The Roof and Temple Square

After our adventure into the woods looking for a Christmas tree, we headed home and got cleaned up and ready for a night on the town. We didn't tell the girls where we were going, just that they needed to dress really nice...but warm! It was a REALLY cold night...but we braved it for a walk around temple square to look at the lights. We had hoped to be there early enough to see the lights come on, but we didn't quite make it! It was beautiful and a great way to kick off the Christmas season!

Then we headed up to "The Roof" for dinner. We had made reservations a month earlier and couldn't wait for the girls to have this experience! Courtney loved the nutcracker!

Dan and Kenna...

An incredible picture of Courtney with the temple... the girls thought this was the BEST restraunt we have ever been to! What a view of the temple and the lights!

Me and my girls by the tree in the lobby of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building...

Dan and the girls. What a wonderful day! I love this time of year!

Oh Christmas Tree...

We decided to get a "permit" to cut down a Christmas tree up in the Heber/Kamas area this year. Courtney and I made an early trip up to Heber on a VERY cold morning to stand in line and get our permit. On the day after Thanksgiving we headed out as a family with high hopes and lots of winter gear... Dan took this picture of me when we were stopped at a red light. I am rarely in pictures because I am always the one taking the pictures!

As we headed up the road to Mill Hollow from Heber, we didn't make it very far before we realized this wasn't a good idea...we would need snowmobiles to get much further on this road!

We decided to head up Daniels Canyon instead and tried to go out around Strawberry...but we couldn't make it far that way either. There had just been TOO MUCH snow! Even with 4-wheel drive we knew this dream of cutting down our tree just wasn't going to happen! Courtney wanted to jump out and play in the snow for a minute!

So after several hours with no luck, we ended up at a tree lot on state street in Orem.

A funny end to what we thought would be a great adventure! What a fun morning anyway!

Courtney's Birthday November 24, 2010

After opening gifts, we headed out for breakfast at IHOP... enjoying her chocolate milk! After breakfast, we headed to the Sanctuary Day Spa... McKenna and Courtney got pedicures and manicures...and Dan and I got a couples massage! Thanks for having a birthday Courtney!

They brought her a piece of "birthday cheesecake"... she felt like a real princess...

She LOVED getting a manicure! (McKenna took all of these photos...)

They were too cute! My beautiful girls...

Look at those cute toes...

Afterwards we headed over to the Roadhouse for lunch...Courtney's request!

Me and my girl!

And this is why Courtney wanted to go there so bad... well, this and the ROLLS!

She got to sit on the saddle while we all sang Happy Birthday!

Courtney's Friend Party

On the morning of Courtney's friend party (a few days before her actual birthday...) We gave her one gift from us... a new outfit to wear to her party! Here she is...all ready for her "movie star" party...

The "red carpet"... and Hollywood walk of fame...

down the stairs to the party...

Here is the table...

and the "celebrity gift bags"...

And their "back stage" passes...

She LOVED it!!!!

Here is the gorgeous cake we had made by the talented Sara Grant... we "bought" it at the YM/YW fundraiser this summer... she did and incredible job! It was almost to beautiful to eat... Almost!

What a beautiful girl! She is so much fun!

When the girls arrived they recieved their feather boa and movie star sunglasses... McKenna and her bff Mallory decided to come to the party too.

In the theater for a "private backstage premier screening"... they watched Toy Story 3.

Enjoying their cake and ice cream...

A cute group shot during the gift opening...

What a great party! Being 10 is going to be fabulous!

Courtney's Family Birthday Gifts 2010

Courtney's birthday morning... she wanted to open her gifts before we left for a day of fun! Our little princess is 10!!! Or like she likes to remind me... "double digits!" Courtney was so excited about her gifts... Kenna went in on the American Girl "cooking table" with us... and she got a long-awaited DS...and a couple of games...

Happy Birthday Court!

Halloween Party 2010

We had some neighbors and family over for halloween. It was raining so we didn't know if we would even go trick or treating... Here are a few of our guests... Taylor Davis is the "old man" and Gavin Schmalz is the "Scottish Man"...
Here are some of the kids playing a game that I did for Courtney's class party. It was still raining and we were trying to pass some time!

Here are all the kids as they headed out! They look so cute! We mom's were brave enough to "trick or treat" at Kristin Perry's house...we just had to have one of her homemade caramel apples! Totally worth getting rained on!

It just happend to be my mom's birthday...so we got a cake and sang happy birthday to her!

Halloween Pumpkins 2010

I have decided to get caught up on all the blog postings from the last two months...things get busy and something has to get put aside until later...

This is my pumpkin...nice and easy. Super cute...and I didn't even have to get my hands dirty!
Courtney's pumpkin... it is a small "pumpkin spider" caught in a bigger "pumpkin web". Cute and very creative!

This was Kenna's... it looked really cool when it was lit up! I don't know why I don't have a picture of Dan's...

The family getting the pumpkins carved... and the house is ready for the family/friend Halloween party that night!

Two of my favorite people in the whole world!