Christmas Prep

A couple days after Thanksgiving we were able to take advantage of the nice weather and put up our Christmas decorations.  The kids were great helpers and really pitched in.  And it got us all excited for Christmas!

Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving my Anton, Liz, and their girls came down to St. George.  It was off to a great start with a game of basketball until I badly sprained my ankle within the first 30 minutes.  I think I forgot I wasn't in high school anymore.  I knew right away it was sprained and felt it tear.  When I fell down I sprained my right middle finger as well.  I couldn't even walk off the court and was a little concerned the rest of that day that I could have possible broken it since I couldn't bear any weight.  The next morning I could barely walk but I knew it was a sprain.  I felt so bad that I wouldn't be able to be as active as I like and was concerned about how I would heal.  It's been too long of a process for me, but I've done a lot of yoga to try and re strengthen it and just let it heal.  After about 6 weeks I was able to carefully start running and doing some of the fitness classes I like on it.  I can definitely still feel it, but I'm grateful to be getting back to the things I enjoy.

Anton carrying me to my car.

 Progression of the swelling.

Jer and Nala took great care of me.  Jer got me all the supplies I needed and Nala kept me company.

I forgot how gross it looked.  I felt like the swelling lasted forever and just kept moving all around.  And my foot and ankle itched like crazy!

The kids played some pickleball.

I couldn't resist staying home while everyone went out and hiked, so I put on a brace, got out the hiking sticks and hobbled along behind everyone.

Luckily Jer and Anton took care of me the whole way.  I didn't quite make it to the petroglyphs, but luckily I've been before and it just felt good to be out.

Dad frying the turkey for the second year.  It turned out really tasty.  And Jer has used the air fryer a couple more times since for other things and they've been great too.

A little Thanksgiving day tomato picking.  I be we had over a hundred we picked before they froze.  Most turned red and we ended up bottling 7 jars.  And it's January and we are still eating fresh ones from the garden.

5k and Geckathon

Truman decided the day of to run in his school's 5k and ended up getting fourth place out of the whole middle school.  I wasn't able to make it so I didn't get any pictures.  I guess the kids that beat him are on the cross country team so he did really well!

Tacy participated in her school's Geckathon and ended up getting third place for all the girls.  She even beat a fair number of boys.  Not bad for a first attempt!  She doesn't normally run, bike, or swim much so it was pretty impressive.

A couple athletic and determined kids.

Valley of Fire Camping

We had planned to take the trailer and camp the weekend before Thanksgiving.  Things were a little touch and go when Chambers woke up and threw up.  He was tired most the day and threw up one more time.  I wasn't sure what to do, but kept packing because we were all looking forward to getting away and figure if he was sick, he could be sick in the camper just as easy as home.  He actually perked up later in the day and was fine the rest of the time.

The first day after we got there we decided to take the boys to Lake Mead since they had never seen it before.  It was a little scary for me, being afraid of heights, but a fun experience.

The boys decided to put their coats on backwards and were entertained for quite a while with that. Of course you can see Truman's teasing hand reaching in.

We took a tour all the way down to where they create the energy from the lake to power other things.  It was a very interesting tour and we learned a lot about the uses and history of Lake Mead.

That night we were joined by Lilly and Claire and the kids had fun roasting marshmallows, telling scary stories, and playing with glow sticks.

My two readers!

The next day we visited Valley of Fire State Park.  The red rocks were a lot like the rocks by us but it was a beautiful day to explore with cousins.

This rarely happens but all three boys fell asleep on the way home.  Prentice stayed with Aunt Monique because she had a play at school. 

Bike Park

They opened up a new bike park right down the road from us and although it is a little intense and there were quite a few falls, the boys are loving it.  It amazes me how brave kids are and resilient.  They would fall down and get right back up.  I'm sure we will be spending a lot of tine getting energy out there.  I have since gotten them elbow pads and knee pads!

Santa Clara Razor Ride

We decided it was time to get out on the Razor and spent a couple hours riding and exploring the hills behind Santa Clara.  It was a bit of a bumpy trail for y liking, but we had fun hiking.  And Prentice loved getting her first try at driving.  

Can you spot cute Nala? 

She was a pretty jerky driver at first but did great by the end.  I think the kids will have  a lot more fun being able to take the wheel.  Plus maybe it will make teaching them to drive tons easier!

Random Cute Shots

I had to send a picture to Jer of his cute Ute!  We are pretty divided in this house and most the time Chambers says he's going to BYU, but he also likes to wear his Ute red.

Candid shot of Tacy laughing. Not sure why considering she's showing us her latest soccer medals.

Helping to make breakfast oatmeal.

The kids love to bring boxes down to our renters, the Capps when we get them because sometimes they are rewarded with treats.  This day the box was pretty big so they came up with the  idea to use the moving dolly.

Tacy picked to go to Starbucks for the first time and get a fruity drink for getting a high score from her piano teacher for a good practice week.

Taking my two little buddies out to Cafe Rio for their special lunch.  I think I get as excited as they do!