never fear...

Whenever there is danger all around. Whenever help cannot be found. Whenever you want to see something very cute...It's Blanket Man!!!
Benjamin loves his comic books and has noticed his comic book characters reading their own comic books about super heroes. He decided he needed to be a super hero and has been using the blanket from his bed (getting all tangled up!) as a cape. So I took some of his blanket material and made him a proper cape. The outcome is pretty cute:

And of course no hero is complete with out a villain...or two...introducing the Pillow Villains (insert boo and hiss here)...

And his trusty sidekick, Spaghetti Man (his best friend Aaron)...

Yes, I am a nerd, but when the boys asked me to make a cape with a bowl of spaghetti, I figured I have to take the bonding moments when they come. How else can I earn my Super Mom Cape (which by the way, when I came jumping down the stairs with my cape and spatula/tickle stick, everyone just stared at me...I guess for now I'll have to settle for being Alfredina, the maid!)

I don't know about you, but I feel a little safer knowing that Blanket Man is on the job!!

Spring Training and Jack-o-lanterns

We seem to be a bit confused about which season it is around here. The last two days we've had 8-10 kids in our front yard playing baseball. Not sledding, not snowball fights, baseball!! I have to admit, I think it's awesome. I just wish we had a better yard for it!!
And before Benjamin starts actually getting teeth back, we need a picture of his jack-o-lantern smile!! He kept losing them and losing them, and they're finally starting to come back. Of course after posing him for several shots, the only one that really looks like Ben is the one with butter on his face. So, there you have it ladies and gentlemen, our son Ben and his current smile while eating toast!

Down the hill, going faster...

We found an untouched sledding hill on Saturday, which was a good thing because now our snow has melted!! These boys love the snow!

Some more snow shots from this winter:
Apparently, even the big boys like to build "BIG" snowmen!
I was welcomed home from running one Saturday with all the boys ushering me upstairs for a nice, warm shower because I deserved it...or because this was waiting for me!!! They are so funny!! New version of an ice bath!!

Welcome Two thousand, eleven

I've decided I like Two thousand, eleven better than Twenty, eleven. It just sounds better.

Best. New Year's Tradition. Ever.

I love to look back on a year and see what it brought us. Though there are always many ups and downs, the ups far outweigh the downs and they are usually the things we remember the most. As we reflected this week, we noticed that we had a lot of fun this year and here are some of the memories of 2010 that stand out:

• Family Vacations!!! We love being to travel as a family and 2010 we had a lot of fun trips. We went to Disneyland and Legoland in January, Arches National park in April, Yellowstone in May, Phil and I went to Chicago in June, Mesa Verde in July, and a mini trip to the Homestead in October. We also enjoyed Bear Lake and trips to grandmas and grandpas in there. I've decided it is one of the great blessings of living back in Utah...being able to take vacations other than to Utah and they are wonderful!! Man, what a fun year!
  

• Money, money, money! I wish I could say we have more money than we did last year, but we have definitely spent more money this year than we ever have! We were able to make, for us, a huge dent on our home and bring down our mortgage payment (hooray!) and we also needed a new van towards the end of the year. So though our savings account has gone up and down, up and down, we now own more than we owe on our home and have a sweet new ride!! I had some requests when we got our van to post a picture. But I just couldn't yet, it would be like having the fiance in the family picture!! We had to make sure it would work out before showing the world!! I'm happy to report that now that we've spent more time together and gotten "a little dirt on the tires" we can post a picture of our new, filthy family van:

• A love of reading!! Benjamin started second grade with a "motivation" provided by his parents to read more willingly. With a new reading chart, Ben was to read 100 chapter books to earn whatever he wanted. His prize changed almost weekly as he dreamed about what he'd earn, but (ha, ha) in the process we earned a little boy who loves reading and has read many books above his age level. There are nights Phil and I have forgotten about him and he'll call out and ask if he can turn off the light. Uh, yes sweetheart!! (And the prize he finally chose was a $20 mario set...well worth its price in gold!!)
  

• ALMOST living the dream!! I don't think I can look back on this year without including ALMOST qualifying to run the Boston Marathon. It was such a disappointment to me to come so close (18 seconds!), but what a lesson in life. We can try our hardest and still not be one of the elite. Sometimes almost is as close as we get. Jacob's baseball team was one game away from being in the championship game in June. We loved his team and I'm not sure who was more disappointed, him or us. But life goes on. Jacob's coach said,"Always remember you were an Angel and you were great." Love it.
  

• Orchard 5th Ward Bishopric! Phil has been serving in our bishopric and it has been such a great experience. We were both shocked when he was called a couple of years ago, but it has strengthened him and our family in great ways. This morning we rang in the new year with a new bishopric in our ward. It will be nice to have Phil home more often and exciting to see what comes next, but we are a bit melancholy as we think of him being released. I'm so grateful to be a part of such a wonderful church. From the time we are small we are pushed out of our comfort zone as we speak, sing and serve in various capacities. We are given opportunities that help us learn and grow. I'm thankful for a Heavenly Father who put His trust in Phil to serve in this capacity (and to Bishop Heaps for trusting Heavenly Father!) It has strengthened my testimony that He know us, what we need and when we need it.

We hope that Two thousand, eleven is a great year and that it brings new opportunities, experiences and joy!! May it be a good one for you!