Kimball

This month has been so busy, but fun! Here are some of the things we have been up to:

We took the Frontrunner train from Clearfield to temple square to meet some family for the holidays, and to see the lights at Temple Square. It was cold, but we braved the weather, and made some fun memories. Abigail and Jade loved the life sized nativity by the visitor's center the best.

Jacob's sister, Markell and her husband Phil
My sweet in-laws, Dan and Teresa Dastrup
All the grandkids that were able to come. They are all getting so big!
The beautiful Salt Lake temple
All bundled up

We have watched a few holiday movies with some cousins. Here they are watching "Santa Buddies". It sure looks like it captured grandma's attention :)

My girls are so fun to watch during Christmastime. They are so excited about all of the lights, the treats, the little villages, the Christmas trees, the music, etc. I have found that the holidays are even more magical as a parent because I get to watch the kids have so much fun.

Abigail started her first dance class this month. She has been wanting to get involved in dance for a long time, and I finally signed her up. She has her first recital this week, but she just barely joined the group, so she will have no idea what she is doing, but I am sure it will be cute anyway.


Ethan started playing Jr. Jazz basketball. Here he is learning how to pass. They are taking this whole month to do instructional practices, and then he starts games in January. He is having a lot of fun.

It has been a long time since I have posted. We have been busy! We moved to Clinton, and have been busy with all of the unpacking, organizing, getting involved in new schools, rec sports, etc. We are happy and doing well.

We had a nice Thanksgiving with Jacob's side of the family. The kids had a good time playing flag football, making crafts, writing lists of what they are thankful for, and of course, eating.

We had a nice time last week with our cousins. We had a picnic up the canyon and let the kids collect leaves, throw leaves, roll in the leaves, etc. It was a beautiful fall day with crisp air, yet the sun kept us just warm enough. I am really enjoying this time of year! We came home with bags of leaves, which the kids put between sheets of contact paper and cut to make bookmarks. and placemats.

The kids and I are doing a fun photo project together. We go on walks and take pictures of letters that we find in nature, or on objects you see every day. So far we keep seeing lots of O's. I am going to print them in black and white and make name collages out of them as well as a photo book. It has been fun, free, and creative. Here is a sample of a few letters:

After several months, our house has finally sold. We will miss this neighborhood, friends, and our house full of so many memories. We feel so blessed to have lived here and had such great experiences. Thank you to everyone who came into our lives here and made us feel at home! You will all be missed!

On Saturday we went for a bike ride on the Jordan River Parkway. The kids can go forever without having to cross streets, etc. It was beautiful weather and we really enjoyed ourselves.

Also, Abigail and Jade started preschool this week. Oh boy, were they excited! I love this time of year! There is always excitement in the air.

An update on the kids:

We have had such a fun summer together! I love summer when I can spend such quality time with my kids. They are the best! I think about them all the time, and wanted to jot down a few musings on them tonight.

This last weekend we went to Mt. Pleasant to visit Jacob's grandma. We had such an unexpected nice relaxing time! We took a picnic up to Palisades lake near Manti, and really enjoyed the day there. The kids loved climbing the trees, catching dozens of little frogs and one snake. We rented a paddle boat which was fun as well. We also got to play pool, go running, watch movies, eat great food, visit with a few relatives, etc. We just really enjoyed ourselves.

But...summer can't last forever. Ethan started school last week. He is now in first grade, and loving it. Each night at dinner I ask the kids what the high and low of their day was, and he has said each night that school is his "high". I was more emotional than I thought I would get. I just will miss him is all. He will be gone for so many hours a day! I hope that I have taught him enough to withstand all of the things that will be thrown his way. He is such a happy, funny, intelligent boy...I want him to stay that way!!! I am so proud of him and the way he treats others. He was telling me last night that he invited three different boys to play basketball with him at recess that were walking by themselves. I know he has a kind heart and notices when someone is left out. I just wish that compassion would extend to his sisters more often :)

Abigail keeps my head spinning and me feeling like I am the one upside down :) She is so full of spunk. She is my child that loves to get everyone else riled up. She has the time of her life annoying Jade or playing tricks on Ethan, or singing random made up songs all day. Last night at bedtime she would NOT lie down in her bed. I had Jade in bed with her because of company staying in her room, so Abigail thought it was funny to keep bugging Jade. It finally ended with me making her sleep in the bathroom with a blanket and pillow. She sure can be sweet when she wants to be though. There is no gray area with her. She also has suprised me lately at how intuitive she can be. She will mention things that I had know idea that she had picked up on. I am so glad that I have one more year with her at home. I hope to make it a great one :)

Jade is so incredibly cute. I don't think I could be mad at her if I tried. She is constantly giving me that permagrin that melts my heart. Even SHE can't get mad if she tried :) She is doing so well with things lately... riding her bike, putting on her own shoes, clearing her own dishes, writing some of her ABCs, learning new songs, etc. She is the one who will probably give me trouble as a teenager. I think the hard teenagers are usually the cutest kids so you will remember how sweet they were and love them anyway :)

On Saturday my sisters and I ran the Provo River 1/2 Marathon. It was so fun! We all beat our goal times, and we are still walking (barely) :)

I am so proud of my sisters who inspired me to keep training on days when I dreaded it. They kept me entertained as well during the race...Amanda with her graceful glide, her gloves on her hands despite the heat, and her sunglasses....hilarious. Marisa was so focused and great. She means business when she puts her mind to something!

I hope we can do another race together sometime. It makes it so much more fun!

I forgot my camera, but am determined to post anyway with the picture I stole from my sister's computer :)

We got back this week from a fun 5 day outing to Fish Lake. We went with my whole family and their families (boy are we growing fast!). We camped right at beautiful Fish Lake, where the boys had ample fishing. My granpa also came and he took all the boys fishing on a pontoon all day. They caught so many I think they lost count.

That same day the girls decided to take a "small" scenic drive to Cathedral Valley in Capital Reef National Park. A few miles in we realized we were on a very primitive jeep trail, but could not turn around anywhere....well 6 hours later, we made it out on the other side. We were a little shaken and worried many times that we would be stuck overnight in that amazing backcountry with two babies, but as I look back I am so glad that I got to see that peice of amazing Earth. I kept thinking that only a tiny portion of the whole population will ever get to experience that beautiful place. It was fun (now that I am out). It truly was jaw-dropping beautiful! I felt so small and so in awe of nature. Again, I will post pics when I get them.

We also took a day trip down into the Escalante area to a fun hike we did as children. It is called Calf Creek falls. I promise to post pictures of it when I get my camera with me. It is so beautiful. You hike amid these amazing red rock cliffs where you can still see ancient Indian drawings on the walls. It is a 3 mile hike in, and it ends at this pristine waterfall and swimming hole in the middle of the desert. I highly recommend that hike to anyone looking for something to do in that area!

Other than that, we just had fun making crafts with the kids, singing campfire songs, celebrating our cousin's birthday, etc. I loved it all. When we got home I couldn't believe how dirty the bathtub got from my one shower, but oh well. It was worth it :)