Christmas Recap!

We had a GREAT Christmas this year! The kids got what they wanted, we ate yummy food, and had a great time with family!! what more could you ask for?! On Christmas Eve day, the kids played in the snow because there was so much of it!! 8 inches at our house!! they had so much fun in it! Josh pulled Porter and Brynlee around in the sled, and had a lot of fun! Porter got dumped a few times! Then we went to my moms house that night to eat and play Christmas Bingo, open our Christmas Eve presents which were jammies, act out the nativity, and watch a little video of the true meaning of Christmas.....Our Savior! It was short but very sweet!! It showed pics of Jesus from birth to when he was older, while the song O Holy Night was playing! it was awesome!! Then it was time to head home and go to sleep! We got up at 7 on Christmas morning to see what Santa brought everyone! The kids had a great morning! We then headed back down to my moms to eat breakfast and open gifts from them! all the kids got T.V. blankets that my mom made (so she made 11 of them) and each a movie! they loved them!! we then headed home to get ready for the day and head up to the other side of the family for lunch and gift exchange! (I forgot my camera for this, darn it!)
We hope everyone had a great day like we did!!
Now on to the New Year!!

She was so excited to get Snow White!

A new DS game

yay!! just what he wanted! LOL now he can shave his "Rico" mustache!! haha

walkin in to see what Santa brought!

Christmas Eve....

showing off her new jammies and slippers!

Braxton's new pjs

Porter's new pjs

posing for a pic! showing off the new jammas!

dont ask me what they are doing here! maybe too much excitement?!

having fun though!!


Christmas Eve day! playing in the SNOW

Porter gettin it good with the snow!!

got him!!

ready for some more!!

well its here.....

It's official....I have hit the big 3-0! WOW! I remember when I was younger thinking that 30 was SO old! well now that I am here it is far from that! LOL It was all around a pretty good day! I went to 2 sacrament meetings (because my cousin had his homecoming and then we went to my own ward and then taught my primary class) then went to my moms house for our annual gingerbread house party! we ate yummy homemade clam chowder and vegetable beef soup! we then started our gingerbread houses and got a suprise visit from the jolly old man himself! the kids were so excited to FINALLY tell santa what they wanted for Christmas since it was almost here! We had a blast and I enjoy keeping the traditions going and really do appreciate my mom for doing this every year even when there is chaos!

P.S....the pics are all in reverse order....

P.P.S.....I was too lazy to fix them, so you can start from the bottom and work up if you would like! :)

ALL the grandkids getting a pic showing their finished gingerbread houses!

Porter telling Santa what he wants for xmas

Brynlee's turn....

Braxton telling the big man what he wants! (he thinks he is too old to sit on santa's lap, but he wouldn't receive a present if he didnt sit! haha

I was taking pics of kids workin away at their gingerbread houses and this is what happened!! he just LOVES his auntie!!

Porters house

Brynlee's house! she did such a good job at making hers. she told me where to put the frosting and then she went to town on it!

Dad and Porter working very hard!

Braxton concentrating

she kept picking at the goods on her house!

working away!

Grandpa helping Braxton get his house together.

waiting patiently to start decorating

putting the house together....

Thanks again mom for another night of fun and memories!! (even if we did struggle with those darn gingerbread houses and got frosting ALL over everything! and Ledger's house struggled for a while and sprinkles were dumped all over, and some gingerbread houses fell apart long after we were done with them!) those are the good memories, right?!?!

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so I am major slacking in the bloggin department. But I do have good reason....I have been busy! (that good enough?) Anyways, we have done a lot since my last post, but no pictures at the moment. The first of December, we got to go down the Las Vegas to the NFR! first time ever!! It was so much fun!! It was so nice to get away and hang out with family, laugh and have a great time!! of course I left my darn camera sitting on the computer desk at home. NICE!! I also have started working full time the first of December at the school, and let.me.tell.you......I never thought it would be that hard to switch from 4 hours a day to 6, but WOW!! I sure don't have the time I used to have to get things done! :)
Last weekend we got together with Josh's side of family and make TONS and TONS of sugar cookies! yes I did take pics, but I am too lazy right now to upload them :) Then the next night we done our annual Utley Family Christmas Caroling! This year we rode on a haywagon, boy was it COLD!! (I think half of us got sick from it) But anyways, we each pick a family to go and sing to and deliver a small basket of goodies to. I pretty much choose the same people every year! :) Just cause I LOVE them! (and they love me :) ) LOL! Love ya Barbara and Michelle!
Last night was Braxton's middle school Christmas Dance. I also took pics of it, but they all turned out kind of dark, so that's that! other than that I have been so busy getting ready for Christmas that I dont have time to do anything else! there's the news on us this last little while!

tHe cOunTdOwN hAs bEguN!!!!

only 22 more days till Santa comes to town!!

hApPy tHanKsGiVinG!!

hope everyone has a veryHappy Thanksgiving!!!

Quick Funny.....

Brynlee came out of her room saying she had a baby inside of her while looking like this! Then she kept saying, "I huge, mommy, I huge!" LOL....what a silly girl! she makes me laugh everyday!



****For The Record.....I have NO clue where she is getting this from because I am NOT, I repeat NOT pregnant, nor plan to be!!! Thank you****

hApPy HaLLowEeN......

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!!!
I know we did!

DR. MAD....

Braxton had a Halloween Party at his friends house tonight, and he had to go dressed up! so he went as a Dead Mad Scientist! He sure played the part well. LOL! I wanted to take some pics of him, and he kept pulling faces, sooo...........
I present to you Dr. MAD


this is his "I am thinking" look......


I really can't explain this one...... LOL.....
maybe his "aha, too many explosions" look!


This is his "WHOA, that explosion scared me" look

This is his "I AM DEAD" look

He is such a goof! he is always making me laugh. :) Hope he has a FUN, SPOOKTACULAR time at his Halloween Party with his friends!!

Pretty Little Princess!

Today was Brynlee's preschool Halloween Party! So they all got to dress up in their costumes for school. Brynlee was so excited!! But due to the terrible weather, I made her wear a pink shirt underneath her costume, and she was NOT happy about that!! I don't really blame her because it doesnt look as cute! :) They were also planning on doing a trunk or treat for the little preschoolers, but again since it was snowing, we just done it indoors, but the kids still had fun!
The pictures are all backwards, and Ididnt want to fix them! :) so....
here is a picture of Brynlee and one of her best friends, Ally.
Two princesses......Belle and Ariel

The whole class! what some cuties!!

Striking a pose! what a goof!!

I had to throw in what her back looked like! it turned out so cute!! we even finished her hair off with some gold glitter!!

can you say EXCITED!!! ........

close up shot

Beautiful Brynlee......(or in this case Belle) :)

another pose!

LOTS of stuff!!

WARNING......lots and lots of pictures! because I have been a slacker in the blogging department, I have some catching up to do!! we had our annual pumpkin days yesterday and had TONZ and TONZ of fun!! we painted faces, carved our pumpkins, painted pumpkins, ate, and had a great time!

Brynlee and Gavin showing off their painted faces

Porter and Markell (LOL...I told them they looked like rodeo clowns :) )

Trayl and Tamara cleaning out the pumpkin

Braxton cleaning out his pumpkin

Grandpa Ron and Kathleen watching all the fun!!

Trayl and Shaylee

Braxton working away at his masterpiece

the "newest" grandma! Kari with baby Violet

Brynlee cleaning out her pumpkin...she pretty much cleaned out her whole pumpkin by herself!!

Porter cleaning his out!

Brynlee's finished pumpkin! she was pretty proud!

Brax with his finished product! it took him quite awhile to do.

I realized I didnt take any pictures of Porters finished pumpkin, and didnt get any pics of the spray painted ones that we did either but they turned out way cute!!
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Braxton had his 6th grade play the other night and did an AWESOME job!!! they did the play The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and he was the lead character......Ichabod Crane!

He did so good and was sooo proud of him for memorizing all his lines and adding "extras" in with it!! His teacher was so impressed with how well he did it! It really was a great play and all the students that were in the play did a super job! way to go Brax! we are so proud of you and love you very much!!

this was hilarious!!! who would of thought to make a horse like this?!?! so cute!

This is one of Braxtons best friend....Bridger.

Braxton, the headless horseman (who "killed" him at the end of the play) and Bergum Jensen

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Porter got BAPTIZED!!! yeah, this was awhile ago, but anyways, I feel HORRIBLE I didnt take any pictures but this ONE! can you say "MOTHER OF THE YEAR" award?!?! I know, I know, awful. I do feel awful! I had my camera with me, and had EVERY intention on taking pics, but I simply forgot! But besides that, We are sooo proud of Porter and couldn't be happier for him in choosing to be baptized and become a memeber of the church! We love you bud!