Ty's 11th Birthday!!

I cannot believe Ty is eleven! In the midst of the holiday season, we had a big party for Ty with all his buddies. They played Wii, pictionary and watched Mall Cop. He was so excited!

ChRiStMaS DaY

We always spend Christmas day with Grandma and Grandpa Wilson. Grandma Ann came over this year and it was good to visit with her too! We ate with the whole family and the kids were able to play with all their cousins. Dalton got a magician set, Ty got a hunting vest and Kate got a new baby and stroller. They also gave us some games for our family! Later in the day, both sets of grandparents came out to see what Santa brought the kids. They love showing it all off. We played our new game (Scategories - Ty's favorite) with Grandma and Grandpa Oborn.

P.S. you can enlarge those pics by clicking on them

cHrIsTmAS MoRniNg
Ty was the first child awake this year and did his best to control himself until everyone else got ready to open gifts. We had our first Christmas downstairs this year, so Dalton left a note to let Santa know. He also started a new tradition that he had heard about at school where the children leave their shoes under the tree and Santa fills them with candy!
The kids were so happy with their gifts! Kate received that Barbie Jeep she has asked for for several years, Dalton got a guitar and a DS game and Ty got a MP3 player and clothes. It was a fun morning.

TwAs tHe NiGhT bEfOrE cHriStMaS........

I love Christmas Eve because I think the anticipation is so much fun....especially when you have little kids! We went to Grandma and Grandpa Oborn's for our traditional Christmas Eve filled with food, gifts, the nativity and fun. Dalton got a bit carried away with his part in the nativity and made the wise man more of a wise....! Anyway, I think he was a bit excited to get to the gifts! Kate received her "pillow pet" she had been wishing for for months and was just elated! Ty had a great night playing with his cousins. I think the best part of the night was when Ty and Dalton came home and went FAST asleep! I was amazed and Greg was thankful for that!

We received a large package from Grandma Colleen before Christmas and it was such a hit with Dalton and Kate. I'm not actually speaking of the gifts (they were great), but the box was hours of fun and entertainment!! They buried each other in the box and then popped out to scare me.

It was a mess to clean up but it was worth the entertainment time!

Kate's Preschool did a short Christmas performance for the parents and Grandparents. She was so excited to perform her songs but when she saw the crowd that all changed! Her and her best friend, Payton, sat silent through all the songs! At one point, Payton stood up and gave everyone a dirty look. It was so funny! They both warmed up for milk and cookies at the end and Kate was thrilled to receive a gift from Payton and her teacher!

NEBRASKA

Ty, Greg and Grandpa Scott just returned from a great pheasant hunting trip to Nebraska. This was Ty's first time ever and Greg's first time in 11 years! They had a blast and Ty experienced his first pheasant hunt. Tracy and Tayson were already there, so they were able to hunt with them too! Ty rode on a combine with a local farmer and saw first hand the animals that call the fields their home. Ending the trip with an extra night broken down in nowhere Nebraska, they had a very memorable trip!!

Thankful for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving this year was held at Grandma and Grandpa Wilson's house. We had a fabulous dinner and then decorated gingerbread houses with the cousins. I think Aunt Holly enjoyed the decorating the most! The kids always love Thanksgiving food and Grandma did not disappoint!

We went to visit Grandma and Grandpa Oborn later that night and played with our cousins. It was a great day! As Kate fell asleep that night, she said that she wished our Grandma and Grandpa's would always feed us! I guess she doesn't care for my cooking!

a SpOOky NiGhT!!

Halloween has become one of our families favorite traditions. We have such a great neighborhood for trick or treating and an awesome haunted house across the street. First we go visit our Grandparents then back to our house where Ty and Dalton's friends hang out, eat and trick or treat. Kate was really excited to go this year and she even braved the haunted house twice!! We were able to see all our cousins at our Grandparents house and even had a pinata at Grandma Oborn's. It was a great night!

YANKEES

Ty has been a Yankees fan for a few years so when it was time to re-do his room, we went YANKEES all the way! I had promised him a new room since Dalton moved downstairs so it's been fun to decorate just the way he wants. I'll post more when his room in completed, but now that the walls are complete it's really cool!

Hunting Season

Since Ty now has his hunting license, he is enjoying his first season of bird hunting. Grandpa Scott buys each grandson their first shot gun once they complete hunters safety . The first bird he shot was a goose. You can tell by the smile on his face that he had a great time! Greg said he is a pretty good shot! On Saturday, he was invited to go out with our friend Cody and he shot his first pheasant.

Football, Football, Football!!

Dalton's football season has come to an end. Even though he was practicing four nights a week, he still didn't want it to end. Dalton played right guard, quarterback, corner and special teams. I think he is by far the smallest on the team but he has a big heart and never quits! He has a great coach, Dave Hobbs. Dalton was able to play with his cousin Preston and his best friend, Jake.

The End of Baseball.....for a minute!

Ty played Fall Baseball this year instead of Football. He had a great time and was able to play a few different positions. I think in the end he missed Football, but he always has fun with Shock Baseball!!! Now it's on to basketball!

WoRk aNd FuN

In September, I had the opportunity to attend a marketing conference in Bend, Oregon. Dr. Coleman sent Shay and I to represent the office.

The first day we arrived, we were starving and the store and restaurant were closed. Anyone who knows me, knows what I'm like when I'm hungry!! The pic is of me wanting to break into the store. Other than that, we had a great time and got a lot of new marketing ideas for the office. While we were there, they took us river rafting. It was so beautiful and a lot of fun!!

First Day of Preschool!

Kate started preschool this week with Miss Amy - a fabulous teacher in Pleasant View. She is in the same class as her friend Payton. She was very excited to go and talked about it for weeks but when we arrived she changed her mind. I had to leave her crying in the teacher's arms but Kelly (Payton's Mom) assured me it only lasted a moment! She has so much to tell us about when she comes home including the rule that Miss Amy does not allow nose picking in her class! She especially enjoyed her "birthday" day when she was able to be the leader for the day! I will have to post a pic of her and her teacher at a later time because she has just not wanted to stand that close to Miss Amy yet! Below is her first day pic with her new backpack - Wow she's a poser!

The "PRINCESS" is FOUR!!!

I cannot believe it was four years ago that we added a little girl to our family! Kate had her fourth birthday on Sunday. We had already celebrated with the Oborn's and Grandma and Grandpa Wilson were out of town, so we had a small family celebration on Sunday morning. Dalton's friend Jake was here too, and that worked out well because that is Kate's "monkey". (we don' know where that came from but that's what she calls Jake)

The boys decorated the front room the night before with balloons and a sign so when she woke up they made a big deal and opened presents in the special room! She loved it!!

Ashlyn, Holly and Preston came over and brought her some sidewalk paint and chalk. They had a great time decorating the driveway for her birthday! She requested a "Maggie and the Ferocious Beast" cake and once it was finished she spent the day waiting to eat it! Later, we had Ty's coaches family over (he was helping Greg with the basement) so we had cake and she played with their little girls. I think she had a great day!

Oborn Family Retreat

The weekend before school started, we headed up to Bear Lake with Grandma and Grandpa Oborn and all our Oborn cousins. We stayed overnight, swam at the hotel and spent the day at the beach. Ty and Dalton loved riding the waverunner! Ty isn't bothered by the cold water and swam all day long! Dalton stayed out of the water most of the time, but played in the sand, played baseball and made ice cream with Grandma. Kate flew kites almost the whole time! She just ran back and forth along the beach and tired herself right out! Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa who make sure we go each year! It's hard to get everyone together, but it's worth it!

bAcK tO ScHoOl....

It seems like it came really fast this year, but we have officially started another school year. I cannot believe the boys are in 5th and 4th grades!! I wouldn't say they were excited to go back, but once they met their teachers they were excited!

Ty is in the 5th grade and is in a split class taught by Mrs. Hislop and Mrs. Simonson. He really likes both of them and is doing really well!

Dalton is in the 4th grade and has Mrs. Johnson. He really likes her AND her husband who substituted the other day!

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SuMmErTiMe!!!

Wow, I cannot believe summer is over! The kids start back to school on Monday and I don't know where the summer went. Since I haven't been good at posting this summer, I thought I would tell a little about some of our summer fun. Greg and I have worked a lot this summer, so thanks to Grandparents and friends the kids have done a few things that they wouldn't have been able to.

Grandma and Grandpa Wilson took each child overnight to Lava Hot Springs this summer. They had a great time riding four wheelers and fishing. It's so fun having special time on their own. Greg and Grandpa Scott also took the boys fishing a few times and caught lots of fish!

Grandma and Grandpa Oborn took Kate to Lagoon and joined up with Allie and Ryan. Kate had so much fun riding with her cousins!! She kept telling me that she is Dylan's "buddy" so they had to ride together! Grandma and Grandpa Oborn and Allie also took all the cousins down to the Gateway for the annual "running through the water". We wondered if the boys would be to old for it now, but I guess the older kids had the most fun!!

Ty and Dalton went overnight with Grandpa Mont and Grandma Debbie in their new RV. They camped up to Willard and even went on the wave runner. They think the RV is awesome!

Dalton was invited on a vacation with the Douglas' this summer (his other family). They went to St. George for five days and stayed at Entrada where High School Musical was filmed! Dalton had a great time and was totally impressed with the "high class" place they stayed! They didn't ever want to come home!

We did go swimming a few times, Bear Lake, Park City, night games, doorbell ditching?! (without permission), and lots of sleep overs! To say the least, the boys do not want summer to end! The past two weeks I have tried to fit in a few more things that the kids wanted to do, so below is the run down on those activities.

Ty said he would like to see how they make taffy, so I took the kids to the Sweet Candy Factory for a tour. They really liked it! They give out samples and see how all different types of candies are made. During the tour, the guide asked what our favorite candy is. Dalton loudly announced "Hershey's Chocolate"! Yikes! That is his favorite, but the guide laughed and asked for his favorite "Sweets" brand candy. Unfortunately, they were not making taffy that day but the kids had a great time and left with lots of candy.

The same day, we traveled to the Kennecot Copper Mine. I have told the boys about the man made hole you can see from space and they thought it was worth the trip. Also, their Grandpa Mont worked there when I was born so that is cool too! The most amazing part of the Mine was the large equipment that is used. They had a tire on display from one of the hundreds of dump trucks they operate. They boys were amazed at the size of the tire and the dump trucks that were as big as a house!

We went to the Hogle Zoo last week with Grandma Debbie and Grandpa Mont. Kate had not been there in two years, so it was all new to her! She said she liked the monkeys the best! They have a great bird show that is always fun for the kids.


Last, we spent the day at Sparetime Fun Center in Syracuse on Thursday. We had so much fun! (Thanks to Monty Vorwaller) We played laser tag, mini-golf, arcade games and bowling! Kate wanted to "shoot guns" so I put the laser tag pack on and Kate ran in front of me with the gun. She loved it and wanted to do it again and again! She had to Mom a rest in between games because I could barely keep up with her! I hope the kids had a fun summer and came away with some great memories!

FATHERS
I know I missed it in my blogging, but I want the fathers in our lives to know they are not forgotten. As for "our" Dad, the kids fixed him a great breakfast and bed and were delighted to serve him. Kate drew a picture to go with breakfast and they were happy to see him enjoy it. We bought Greg a new grill, so I'm sure he'll be cooking us some good dinners! Greg works so hard for our family and is such a caring father.

As for our Grandpa's, we are so lucky to have them all in our lives. The boys love to hang out with them either on a trip, fishing, golfing, watching motorcycle races, sports, TV and going on field trips together. Kate loves Grandpas for hugs, thrown up in the air and just hanging out. Thanks for all the support our Grandpas give us!

For Greg and I, we both have great fathers who support us in so many ways. They are always there for us with advice and help anytime we need.

Thanks DADS!

SaLuTe tO tHe FaNs!

I cannot forget the fans who come to all the games that the boys play, number one being KATE! She is such a trooper as she watches at least 5 hours each Saturday. She has so many friends on Ty's team and they play so good together. At Dalton's games, she makes friends with the person who has the best treats! It's pretty funny to watch her.

We also need to thank all of our grandparents who come to the games. The kids love seeing them there! THANKS!

TEAM SHOCK!!!

Ty's team had a great baseball season and just qualified for the Tournament of Champions. They have great coaches and the kids just really have fun together! Shock is almost all North Ogden kids except for Ty and Tyler who is from Farr West. Ty's coach does a great website with the players pics, stats and schedules. Ty has played catcher and outfield this year. He has really improved and has hit really well too!

Way to go Dodgers!

Dalton played on a new comp team this year named the North Ogden Dodgers. They were a first year team and had a lot of catching up to do, but showed so much improvement by the end of the year. The team was made up mostly on North Ogden kids, but had 3 Plain City kids. He played outfield, second, and even got to pitch in a game! He had a great time!

4th of July at Bear Lake

For the first time in a LONG time we missed the Plain City 4th of July celebration and celebrated for the weekend in Bear Lake with the (Cody)Rhees family. The weather was awesome (I got my wish for below 100 degrees on the 4th) and the kids had a great time. Dalton and Greg golfed and met us later that day at the beach. Ty loves to swim in Bear Lake and Kate plays in the sand and spent an hour just jumping the little waves that came to shore. Ty and Dalton rode the 4-wheeler a lot and Kate played with Courtney and Blakely. At night, we sat out on the deck and watched all the fireworks. It was gorgeous!

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