Temple Square

What would Christmas be without a visit to Temple Square? The beauty, the peace, and the symbols of the season found there truly turn our hearts to Christ and remind us why we celebrate. It was bitter cold this year, but we bundled up and enjoyed the time together.

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

My dad turned 55 at the beginning of December. Funny enough, according to Aspen, you die when you're 55, but luckily my dad survived the event unscathed. We were so pleased that he was able to join us for a birthday dinner after church that day.

My dad is truly an inspiration to me. He has had some truly rough patches in his life, as do we all, yet he always seems to have a smile on his face and relies on His Savior to pull him through. Love you dad!



We gave him a picture of Christ for his new office--does he have the best facial expressions or what?

Project Read Christmas Party

We always enjoy the Project Read Holiday Party. It's a great time to get together with my staff, tutors, and students. We enjoy a great meal together (and appreciate the BYU service learning group who planned everything for us), fun entertainment, annual awards, and of course a visit from Santa Claus.



The bad part . . . I have to MC. Luckily, I had my little helper. :)

My boys--are they cute or what?


A'cappella group "A Familiar Group" entertained the audience, young and old alike. Thanks for sharing your talent with us!

Saratoga Springs Tree Lighting

We attended the tree lighting for the City of Saratoga Springs at the beginning of December. It was also the kids first of several opportunities to see Santa Claus this Christmas season. I am very sorry to say that the tree was a little sorry, but we especially enjoyed listening to Emma sing in the choir celebrating the event.

Early Christmas

Each year, Shaylee & Devin's biological family come out to celebrate the holidays with us. We had a delicious ham & funeral potato dinner, and the kids (of course) enjoyed getting early Christmas presents. We are glad they have the opportunity to keep in contact with their biological family.

Decorating the Christmas Tree

To get us in the Christmas spirit, we started by pulling out the Christmas decorations and decorating the Christmas tree and the house. The kids always enjoy placing ornaments they have made on the tree, in addition to favorites like the bell from Bethlehem and the pickle.

Emma & Connor

I couldn't resist posting this darling photo of Emma & Connor who fell asleep in the car on the way to Grandma's house. :)