The children were tucked all snug in their......

sleeping bags on the floor of grandma and grandpa's basement. Well, some got a couch.







Gotta love Donovan and Howie Tebowing

Temple Square

We made the trek out to Reno for Christmas this year. We thought it would be fun to surprise the kids and keep it a secret until we left. Matt and I packed their suitcases and all the presents into the car the night before and in the morning we woke the kids up, told them to get dressed and get into the car. The reaction wasn't as good as we hoped for. Once the kids got in the car, they put on a movie, started to play their video games and didn't ask where we were going for a long time. When they finally asked what we were doing, we told them we were going to see some famous lights. They pretty much just said, "oh, okay" and left it at that. So 8 hours later we pull into Salt Lake and head over to Temple Square. It was totally crowded and freezing. The beauty of the lights was lost on our kids. They were tired, cold and cranky. I don't blame them, it had been a rough day of video game playing and movie watching. So after we finish at Temple Square, the kids ask us if we were going back home now. Just to give some background information - the car was packed with suitcases, presents, sleeping backs and blankets. All they had to do was look behind, in front or underneath and they would have noticed everything. We told them we thought they would be lousy detectives because they are no good at gathering evidence. So they look around and come up with their guess: "We're spending Christmas at Temple Square!" We left it at that and headed to the hotel. They do deserve some credit though, they ended up figuring it out later that night.

Nina's ballet recital

We found such a gem with Miss Muffie. She has to be the best ballet teacher for young girls in the whole wide world! And lucky for us she is in Littleton. Miss Muffie puts on two recitals a year, right in her basement. She taught the girls a cute little Nutcracker performance. We all loved it!







After the show she gives all the girls a gift. This year it was a snow globe with a picture of the class inside. Nina was happy to get it.

Howie's Baptism

Howie was baptized on Saturday, December 3rd by his dad. Both sets of grandparents flew here to witness this event and we were so grateful they did. Howie asked his uncle Zach to give a talk on baptism and his Grandpa Marshall to give a talk on the Holy Ghost. His uncles Chris and Adam gave prayers and Donovan played a special musical number. We were so proud of Howie's decision to be baptized. He is a very special boy and we know he has a bright future ahead of him.

Bass Pro Shops

Matt loves to take the kids to Bass Pro Shops any time of the year. He and the kids love to check out the fish and wander the store. I usually go along because I'm a good sport. But at Christmastime, I don't mind going at all. They have so many activities set up for the kids and I love watching them have fun. Sometimes I have no clue where they are, but my motherly instincts let me know they are having a good time. That's what I tell myself at least.









And as an interesting side note. Howie knows all about Santa, yet he is totally freaked out by him this year. He won't go near him. In fact, at our ward Christmas party, he found the farthest room he could and hid there until Santa was gone. He told me, "there's no way I'm sitting on that creepy guy's lap." Just thought I'd document that.

Cute and Crazy

Cute



Crazy



Cute



Crazier. And maybe kind of cute.

Howie turns 8!

I think that Howie had a great day. We did the usual Krispy Kreme breakfast and Chuck E. Cheese dinner. In between I brought him cookies to share with his class and put together a little treasure hunt to find his stash of presents. Being the exact opposite of an awesome mother, I didn't take very many pictures and I gave him an IOU for his birthday party. The treasure hunt was well documented thanks to Howie's father.




Howie had to decide how much he wanted to find his presents. In the end, he thought touching Nina's barbies was a sacrifice he was willing to make in order to find his presents.







Howie ended up with an airsoft rifle and pistol compliments of Grandma and Grandpa Marshall, night-vision goggles thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Bentley, and a pocketknife from us. He can do some serious damage in the dark. We will all beware.