Photography

I've decided I need to take a photography class so I can learn how to use my camera. Up until now, I've just been using the Auto Mode. There is so much more potential to my camera and I hate having it all go to waste. So I've had a couple of classes so far and I'm loving it. It's a little confusing and is taking me a little while to take all the information in, but I think I'm slowly getting a hang of it. My kids hate me now, I've been snapping pictures of them non-stop. Ben goes into hiding as soon as he sees me with the camera.

Here are just a few pictures from my last class' home work assignment - aperture control.

Constructive criticism is welcome.

Absenteeism (is that a word?)

I've been absent from the blogging world for a while. How do you people find time to blog? I constantly think of things I would like to blog about, but never have time to. I think I have some problems with time management. I can barely keep up with my house and the kids and the mess that they never stop to make. How does everyone else do it? Do you have a schedule/list that you follow? Do you have certain chores that you do on certain days? I would love any ideas or advice. I've been feeling really overwhelmed lately.

On a different note, the kids are doing great. Benjamin is potty trained and he is in that stage where he asks "why" questions ALL THE TIME. He is a curious little soul and wants to know everything. He doesn't ever stop talking. Nothing new there, though. Andrew started to crawl. He is such a happy baby and makes us smile all the time. They're healthy and happy and they love doing stuff together. These boys bring so much love and joy into our lives.

Sledding and snowboarding

We hope everyone had a great Christmas. Ours was fabulous. I love Christmas and I’m always a little sad when it’s over. It’s always a challenge these days to make Christmas more about Christ and his birth, more about others, more about giving than getting. I think we did a little better this year. Although, we still received way more gifts than was necessary. But the true spirit of Christmas was there and I am so grateful for the little babe born in a manger a long time ago.

Since we’ve been deprived of a white Christmas this year, the day after Christmas we went to Mt. Charleston to play in the snow with some friends. I realize it’s no Utah mountains, but there was plenty of snow (in between all the Joshua trees, huh, gotta love Vegas) and we had a great time sledding and playing in the snow.

We're missing Kristen and little Kenna in this picture

All ready for sledding...

...and here he comes

Catching a ride back up the mountain

Next day we headed up to Brianhead for some adult time in the snow. We left the kiddos with the grandparents and got some awesome snowboarding time in with Eric, Paola, Merlin, and Emily. We had a ball. It was the most beautiful day ever. The snow was powder and it was sunny and warm. Uhhhh, good times. We need to do it more often.

Us with Eric and Paola (missing Merlin and Emily)

Sweets, anyone?

Yesterday was a really rainy and cold day. Cold enough to keep us inside the house all day. So we decided to turn up the oven and get creative. Ben and I spent most of the day baking away. Here are some of our masterpieces. The pictures aren't the greatest, but you get the idea. We had so much fun. Benjamin is quite a little helper and is very creative.

Even Andrew got a cookie, well...a lick, anyway.

This is our kind of ginger bread house decorating... the Polar Express

Let it SNOW!!!

Miracle of all miracles, it snowed in Vegas yesterday. Of course, today we are back to boring warmth and sunshine, but that's beyond the point. Let's talk about yesterday... I don't think Ben has seen much snow, not enough to remember what it is, because when he looked out the window yesterday morning, he asked what that white stuff outside was. So we went exploring the fluffy white goodness. The snow wasn't sticking to the ground much at that point, but we had fun anyway. I know the pictures don't look like much, especially with that green grass on a background. But it did snow harder later and some of the snow did stick to the ground.

Poor Andrew slept through the whole thing. That was probably a good thing, he might not have shared our thrill for the snow.

Just look at the excitement

Trying to catch a snowflake with his tongue. Later that day Scott came home for lunch and brought Ben a snowball. Ben held it in his hands and announced "Look, Daddy brought me a snowflake". We need to get this kid out of Vegas and into some real snow.

There is something about palm trees and snow...

I love snow during Christmas season. If I could have it my way, I would have a white Christmas every year. There is something special about getting up in the morning Christmas day, looking out the window and seeing nothing but white everywhere. I had the hardest time adjusting to Vegas Christmas our first couple of years here. I know for all of you out there who live in the lands of perpetual cold and snow, this isn't much. But this is MY wish this year... snow...lots of it...on Christmas...in Vegas. Santa?

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I love Thanksgiving. It's one of my favorite holidays, coming in second only to Christmas. We've spent the whole week at Gunlock with lots of Scott's mom's side of the family and friends. I am so grateful for my family, immediate and extended. I really scored big when I married Scott. He comes from a wonderful family, no wonder he turned out so solid. I am also so grateful for the gospel in our lives and for our Savior. I can't imagine what our life would be without our faith.

Here are a bunch of pictures from our Thanksgiving activities...

Our family picture

Some good old turkey football

Gunlock Thanksgiving wouldn't be complete without dress-like-complete-fools-and-drive-down-the-street-honking-and-making-noise-like-there's-no-tomorrow Thanksgiving parade.

We had a Santa (way to go, Uncle Scott, for being such a sport every year) who was chucking candy at the poor bystanders

Kids had a blast getting eggs every morning from the chicken coop

And, of course, we ate LOTS of good food, played lots of games, and just had a blast all week long, as we do every year. All the kids had a great time playing together. We hardly even saw Ben, he was always somewhere playing with his cousins. Can't wait till next year.

Just how smart is my little boy?

Ben found some pecan nuts, uncracked in their shells that I have from Gunlock. He grabbed one and was asking me how to ‘open’ it. I had just finished cleaning the kitchen and mopping the floor and really didn’t want to make a mess cracking a nut. So I told him we don’t have a nutcracker (which we really don’t) and that he can’t open it… Did I just tell Benjamin that he CANNOT do something? I should have known better.


He then tells me “Oh, I can do it, don’t worry”. After which he starts stomping and jumping on the nut with his bare feet. Needless to say, that didn’t ‘open’ the nut. So he informs me that he has an idea and goes straight to my small gadget drawer in the kitchen. Pulls out a few of them until, apparently, he finds what he is looking for. He grabs a garlic press and says “This will work”, sticks the pecan in there and sure enough...who said a garlic press can't serve as a nutcracker as well.

He was pretty proud of himself. So was I, for that matter. And I thought I was going to need to buy a nutcracker. Not anymore. My little boy has got it all figured out for me. His Dad must be an engineer or something...