Temple Square Lights

On Monday we met up with Neal's sisters and strolled around Temple Square to see the lights. It was so much fun. Max and the twins are at such a fun age. Christmas and everything that comes along with it is so exciting . I absolutely love it. I wish they could stay this age at Christmas time forever.

Our Christmas Tree

So here is another requested picture. Our Christmas tree. I hestiate to put it on the blog because it is so sad. I have given up trying to keep ornaments on it. As you can see the bottom half is quite bare. Our boys love pulling everything off and throwing it either at each other or back at the tree. The other day they took off all the ball ones they could find and decided to have a "pretend" snowball fight. Good thing I had enough sense to buy "shatterproof" ornaments.

Master Bedroom Remodel

We had a request by Neal's mom. She wanted to see some pictures of our newly "remodeled" bedroom. This is another attempt to help our home be more appealing to potential buyers. Our realtor helped us put casing around the bay and window inside the bay. We painted, bought a new bed set, and put up some curtains. Our realtor also let us borrow the computer desk and mirror to help stage the room. What do you all think?

The first day of the season with any real significant amount of snow fall. It has actually been a very dry November for us, but December 1st rolled in and we woke up to about 4 inches in Sp Fork. Neal actually woke up early and slipped-slided his way to the toy store so he could be there when it opened at 7 am. We found out last night that one of the toys we want is restocked every night and sells out everyday. It was a successful venture because we got the toys and the car made it back with out damage. Actually, by the time Neal got home the roads had been plowed and salted so it wasn't too bad. As soon as he walked in the door, the boys had to point out that it was snowing (as if he didn't notice) and express their immediate desire to go out and play. Any hopes Neal had of going back to bed for a while were dashed. Max already had his boots on and the twins were trying to dress themselves. We built this snow man, and yes, it has a tail. We also had a snowball fight. I won because I kept tagging Neal when he was throwing snow at the twins, and I made Max cry when I threw an oversized snowball squarely at his face. It filled his hood and his ears with snow. Despite the crying he stayed in the game. We also went to the slides which were especially slick. The boys would fly off the end and land bum first on the pile of snow at the bottom. It was a lot of fun. We finished off with some sandwiches and hot cocoa for lunch.

ps. If you want to know what the toys are that were so important that Neal risked life and limb, you'll have to wait for Chirstmas just like the rest of us.

Wood and Rain

The framing and roofing went up pretty fast. Good thing too. Friday when Neal stopped to get these picture is was rain changing to snow. You can see part of the front of our house and the basement. The "Dirt Patch" is really coming along.

We have a foundation!

Two sundays before Thanksgiving we stopped by the "Dirt Patch." Check out the view of the mountains. Not too bad. Also, the building you can see behind our van is the elementary school. We're pretty excited.

Max was the super star at preschool the week before Thanksgiving. It's a pretty big deal. He got to bring snacks, show and tell items, and be the teacher's special helper for the week. Max also went to the doctor this week. He was very tough and did not cry this time while getting his shot. (which we can't say for the twins, but hey they all take after their dad) Max did weigh in at a wopping 48 lbs and measured 43.5 inches. He is officially off the charts in both categories. We're very proud of him; he is learning a lot and really growing up.

Sundy Attire

We just thought our boys looked pretty cute one day so we took some pictures...

Our Lot

So for those of you who don't know. We finally decided to build a house. We still haven't sold but we actually showed it three times last week and once already this week. We are being hopefully. This is a picture of our lot and the outline for the excavator to dig. There is currently a hole now. I'm sure Neal will get an updated picture as he wants pictures of every phase of the building process. We are so excited about the lot. We chose the biggest lot they had which was .27 acres. We can't wait for the kids to have a place to run and destroy outside.

Halloween Fun

The boys had a great time trick or treating. Neal took them out and I got to stay home and hand out treats. They were gone for quite awhile and they even stopped by just for a moment to show me their spoils. I tried to get Josh to put a coat on but he refused I think because it would take too much time away from the receiving of more treats in his bag. I can't wait for them to run out of treats. I feel like a terrible parent because they are eating treats 24 hours a day and I know a dentist trip will be unavoidable in the near future.

Goblin Valley

Here are some pictures taken around Neal's birthday. Neal, his dad and brothers-in-law took a trip to Goblin Valley. I think it was a pretty fun trip and an opportunity to have a couple of days with the guys.
On a side note: I wanted to update everyone on Neal's condition. He had a doctors appointment last week and he was happy to report that the current medication he is on has significantly lowered his liver enzyme levels to almost normal levels. This means he will be taking this medication for the rest of his life or at least for the next 10+ years until a transplant is necessary.
We couldn't be happier to finally get some good news from the doctor about Neal's condition. In the mean time he will have ultrasounds every six months and an upcoming scan to make sure they have found the actual source of the problem in his bile ducts. I can't remember the name of the scan but he will have to be sedated for the procedure.

The kids are scary in their halloween costumes. We went to the activity at the church. Max was so patient and so determined to win a cupcake in the cupcake walk. They never called his number so his dad had to go rig the drawing so his good efforts could pay off.

The Twin's New Found Career

As you can probably guess the twins have discovered their artistic side. Neal and I have discovered that we need to put or throw things away quickly before a new use is found. Here comes the story...Neal and I have been trying to fix up our house a little bit as most of you know we are STILL trying to sell our town home. One of the idea's that was suggested to us was to try staining the cement in our back patio. It's pretty inexpensive and not too hard to do. Well the day after it was finished, we left the remaining stain sitting outside. You can probably figure out the rest of the story. The twins just thought we forgot to finish staining and were helping us finish by staining the fence. Thanks boys! It took us a week and a lot of steel wool and paint stripper to finally remove it all.
They also decided to knock our very "expensive" charcoal grill off our rock wall into the stain that they had also sprayed on the cement ( I guess the thought we had missed some spots.) That's what you see in the middle picture along with the fence staining.

Potatoes and Cake

Here's the story with this....   Since it was fast sunday we made potatoes and chicken in the crock pot.  I made it so you'll have to ask Rachael about the quality of the cusine.  She and I both had two helpings though, so it couldn't have been that bad.  Max, however, has never really eaten potatoes in any form.  The twins will eat them, but not today for some reason.  Well, I also made a chocolate sheet cake.  The boy's were all given the rules about eating their potatoes and chicken if they wanted cake.  Rachael and I stuck to our guns on this, (pretty much).  Josh ate the best, but none of the three ate enough to qualify for cake.  Dinner was cleaned up and the cake came out.  Rachael and I did not hide our cake, so you can probably imagine the cries and wallows that came.  The twin's fight did not last too long.  Max, however, showed more tenacity.  I spelled out the rules for him again.  He explained to me that he didn't want to eat potatoes because they "make noises".  What he meant was that he gags and chokes when he eats potatoes.  I told him that it didn't matter and that he would have to eat a helping of potatoes if he wanted cake.  Finally he asked if he could have a plate of potatoes instead of a plate of cake.  I served him a small helping.  Then of course we went through the rigamaroll of how many potatoes he actually had to put down to qualify.  Max started the negotiations at about two.  I started somewhere in the 130s.  Realistically I would have been happy if he were in the 10-12 range.  We settled on one round of 5 then 5 more. (10 was too much for him).  
I don't know how many he actually put down but every bite was quite the production.  
Rachael and I started laughing.  Then Rachael asked how many I would actually force him to eat before he would get cake.  She was thinking this was a case of the spirit being willing but the flesh being too weak to carry out the ordeal.  I have to give Max some respect for his willingness to do what needed to be done to earn the prize.  Josh and Tanner did not return for potatoes, but lest you think I have no heart, they did get a couple small bites later before they went to bed.

Football season is here!

Tanner could hardly wait for foot ball season to start as he fell asleep on his grandma's bed.  Well, it has started now!!  We even watched a few minutes of a local high school game on TV the other night.  Tanner and Josh would not let me change the channel for anything.

Rachael as a Triathalete!

Rachael competed in the Cache Valley Classic Triathalon on Saturday (Aug. 4).  She did very well.  Her overall time was 01:52:48.90. You can see her results and splits etc. in the picture.  (Sorry about the swimming picture.  It is kind of a where's Waldo.  I took a couple but people kept walking in front of me.) The event included a 750 meter swim, followed by a 12.5 mile bike, and finishing with a 5K (3.2 m) run.  Rachael's biggest complaint was that someone put some hills on the bike and run routes.  Oddly enough, there were not hills on the swim, but Rachael said she still couldn't swim in a straight line.  Congratulations to Rachael, this is a great accomplishment for her.  Her boys enjoyed watching and cheering mom on the bike and run etc.

Max's 4th Birthday

Max had a very successful 4th birthday. We invited the neighbor kids and some kids from Max's sunbeam class. They had a great time playing in our little pool and sprinker but had even more fun playing in the sand box. Max requested a snake cake for his birthday so if you are wondering what his cake is supposed to be, now you know. He loved all of his presents, especially his fire truck tent, tractor tricycle, and tee ball set. Max is such a great kid. We can't believe how fast he is growing.

Jeremy and the Boys

I just thought this was a cute picture of Jeremy and our boys. It looks like I had them pose or something. They just love Jeremy and as soon as he arrives he gets a good work out, preforming all types of requests. From the bull to the steamroller, he stays pretty busy and usually ends up falling asleep on the floor due to exhaustion.

4th of July Activities

The Fourth of July was filled with all kinds of fun activities. The day started with a early morning drive to see the hot air balloons. We got there just in time to see them leave the ground. The boys talked about seeing them all day. It was a big hit.

We later met up with Neal's sisters up American Fork Canyon and had a little barbeque. The boys loved the stream nearby and before we even got a chance to eat they were soaked.
The day ended with a fireworks show in Provo. This is the first year I finally gave in to Neal and let the boys stay out late to watch them. I think the show was a little loud because all the twins would do was hide their faces and all they would say was "loud". Max just laid and watched them with his hands over his ears. (I know this is not the best picture of me. I was looking pretty weary by the end of the day.)

The 4th was a busy and very long day (starting at 6:00 a.m. and going until midnight) but I think it will be a memorable day.

Neal's sister Shelly took us to the Aquarium in Salt Lake. It's a lot smaller then the two they have seen in Atlanta and California but they loved it nonetheless. They got to touch Starfish, watch the Jellyfish, and point out Nemo and Dori. They also had story time while we were there and lots of fun tunnels in the "coral reef" for the boys to run and explore in. For some reason in these pictures Josh refused to smile. Every time I told them to smile he would immediately make a frowny face. So don't believe the picture, everyone (including Josh) had a great time.

Neal had his gallbladder removed.

Neal had gallbladder surgery on Wednesday. Be warned the pictures here are not for those with a weak stomach. (I wonder, does that include Neal now?) Anyway, the surgery went well. It was laparoscopic so Neal has 5 little "pokes" mostly on the right side of his belly. He has been sore and isn't supposed to lift anything for a few weeks. The doctor also took a biopsy of his liver. His enzyme levels were reading high along with his over sized spleen. We won't know a whole lot more about that until Neal meets with the doctor again on Wednesday (20th). He'll go back to work this week and resume as close to normal activity as possible.