Owie

Addi came running up to me while I was sitting at the computer, and handed me a band-aid and pointed to her forehead. I placed a band-aid on her head and THEN she touched her head and said, "Owie". I think she thought the band-aid gives you an owie. :-)

For not having any visible eyebrows she can make a pretty concerned face. :-)

Tyler Conquering the sled jump...

Attempt #1

Attempt #2

Attempt #3

Attempt #4

Not so young

Tyler and I helped drive a bunch of youth from our ward for their annual YM/YW snow trip. The place we went is right by Tyler's Uncle Joe's cabin, and it was absolutely perfect! The weather was perfect, the snow was perfect, and the kids were perfect! It just amazes me what strong spirits and amazing kids we have in our ward and surrounding area. It was a fun time being with them, and we are so grateful for Carolyn for watching our kids so we could go.

Tyler on his perch

Right about now I was asking myself what the heck I was thinking getting on this tube?

Tyler and I have a tendency to tap back into our teen years pretending that we can do what we used to be able to do. This snow trip was no exception. :-) But I'm happy to say that we made it thru the day without any breaks, cuts, or major bruises (except the little one on my bum).

Thumbs up!

Two girls in our ward were hard core, and built this little jump for the sleds. So we were riding the sleds like snow boards and getting some pretty nice air at the end.

It was fun to be there with Annie! I have the neat opportunity of being her Beehive Leader right now in our ward. And she was such a good sport, especially since she was developing a double-ear infection.

1-2-3 Birthday Parties!

Ella is our little princess and she knows it! She has spent the past 3 weeks celebrating her birthday, even though her real birthday is Jan. 18th. But she was so cute and so excited to be turning 4! She said, "Mom, now I'm almost old enough to get married and be a mom like you!" I love it! She will make an amazing mom someday, and she will definitely keep her husband on his toes. :-) Here's a breakdown of the parties...

Party #1

Since my family was in town, my parents thought it would be fun to celebrate Ella's birthday a little early, so they could be here for the celebration. It was a great idea, and Ella was so excited! She picked out the cake, put on her princess dress, and was ready to party! Thanks Mom, Dad, Julia, Matthew, & Lizzy for making her birthday so special!

Addi is waiting anxiously for cake. :-)

This girl is our little eater! She will eat anything, and she eats all day long!

Grandpa is reading Ella her princess card. And she has the Snow White smile and sigh down pat. She'll be working for Disneyland some day if she doesn't become a nurse. :-)

Lizzy

Ella posing in one of her new birthday presents.

A wedding dress! She said, "Just wait till Aunt Jaimie sees my married dress."

Party #2

Tyler's parents are always so good about having us over for dinner on Sundays. And then when it is someone's birthday, we'll all celebrate after dinner. It's always fun and always special.

Grandpa starting off the festivities.

"Heavy, heavy hangover Ella's poor head -

What do you wish this present with a bump on your head?"

Jones birthday tradition.

Uncle Wes & Ella

Wes turns in his mission papers soon, and we can't believe that Ella will be 6 the next time he sees her!

Nothing better than a new movie - Swan Princess

Annie bopping Ella

4 years old!!!

Party #3

In our family you get to have a friend party every-other-year, and then a family party every-other-year. This is to cut back on stress, money, and mostly stress. :-) So this year was Ella's "family party" year. When Tyler and I asked her a week before her birthday what she wanted to do, this is what she came up with:

make pizzas

yellow decorations

play freeze dance

ice cream cake

And that is exactly what we did.

She started the day off by picking out her own clothes. :-)

Making pizzas...

"Ella thank you for picking to make pizzas!"

Opening presents...

So now we've got musician added to the list...

nurse

disney princess

musician (singer/songwriter)

If you ever watch home videos from my childhood, always at a birthday party 1 out of the 3 sisters is crying or jealous of what the other sister is getting. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree? Addi just kept saying, "Mine? Mine? Mine? Please?"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLA!!!

Family Fun

I love when family visits! Dad, Mom, Matthew, Julia, and Lizzy came into town to celebrate the New Year, but every day was a party, and it was so sad when they left. This week was filled with fun... riding bikes, enjoying the beautiful weather, playing at the park, picnics, exercising w/ Julia (so much fun!!!), quad riding, eating, movies, the Phoenix Science Center, talking, New Year's Eve kiss...

{Quad Riding}

{Eating}

{Phoenix Science Center}

We all had to try this chair where you are lifting yourself up by pulling the roop (or pulling your own weight).

Mom pulling her and Addi - she's an animal!

Ella laying on a bed of nails - yes, those are real nails!

Ella touching a lamb's eyeball - she's going to be a nurse someday!

Cousins - Lizzy, Cooper, & Ella

{Playing Outside}

{New Year's Eve Kiss}

I'm so sad that I didn't get any pictures from our New Year's Eve party. We went to my Aunt Bev's house and she is the queen of throwing good parties! My whole family was there, the Huntzinger's, the Laytons, and all of my cousins. It was a blast! I think that was the first time that Tyler and I had actually stayed up until midnight (AZ time - not East Coast time), so what better way to ring in the New Year than with a kiss?...