Jonas Brother's Concert

Several months back I decided I wanted to surprise Courtney with an early Christmas present and take her and a friend to Las Vegas to see the Jonas Brother's in concert. Courtney has been begging to see them for a couple of years but I just kept telling her she was too young to go to a concert. The day I was on the computer buying the tickets she came into the room and I told her I was Christmas shopping online and that she couldn't see the screen. I told her she was going to love what I just bought, then she said "well unless it's Jonas tickets it's probably not that great." I then said "Oh you're probably right, it's not quite as good as that - he he he."

We told the kids we were going to California the day after Thanksgiving for a little trip, but actually we were headed to Las Vegas. I thought that if I told them the truth Courtney would figure it out. We told her she could take a friend and she invited Bethany Holmgren. So off we went and stayed at the Planet Hollywood Hotel - the newspaper's were full of news about the concert, so I tucked the tickets in the newspaper and handed it to Courtney and told her there was a great article about the Jonas Brother's in it. When she opened it (or actually when Bethany opened it, because Court was messing with her Ipod) she just stared at the tickets and and "WHAT THE HECK!" Then she said "I need a new outfit!"

I took them to the concert after nearly getting squished to death in the t-shirt line. 12,000 teenage girls is quite the sight! It was so much fun to surprise her and come to find out, Bethany knew all along (she was going to back out of coming when their basketball coach called a practice over the Thanksgiving break. Her Mom had to tell her of the plan so she would still come with us) but didn't spill the beans. Way to keep a secret Bethany! The only one that felt ripped off was Alec, he really wanted to go to California! All in all it was a fun trip, the girls also had fun going to Madame Tussaud's Wax museum while Tim took the little boys swimming. They took lot's of fun pictures and definitely made some memories.


At the MGM Grand right before the concert

Right after we surprised them with the tickets

Bethany and Courtney watching TV in the hotel

Courtney watching the Jonas Brother's

on TV on Thanksgiving day...little did

she know, she would be at their concert

2 days later!

Need I say more...

Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum

Another sighting...

Hey there cowboy...

Zac Efron - High School Musical

Cameran Diaz, Bethany & Courtney

On our way to the wax museum

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was delicious and wonderful. We spent the day at Cynthia & Sterling's house. There were 24 of us. It is noisy, a little chaotic, but great to spend time as a family... Something we rarely do these days.

Jason, Amber and their boys came from Idaho. It is always delightful to see the twins and how they have grown and changed, as well as see how much Jaden has grown. We miss them and wish we could see them more.

I am truly blessed with an abundant life - full of family, friends and wonderful blessings!

Sterling "The Turkey"

Mom making the gravy

Digesting the fabulous meal!

Melissa & Courtney

Matthew found a costume in the toy closet...

Still my dress-up boy!

Michael - don't worry be happy!

Jaden

Dad and Tim

Tyler and Brittany

Jason & Logan

It's a fight to get some skin off the turkey! Our favorite!

Mom & Cynthia

Amber, Jason with Brigham & Brighton - I can't tell

you which one they are holding because we can't

tell them apart!!

The kids end of the table

What a crowd!

Halloween

Oh Happy Halloween! I am always very happy to have this holiday over with. I know the kids love it, but I find it annoying to come up with costumes and spend money on such nonsense! I know, I know, I'm no fun! But the kids had a great time and we got a few laughs at the trunk or treat. You will see our friend Sean Weight dressed up like Jack Black in "Nacho Libre." We were making jokes about how real men wear their "stretchy pants." If you haven't seen the movie you won't appreciate this joke, but I swear he was the spitting image! Oh so funny!


Courtney & Kiley Williams - isn't she a dainty
little thing?

Alec and his friends - Jacob Anderson and Kayson Oss

Alec as a "Goth Skateboarder" at his school parade.

Karen Weight and her "Nacho in stretchy pants!"

Matthew as the "Hulk"

Alec & Kayson

Alec, carving his pumpkin - why this is the only

picture we took I don't really know...who was in charge

here?

St. George with "The Club"

Well, it was the annual girls trip with "The Club" - which is, (for those of you that don't know) what we call our group of high school friends that have been getting together once a month for dinner since 1987. Each fall we head to St. George for the weekend and shop, eat, laugh, play bingo, eat, laugh, shop and did I mention eating and laughing? We have a great time and enjoy spending time together. I have to explain a couple of the pictures below! Four years ago my friends thought it would be funny to by a thong (no, not the kind you wear on your feet, those are flip flops now - get with the program!) and put it in my wallet. Then when I go to pay for breakfast on the last morning there it is! I always have a fit of embarrassment because if you know me at ALL - you know I would NEVER buy, let alone wear a nasty thong! So for the last 4 years I have been trying to think up something to do with these thongs. So I decided to frame them and give one to each of my friends. So at breakfast, I passed out these nicely wrapped gifts
to each one of them. I gave each thong a name and needless to say, we laughed pretty hard and then I insisted they get their pictures taken with their gift. I told them we were even now, but I'll be darned if I didn't get a new one when I opened my purse at bingo!

Jammied up, getting ready to watch a movie at

the condo - Shelley Jensen & Alison Peterson

Me and Jennifer Hanson - snuggling under her

blankie!

Cindy Nelson - talking on her phone, what a pose!

Can we fit all this in the car? Yes we can!!

Cindy, Alison & Jen getting a pedicure!

Shelley with "Madame Butterfly"

Jen with "The Red Hot Chili Pepper"

Cindy with "The Blue Pearl"

Alison with "Orange Blossom"

And a good time was had by all......

Toothless Matt!

Well, it has been an interesting couple of weeks. Matthew came home from preschool missing the crown on his front tooth. He felt it fall out and put it in his pocket. Of course this was just as the fall break was starting so his regular dentist was out of town, so another cemented it back in for us. Well the next day Matt was complaining of a bad headache and crying quite a bit - at least until the Advil kicked in. Then the next day his lip was all swollen and his nose was even looking weird, the headache was still there and there was a blister above the tooth that had been cemented back in. By this time it's Saturday and there are NO dentists to be found. We ended up at Urgent Dental Care and he had to have both of his front teeth pulled out due to infection! Even if we treated the infection they were afraid the infection would come back and start damaging his permanent teeth. So out they came! He will be toothless for about a year and half, but hey you can't ruin a face like his!



All I want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth!


Toothless Matt!


After preschool in his spider hat - he wouldn't
show me his teeth for the picture!


It was like pulling teeth to get this picture! he he he
Finally got the shot - Just a stump of a tooth under the crown!

Matthew & Avery

We get to tend Melissa & Steve's baby Avery every Tuesday morning for a few hours. Last week Matthew decided she needed to have her hair spiked like his. He kept going back and forth to the bathroom to wet his hands and then would rub the water on Avery's head. She was so patient and didn't even fuss. She is such a pleasant, good baby - Matthew calls her his "bestest" cousin.

Matthew is still playing dress up - He found the snowmobiling masks in the closet and wore one around all morning the other day. I get such a kick out of seeing him watch TV with a costume on. He brings such joy to my day - what will I do when he goes to school full time?


Spiking Avery's hair


He spiked his own hair too... don't you love it
when they get independent? Ahhh!


Matthew the masked...


They started out watching TV together -
Then they just zonked right out....