Welcome Home Trip

 We woke up to snow on the day we headed out to go see Uncle Dallin, whom just returned from his mission, luckily the roads weren't too bad and we made it there in good time... 

WE are so thankful that the girls are such great travelers and very grateful that Pat and Steve let us take their suburban which gives us more room..

 I couldn't get a great picture of them, but Hallie and Brae loved the bags Grandpa put on their heads... with eye and nose cut outs...

Uncle Dallin time! 

WE got him back into the world of technology.. showing him all the latest games on the ipad..

 The buffalo were close to the fence for feeding time, so we took a short walk up the road to see them up close...

It is amazing how big they are and how big the babies have gotten since the last time we were here.

 Hallie and Kara got to celebrate their birthdays a little early, so that Gma, Gpa, Jodi and Dallin could celebrate with them too...

Who says you always have to have the traditional cake.... peanut butter rice-krispy treats do just fine too!

 Kara loves her new scarf...and tennis racket that she got.

And Hallie her new clothes...

 Brad had a shocking game... not for me to try... there were a few brave ones... after seeing their reaction when they got shocked, there was no way I was going to play-

Hallie was often found in grandpa's massage chair..

 When Scott and Angie showed up, they have a dog (Hercules).

Brae and Hallie had a blast playing with him and watching him do his tricks!

 Kara was great to practice the piano while we were there..

MORE i-pad time...

 Dallin gave a great talk on Sunday and we are really glad we made the trip. It was fun to see family, even though it wasn't for more than a " Hi, how are you?" We hit the road by 1:30 and were home by 8pm... by 8:20 the girls were in bed and almost asleep..

 I took a few pictures at the lunch, but this one has to be one of the cutest of sweet little Morgan.

Another Year Older

Thirty Four! 

I used to think that 34 was so old... and now here I am... and I really don't feel too old... 

I had a great birthday.

Got the kiddos off to school, then went to Target and bought some new curtains for our back sliding door... YAY for finally finding some I liked...(and Drew liked too)

Then came home and started to get caught up on blogging, and had 4 friends show up to take me to lunch.. and 2 others that were meeting us there! 

I really have such great women in my life that I call friend and am so grateful for each of them, their examples and friendship. 

At 4 when the girls got home, Drew's parents showed up to take the girls for the night and Drew and I were free to do as we pleased...

I was still getting over the flu, and didn't know how much I would be up for, but toughened up and I am glad that I did.. 

We had a blast together... 

and are still talking about how much fun we had... and when we have fun together like that, we fall in love all over again! 

We went GO-Cart racing! 

There was  a group of ten or so ahead of us, and we could have raced with them, but didn't.

So we had the race track all to our selves for 10 min! 

We then headed to Texas Roadhouse for a yummy steak and rib dinner... 

oh, and we had a few rolls too!

Down at BSu it was the Beauty and the Beast

AKA... Wrestling and Gymnastics at the same time!

It was fun and entertaining...

Plus BSU won!

I am so thankful for Drew- He felt bad that he didn't really get me anything-

But a night away with just him was just what I needed...

The memory and falling in love all over again is way better than anything else!

SNOW!

This is the first year, in a few that we have had snow come and stay longer than a day or two. We even had a snow day and the kids got to stay at home from school.
We took a Saturday and played out to star, being pulled behind the 4 wheelers. We all played hard and had fun...
Even Gma and Gpa took a turn.
 

With freezing temps and a lot of fog, one morning we woke to the trees looking amazing... 

Frosted with the most beautiful ice crystals...  It was like being in a snow globe....

Something New.

 we bought this desk almost 11 years ago.  We were so excited to have something to hold our computer. It served it's purpose well, but it was time to say good bye...

 Have I ever said how much I love having a hubby that loves projects!? 

I found a picture of a desk that I liked, and with no plans or measurements, he went for it... and it turned out even better than the one in the picture.   Thanks for building yet another beautiful piece of furniture for our home!

 I have really enjoyed having long hair. Trust me, at first it was hard to get used to. But I was really enjoying it. I always go too long between trims, and the ends were splitting in a bad way.  And it was so dry and static.  So, instead of just a trim, I decided to go a little shorter this time...  Don't get me wrong, I do miss the length, but now my hair feels so healthy, and it's kinda fun having layers again...

Before:

 After:

Kara McCall

Kara, you are beautiful! It has been so fun to watch you grow and mature from little girl to Young Woman.  You are very responsible with your school work and have straight A's.  You have adjusted so well to middle school and really love it. We are thankful that you have such a great circle of friends to hang with at school.  Girls who make good choices like you.  You have been playing the piano for 3 years, and you are still amazing us. You love to practice when you have fun songs, and you always like to play them fast. WE love the music that you bring into our home. You can play several simplified hymns, which brings the spirit into our home. Thank you for sticking with piano.
You would be a happy kid if we could have hamburgers and pizza every week. You are like your dad and don't really like to try new things... you stick with what you know.  You are a great help at home. Your room is always clean and picked up.  You are always good to help with sorting the laundry, and taking your turn with the dishes.  You are getting more comfortable with being home alone, and watching your sisters so mom and dad can go out.  Soon you will be babysitting for other families and you will do great!  You like your alone time in your room, but you also love hanging with your family. When you play with your sisters you like to be the "director" of their performances.  You have always loved music and have loved to dance in the family room.
You always seem to know when your mom needs a hug, and you are very mindful of her. She loves you for this.. There has been many times when your simple hug has really lifted her spirits. 
You have been working hard to finish your Faith in God program, and will receive your recognition when you turn 12.  Twelve! Seriously, where has the time gone. We are excited for you to move on into the Young Women's program in March. It truly is the best program out there for girls your age, and will truly help you in so many ways in your life. You have a testimony that Heavenly Father loves you, always remember He is there for you.  You are a blessing to our family and we are thankful for the example you set for your sisters. They look up to you and love you!