Bye, Bye, Baby

I am really going to miss this girl. Cara is going to BYUI. She starts school on Sept 15. She has been assigned the Fall and Spring tracks which means she goes in the fall, comes home for a few months in the winter and goes back for spring. She is rooming with one of her friends from school and they are very excited. So my helper, peacemaker, happy, faithful, beautiful girl won't be gracing my home forever. I'm happy for her to move on and experience all that she gets to experience going away to school. I'm just sorry for the void she will leave behind! Good job, Cara!

Christmas Festivities

Christmas is a very busy time of year. I always feel like I have no time, and the kids always feel like they are having the best time! The kids got out of school on December 20. Max had a swim meet that afternoon and the next morning we woke up to go skiing. We all went except for Leah who played with her cousins. She had so much fun she keeps telling me a good idea would be for all of us to go skiing again and leave her with her cousins. This is a picture before lunch. I'm glad I took it because after lunch, Cara, George and Max opted to hang out in the lodge and car. Apparently, they were cold. 

Cameron, Steve, Maddie, Ashleigh, Cara

Hayden, Max and George

On Christmas Eve, we got together with Julie, Terrell and Fred, and Matt's family, along with brand new baby, Pete. Merlene and Neil also joined us. Fred was the donkey and Jane was quite alarmed at riding on his back. But she did great, no falling. George wanted to be a camel. Cara decided she was the star. Maddie was a shepherd, Max a wiseman, Leah an angel. Jack was Joseph, but he didn't enjoy it. He was a mostly absentee Joseph.

So on Saturday, Steve and I decided to ski. We opted for a half day. We left the house at 10:45. None of our children could get out of bed to go with us. Oh well, their loss. It was a beautiful sunny day. And check out Steve's beard. Isn't he handsome? We all love it. Max LOVES it. Hopefully, he won't be shaving anytime soon.

We never got to see the lights before Christmas. Cara had a choir concert when our youth went to Temple Square. We thought Monday, the 30th would be great. And we thought it wouldn't be crowded. We were wrong. It was very crowded. But, kids don't seem to mind crowds.

I know it's appalling that I have no pictures of Christmas. I took a video. But hey, I've been doing this for a long time now. I can't be snapping away all the time. 

George is 11!

On December 16, George turned 11. What do you get an 11-year-old who has a birthday in December? Well, gymnastics grips! His other ones broke. He was also pleasantly surprised with a 49er blanket (which Cara tries to steal because of its softness), and 49er luggage. George doesn't like cake, so we borrowed this chocolate fountain. At his family party, the girls found out the fountain was not ours. Cara was extremely disappointed, "Oh, I was already making plans for that."

 George and Julie enjoy the chocolate fountain.

 Leah and Jack enjoy the chocolate fountain even more. Jack's eyes lit up at the sight of the fountain. I don't think he has ever been more satisfied with the food offerings at my house, than this night. He could dip potato chips in the chocolate. He was a very happy boy.

This is George's friend party. So, you ask, why is Leah in the middle, front and center? Well, George doesn't need the spotlight, but Leah does. And Leah took the spotlight. She played white elephant with the kids and ran screaming when someone tried to steal her silly spray.

George is a wonderful kid. He spends so much time at the gym, that we cherish the time he gets to eat meals with us. He works hard (ok, maybe not with chores) and plays hard. He loves sports, especially anything BYU and 49er football. He was voted class clown. I was surprised, but Max said, "He's really funny." We love our sports fanatic!

Go ahead. Try to take a picture of six kids. This was an attempt at a Christmas photo. I thought, "We have six kids, dressed up, outside the church. How hard can this be?" Apparently, I forgot about all the family pictures we have ever tried to take. So the first problem, they are Sabins. Second, they were freezing! I think it was about 17 degrees this day. Third, they were unwilling. They don't like to look at the camera and smile. They like to look at the camera and do whatever they want.

That is how I feel about our family life. The kids like to do whatever they want. I ask Sam to empty the garbage and I have to wait. I ask Cara to practice the piano, and she needs to surf her iPhone. I ask Max to do anything and he says it's not fair. Maddie and George avoid getting asked. Maddie by hiding in her room and George by hiding at the gym. Leah is very willing, just not very helpful.

But when they want to do something, they can be helpful. If Cara wants gas money, she is super helpful about taking her brother to swim practice. George can remember to do his homework, right when he needs to get ready for bed. Sam can study for a test when he is forced to take it at the last moment possible. And Maddie loves helping when she wants to hang out with a friend. I'm still thinking about Max! Oh, Max will do anything for a soda.

I love these kids. They are unique and fun. I'm even getting kind of used to some of their weirdness.

Christmas is Coming!

So, Christmas is coming. On Saturday, it was dumping snow and in the 20s. In Park City, it was 1 degree, with snow and wind (in the city, not on top of the mountain). We wimped out of skiing and opted to get some Christmas stuff done. Five of the kids decided to go out and play. 

Sam thinks he is funny holding the shovel over Maddie's head. He did hold that shovel full of snow over her head for about five minutes without her knowing. And she is putting bunny ears behind the boys. 

 

Leah came inside to help decorate the tree. You will notice where she can reach.

And here we are at our ward Christmas party. This is Leah's face on her first sighting of Santa. A line quickly formed. When it was time to sit on his lap, Leah skipped the line and ran right up. Good thing Santa didn't notice. Wouldn't want her to be on his naughty list. She then sat on a chair close by and watched all the proceedings. She asked me if he was the real Santa. She answered her own question, "I think he is." She told me his reindeer and sleigh were waiting on the roof and wanted to know why she couldn't ride in the sleigh.

This is Max and Santa, having a discussion about the U versus BYU. Santa asked Max whose colors were red and white like himself. Max replied, "I don't know." Then Santa asked him what list he was on. Max said, "I think I know. Can I have a candy cane already?" 

Maddie and her friend sat on Santa's lap also. He told them that unbelievers only get plain underwear for Christmas. They told him they believed. 

Men to Match My Mountains

So I promised a post about the boys. Here goes...

Boys are much different than girls! I have been blessed with a great husband and three manly (almost) sons. What does this mean? It means man tests, which are George's and Max's ways of testing themselves if they are manly enough. It involves things like running around the outside of the house when it's freezing outside. It means football, chocolate milk, sports, anything with an i in front of it (iMac, iPad, iPhone, iTouch), football, BYU Cougars, racing down the mountain, teasing, high grocery bills, football, watching the same play over and over, watching games you already know the outcome to, staying up late to write plays for a family football game, and football.

This is George and Sam, right before they began a race down the mountain. You might ask, where are Steve and Max? Well, they stayed home, watching a football game. Sam was my favorite today. He forgot the exit to get down the mountain and ended up walking up from the lift to where we were. When it was time to go home, he said on the lift he would not forget. So when we needed to turn, I called to Sam. He went on ahead. He didn't hear and he forgot, again. So he walked again.

This is Steve. Our last day hiking before winter set in up in the mountains. He spent the Friday after Thanksgiving hanging Christmas lights, with duct tape. When clips break, and the store is all out of clips, you have to admire the ingenuity. I just try not to look up at our special, gray clips.

And this is Max. What is he about to do? I'm not sure, but I know it involves mud. 

So boys are fun. They are loud. Their rooms are full of holes in the drywall. They like to show off their muscles and tease their sisters. They love hugs, pats on the backs, jokes, and football. Their Christmas lists have links to where you can find the items. They are fierce protectors of our family. They make my life so much more interesting. I am grateful for all they bring to our family!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's my favorite holiday! I love family, food, and not too much commercialism. I feel like the only things I had to buy for this holiday were a turkey, cranberries, and lots of butter. And tomorrow we feast, after I cook. So what am I grateful for? Many things, but above all are my Savior and my family. I am so grateful I get to be with all these quirky people forever. I am grateful for children who think they are so funny. They are funny, to each other. I am grateful that Cara has her drivers license. I am grateful that Cara and Sam play piano duets. I am grateful that George is a hard worker at gymnastics and school. I am grateful that Maddie has decided she is the family clown. I am grateful that Max is happy more and loves the water. I am grateful that Leah is such a happy child. I am grateful that Steve wants what is best for our family, except when it involves Disneyland.