My Grandma on my Dad's side passed away in March. I've been trying to figure out how to blog about it and not miss anything. We lived about 30 minutes away from her growing up, and she taught almost all ten of us kids to play the piano. That meant roughly 45 minutes of quality, uninterrupted one-on-one time with her each week for about ten years of my life. Plus all the other Sunday afternoon visits, sing-alongs at Christmas time, hugs, kisses, laughs (so many laughs) . . . You can't blog that! You can't forget it either, so I've decided it's okay that I can't blog it. So just a few things to sum her up. First, I have searched my memories, and have discovered that I don't have a single one of her that is negative. Sure there were plenty during my awkward growing up years that where my behavior is cringe-worthy, but she was just sunshine and nurture and safety for me.  She had a great sense of humor and could tell a story like nobody else I...

In March we found a babysitter for Emmeline and took the four oldest kids to see Peter and the Wolf. A small group of the Utah Symphony, and Ballet West II performed it. It was awesome! Every last one of us really enjoyed it. There was a narrator that told the story, which helped the kids to follow what was going on.

The Christmas season was fun and busy around our house. It was our first Christmas in our new home! Here are a bunch of pictures and videos that give a little taste of the season. This year's family Christmas music video Preston did his due diligence and helped Nate hang the Christmas lights. They did it before Thanksgiving, and it's a good thing! The roof has been covered in snow since then. Addison and Nate have made the Messiah sing-in a tradition. They went to Abravanel Hall this year. I love that they're both giddy with excitement about it. We made these cute little guys. And lots of tasty treats. We got these awesome glasses in the mail! They turn the Christmas lights to reindeer and other fun shapes! We strung lots of cranberries for our Christmas tree. The looks on the kids' faces pretty sum up how each of them felt about it. Bryn found her new calling in life. She strung berries all afternoon long and lo...