Sad Sunday

We received a sad phone call this evening informing us of the passing of President Gordon B. Hinckley. What a great man and great leader. His influence has been felt not only throughout the church, but to people all over the world. He will always hold a special place in our hearts. Let us all do a little better in honor of him!

The Last and Best of the Birthdays...

This one turned out OK...hmm Alex or Tanner?

Not sure who took this one . . . lovely, isn't it?

The last birthday we celebrated this month was the most important... that being the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ! It was a different Christmas for us this year because we made the decision to not travel anywhere and just stay home. We had just driven home for Thanksgiving and for Grandpa Glazier's birthday, so the thoughts of spending another 2 days on the road and in the car felt overwhelming. In some ways it was a bitter sweet. Sweet, because it was nice to be able to spend time with our own little family to create our own traditions and not having to add the stress of traveling to our schedule. Bitter, because we love to be with our extended family and love to celebrate and share this wonderful season with them. We really felt like we were missing out on so many family events. On Christmas Eve, we decided to drive up to the Mesa Temple to see the lights and nativities. The crowds were light and considering it was the end of December it was pretty warm. I always associate seeing the temple lights with being completely bundled up - I think I went in flip flops, but I have digressed! The boys decided to be photographers and took turns taking pictures with the camera. We've got some lovely shots! Pictures of legs, sidewalks, Mary and Joseph with their heads missing, half a donkey...you get the picture. But, they had fun! After the temple, we thought we'd find a restaurant and sit down for a nice dinner before heading home. And truthfully, I was not in the mood nor prepared to cook a big dinner for basically two and then 3 separate short orders! So, we searched high and low for a restaurant with it's doors open - no luck, not even the local Chinese food joint! Good thing for Albertsons! I madly dashed in grabbed a few things and we headed back home. So much for having somebody else make dinner! The remainder of our evening consisted of making a quick, last-minute, not memorable Christmas Eve dinner, baking cookies for Santa, sprinkling reindeer dust on the lawn and deciding to read and act out the nativity on Christmas Day because the mother was exhausted and there were still hours of wrapping ahead! Even though the day ended a little chaotic and tiring, I hope the kids will have good memories of being near the temple and understanding it's importance and understanding the significance of Christ's birth. This is truly a great birthday to celebrate!

The Double Bash!

After speaking with our physician the other day, this may have been a big mistake for the middle child, but what is done is done! In between the two birthdays, we had a double birthday bash for the boys at Amazing Jakes! Aside from it being complete chaos for us as parents, I think the boys and their friends had a great time. They were able to miniature golf, ride go-karts, bumber cars, play laser tag and at this point I can't remember everything else (it is all a big blur :-). As much fun as it was, I think next year we are sticking to cake and ice cream at home! Phew! Two birthdays down and one to go!

It's Your Day To Celebrate Alex!

So six days after Tanner's birthday comes our next celebration. Did I mention December is busy? Alex is now the Big 5! He is our funny little man that we love so much! He has been going to Kindersteps this year and has made some giant leaps in learning. He won't admit it, but he is becoming our resident mathematician. He loves to count and can even do some multiplication. For example, he explained to me the other day that we needed to take 2 water bottles for all the members in our family. With there being 5 members in our family, he would need to get 10 bottles of water for all of us! Maybe he will follow in Grandpa Russ's footsteps! He also is getting very good at all the XBOX 360 Star Wars games and could probably play for hours and hours if his mother would let him. Alex enjoys building Star Wars Lego sets too! Our house seems to be filled with everything Star Wars! I love that he loves his little sister Madison and I overheard him the other day telling her "Don't worry, I'm your big brother and I'll take care of you!" Even though in the background I could hear her yelling, "quit pinching me!" We love you Alex!

On To The Birthdays - Happy Day Tanner

Still loving Star Wars
Thanks to the Riggs' Family - we have all the tools to find Scorpions!

As you all know, life can be pretty crazy in December all on it's own. So, when you pack two more birthdays in (yes, I know ... we just take 'em when we get 'em!) let's just say it makes for an extra crazy month! Tanner turned 9 this year. Wow! It is hard for me to believe how fast the time goes! It is amazing to watch him learn new things and see how he is becoming more and more capable. He is a good big brother to Alex and Madison. Nate and I were just talking about when he might be a good babysitter...soon, but not quite yet. We love you Tanner and can't wait to see the things that you accomplish this year!

Ok, So While I'm Neglecting (she is actually napping)...

I'll attempt to continue my To Be Continued Holiday post... let's see where did I leave off (it's been so long) :-)

We also got to spend some time with my family. We had a yummy post-Thanksgiving meal at my parents with my sister Tricia and her family. You would think that this post-Thanksgiving meal would have been left-overs, but not with Grandma Chris! It was a full-fledge delicious, homemade warm rolls kind of meal. The kiddos always have a great time with their cousins and could spend hours together running around, taking over the 3rd floor attic, putting on plays and going through the Grandma Box to find their next treasure. I am so glad they have such a good relationship with their cousins even though we rarely get to see them. After a "Cousin Production," we attempted to go bowling. Who would have "thunk" that everyone else in the SLC valley had the same idea. After several tries at securing a bowling lane without having to wait an hour or more, we found ourselves at Chuck E. Cheese. Not for pizza of course, but for all those fantastic rides, games and attractions! Woohoo! We also talked Uncle Travis into going to see the lights at Temle Square. It was a bitter cold night and we all had to bundle up with borrowed coats, gloves and scarffs! The lights as always were beautiful and it was fun for the kids to see the outdoor nativity, enjoy the warmth of the newly remodeled tabernacle and just spend time with Grandma and Grandpa and the cousins!

Ok, she is up! To Be Continued Again!

Daughter Neglecting

See, this is what happens when the mom spends too much time looking at everybody else's blogs!

Birthdays, Christmas, New Year's...Oh My!

Yes, I know, I have neglected my blog...but I do have a few excuses. It truly has been exciting, busy and crazy around here. I am going to try and catch up because I really do want this to be a journal and a history of our lives. Here are some highlights of the past month:

We kicked off the holiday season with a trip to Utah to celebrate Grandpa Glazier's 75th birthday (this is the first one!). All of Nate's siblings, their spouses and most of the grandkids/great-grandkids made it to the smash - that is pretty good considering many of us were coming from different states. Grandma Jeanie asked each one of us to share something that reminded us of Grandpa. Tanner brought a toy plane because that reminded him of the stories Grandpa had told him about his Air Force flying years. Nate brought some spare change. He said the sound of the coins clinking reminded him of his Dad coming home from work and playing ball with he and his brothers outside with Dad still in his work clothes and coins jingling in his pocket. Madison and I shared some Peanut M&M's because whenever Grandpa comes to visit he brings that magic yellow bag! Alex brought K'Nex. Grandpa is very helpful and patient and has built some mighty amazing things with the boys out of K'Nex. Nate spent a lot of time putting together a fun DVD of pictures of his Dad's life. He did a great job and it was great tribute to one of our favorite grandpas. It was a wonderful night! Thanks Grandpa for having a Birthday!

We decided the boys needed some good exposure at an early age to Happy Valley. Carol and Mike's son Andrew May is managing the Men's Basketball team this year. So we thought why not take the kids to see their cousin at work! I'm not sure how interested they were in the game, but they did get to have their picture taken with Cosmo!!! And, as a bonus, the Cougars came out victorious that night!

Speaking of the Mays, we spent Thanksgiving with them at their home. We had a delicious meal and I secretly loved that I was in charge of....store-bought rolls! The kids had a great time hanging out with their cousins especially Eric and Sarah.

To Be Continued ... Madison tells me she feels neglected!