Dallin just turned 12! I can't believe he's a deacon. We are very proud of him for his desire to receive the priesthood. He takes his worthiness very seriously. Dallin is a very bright kid who works hard - a great combination! He is currently being pulled out to do 8th grade math. He works hard in all subjects at school, he is excelling in piano and works hard at learning new skills. Among his new skills this year are: a mean game of Ping Pong, jumping (to touch anything high), Flag Football, and taking 3rd place in the school Spelling Bee. He is working hard at becoming taller than me and is almost there (he measures everyday).
Dallin continues to play basketball and has become a defensive monster - especially with rebounds. He decided to start a snow shoveling business in the cul de sac, but ran into a little bit of trouble when his business partner's mom said she couldn't drive in the snow. . . hmm.
Dallin is very persistent which is great when it payed for his Outdoor Ed. field trip - by being the top seller, but not so great when it shows up in arguing with Mom and Dad.
He loves watching the Utah Jazz, playing with his two younger brothers, and making his three sisters scream.
Dallin still makes us laugh.On the way home from a trip to St. Louis, Dallin was sitting in the front seat and asked Benson, "Dad. Do you have to go on a honeymoon?" Followed by, "But do I have to pay for the girl too?" Although we give him a hard time, we love him and are proud of the good example he is to his younger siblings.

It's a Shiner

The other night, we were all in the basement, hanging out, and Peyton keeps pestering Ashlynn. trying everything she can to get him to stop, she crawls towards us as he keeps jumping on her, and finally, after getting fed up (which usually takes a lot for Ashy), she kicks her foot at him, to try to get him off of her. Of course, Peyton comes running over to me, crying. And I have to admit I didn't show him too much sympathy, because he kind of asked for it. Well, the next morning, he comes down from bed, and he has a big 'ole black eye. Oops! I felt bad, because I didn't realize that it had been hurt that bad the night before, and I call Ashlynn over to see what she had done to Peyton. Instantly, she bursts into tears. After she calms down, she immediately interrogates him on what he is going to say when people ask him how he got a black eye. His answer was, of course, "My sister, Ashy, kicked me." Well, more tears followed, until he agreed to add in the word accidentally. So there you've got it, "My sister, Ashy, accidentally kicked me."

3 Reasons Why I Love My Job!!!

Here are 3 reasons why I love my job!! Look what I get to wake up to. I couldn't imagine anything that I would want more.

I'm a big kid now!

This morning, we discovered Tanner's first tooth! And last night, he just layed on the floor and drank a bottle all by himself! He's almost 9 months and it's crazy how fast he's growing - sometimes I wish we could just push pause and let him stay like this just a little bit longer. At the same time, it is so fun to watch him grow.

Tanner does not suffer from lack of attention around here! During Christmas Break, if he was alone in a room, someone would come running to me, "Mom, Tanner's by himself! He's all alone! I'm sure he's scared!" And I'm sure he was just savoring a little piece and quiet.

He is such a sweet baby! The only time he cries is when he is hungry or tired. He loves food! And he has tried pretty much everything. Everybody that walks by eating something is a sucker to his longing looks and grunts for a bite. When he wants something, he holds out his arms and opens and closes his fists while grunting. He still isn't crawling, but that doesn't stop him from getting around.

I got a camera for Christmas and have had so much fun playing with it, and of course, my favorite subject is Tanner.

Although clapping doesn't sound like much, we all were super impressed, and Tanner finds an immediate audience whenever he does.

He gives kisses now too.

Is he well loved, or smothered?

Happy New Year!!

This year, we decided to welcome in the New Year with a BANG! For the first time, we decorated for New Years, and it was so fun! We just took down all of the red and green and strung clear lights all over everything- I couldn't get enough! We lit candles and had gold balls everywhere - so fun! We had a bunch of families over to celebrate with, and if this picture seems busy, then, that's how the night was! The kids all played around the world ping pong, Quelf, Balderdash, karoake, hide and go seek in the dark, and watched a movie, while the adults visited and played Apples to Apples and the sign game - apparently you need alcohol to get adults to agree to karaoke=), because we couldn't get anyone to take on to the idea. We ate all night, including an ice cream bar. Believe it or not, but the evening went so fast we forgot to make our party hats and barely got the sparkling cider poured in time for the count down. And, we finished the night with some loud fire works that we picked up the last time we drove through Wyoming. Happy New Year!!

Poor Kennedi! She was so tired, she tried so hard to stay up for the party, but crashed, sitting up in her chair trying to eat her ice cream, about 11:15pm.

Talie and her BFF Megan and Erika Glatt.

Ashy, with her posse, Chelsea and Madison.

Dallin and his buds Aaron and Ryan are in the background and Megan and Emma are checking out the ice cream.