Facer family Christmas party

Annual Tradition of the Pinata.  I cherish this memory from my childhood and am hopeful my children will also.  Although sometimes causing tears, we love it and look forward to it each year.  We always have soup in bread bowls and open gifts. This way we do not have to try to gather on Christmas day because it was getting so difficult to get together at the same time.  We seem to always give my parents something to help upgrade their house and each year my dad is thrilled.  This year was new hardware for their cabinets.  "More work" is what he is thinking I am sure.  

Braxton 11

Cameron 6

Dakota 8

Annual Jammies Photo.  All the boys have blue and Carrera has pink.  Cute I think.

Candy Making 2013

Another great year of dipping chocolates.  This year Grandpa Farr, Aunt Carol, and Alex joined us.  It has been a tough year for the Farr Family and we are thankful for an occasion to get together doing something fun (although that evening we all attended yet another funeral of their cousin).  We dipped pretzels, caramels, made toffee and rolo pretzel thingys.  Some of the pics have glare, but I wanted everyone in one.  We did not get a pic of Alisha and Alan, although they were there, and you have to look close in the background for Shay who spent most of the day watching babies.  Good times, with wonderful people.

Thanksgiving 2013

 I was tending Carrera and James and the boys thought it was fun to swing him in the blanket.  He liked it at first, but then cried when we tried to show his mom and dad his trick.

 Once again the boys participated in the First Thanksgiving at school.  This year I needed 3 costumes.  It is such a fun tradition.  2 mountain men and one Indian.   Braxton was a bit too cool to wear his all day, I guess that happens when you get in the older grades, too cool for dressing up.

 We celebrated the big day this year at our house.  Shane's mom and dad were out of town and it was kind of an off year for my side, so we had those who did not have anywhere else to go and even some friends over.  It was really nice, small, quaint, and most of all a good time with family.  Mauri cooked the turkey which was delicious, Mom did the potatoes and I did the stuffing.  Shane probably said 10 times how delicious everything was.  It was nice to have a warm meal instead of 1/2 warm because the crowd is from 60 to 80 people.  We all sat at the same table, which is always fun, and the boys did most of the work getting it ready.  It is so nice when many hands make lite work.

 Tara did her usual, cute Pintrest ideas and did this Turkey Cheese ball and Cornucopia favors.  She is so creative.

 Grandma Boss came and wanted to sit in where the sun was while she waited for the food.  I snuck in there and peeked on her and Cam chatting and he was giving her hugs and kisses.  He is such a sweet boy!

 Shane carved his first turkey like a champion.

 The whole crowd.  Shane, Geana, Braxton, Daktoa, Cameron, Mauri, Broc, Marley, Julie, Russell, Tara, Troy, Grandma Boss, Stephanie, Bode, Maggie, Oakley, Charlie, Max (Gines Family).

One last tradition, putting up the Christmas tree on the weekend after Thanksgiving.  Always a delight, and this year the weather was very nice for putting up outside lights too.  Cameron and Shane tackled that job and Braxton, Dakota, and I did the inside.  Then we did the tree all together.  Bring on more holidays!

THE best invention...

 Will someone remind me that I need to reinvent a pioneer toy that all the kids in the Ogden area can't live without so we can retire early?  This is a Kendama, and my boy is obsessed!  So is his school and every other one around. Even the Junior High Schools.  All it is, is a ball that you try to aim on to the spike, just like the pioneers used.  They stand in circles and show off their moves.  It is a total craze, and they are $20 a piece at Smith and Edwards.  Braxton bought his with his birthday money about 6 weeks ago, but now everyone has one.  It is crazy, but better then their phones/IPOD/playstations I suppose right?  He hardly puts his down and is pretty good at it.

Daily Life

 We did a craft/snack the other Wednesday after school. It was snowmen.  They turned out cute I think.

 I went crafting with my sisters the other weekend and my awesome husband decided to turn the pumpkin patch into a bike track.  We now have at least this many kiddos in the back yard racing around it and digging jumps and holes.  They are having a great time.  Neighbors that never come over here are coming out of the woodworks.  Such fun for this beautiful fall weather we are enjoying.

I think every year I post something about the first snow.  It just makes my heart full to hear the excitement when they look outside and see the snow for the first time.  It was about 1/2 inch but they did not care, it was white, wet and fun.  Just as in every year the boys did not last long because it is very wet snow and makes them quite wet, but to them 5 minutes is everything.

As of late...

Shane finally got his braces off and he looks hot!  The after pic did not turn out so great, but they are really straight and he looks good.

Cameron Turned 6!  I can't believe my baby is 6, where did the years go to?  He is such a great kid.  Happy, feisty, fun, joyful, smart and handsome. He had 6 friends come over for his party and the best word to describe it was WILD!  WOW!  They could not keep their hands off of each other.  Constant wrestling and dog piles.  It was crazy.  Cameron of course had the time of his life, we played musical chairs, pin the sword on the Ninjago, and balloon tied to the foot game.  We also went outside and played Ghost in the Graveyard, which was Cam's only request for his party--night games.  

C.J., Jace, Braxton, Quincy, Cameron, Miles, Owen, Dakota.  Top of couch: Dean

Then on Sunday we had both families over for cake and Ice cream.  He loves having his grandparents and cousins over.  We let him pick out a new bike.  His bike had gone through 2 brothers and was in rough shape.  It is the first time in my life this summer when I wanted to run out and buy a bike for no good reason, just because his was junk, but I held off and waited until his birthday.

Top 6 things I love about Cam:

1-That cheezy smile.  I love it!

2- He still lets me hold him and give him 1000 kisses.  He just lays there and lets me hug and kiss him till my hearts content. 

3- He loves to play games with me.  He started kindergarten, so before he leaves each day in the afternoon we play a round of Go Fish or Uno.

4-He loves to be outside, just like his brothers.  Bikes, scooters, leaves, trampolines, anything to enjoy the beautiful day.

5- He tells me that he loves me more than all the oceans in the world.  

6- He is so smart.  He can read and loves doing it.  (I am praying for 1 reader in this family :).  

I love you more than all the fishes in all the seas Cameron.  Happy Birthday!!!

October 2013

We had our annual pumpkin carving on Monday night.  We also made caramel apples which always taste fantastic!

Grandma Rebecca came to enjoy the festivities.  

Weston, Neil, Chelsea

Grandpa Brent helped Cam. Cam and I  had it all cleaned out and ready to carve, but he would not start until Grandpa was there.

Brittany, Brackner, Lisa, Kaya

Dakota and Shane's finished product.  Zombie pumpkin.  It has been quite the entertainment.  

Landen, Brackner, Lisa, Neil, Chelsey, Britany, Kaya, Weston, Braxton, Brent, Dakota, Rebecca, Geana, Cameron, Shane.

Braxton (or Braxtina :) made spider cakes at school.

Cheerleader, Hunter, Ninja

Plain City Elementary does a parade every year.  The parents gather in the lunchroom and the kids walk rapidly through (as you can tell by Dakotas blurriness).

The loot.  Every year I say we have way too much candy and this year I am serious.  They each have a grocery bag full.  What will we do with all that candy?

We always give out a can of pop to entice kids to our house, this year we probably had 20.  Shane even made a cool zombie guy and has a fun scary movie on the window, but we just don't live in a subdivision.  Trick or Treating needs to be about efficiency right?