'Tis the Season to be TAGGED!

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends.
Okay, here's what you're supposed to do, and try not to be a SCROOGE!!!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bag? It depends on who it is and how much time is left but I definately LOVE wrapping paper and bows.
2. Real tree or artificial? Every live tree I've purchased never smells. I'm sticking with artificial and saving $$ and a tree.
3. When do you put up the tree? Hopefully before Christmas.
4. When do you take the tree down? Immediately after New Years. It's all I can take.
5. Do you like eggnog? It's OK but I usually pass it up.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? The kitchen set and an Atari! (But then Dad and Shane took it over!)
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Not for me. Our is the "Little People" version. So far, Baby Jesus has survived.
8. Hardest person to buy for? Definately Parents and In-laws.
9. Easiest person to buy for? My girls.
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I had a break down over an electric toothbrush once...
11. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards? Mail cards WITH pictures!
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Polar Express and for some reason The Holy Grail is tradition.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? October
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Do we have to admit that?
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Dad's fudge, Ryan's Divinity, Mom's gravy!
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Love clear, but the kids win - COLOR!
17. Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night - Jesus was Born Today (Oak Ridge Boys)
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Staying home. The hustle and bustle plus traveling? It's too much!
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? Yes, but only if I sing it.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Never had an opinion. Right now it's Santa (our angel was kidnapped!) Then Audrey reminded me that's not what "it's" all about.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One on Christmas Eve & all the rest on Christmas morning (one at a time)
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? BLACK FRIDAY and no matter how early I begin, I ALWAYS run out of time to do what I want to the most!
23. What I love most about Christmas? Kids, Christmas music, games, tastefully done exterior lights, and sledding when there is snow.
24. Do you always get a new pair of pajamas for yourself or someone else? No.
25. Do you decorate your home on the outside? The big "C9" colored lights aligned to perfection (thanks to Ryan.) Definately a childhood memory from my home. We look like a gingerbread house and we want to be seen from space!

I TAG:

1. Amber
2. Sarah
3. Erin

Better Late Than Never

Sorry for the late posts. I just can't seem to keep up with all you hardcore bloggers! Be sure to leave your comments.

No lurkers allowed!

Dear Santa

Oh Boy! There he is! Grace and Tread were excited to see Santa this year. Grace was a little hesitant at first but I think Santa could have been a little more enthusiastic. I guess I shouldn't have expected much from someone who is talking to children all day.

Cats in Hats

All the third grade kids did a musical program called "Cats in Hats" this year. Chase's class did a special number where they would "pound" different rhythms with flip-flops on their hands. It was fun and Chase gave a great performance!

Stuffed Turkey(s)

We spent Thanksgiving in Idaho Falls this year. The kids had so much fun seeing their cousins and using Grandma Paula's closet to play "dress-up!" All the girls posed for the traditional "Turkey Photo" with the beautiful turkey that Kari prepared.

All agreed it was the best turkey yet!

Happy Halloween!

Chase's Statue of Liberty
Tread's Spider
Sheila's Frankenstein
Ryan's Reaper
Audrey's Grave Zombie

All the kids "poked" and help carve their own pumpkins this year. They did a great job! But of all the halloween pictures - "SOMEONE" deleted the kids' pictures off the camera! Ryan dressed up like "Santa" and took the kids around the block. Chase and I stayed home to pass out the goodies and everytime I talked to Ryan on his phone he was yelling "Merry Christmas!" Maybe that wasn't such a good idea...

Dippin' Your Spoon

Chase made up names for all of our wakeboarding moves...or rather the mishaps! This one is call "Dippin' Your Spoon" into the ice-cream. He called another one "Gratin' the Cheese". We ended up using these terms through the rest of the summer.

Audrey's Turn

This was Audrey's first time getting up. She popped out of the water and went right over the wake! I am still scratching my head...Way to go Rosie!

Looking Like a Pro?

So Ryan is videotaping me and obviously found something in the sky that was more interesting than my wakeboarding skills!

Hey honey...I'm over here!

Next Year's Goal...

Uh, you may want to mute your speakers during this video...

Owyhee Reservoir

We were invited to go with the Redds to the beautiful Owyhee Reservoir for a weekend of camping and boating.
They showed us how to get our feet in the boots.
And how to steady ourselves...
And how to "CUT"...
...and some just plain showed off!

Owyhee Reservoir II

Some stayed on the boat and watched...
But Audrey gave it a try and got up AND cleared the wake - all on her first try!
Chase gave it a go...
...but all in all we had a great time!

More Fun in the Sun

Happy 9th Birthday Chase!

I wanted to get Chase BSU tickets for his birthday this year and logged on to find out the price. $100.00 each! For the cheap seats! So I pulled a few strings and we ended up getting two free tickets for BSU v. New Mexico. So we decided to pull a last minute "surprise" birthday party for Chase and give him the tickets.
We decorated in Blue and Orange (of course) and all the neighbors (with the multiple boys) came over for some food and football! We ended the night with a little adult Karaoke!

Somewhere over the rainbow...

We had the coolest rainbow after a rainstorm and put the kids on the van to take these pictures.

24, 7 - Hike, Hike!

So Chase played his first game of football this fall. He loves it! He looks forward to going, he dreams it, he reads about it, and he has managed to work it into just about everything he does! With BSU having such a great season, he is now getting us all to watch it with him...
It has been so fun to watch him work hard as something he loves and he is great at it. He quickly went from offense to defense as a cornerback and NEVER let anyone get past him!
Practice is every night to begin with and Saturday games. Their team lost every game up until the playoffs and then won every game up to the end. You could see their improvement and how excited the boys were. We can't wait to watch next year. Way to go, Chase!

In my pretty garden...

Remember Audrey's flower garden she started in the spring with seeds?

This was her result...what a green thumb!

Pig Out!

Audrey wanted pigs as her theme for her birthday party this year, so we decided on a Pig Out Party. I found these soft pink socks as party favors and we rolled them together and made them into pigs.
The cupcakes turned out cute too. Sugar wafers for the ears, M&M's for the eyes and big pink marshmallows with mini M&M's for the nose.
Kathy made these adorable pink bags to put the party favors in. I love all the different ribbon she put on them all.

Happy Birthday Audrey Rose