Winter Break

 

Parker and I were able to go see my Grandma on December 26th.  It had been a long time since we last saw her.  She hadn't seen Parker in months.  She couldn't believe how tall he was.  She made sure that he had chocolate, pop, and ice cream.  I was happy to be able to give her the present I bought her for Christmas.  She is my last living grandparent now and I don't take that for granted. We are grateful to call her grandma and grandma great. 

On Monday December 28th we got our first big snowstorm at home.  The kids played out in the snow all afternoon with friends. They told me they were making a snow barricade for the snow plow to knock down.  I love it when all the trees are flocked with snow. It looked magical outside!

We went up to the cabin on Tuesday December 29-31st.  We loved having Heather, Dan, and their family with us.  It was the first time in years that they had come to Utah after Christmas.  Addy loves to play with her cousins Bailey and Cassie. 

It took little Logan awhile to warm up to us again.  He did show Hayden his paw patrol car.  Logan is just the cutest and I love how his hair sticks up in the back. 

This is a common sight at the cabin.  The kids throwing things over the railing and us tossing it back to them. 

The cabin was at full capacity with all the families.  Kenna slept on an air mattress in the coat room.  I took a picture of her sleeping through all the chaos. 

There was not much snow this year.  We were still able to play around in the field.  The tubing hills still had sagebrush showing. 

The kids had fun being pulled around on sleds. Bailey was happy to ride the snowmobile with me.

Cassie just adores Halle and was always following her around. 

The boys all dog piled on Uncle Spencer.  Spencer and Megan were great to play Smash brothers with all the kids at night. 

The next day Kev and I took Halle and Aubrey snowmobiling with us. 

We went across the road to the other side of the Ranch.  There was actually some powder over there. 

We discovered that the river was only partly frozen.  Aubrey and Halle both wanted to walk around on the ice. 

Addy got this cool snow marker for her birthday.  She had fun trying it out. 

The boys enjoyed playing their Nintendo Switches together.  Heather's family got one for Christmas. 

We gathered all the kids for a Foster cousins picture.  I can't believe how grown up everyone is getting. 

The snow was great for the wooden sleds. We drove the kids up to the top by the cabins.  Then they had fun sledding down the road to the bottom.  Addy loved being able to ride down the hill on Kenna's back.

We went home in time to celebrate the new year with our friends.  We were all glad to say goodbye to 2020.  Heather, Dan, and the kids stopped by our house the next day to hang out.  We had a great time with their cute family.  A couple days later it was already time for the kids to go back to school.  The time really flew by with all the fun we had!

Christmas is here!

 

The kids were waiting and excited to see what they got for Christmas. 

Hayden immediately curled up in his new chair from Santa. 

He was also surprised to see he got a hammer in his stocking. 

Parker got a rack to clip his mountain bike into from Santa.  Now he can ride his bike inside during the winter months. 

Hayden was happy to have another Star Wars set to build.  His nickname in our family is "Master Builder". 

This is a typical scene on Christmas morning of  Kev picking up trash. His big gift this years was a huge flatscreen T.V. We are going to put it up in our basement when it is finished. He is so close to finishing it.  There will be a post all about it when it's done. 

Halle's favorite gift from us was a snuggly.  It is a giant blanket hoodie.  She loves it and lives in it!

This is one of my favorite pictures from Christmas.  Addy bought and gave Kenna this giant Hershey Kiss with her own money.  I always love seeing what the kids pick out for each other. 

We had our traditional waffle breakfast and everyone got their fill of Nutella.

Kenna was so tired that she took a mid morning nap.  She is not used to getting up this early. 

Addy loved her new horse from Santa.  It is the perfect size for her AG doll. 

In the afternoon we went up to Grandma and Grandpa Foster's house.  I love this group of awesome teenagers. 

We had a yummy ham dinner and then opened up presents.  The kids loved their LED light sets they got and have put them up in their rooms. Aubrey had fun playing in the wrapping paper and making us laugh. 

Cody brought up the most amazing coconut pie for dessert.  I took home the rest of it and enjoyed it for days. 

Parker and Spencer both got the game Super Smash Bro's for Christmas.  Spencer and the kids had fun playing all afternoon. 

Christmas eve

 

We spent Christmas Eve at my Dad and Loni's house.  Addy and Elle looked so cute standing next to their tree. I love how cute these cousins are together!

We had Chinese food for dinner. They ordered it from a local restaurant.  We did this once before and it was a hit.  It means less cooking for all of us.  Amy and I both made desserts for later.

Then it was time to open presents.  Mike made us all laugh with his giant present he held over his head. 

Hayden was happy to see the Star Wars Lego set his grandparents gave him. They really spoiled the kids this year. 

Aunt Kayley put make-up Christmas trees on all the girls eyelids. It was a fun and festive idea. I can't believe how grown up Halle is looking now. She is starting to look more like Mckenna. 

Kev got this funny shirt from Mike and Amy.  He loves it and has worn it many times since.

Kayley really came through on her gifts again.  The kids loved what she picked out for them.  I can't believe that she and Kenna our both in college now!

I was happy because I got two gift cards to my favorite store Rod Works. Kev took this picture and you can tell there are a lot of girls on this side of the family. 

We were glad that my Dad was able to be with us for Christmas eve. He had surgery on the 23rd to remove a tumor from his kidney.  It was a major surgery and we were impressed that he was feeling up to celebrating with us. 

We went home and the kids opened up their Christmas jammies. Addy was excited to get matching ones for herself and Blaire. 

Kenna opened up and read our traditional Christmas story.  

This was our first attempt at the pyramid.  I'm glad Halle grabbed Addy so she didn't fall from the top.

I love our family Christmas traditions.  I had the thought that this might be Kenna's last Christmas  at home with us for awhile.  Next year she might be serving a mission. 

Addy and Hayden were happy to put out the cookies, carrots, and milk.  I was happy that we had all the wrapping done. Kev and I actually got a decent nights sleep. 

Parker's 16th birthday!

 

Parker turned 16 years old on Wednesday December 23rd!  I can't believe how grown up he is now.  I think he grew about 6 inches in the last year. 

His birthday wish was to go see the puppies at the puppy store. All five of our kids are trying to convince us to get a dog.

They let the kids take turns holding this dog named Memphis. He is an Australian Shephard Huskie mix. 

We went bowling at Fat Cats. Parker did awesome and got the highest score of the whole family. I keep teasing him that he needs to take a date bowling now. 

Parker and I went to get his birthday waffle and balloons.  I love these traditions with my kids and hope they remember them. 

We had a family party that night for him at our house. It was fun having so many of his cousins there. 

Parker got this cool shirt from Mike and Amy's family. He and Brady were showing off their matching shirts. 

Parker's favorite gift was the Super Mario Brothers Party game for his switch.  He also got a a new mountain biking helmet. 

He chose Hershey chocolate kiss cookies and ice cream for dessert. It was a fun day celebrating him! He is really looking forward to getting his drivers license. He drives us everywhere these days. We are happy with all he has accomplished this last year.  We are glad that he works hard in school and gets good grades. Especially that A in Chemistry. He had another awesome mountain biking season. He continues to improve at piano and the clarinet. He is a great friend and always has a party he is going to. He is a fun and loving older brother.  He is a thoughtful son. I have had some fun times playing the Nintendo Switch with him. We love you Parker!