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.