Christmas is coming

At the little light parade in monticello

Decorating the tree. Scott cut it down. It is a really prickly spruce but it's pretty. We got home from the light parade and decorated a bit with the girls and then I finished it off. They are all very excited about everything. Sara and I spent one Sunday at home from church together because we were sick and we put up all the decrations around the house. The others were suprised when they got home. I even put nails in the walls and hung up a lot more than I did last year. I think it all turned out cute. We now have presents under the tree, but I am pretty close to locking them up for the next week. The poor kids can't resist them.

We had a crazy time at our ward party, that is where Santa was. They had good food and good entertainment. we have so many talented people here. But carrying food and drinks and everything for four crazy kids isn't a ton of fun for mom and dad. Scott barely got home in time to go. Anyways, it was good and we are so thankful church is across the street...makes these things much simpler.

Scott is performing in two concerts of the Messiah, playing his trumpet. Last week it was in Blanding, and this week it will be here. We are hoping to catch some of it tonight, but maybe not all two hours. Another perk of the church across the street :)

My brother Dan and his girlfriend Melissa fly in Monday night, then Mom will be here wednesday, then Dan leaves Thursday, and Mom stays until january. Should be fun and crazy, we are excited and almost have the house cleaned up. On big tub of toys is packed up, making room for Christmas. Most everything is wrapped, mailed, cards are almost done and after we get a few groceries i think we are all sset for the big day! We are excited mom and Dan will be here for the girls' school concert, that has never happened! And i haven't spent Christmas with my mom in about nine years, since the Christmas Scott came up to visit me. After that we lived in California, and then seemed to have babies and were not wanting to travel in the winter. So it should be fun for all.

ps. Whitney LOVES santa...hahaha. she can say a really cute hohoho, though.

All I want for Christmas

First top tooth gone

Before it came out

Abby says:

I looked real funny cuz the tooth stuck out of my face and when I closed my mouth I could feel it. Mom pulled out my tooth cuz it looked weird and she accidentally pulled it out. It was funny wiggling it and I got a whole dollar, as usual, from the tooth fairy. And I found out that when I woke up real early in the morning.

And I have another loose tooth on the other side. I am probably gonna lose it cuz it it's wiggly. and I can stick my toungue through it and it looks like I have a pink tooth and the tooth that is underneath is growing in. The rest of my teeth that have been lost are growing in, exactly the same as the weird lookin' one.

For Christmas I would like a pink tooth pocket with hearts and teeth on it, so i could put my tooth in it whenever I lose one. I would also like a caramel apple so maybe it might make my tooth looser, and it would taste good.

I am going to sing in a Christmas concert and yesterday i built a snowman almost all by myself, but today the head fell off. Instead of using a carrot for its nose we used a pinecone. Isabel's was the big sister, mine was the little sister but now their heads are both ruined. mine fell off and Isabel's pieces fell off. Mine was nothing but arms and the pinecone nose.

Sara's first haircut

Before

During

After!

Sara's hair has always been long and beautiful. She loved it more than a 3 year old should love her hair. When I put a shirt on her, her arms couldn't go in the sleeves because her hair would get in the way. When we tried to do up her seatbelt in the car, the hair had to be moved, when she ate, she wiped everything up with her hair. She loves it down and in her face, taking out every clip or elastic band I put in it. She got tons of compliments on her hair all the time, but there comes a point when it just has to go. It was a hard decision. Sara agreed to it but still misses her hair a little.

Anyways, she was very good and sat still and I just went for it. I think it turned out cute and she still loves it down and in her face but it is much easier to brush, and still long enought to do things with. win-win

Forest Service Award

This year Scott's District Ranger (not his boss, but the guy in charge of this area of national forest) nominated him to get the Law Enforcement officer of the year award. And he got it! The area for the award includes Utah, Idaho, Nevada, and Wyoming. It came as a suprise and was not something Scott was aspiring to, or even really aware of, but nevertheless it is an honor. He went to a luncheon and received the award, along with a beautiful wooden bowl inlayed with some turquoise. He also got a plaque which will soon be mounted to a nice chunk of tree Scott got while working and has cut and varnished up.

Although he says that he didn't do anything special to deserve the award, he has consistently used his forest service training, military training, his own smarts, common sense, and people skills to make an amazing amount of progress in an area that has many issues going against him. He has also made some great contacts with some very high level people and has already earned a great reputation within the state and the Forest Service. Congratulations Scott!

Arches

Climbing up above Sand Arch

One. Happy. baby.

Sara posing up on the rocks

Sand Arch

Whitney hiking near the Windows

Climbing up in the arch

The girls by an arch

Sara rides in style.

A few weeks ago on an unseasonably warm November day, we decided to go to Arches national Park near Moab. If any of you have not heard of it, google it and you will see some amazing photos. We took tons but just put a few up on the blog. There are a lot of arches everywhere around where we live, but this park has a really high concentration. It may not be as exciting as Disneyland, but the girls truly enjoy seeing them and climbing on them. We only spent a few hours in the park, but as they get older we will definitely be able to do more. There are many easy hikes, and also more difficult ones. The rock formations are really incredible.

We ended the day eating at a restaurant in moab and then window shopping in some of the touristy stores. They have some great local artisans who make all kinds of things, jewelery, pottery, wind sculptures and so much more. We really hadn't spent time playing in Moab, so it was nice.

The best arch we saw was Sand arch. you take a stroll through a little slot canyon thing and the floor is all super fine red sand. the arch is back by itself, it is really nice, calm and quiet there. We had a lot of fun playing around. Whitney LOVED the sand, I might have to give in and get a sandbox next summer. There were all kinds of fun rocks to climb on. The two big girls are getting very independent and were running together the whole time. We let them go as long as they could see us.

It was a good day. There sure are not a lot of interesting indoor things to do here, but when the weather is nice the possibilities outdoors are endless. We even bought the year pass to all the parks around here so we can go whenever we want now. We thought maybe Scott would get in free, but that was not happening.

Moab is also world renowned for its mountain biking and 4 wheel drive trails. One of Scott's favorite things on youtube is to search Moab Jeep and there are some great crashes and climbs on there.

Moab is about 52 miles away from us.