Christmas 2011

Bethany with "Bumblehuff" her new pillow pet from Carter. Bethany also loves playing school with her new school kit. Her dollies are the students of course! Emily, Chloe, Ashley and Annie do every thing Bethany does. After school they have primary , play games, cook and watch movies with Bethany. Her dollies got a bunk bed with a trundle this Christmas from Santa. Finally Bethany has room to sleep in her own bed with just the special dolly of the day and Bumblehuff of course... Bethany tenderly gives her friends many kisses before everyone settles down. She'll be a great mommy someday!

Ryan holding his Football money bank from Grandma and Grandpa Butler. Ryan also got spy glasses from Santa that take pictures and videos, so we are now all under surveillance. You've been warned... With his BIG nerf gun Ryan has the firepower to back himself up!

Carter was unique this year in that he focused on what he didn't want. As an issue of self-preservation he didn't want Ryan to get a bigger nerf gun than him. He also didn't want Bethany to get any more dolls. (There is definitely limited room on the couch with Bethany and all her friends in attendance.) He got his first wish but not his second... The Air Hog helicopter Santa gave Carter is his favorite gift. He can fly like a pro, shoot missiles and even make non-crash landings!

The pictures we took of the rest of us are unflattering so I'll protect our fragile self-esteem and not post them. (We actually had to wake up the kids this year so we could finish opening presents in time for 9 am church! Maybe we can sleep in next year.) Camille asked for stuff for college. Camille is always ahead of the game, in fact she is the most prepared person I know! She got a rice maker, a gift certificate to Dairy Keen and fun money that she is under strict orders to spend not save. Girls gotta have fun!

I loved having Christmas on Sunday. It was special to celebrate the Savior's birth and remember His sacrifice as we took the sacrament. I wish we could have Christmas on Sunday every year. It was a beautiful sunny and warm Christmas this year. No snow but that's OK with me. There will be plenty of that later. We had a fancy candlelight dinner on Christmas Eve; ham, candied yams, homemade rolls, green beans and pumpkin pie. After dinner we went for a drive around the valley to look at the lights. Then to bed, thank goodness. On Christmas morning we had a sugarfest; cinnamon rolls, sugar cereal from Santa, and grape juice. We threw in some breakfast burritos from Beto's just to even things out a bit. Yum! Since Christmas is almost all about food we had more junk food for lunch; pizza! We enjoyed spending the day at home. We played with toys, watched movies, read books and took naps (at least Camille, Sarah and Scott did). It was a wonderful day.

New Family pictures, Finally!

Tate Barn in Midway

Coke bottle glasses!

Scott thinks this one is super cheesy, but I like it!

Bethany's toothy grin

Some of Camille's senior pictures

Getting family pictures is hard work!! Finding clothes that everyone likes, a photographer who has realistic expectations, and most of all ensuring the kids cooperation! That was helped by a hefty bribe... Whew, we're done!

Preference Dance 2011

Okay, Grammy, here are your pictures finally...

We had a great time for preference, complete with an impromptu snowball/frosting fight (which I had nothing to do with, of course) and fancy dresses. And I still have not learned how to rotate the pictures...

Brittany (her date was late...)

Matt and Holly

Branton and Camille

Robyn and Connor

...Brittany's date

Branton and Camille

Matt, Holly, Branton, Camille, Nate, Brittany, Robyn, Connor

Best Friends! Brittany, Holly, Robyn, and Camille

Branton and Camille

In which we explore colleges, play outside, celebrate birthdays, and have a lot of fun.

Summer Joys. Okay, I admit, this was sort of a photo shoot for a scholarship thing, but hey, did it turn out cute or what?

Mom and I went on a college tour at BYU Idaho and Utah State University. I still have no idea where to go, but it was helpful. We stopped at the temples by both campuses.

At the end of our we got to visit Grandma Carter. Unfortunately, I never learned how to rotate pictures. So you might get a crick in your neck. My apologies.

More Birthdays in July!

For Camille's birthday we had a barbecue

(complete with cheesecake and brownies-for-the-tasteless).

We also played Signs and The Couch Game.

Girls just want to have fun. And sometimes that mean playing dress-up with little boys.

Pierce was a pretty good sport. And doesn't he look even cuddlier than ever?

Life gets ahead of you sometimes

Nerdiness? Contagious? Absolutely!

Miss Bethany just finished Kindergarten and loves reading chapter books. Way to go, sis! I see some family reading time coming on.

Breakfast with the Cousins- please note the masterpiece that is on Pierce's face.

The Tenneys visited us in Utah! The kids were excited to have friends overnight. Too bad they don't live closer!

Sisters!

Six and Stylish

While this new fashion may not last in a rainstorm, it sure looks cute.

Or maybe thats the model...

Birthday Fun at Grammy's!

Carter is now 10 years old, can you believe it? He loves reading, especially Harry Potter. (Proof? Camille's books are losing their covers. This is round three...) He also loves trying out his new rip-stick, telling jokes, and making mischievous plans.

Carter decorated his own lightning-bolt cake.

Garbage! The cousins enjoyed playing games and swimming for the party.

Winter doings

Ryan's daily wrestle with his socks! Yes, his socks. Socks have a way of twisting and rubbing in all the wrong spots. Worse yet are saggy baggy socks. Socks can put the best mornings to shame. If Ryan is having sock issues we steer clear until after breakfast!

Bethany's kindergarten class had a fairy-tale day. Bethany was the "ugly duckling". Unfortunately she was so cute we had to smother her with hugs and kisses all day. She must have felt pretty fantastic because she was waddling confidently all day too. When I picked her up from school she greeted the moms, "Helllloo fairy-tale parents!" She cracks me up...

Carter was on student council this year. His favorite assignment was selling beef jerky at recess. His least favorite part was showing up for student council meetings before school, because his mother felt too harassed to drive him and it's brr cold in Heber!

Carter's current ambitions are to be a super hero (a real one of course) or if that doesn't pan out an inventor/candy maker Willy Wonka style. He could also be in some kind of profession that leaps a lot because Carter still soars off any and everything. So I think his student council shirt is particularly applicable for him.

Bethany is our snow bunny. She loves to play outside in all weather. She is my only child that I don't have to chase outside to play. She loves making tracks and secret forts and building snow friends.

The kids are watching "Scooby Doo, Haunted Tales" in this picture. It must have been seriously scary because Carter and Bethany ended up sleeping in our room.

When Scott needs to blow off some steam after work his drums come in handy. His students are always difficult this time of year. It's good that I don't know them because somedays after listening to Scott I feel like strangling them... Scott has also been playing church BB this winter. That's an adventure in of itself...

Ryan is still playing the piano. Once he gets going he practices a song until he has it almost memorized.

MORP Dance

Me and Joe Jacobson

Spencer & Shayla, Zeke & Lindsay, Ryan & Brittany, Robyn & Sean, Zane & Aspen,

Holly & Dallin, Bryson & Jenny, Me & Joe

It's amazing I got everybody. There were two sets of twins in our group, plus two brothers. So if I mislabled them, I hope they aren't offended.

We had a great time at the dance. We ate and played games at Jenny's house. We got 'stuck' playing signs, and ended up spending more time playing that than we did at the dance. The theme of the dance was 'Rock 'n Roll All Night".