This and That

Holy smokes! It's been forever since I found the time (made the excuse that computer time was more important than any thing else) to update!

Here are a few things we've been up to lately.

Last Wednesday was free Zoo day. We bundled our selves up, packed a lunch and some hot cocoa and headed out for another free zoo day. There were SO many baby animals. Baby Suri (the elephant) was the cutest but there were also baby tiger cubs, a baby monkey, a baby merekat, baby black footed cat, baby giraffe, and a baby crocodile just to name a few. We had a fun time and I have to say, I really prefer going in the cooler weather. The animals are more active than they are in the heat, and you can't beat FREE.

Maddie, Erin and Hailey at Discovery Park.



Maggie



Logan making a turtle face.



Madison making a monkey face.



Baby Suri and mama Christie.




Hailey and Logan.



Maddie chasing the black footed cat back and forth.



Thursday was Thanksgiving
We had a great Thanksgiving. We ate yummy food and had our annual un-talent show with the Heaton side. I actually remembered to bring the camera from home, but didn't actually remember to pull it out of my purse, so alas, there are no pictures. Then we went to the Hanson side for more pie and the fishing pond for the Grand kids. The older three slept at Grandmas so Adam and I could hit Target at 4:00 in the morning for some Black Friday shopping.
The lines were, of course, insane and the thing we went for was out by the time we got inside the store. We did get a few things though. Then we split up. Adam scored big (on gifts for himself) at Lowes and Home Depot and I hit a few more stores and was back at my parents by 8:00 am to pick up the kids.
The kids and I spent the rest of the day putting up our Christmas decorations.

Our tree.






Saturday Adam and I put up all the Christmas lights outside, and went to the BYU/Utah game that afternoon. Luckily the Cougs won or it would not have been a pleasant ride home. A Ute fan tried to trip me while I was walking under the stadium though. What is it about sports that turns adults into children? Anyway it was a fun time.

Sunday we had the Heaton family FHE night at our house. We had dinner and a lesson on the true meaning of Christmas, and the grand kids all opened their gifts from Grandma and Grandpa. They all got beautiful new church clothes.

Monday we went to a live Nativity in Draper with two neighbor families. It was so great. There were live animals and a live "cast" and baby Jesus. The spirit inside the nativity was wonderful and it made the 2 hour wait in the cold totally worth it.
Afterward we went to McDonald's for hot chocolate.

Hailey and Maggie in line at the Live Nativity.



Logan.



Me, Maddie and Adam.



The Camels.



Tuesday was the only day we didn't have stuff going on, but we did get the young women caroling at our house. (they did great )

Wednesday I spent all morning making decorations for the ward Christmas party (see lower) and that evening we went to the festival of trees.
The kids love to watch the dancing and we saw several people we knew there. We walked around and looked at the gingerbread houses and incredible trees. The kids kept asking me to read the stories of the trees that were dedicated to people who had passed away. SO many of them were children and I could hardly get through reading them without sobbing. The kids would look at me funny as if to say "what? are you crying AGAIN!?" Sheesh. They should know by now that their mother is a ball baby and the quizzical looks aren't necessary.
I lost my purse, but some honest stranger turned it in for me. They called my name over the PA system. I thought I'd won something. ha ha

Thursday I got my hair done. I died it DARK brown. I wasn't sure I liked it at first, but it's growing on me and I really love it now.

(Trying to take pictures of myself never works out very well.)




Friday, my sister Shannon and I headed up to Park City for a snowboarding lesson. We left at 11:00. The lesson didn't start until 1:00, but with stopping to grab lunch and getting all of our equipment rented (boarding boots aren't any easier to get on than ski books BTW, but they are easier to walk in) we were still a few min late.
It was a semi private class (only four of us total) and it was really fun. We had a great teacher and we did pretty well. I bruised the heel of my hand pretty badly from falling on it so much. Our legs were SO tired when we were done, but surprisingly it's been my arms and back muscles that have been sore all weekend.
We went up to Main Street for dinner and hot chocolate at the Red Banjo Pizzeria and for an Apple Pie Carmel Apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (for those of you who haven't tried one yet, I'd HIGHLY recommend it). It was an awesome day. I think it had been five years since I'd gone off all day on my own like that. Too bad my hobby (skiing) is so expensive.

Saturday I was up bright and early to help set up for the ward Christmas party. We did a Polar express theme. We were setting up until 1:30 and then back at the church at 5:00 to get the food ready.
It turned out so well though. We had people enter the back doors into the lobby with fog machines and train sound effects. We had a little ticket booth and each person got a ticket and "boarded the train" (went into classroom with chairs set up to look like a train). Each room had a Conductor who punched their tickets and read them the story "Polar Express". Adam was one of the conductors. Then everyone went into the cultural hall for dinner and afterward we had cookies and hot chocolate and the kids went to the "North Pole" (the nursery room decorated like the North Pole) to see Santa, and get a sleigh bell.
It was so fun and standing in the lobby when people were arriving. With the polar express sound track playing in the back ground it was so magical. The kids were so excited. One little girl got her ticket and ran back to her mother yelling "I got a ticket the the North Pole!" with her little eyes dancing.

Conductor Adam punching tickets.



The ticket booth



Entrance to the North Pole.



The North Pole room.



Maggie and Santa.



Madison crying at Santa.



Logan and Santa.



Whew! It's been a crazy busy week and a half and I'm looking forward to doing a lot of nothing this week. I just want to sit on the couch with my kids and read them stories and watch Christmas movies.