Traditions

I love Christmas traditions. I do not like change, so I guess it would make sense that I like traditions. Every year we put the tree up on FHE, and the kids decorate it. And every year our tree looks the same. The same ribbons, the same bows, the same ornaments, the same star. I think the kids actually depend on that. I love our tree. Every ornament has a story. Every year, we add about 10 new ornaments that the kids make various places, so our tree is jam packed. However, this year, because of Levi, our tree is only decorated on the top half :) I love everything about Christmas. The music, the baking, the hot chocolate, the serving and giving gifts, and of course the Savior. I hope everyone enjoys their Holidays, they go too fast.

Taylor turned 12

Taylor had her 12th birthday. Finally. She has been waiting for this birthday for a long time. She has been dying to go into Young Womens. I never thought that I would be in YW's long enough to see her turn 12. I was put in YW's when she was 7 1/2, and here we are.

Taylor is beautiful inside and out. She is so responsible, obedient, and helpful. She never procrastinates homework or a project. She already has 4 Value Experiences done in Personal Progress, and Sunday was her first day in YW's.

Taylor loves to talk your ear off. If you want the play-by-play, just ask her and she will be happy to oblige :) She is so gentle and loving to her younger siblings, too. Ever since she was a baby, she was content to just play on her own. She has always been very independent, and loves just to sit in the peace and quiet and read a book or watch TV.

She has been playing the piano since she was 5, and she is REALLY good! She has many talents, and is SUPER smart. She is very observant, too. She notices everything. We are so blessed to have her in our family. We love you Tate. Happy Birthday!

Gearing up...

for another busy week. I cherish the time I have when the kids are at school, because when they get home, things get crazy!

• Monday-Batting lesson at the cages
• Tuesday-2 piano lessons, baseball practice, and Taylor's 12th Bday
• Wednesday-Scouts, baseball practice, and Young Womens
• Thursday-Activity Days, Pitching Lesson at the cages
• Friday-Celebrate Tate's Birthday!
• Saturday-Baseball practice, yet again. Oh, and I think we are hosting a UFC fight??

This week is going to fly by. Then Thanksgiving next week. Where is the time going? It does make me happy that Satelite Radio has started their Christmas stations, though.

In other news...had another baseball tournament over the Holiday weekend. We didn't do so well. However, the team that we beat 15-0 ended up winning the whole tournament. Funny how it happens that way.



Lincoln, warming up his arm with a Circle Change-up.

Happy to be doing what he loves. That smile makes all the hard work and long hours worth it.

And...just because he's so CUTE!!!

It probably seems like I post a lot about Lincoln, but it's baseball season, and that's what we've got goin' on. The girls love going to his tournaments, and have made lots of new friends with siblings on the team. It's a fun family thing for us, lately. Even though, Jim thinks we look like total dorks at the games because all 8 of us show up wearing "Stealth" t-shirts and we all match. I think it's fun! Can't wait for the Cranberry Classic next weekend.

Tomorrow, Taylor is turning 12. I can't believe it. A birthday post is coming soon :)

34

That's how old I am now. It's weird getting older. Like, I keep aging, but I still feel like I'm in my 20's. I really think I'm gonna have a hard time when I hit 40. I don't think it will seem real. Anyway, my birthday was AWESOME!!! Thanks to my amazing husband. I have to give a little disclaimer, because I am a bit embarrassed by what he got me for my birthday.

2 years ago he bought me a Canon Rebel, and I was thrilled. I took a couple of Photography classes at UNLV, and read a few books. I even read my manual at least twice. So, I'm not completely retarded, and I can shoot fully manual. However, my amateur skills are soooooo not worthy of the camera equipment he bought me this year for my birthday.

First came this...

I wanted a nice telephoto to shoot Lincoln's baseball games. My kit lens just was not doing it for me. So, I am soooooo excited to have this lens. EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM for those who care.

Then he showed me the receipt for this...which will be here on Wednesday.

I know. I'm totally not worthy, but my husband always tends to go BIG. So excited to learn about this camera. It does HD Video, too, which means we can sell our HD Video camera. That makes me feel better. We can off-set the cost a little. I secretly always wanted this camera, too, but I never even said anything to him, because I thought there was no way. He knows me too well.

It gets better, people. Jim called our cleaning lady that we had to let go a couple years ago, and she is coming back twice a month! If you know me, then you know that I don 't buy things for myself, and I don't expect a whole lot. This birthday is huge for me. I don't care if I get another birthday present or Christmas present EVER.

Photo Shoot

It has been a busy week. I can't believe it's Thursday already. A couple of days ago, my kids had a photo shoot with my sister-in-law's sister Rachel. Does that make her my SIL? I think so. Anyway, she needed to fill up her portfolio with some more kiddos, and since I have a whole bunch of them, we decided she could kill 6 birds with one stone. If you want to see a few, you can click here http://rachelreneephoto.blogspot.com/. I like her photos, because they are very natural, and photoshopped very little. She has been taking pictures since the film days, so she knows what she is doing. And, I can check my Christmas cards off the list...one less thing.

Fall Extravaganza

We are back from Lincoln's Fall Extravaganza tournament in St. George. It was so crazy, intense, and exciting that I took ZERO pictures. I could barely eat or drink because of my nerves for Lincoln, let alone take pictures, too. There is a possibility that Jim may have snagged a few on his phone. We came in 2nd out of 7 teams. Not to mention, we beat Utah's #1 undefeated 8u team, the Marshalls. That game almost gave me a heart attack. They brought Lincoln in to close it down, and the boys on the other team were crying, because they had never lost before :( Anyway, I am going to have Jim post about the tournament, for journaling purposes, because he remembers the details. Or, maybe I should have Lincoln do it, because he always remembers every detail of every game. Anyway, we had a blast! The girls are officially hooked on baseball, and Lincoln's biggest fans. We have 3 more tournaments in the next 5 weeks...craziness.