Yes...believe it or not...we had Christmas too!

It's been so long, I'm sure most of you (if any of you are left out there reading:) thought we all died or decided against celebrating Christmas this year....but here's the proof! We did have a great Christmas...we even watched the movie The Christmas Shoes...which had all of us (ages 4-68) balling our eyes out by the end. Too bad I don't have a picture. Here are the pictures I do have...

Grammy read us a new Christmas Eve story...

The cast of the Christmas Eve pagent...

The loot....
Santa gave in and Hyrum got the sword he's been asking for for 6 months...
Well...at least there's still snow on the ground...so not too late to post a Christmas blog!

Thanksgiving withdrawal...

So we had the best Thanksgiving this year! We had every member of my family (all 20 of us) here in Cleveland to celebrate. Since Jacob shared his mission call (Manchester, England!!) we know it will be at least 2 years until we can do it again. There's something about looking around the table and seeing all the people you love and grew up with!! We had a great time, including one night that we sat around and just told stories about all the crazy things we did when we were little. We even broke out Lani's journal to verify the facts!!! I haven't laughed that hard for a long time!! It was so great...and now I'm going through withdrawal as I try to get back into my ever busy life. Here are some pics to share...

The day started with a little male bonding Turkey bowl...yes Jacob is wearing shorts!

Of course...lots of cooking. This year we brined the turkey...it made it a little more moist and flavorful, we'll never go back!

Setting the table...

While the rest raked the leaves at Seth and Emily's house...

No more room on and at the full table...

Jacob graduated from the kids table this year!

Kris wasn't shy...

Emily out did herself this year with 9 varieties of pie!! So good...we essentially had a second dinner with plates full of pie! yum...

After dinner calestenics...

Dancing....to work off all that food!

Lani and Grant!
Seth's outraged he ate too much!
Of course there was lots of football...Ricky educated the grandkids on what Thanksgiving's really all about!
Jacob REALLY enjoyed his dessert! :)

Push-ups...

...with help!

Jacob's endowement in Columbus...what a great day! I couldn't stop smiling!

Worn out on the way home!

Hyrum and Garrett...nothing like playing with your cousins!

Dogpile on dad!
Making our own Thanksgiving turkeys..
We rarely do the arcade games...but hey, it was Hyrum's birthday...why not? It wasn't all the kids imaged, after they lost all their money trying to win an ipod...

Life-size Candyland!

Hadley and Shayla dress up at the Kirtland nativity displays!

Hyrum's birthday waffles!

Hyrum turns 4!! With his animal cake...

Grant really loved the cake!


Can't you see why I have the post-Thanksgiving pre-Christmas blues? I need a little visit from someone to get me through! Anyone?! Anyone?

The conclusion...summer (well I guess now it's fall) in review...

Labor Day at Heather's! All these innocent children belong to reckless dermatologists who let their kids go swimming!!!!! What?!?! Okay they have sunscreen on!

Cleveland Dermatology Society meeting - here's my fantastic class...It's my first time to be the tallest in ANY group :)!!!! (Wait a minute...most of my high school friends were around 5'2" also...I guess I'm bound to always be the Amazon woman! :)

First day of school! Jeff's first day teaching at Case Western Reserve University and Hadley's first day of third grade. I'm happy to claim both of these cuties!

Hadley -- with her new easy bake oven...She likes the outfit more than the oven! Probable a little gratuitous that I let her spend all her birthday money on this little beauty..I ALWAYS WANTED ONE TOO! :) Maybe if I had one I would have developed a few more homemaking skills!

Hyrum dressing like his Grammy....

Hadley had to get into the action too! Christy dressed up to deliver a birthday singing telegram...it was hilarious! She always keeps us happy and laughing :)


Feeling happy here...how are you?

Summer in review...

Just so you know we've been alive these last few months...
Here we are taking the Rapid downtown to hear the Cleveland symphony play a Fourth of July festival...the kids liked the journey as much as the concert and fireworks. As soon as the concert ended it started to pour and we joined the hundreds of people trying to crowd back on the train. What a night!

Here's Hadley hugging her friend Emme after "This is Kirtland." Hadley is planning to be it in this year with her Grammy.

Of course...we did lots of swimming i.e. Christy moved in! :)

Hadley had a fun mother and daughter book club. Here they are dressed up like Laura Ingles Wilder after they read Little House on the Prairie. Hadley's going to resurrect this costume and wear it for Halloween. [Thanks mom for sewing the pioneer trek clothes, so I can look like supermom with hand-made costumes for my kids! :)]

Catching an Indian's game.

Don't the kids look happy?

Baseball America's favorite pasttime.

Twin's day! My hip chairman and 3 of my dermatologist friends.

New bikes!

How Hyrum liked to ride his new trike. :)

Zoo time...

butterfly jungle.

monkey love! I love Hyrum's face in this picture. Like he's telepathically communicating with the monkey statue. He's truly gifted! Of course all of that while I'm about ready to fall asleep from trecking around the zoo all day!

So now you see we were alive last summer...just out of touch! Don't give up on us!