a visit to idaho

Since Jacob was feeling much better and the weather was good, we decided to take a little trip to see G&G Brady in Idaho.  We left after church on Sunday and when we got there Mom had made a delicious dinner for us!  John & Karen were also there, so we got to visit with them as well.  After dinner we all played a few rounds of Wits and Wagers (a board type game).  On Monday morning, G&G pulled out their jars of spare change that they had been saving for the past year and let the boys have at it -- counting and rolling!  So very cool!  We counted it all up and there was more than $80!  Grandpa had the boys divide it up evenly between them and they got to bring it home and take it to the bank!  When they were finished with the money, Dad, Mark, and the boys went down to the church to play basketball.  Mom & I stayed home and Mom taught me how to knit a washcloth. Mom made another delicious meal for us and then we headed outside to play in the snow.  There wasn't a lot of snow, but it was enough for a plastic sled.  We went over to John and Karen's house and John offered to let us take the snowmobiles out in the field.  Ryan was loving this!  We spent the next hour or so taking turns on the snowmobiles and sledding.  It was lots of fun!  Then it was time to head back to our home.  We had a really fun time and a good visit!

legos

 Matthew and Jacob showing off their new lego sets that they got for Christmas!

christmas day

 Sheesh!  Christmas morning pictures always turn out so terrible due to the low lighting!  Anyway, we told the boys they couldn't get up until 7 a.m.  They were right on time getting out of bed and came up to get Mark & I.  We went downstairs and turned on the Christmas tree lights and sat around taking a look at what Santa had brought. He left full stockings and one gift for each boy this year.  After unstuffing stockings we took turns opening presents from each other.  The boys swapped names with each other for gift giving.  Above, Matthew is holding the Ironman hand that Mark & I gave him.  Santa left him a hexbug set.  Below, Jacob is holding a Nerf football that Ryan got for him.  Santa left a lego set for Jacob.

 Here's Mark opening a gift from Jared -- I think it was Gatorade.

 This is me holding the awesome "Matthew Claus" paper ornament that Matthew made at school for me -- love it!

 Ryan is shaking one of his gifts around -- not sure which one.  Santa left him a keyboard for his tablet.

 Matthew is holding a lego set from Mark & I.

Jared loves to watch Studio C, so Mark & I got him this t-shirt.  Santa brought Jared a Wii Fifa soccer game and a windshield cover for his car.

 After opening gifts we ate a hearty breakfast of sausage, eggs, and bacon.  We played with new stuff for awhile and then got ready to head over to G&G Vawdrey's for the afternoon.  Here's Jacob and Matthew starting to open their gifts from G&G.

 Matthew showing off his new clothes.

 Jacob showing off his new BYU clothes!

 Ryan got some Google play cards.

 And Jared showing off his new basketball.

We had a nice afternoon visiting with family and playing with cousins.  G&G fixed a yummy ham dinner as well.  So nice to spend time with family.  Merry Christmas!

christmas eve

 On Christmas Eve, we always open one present -- new pajamas!

Christmas was kind of quiet this year because Jacob was still recovering from his tonsillectomy.  In the afternoon (of the 24th) we all went to see the movie "Frozen" while Jared was at work.  Then we came home and made dinner.  We had taco salad (Jacob didn't feel like eating anything) and used the china and "good" silverware.  We also put some candles on the table to make things a little more special and festive. The evening was kind of quiet and then we finished it off by reading about the birth of the Savior from the Bible in Luke chapter 2.  The kids decided to let Santa fill their decorative Christmas socks that were already hung on the banister, so it was off to bed and quick to get to sleep so Santa could come!

christmas break

 Jared started off his Christmas break by playing some football on the Wii.  He has been working so hard in school and at work that he hasn't had much down time.  He was loving some video game time!

Ryan and Matthew decided to build a snowcave in the snowbank in the front yard.  They shoveled extra snow on top so they could make this awesome cave big enough for Matthew to sit in a lawn chair on the inside!  These two boys love playing in the snow!

jacob gets his tonsils out

 We decided that it was time for Jacob to have his tonsils removed because he wasn't breathing/sleeping well at night.  Unfortunately, the best time to do this was Christmas vacation.  So, in an effort to make his pain and recovery less boring, we let him have his Christmas present early -- an ipod touch!  It is Ryan's old one (Ryan obviously didn't need it anymore since he got a new phone), but it's all Jacob really wanted!  It came loaded with some great apps and space to get new ones.

 The surgery went well and Jacob is recovering well despite being in a lot of pain.  The new fleece BYU blanket I gave him and the ipod are helping to pass the time and ease the pain (i.e. get his mind off of pain).  Jacob has watched all the episodes of Granite Flats and has been enjoying playing the games on his ipod.

Before his surgery, Mark asked one of Jacob's primary teachers, Rob Kirkham, to help him give Jacob a blessing.  Rob has loved teaching Jacob in primary, and Jacob has loved having Rob as a teacher!  When Mark & I thought to ask Rob to help, we both felt at peace. The blessing brought a lot of peace and comfort to Jacob as well, and promised him healing and recovery. I'm grateful for the priesthood and for good men who are worthy to use it to bless our family.

icicles

We've had some pretty cold weather lately which has produced some BIG icicles on the north side of the house.  Mark decided to knock a few down and Matthew decided to show off a piece of one of the larger ones!  Wow!

early christmas present

Ryan got his Christmas present early this year -- thanks to a black Friday deal -- an iphone 4S! 

a brady thanksgiving

 It was our year to have a Brady Thanksgiving in Mapleton.  GayLynn and David are always so gracious to host ALL of us!  I think there were about 45 this year!  We certainly missed those who couldn't be with us this year.  Anyway, for the big dinner, we were able to gather at the clubhouse in the subdivision where Brady and Mark live.  It was great to be together in one big room and enjoy so much delicious food. The clubhouse is surrounded by a grassy park and the kids took advantage of the warm weather to play on the playground.  Jacob, Kaymi, Matthew, and Alexa had a great time twisting and swinging.  Jared & Ryan enjoyed some football with the bigger cousins out on the field.  We all had a wonderful time and I am so grateful for this wonderful family of which I am a part.  Truly a blessing in my life.

thomas s monson award

This group of leaders and scouts all worked together to receive the newest award in scouting -- the Thomas S. Monson award!  They each received a special medallion.  Mark is so grateful to be serving with these good young men.

wrestling

 Matthew decided he'd like to try wrestling.  The local high schools each run a two week camp for little kids and end it with a tournament between the three schools.

 All the kids are put into groups based on their weight, so they wrestle kids the same size.

 Matthew had a lot of fun and learned some new moves.  He ended up winning his weight group at the tournament and even got an awesome gold medal!

goalie jacob

Jacob has had a very fun fall soccer season!  He had a great coach, and fun kids to play with.  His favorite position to play is goalie.  And he's awesome at it too!

matthew & soccer

 Matthew is having such fun playing soccer this year.  He knows all the kids on the team (except for 1 or 2) from school.  They all go to Chinese together -- Bryce, Hayden, Alex, Cam, David, Will, and Matthew.  We've also lucked out and had really great weather this fall.

 Matthew is #9.  His skills and coordination have improved a lot and he is learning how to be aggressive and get to the ball and kick it.

 He's been making at least one goal nearly every game.  Way to go Matthew!  Have fun!

student of the month

Yay for Jacob!  He was one of the 5th graders awarded Student of the Month during October.  The award was given for having a cheerful attitude.  Way to go, Jacob!  We are so proud of you!

halloween

 Matthew and Jacob got busy carving our pumpkins this year.

 The finished masterpieces!

 Matthew dressed up in Jared's old karate uniform and went as the Karate Kid this year.  He's holding a "ghost" he made at school using a bouncy ball and some Kleenexes.

 Jacob had a hard time deciding what to dress-up as for Halloween, so in the final minutes, he chose his Santa costume again.  Love it!  Here he is enjoying a sucker from his candy stash after a successful trick-or treat night.

 And again, Santa taking a break to enjoy the goods from his stash!

dressing up as an element

For extra credit in Chemistry, Jared could dress up like an element from the periodic table.  I designed this shirt for him.  Can you guess which element? 
Answer: Tungsten  (W 74)

honor society

Jared was inducted to National Honor Society today!  Congrats!  Keep up the good grades and community service.  You are awesome!

fall break in southern utah

 We managed to coordinate schedules with Alan, Heidi, & kids and head to southern Utah during the fall school break.  Our first stop was a hike at Taylor Creek inside Kolob Canyon outside Cedar City.  It was perfect hiking weather -- cool, but not cold.  The fall scenery was amazing!  Along the way we found some great crevices and a couple old cabins.

 Matthew always seems to find a big rock to climb or a crevice to crawl into.

 The colors in the canyon are just beautiful.

The hike ends at a big arch/cave.  Jared and Matthew both showing victory!

 Matthew was a super-great hiker.  I think the hike was around 5 or so miles round trip and he did it all himself.  The trail crosses over the creek too many times to count, so that's another thing that kept the kids going on their own power!

 Another scenery shot.  Someday maybe I'll own a really great camera, and my quest will be to take awesome scenery photos.

 Like I said, lots of fun places to explore on the trail, which keeps the kids attention and keeps them going!

The next day we ventured out around Silver Creek and after traversing some crazy dirt roads with our non-off road vehicle, managed to find this old kiln.  Kinda fun.

 

 After the kiln, we headed south to St. George.  We visited the Jacob Hamblin home and then headed out to another off-the-road type adventure to find these incredible petroglyphs.  They are amazing!  There is a million of them all over these lava rocks and you can climb all over and get up close and personal with the petroglyphs.

 Lots of fun!  And of course a few of us (Alan, Jared, and Matthew for 30 seconds) had to bask in the sunshine and take a nap!

These next two pictures are from Kobob Canyon again.  That's Katie, Jacob, & Matthew perched on the rock.

 Part of our St. George day included a round of mini-golf.  It was Matthew's first time.  We all ignored the rules and did whatever it took to get the ball in the hole.  Fun!

 A ride on the go-karts was a favorite with all the kids.  This is Jacob & Ethan, and Matthew & Ryan on the track.

 Here comes Jared & Rachel on a lap.

 We took the long way home through Cedar Breaks to end our vacation.  Incredible views. Also very cold.  We had a great time and were glad to have Ethan, Katie, Rachel, Heidi, and Alan join us.