Family Ski Day

We had a great weekend with my sister Leslie and her family, who were visiting from So. California. We played, went to the Parade of Homes and enjoyed it (thanks to my mom, who watched some of the kids) then finished it up with a day of skiing.Brent and I were amazed at how quickly Hunter has taken up snowboarding. He was excited to show off his slides, 360's and cool moves. Hunter kept us entertained all day.
Hunt looked so awesome.I'm glad that Brent was finally able to see how wonderful a snowboarder he is. What a fun kid!Hayley was such a sport, and came to Brianhead with us. It was her first time, and she tried so very hard. Much of her time was spent with Brent holding her by his side, and once she got the hang of it, I hardly kept up with them. Much of her day was spent like this, till Brent took over. She was a little frustrated at the beginning, but perked up when she fell less. She might be too dainty to ski. It was beneath her to be deposited on the slopes in positions like this. Mighty girl!I ended up skiing a few runs with an extra set of poles. (How do mom's always end up with so much extra stuff? I feel like a camel.) Anyway, Hayley improved immensely after giving her one less thing to stress over. She just kept straddling her poles with her ski's. Funny for Brent and I, upsetting for her. I'd call this a family picture, but Hunter was off doing his own thing, so we are missing him. Oh, and Emmy who was at home playing with Grandma Reese. Brent and I were staggered that there were kids just bigger than Emmy, and they were streaking down the mountain at super sonic speeds. They were incredible.Leslie and Sydney taking a break for a happy picture. Sydney did so well, but just could not figure out the snow plow. So her only means of stopping, were some very extravagant wipe-outs. I wasn't sure she would go back out after lunch, but she punched her brave button, and headed out again. I also love that you can see Hayley laid out in the background.I was the third wheel, always by myself, or with strangers being the single rider. Hayley didn't want to ride with me, we kept falling over when she frequently stopped on my ski's. I did get to run a few times with Brent, and once with my sister. Ahhhh...the good old days.What a silly picture of Hayley, poor thing, her goggles are on crooked. The goof spent most of the day like this.
Brent and I might be walking kooky for a bit. We worked hard to keep up. Whew!
Yea! for long weekends. Love 'em!

My Valentine Beauties!

Valentine's Day snuck up on me this year, and right around the corner is Emmy's second birthday. I have needed to have Emmy's pictures done so badly, so I asked my girlfriend, Jennie to snap a few pictures for me. I should have known it would be a full studio experience. She had a wonderful backdrop set up, and I was so lucky to steal her talents for an hour. Emmy was not in the mood to pose, but Jennie magically got some AMAZING pictures. Yea....here they are! This was the Emmy's peek-a-boo smile. It came out only a few times during the shoot. Luckily, she was able to wander a bit, and Jennie was able to sneak the shot.What a serious little girl! I am stunned that she is turning 2 this week. She has been such a blast, and I truly enjoy watching her personality unfold.She has beautiful eyes. She looks to be deep in thought. Probably thinking about her next naughty girl event.This could be the photo shoot Star picture. Jen captured this moment perfectly. I adore how her eyes are about to overflow, and her sweet little pout.

Emmy is such a Love. Stubborn, but tender. I think it shows in these last three pix.Emmy's favorite person in the world is big sister Hayley. She just adores her, she is always following her around, and tries to mimic everything Hayley does.My two beautiful girls. It sure doesn't get any prettier than this does it?Hayley is such a truly tender and beautiful spirit. She just glows. She could be the most beautiful Valentine I have ever seen.My girls are beautiful and I was so happy to get the chance to do silly and wonderful Valentine pictures with them.Many hugs and kisses to everyone this Valentines day. I hope you enjoyed these pictures. And Hugs and Kisses to all!
And thanks Jennie, for some beautiful memories.

Wonderful Weekend!

I truly enjoy playing with my little family. We kept ourselves busy this weekend, with a late night on Friday, and playing at the park together on Sunday. Late night let Hunter and Hayley each have a friend over for pizza, playing, movies and treats until late. (Kids get the fun of a late night, and mom and dad don't have to deal with the not sleeping part.)

Hunter and Josh had a blast defending the universe with Josh's cool Star Wars game. It had some cool Light Saber action going on, they even glowed. Brent and I secretly wanted to have our own battle, but were trying to be mature adults. Hmm.....I wonder?Tremble in your space boots Clone troopers! Here come the Jedi's. Rebel Alliance Rules!These two were taking a well earned respite from saving the universe. Just in time for cookies!What a cool picture. I hope that the color of the light saber show up. Kinda hard to show it in the dark. They were having a blast.

Hayley and her little friend Jacee, were the dang cutest things. I practically followed them all night. If I wasn't close enough, one of them would come get me, especially if they thought they were being super cute and silly.Absolutely darling. They are made for pictures aren't they? Notice, Emmy is in her dolly's stroller. I guess every little girl likes to be driven don't they?
These girls are plum tuckered out. NOT!! Just resting for a minute in Emmy's bed. Silly!What late night would be complete without jammies? Emmy soaked up the extra attention.Just a bit of down time. Crashing to watch a bit of Horton Hears A Who. (Mom's Fave) This silly girl drives her stroller with her elbows. All over she goes like this. Still, no major accidents have occurred. I think she is strolling a hairball. Oh...nope... its a barbie.

Sunday was so beautiful, we could not stay indoors, so off to the park we went. This is Heritage Park in Coral Canyon. We love this park, and love the weather even more.Hunt got this super cool PowerWing scooter for Christmas. He zips all over on it. It makes the sharpest turns I've ever seen, and he really gets going. Mom is still unable to navigate it, she keeps falling off, much to the entertainment of everyone. Hayley's scooter is adjustable, so Emmer's can stand on it. It takes all of us to push, drive, and keep her from falling off, but she loves it.Never to be outdone, Hayley is performing some amazing Scooter Skating. Brent thinks she looks like an Ice skater on a scooter. She was doing figure eights in this position. Just watching her gave me a butt cramp! :)Emmy has some mystical connection to swings. She adores them. She looks darling having some fun with her daddy. What a pair.What can I say? Hunt looks so handsome here. He is growing too quickly for my taste. Slow down buddy! I have pictures of Hunter and Hayley on various animals through the year, and I couldn't resist adding one more. Emmy was slightly worried about sitting on it, but she is tough, and took one for the team. I love this guy! He makes me so happy. It is rare for us to get in the shots, but I must say that Hunter is fairly adept at photography. Way to go.
In closing.... ......there just aren't words enough for this picture.

Happy New Year!

It seems impossible that another year has passed. They are passing much too quickly for me. We had some great end of the year parties with family and friends. My family had our annual Stan's Rockin' New Years Eve Party. (Stan is my brother-in law, and all around great guy!) It is always so fun to get together, play games, eat, and ring in the new year. Each year gets nuttier with the number of kids expanding. You wouldn't believe how many creme puffs Hunter and I put away. I kept getting after him to get out of them, but only 'cuz I was sneaking them in, I'm sure it was very stealthy too.I think this was during one of our Guitar Hero moments. My sister Leslie (on the left) Stan, (middle,sitting) and my nephew Tyler, (sitting, gray sweatshirt). People came and left at various times, so between that, and my camera dying, I was fairly limited in picture capacity.It is rare for my darling sister Celeste to let me get a picture. This is a double bonus with Paul. He had been up for a 12 hour shift, and still had some party in him. These two are the life of the party, and always bring fun new games to teach us. Thanks!
What party would be complete without a little Rockin' on Guitar Hero? I think I was the only one to get Boo'd of the stage because I suck. I was completely stomped on by everyone.
This is one of my cute sisters, Michelle, and her hubby Stan. I am uncertain why I am in the middle...It could be that I was unable to move, due to my creme-puff withdrawl. They are both awesome, and I am so lucky to have such wonderful a family.
My niece Linnea, was being shy because what girl wants to show her muscles with a camera around? I set the camera down on my leg, and she started posing. How could I resist? I am so dang sneaky. Kickin' arms! (Okay, okay, maybe I'd like something on me to be this firm.)Not to be out done by his sister, Jon had to pull out his guns too. Very Nice Jon!
Emmy was completely content to eat orange sticks all night. Brent wasn't quite so happy with me, but was being a great sport. It was one of the few things to perk her up. Poor baby. She sure didn't like traveling this go-around.
Self Explanatory Huh? I don't usually put icky pictures of me on here, but jeez, we both look a little irked. Maybe I'm looking to heaven for patience. My New Year's resolution will be not to be such a Fuddy Dud!
Cute little? Ellie. She is the most easy going girl ever. She kept trying to give Emmy hugs, and was treated to Emmy's mad cat (complete with hissing and posturing) imitation. She was such a good sport, and easily made up for Em's bad manners.But ...Grandma to the rescue. Of course she is happy with her grandma, like always. A little Mickey mouse never hurt anything either. It was a happy ending to the party of the year.
Move over Guitar hero, here comes Rock band. What a hoot. We were able to try the new craze at My Aunt and Uncle's new home and had so much fun to watching everyone play. Here is Brent , with Maddie and Sydney on drums. I couldn't even keep up with the drums. It kept giving me the dizzies.
Hunter is wonderful at any game he tries. He sat down, goofed for a while, and then got in gear. He did incredibly well. Watch out world!It was so good to get home, we all crashed to watch Wall-E. My family is growing up. We were able to watch the whole thing, with Emmy too. These are the moments I love the most. I am truly blessed.

I seem to have favorite pictures in each blog don't I? Well I guess this one is my post favorite. Aubrey, my mom, and Emmy, reading a bedtime book. One thing or another set them off oinking like piggies. They were just cackling, just check Emmy out. It was a wonderful moment with grandma and cousin.

We wish you and your families a Happy New Year.