January Happenings

Despite my not blogging we've had a great January. I took a few gems for your viewing pleasure.

 Every so often...... daddy turns into a crazy tickling gorilla and is a force to be reckoned with. I just happened to pull out the camera this time. Oh how the kids love their dad!!

 This one says it all.....I love it!

 Okay, can we all look at this next one and say "Awwwwww!" My 3 favorite boys in the whole entire world. I think they're related.

 Practicing knuckle-bombs....

 Josh and William were playing in the snow clothes and Kate was not amused.

 Here's Rach with her favorite Christmas present....Ted.

 On New Year's Eve we had invited our buddies, the Maynes, over but they cancelled due to sick kids which was a total bummer. But we ended up having a great night anyway! I made the most delicious cheese fondue, and artichokes (my kids favorite) for dinner. We played games, banged pots and pans at midnight and rang in the new year! Can I say that the countdown on t.v. is terrible? Okay, it's terrible. So super lame...but oh well.

I do have to admit that luck was on my side and I won every game we played. Oh yeah!! That's what I'm talking about! Mille Bournes......clue......even risk. I NEVER win games. I lose pretty much any game we ever play. You name it: Uno, Candyland, sorry, trouble.....nothing. But I was on fire that night! Nobody stood a chance. This is my year of winning games. I can feel it! I kind of wished I would have taken a picture of me killing it at risk. So awesome!

 Ted even came to the party.

 So fancy!

 And don't forget the double hat.

 This happened right after midnight. Some of us don't last as long as others.

 We did enjoy the freshly fallen snow! It's about time we got some of that white stuff.

 I really did not want to take the kids sledding so they decided to do it in the backyard. Good idea, right?

 You happily zoom down the hill like it's nobody's business...

 Then bail ship right at the last second, risking your life, before you go plummeting into the freezing stream below. There were a few close calls. Of course I was right there with my camera if I were to be so lucky to see one of them go in. Did I just say that out loud?

 I think it's time for a bonfire.

 And our anniversary happened! January 18th, we celebrated 13 years!! Oh man was I lucky to convince Trav he needed to marry me. I still feel like the luckiest girl in the world. This year our anniversary fell on a Sunday so we celebrated on Saturday. We took the kids to Grannie Annie's for breakfast, went and did a temple session, then dinner at the Mandarin (I could eat there every day of my life) and we were home in time to do baths and get the kids in bed at a normal hour. It was awesome!

On our actual anniversary, I stayed home from church with sick Will and Josh, Trav had meetings after church and I had choir that night so nothing too exciting. But Trav did get me the nicest gift ever! He got me this new bedspread (which we really needed, our old one was falling apart) and He made me that picture! I know you may look at that picture and say "What's the big deal? It's a tree." Oh no! You are completely wrong. That's not just any tree....that's OUR tree! When Trav and I were engaged we went up to my parents cabin and carved "Trav + Em '02" in a tree. That tree is still there and you can see the weathered carving in this picture. Perfect, huh? I knew I married a good one! I LOVE that picture.

 We did sneak away on Sunday and take a little anniversary walk to the ponds. Kate came with us but we left everyone else home. This is a whole new world for us.....being able to leave Rach in charge for a half an hour without lugging everyone around. It was great! Trav tried out some of his photography skills on our walk. It was a gorgeous day and certainly not the same weather it was 13 years ago I can tell you that! There was a huge snowstorm the day we got married.

 We wanted to feed the ducks but they were pretty far away. It took a little coaxing for them to come but they finally did.

 We had Kate take an official "anniversary" picture for us. It actually turned out great! (if I didn't look so dorky in it.)

 Today the kids are out of school so we decided to go to the airplane museum. It's been a while since we'd been there. And yes, Kate is wearing her duck suit.....

 Josh is such a good big brother.

 We didn't just go, we went with our favorite people: the Maynes and the Clarks. It makes it so much more fun to be with awesome buddies. Here's most of the kids. Jack and Emma wouldn't come in the picture and Rue wasn't there either. What a great group of kids....although that duck looks a little shady.....