Christmas Day 2010

This time of year we joy in celebrating the birth and life of Christ, He is our Savior and our Redeemer.

Christmas Eve

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve with Ross's parents. We spent the evening at our home and had a wonderful meal before doing a little caroling and cookie delivering. We'll have to work on our seasonal repertory seeing the only song we all knew was Jingle Bells this year. The boys were so excited to open their gift from Grandma and Grandpa Crozier when we got home, and they looked so cute in their new pj's. And not to forget the putting out of cookies and milk for Santa. Dallin also put out some oats for Santa's reindeer, and believe it or not it was all gone in the morning.

"Deck the Halls"

I love decorating the tree, it is one of my favorite traditions during the Christmas Season. The boys had fun, and loved seeing the lights come alive. This year we opted for the Ridley's parking lot special seeing Ross has been so busy with work and we just haven't found the time to drive to the hills. I have to laugh as most of the ornaments end up mostly towards the bottom of the tree, and yes, I'm naughty and find some time later in the week to do some major rearranging.

Dear Santa

How fun to be a child at Christmas time!

Time with Dad

These are the priceless moments in life, Reed was so excited to be able to shovel the snow with his Dad. The look in his eyes and the smile on his face tells it all. We simply have been so blessed to have such wonderful children that are such a joy.

Tonsils and Adenoids

Dallin had his tonsils and adenoids taken out in November. I, being a worried mother, was nervous having him under anesthesia but luckily the surgery went really well and just like Ross said, "he'll be fine", and he was. His recovery continued to go smoothly and he thoroughly enjoyed all the 'soft foods' he was able to indulged in for the week. Thanks to all the friends and family for thinking about us, and letting Dallin know they cared.

The Daily Chore

Dallin and Reed love getting the newspaper every morning, they call it their morning chore. This particular day we had a little snow flurry and it was quite the ordeal to get ready for the task as you can see.

Best of Friends

Halloween

Burrrrr, it finally turned cooler, at least for the weekend of Halloween. Dallin was excited to be a dragon (a great little costume I picked up for 1.98 at the thrift store, hurray for deals) and Reed, well, he likes getting dressed up just about as much as me. Our little cowboy and dragon ended up having a great night at the Trunk-er-Treat though, and Ross and I enjoyed the fruits of their labors! I have decided that I need to be better and get more excited for this holiday for the sake of the boys, so perhaps next year there will be a little more spooky at the Hyatt House.

Preschool Continued

This last month Dallin's Preschool class went on two different field trips. First they learned about fire safety, followed by a trip to the Jerome City Fire Station where they listened to the fire fighters, toured the station, walked through the trucks and listened to the sirens. Their next adventure was one the kids had prepared for all month as they learned Halloween songs that they sang to the individuals at a local rest home. They all sang so well, and the smiles on their faces say it all. Dallin even taught me his favorite song, "Halloween, Halloween, ohhhh what funny things are seen, Black Cats and Ghosts, Skeletons too, Clowns and Witches all say BOO!" Dallin loved getting to dress up in his costume too! November brought Dallin's turn to be the class V.I.P. so we had fun making turkey treats for him to share with his class.

Miracles

I've been reflecting a lot on how much my family and I have been blessed by the Lord this past year. We have found so much peace and contentment while living in Jerome. We have made wonderful friends and the kids are doing so well. Recently our ward boundaries were changed and we now find ourselves in the 6th ward, it will be a good opportunity for growth and we look forward to whats to come. We are so thrilled thinking about the weeks to come when we're able to bring home our new son. Most recently, I have felt the love of the Lord as I look back at the struggle my Father has had with his brain tumor. From the beginning of this fight with nature our family has felt the peace that comes with prayer and priesthood blessings. This particular tumor has been treated with medication for the last two years, with hopes it would shrink - surgery was not an option and it was believed by medical professionals that it would forever more be a part of Dad's existence. Surprisingly and most excitingly was the news that the tumor is now gone, a true miracle in all of our lives. My Father has always meant so much to me and I will forever be grateful for the time we've been given with him, especially for his grandchildren to have the opportunity to spend time with Grandpa. My faith has grown through this and my appreciation of the temple has increased. How grateful I am again to the Lord for the blessings he pours out on us. We love you Dad.

Preschool

Dallin has been talking about preschool for almost a year now. He knew that when he turned 4 he would be able to go. His first day was so exciting! I couldn't believe how big he looked wearing his back pack. His teach is Mrs. Mortenson and she is doing a fabulous job with kids, I have been so impressed with the things they do every day! Dallin brought home a plate with the letter X on it the first day, as it was the letter they learned about, and he was so excited to tell me all about it. Since then he has made and F, a puppet, and big poster all about him, and he has even done some homework. It is going to be a fun year I can tell.

Labor Day at Flaming Gorge, UT

Labor Day Weekend was spent with the Crozier family on a camp out at Flaming Gorge this year. It was wonderful to be together as a family! We're all married now, with the exception of Luke - Happy 16ht B-Day, and it's great spending time together. The boys absolutely loved playing with their cousins, as they always do. We played in the lake, ate way too much food and enjoyed visiting with everyone. We toured the Dam and it was amazing to see the old photos taken during the construction process. You actually ride on an elevator through the dam all the way down to where the water is released into the river and there are coin machines at the bottom to feed the fish, the boys loved this of course. On Saturday we all floated the Green River. I will admit that I was a little nervous with the kids but I had nothing to worry about. There were seven sets of rapids and the boys loved them to my surprise. Reed would get so excited and say "to infinity and beyond", he also loved the bale bucket, a red plastic Folgers can, it was his hat - Dallin said it looked like a top hat. Dallin loved kneeling with Kolby in the front of the raft as we bounced through the water. The weather was wonderful and turned cold right on schedule the morning we left. The ride home was rather long as Reed got the dreaded flu bug and we found ourselves on the side of the road many times trying to clean him, his car seat and the truck up. It was the beginning of a great tradition, so glad everyone was able to make it!