Pictures with OUR FAVORITE Santa

Before we left on 1/2/11 we quickly took Santa pictures with all of the kids. Our favorite Santa is none other than Grandpa of course.

Trena and Ava

All of the grandkids

Trena and Kaden

Ava and Kenzie

Santa with Kaden and Kenzie

Santa and Kenzie Moo

Santa and Kaden

Goodbye Santa

Ava and Grandpa (12/30/11)

A few random photos from our Utah trip

Here are a few photos that my mom had taken when we were in Utah I wanted to include them on our blog.

This is Ava playing with Kenzie

Ava watching Mickey with Grandpa

Me, Kaden and Ava

Pizazz

Lucky for me I was home for my sister Karey's year end dance show Pizazz. This is the big send off for the drill team at her High School, the Excaliburs. It was really fun for me because I had missed all of her competitions this year and hadn't seen her team dance once.

Here she is with her escort, our dad



Ava and Taylor danced to all the fun music

Her name sign

This is one of my sister Kayleighs best friends Danielle, she danced in the alumni dance. Kayleigh would have loved to have danced too, but teaches kickboxing on the nights they practiced. These are Danielle's little sisters and two of Katrena's best friends in the world, Caroline and Charlotte.

Karey with my parents


The Kirk/Jex family came to watch her and their son brother who danced in the flexcaliburs, back in my dad's day they were called the sexaliburs. Anyways a bunch of boys picked by the girls on the Excaliburs are taught one number by the team and perform it at pizazz. The number always has kicks, and things taken from the girls competition piece. Its always a lot of fun to watch.

Rosalie, Kaylee, Emily, Karey and Jordan and the little one down front is .


Karey and Ava


Kayleigh, myself, Karey and Ava (sure wish Trena was in this photo), did I mention I am the only lame o girl in my family that wasn't on the drill team. Now there were multiple reasons why, A) I am the oldest my parents couldn't afford dance with me growing up and B) lets be honest I've always been the fatty in the family. Some how I didn't inherit the same skinny gene that the other three possess. Now if you really know me and life story, you would find this extremely funny. Did I mention I'm a carbon copy of my dad (I love you daddy) :)


Ava loved Aunt Karey's colorful flowers


Karey with Kayleigh's other best friend Chelsea (also another former drill team girl)


Afterwards we went to Five Guys Burger and Fries, super yummy

And Ava discovered just how yummy fry sauce really is

Randoms from our Spring Break trip

My husband lives to get things for free, and both of our parents homes had multiple things he'd received for free. So while we were there we had a "bingmas" and opened all of daddy's free stuff.

While we were at Tai Pan trading they had baby chicks there for spring. Ava really wanted to hold one and was upset that she couldn't

Aunt Karey had some friends over for a movie, and one of her friends works for a movie theater, so they brought over this huge bag of popcorn.

Aunt Karey also got this huge lamb as present while we were there, Ava thought it was quite wonderful.

Playing with our puppets from Quilted Bear "hop hop cheep cheep" is what Ava says as she bounces them up and down.


When Ava was born my dad and Tyler bought her her first camo shirt, it finally fits her.


Exploring Grandma and Grandpa North's backyard, Ava loves the bridge



And what would a trip to Utah be without snow, the lovely two days of snow ruined our plans to go to Wheeler Farm and see the baby animals, we were definitely bummed about that.


Ava loved Great Grandma Hansen's baby doll


and playing with all of Grandma's little guys

And Uncle Taylor was definitely giving Daddy a run for his title as favorite, but Daddy always wins in the end.

And poor Grandpa, Miss Ava had the hardest time warming up to him, I truly believe its the mustache, he's the only person she knows with one. He really had to work hard for his "yuck yuck" kisses.

Goodbye to Grammy Ann and Aunt Alice

After 5 days of playing with Grammy Ann and Aunt Alice it was time to say goodbye as they headed back to North Carolina on March 25th. I was glad we had our fun day at Gateway, craft time and lots of good food. My Grandma is truly one of the best cooks ever! When my mom was little my Grandparents owned a restaurant in Virginia called Brownies. My Grandma cooked and waitressed and was always so friendly to all the customers according to my mom, I love to hear my mom's old stories and eat my Grammy's yummy food. I hate that all of her recipes are in her head and are a litle of this and a pinch of that, I wish that she would write a cookbook with all her yumminess, cakes, candies, shakes, vegetable, sides, pastries, chicken and dumplings, etc

Ava warmed up to Grammy Ann

Kayleigh and Taylor saying goodbye

Our goodbyes

Tyler even made it down again from Idaho the night before they left

Karey's goodbye


Dad's goodbye

We love you guys and are so happy you flew in from North Carolina to spend time with me and the girls.