What's On Our Happy List?

First of all, I feel like my blog is royally screwed up and that I'm in foreign territory.  The blog template I had kept for several years got removed because it's no longer free. It's gone bye-bye and I'm so not happy about that.  In trying to find another background I accidentally lost my side bar info. NOOOOOO!  It made me so sad, I even shed a few tears over it..all that work just gone... POOF! Thankfully my archive is in tact...there's almost 7 years of my family's life documented in there. Maybe one day I'll get things restored back to normal in this blog world of mine, but in the mean time

we've been a bit consumed with Drill...it's competition season..

                 
Emma helped me and another Drill mom get the drill display case done...

Their lockers get decorated so cute for competition week. Our turn to do these is coming up....

The locker room is a crazy place to be before show time...very entertaining....almost as much so as watching the dances....

 The girls Character routine is Under the Sea. Their costumes are very creative and most unusual. How does this poor girl dance with THAT on her head?


Or with this sea horse tail?

Um...try dancing with this garb on!...in heels mind you...Kyleigh is a jelly fish...if you couldn't quite guess...

Its like Under the Sea on steroids...I can't help see the costumes and think of that creepy lady from the Hunger Games...

Murray hosted the Murray Classic. Drill teams from all over the state come to our school to compete. It's a huge fundraiser for us. The Murray Drill Team and their parents run the event. We are talking about thousands of people at our school. {It's quite the undertaking.} Between Friday night and all day Saturday, it was like working a 17 hour gig. The Mr. was put in the First Aid room all day..dealing with injured dancers. {He always has some interesting stories by days end.} I was put in charge of throwing a fancy party for the 100 coaches/judges...decorating a room for them, making sure they were fed and kept happy all day.  I really tried my darn-dest to transform

one of the dance rooms at the school into a Vintage Sweet Shoppe. I borrowed a ton of stuff from two of my neighbors. It was way fun to do, such a creative outlet for me, but a ton of work.  I couldn't have done it without my support staff. The Mr. of course, and then my best friend came to help me set up, and Emmsie, my creative side kick, was also a huge help on both days. There at the school, and at home, holding the fort down and tending with Hannah. Emmsie said when Kate got older... as in when I have more time {ha!} that she and I should go into the wedding business together...  

Region and State competition are around the corner....Way exciting!!!

What's On My Happy List?

Our Christmas! 
I'm thinking I should have just sent this pic of Kate out as our family Christmas card this year! Oh gosh.. it cracks me up! This is from nursery class. The teacher just strung lights on the kids one Sunday and had a photo shoot.

Wishing a family photo shoot was that simple. Hopefully we will have our act together next year and our dear friends will actually hear from us at Christmas....in the mean time our blog, when I can get it on my priority list :) will have to do....You see this is as close to a family pic as we got taken.... and two kids were missing...haha... it was that crazy dance day...

One of my favorite sites in the whole world.... snow covered everything with a blue sky....

A little work in the snow...
and a little fun in the snow with the cousins! The sleds were tied to the ATV's...Oh boy, fun stuff!

Family Christmas Party at my parents...

Got a pic of Emma with her cousin Kade. I was just so taken back at how much he has grown. They were born just a couple of weeks apart. Both almost 16. I mean, seriously... Look how tall they are? Look at cute they are!

Even though the older kids have retired from being in the nativity I recruited him to be the donkey this year. He willingly led Brie {who got to be Mary} in on his back.

A humor moment for sure! Mary couldn't stay put on that donkey...

Awe...the backstage hoopla getting the grand kids and great grand kids ready for the nativity....

We've seriously been doing this for 30 years now!!

Christmas Eve!

Had to throw this one in...Emma and Hannah were goofing off and dressed Kate up as the girl from the Teen Beach movie. Kate loves that movie!!!

Sweet little Kate. My favorite memory from this Christmas season was when she was helping me decorate the tree and she was admiring a particular ornament, one of her favorites, and she said, "this is so beautiful, it makes me want to cry."

Our Seafood Feast and gift game with Jaren's family....

Christmas Eve we went out late and pulled the sleds with the ATV's again. I got brave this time and took a spin on one of the sleds. SO MUCH FUN! Emma was whipping me around the park field like nobody's business. {Trust me, I got her back.} Lots of squealing and laughter!!

Ready for Santa!!!

He came!!!

The best quote of Christmas morning came from Emma when she opened
up her Santa gift..."I'm just in a little bit of shock here..."

Brie wanted a shoe rack. What a funny kid!

Brie gave daddy this "U" cup that she bought at the Santa store at school.
Look how happy he is with it. :)

She also wrote sweet little notes to everyone. Mine was more like a letter, an assignment she did in school. I could have cried. My favorite gift by far...even beating out my new iphone and cheetah boots.

At Grandma and Grandpa's on Christmas Day!

Kyleigh with her cousin Emily on Christmas!

And with another one of her favorite people!...

She had a photo shoot over the break with her three bestest girlfriends....She loves these girls!

 Over the break Jaren and I helped chaperone a Regional Youth activity at the ice skating rink. I was able to snatch a pic of Emma with Kyleigh's friends. Poor Ky was at work. She worked like 34 hours over the Christmas break...

Hannah had a fun time with her friends playing Laser Tag. {Don't want to leave her out, but I have no pics of that.} Emma had a fun outing with a group of her friends sledding and then all 11 of them walked to IHOP.  

On New Years Eve we had Chinese take out with Jaren's family, then Kyleigh had some friends over. We made pizzas. I'm not kidding you when I say that girl drank three of those sparkling ciders. She is not a pop drinker but boy! when it comes to Mormon wine, as we like to call it,...she guzzles it. 

I love the holidays and THE FOOD! We've had some enjoyable nights out with friends...childhood friends and their husbands, neighbor couples, my best friend and her husband... but our New Year's Day date took the cake. Jaren and I went on a double date with Kyleigh and her date. K... how funny is that?...{How did I get this old for that to even happen? haha.}  We went for sushi, went shooting at the gun range, {my very first time ever!} and then we watched Bond. Fun, fun night! 

We got the funniest text from Uncle Ryan. He saw this on Facebook. Warning for Kyleigh. hilarious!

My favorite picture from the holidays that the Mr. took of Kate and I zonked on the couch!

Off to watch the season 4 opener of Downton. SQUEALLLLL!!!!