Our Star

Riley was the "Star of the Week" in her kindergarten class this past week, and of course Eric put together the poster for her, as he is a much better choice for these kind of things than I am. I think it turned out really cute.

Crazy Kiddos

Sometimes I wonder, are all kids this... unusual?

"Why so serious?"

Riley has had a real hard time staying in bed lately, and has become sort of a master at sneaking out without being noticed and put back. The other night, she crept out to the couch, where we found her, hours later, like this. It looks so uncomfortable, but she didn't even flinch when the camera flashed over and over.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Merry Christmas to all, and Happy 2011! Wow, we've had a busy and (mostly) really fun year. These past couple of months have been true to form, with the kids running around and me running around after them. We had an amazing Christmas, and were truly, truly blessed. We have an incredible family that we were fortunate to spend a lot of time with, and also got some uninterrupted "Daddy" time (always a high point) while Eric had his winter break from school and work.

Some fun pictures:

Our annual gingerbread house making afternoon, complete with M&M noses.

Lunch with my favorite cousins- we haven't been together in years, and we had a blast!

Christmas jammies- I made Eric's pants, which is a first.

Patti took the fam to California the day after Christmas for a visit to Grandpa, Disneyland, the beach, fabric shopping, and, of course, the beach. It wouldn't be a trip to CA without it.

Looking at these pictures, it seems like all we did was ride "It's a Small World" all day, but that just isn't so. I guess it was just a nice place for pictures.

(I got this picture from Erika's blog- thanks!)

I hope you all had a great Christmas, and that are on your way to a fantastic 2011.

So You Think You Can Dance

Went to the So You Think You Can Dance tour again this year. It was so much fun! The dances were amazing, as usual, and it was just really great to have a night off with the girls. At one point, while standing up and clapping, I completely lost my head and waved at my favorite dancer. Like I expected him to recognize me as the one who voted for him every week, and come down to say hi. Very embarrassing.



I feel a tradition in the making.

I Went A-Shootin'

I went shooting the other day, for the very first time, at at range in Springville with some ladies from my ward. I'd never even handled a gun, so it was a little scary at first. I shot a little .22 that wasn't too intimidating, and then tried a .9 mm that had quite a bit more kick to it. That felt awfully dangerous in my hands, so I only shot a few rounds.

with the .22

Some other patrons at the range offered to let us shoot their big guns, and this one scared me to death. An AR-15, I think.

This is Stephanie, the gal who organized our trip, with the AR-15.

Amy, the girl next to me, hasn't ever really shot before, but she was awesome. Don't make her mad. Hers was the .9 mm, which is why her holes look so much bigger than mine.

Gardner Village

We visited Gardner Village yesterday with Patti, Stephanie, Erika and Claire. It was so adorable! They go all out decorating and have witches walking around in full costume. Riley is going to be a witch for Halloween this year, so she got some good tips.

Iris on a witch's bed

What a cheese!

These women were hilarious!

Aside from the horrible snow and cold, we had a blast! Thanks, Patti!

We've Been (in no particular order)...

• cheering Stephanie on while she ran her first marathon
• attending "The Scarlet Pimpernel" musical at the Hale Center Theater
• dreading and then surviving the first snow
• having our first roller skating experience at Classic Skating, which was a blast from the past for me
  
• loving General Conference
• dealing with Riley's THIRD self hair cut, the day before school pictures
  
• getting ready for Halloween
• making a road trip to Cheyenne to surprise my bestie, Cheryl. Had a blast and took no pictures, of course
• sick with croup (Iris), strep throat (Riley), and pneumonia (me) all at the same time
• experienced our first ever parent/teacher conference, and feel way too young for that business

As for me, personally, I'm preparing to be cold for the next five months, and to see the play "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" and the tour of "So You Think You Can Dance" next week. Can't wait!