Whitewater Rafting

We went whitewater rafting with our "fun friends" in August.  But I never posted pictures.  So here they are now.  Better late than never, right?

 Oh boy, no clue what really lays ahead.  So naive.

 Oh yeah!  There it is!

 Oh look, Ryan is waving at the camera.

 Oh, and still waving.  I guess he doesn't care if he falls out or not, as long as he gets a good picture waving at the camera.

 Oh look at that.  He survived.

 Here I am jumping off a cliff.

 No river will think about taking on this guy again:

December Snow

Cody got a Principal's Pride award.  He was so cute.

 This is one of the sexiest things in the whole world and I get to see it regularly in my family room.  Especially at Christmas time.

 We got some snow.  And not just snow, real snow.  The kind that can be rolled into snow balls.  The kids LOVED it.

 Brandon was outside all day.  I was starting to think he would never come in.  Not as long as there is even an ounce of snow left.

 We got all dressed up for the ward Christmas party.  It is rare that I can get the kids to cooperate in dressing a certain way, so it was kind of fun.

Okay, so I should be caught up now!

Recitals

The kids all had recitals on Thursday.  Kathleen had her orchestra recital and played a solo.  She was so nervous.  But she practiced so hard.  I was sooo proud of her.

 The boys had a piano recital.  It was Cody's first.  He played Jolly Old Saint Nicholas.  He always plays so fast at home and we were constantly telling him to slow down a little.  He played at his recital sooooo slowly that I couldn't help but laugh.  I don't think I have ever heard Jolly Old St. Nicholas that slow before.

Brandon played Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.  I have never seen him love the piano quite like he does now.  He plays all the time.  It is so cute.  He sounded great when he played.

Happy Birthday Ryan

The day before Ryan's birthday this is what his office looked like when he got to work.  I guess this is what happens when you have girls working for you. 

 The kids colored this shirt for dad.  Now they can run their cars on his back and give him a back rub.

 Some awesome friends gave him this shirt.  I think it is his new favorite.

 Ryan took the day off for his birthday.  He got up and showered and dressed and this is what I found.  I have never seen him look so...relaxed...before.

 We made a Thanksgiving feast at home for Dad's birthday (Ryan was really bummed we didn't have left-overs after our trip for Thanksgiving).  Brandon decided that he had to carve the turkey on Dad's birthday.

 Three pies...that's right...three pies.  Happy Birthday to you.  Thanks to Valerie for the third pie.  Mmm.

 Reading the family Christmas book.

 Oh yeah, get that Astro Pop!  Ryan and I went to a candy shop while the kids were at school and brought these home for them.

 Dinner with friends at Tucanos:

Little Mavericks

Brandon had the privilege of being an Honorary Maverick at the local high school with their basketball team.  He came home saying it was the best day of his entire life.  He was so cute.  They really made hi feel special.

 He got to be on the court with the big boys.

 He got to sit on their bench:

 They pick two kids for each home game to make feel special.  Brandon got lucky enough be picked with one of his best friends from class.

 They got to keep shirts and balls.

 They got a picture with the team in the locker room.

Gingerbread Party

We had our annual gingerbread house party.  The kids had a great time decorating their houses.  I got a kick out of how little Brandon put on his.

 Yep, this sums it up:

 She is getting pretty good at it:

 Ryan did the Merlion - from his trip to Singapore.

 And mine...yeah...

Decorating for Christmas

We always have at least one kid who plays in the box (and in this case, eats candy) while we set up the tree.

 The kids did the one in the playroom all by themselves this year.

 When mom steps out for a bit, guess what she comes back to.  That's right, kids on the roof.  Man, sometimes it amazes me how differently a mother and father can feel about things.

 Brandon set up the train.

 Decorations:

We went to the city tree lighting ceremony.