Merry Christmas to all of you!
You can tell who is the photographer in our family--there are very few pictures of mom! : )
This is for those of you who didn't get a Christmas Card for whatever reason...don't feel bad, we still love you! And besides, if you are checking the blog, you get lots of extras those who don't never see...Or for those of you who were lucky enough to get one, and are kind enough to check in on our family...we love you too! : )
Another year has nearly passed, and we have survived it!
Chris has worked hard this year, and done really well. He enjoys his job, and hopes to continue and excel in what he is doing. He and Wendi team teach the 14-18 year olds at church, and really enjoy that. Last spring, he worked really hard at getting our yard put in, and did a great job. It turned out very nice, and we have enjoyed all of the aspects of it over and over again. Plus, its good to not see dirt and mud anymore! : ) He spearheaded the planting of the garden, and was quite successful. We had lots of tomatoes and squash, and 3 pumpkins. Our poor little watermelon didn't make it, but that's ok, it was fun to attempt. In October he took us to California to visit his sister Debbie, and we had a great time. We went to the beach on a few occasions, which the girls LOVED, and went to Sea World--which they also loved. We went to Laguna Beach, and HAD to stop at the "famous" candy store where Chris would always get salt water taffy when he'd come to visit Deb. He had raved about it for days, so we had to go. We had a great time filling our bucket with the taffy, which was of course exorbitantly priced--but it was vacation, right? We get up to the cash register, and the owner of the store was there. So of course my wonderfully friendly and outgoing husband struck up a conversation with him, and asked where he got his salt water taffy. It had to be somewhere local-along the beach right? The store owner says, we get all our taffy from Salt Lake City--its the best you'll ever find. : ) You're kidding right? Nope. Sweets Candy, and Taffy Town are his suppliers. I guess no more trips to Cali for taffy--we just have to drive down town! : )
Wendi is doing well, and keeping busy with her 3 wonderful little girls. Some days its a little overwhelming, but this is what life is all about right? On the rare occasion that I have a moment to myself, I enjoy crafting and scrapbooking, and keeping up with old and new friends on Facebook.
You can tell who is the photographer in our family--there are very few pictures of mom! : )
Wesley turned 10 in June, and is growing up. He is doing well in school, and learning much. He is dearly loved and adored by his sisters, and he incites riot and chaos whenever he comes to visit, because they are so excited. He enjoys math and science, and likes Bakugan, Yugio, Transformers, and Spiderman.
Aynsli will be 5 in January, and is so ready for school--so is mom. She is currently enrolled in preschool and is loving it. She is a beautiful, happy little girl, who has the dreams and imagination of a giant. She loves anything princess, ponies and horses-especially riding them at Thanksgiving point, and crafting--anything to do with scissors, glue, markers, ribbon, stickers, is her domain. She loves to sing and does very well with lyrics and tunes. She also likes to watch TV, but don't call her a "grouch" potato! : )
Emalie is our spitfire and ham. She will be 2 in March, but has already hit those terrible twos. She loves to climb on anything she can, and usually does. The top of the fridge is about the only place we HAVEN'T found her. She loves her big sister, and copies everything she does. She loves ponies, babies, and Dora, and thinks that she can do anything Aynsli can. She is talking up a storm, and says lots of cute things. Right now its, "Santa Claus, ho ho ho". We sure love her!
Lily joined our family in August. We discovered she was coming Christmas Eve last year, and it was an amazing gift--one we weren't quite expecting, but now can't imagine being without! She is a beautiful, precious little one who has the entire family wrapped around her fingers. She is laughing, giggling, chattering lots, and starting to enjoy her rice cereal and fruit--just don't miss a bite while you are feeding her, or she will let you know!! She is the name sake of two of her great grandmothers, and we can already tell she is blessed with many of their wonderful gifts and qualities.
We hope that you are all healthy and happy, and enjoying this wonderful time of year when we celebrate our Savior's birth. May His choicest blessings be upon you now, and always.
For those of you not familiar, the Grand America is an incredibly nice and fancy hotel--I don't think Chris and I had been there since we stayed for our wedding night. They take amazingly good care of you, and Breakfast with Santa was no different.
We had our own table, decorated with fine dishes and cute Christmas Candy for the kids. The buffet was AMAZING!!! From pancakes and sausage, to an omelet station, to macaroni and cheese, chicken fingers, and cookies. 
They even had an entire table where the food was at child level, and they could dish themselves. And the food was FANTASTIC!!! Yummy!!! We all enjoyed it. Santa and Mrs. Claus made a stop at each individual table, and visited with the kids. 
Then we got a chance to have our picture taken with them too. We got copies of the picture, and they were kind enough to email one as well. 
We were very impressed with how we were treated, and plan to make this a yearly occurrence for the children! Maybe next year you will join us too...