More Christmas pics...

Talbot Christmas 2008

Christmas was special this year because we had two of my sisters with us. For Christmas Eve we went to Delta to Brook's sisters house and had a yummy dinner with family. My kids miss their cousins so it is always a special treat to see them. We got home a little late so it wasn't a problem getting the kids to go to bed that night. Christmas morning came about 7:30 and despite a little mix up with the gifts from Santa the boys were happy with their presents. (Trey thought Santa brought him a bike and Trevon a guitar. It turns out the bike was a little small for Trey and that it was actually Trevons. Sweet little Trevon didn't care. Bike or guitar he was just happy to be there.) The kids played with their toys as they opened them. We spent the better part of the morning playing monkey ball on the WII and Brook made pancakes, waffles and ham for breakfast. Later we went outside and played in the snow. Brook's parents came over that night and had meatball sandwiches as the kids destroyed the living room with the 2ND round of Christmas presents. I'm so grateful for mine and Brook's families. I'm also grateful that we could spend time with them on Christmas. They take such good care of us and my kids love them all.

Our Christmas Village.

Tyce with his monkey and four wheeler.Trevon on his new bike.Trey with his guitar.

My friend Liz

I have a good friend and neighbor who makes me laugh. She was extra funny last week. Here are some pics. Just so she knows how special she is to me. This is her telling her kids not to get wet or dirty or they will have to come live with me until they dry off and her shoveling off her garbage cans. This is so Liz and one of the reasons I love her most. She is really good to take care of me and my kids and I love her and her family.

Softball in December

Every year in December we have a tradition of playing in the toys for kids softball tournament in St. George. This includes my sisters, brothers-in-law (2 of them), the Delta boys and some stragglers we manage to round up along the way. It is a long trip down, usually very cold but oh so much fun. This year we won the drop down tournament which is the best we've ever done. We played 8 games starting at 8:00 am and ending at 11:00 pm. There was frost on the ground when we got there and frost when we left. It's the most fun I've had playing in a tournament in a long time. I'm so grateful our family still takes the time to do things like this together.

How hot is this guy? He is so hot when he is playing softball and he is so good at it.
This is my cute sister, Casey. Of course, she is posing.

Austin may be shy but the Cooke girls definitely aren't!

This was the first inning of the first game and he is already dirty and handsome.

The winners! What do you do with a trophy like this? Not put it at my house that's what.

Temple Square

The perfect picture!

How beautiful are these girls! Inside and out.

My Laurels.

Our leaders are so special. Thanks for all you do.

The youth took a trip to Temple Square for an activity. It was beautiful. The weather was cool but not too cold. It wasn't crowded at all. The youth had a great time and we had yummy hot chocolate afterward. We were going to have treats too but Brother James and his crew took off early with the cookies. Hmm hopefully they don't put on any extra holiday weight from eating all those cookies.

Those who are dying to know...

What else could bring us so much joy
But the announcement of a baby boy
We've been captured by their smiles and charm
And love to hold them in our arms
So what would be as special as these three
To add a little girl to our family!

Yeah! We are so surprised and excited. She won't be here til the spring but I knew most of you couldn't wait that long. I've already caught the shopping bug. The first thing I wanted to do after the ultrasound was buy something pink. Is that normal?

Halloween

This Halloween was great. Busy with all the parties but lots of fun. Our Star Wars nuts had to be Jedi's. Thank foodness Grandma Char bought Jedi robes for their birthdays. She is always so thoughtful.

The boys wanted Tyce to be Yoda but we waited too long to get the costume. This was the closest we could come with the elephant costume. Tyce didn't care he was just excited to get candy. The boys were so good. We walked in the rain which was kind of nice. Much warmer than previous Halloweens.

We tried to get all of us in the picture but after several tries we settled for this.

The beach in October

The first day at the beach was nice and warm. The boys got in the water and dug in the sand. The second day, not so warm. The guys still swam and we also saw a dolphin show.

Tyce was unsure for the first hour. He would try to outrun the incoming waves but didn't come close enough to even touching the water. He loved rolling in the sand with his cousin Lily.

Trevon didn't love being sticky from the salty water or the sand but he still got in the water occasionally.

Trey could probably live on the coast and really love it. He even braved the waves the second day when most of us were on the beach in our sweatshirts and blankets. The water was cold. The surfers were in their wet suits. That's how cold it was. Everyone could tell we were from out of town.

Jedi Training

At Disneyland they have something wonderful for star wars fans. You can actually be picked to fight Darth Vader! Is there anything more exciting for a child who is really into star wars? Well, we dressed Trevon and Trey in their Jedi Robes and light sabers and waited 30 minutes for the show to start. Needless to say they were picked for Jedi training. Yea! This might sound silly but it was a great moment not only in their lives but also in mine to see how much this meant to them. I would stand in 95 degree weather over and over just to see the looks on their faces. Something they will never forget.

Disneyland is wonderful and truly the "happiest place on earth"!

While my boys were patiently waiting for the show to start, I have to say when the Jedi masters, came out I was thinking that just maybe one of them would be the guy who played Anikin or Ewan McGregor but it wasn't, so I had to settle for coming home and watching the movies again.

Disneyland 2008

If you're headed to the "happiest place on earth", even 6:45 a.m. looks good. At least to the boys it did.
Trevon in front of "Dumbo" the lamest ride on earth.

Brook is the best dad ever for standing in line to see Mickey at his house.

Pluto came to us so standing in line was not a problem. Except when my dad decided to call him Goofy. Pluto was not happy about it. He let my dad have it with a slap on the face with his paw.

I had to be restrained. Mmmm....nothing else to be said.

Indiana Jones was so great! Especially with the fast pass.

And of course we had to see the "Bugs Life" show. The kids were scared at first but fine when we were above ground again.

This is $50 dollars worth of stuffed animals. Casey and Brook had to keep winning. Do you know we drug these d%*^ things with us on the plane and back home. My kids haven't forgotten about them yet so they are still laying in various places around my house.

Disneyland at Halloween time is so amazing. Such a great atmosphere. My whole family went except one of my sisters(who we really missed) and it was such a good trip. Unforgettable I will say. I love all of you and could not think of a better way to spend a family vacation.

Brook turns 31

For Brooks birthday he took me and the Youngs to the Wells Fargo suite to see his favorite college football team play. Besides the fact that we wore our OSU shirts into a den of wild Utah fans and almost got beaten up, it was a pretty good night. Good food, great company, (I love you Brannon and Liz)great atmosphere. All in all, a pretty good night seeing how the Beavers lost with just seconds to go. I love you babe and am so glad you chose to spend your birthday with me.

Labor Day

Every year on Labor Day weekend we go south to my hometown of Parowan, Utah and celebrate with lots and lots of family and friends. It is the weekend of the Iron County Fair with horseraces, demolition derby, parade and carnival. The last big weekend of the summer as I remember it. As I get older I realize that all of this is so much more fun as a kid. The one thing that makes it all worth it is the excitement and the joy on the kids faces. They love it and I remember loving it as a kid. I'm so glad my kids can experience at least one thing I did growing up.

Trey would rather blow 50 bucks on the games than ride any of the rides. He did win a stuffed bear shooting hoops though. Good job Trey.
Tyce wasn't too sure. Here he is holding on for dear life.
Ahh, the Sizzler. This is my all time favorite ride at the fair. Anyone who sits on the outside gets squished so we used to pick a cute boy to ride with so we could be really close for a few minutes. I can't believe I remember that.

We also have a big luncheon up the canyon at what is known as the 5 mile. (because it is just 5 miles up the canyon.)(Parowan is at the base of Brian Head Ski resort for those of you who don't know.) Extended family from California come for the weekend and my dad makes dutch oven chicken and potatoes. It is some good food. The best part of the whole trip.
This is the Nicholes and the Cooke girls. Our moms are sisters and we are all good friends.
I was playing photographer with Trevon and he was my subject so here is his first pose.....
Here is his angry face.........
And this his him loving the trees. He is so funny. I told him to love the trees, love the trees and this is the face I get. Ha ha he is special and loves his picture taken.