art class

I started inviting kids over to the house this summer to do art projects.  With Max and Maya starting kindergarten the class ended up being about 8 kids from their class who come over every week.  We talk about the masters and then do our own projects.  It takes a lot of energy and leaves a big mess but I love having a creative outlet.  

sister bradfield

Just before New Years we were lucky enough to get to spend a couple days with our dear friend from New Zealand Emma before she entered the MTC for her mission in Singapore.  We walked around temple square, played in the snow up near Brighton and stayed up late talking.  

christmas

As I have mentioned before one of the best things about moving back to Utah has ben being close to good friends and family.  Christmas gave us to see many loved ones. We had an open house brunch, the week before Christmas, where we saw wonderful friends and didn't take many great photos, but we did get a few.  

We were able to participate in the Mercer Family Christmas Eve festivities, which we had all missed while living in New Zealand.

The Mercer tradition is that everyone must submit a talent.  Believing that they kids would get stage fright if we tried to get them to do anything in front of an audience we decided to film  our performamce ahead of time.  Here it is.....

Christmas morning carnage....

We also caught a virus that caused Max's eye to swell up and discharge yellow goop.  :)

snow

There were several big snow storms in early December, which required hours of shoveling.  Max and Maya have learned how to sled.  Max could stay outside for hours in the cold.

almost

After slacking all year long, I'm almost up to date.  :)  I'm not too worried if anyone reads our blog, but it is a good place to write down our memories.

thanksgiving in california

We took off on Friday night and stopped in St George.  While it was quite cold the kids still decided it was time for a jump in the hotub.  

Arriving in San Pedro we went straight to my friends Allison and Greg home for dinner.  It was a perfect welcome back home.  I don't keep in contact with a lot of high school friends but it was great to know that some people make me feel like twenty years isn't a very long time.

We stated at Aimee's lovely home and had street tacos at Andrew's house.

We spent a day at the LA zoo, with Dani and Wally, where I hadn't been since I was a teenager.  The kids especially loved the komodo dragon and the koala bears.

 San Pedro parks, what a beautiful place to grow up....

 We took the kids to the La Brea Tar Pits.  I don't think the museum has been updated since I was a kid, but the kids didn't seem to mind.  Their favorite part was trying to pull these polls out of the tar.

While Lonnie waited at home with Trent to pick up Dani at the airport Andrew and Tom took Max, Maya, Stella and Sam to the Petersen Auto Museum while Aimee, Laura and I went to the LA County Art Museum, which was a wonderful treat.  We took the kids back later after the Tarpits just to take photos in this awesome installation.  Maya also wanted to see a Degas pastel drawing of ballet dancers and after seeing the painting made me promise I would buy her oil pastels.  

 Trent practiced his dance moves on the Tar Pit grounds.

 We drove out to Bakerfield on Tuesday, spent a lovely evening with Bob, Leslie, Gina and her family.  Gina's son Grant agreed to come with us the next day on a long drive out to Sequoia National Park.

 We got to hug trees, which was the main mission for the trip.

 We had Allred Thanksgiving.  I can't remember the last time I had been with my grandma, aunts, uncles and cousins for Thanksgiving.  It was great to be with all our family.

 Piles of cousins watching the kids put on a show in Bob and Leslie's bathroom.

 The performers....I loved having my kids get to know my side of the family.

 We left Bakersfield on Friday afternoon, stopping at Manzanar for a sober glimpse at what fear and prejudice can do.  We then spent the night in Bishop before heading to Mammoth Lakes.   The weather was perfect.  These small lakes were frozen over and people where sliding all over the lakes. The kids had a great time.

 We managed to get s squinting family photo.

 Two of my handsome boys.

 Another attempt at a family photo.

 Lonnie rarely lets out his inter geology geek, but thankfully he let us in on the secret of the Obsidian Dome near Mammoth.

 I'm proud to say we all collected rocks.

 Not far away we stopped at Mono Lake and saw the Tufas.  There is no one better to travel with than a geologist.

We then drove through the night to get home at 2am.  It was a wonderful trip.  Have I mentioned how cool it is to travel with my geologist hubby?

antelope island with leah

Our friend Leah, from New Zealand, came to visit and we took a drive out to Antelope Island.  We can see the island from the windows in our living room and sometimes we like to pretend we are looking out at the ocean with Rangitoto in the distance. 

It was a beautiful day.  We saw bison and the kids discovered their own rock playground.  It made me again remember how much I love the desert and especially The Great Salt Lake.