Christmas Eve

Justin worked part of the day on Christmas Eve and I ran a couple of last minute errands, but I mostly spent the day relaxing with the boys. This was my year to work Christmas. We ate dinner together as a family, then we went to the family worship service at church. The school age children participated in the worship service. Some of the older kids had reading parts while the younger kids sang two songs. Tyler was very cute when he sang. Tyler loves to sing. Sometimes he can be kind-of loud, but that it OK. I sometimes think Tyler does not realize how loud he truly is due to all the problems he has had with ear infections, tubes twice, and having a normal, but abnormal hearing screen. Unfortunately, I had to leave church early to go to work. After the worship service was over, Justin brought the boys home. They are allowed to open one Christmas present on Christmas Eve. The boys got new pj's for Christmas which they wore to bed. I guess Justin had a difficult time putting the boys to bed. They finally went to bed after Justin told them Santa would not come unless they were asleep. Tyler and Garrett were typical, anxious children on Christmas Eve.

Remembering Shevlin

Unfortunately, we received some sad news the Saturday before Christmas. Justin's younger cousin passed away due to health problems. Justin and I went to Wyoming on December 22 and 23 for his cousin's viewing and funeral. Shevlin was in his early twenties. He accomplished many goals in his short life while impacting many people in a positive way without realizing he was doing it. One of Shevlin's biggest achievements was going on his mission. He was sent to the Billings, Montana mission because of his health. The Billings mission included the whole state of Montana and that is a lot of area. While Shevlin was in Helena, he came to the house to see Justin. The first time he came over, Justin was not home. My dad told Justin when he came home that the missionaries were here to see him. Justin just thought, whatever. About a week later, my dad answered the door again. He came up the stairs and told Justin the missionaries were here and they were asking for him again. Justin thought this was strange. He went down the stairs and was pleasantly surprised to see Shevlin and his companion. I know that visit meant a lot to Justin. The boys enjoyed showing off for company. Shevlin and his companion were in luck that day because my grandma made pies for dessert that day and they had a piece of Justin's favorite pie, sour cream blueberry.

This photo was taken when we went to celebrate Shevlin's return home after being on his mission. Shevlin's testimony in church showed how much his mission meant to him and how important his faith was to him. I know he impacted many during his short life. He will be missed by many including lots of family members. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Tyler's School Program

Tyler's school Christmas program was Friday, December 18, 2009. He was so cute. His teacher told the class they needed to wear their Sunday best and that the boys needed to be handsome. As you can see, I think Tyler was very handsome. Everyone in his class had a speaking part and then they sang a song. Tyler's speaking part was, "He will be the Savior." The song he sang goes like this, "For unto us a child is born; Unto us a son is given. And He shall be called: Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."

Tyler and the rest of his class were really cute and they all did a great job.

Thanksgiving

This past Thanksgiving, we drove to Utah to spend the holiday with Justin's family. We had a nice visit. We had Thanksgiving dinner at Justin's mom's house. Just the brothers and sisters and their families were there. That was still alot of people! Kathy fed twenty one people Thanksgiving dinner. Tyler and Garrett loved playing with all of their cousins! They miss them the most since we moved to Montana. Tyler and Garrett loved chasing their cousins outside, loved playing football with Braxton, Savanna, and Ashlyn. They loved playing with Steven's gator with Steven and Ethan. They loved hanging out and watching movies with Morgan and McKell.

On Friday, I woke up early and went shopping with the girls. All of us got some great buys! We hit Target, Kohl's, JC Penney's, The Carter's store, and some other stores. We had a good time. Later on that night, we went to Spanish Fork, UT to see their light parade. Justin's cousin Colby and his wife, Dusty, invited us to come and see the lights, have hot coco, and then go to Dusty's parents house for dinner. It was a little chilly out, but it was fun. Tyler and Garrett loved the lights and the hot coco!

We had a nice visit over Thanksgiving. We were able to see some friends we haven't seen since we moved. We were also able to see Justin's dad and step mom. Tyler and Garrett were happy when we were not on the go. Then they were able to play on Steven's gator. They loved that toy! We hope everyone else had a nice Thanksgiving.

Holidays and Family

During this holiday season, we spend time and reflect on our lives. We also love to spend time with family during this season. During Thanksgiving, Aunt Shea and Uncle Tom were able to come to Montana and see everyone. The boys were sooo excited! Tom and Shea were able to arrive earlier than planned due to Shea's work schedule changing. They arrived Tuesday night instead of Wednesday morning. Tyler and Garrett were bouncing off of the walls waiting for their arrival. They love to have people come visit, especially people they have not seen for a while.

Tyler and Garrett were able to spend Wednesday with Tom and Shea before we left for Utah for Thanksgiving. Uncle Tom wrestle with the boys which they love to do. Tyler was excited to go to Staggering Ox for lunch with them. Tyler loves to eat out....I wonder who he sounds like...Justin???? Garrett and Tyler had fun cuddling with Uncle Tom and Aunt Shay while they watched the Disney movie "UP".This Christmas, the boys will not see nearly as many relatives. We will be spending Christmas with Grandma Joni, Grandpa Bill, G.G., and Uncle Mike. Unfortunately, this is my year to work Christmas and Justin is on call over Christmas. Hopefully, Justin will not be called out when I am awake so we can spend a little bit of Christmas together.

We wish everyone a joyous holiday season and hope everyone is able to spend it with their loved ones. Holidays are a time for families to come together for some good, quality time. Happy Holidays!

Them Boots....

On Halloween, the boys got new cowboy boots. I had promised them they could each get a new pair since their old ones were falling apart. Tyler was complaining his toes were hurting every time he wore his boots. Garrett's boots were starting to get a little run down. It doesn't help that my boys wear their boots all of the time. Garrett wore his boots all summer long with his shorts. He made people smile all of the time. Tyler picked out brown boots with a blue top. Tyler's favorite color is blue, but he did not pick out his boots due to the color. He did try on a least 4-5 other pairs of boots before deciding upon this pair. Garrett's boots are similar to his old pair. He tries his boots on and if they fit and he likes them, then he is done shopping. Garrett wanted to wear his new ones out the door.
The boys are very happy with their new boots. Hopefully, we will not have to buy anymore for at least another year. We will see since the boys are growing and getting big.

Halloween Fun

This year for Halloween, Tyler was Optimus Prime and Garrett was Spiderman. They went trick-r treating at G.G's apartment complex and around the neighborhood. G.G. loves it when the boys come to her place to trick-r treat. She always wears her witch hat for the boys. They love to go see her because they know G.G. will give them lots of candy!
The boys made out like bandits this year with the candy. They always get sooo much candy. Justin enjoys helping them eat the candy.