Valentine's Dinner

Traditions never die...even when the Mom is sick! I found this out the hard way this year. I had planned on doing our annual LOVE DINNER with the kids, and woke up sicker than a dog on Valentine's day! NO FUN! But the party must go on. I was able to get some decorations out order the heart shaped pizza, dip strawberries, make brownies, and a few other things and it actually went off without a hitch! Caleb had a basketball game that night so we had to eat a bit early. But no one was complaining! Another fun Valentine's Day with the entire family!

A view of the food

Table, food and a few of the decorations
Brit waiting patiently...

The whole gang! I have such a cute family!
Brit snapped a shot of me serving his food.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Wax Museum

At the Elementary School 5th graders get to be involved in the Wax Museum. Zach came home very excited one day, and he couldn't wait to tell me who he had chosen to be for it. He made me try to guess...I guessed sports people, presidents, or something on that order. He was so proud to tell me that he had chosen Gail Halvorsen (aka The Candy Bomber). It sort of shocked me to be honest. This wasn't the route I thought Zach would go. He dove into the book and worked hard on completing the book and report. It was fun to go over to the school and watch him perform the information he had learned about Gail Halvorsen.

Here is Zach waiting for someone to push his button so he can start his speech.

Zach giving the speech he wrote and memorized. He did a GREAT job!

He wore his Grandpa Veenker's US Air Force coat. We added some printed badges to it just for the day. Grandpa had given it to him a few months earlier.

Sledding at Soldier Hollow

Our family got a chance to go up to Soldier Hollow to sled in January. It was part of Youth Conference, all the youth and their families were invited. We had the sledding hill to ourselves. It was so much fun! Early on a Saturday, temps were a bit chilly but there was fun to be had! It was more than fun...it was AWESOME! Here are some pics of our fun time!

This was taken from the top of the sledding hill....it was a perfect winter morning. Notice the lack of snow, so the snow machines were going full force!

Caleb posing for a photo

Craig & Lib heading to the the top Me sledding down the hill, I promise you get going pretty fast! It's really fun!

Liberty just finishing her run

Craig doing who knows what!

Randomly, this is the only picture we got of Zach all day. We were there for 2 hours and he was sledding the ENTIRE time!

These two were racing EVERYONE!

Me waiting my turn to go down.

Liberty loving every minute of the fun.

See, you get going so fast, sometimes it's hard to stop...I slammed into the temporary fence. Ooops!Don't worry I was fine, and ready for more fun!

Brit went down twice, then he was done, the rest of the time he played at the bottom of the hill with the unused tubes. He had a great time!

(Most of these photos were taken by Kylie Oyler of our ward, Thanks Kylie!)
We had a very fun time! Everytime we go there we always wonder when we can go back! It's well worth it! The only way to go sledding! They pull you up to the top and you zip down and then go do it all over again. WONDERFUL!

Day 14

Day 14

I LOVE...

THIS GUY!

I love him so much! He is VERY busy these days...but he handles everything with ease. He does what he has to do for work, church and the family. Somehow he fits everything in. He amazes me! I love being married to him. He is dedicated to his calling, and I support him. He is a wonderful and supportive father to our children, and I love it! He is a great husband to me, and I feel blessed! I am one lucky gal!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Day 13

Day 13

I LOVE...

Having no TV! I know it may sound crazy but it has been a HUGE success in our home! We haven't had cable for a while, but a few weeks ago our XBOX 360 broke and we lost our access to Netflix. Which at first was kind of a bummer, but it has made it so nice. In the evenings it is quiet! We talk so much more and the kids and I will gather around and just chat. We end up laughing or playing some sort of made up game and I love it! Yes, there are shows that we enjoy and on occassion miss but we are surviving just fine without it! Give it a try and see how you like it!

Day 12

Day 12...

I LOVE...

MY CHILDREN!

Seriously, I couldn't ask for better children. We have our moments of drama, but what family doesn't. I love their personalities, I love to support them in their activities, I love the way them make me laugh, and smile constantly! I find myself watching them, seeing how they will react to different things, and they truly make me happy! Caleb, Zach, Liberty & Brit, you are my joy!

Day 11

Day 11

I LOVE...

SURPRISES!!!

(Picture via Pinterest...my pictures wouldn't load! Bummer!)

Craig surprised me in November, and I realized that I haven't blogged about it, so here it is...Craig planned an entire trip, babysitters and all for me. He took me to Disneyland for 3 days. It was just the two of us...and we had a blast! We were as giddy as a couple of jr. high kids! We had great weather, great wait times, and even learned our lesson when we tried to cut the short lines even shorter. Thinking we were SO SNEAKY we jumped the line for Indiana Jones, only to realize we jumped into the exit line and totally lost the chance to go on it our first night! Whatever, you live and learn! It was a great trip, we snuck over to the beach, did a little Christmas shopping, saw a darling missionary couple who was serving there from our ward, and just had a blast! It was the perfect surprise!

(Now what will I do to surprise him??? Ideas?)