New Years Eve

We had quite the spread for dinner and this wasn’t even all of it!

We had great success this year, the cheeses were so good.

We had Trent and Lindsies family over, along with Brandon and Mary’s family. Everyone brought yummy food and drinks. We ate, visited, played games, and watched movies.

Now that is a couch full of boys. I love how they are all laughing at the movie.

We rang in the new year with kisses and martenellis.

What a great night and a great year (way better than the previous year). I’m excited to see what 2016 brings for us. We’ve been in Utah and with IFA for over a year now. All the kids have been trying new sports and making lots of friends. Carter has had many hip surgeries. We’ve had a lot of new changes and experiences. Hopefully, we will buy a house this year, we shall see. On to new adventures!

15 years!

I love how people talk about 18 year olds like they no nothing. Well, when I was 18 I made the smartest and best choice of my life and that was to marry Laun. What a blessing he’s been in my life and will be for eternity. Today is our 15th wedding anniversary and I’m even more in love and grateful for him than I could ever have imagined. I’m so proud and happy to call him mine. I love you more Laun!

Not the most romantic evening, but we met up at Cracker Barrel for dinner with the Vice President of IFA to discuss Laun’s 1st year of work and discuss his raise and some better benefits. I’m so proud of all the time Laun put in to earn 3 degrees, so he could get a stable job and provide for his family. He’s had a great year as a cow nutritionist and we are both so glad the schooling is over!

Then we picked up our kids and headed to Costco for some cheeses. Our New Years tradition includes a dinner of appetizers and we always pick out a bunch of cheeses for the meal. Our kids look forward to this and Marlee has had her eye on that babybel cheese for quite some time now. Can’t wait until tomorrow night to try them all!

enjoying the break

On Saturday we went to Brent and Julie’s for a family dinner. Julie got some gifts for the kids and today the boys finished one of the puzzles from her. It’s a 3D puzzle, so you get a little dizzy putting it together.

Laun went quail hunting and Carter loved seeing the bird.

Date with Porter

The kids are taking me on dates for their Christmas present. Tonight was the first one. Porter took me to the Utah Jazz game. We took the tram for the first time and it was so much nicer than driving and trying to find parking. We just went to the Provo stop and took the tram right to the arena.

It was pretty cold out and I was thankful we didn’t have to wait to board the tram.

Our first time at the Jazz arena.

After eating a bunch of candy on the way here, it was nice to sit down with dinner. I’ve never payed so much for a pretzel before, but at least it was good. Porter and I shared our food. Then we got some frozen yogurt that was so good.

Getting ready for the game to start…

It was a pretty exciting game. For the majority of the game Jazz was way ahead and then the other team pulled ahead. After that, the rest of the game was neck to neck and pretty intense. Luckily, Jazz pulled out the win and then they shot streamers out.

I was pretty excited that Porter got to go to his first NBA basketball game ever and with me!

Waiting to the board the tram, it’s crazy how fast they get going.

It’s cold outside!

Porter’s snow frosted hair.

We rode the tram back to the Provo stop. I think we finished off all the sour patch kid candies as we visited.

On the way home I accidently ran a red light-geesh! It’s a good thing I didn’t drive all the way to Salt Lake and back. Luckily, it was close to midnight so not many cars were out. Porter and I had a great night. Now I can’t wait for my dates with Clayton and Marlee!

finished

We completed the Las Vegas puzzle today. It was fun to remember some of the things we did on our trip there…M&M factory, Hershey’s, Coco Cola factory, etc.

Porter solved his 5x5 cube today. He watched some you tube videos and spent hours working on it, I knew he’d get it. He says at a certain point the algorithm’s are the same as the normal size rubik’s cube, whatever that means.

Christmas

I love how magical it looks with the lighted tree  and presents undernearh and all the stockings filled, with Santas gifts.

The line up…Carter’s still wondering why dad woke him up.

I love when the kids happily look through their stockings and see what Santa brought them.

Carter was crawling up the stairs crying.

Until he spotted a rocking horse and all tears ceased and he quickly got on and was happy as can be to be awake.

He got off the horse for a bit to see his cow toys and stocking stuff.

Marlee was delighted to get her hair doll.

The boys didn’t even see their pugg goals when they first came in, but boy were they happy with Santa once they saw them.

The kids got some gifts from the Turley cousin exchange. Josiah had Clayton and he scored with a bobcat that Andy skinned himself.

We stopped for breakfast, the traditional sour cream coffee cake and some egg nog.

The kids loved all their presents…from Santa, parents, grandparents and cousins.

You wouldn’t believe how happy these boys got about socks and their deodarant/body wash sets.

Carter enjoyed his presents, from the comfort of his rocking horse, he was staying put.

I did the same thing again this year with the gifts from Laun and I to the kids…

something to wear, something you need, something you want and something to read.

Marlee liked her dress that she can actually color on. And the puzzle we got this year was of Las Vegas, since we took a family trip there for Laun’s work conference.

Marlee made me this adorable calander.

Daddy Clause brought fishing poles for the kids and awesome Ariat boots for me.

The kids (me) got Laun the cutest Christmas gift. Their school photos from all the years framed, someday they will even have their senior picture in there!

Clayton sure is cute. I panicked when I first remembered that the boys did one year of online school and didn’t have a picture, but then I remembered that they got soccer pictures that year-phew!

Porter skipped 1st grade, so his first picture (in blue shirt) is from preschool.

Marlee’s only got 2 pictures so far, but time flies and they’ll fill up before we know it. And Carter’s is all blank.

And Laun came up with such an amazing gift for the kids to get me. Each of the older 3 children got to pick a date that they want to take me on. Porter’s date will be first, on December 28th we are going to a Utah Jazz basketball game, can’t wait! I love this gift!

It’s looking like Christmas inside and…

outside.

Carter loves his horse. He turned his head to watch the TV, insted of getting off his horse and he started getting confident and doing no hands at all. How did Santa know just what he would love?!

He also really loved his cow blanket/pillow from Grandma Lucy.

The thing I love about the rest of Christmas day is relaxing and the kids playing contently with all thier new stuff.

Carter watching Marlee play in the snow.

Clayton and Porter went with Laun to fish, but stopped since Clayton was feeling sick. Then the truck got stuck in the snow, but thankfully a snow plow truck was going by and pulled them out.

We made adabada (pork) tacos for dinner.

I’m cracking up while reading Marlee’s Inside Out books.

Clayton was so sweet to play in the snow with Marlee tonight.

And we made some progress on our Las Vegas puzzle. It’s the only time of the year that we do a puzzle.