Christmas!

The kids all ready to come down and see what they got for Christmas.

Parker trying out the drone Santa gave him for Christmas.

Mckenna was all smiles about her new Converse high tops.  It made me smile when I saw her wearing them with her pajamas.

Parker wearing his new BYU baseball cap.

Hayden was very content with his new Nerf gun that Santa brought him.  If only we could keep him and Parker from shooting each other.

 We had a yummy Christmas breakfast of waffles with nutella and berries.

We were happy to have a white Christmas.  Kev spent some of the morning shoveling all the snow.

We went to my Dad's to have Christmas dinner.  It was delicious and I had two helpings of almost everything.

We were so glad that Grandma Smoot was with us.  She handed out ten dollars bills to all the kids.

Mckenna with her present from Grandpa and Grandma.  She used her new curling iron to do her hair that morning.

Addy was happy about her new dancing game.  We are both wearing our crowns from the English party poppers.  I love this family tradition.

Our last stop of the day was to see my Grandpa.  I had made him a photobook about Grandma for Christmas.  It is almost sixty pages and was a lot of work.  I used some of my talk from the funeral and then added other memories and pictures.

Christmas eve

We spent Christmas eve with the Foster side of the family.  Grandpa got out his pipes for some family music time.

We played several different Christmas songs.  We were finally getting the hang of it by the end.  

Hayden getting hugs from his Aunt Lisa.  He was loving all the attention he was getting from her.

Halle and Aubrey got to be Santa's helpers this year and help hand out the presents.

Mckenna was very happy with her soft new blanket from her grandparents. She was sharing with her Great Grandma Grant. 

Kev with his brother and Sister.  Lisa found out earlier this month that she has a third brain tumor.  She has already begun receiving medicine through an IV to fight the tumor.  We are all sad she has to go through this again.  She still remains faithful and courageous through it all.  She is such a great example to all of us.  

The girls showing off their cute princess socks they got from their grandparents.

We went home and the kids opened up their Christmas jammies.  

They all looked so cute.  We then read our new book for this year called, "The Christmas Oranges".

Halle also got new pajamas for her doll Kit.

Hayden and Addy enjoyed putting out treats for Santa and carrots for the reindeer.  They were all happy to go to bed that night.  Kev and I were so happy because we didn't have to wrap any presents on Christmas eve.  We finished wrapping earlier that day and were able to get to bed at a decent hour.

Parker's Eleventh Birthday!

Parker turned eleven years old on Wednesday December 23rd.  He had fun playing out in the snow all morning.  There was so much snow!  Kev even got out the four wheeler and pulled the kids up and down the streets in sleds.

Parker's best friend Ryker came over and they had fun playing the Wii together.

We had a party that night at our house.  Parker was getting birthday hugs from his brother and sisters.

Grandma Loni and Grandpa gave him this awesome BYU blanket.  We gave him his own fishing pole and tackle box.

Parker still loves dinosaurs so I made him a Jurassic cake.  I just kind of made it up as I went along.  We put a T-rex figurine on top and a raptor on the bottom.

Parker wants to be a Paleontologist when he grows up.  Parker making a birthday wish.

Parker had a good time performing the Jurassic Park theme song for his Grandparents.  He learned and memorized it in the last couple of weeks.  We love our Parker boy!  He brings so much happiness and love to our whole family.

Holiday Highlights!

The day after Thanksgiving we decorated for Christmas.  It is always magical when we put the tree up and all the decorations.  We listen to The Forgotten Carols as we put the ornaments on.

Kevin and I went to an Orbital ATK dinner up Ogden Canyon.  He received a Propulsion Systems Achievement award.  I am so proud of how hard he works to provide for our family.  We had a very nice dinner of prime rib, smoked turkey, and shrimp.  It was nice being able to meet Kev's boss and his wife.  It was a memorable night out together.

We enjoyed our ward party hanging out with friends.  Addy looked so cute singing with the Primary.  The kids also got to see Santa.

The girls and I went to see Grandpa at his new apartment.  The kids decided to share their small tree with him.  Addy helped me decorate it for him.  We wanted to bring him some Christmas  Cheer for his first Christmas without Grandma.

Hayden had his first skiing lesson at Brighton.  They were offering a free lesson and rentals.  He really enjoyed it and did well for his first time.  He even saw Santa skiing down the slopes!

We went to see Santa at the Riverwoods Mall for family night.  It was great because he made Kenna come sit on his lap and tell him what she wanted for Christmas.  He told her, "It has been awhile since we last talked".  It made us all laugh.

Addy and Halle both had their Winter Dance Showcase.  I enjoyed seeing both of them dance.  Their teachers also handed out dance class awards.

The kids had their Christmas Sing program.  The 5th grade sang "Rockin Around the Christmas Tree".  Parker was very entertaining with his dance moves.  I am glad that I have it all on video.

Our good friends the Truman's invited us over to their house for some Christmas fun too.  We had dessert and a Christmas lesson.  We are thankful to have such kind and thoughtful friends.

We had the Rosen Family Christmas party on the Sunday before Christmas.  We had it at my Grandpa's new place.  I was in charge of the nativity for the kids.  I borrowed Loni's costumes and the kids looked great.  It was fun hanging out with my cousins.  We also enjoyed a game of Family Feud with church trivia.

We drove up to Park City to get our family ornament for the year.  We chose out a skiing Santa. There was so much snow in Park City and it was beautiful.

Temple Square

We went to temple square for mutual last week.  We went with just the Mia Maids.  The lights were beautiful! This was my favorite picture that I took that night.

Our cute Mia Maid girls!  

We chose the perfect night to go.  It was not cold and not snowing.  The lights and temple bring such an uplifting spirit.  

A nice man from England offered to take a picture of all of us.  He had the best accent.

We took a leaders picture.  I enjoy serving in Young Women's with both Michelle and Janice.  Michelle rode up with me in my car and we had a great time just talking.

I took this candid shot of the girls just hanging out.  I love how they were all doing there own thing. We laughed when we looked at the picture.  I guess Aspyn was yawning when I took it.  I love these girls and love being their leader.  It has been a memorable year in Young Women's!

Dancers of the month!

Addy and Halle were both chosen as their class "Dancer of the Month" for November!  I am so proud of them both!  Addy started taking dance in September and she absolutely loves it.  It is the highlight of her week.  She looked so adorable on her first day of dance.

She takes a creative dance class on Tuesdays after preshool.  Her dance teacher is Miss Robyn Bos.  She said the sweetest things about Addy, "Addyson Foster is full of grace and softness!  She adds a calming presence to her class, and always tries her best to listen and dance well.  Addy's movement vocabulary is growing every week, and it's exciting to see her try new skills with confidence!  She is a friend to all, and a great student!

Halle started taking dance after the soccer season ended in October.  She is taking a Jazz class and a Ballet class.  Her teacher this year is Katie Bruce.  She said, "Halle Foster has earned Dancer of the Month for jumping right into class without hesitating!"  I love that my girls love to dance.  It is so fun being a dance Mom.  I am looking forward to their performance in May.