A visit to the cabin!

At the end of February we were invited to go to a cabin in Island Park with Josh and Tiffany.  It was so much fun.  The kids absolutely loved every minute of it.  We stayed for two nights.  The kids got to go sleigh riding and then on Saturday we went to the Island Park swimming pool.  At night we played games and watched movies.  It was TONS of fun!!!

Dave hadn't been on a snow machine in a lot of years.  He was excited to get to drive one.

Carter and Josie were pulled behind the snow machine to a big hill to sleigh down.  Macie and Trooper were not interested in being out in the cold snow so they stayed back at the cabin with Tiffany and I and we played play-doh.  I love little vacations.

February has come and gone!

Macie and Sydnee were having so much fun with Carter's new radio.  They got the dance stuff on and were dancing away. 

I am not sure about this little girl.  She is like a combination of a dancing fairy, Rambo, and a great hunter.

She was so tired after helping us decorate for Carter's Birthday Party that she had her bath and passed out on top of the back of the couch.  It looks very comfortable.

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY CARTER!!!

Our house was turned into a Jurassic Park.  Carter has loved Dinosaurs for as long as I can remember.  He was so excited when he could have is whole birthday be Dinosaurs.  He was also thrilled that he could invite his friends from school and church.  We ended up having the party here at our house.  I was a little surprised that he didn't want to have it at Leo's.  He told me that he wanted to play games with all of his friends and have a pinata so we had to have it at our house.

Carter's cake turned out really good this year.  I have had really a lot of fun making the kids' cakes these last few years.

This picture turned out so good.  This was a perfect birthday picture.  Carter and Macie love each other so much. 

This was a great picture that all the kids actually sat down, looked up, and smiled the first time.  That doesn't happen too often with a bunch of 5 year old kids.

This was Christopher, one of Carter's friends from school.  He has made really a lot of fun friends this year.  I can't wait until next year in Kindergarten when he meets so many more new kids.

This was Carter's favorite game at his party.  Pin the head on the Dinosaur.

Make a Wish!!!

Carter had to have the volcano corner of his cake. 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

The kids woke up early so Dave and I could give them a little Valentine's gift. 

After Daddy left we had pink heart pancakes and pink milk.  This is something I have had and done on Valentine's Day for as long as I can remember.  The kids love it too.

Starting a whole new year!!!

I went in to check on Macie before I went to bed one night and I couldn't resist taking this picture.  She was so sweet looking and peaceful.

Sweet Dreams Mace!

Happy Birthday Grandma "T".  We were able to go to Grandma's house and celebrate with fried chicken and pie.  I love this picture all the kids are getting so big I am really glad that there are going to be two new little ones to cuddle with soon. 

Carter and Macie couldn't wait for Grandma to open her gifts.  They had to be right there helping her out.  Carter was very concerned about cleaning up all the paper that was being thrown on the floor.

Mom says that she wishes for the same thing every year.  However, she wouldn't tell us what that was. 

Great-Grandma Horkley in the Miss Gable's Pageant

My Grandma Horkley was entered into the pageant and my dad was her escort.  He was so proud.  He walked her down the isle and then they read a short life history that the family wrote about her.  Then all the participants received flowers and a winner was chosen.  Unfortunately Grandma didn't win but she definitely had the biggest fan club in the entire place.  It was a very special thing to watch.  She and my dad had a hard time holding back the tears. 

Kailey's Birthday

Carter was the only boy at the party but that didn't seem to bother him.

Trip to Boise

We went to Boise at the end of January with my mom and dad to take Macie to St. Luke's Children's Hospital.  She has been suffering for a little more than 7 months with stomach pains that started after she got Ecoli from swimming last summer.  We were sent down there to see a GI Specialist in high hopes that he could help her feel better.  We came out of the doctor's appointment feeling very relieved and happy.  After doing a few tests on her he determined that everything was functioning correctly and he concluded that because of how painful the kidney infection was from the Ecoli her body simply shut down and her mind told her that it was too painful to go to the bathroom so she quit going.  It was explained to us that this was going to be a very long process to get her body back into the routine of simply going to the bathroom.  She currently has to take a laxative everyday which has been hard because it causes her to have cramps throughout the day.  She however has been going to the bathroom everyday for at least the past 8 consecutive days.  It still seems like it hurts her to go because she tries to hold it in but once she goes she is like a new girl.  She is my happy little princess with her great, cute personality.  I finally know that she is going to be okay and it will just take some patience and a little time.  While we were in Boise after we had the doctors appointment we decided to stay and make a vacation out of it.  We went to Cabela's one day and met my dad's brother and his wife at the mall for lunch.  Carter had to have his picture taken in the huge chair at Cabela's.  It was so big you could fit 3 grownups in it.   

Macie was a little intimidated by the big chair so she found one that was a little more her own size. 

My little fish!

The kids had a lot of fun swimming in the hotel pool and Dave and I had a great time playing Canasta every night late into the night with my mom and dad.  We even got laughing so hard that we got into trouble from the hotel.  Our neighbors apparently wanted to go to bed at 1:30am!  Whoops!

Macie and Daddy playing Zombies.  Macie plays the best dead Zombie ever. 

So, despite all my worries Boise turned out to be just the thing we needed to get away for a few days. 

December 2010!!!

We had a great holiday season this year.  There were lots of parties and school programs and activities to enjoy.  After Thanksgiving we started the Christmas season by putting up the Christmas tree.

The kids love this time of year and so do I.  After we put up the tree we had the job of putting together a Gingerbread House for Dave's work to display.  Carter and Macie both had so much fun decorating it.

Macie was in charge of the tree.  She did a great job!

Carter and his dad were in charge of getting the house all decorated.  They did such a great job.

This year for our Ward Christmas Party we got to dress up like some of the characters on "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas"  The kids had really a lot of fun dressing up and then they loved the play that was put on.  Macie was really afraid of the Grinch until we explained to her that it was a daddy to one of Macie's friends in Nursery.  Instead of Santa coming to the party at the end the Grinch was there to have kids sit on his lap and give them a candy cane.

This was in front of the Grinch's sleigh.  It was such a fun night. 

 I was very shocked that Macie actually sat on his lap.  She still wouldn't sit on Santa's lap and personally this guy looks a lot more questionable to me.

Carter was so excited to meet the Grinch.  Christmas this year with him was so much fun. 

Grandpa had his usual Birthday celebration at Chuck-A-Rama.  He loves to treat everyone for lunch.  And then the kids always get $5.00 from him every time they see him.  What a fun thing.

Carter had a Christmas Program for school this year.  He had been practicing so hard and for many days.  The night was absolutely great. 

Carter has a best friend at school named Ira.  He is standing next to Carter in the red shirt.  It is so fun to see Carter make friends and love school.

He was so handsome that night.  After the program was over we took him to Dairy Queen for a Hot Fudge Sundae.  This was a tradition from when I was a little girl.  After any kind of program or performance of any kind we got to go to Dairy Queen and have a Hot Fudge Sundae.  It is so fun being the parent now and passing down those traditions.

THE VASAS CHRISTMAS PARTY!

Every year the weekend before Christmas we all get together at Grandma Jan and Grandpa's house to celebrate.  This year was fun.  The kids are all getting so much older that Dave and I can kind of just sit back and enjoy watching the kids play.

Macie and Madi were happy to see each other.  We wish they lived closer so we could play more often.

Carter and all the cousins went out in the snow to be pulled behind the four wheeler.  They had a blast.  Macie didn't last long.  She doesn't like the cold weather.

The kids acted out the Nativity this year and it turn out good.  Everyone enjoyed it.  I really liked that there were costumes for the kids to wear.  They seemed to get into the parts and really listen to the story.

Macie was so serious with her costume on.  She looked great.

The three amigos.  Every time we are all together I have taken a photo of these three kids and it is really fun to look back and see how they have grown.

Every year Grandma Jan has a pajama parade.  She buys all the grand kids new pajamas and then they all walk in and model them.  The kids love it. 

Daddy and his happy kids!

This year all the grand kids got Pillow Pets from Grandma Jan and Grandpa.  Carter got a puppy.

Macie loved her ladybug.

The annual Vasas Family Photo.

Thanksgiving!

Well the holidays have come and gone so fast.  The season started out with a snowy Thanksgiving.  It was our year to be at Dave's parents house for the day and dinner.  It was a fun day.  We were all a little nervous about the roads but we just went extremely slow and we made it safely.  The cousins had fun playing together.  We did miss Cole, Saylee, and Madi.  The roads were too bad for them to make it this year.  After we left Grandma Jan's and Papa's house we headed to my parents house to wish them a Happy Thanksgiving.  And then it was up all night for me to go Black Friday Shopping.  Yes, I am CRAZY at least once a year.

A Few Fun Things!

 Helping with the laundry!  The kids love helping with the laundry.  Baskets are the best for little imaginations.

We were able to go to Utah at the beginning of November for Drew's baby blessing.  Carter and Macie were so excited to see their cousins.  Dave was also able to get us a really cheap hotel room for Saturday night, so we made a little trip out of it.  We got there in the evening on Saturday and then went to dinner and it was back to the hotel to swim.  The kids were so excited to go swimming.  It was the perfect little vacation that we all needed.

These three are getting so big so fast.  They are all best friends too.

Macie and Madi are growing up too fast.  They are so sweet.

Cousin Love!!!  Carter just adores Madi!

This was my BIG Birthday hug from my sweet kids.  It was such a fun day.  Carter was so excited for my birthday.  He had school that day but I told him that I was going to pick him up a little early so that we could go to lunch for my birthday and so all day at school he told all his friends and his teacher that it was his mom's birthday.  What a sweet boy. 

Last week Christy called and told us that Curious George was coming to the Rigby Library.  So we planned a night to go and meet him.  The kids were all so excited to see him, with the exception of Macie and Sydnee.  They liked the idea but when we got there they wouldn't even get close to him.  Carter on the other hand couldn't get enough of him.  They got to meet Curious George and then they all got a couple of free books.  It was a very fun night.

Carter had to have his picture taken all by himself with Curious George.

Santa came to town last weekend and Carter finally decided what he wanted Santa to bring him so of course we had to immediately go and tell Santa.  Carter is asking for a Dinosaur Helicopter this year.  He still loves those Dinosaurs. 

Macie was excited to see Santa but she wasn't about to let her daddy out of her sight.  And the only way she would sit next to him was if Daddy was right there too.  Silly Girl!  But she was a lot braver than I thought.  She actually talked to him and told Santa that she wanted Zhu Zhu Pets for Christmas.  And then she gave in a high five.

These two were so exhausted from see Santa that they passed out in the car on the way home.  I thought it was so cute how their heads were supporting each other.