Kent's 40 year Legacy January 2020

Winter Entertainment

The boys needed some winter entertainment 

and they found it in jumping off the chair.

I decided to see if my camera could catch some good photos in motion.

The Loss of a Friend

I was sad to hear that my dear friend and former roommate 

Nikki Gwin lost her battle with cancer. 

She was a fun sweet friend whose presence will be dearly missed!

Happy 40th Birthday Kent

Kent said his birthday was perfect. He finally got rid of all the birthday attention and he was able to enjoy his birthday just the way he wanted to...

nice and quiet and with a few thousand of his favorite fans at the gymnastics meet!

Happy Birthday Becca

I thought my friend deserved a tribute since this was her 40th year birthday celebration!

Funny Marshalisms

This kid says and does the funniest things! 

I'm so glad that they document some of his preschool experiences.

Arizona 40th Birthday Trip

I got these cool shots from the plane window.

It was really fun to fly over these areas!

We enjoyed a hike in Sedona.

It was more of a walkabout, but it was still fun.

When I found heart shaped cactus and mentioned Tia 

Becca told me it needed to be a rock so she found us some heart shaped rocks.

We certainly didn't skimp on delicious food!

More of our fun in the sun in Sedona, Arizona!

Becca gave me a juicy orange on the way to the airport. 

When it left a puddle on the floor I had to take a picture. lol 

We enjoyed delicious food and I had to get a photo when I saw that 

Kent's bosses had a bridge named after them.

Lot's of cool cactus and desert foliage to see!

There was some amazing scenery and beautiful blue skies!

It was hard to leave the warm weather and beautiful sunsets!

Life in January

I thought it was funny that Braxton wrote out his goal to get 

good grades as and equation that equals his reward.

Beauty in January

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.”
― John Steinbeck

“Spring passes and one remembers one's innocence.
Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance.
Autumn passes and one remembers one's reverence.
Winter passes and one remembers one's perseverance.”
― Yoko Ono

“My old grandmother always used to say, Summer friends will melt away like summer snows, but winter friends are friends forever.”
― George R.R. Martin

“Because the birdsong might be pretty,
But it's not for you they sing,
And if you think my winter is too cold,
You don't deserve my spring.”
― Erin Hanson

Countdown to Christmas December 2019

Temple Square with the Youth

We enjoyed taking the youth downtown to look at the lights at Temple Square!

Michaela's Choir & 

Temple Square

The following night our family was able to go back to temple square to see Michaela perform with the Logan Institute Choir on Temple Square. It was a wonderful concert!

Christmas Performance Time

All three boys performed this Christmas. Cort and Braxton both sang with the school choirs 

and Marshal performed with his preschool class during a school performance. 

Cort was also able to perform at a city Christmas celebration at town hall. 

The boys enjoyed taking a ride in Tiny Tim's fun cars.

Christmas Eve

During Christmas this year Marshal read the book The Gingerbread Man at school. He told me he wanted to made a gingerbread man. I had every intention of fulfilling that wish but when I saw these cookies at the store I couldn't resist. The boys had fun decorating cookies for Santa. I used a #10 can to wrap up a new pair of pants that Kent already knew he was getting. I was hoping to throw him off but I'm not certain it worked very well. The last picture is of a present Cort wrapped all by himself. He's starting out young.

Christmas Day Fun & Decor

I really enjoyed how my Christmas decoration turned out this year! Braxton was surprised by a guitar that he received for Christmas and Cort was excited to wear the new wolf pajamas he picked out.

Uncle Phil's Funeral

December 22, the Sunday before Christmas, I was not surprised when I learned that my friend Rebecca Chapman's mother Louise or Grammy passed away. What did surprise me was when I heard that my Uncle Phil was in the hospital and that night passed away. Uncle Phil had to make connections with people every where he went and we used to laugh about it. It wasn't until he was gone that I realized what a truly unique gift it was. He left a wonderful legacy! Another notable loss this month was that of my sister-in-law Shanalea's mom on Christmas day. It's been a difficult Christmas season for many. 

Life in December

More Christmas decorations, gifts and me playing with my camera.

Just a reminder of which team Santa cheers for! I made Christmas tree pancakes for Christmas Eve breakfast. Cort gave me this card to remind me to let go of the stress of Christmas and be more grateful. I had to document on the Christmas cards that it was easier to read my boys hand writing than it was to read Kents! ha ha

Top Left: We went to see the new Star Wars movie and took a picture with the giant Rio Tinto tire. Top Middle: Marshal looked so cute in his vest at church I had to take a picture. Top Right: I was so excited to wear my new Utah Utes shirt. Bottom Left: Cort was very proud of himself that he stayed awake on New Year's Eve to watch the ball drop. Bottom Left Middle: Me showing off one of my new shirts! Bottom Right Middle: Marshal and Kent enjoying a game of Qwirkle. Bottom Right: Cort was feeling rather festive in his red jacket and hat and his green scarf so he asked me to take a picture.

Top Left: After Uncle Phil's funeral we were at the church and had just finished up the dinner. Kent took the boys out to the van and I enjoyed a few more minutes of visiting with my cousins and aunts and uncles. When I came out I told them thank you for being patient while I visited. Marshal promptly stated that "He wasn't patient!" Top Middle Left: Sometimes living with Marshal takes a lot of patience of my own. Those books were a mess! Top Middle Right: Do you see the check mark the jet made? Marshal did! Top Right: After Cort's birthday Marshal was talking non stop about his birthday and making me crazy. I decided to make him a multi-month chain so he could see just how long it would be before his birthday. Middle Left: I love that Marshal called Darth Vader "the bad guy character!" Bottom Left: The new windshield wiper blades did not do a very good job wiping the windshield and I remarked that I couldn't see well. Marshal from the back seat (as if on que) helped out with telling me "Mom, the light is red." Good thing I had his eyes from all the way behind me. lol Bottom Middle: Marshal thought I was a video game character apparently. Bottom Right: Marshal was telling his friend Milo that we decorated the Christmas tree a few years ago...years or days it's all the same right? 

Top Left: Kent was able to go and enjoy hunting with the Robisons. Top Middle: Marshal really enjoyed the cow Aunt Cheryl was giving away at the family white elephant. Top Right: He was pretty funy about that cow. Bottom Left: For some reason I was having a bit of a hard day when I pulled out the lotion Rebecca gave me from her mom's room and when I saw it was called Love and Sunshine it felt like I was receiving love and sunshine from above! Bottom Left Middle: I really enjoyed this rather large bird (most likely a hawk) that was pirched on Scott's basketball hoop. Bottom Right Middle: We decided Marshal needed to attend a wrestling match after all the wrestling he's been doing lately. It was interesting to watch after all these years. Bottom Right: Rebekah Blackburns son-in-law Zach was quite well decorated by his wife at the ward party. 

Beautiful Winter

I'm amazed at all the beautiful scenery I have been able to find this Christmas season!

Enjoy!

"How many lessons of faith and beauty we should lose, if there were no winter in our year!"

-Thomas Wentworth Higginson

"Kindness is like snow-It beautifies everything it covers." 

-Kahlil Gibran

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: 

if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."

-Anne Bradstreet

"To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the cold." 

-Aristotle