The Pollan Post

This is Ashley Creek. I drive over this bridge on my way in and out of our neighborhood daily. I love this creek. I think it is beautiful, even in the snow with ice creeping in along the banks. I adore the fog and the monotone colors. Winter is beautiful in it's cold still way.
This is our barn. We bought it with large blue doors. I quickly painted them brown. In the winter though, maybe they would be more cheery if they were still the bright blue color.  No...that's crazy.

Band Christmas Concert. These girls are just so cute!! This is Selah and Ally looking at the camera.
This is what a puppy looks like at Christmas time. Can't keep the tree lit to save my life.
Carter, Nathan and Tyler. Early morning seminary concert. I was brought in for a ukulele number so was lucky enough to hear Nathan sing with Tyler and Carter.

Carter giving Ally a few tips on the trumpet. It's cute seeing them bond over an instrument.
This girls loves this pup!! Penny is a big ball of fir trouble.
Byron calls our walks around the property Walk-abouts. He often comes home from work and asks if I want to go on a walk-about. We were checking on the garden, seeing how it is holding up to the cold weather we have been having.


You can see the mist rising off the river. It's so pretty!!
Christmas-Eve - I wonder what's going to be in the packages? Surprise it's pajamas...it's always pajamas.

Hollie and Jozsef sent us an knock off original nintendo! Super Mario Bros, here we come!!!
Grandma Livsey sent us hats to keep our heads warm!! Penny found these first and unwrapped the presents in the yard. I had to find them, guess which was for whom and rewrap. Thanks for the help Penny.
Papa Livsey sent everyone light belts to keep us safe in the dark Northern winters.
We had the missionaries over on Christmas Day. They played with a few of the boys new toys. Elder Madsen and Elder Bredsguard are awesome!
Nana Pollan sent this wooden puzzle. The pieces are actual shapes of characters, umbrellas, flowers, etc. The pieces are crazy and hard but we had a great time putting it together. We glued it and hung it on the wall. It's like a little art piece. Ally and I making Kris-Kringle rolls. Old family tradition.
A bit of sledding/four wheeling! I pulled the kids around the yard a bit on the four wheeler. It was pretty fun.




The kids had a great time throwing fire crackers over the railing. Luckily the boys didn't blow their fingers off though I believe it was pretty close a few times. Also, it was freezing out!  Bitter cold but the kids wanted to be on the railing bringing in a new year regardless. Ally and Payzlee made macaroons for a New Year's Party. Ally does a great job making us look good with her delicious treats.
We got a little snow...we had to bring out the snowblower to take care of this drift.

Ally and Penny cleared off the trampoline. It was part of the deal for leaving it up over the winter. SO far she's been keeping up her end of the deal. Penny is always happy to be out in the yard helping with whatever project is happening.
Hair braiding session over Christmas break. She is getting really good at the french braid.
Carter and Tyler played with their jazz band. They had people dancing and everything. It was so fun to watch them.

Ally threw a friends party. They had a great time team building ginger bread houses and running the place into the ground. These girls know how to have fun.

Ally is practicing the piano. She doesn't like it; I make her do it anyway.
This little lady gave me the cutest pedicure...nice job Ally!!
Carter and Tyler are playing in the Concert Band and the Jazz Band right now. They look so handsome in their fancy suits. It's adorable! Sometimes they even have black socks and dress shoes on with their suits. Somedays it's best not to check their feet.

Carter and his trumpet.
We went to the Sportsmans Skihaus and they had the bird association there. This little owl in the box is real, an actual owl!! It was so cute and tiny. It looked like a stuffed animal.
Chick-Fil-A story time delivered by Ally.
We have this dish at the Blue Iguana....almond mole. I am trying to replicate their sauce.

The view from our bedroom window on this cold winters morning. It's pretty spectacular that we get to live here.
The Boyce's invited us out for a tree hunt. We walked all around and picked a little tree to take home with us. It filled our entire house. It is so tall, so much taller than it looked when we were in the forest. Ten dollars, ten dollars...that's how much a tree tag costs. The tree we brought home would cost at least $150 if we bought it at a tree lot. Plus, how much fun is it to wander around a forest and then saw down a tree. It was awesome.



This tree is tall!! It's even taller than Carter and he's getting pretty tall.
Ally, Sophie and I.
These kayaks used to be sitting on our dock. We had a big windstorm come up and blew two of our kayaks right off the dock and into the water. We lost two of them. So sad.
Decking the halls of the church. They host a big celebration and invite other churches and organizations to come over and perform with us. We had a great time getting it properly decorated for the party.
They had to bring in equipment for a little roof work we needed done. Seriously, it's not easy having this tall of a house. I'm just glad we have a roofer willing to go up that tall.
Lane Taylor and Carter discussing scouting matters.
Carter carved this awesome wood piece. He carved it by hand and worked long and hard at it. It was beautiful....I say was because the puppy snuck upstairs and for some reason decided it looked like a dog treat. Penny destroyed it, obliterated it into mulch, wood chips, slivers. It was terrible to see. Penny has eaten many shoes, books, destroyed packages, etc. etc. but the saddest I have ever been was when she ate this piece of art Carter sculpted.
Ally and Selah...I love their friendship. They are the cutest.
We got a little snow. I don't know why it feels like it needs to snow two feet at a time though. It is hard for my four wheeler to push so much snow.
Tyler is working on his robot. These boys stay after school daily to work on their robots. It is fun to see what they are doing.
She enjoys a good meal! She eats so fast and doesn't chew. We are going to need to get her a puzzle bowl like Jessie has.
Carter's Senior pictures.... this kid is one handsome guy. How has the time gone by so quickly.


Indoor soccer. Ally has joined a futsol league. They mostly have games on Saturdays which cuts into our skiing schedule. She loves soccer so much though that she doesn't care.
We went to this awesome film festival. It was a group of short films and was seriously inspirational. There are people out there who are determined, have vision, and are much tougher and grittier than I am. It was a great pick me up during the winter months.
Sunrise over the pond. This is the reward for seeing the boys off to early morning seminary. Gorgeous winter sunrises. I'm not really a fan of a sunrise but if I'm up anyway it sure it pretty.

Band days are always fun for us parents. It is rewarding to see the progress they make from one concert to the next. It is also a relief to hear the progress they make from one concert to the next. It gets easier on the ears every time.