Spring 2013

Bump...Set....Spike!!!
Club Volleyball...Abbie sure loves to play.  Wasn't the greatest year she's had playing...lots of girl drama, but so far she loves it enough to deal with it.

 Serving, Blocking and Setting!!!  What fun!!!

Her teammates!

March 2013 School Play

Abbie made the play at school...It was called How to Eat like a Child...very funny!  The cast did a really great job.  The top pictures were when they performed at the school. They also performed at Barnes and Noble which is what the pictures on the bottom are.

March 2013 Easter

Happy Happy Easter!!!  Spring time is such a fun time, ready for winter to be over and move on warm weather activities.  The first Easter without Jesse, the girls made tons of Easter eggs in honor of him.  We sent him a nice package with paper Easter baskets and few stuffers and a fun banner that represented Christs life, but mostly focused on the last week of his life.  Easter is so fun, but its also nice to be able to really focus on the Atonement.  Not that we shouldn't all year round!!!  I love my Savior, and I am so grateful for the Atonement in my life and what his sacrifice means for me and my family!!!

 Grandma McCammon's annual Easter egg hunt!  The kids really love this!!!  Its wonderful that Grandma is willing to go to all the work, time and money, for the kids to have a fun day!!

 Easter Morning, the Easter Bunny is so nice to us!!!

February 2013 Yellowstone Snowmobile Trip

In February we took a snowmobile trip into Yellowstone we took Abbie and Cierra, Bill's parents, his brother and brothers' daughter. We started in West Yellowstone and went to Old Faithful and back.  It was just a one day snowmobile trip, but it was a lot of fun.

The package that you get when you go at least through Two Top, is a night a hotel, the snowmobile (2 riders) and all the gear from head sock and gloves to the suit and boots.  From what I learned...I might invest in my own head sock so it fits right and I would have taken a stocking hat so I could keep my head warm when we stopped to walk around and not wear the head sock everywhere, at least if I was to do it again!!!

 Here's a few pictures of the girls hanging out.  The weather wasn't bad, it was a beautiful day, but still rather chilly, but the suits did the job they were suppose to do...keep us warm!!!

 Some more pictures of our family around Yellowstone!

 Some of the Wildlife and scenery we saw while there!  Beautiful!!!!

January 2013

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!!!

I have a love/hate relationship with winter.  I really do enjoy seeing the snow, I love living in a place that has the 4 seasons (even if spring and fall are a little short!), I love skiing and other winter sports. Nothing is more beautiful than right after a winter storm when everything is covered in white and the sky is so blue and the sun is shining so bright!  Even if its cold it is a fantastic feeling!!  But its cold here, many days, just bitter cold...many are dark dreary and winter just seems sooooo long!!!  I suppose to really enjoy life we have to comprehend the opposites...right!?!?!

 The girls and I really enjoyed some ski days.  This year is the first year I think they really enjoyed skiing.  Its so fun to have someone else to ski with and who will love it with me!!!

Here's a few pictures of snowy days.  The first day it snowed the girls built this mini snowman with what snow they had.  They didn't ever clean it up and we didn't find the pieces to the snowman until the spring thaw!  It snowed a couple more times, never enough to make the kids happy!  But the kids enjoy building forts from the piles of snow that get shoveled from the driveway.  We had a neighbor come and push us a big pile so the kids could sled a bit on it. (it wasn't done when these pictures were taken!) Playing in the snow is one of the best parts of being a kid, they just don't let the cold bother them.)

Christmas 2012

Christmas truly is the most wonderful time of the year!!! I love thinking about our Savior and how kind people are and the service that gets done for those in need. Too bad that spirit doesn't stick around all year long.

The Saturday before Christmas Eve we always have our family Christmas parties down in Utah, my family does a breakfast in the morning and then we do presents and our party in the early afternoon.  Grandpa still reads the Christmas Story from the Bible and as the Patriarch of our family helps to instill in us a love of our Savior Jesus Christ.  We appreciate his love for it and the wonderful example him and grandma are to us!  We have started a new tradition of choosing a theme for Christmas...this year it was the letter C, All presents had to start with the letter C. Cierra got Clothes for her webkinz, Cheetos, clock, and a book (not the letter C!), Jesse got mission stuff they also didn't really start with the letter C...a belt and a passport carrier that hides it in your clothes.  Abbie got a Makeup Caddy, cookies, and cash.  Bill got Cans of Mt. Dew and Candy, and I got a Camel Back.

 Next we head over to the McCammon's for the rest of the festivities.  Eating and singing and a visit from Santa!  Jesse got a puzzle box with money in it and a remote control helicopter.  Cierra got fun Science kits and Abbie got clothes.  The funnest part of the evening is always Santa bringing their Jammies and changing into them!

Jesse was around when we decorated the tree so we let him put the Angel Moroni on top.

Jesse left for his mission exactly one week prior to Christmas, I think it might have made Christmas easier, because he still celebrated with us a little bit with all the family parties and such.  We usually have a little party on Christmas eve with our finger foods and watching a new movie, then the kids get to each open a gift.  Abbie got a tea set, she has been telling me for months that's what she wanted for Chrismtas.  Cierra got new snow clothes!!!

 Christmas morning.  I'm not going to list what they got for Christmas but they did get a little spoiled from dear old Santa!!  Cierra got a giant set of tinker toys to make club houses with and Abbie got lots of clothes and accessories for her phone and room.

Merry Christmas!!!!

Dec 19, 2012 MTC Day

Boy I'll tell you there is nothing more emotional than MTC day!!!  I truly didn't want to cry!  Its such a wonderfully happy day, there is no other hands I would rather pass my child over to than the Lords hands, but its still hard to say goodbye for 2 years.  We stopped in Tremonton to say goodbye to Grandpa and Grandma Christensen, the kids teased in the back seat and we took pictures outside the Provo Temple.  We had lunch at the Golden Corral in Provo before dropping Jesse off at the MTC.  We were a little early and he had a bit of a panic attack and didn't want us to drop him off until the exact time.  So we drove down to the Stadium and sat in the Parking lot until it was time.  After dropping him off we were bawling, I mean serious sobbing the front seat!!!  Bill stopped at Crispy Creme donuts and Bill went to the bathroom, he was sure people were wondering why all the sobbing in such a happy place!!!  He got some donuts and we drove home, most of the way in silence because when we started to speak tears happened again!!!  We stopped in Tremonton to see my folks again for a few minutes and to use the bathroom and then headed the rest of the way home. I wake up now and miss my morning hugs.  It seems like just yesterday he was an infant in my arms...time just goes way too fast!!!

December 2012 Missionary Photo Shoot and Farewell

Dec. 2, 2012
Of course every missionary needs to have a photo shoot before they leave on their mission!  My dear friend Michelle took these pictures and I think they turned out rather nice.

Dec. 9, 2012
Jesse had his Farewell on Dec. 9...if you'd like to read his farewell talk its actually on his Mission Website check it out here.  I was so busy that day I just didn't get very many pictures taken until almost everyone had gone.  Note to others, maybe get someone else to be your photographer, ask a friend or family member, maybe even do what I've seen at weddings and have those disposable cameras around and have others take pictures.

In the pictures...top left Jesse's photo collage we had guests sign around the pictures, Jesse visiting with friends, Missionary cookies, (bottom right) Amanda, Miriam, Rachel and Aunt Wendy. The others were just pictures of the people that were left.

Crazy day, but we love everyone who came and supported Jesse!  Thanks so much!!!

Thanksgiving Gingerbread Ship

Once in a while I get something stupid in my head and I really want to do it,(remember the Pumple cake?)

but I just can't figure it out.  I have been wanted to make a gingerbread boat for years and I could never figure out how to go about it. I really wanted to bake the gingerbread into the shape of the boat...rounded hull and all, but I just couldn't figure it out.  One day I was in Michaels and found a balsa wood model of a boat and figured I could use it as a sort of pattern.  I had to use half as many pieces because gingerbread is just a bit thicker.  It didn't end up looking at all like I had in my mind, and maybe if I ever figure out a better way I'll try again!  But in honor of Jesse going to Ecuador we named it the SS Guaya or SSGM (Guayaquil Mission). It was pretty heavy and after a couple of weeks completely fell apart and Abbie wanted to eat it so much...I let her!!!

Veterans Day 2012

Our Elementary School does an amazing job at celebrating Veterans Day and teaching the kids about how important our Veterans are and how we should be grateful for their service and the sacrifice they gave for us and our country. I love veterans and I am proud to be an American!!

Family Pictures

November 2012
Family Pictures...its weird thinking that this is my last chance for 2 years for a family picture.  I better plan a photo shoot for when Jesse gets home, because once home from a mission they get on a quest and my family could be different in a few years!!!  Michele Farnsworth did these pictures and I just love them.  I would have preferred a spring setting but that wasn't in the cards for when Jesse was leaving, but these are great.  I'll do spring when he comes home!

Cupcake Party

Oct 4, 2012
Oh my I am really out of order!!!

Cierra had been wanting to make a cupcake stand and sell cupcakes to the neighborhood kids but I told her no, the next best thing we thought was a cupcake decorating party!  I had seen in an old Martha Stewart magazine some cute monster cupcakes and thought that would be fitting since its the month of Halloween!!!
Check out their monsters!!!

A second Yellowstone trip just before winter hits!

October, 21 2012
Took the kids up to Yellowstone for the day.  Drove through the west entrance up to the north one to see if we could see any big horned sheep...no luck there, drove down Firehole drive and took a few pictures.  Abbie had been learning about the 45th parallel in school so we took her picture by that and standing on the Continental Divide.

 It wasn't a real warm day as you can tell, but the Tetons are always beautiful!  We saw these sheep on the back of the Elk Refuge, you have to go through Jackson to get to it, but it seems like they are always there.

Venture Scout Super Activity to Yellowstone

Aug 2012
I missed getting this in when I was blogging August!  Oops!!!

Bill took his venture scouts to Yellowstone to bike and hike for their Super Activity.  It looks like they had a great time. They hiked and biked and drove to various places like to Mystic Falls, Fairy Falls, Imperial Gesyer, Spray Gesyer (erupts in a spiral), Old Faithful, Fountain Paint Pots, Virginia Cascades and Mt. Washburn and did some other biking in the 3 days they were there.
They have a pretty great group of kids!!!

 A few pictures of the kids and leaders in groups.

 Jesse and Bill

A few of the different locations they saw, the scenery is stunning!  What a beautiful world we are blessed to live in!!!

Jesse going to the Temple

Sept. 29 2012
Its a pretty big deal in our church to go to the temple, especially for the first time.  Jesse was interviewed and found worthy to enter the house of the Lord today!  Such beautiful blessings come from being an endowed member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Its a lot of work to be a Mormon, but well worth it in the blessings we receive through our faithful service.  The knowledge and comfort of the Plan of Salvation, to know where we came from and our purpose here on the earth is such a wonderful thing. To know we can live in the presence of our Heavenly Father again is such a great blessing.  The power of the sealing that binds our families together forever and the knowledge of the truthfulness of the gospel.  All of this is such a great blessing in my life and I am grateful Jesse has chosen to embrace it and live it!!  Good luck to him on his mission and spreading this great message!!

Jesse receives the Melchizedek Priesthood

Sept 16, 2012

Jesse was ordained by Bill an Elder in the Melchizedek Priesthood.  Grandma and Grandpa McCammon were able to come up and be here for his ordination.  So exciting all the new changes in life and preparation for a mission.  We are proud parents!!!

African Dwarf Frogs

Truly have you ever heard of African Dwarf frogs...they are about as easy to take care of as a goldfish!  The kids won two of them at the Carnival at Wellsvilles Founders Day Celebration.  Bills sister had an extra container for them that she gave us.  You keep a little water in the tank so they can gasp for air periodically, and give them a piece of food a day, and they basically just sit there all day!!  They've been a bit of a novelty around here, the kids take them out to play with them once in a while but I'm not sure how long they can be out of water so I make them put them back after about 10 minutes. I picture spongebob and patrick in Sandy's dome shriveling up asking for water!!!

Labor Day in Wellsville

Oops!! Labor day should have been before Abbie's birthday!!!  Oh well.  Not too many pictures this year just a few of the kids at the parade.  I need to remember to pull out my camera.  I think once I start getting really behind in blogging the camera has a tendency to stay put away...guilty!!!  Breakfast, the Parade, Sham Battle and carnival...same stuff every year, but it never seems to get old!!!  The kids love it!!!  We did get new pets out of the deal...check out the next post to see what they are!!!