddled up. He also loves to rock him to sleep. Who cares that there are 9 years between them? They are best buds anyway....

December Party Time

December has lots'o'parties, and Vernal is hoppin with them. (Ok that's lame, but it's true). One of our favorite winter activities is a dance game where you follow the tv and shake your booty. I FINALLY got Nate on video. But I promised I wouldn't show it, so I will share a picture. (hee hee).

 

 We played with our Stucki cousins which included a "theatre performance". Not sure what this play was called, but it was fun to watch!

 I love good friends. Each kid invited a buddy (including me :) and we had a gingerbread-making bingo-playing candy-eating movie-watching party while the husbands were out of town. Fun-o. :)

 Piano recitals are always in December. Tyler and Hailey did great. :) They had to pick out of a hat to see what the order was, and Hailey got to go first.

 After a trip to Great-Grandma Stucki's house in Las Vegas, Hailey and Emma got to pick out one of her porcelain dolls that she makes. We went into the "doll room" to pick one out and Emma freaked out. Boxes and boxes of doll heads, arms, feet... Kind of like a horror movie. BUT, they picked out two dolls that were all put together and added them to their growing collection of "glass dolls."

 Mason and cousin Lucy-Bug at the Children's Museum in Vegas.

 Aunt Shimmy and Bo. Babies love the sandpaper chins.

 Grandma Linda had a talent show in Vegas, and I had to snap this picture of Emma and Maddie. Only the mothers could tell them apart from the back. :) They are little stick-bums. :) (P.S.I will save the videos from some of the other talents for later use. haha. This includes Hawaiian dancing and clogging.)

So this family picture was ridiculously hard to get. We tried ten minutes before church to snap a picture, but those ten minutes are always so stressful so we said we would try after church. Well, after church was even worse and Mason was not having it, but after a small temper tantrum we took TWO pictures, thankfully the second was decent. This sure was a "party" to get.