More Puppy

Dan and Trish Come to Visit

We loved having Dan, Trish, and their kids come visit! Dallin enjoyed getting to see everyone and we all enjoyed the puppy and playing with Ed's new Star Wars drone.





We also spent a day at the new Priesthood Restoration Site. We were able to visit the Smith and Hale homes as well as the river bank close to where Joseph Smith was baptized and the Priesthood was restored. It is a beautiful site and we really enjoyed the day together.

Christmas Morning

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

It was so fun to be together for the usual Christmas Eve traditions. We opened games and puzzles first. The game this year was Sorry - the official game of Kiribati! Dallin says that everyone on the islands plays and he had fun teaching us their rules. We also did a Coke puzzle to add to our wall. Before bed, we made reindeer cookies and opened Christmas jammies. This year we opted for BYU sweats and LOVE them.

Most of all, we enjoyed being together and thinking of our many blessings. We read the story of the birth of Christ and felt the joy of family in our home.

Christmas in Philly

We decided to spend the day in Philly seeing the traditional Christmas sites.  We went to the Comcast Christmas show, the Wanamaker Organ light show, and of course we had to see the progress on the temple. It was pouring rain most of the day, but it didn't dampen our Christmas spirit. It was so nice to spend the day in a city we have come to love!

Camo Puppy

Can you spot the puppy in this blanket? They are exactly the same color and it's his favorite place to nap. Too cute.

Dinner...With Everyone

We finally got to have dinner at the Olsons...with Dallin and Hayley both home!! It's been more than 2 years since our last time all together. We remembered to take a picture as everyone was walking out the door, but at least we remembered!

Decorating the Tree

We Found our Tree

We waited for Taylor to come home so we could all go together to find our tree. It was freezing and we settled on one quickly. Thankfully the kids allowed a few pictures before retreating to the car. Let Christmas begin!!!

Star Wars

We had a blast going to see Star Wars on the first day in theaters. Even our puppy got into the spirit of things. The force is strong with this one.

Nice to Have Him Home

It's so nice to walk by Dallin's room and see his things. I hate perfectly clean, empty rooms. I also love having someone to run errands with me during the day. These few weeks before he heads back to school are really fun for me!

Christmas Sweater

The Bishop needed a really good "ugly sweater" for the ward Christmas Party. He found it. This one takes Star Wars characters and turns them into gingerbread men. Hideous.

He also found Storm Trooper socks to complete the look. Classy.

Puppy Pictures

Tace loves snuggling with everyone, including Hudson. He also loves going anywhere in the car as long as I turn on the seat-heater ;) We love having a puppy in the family again!!

Picking Up Tace

We drove to Maryland to pick up our new puppy. One of the happiest things in life is playing with a puppy! All day I was reminded of something my sister said, "Anyone who says money can't buy happiness... has never bought a puppy!!"
So true.

Introducing Tace!

While we were at the reunion we got the email with the picture of our new puppy! The breeder assigns the puppies about a week before they go home so that she can determine which one will fit best with each family. We said that we didn't care what color or gender our puppy was, but we really wanted a calm, easy-going dog. She did a great job picking a sweet, playful, and friendly puppy. We fell in love instantly with this picture!! We had Dallin give us some suggestions of Kiribati names - Tace means "lightning".