Daddy-daughter date

When Ash started school we told her that when she brings home good report cards she'll get a date alone with daddy. Nick's always let her choose what to do on their dates and most of the time they go to IHOP (She LOVES french toast). This time, she wanted to go mini golfing. It's still too cold/snowy to go to an outside course, so I found them an indoor mini golf course in Orem at a place called Trafalga.

Ashleigh had me curl her hair cause she knows daddy loves bouncing the curls. She looked so beautiful and so grown up.

Nick and Ashleigh before they left on their date.

Ashleigh took the camera and took a few pictures in the car on the way there...

The course was pretty amazing...see how everything glows? Very neat!










Ashleigh did great and actually got 4 hole-in-one's and beat Nick!!! Pretty impressive. Then they got dippin' dots for a treat and they brought home pizza for us all. They had fun and Ash is already planning their next date...Nick has 2 more report cards to take her on dates for. He's such a great dad and I know she loves the one on one time with him.

New Years Day and randoms

New Years day we always go to my parents house for my dad's "famous" spaghetti. His sauce is like none other and SO delicious!!! We love going over there every year.
My siblings were all there too which made it even better and we all had fun visiting and playing games.





Towards the end of the evening Preston started not feeling well and just laid on the floor and played with his trains. he fell asleep after a while and it felt like he had a fever. Nick went back to our house (1 hr round trip) to get him some medicine and food--none of which he ate and by the time Nick got back, we were ready to go home. It was a waste of a trip, but oh-well...It was nice of him to offer to go at all.

Thankfully, Preston's "illness" was gone completely by morning.


Nick's phone broke...or rather, it got run over by a car or two...pretty sad looking thing.

While I was driving, I saw about 50+ deer in a field...I wish my phone took better pictures....

Preston refuses to take naps any more, but it never fails that around 5pm he gets really tired...on this day, he fell asleep laying over the couch...so funny. He stayed asleep like this for about 30 min!

I've finally been able to get more hours at work and it's meant that I've been able to see the sun come up in the mornings. This was such a pretty sunrise. I couldn't resist taking a picture.

I took a few pictures of the kids and then Ash and Preston took turns with the camera taking pictures.








Self portrait...

Preston took this while we were driving to Prove to see Maura's last ballet recital.

Preston took this AT the recital. :-) Tamsen and Ethan. Maura did such a GREAT job. I'm so impressed with her talent. I wish she were going to keep doing Ballet, but I'm excited to see her do gymnastics too.


The kids and I went to Coopers house to celebrate his birthday with him. He turned 5 and will be starting Kindergarten this fall. Preston is now, finally, excited to be starting school...too bad he still has another year and a half until he can go too!

I think Sheridan likes the attention that Ashleigh and Teriesa give him and he let them dress him up in a dress and they painted his fingernails. Cracked me up!!!


Amelia wanted to dress up too. Such a little princess.
She had me take a bunch of pictures and videos of her and would say "See Amelia?" and then I would show her. She liked watching herself.

Work Dinner

The owner of my company took all of us (me and my co-workers) out to dinner for Christmas to Market Street Grill. It was my very first company Christmas party and it was actually pretty fun.

Tammy, Me, and Lora

Lora, Kent, and Ben

Ben with Barbara and her husband, Ray--the owner

I had the Prime Rib dinner. We all had a pretty good time visiting and getting our Christmas bonuses.... ;-) I love this company and the people and I really love my job. :-)

Christmas Eve & Day

Quinn and Jeff came to Utah for Christmas so we decided to have Christmas with the Calls. Nick had to work both days so I took the kids to the Calls for Christmas eve and Christmas day dinner.

We had a yummy feast of Orange Chicken with rice, Spinach and artichoke dip, veggies and dip, little smokies, etc...lots of good food!


Jeff and Preston rolled up Quinn in a blanket and tied her up, but when they tried to tie up Preston....he didn't like that too much. lol. he can dish it out but he can't take it!


Jeff was really sweet and let the kids play with his ipad. They watched videos and played games on it. it was a BIG hit!!



After we ate I let the kids open their Christmas Eve gifts...Ashleigh got 2 heart ornaments.


and Preston got 2 train ornaments.

When we got home, the kids and I set out the treats for Santa and the reindeer (Ashleigh left a note for Santa)

and then i got the kids to bed and waited for Nick to get home from work at midnight. Then we played Santa and set out all the gifts under the tree and set up the stockings.



We went to bed around 2am and the kids woke us up just before 8am. Nick had to be a stinker, of course, and take his time coming down stairs. He likes to keep the kids waiting in anticipation! It drives them and me nuts! :-) But, it's tradition! :-)

Santa left the kids a thank you note for the treats they left out.

He drank all the milk....
and most of the treats....


We always have the kids open their stockings first.....


And then it was PRESENT TIME!!! yay! :-)









Nick got me new pots and pans!! (finally!) I've been wanting new ones for a couple years....this was my favorite gift from him-along with a print of Calla Lilies he had made for me by a friend of our family.

The last gift Ashleigh opened was a Wii game...but we don't have a Wii...She thought maybe Santa gave the game to the wrong house. Nick did the "Christmas Story" thing where he says--Ashleigh, I think I see another present hiding over there behind the table...go see what it is!" Here's the video of her finding and opening the gift. :-)



Santa came thru and got the kids a Wii...something they had both been asking for for over a year! Yay for Santa!!!


After Christmas was over Ash helped clean up the trash, and the kids put away their gifts and then they played Wii for a bit and Nick and I took a nap... I wasn't feeling well so I slept a long time. Nick stopped by his parents house before he had to leave for work. And the kids and I went over for Christmas dinner--ham, Grandma Lowe's potatoes, etc. One of my favorite meals!!! Preston was being a little brat the whole night though and I wasn't feeling well and I was completely emotional and couldn't handle him, so we left earlier than I would have liked...

Before we left though the kids and I opened our gifts from the Calls. The kids' favorite gifts were their Pillow Pets! They LOVE them and take them everywhere with them and sleep on them at night. It was a perfect gift!


I got a new pair of earrings, a cookbook, some spatulas, some socks, etc...but my favorite gift of all was this painting that Mama Call did for me of Venice, Italy. It brought me to tears as soon as I opened it! She said that sometimes we need to visualize what we want in order to get there. I've been wanting to go to Venice since I was about 10 or 12 years old. What a perfect and amazing gift! I love it and cherish it and I know I'll get there someday!!!

This picture doesn't do the painting justice!!!

It was a wonderful Christmas and one that I know we'll always remember!!!