Happy New Year

Well it is the end of another year.  And what a year it has been.  I would use the word Phenomenal to sum it up.  Even though I haven't been terribly consistent in my blogging,  I hope that it does reflect a little of the many adventures we had this year.

Roger took New Years Eve day off of work and he and the kids enjoyed a fun and freezing morning on the sledding hill.  I have no pictures because I opted for warmth.

Later that day the girls went shopping for a new outfit for Alyssa for her first Stake Dance.  Well, it was going to be the girls but Brianna opted out last minute when she got an invite to play with a friend.  She told Roger, "Fancy is one thing, but friends are another".  It was probably better that she didn't come along because she is a good shopper and we probably wouldn't have gotten any thing accomplished for Alyssa since she would be too busy putting ensembles together for herself.

I tried to convince Alyssa to buy a pair of slacks.  Her dance card said they could wear to slacks to a semi-formal dance.  Alyssa had no clue what they were.  I had a great time joking around with her until I finally told her they were just dress pants.  Even so,  I couldn't convince her to buy some, I think it was the name that deterred her.

I tried to convince her into buying something really fancy.  After all it was New Years Eve.  But to no avail.  Alyssa stuck to her style and personality.  Casual but nice.  We were able to find her a cute skirt and shirt.  Even better it was on sale and we got the whole outfit for $16.  Score!  And she looked great in it.

Roger and I told her for weeks that we would be chaperoning the dance.  We couldn't wait to bust out all of our old moves.  You know, the cue tip, sprinkler and lawnmower.  Of course you couldn't forget the standard side by side.  Alyssa was mortified.  Needless to say, we let her go to her first dance on her own.

She looked beautiful and so grown-up.  She had a wonderful time.  She went with a couple of her ward friends.  Plus she had a lot of guy friends from school there and felt secure in their group.  I choose not to picture her dancing with boys although I am sure that happened too.  In the end, the night was deemed a success.

Roger and I attended the annual New Years party at the Essers' house.  This is our fourth time celebrating with them and many couples in our ward.  We always have a great time.  There was a ton of delicious food, super fun games, great conversation and of course the countdown at midnight.  We feel fortunate to be invited to such fun gatherings.

Ryan and Brianna played X-box Kinnect and watched movies to celebrate their New Years Eve.

Fun was had by all and it was great way to kick of the new year.  Look out 2011, here we come!

Felix Christmas

We had our Felix Family get-together a few days after Christmas so that Brendan's family would be here to participate.

We ate lots of pizza and junk food and then got around to exchanging presents.  We all drew names this year which is a nice option with so many people.  It was fun to see the different gifts and to know how much thought went into each of them.

Afterwards,  Grandma and Grandpa gave us their gifts.  They gave each child a self counting bank with 5 gold dollars to add to it.  It was inscribed with "Felix Family Church History Tour, Summer 2012."  We are planning a big family trip back east to visit all of the church sites.  This bank was to help get the kids excited and to encourage them to save their money for souvenirs and so forth.  The parents were given banks as well with quite a few more than 5 gold dollars to help us get started in our saving for the big event.  It got everyone revved up and ready to go.

Of course the party wouldn't be complete without a big sleepover afterwards.  The kids bunked wherever they could find a spot in the basement.  The siblings and spouses found different beds.  The parents stayed up watching the movie Inception until an ungodly hour.  Then Missy and I retired to a room and continued to talk until well past 3 a.m.  It is nice to have sisters to share times like that.  Of course, we paid for it dearly the next day,  but I will say it was worth it.

Christmas Morning

Christmas morning was fantastic.  We were able to hold off the kids until 6:45 a.m. before we went downstairs.  They were bursting with anticipation.  Is it such a joy as parents to watch your kids excitement on Christmas morning.  It is so magical.  Santa did a great job as did Mom and Dad if I do say so myself.

One of the highlights was watching Alyssa open her gift from us.  Roger wrapped it in box after box and each was completely covered with duct tape.  It took Alyssa a good 20 minutes to get it opened (especially since Daddy wouldn't allow her to use tools of any kind).  It was worth it though when she got her "notebook" computer.

Ryan got all kinds of fun boys toys and many things that Father and Son could do together.

Brianna really wanted a baby doll and pretend food.  I couldn't bring myself to get them.   I figured that she is too old and wouldn't really enjoy it.  But fortunately, Santa knows best.  He brought her both those requests and she was thrilled.  She named her baby Bella and she has been a constant companion ever since (I am writing this a month later and she still loves her).  This doll is so lifelike and Brianna adores her.  It makes my heart smile to see my youngest isn't growing up too fast.

We were very blessed this year and received many wonderful things.  I am so grateful to Roger and his hard work for making it possible.

Later in the morning we went over to my family's house for our traditional Christmas breakfast.  There was tons of yummy food and pleasant Christmas stories exchanged.

The remainder of the day was spent enjoying time together and trying out our new toys.  We later went to my cousin's Stacey's house for our traditional Felix get together.  The day was pack full of fun and memories.



Christmas Eve

The last few years we have really enjoyed making our own traditions with our little family.  This year we snacked on treats and listened to a spiritual message from Daddy.  This year we asked the kids to give "service" presents to each other instead of buying presents.  We spent some time writing them out on card to give the next day.

The last few years, Roger has gotten the family some board games and we open one on Christmas Eve and play them together.  This year we played  and fun was had by all.  Our family is finally at an age where we can do things like this and everyone can participate.

The kids opened their traditional 1 present on Christmas Eve.  This year they all opened one that I made for them.  Personalized blankets with pictures of them throughout their lives.  I think they were a big hit.

Then it was off to bed.  Brianna was especially worried that Santa would skip us by if we weren't asleep.  The enthusiasm of children is so sweet and rubbed off on all of us.

It was a perfect day.

Christmas Eve Afternoon

On Christmas Eve we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house.  We enjoyed a relaxing afternoon with Missy's family, Amber and Dane, and of course the Grandparents.  We had a lovely Christmas meal and dessert, played board games, visited and played this fun game with M&M's. 

We saved our Big Christmas party for when Brendan's family arrived later in the week.

We had to take pictures with "Bob" the Santa on the front porch.  Alyssa named him that a few years ago and it stuck.

Christmas Eve Morning

Brianna wrote a paper in school about a favorite Christmas tradition.  She wrote about going to Denny's for breakfast on Christmas Eve.  (We did this once 2 years ago) but apparently she loved it.  So of course we had to go this year.  Here are a few pics of the good time we had together.

After breakfast we went to the Movie Prince Caspian.  We usually try to go sledding on Christmas Eve but since the snow was all melted from the rain, that was out.  We improvised and still had a great time.

Snow Day Fun

The first "big" snowfall of the season is always a hit.  The kids loved it,  Daddy loved it,  Mommy tolerated it, and Scarlet couldn't get enough of it.

Roger couldn't wait to try out the new sledding tubes he purchased for this type of occasion. 

In the "thick" of Sports

We have become Gym Rats.  Yes, it is true.  And I am loving every minute of it.  Almost.  Well that isn't entirely true.  I love seeing my kids play.  I love that they are getting exercise.  I love that they are enjoying themselves and developing their talents.  I don't love how competitive I feel while watching the games.  I have to work really hard to "not care" about the outcomes.  And that is difficult to do sometimes.  But I am getting better at it.  I am even trying to focus more on the "fun" aspect of it :)

Alyssa's soccer team signed up for an indoor season and it has been a great experience.  Indoor soccer is very fast paced and aggressive.  You can't be timid and do well.  I have seen Alyssa blossom and her skills develop by leaps and bounds.  She has learned some great footwork and the desire to go after the ball whole heatedly.  She has even had to step up and play goalie at times and actually has done alright.  I can't wait to see how the team plays in their regular spring season.  There has been definite improvement all around.  It even made those 6 a.m. games worth it.

Brianna started her first year in basketball.  She got a wonderful coach, Ben Lungren, in our ward.  He taught these girls the basic fundamentals and from the beginning of the season to the end you could see vast improvements and understanding of the game.

Brianna really enjoyed playing and practiced really hard.  Brianna is right-handed (I think).  She writes and eats with her right hand.  But anything physical she does with her left.  She kicks with her left foot, throws with her left hand and dribbles and shoots the basketball with her left hand.  It is the darnedest thing.  So it took her awhile how to figure out how to shoot the ball.  But once she got it, she did quite well and made several baskets throughout the season. She was an excellent defender but also super kind if the girl she was guarding got hurt or something.  She wanted to make sure everyone had fun.

My favorite thing was watching her curl and stick out her tounge whenever she had the ball.  It helped her concentrate I guess. 

She had a great season and we will have to see what the future holds for her.



I currently don't have any pictures of Ryan on his Westlake Bantam Basketball team.  This year we decided he should give competitive basketball a try instead of playing for the city.  Tryouts were held and he made it on one of two teams for his age group.

It has been a rewarding experience.  He has an excellent coach who is so positive and has taught him so much.  His team his really good and so far they are undefeated.  We travel with this team, but so far we haven't had to do it too much.  Many of his games are at our high school. 

This league is run through the high schools to prepare boys to someday play for the school.  It is super competitive and quite rough at times.  Ryan has had to learn to toughen up and fight in the key for the ball.  He is a great defender and can hold his own against the big boys.  he is refining many skills and this experience should be a good indicator or whether or not he would want to play in the future.  So far he loves it.

I am the Coach for our Young Women athletics in our ward.  We are currently playing volleyball.  It has been great fun getting to know the girls in our ward and even teaching them a few things.  We are doing well against the other ward teams (not that it matters.  Hehe).   Our tournament is in a couple of weeks and it will be interesting to see how we do.

On top of that, Roger and I are still running at the Legacy Center and on our new treadmill.  It has been great having an exercise option in our own home.

Well that about sums it up.  Our life in a sports nutshell.

Dance Recital and a really Long Day

Brianna had another dance recital today at the little studio down the street.  She really enjoys moving about to music and loves Miss Cortnie her teacher.  I love that it is so convenient, close by and low key.  It is a win win for all of us.

Brianna did a great job.  She was a little timid today for some reason.  When it came time for her solo, she got a little worried that the music would end so she cut it really short.  But she was still cute.  Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Missy and the cousins all came out to support her which was nice.

Her teacher later talked to me and asked if she could move Brianna up to the older class which is more on her level.  She should enjoy that.

I say that this was a really long day for other reasons.  We had already had a soccer game at seven that morning.  Then Roger headed off to tithing settlement.  He decided to try a new thing and attempt to do most of the appointments in one day.  He left at 7:30 that morning and didn't get home until almost 10:00 p.m.  He visited with over 60 families.  He is a rock star.  He was super drained when all was said and done but I am so proud of him.  Unfortunately he missed the dance recital, Alyssa's soccer game,  Brianna's basketball game and a family movie, but that is what you have to do sometimes to serve the Lord.  I wouldn't have it any other way.

So I took the kids to see the movie "Tangled".  It was a delightful, entertaining movie with incredible graphics in 3D.  I was amazed at the technology and touched by the story. 

The day was definitely long but it was a good day.

The big 14

We did it!  We survived the year of the thirteen year old girl.  Yes,  I was worried and had heard many a horror story of how it would be.  But over all it wasn't bad.  Alyssa has grown up to be a nice, beautiful, talented young woman and I enjoy her more and more each day.

We just had a small family celebration for her birthday.  Her favorite foods at dinner time and of course a cake.

Her presents included West Lake Gear,  FIFA soccer game, an MP3 player, books, and a RAGE warm up soccer suit from Grammy.  She was thrilled with everything.

This was her own personal cake made by Leslie Erznoznik, her Miamaid advisor.  She decorated it in the BYU colors, Alyssa's favorite.

My eldest daughter is 14 years old.  With that comes, Stake dances, parties with boys, and movie nights with mom.  Next year she will start high school.  I don't know where the time has gone, but I am trying to enjoy each moment I have now.

Turkey Trot

Dad and Amberly got the crazy idea that they wanted to run a 5k on Thanksgiving.  They asked me to join them and I thought it would be fun so I did.  Little did we know that it was going to be a whopping 4 degrees at the time of the race.  It was so cold!  But we did it.  This was their first race and I am proud of them.  It was fun to talk as we ran and to see all the other crazy people there.  We hung around after for awhile and all took home different prizes from the drawings.  I hope that we can run some races together in the future.

My New Tree

Since the majority of our Christmas activities take place downstairs, that is where most of our Christmas decorations are placed.  In past years our living room has looked quite bare for this reason.  So I decided it was time to get a "mommy" tree.  You know, it is the kind of tree that only mommies' decorate and actually has matching ornaments.  So last year I purchased a pre-lit tree on clearance.  However,  I did not buy any decorations, thus I had to start from scratch this year.

I don't consider myself a very good decorator.  I can copy things but I am just not very good at envisioning my own creations.  But,  I had a plan in mind for this tree.  So I called my mom and off we went in search of the perfect decorations.  It was a perfect distraction as it was the 1 year anniversary of my grandmother's passing.  I knew that she would want us to be happy and do something fun so that is what we did.  I had a wonderful time with my mother and she has a talent for creating things.

We had a lot of success finding just what I wanted.  I could hardly wait to see the end result.  So, the Sunday before Thanksgiving I put up my tree.  It was snowing outside and it was such a perfect day.  In the end, I was ecstatic about my tree.  I think mainly because I actually had a vision of something and saw it to fruition.   It actually looked like it did in my mind (maybe even better.)

The whole family loves the tree.  It has been such a nice addition to the room and it makes me smile every time I see it.