Janelle's big day

 I hadn't taken Janelle in quite a while because I knew she'd take 100% of my attention but we finally made it happen.  She was the cutest skiier I've ever seen and I appreciated her for trying.  She's done a private lesson every time which helps and after that I take her down the bunny slope.. Its pretty slow going and I felt like we were starting from scratch but she got a little more comfortable and confident each time and I learned to ski backwards! 

Kandace turns 10

 Kandace is friends with a lot of the girls in her class but these ones are some of her favorites.  Pictured blow are: Kindle Collins, Kandace, Kaydree Owens, Kira Collins, Brooklin Clark and Candace Walker.  After swimming at the Powell Aquatic Center, I took them for Pizza at Pizza Hut where she got some super fun presents.

Showalter

 Stetson did a trumpet solo which I thought was great.  It was his first time doing that.  I'm proud of him for doing hard things! Trumpet is pretty much his thing, I don't make him practice at home or worry too much about it.  Piano is a different story.  This year he played Shut Up and Dance and did a GREAT job.  He accidentally went to the wrong spot and missed a few measures (easy to do without music) so he got  II rating but his timing and dynamics were excellent.  We worked so hard on this song and it showed.

Mexico!

 Michael and I bit the bullet and planned a trip to Mexico.  We'd been talking about going to Mexico since our Honeymoon, and we finally felt like we could afford it.  We stayed in Playa Del Carmen for 3 nights and 4 days.  Our first night we got there just in time for dinner so we had a steak and lobster dessert and then went to bed. The next day walked to town and took pictures by this famous statue and just took in the beautiful (and interesting) sights and sounds.  We did some swimming in the ocean, I played volleyball with some some other vacationers and of course we ATE!  The food was fabulous in taste, variety and presentation. We definitely felt spoiled rotten.   They had 3 or 4 different restaurants each featuring a different cuisine.  We always did the buffet for breakfast but at night we tried to try a different cuisine each night.  I think my favorite was the Mexican restaurant.  I was going to order the fajitas but decided to be brave and order something totally foreign to me and it was the best thing I ate the whole trip.  Some kind of shrimp with rice and a yummy sauce. One of the nights Michael really pushed me to get a massage which I did and it was wonderful.  The 2nd day we did a guided tour to some Mayan ruins.  The ruins included a guided tour of these ancient ruins where we got to learn a lot about the history of these people and ride our bikes to a really tall pyramid type structure (that we hiked up) and then ride our bikes back. Riding the bus to other parts of Mexico makes you realize how blessed we are to live in the US with clean toilets, plumbing and electrical which seems like a luxury to many of the citizens. Other activities included zip-lining, hiking, authentic Mexican cuisine cooked by some old Mexican ladies (very delicious) and swimming in keynotes.  When we got to the keynote they lowered us down on a rope and then we pretty much had to climb out ourselves on a different rope and it was harder than it looked! The 3rd day I was set on going to Cozumel even though we had no idea what we were going to do when we got there.   So we took a ferry and when we got there, we (I) really wanted to rent a bike and just cruise the town but we walked and walked and didn't find any rental places so we walked back to the ferry and headed back to Playa for more lounging which is never a bad thing.  We sent a postcard to the kids and grandma Asay that Grandma didn't receive until about 3 months after we got back!  It was SO BEAUTIFUL there.  I loved the weather, I LOVE the ocean and want to live right by the ocean whenever I visit it.  Grateful for a hard working husband who makes is possible to do these things every now and then.

Winter in Wyoming

 For Christmas we always take dad skiing .  This year we went to Sleeping Giant.  We love to ski and are grateful for grandpa for going with us.  This winter, Jared and Renee came and helped us install a pretty white subway tile in our kitchen.  We love it so much!  It was so much more work than I'd anticipated.  The next picture is of my Relief Society Presidency: Me, Elaine Harvey, Heather Sawaya and Peggy Fowler.  We decided to go try out the ice skating rink at Moncurs and it was so much fun!  There were some spills and then some tears, but still fun.  I used to go ice skating a lot when we lived in Santa Rosa so it was fun to polish up on my skills a little.  Janelle got to participate in a cheer camp with some of her friends. My mom heart really hopes she's never a cheerleader but a mighty basketball player.  We better get practicing!

New Year's Eve

 We usually go to grandma Asay's for a New Year's Bash where we eat delicious food, play games and the kids get to showcase some of their new clothes and toys from Christmas

Christmas 2018

 I am catching up here so its actually almost the end of 2019 as I write this and I'm horrified at how quickly another year has passed.  The best part of Christmas for me is actually feeling the spirit of Christmas, usually at Christmas sacrament or when our stake choir sings Christmas songs.  I love Christmas more every year as my love for the Savior deepens. I love to dwell on his birth and what that means to me and my family.

Band concert and Aaronic Priesthood

 A lot of firsts for Stetson this year.  His first band concert.  He's standing with is friend, Matthew Allen.  Next Stetson received the Aaronic priesthood and was ordained a deacon.  Its exciting to watch him pass the sacrament and participate in Young Men's.  He seems to love it.

Stetson turns 12

 Stetson turned 12 this year and had a family birthday party with cake and presents.  Stetson is a special kid who definitely marches to the beat of his own drum.  We are so proud of him for trying football and wrestling this year even though it definitely challenges him.  Stetson does great in school, being on the honor roll each semester.  He loves to play piano, have friends over, play with legos, draw/make comics, read, watch Harry Potter movies and eat hamburgers and fries.

Janelle's Christmas concert

 Elementary Christmas concerts are my favorite.  So fun to get Janelle all dressed up and watch her sing on stage!

Instant Pot activity

I wasn't going to include anything RS in posts but its a pretty big part of my life so why not?  I've been RS pres for over 2 years now.  This was a year ago when I asked my 1st counselor to be in charge of an Instant Pot activity and it was a smashing success!  YUM!

Stetson wrestles

Since I don't come from a wrestling family, there has been a learning curve for me to understand all the lingo and scoring system for wrestling but I'm slowly learning.  I was surprised with how much I loved wrestling this year.  I loved it because when Michael had a day off, we got to make a day of it to go watch and support Stetson.  Plus, Michael is a wrestler so he can help Stetson in this sport.My best mom sports moment was when Stetson won a match at Greybull.  I was yelling things like "be tough!" "come on Stetson!" "don't give up!" because I don't have anything intelligent to say (as if he's listening to anyone).  But when he won that match I was on cloud 9 and I had never anticipated the joy a mom feels in watching their kid with a wrestling match.  I am so proud of him for trying hard and doing his best in this difficult sport.

Happy Halloween!

 We always do our Annual Halloween Feast.  Its my hope that through all the chaos of family life, my kids will recall little snippets of their childhood with fondness.  And think their mom wasn't totally lame. ;)   We always do the feast on a day that Michael has off so he can help me because its a lot to do!  We had lasagna with a mummy face, candy corn jello, fruit punch with a frozen hand in it, spider deviled eggs, bread sticks in the shape of a mummy and probably a salad of some sort.  Michael is always a huge help and I couldn't do it without him.

 Halloween is so fun with kids.  We have gotten a lot of miles out of that purple witch costume. We got the Indian and Egyptian Princess ones from a yard sale. Stetson's was thrown together with items gathered from friends and family.  We're still not sure who Michael was dressed up as.  I loved going to the Halloween parade at the elementary and got there just in the nick of time to put war paint and a braid in Janelle's hair.

Stahle's 4th birthday!

Stahle had a friend birthday with Kashlynn Collins, Paige and Chloe.  So mostly a cousin party! :)  We made fruit loop necklaces, pin the tail on the donkey and had cake.

Fishing in the Big Horns

 We always try to plan a fishing trip in the Big Horns with Grandpa Simmons.  The kids always look forward to this and grandpa is always so patient in helping everyone catch a fish.  Even me.  I'll never get tired of these views!