Chinese New Year, Anniversary, New Baby, Valentine's Day, & Lots of School Breaks!

February was a busy month!

On February 2 - 4th South Town exhibition center held STEM Fest.  It focused on science, technology, engineering and math.  Tuesday was family free day.  A friend from school, Jaxon, his mom told me about it and we went together after school  It was so fun to see all they had set up for the kids to see and do.  

Running a robot

Jacob and Jaxon experiencing how different types of wood and how they are cut affect their speed in water

February 4th was our 10th anniversary.  I had Primary board meeting that night, but Jason brought home flowers.

Julie and Me

That night was the last night with my 1st counselor, Julie Carrillo.  She was being released and called to work in Young Women's in her ward.  I was so surprised they didn't release my whole presidency, but they are keeping us on.  I have a great new counselor, but after 4 years it is hard to say good bye.

This picture is taken in front of the copy machine where we spent time each month copying the baptism program.

Margaret Stone, Me, Julie Carrillo.  Don't know why my eye is wacky!

Our presidency at the end of 4 years!
Jacob fixed breakfast for us one morning!

Valentine's Day!  This year it was on Sunday, Friday was a no school day, so we celebrated on Thursday at school.  Had a party in the gym with games, etc.  Jfor me.                                                    

The kids had one day off from school each week all month. 3 were Fridays for teacher comp/work days.  One was a Monday for President's Day.  This picture was on a Friday when we took our friend James with us to go swimming.

Cannon BALL!!!!

Christian Baier

My niece, Elizabeth, had this cute little guy on February 9th.  It is so fun to have a new baby in the family. It is just weird to say to him that I am his Grandma's sister!!  Joy is a grandma!!

With his birth Joy, Matthew, Kristin and Ryan came into town.  It was around President's Day and Chris came into town with Mallory to have her see BYU and go to classes with Amy.  Fun to see them all!!


















Friends I have had for over 20 years--we get together about 4 times a year to celebrate birthdays.  Margaret is in February and I am in March--so we celebrate together.

Margaret Pearson, Haeli Hanseen Steinman, Brenda Reese, Judy Seiders, LeAnn Stamos Clark, Me

 Here we are after breakfast at Kneaders.

I was looking for something in our downstairs closet one day and tried the dress on.  Still fits, barely, after 10 years.

The weekend after V-day our Elders' Quorum sponsored a dance for Elders Quorum and High Priests groups in the Stake.  We went and it was sooo fun!  I have not been to a dance in over 10 years and this time I had a partner!  Jason doesn't care for dances, but went for me.  I loved it!!


At the end of February we went to the Blue and Gold Cub Scout dinner where all of the new scouts were welcomed in.  Jacob helped me decorate the cake.

Cutting it in half

Getting his neckerchief.  He was happier about it than he looks here.  

 Another major event in February was Stake Activity Day.  I have a great board member over it and she goes ALL out.  It took us all day to decorate for this event.  It was based on Alice in Wonderland--when she asks the Cheshire Cat which direction should she go. He asks where does she want to end up. Alive says she doesn't know...to which he says, then it doesn't matter. We tied this in to having the girls think about the choices they make now will affect their lives later. Decisions determine destiny. It was so cute!!!  She showed the video clip from Alice in Wonderland that then went into President Monson's talk from General Conf. where he uses this story as an example. 

Margaret Stone (Queen of Hearts), Amy Jex, Kara Dale (Twiddle Dee and Dumb), Emily Tebbs (Mad Hatter) Me as Alice

Entrance when you came in

Kara Dale and Amy Jex as Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dumb

Entrance into the cultural hall...down the rabbit hole

All of the tables were decorated with
grass grown in small trays, with a candle stick in the middle.  On top of the candle stick were hats that Emily had made.


We had flower vases with a balloon and artificial flowers tipped in red.


This was a back drop the girls saw as they went from one class to another.  It was amazing.  The write up for it is:
http://embellishthedetails.blogspot.com/2016/02/alice-in-wonderland-themed-stake.html?m=1

The first Sunday in March we got together with my family to celebrate Jacob, David and my birthdays.

It was a good day!

January

Ah, the New Year!  Too bad I'm not getting to it until March!

BYU had the Norman Rockwell exhibit in January and February.  My friend Judy, Mom, Dad, Heidi, Malia and I went and had a great time!  At the beginning of the exhibit it says that no pictures are allowed.  When we were done we went to the entrance to take this picture not really seeing the Rockwell picture that would be in the background.  The guard pointed that out to us.  He was very nice about it and didn't take our phones.  :)

Me, Dad, Heidi, Malia, Mom

When Jacob started his second year of preschool in September 2012, A friend in my ward, Julie Wiggins, suggested getting a small group together and doing lunch once a month.  Except for summers we have done this for almost 4 year now.  It is fun to get together and chat about life, celebrate birthdays and support one another.  I thought in January that I needed to take a picture (and will continue to do so each January) to document our time together,

Teresa Hatch, Julie Wiggins, Me, Julie Spilker

One of Jason's cousin's (Tresta Neil) sons got married and we attended the reception.

Jason talking with his cousins (L to R) Ty Garrett, Jason, Therin Garrett

 On Martin Luther King day we wanted something to do and headed with our friend Elias to Airbourne trampolines.  They had a great time!  I was siting reading a book and looked up to see Sister Wixom, the General Primary President.  It was different to see her out of the "element" of church where I am used to seeing her.

I'm sure our month had more to it than this, but this is all I've got!

End of 2015!

At the end of November/beginning of December Jason, his dad and brother worked on Karen's basement.  The bedroom is finished and the bathroom is almost there. 

Jacob went over and helped paint.



















Brook and Jessica were down several weekends in December.   

 Jacob LOVES poppy seed chicken. Here is a night when that is what he wanted and I, as his loving mother, fixed it for him.   

 Draper Elementary 2nd graders made decorations for a local bank's Christmas tree.  In the evening we were invited over to "decorate" the tree and have snacks.  Jacob and his friend, Jaxon, are in the picture--on the left at the back. 

We had our annual friends Christmas Party, more commonly known as Elroy's Annual Christmas party.  

Dianne Hamond, Chris and Paul Sorenson, Clark White opening his gift

Elroy and Becki Vogler.  Shane Richardson

Brenda Rees, Lorainne Vanderly, Lloyd and Sheri Jones, Rob Vanderly  (I missed taking a picture of Margaret Pearson)

Tina Ackerman, Steve Smith, Lori Harward

Each year Jason's work (Chevron) does a children's Christmas party.  This year it was at the Clark Planetarium.

Jacob with Santa

Trying on funny hats!

Trying on crazy hats!















We celebrated Dad's/Grandpa's birthday.  He wanted pies for dessert so I made apple and blackberry.  Yum!  Jacob loves pies too!!

Joy was in town too!  Happy 84th birthday dad!! 

Brighton offered a first time skier's program the 2nd weekend of December.  He had tried a couple of years ago, but this time he got better.  We need to take him up again.  I don't care if he becomes a competition skier, but since we live in snow it would be nice if he could do something in it!   

Skier 2013

Skier 2016

He still needed a little help.

The Monday after skiing, it finally snowed!  Really snowed!  The past 2 winters I haven't even taken out my winter coat.  It has reappeared this year since we have gotten several good snows.  Luckily Jason repaired the snow blower and I have used it!

When the snow came I walked the neighborhood kids down to the local park and we sledded down the small hill.  So fun!

Kaitlyn, Jacob, Minnie,Poppy,  Gabe and Chase

Jacob and Minnie

Each year the Stake Primary board gets together and has dinner.  The first year we met at Zuppa's. the next 2 years we met at Connie Page's, and this year we met at Margaret Stone's.  We don't do gift exchange and we don't make dinner.  We order, someone picks it up and we just eat and enjoy each other's company.  I have been so blessed to work with such wonderful women!

Amy Jex (Music 2014-Present), Connie Page (Activity Day 2012-2015), Julie Carrillo (1st coun. 2012-2016), Kara Dale(Secretary 2015-Present), Emily Tebbs(Secretary 2013-2015, Act. Day 2015-Present), LeeAnn Evans(Nursery 2013-20150, Me(President 2012-Present), Margaret Stone(2nd Coun. 2012-Present).  Missing:  Shannon Hudson (Nursery 2012-2013), Christine Snyder (Music 2012-2014), Melissa Hammond (Secretary 2012-2013)

The third weekend of December Julie Spilker, from my ward, invited me to the Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert.  We went to dinner first at Little America and then went to the concert. It was a fun evening!

  I came home from the concert and went downstairs to get meat out of the freezer for dinner the next day.  So glad I did.  I was in my stocking feet and felt water on the floor.  The freezer had a problem in April of 2014 and it was happening again.

I got Jason out of bed and we unloaded the freezer into a cooler and 2 plastic tubs.  Then we packed snow around it and prayed it would work until we could get a new freezer.  Since it was Saturday night we knew it would be a few days.

We went online and ordered one from Sears. It came on Tuesday and we repacked it.  We only lost a couple of things.  One of the items that thawed was a bag of opened Rhodes rolls.  So I rolled the thawed blobs out and tried making cinnamon rolls.  I think it was too much dough as evidenced by this picture.

They grew up and over the pan!

Christmas Eve we went over to Heidi's for dinner. Here is a creative wrapping job!  Guess what it is Parker!

Dessert!














The kids acted out the nativity.  Jacob rode in on the "donkey" Malia.

Please note the gifts stacked under Heidi's tree.  They have 3x the people we have in our family so there are 3x the gifts. But after seeing their tree our tree looked paltry!  :)

Tools

Christmas morning!  I think this was the first year Jacob woke up by himself before we did.

Jacob thought of a gift for Jason all by himself.  He bought him bike patches for his bike tires.





Uno Attack from Grandma and Grandpa Safsten.  Something he really wanted!

Xbox 360 for Jacob!

When Jason went out of town, the week before Christmas I was able to make these wrench bags for him.  Something he said he really wanted.









To top it off, a cell phone....no not a new one, but Jason's old one and it does not call and does not have a data plan.  But he can talk to Siri (which he loves) and he can FaceTime Jason or me.















After gifts we connected the Xbox and went out to shovel the newly fallen snow.  We then headed to Grandma and Grandpa Wong's.

Hanging out at Grandpa's.

KaShae spent the Christmas here in Utah rather than going home so she was with us.

Jenny became engaged!  She is marrying Jacob--so now we'll have 2 Jacobs in the family.  She gets married June 25th and Stephen and Hannah get married March 12th.

Pictures with the t-shirts sent by our Hawaiian cousins.

Drawing a funny face on Mom's car.

New Year's Eve we told Jacob we would take him out for dinner.  We went to Texas Roadhouse and while crowded it was good.

Afterwards we went to Jason's dad's and visited until about 9 p.m.  It was a good way to ring out the old year.  We have apparently driven Randy to drink too!  First my dad in November at Thanksgiving and now this at New Years!  :)

On to 2016!!