Happy New Year!

Trying this AGAIN! I love to go and read other peoples Blog's... but have the hardest time keeping up with ours!

We had a great holiday season and really enjoyed our families. We have learned so many things over the past year but most importantly, we have realized just how important our family is and the time we can spend together! My dad had a close call over the summer and we lost some important members of our family over the last 6 months (namely my paternal grandma!) But, it feels like some good came out of these life challanges!

We had a great time with Darren's family who were able to visit over the holidays and spent some fun time with the kids! We LOVED being with the kids and especially enjoyed our new 6 month old nephew (who lives WAY too far away!) We took the kids to fun places, and enjoyed a day sledding! We also had the bonus of spending time with my family (because of my grandma's funeral) and enjoyed visiting with all of my cousins! GREAT memories!

We look forward to a wonderful 2011 and plan to make this a good year with good things happening!

Happy New Year!!

WOW!!!

WOW!! That's all I have to say... it has almost been a year and soooo many things have happened I just don't know where to start! So, I am not going backwards (very much) it is all going to be looking forward from here!
I hope you are having a happy holiday season!? We are enjoying the hustle and bustle of the season - already! Here are a few pictures from Halloween and Thanksgiving!
New Baby Halle! She is 9+ months old now! What a cutie!!

My Best Duct Tape Job EVER!!!

Okay.... SO... our mailbox is every young hooligan's dream!! Out in the middle of 2 driveways on a BIG WIDE street!! What more could a naughty person dream of?? Well - even though it is total white trash looking - I have always fixed the problem with Duct tape (a Halladay family tradition - started MANY, MANY years ago)! Every time my siblings come for a visit (because friends wouldn't think to be mean) they comment on the nice tape job and there is always a little mockery involved! As a side note, Darren has had nothing to do with the tape jobs he suggests getting a new mail box each time it gets hit and I was ALL for that the first 2-3 times but NOW... I am not going to keep paying for this expensive hooligan fun!! So, the last 3-4 times I have nicely (and not so stylishly - is that a word?) wrapped the shiney silver duct tape around the mailbox to hold it on!!
Well... the other day I was shopping for a school project for Marin at Michael's Crafts and "what to my wondering eye's should appear"??? - COLORED duct tape!!!! Even WHITE!! I quickly purchased a roll of white duct tape. Last weekend - the HOOLIGANS struck again!!! So - with my new WHITE duct tape, I created - MY BEST DUCT TAPE JOB EVER!!! (We're only a LITTLE worried that we can't shut the mailbox!)

Fun with Cousins!

The other night we had the Ward's over for dinner and the kids had such a great time together! I love to watch them play together as cousins! They love each other so much! While the adults were upstairs talking the kids went down and put together a "show" for us! What a hoot! They ran around in circles and turned the lights on and off! I did get some cute pictures though. Afterwards, they all wanted to do a sleepover... so Marcie took the boys and I kept the girls (It was reversed the week before - I had the boys and she had the girls). I had a great time with the girls!! We did a spa day(night) and I made a special facial scrub (crushed grapes and honey) and washed their faces with it as well as cucumbers on their eyes! They thought they were so BIG. I also did a foot scrub for them and then massaged their feet with lotion and then painted their toes - all while drinking apple juice out of heart glasses! Love those kids!!

Thanksgiving - 2008

We had a great Thanksgiving this year! It was very layed back and fun with my brother and sister and their families and Rosemary. We enjoyed one anothers company and the cousins all had a blast together! Sometimes I wonder - they act and treat each other more like siblings than cousins!

The night after Thanksgiving Chad's family and ours, went on the Trolley at Thanskgiving Point to see all of the Christmas lights! It was so much fun and the kids loved sitting in the front of the trolley! It was such a great way to start the Christmas season.



Looks like A LOT of TROUBLE!!

Happy Halloween Time in Disneyland!!

We had such a fun Halloween this year! We got to spend it in Disneyland and we played sooooo hard! The kids had a great time and we hooked up with our friends the Clawson's to play all day (and evening) on Halloween! By the end of the day, Jack was falling asleep on rides and not wanting to give up on going on the rides! The funniest thing was... every time we asked Jack which ride was his favorite - we all waited (and still do) in anticipation for what his answer would be, because it is always different! For the longest time he told everyone Peter Pan was his favorite ride and we had never riden on Peter Pan so Darren and I decided we better take the kids on that ride so no one could call him a liar! Marin had a great time with 2 boys!!! They were 10 and 11 and Marin had a great time with them and LOVED having friends to go on all of the rides with her! The only SAD thing... we had to come home! Both of the kids cried on the ride to the airport (with real tears and everything!!) It was the perfect time with family and with friends and we LOVED being in Disneyland for Halloween!!

Carving Pumpkins with Grandma Ter!

While Darren's sister Jodi was in visiting we had the opportunity to see the family a few times to catch up! One of the visitings to Lee and Terri's - we were so lucky because Grandma Ter got pumpkins and carving "stuff" and helped the kids carve their pumpkins!! It was a lot of fun and the kids LOVED it! I was just so happy to not have the mess at my house!! THANK YOU TERRI!! I didn't get many good pictures of Terri up to her elbows in GOOK!!

DEAD EYE!!

Just a little follow up from our Falcon's Ledge trip... I am a dead eye shot! Anyone looking for a hunting partner... look no further - I am your girl!! LOL!! Seriously - I am a joke of a shot and may need a little practice before showing myself in public again with a shotgun!

Saying Goodbye!

This last weekend we said good bye to our Jeep! It was a mixed emotions sale - but feels good not to have it sitting out on the driveway!

Champion Swimmers!!

Over the last few months Marin and Jack have been taking swimming lessons! Marin to perfect her strokes and Jack to actually LEARN how to swim. Jack spent the summer on "the sidelines" as he had NO desire to get in the water. Sooooo... the first few lessons with Jack were painful! He cried a bit and was so sad to get in the water - but by the end... he is an amazing swimmer! At the end of their lesson's they get GOLD MEDALS and both kids were so excited to get their gold medals. Marin is a BEAUTIFUL swimmer. I love to watch her swim and she works so hard on her strokes to get better and better! Both kids are champion swimmers!!

Girls Night in St. George...

Lucky me!! I had the chance to go with some girlfriends overnight to St. George to see Les Mis at the Tuacahn outdoor theatre. It was a whirlwind trip - but we had such a great time! We went down on Saturday morning and had a chance to spend some time at the pool of our hotel before getting ready and going to dinner and on to the musical. It was a good production, great friends and a lot of fun! AND... a highlight was on the way home - I got to pick up my NEW CAR from the most awesome salesman!!

Papa Joe's Birthday!

Joe and Diane came to visit the first weekend in September and we had a very nice time with them! AND... lucky for us we got to celebrate Joe's birthday with him!! Of course the kids were THRILLED to get to share his "Nothing Bundt Cake" with him AND help blow out the candles! It was nice to spend time all together! Even though they came for a family wedding, Joe and Darren were able to get out golfing and Diane and I hit a movie! Both of the kids also enjoyed time with their grandparents!