Christmas

We kind of procrastinated our family picture this year. So we took pictures right before church the Sunday before Christmas to get out card out this year. With our cruise and the way Tyrel's schedule worked he wasn't home for three weeks straight so we got the pictures done quick. Then a few days before Christmas Tyrel's Granma and Aunt hosted a Christmas pancake dinner. So me and the kids headed over and had fun with Tyrel's aunts, uncles, and cousins. Then Tyrel had to work some of Christmas Eve so everything started that night. He got home at about 6:30 and then his two brothers and mom and dad came over later that night. We ready the Nativity story, opened pj's, and left cookies out for Santa. Christmas morning was spent opening presents and eating breakfast. The kids were happy and excited for every present. Peyton is at that fun age where everything she tears open gets a huge grin and wide open eyes!! We then headed to church for sacrement and came back to watch football and eat yummy food!! We decided on more new year's type food for Christmas day. So we just snacked on all the appetizer favorites. My kids got to enjoy their Christmas presents in all their glory for the 1st time because we weren't somewhere else. We then got to all enjoy talking with Sackett on his mission. Then that night Tyrel and I cleaned up and packed to leave for Arizona in the morning!!

Paradise!!

The beginning of December Tyrel and I were lucky enough to take off for 10 days and go on a 7 day cruise with my sister Sarah and her husband Chad. We went out of Peurto Rico and had a blast. We only had 1 day at sea and were able to see a new island all the other days. We had a blast snorkeling, ziplining, kayaking, and enjoying the beautiful beaches. The evenings and day trips were full of laughs and good times with my sister and her husband. It was nice to get away and relax. We could sleep in if we wanted, eat when we wanted, and just enjoy each others company. The entertainment on the ship was a huge bust, but everything else was great. Last time Tyrel and I went on a cruise we went alone. We had fun, but there was a lot more laughs with someone else to talk with. My kids had a blast too. For the first 6 days they were all with Grandma and of course that included lots of activities and close to their cousins Jayton and Colby. Then the last 4 days Peyton went with a friend of mine and the boys went with another lady from my ward whose kids are in their 20's. My boys had a blast with her and her daughter. They played hard and were not ready for me to come home at all!!! There are lots more details but I will document those somewhere else. I loved when someone asked if I was taking the kids, I just laughed!! I just talked to my friend who just got back from a Disney cruise with her 5 kids and she said it was a lot of fun, but not really a vacation as far having 5 kids to take care of on the cruise. She agreed on us going alone was a great way to go as far a real "Vacations" goes!! I do want to take my kids some day but when they are old enough remember it and pretty much take care of themselves!! I enjoyed getting one person dressed each day, feeding myself and getting one plate, having someone else do the dishes, make my bed, and cook my food. My mom made a good point. A wife/mom appreciates a cruise more than anyone else. Husbands and kids are already used to someone making thier food, doing the dishes, and cleaning up after them. The mom's are the ones who really get the break!!

November!

I don't have too many pictures for November. We celebrated Tyrel's birthday by making him a cake out of no-bake cookies and get bought himself a hunting bow. I got him a few t-shirts for our cruise. We got our first skiff of snow that the kids died to play in, but didn't last. We had Thanksgiving with Tyrel's family which was fun, but I forgot my Camera!!! We ate Thanksgiving dinner at Tyrel's aunt and uncles house and had quite a bit of family there. We then had to come home that night because Tyrel had to work the weekend. We had just enough time Friday to get some things done and go buy a tree. We usually go cut our own down, but with Tyrel's schedule and our cruise he wouldn't be home again until the Sunday before Christmas so we went and bought a real one frome the store. It may not have had the story behind it, but it sure was beautiful and smelled wonderful and it made it to Christmas

October

With October came cooler weather, more soccer, and halloween!! We had fun carving our pumpkins from our garden. Peyton kept eating the pumpkin like a watermelon and Cooper had fun being able to carve the pumpkin by himself this year. Halloween weekend was full of trick or treating, costume contests, trunk or treat, and eating candy. Also I was able to be a part of a fall festival put on by the missionaries. It was a dinner and tour of the church for the community. I was in charge of the youth programs of the church and explaining them to those who came. It was a neat experiance and no one argued with me. I mean what parents argues with you when you explain to them good whole activities that their children could be doing instead of hanging out doing who knows what!! It was also a month of getting stuff ready for winter. Boys stacked wood, I cleaned up my garden and flower beds.

September

September was full of Soccer and some more camping. Cooper and Trip played soccer this year. They both loved it!! They were aggressive and go getters!! Trip had about 3 goals his first game. I think 3 were in the other goal and 3 in his, but he still had fun!! He would stand there like he was waiting his turn and the second the coach told him to kick it and go get it he was off!! Cooper had fun as always. It was the bigger kid this year and I had to rein him in a few times for getting too aggressive with smaller kids. I liked when a team had another other kids that would kind of push him back. It was good for him!!
Then on weekend in September we met up with some friends of ours from Utah in Moab to go camping, Jeremey and Jamie Lucas and their 3 kids. It was a blast. All of our kids had fun together, we hikes arches national park, went swimming, and just had a good time camping together. We hope to do it every year!!

August- Washington

After Frisco I took the kids to Denver where we caught a flight to Spokane to spend two weeks with my family. We had a blast swimming, camping, driving to Seattle for my nieces baby blessing, and going to Ephrata for Brindy's wedding. It was an exhausting trip. My mom had us on the go the whole time. Wish we would have gotten more time to just hang at the lake at my mom and dad's but it was still fun!! Cooper had a blast playing with all his cousins. There are not too many Trip's age so he spent the time feeling left out. Cooper struggled the two weeks trying to keep up with his cousins and pretending he wasn't exhausted!! At my mom's house were some of my nephew's and Trip kept asking my nephew Cade what his name was. Finally Cade got sick of telling him so he just said my name is Bob Kelso and from that point on that name stuck and Trip called him that the whole time!! Peyton was so conveniently in her 18mo clingy stage that she wouldn't go to anyone the whole Trip except Bob Kelso! We camped for 4 days with my brother Clayne and his family. I coudln't beleive my boys made it the whole week sleeping in a tent with the boys. Especially Trip being 3! It was so nice to go home for a while!!

August- Frisco

In August we took a month off!! First we headed to Frisco to spend some time with Tyrel. For about the past year Tyrel has been working in Leadville, CO which is a whole 1 hr closer to home. So it only takes him 6hrs!! His condo is in a town called Frisco. A big skiing area. We had fun exploring Frisco, Breckenridge, and other surrounding towns while Tyrel went to work. All these towns are full of paved bike trails. I felt guilty being the only one at the park who actually dared to drive my car there!! These pictures are from a gondola ride we took up a mountain and on the top they have summer adventure parks. Would have been more fun if our kids were older!!

Coming Soon...

An update on what we have been up too since July!!!! I got way behing when I went to Washington for a month in August and then Soccer in September and who knows in October and then my computer crashing the middle of October. I refused to buy a new computer (which was way overdue) until after Thanksgiving when all the sales are out there. So now that I am back from my 7 days cruise with Tyrel and my sister and her husband, my computer has been delivered and hooked up. So stay tuned for updates from the last 4 months with lots of pictures!!!! Hope you all have been well!!

Kids Are Funny

Funny things said lately in our house.

Mom:Trip Would you like a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch?
Trip: No, I would like a boy cheese sandwich.
Mom: Oh, so what is Peyton having for lunch then?
Trip: A Girl Cheese sandwich!!

I was folding up some clothes that Peyton out grew and putting them in a tote.
Cooper:Mom what you are doing with those girl clothes?
Mom: I am putting them in this tote, they are too small for Peyton.
Cooper:Oh, are you going to sell them?
Mom: No, I am going to save them just in case we need them again.
Cooper: Why? We aren't having another girl, you can sell those.


On the way our the door the other day.
Cooper: Mom are you getting Peyton dressed?
Mom: Yes!
Cooper: Well are you going to change your shirt?
Mom: No, I am all ready to go.
Cooper: Oh, cause that shirt doesn't look very good!

There is a positive to that last narrative. My children are actually really good at compliments and manners. They say thank you and please and always tell me how pretty I look when I get ready. They have learned that from their dad. So for Cooper to actually tell me I didn't look good makes me think all those other times that he told me I looked good, maybe I did. If he is willing to tell me when something doesn't look good then maybe their is more meaning behind his compliments and not just habit from hearing his dad.