So Much to Be Thankful For

Karlee dressed up for the 1st Grade Thanksgiving Program.  There are a whole lot of 1st Graders and they did such a cute job with all of their poems and songs.

The house after the big snow and windstorm that kept us from going to New Mexico for Thanksgiving

It's amazing how something so cold and miserable can look so beautiful!

Layne with Lexie and Great Grandpa Kinghorn (94) - He's still smiling!

The Boys Table (and Kristen).  Jake thought he was so cool to sit at the table with all the big boys this year.

The crazy Girls Table!  I think they did more talking than eating.

I have so much to be thankful for.  From family and friends to good health and so much happiness, I am truly blessed.  This year for Thanksgiving we were supposed to drive to New Mexico to see Layne's brother's family, but with the arrival of the first snow and wind, the roads were a wreck.  We decided at the last minute it would not be in our best interest to drive there.  We were so sad, but thought that going 30 mph all the way through Utah might not be too much fun.  Luckily, we are so blessed to have such wonderful family from both sides that invited us to crash their Thanksgiving parties.  We went to Brian and Debi's which is always a treat.  Mike and Emily, Matt and Liz, Kyle and Malia, and Brian Debi were all there with their families.  Layne's mom and dad went to Kansas for a week or so and managed to leave before the storm hit and came home after it had passed and was clearing up.  We had such a nice time with Layne's family.  I love them dearly and always feel at home with them.  It was also nice to have Layne's grandpa there.  We don't know how much longer he'll be with us.  Because we stayed here, we also got to go up and get Christmas trees by the cabin.  There was so much snow that the guys had to snowmobile back to get the trees and then couldn't walk much more than 100 feet or so in the snow.  It was crazy.  The kids and I, along with Liz and Emily and their kids, had a good time back at the cabin, though.  It's a tradition we never tire of.  Anyway, it was once again a great Thanksgiving weekend.  Thanks to all who made it possible.

Kayci Turns 5!

Our little princess couldn't wait for her birthday to come!

Kayci has the most beautiful smile.

The cousins came for cake and ice cream on Kayci's birthday.

She requested a Tinkerbell cake!

Kayci had her first "friend" party.  It was a Tinkerbell party.

It's hard to believe that five years ago, our little Kayci Jo was born.  In fact, I missed my mom's 50th birthday party because I was in the hospital.  She has been such a little princess ever since then.  Oh, don't get me wrong, Kayci came to us as fiesty as they come, but we sure do love her!  She had a great birthday.  She has been planning her first "friend" party for months and couldn't wait to have her little friends over to celebrate.  It just so happens that two of her other little friends have their birthdays the same week as Kayci.  So she got to go to three parties in one week - a Fancy Nancy party, a Princess party, and her own Tinkerbell party.  It was quite a week.  My family all came over for cake and ice cream on her birthday so that made it even more special.  I sure love them for being so supportive!  We can't wait for another year of fun with our Kayci.  Love you Kayci!

Halloween, Halloween, and more Halloween

FHE at Brittany and Matt's

Carving pumpkins at Holly and Jared's

My cute little monsters!

Doesn't that face say it all!

I had a lot of fun making poodle skirts this year, and the girls looked adorable!

It was Kayci's turn to be the cowgirl.

Abby all ready to head out dancin'!

Our obviously happy little cowboy.

What a crew!  Lexie wore her skeleton shirt so she could be dressed up, too.

Andy and Karlee are truly best friends.

A beautiful evening at the straw maze.

Lexie, in the stroller, AGAIN.  We really do take her out, but she really has gone just about everywhere in it.

It used to be when I was growing up that Halloween was one day.  Not anymore.  We spent the entire month getting dressed up and going to parties.  It started off with Abby's Daddy Daughter Party and from there we had a family FHE at Brittany and Matt's.  They made a fun little haunted house in their garage.  The kids loved it!  We then had a ward party and school parties.  We even went to Holly's to carve pumpkins.  Finally we went to the straw maze in Rexburg with Holly and Jared's family.  It was so fun making our way through that maze despite the fact that I had been sick with the stomach flu for a couple of days.  It really was a fun month!

Camping Trip to Salmon

Jake excited to catch his first fish!

Jake took a nose dive into the river which was a little scary but worth a pretty good laugh once we knew he was okay.

Abby and Karlee enjoying a little bit of sunshine.

Lexie, happy as always!

Kayci loved casting and reeling in her own fish.

The kids found some cool rocks to climb on.

Jared, Andy, and the twins with Grandma and Grandpa and our family at the end of the pack saddle bridge.

Another cool climbing picture.

The beginning of October, we had the opportunity to go out to Salmon with Holly and Jared and my mom and Don to go camping and Steelhead fishing. Jared's family has gone every year for years and we felt very fortunate to get to go with them. The kids had a ton of fun fishing, riding their bikes, and camping. The guys weren't able to catch any Steelhead but they got a few bites and had a lot of fun trying. Thanks for a great weekend!

Daddy Daughter Halloween Party



Abby and Layne all dressed up for the party!

Abby and the other girls from our ward in their cute costumes

Abby looks forward all year to her date with Layne for her Daddy Daughter activity day costume party.  This year she wanted a poodle skirt so Layne dressed to match.  He is such a good sport!  They had a great time carving pumpkins and playing games.  The dad's even painted their daughters fingernails.  I know Abby will always cherish experiences like this, and I'm so thankful she has a dad who is always there for her.

Go Cougars!

Layne, Lexie, and me sitting in enemy territory at the Utah State vs. BYU game

Lexie was an angel for the whole game

It's no secret that we love to watch BYU football.  This year we actually decided to go to a game.  Unfortunately, BYU had a rough beginning of the season and it wasn't a terribly great game to watch.  But it was fun to get away with Layne for a few hours.  We met up with Mike and Emily at the game in Logan, which was also fun.  Lexie was awesome until about the last five minutes of the game and then I just stood and bounced until the game ended.  Hopefully we can make another game next year and see BYU when they're at their best instead of worst!

Running, Running, and More Running

Once again, Layne spent a great deal of time running this summer in order to be ready for his second marathon.  He claimed he'd never run another one after the Mesa Falls last year, but all it took was the opportunity to run with his brother and he changed his mind.  He and Matt ran The Gap in Pocatello and did really well.  Layne finished right at 2 hours 30 min. which beat his time from last year.  The kids and I were able to go down and watch them finish the race.  Afterward we headed down for a fun Labor Day weekend with the Bedkes.  It was a gorgeous morning and, as always, so inspiring to watch those men and women giving it their all to finish the race.  Thanks for inspiring us, Layne and Matt!

Finishing with a smile!

Layne and big brother Matt

The kids love their dad so much...

But not as much as I do!

Layne's parents came down to see their boys run. 

Matt and wife Liz with their kids Cole and Sam

Lexie hanging out in the stroller, just enjoying the sunshine!

Once the marathon was over, Layne started thinking about the Temple to Temple relay that's put on by the students on campus at BYUI.  This year they started running from the Rexburg Temple and finished at the Idaho Falls Temple.  We were able to meet up with them in Idaho Falls and watch them finish together.  Their team won for their age division.  Way to go guys!

Derek, Justin, D.J. and Layne at the end of the race

Layne has the best group of cheerleaders around!

Pretty cool picture in Rexburg before the race

and in Idaho Falls after the race

They split up the course between the four guys but all joined up together at the end to finish it off.  They've talked the wives into participating next year.  I guess we'll see how that goes!