Ho Ho Ho

The boys were excited to see Santa this year at our local grocery store. Justin and I were pleased with all the delicious free samples throughout the store. It was fun! Santa even gave the boys cookies and a little plush polar bear. They each told Santa that they want a Dreamlite for Christmas. Santa asked Nolan if he wants a girlfriend, too. He said, "Nah, I already have one." I think he's referring to his buddy, Jadalyn. She is actually over at our house right now. Nolan is teasing Ez and Jadalyn just said to Nolan, "Would you ever be more kind to your brother!" She's a good influence.

I'm not really proud of our Christmas cards this year. We tried on a couple of occasions to take some good snapshots of the family but they just didn't work out. So this is all I could come up with: the boys' school pictures, a cute brotherly-love type picture, and a picture of Justin and me at Mendenhall Glacier last September during our Alaskan Cruise. There are some friends and family out there that I don't have addresses for, so we wish you all a Merry Christmas!  

Baby #3 is due July 4th!

Christmas Concert to Remember

Justin and I spent the most wonderful evening at the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Christmas concert. It is so hard to get tickets from the random lottery, but luckily my brother-in-law's family had two extras. We thought we'd be attending the mini Sunday morning concert, so we were thankful to see the whole thing. When we heard that Alfie Boe would be the guest singer a few months back, we knew we had to find a way to go. We've loved him ever since we saw the PBS Les Miserables special. And yes, Alfie sang "Bring Him Home." I think he sang it even better than he did in the Les Miserables show.

We knew the performance would be good, but it was far better than we could have imagined. Alfie was amazing and Tom Brokaw's story about the candy bomber was very touching. It was quite a surprise when a curtain revealed Gail Halverson himself (92), the Utah Native who dropped candy to poor children during the Berlin Airlift.

The whole evening was very touching because of that morning's events. I don't understand how anything so horrible as the Sandy Hook elementary school shootings could ever really happen, but it made me so thankful for my kids, the gospel, and the Christmas season. I'm glad to know that no matter what happens, we can be together after this life. At the beginning of the show there was a moment of silence for all those who died in the shooting. I'm just so thankful for my precious kids. I'm thankful for the opportunity to attend... it was a highlight of my year!

Christmas Letter to Bryson

We've been busy getting ready for Christmas. We've just about gotten all of our cards sent out. Nolan made a special letter for his cousin, Elder Lawrence, that is serving in Mexico. He had lots of questions for him! Down below, it says, "I hope you will make it home." He's been doing great with his writing and spelling skills. Click on the picture to see it larger.

The Holidays are On!

We spent Thanksgiving in St. George this year. The weather was so beautiful! The meal was delicious, as always, and it was fun to do a little shopping with my mom and sisters over the weekend. The kids had a wonderful time with Grandpa John. He spoiled them rotten by taking them to the movie, going hiking, having a picnic, riding the carousel, and getting ice cream. He even took all the kids to McDonald's while the rest of the adults could see the final Twilight movie. It was a lovely weekend, other than the sad news that Justin's Grandpa passed away on Thanksgiving Day. He had had a fall previously and hit his head, but the doctors thought he was recovering okay. Unfortunately, he had a massive hemorrhage in his brain that couldn't be helped. Justin was really close to his Grandpa.

Rob and Lacey's family ate at the Rignell's house, but we still got to spend time with them. We missed Grady, Darian, and Bryson. The cousins (minus the cranky toddlers) took this picture to send to Bryson in Mexico. It says "Happy Thanksgiving Elder Lawrence."

After Thanksgiving weekend, we rushed home to repack and then drive to Logan for Grandpa Moulton's funeral. It was a wonderful tribute to him and it was amazing that all of his grandchildren were there. Gina even flew in from Amman, Jordan. Justin was nervous but he gave a beautiful opening prayer. There was a special drawer in the casket for anyone who wanted to write a note or put something in for Grandpa. Nolan and Justin each wrote notes. Nolan told Grandpa how much he always loved his root beer floats. Nolan also made a little decoration out of beads and told Grandpa to hang it up on his wall when he comes back after being resurrected.

It's amazing that it's now Christmas time already. Nolan kept giving me a hard time that everyone else had their Christmas decorations up and we didn't. The boys were very excited to finally decorate the tree. Last weekend provided a warm day so we went to see the lights at temple square. The boys liked the lights but their favorite part was following the water fountain river... something that can be seen year round! Figures. They also loved the amazing window display at Deseret Book. The moving train was quite a sight even for adults.

Grandpa Moulton

Thomas Moulton

November 13, 1924  ~  November 22, 2012

 

LOGAN, UTAH: Tom Moulton, a friend to all that knew him, passed away Thursday, November 22, 2012, surrounded by his family. Tom was born November 13, 1924 to Henry and Maybell Moulton in Heber City, Utah where he enjoyed an idyllic childhood with three brothers, one sister, and numerous cousins and friends. He graduated from Wasatch High School and maintained a close relationship with his classmates until his death.
He married Evva Jean Peay on March 15, 1950 in the Logan LDS temple. They had a wonderful 62 years together with their family and a close group of friends. They enjoyed university activities and a lifetime of service together. She has been a loving and devoted companion.
Tom served in the US Navy in the Pacific during WWII and remained an active member of the American Legion serving as Adjutant for USU’s Post Twelve for 47 years and a logistics officer for five peace corps projects; a member of USU’s Alumni council and was inducted into the Alumni Association’s Hall of Honor. He was always serving in many organizations including Logan Jaycees, Executive committee member of the Alumni council, member of the Utah State’s Old Main Society, a member of the USU Emeriti and the Big Blue Club. He helped found Sigma Alpha Epsilon foundation; which has awarded student scholarships.
He served as Utah State University’s ticket manager for 35 years taking only one sick day during has career. In 1968 he was recognized with the Gerald R. Sherratt special recognition award and in 1967 received the USU Robbin’s Award for “Special Service” and again in 1990 was named “Professional Employee” of the year. Tom leaves a legacy of deep “Aggie” affection. He was a man who was selfless in his devotion to Utah State University.
He was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving faithfully his entire life.
Tom is survived by his loving and devoted wife Evva Jean and children: Dale (MyrLynn Haws) Mardyne Andrews (Craig), Kathi Bischoff (Jon), Karen Campbell (Wayne); 24 grandchildren and 41 great grand-children.
Tom’s greatest joy was his family. He was a man without guile, a man of integrity, who loved unconditionally. He will be remembered for his exemplified service to Utah State University, God, family, and country. He will always be an example to his posterity of a life well lived.
Funeral services will be held at 12 noon, Tuesday, November 27, at the Logan 29th ward at 792 North 500 East, Logan, UT. A viewing will be held Monday evening from 6 p.m.-8:00 p.m. at Allen-Hall Mortuary, 34 East Center Street, and Tuesday morning at the church from 10:00 a.m.-11:30 prior to services. Interment will be at the Logan City Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers-Tom would encourage you to buy a ticket to a USU ball game.

Reflections Contest

Nolan entered two entries into the Reflections contest this year. The theme was "The Magic of a Moment." He made a magic carpet and a photo collage. We were pleasantly surprised to find that he had been invited to the awards ceremony. Nolan was so happy to see that both of his projects were on display that night!
He received an "Award of Merit" ribbon and a $5 Cold Stone gift card for his photography. This is what he wrote for his artist statement:

"The pictures on this art are photos I took on my camera. It feels magical to touch and see flowers. And bees can be magical when they get nectar from their flowers. One of my favorite things is to talk to bees. I tell them that we have their honey for peanut butter sandwiches. For ladybugs, I think that they're magic because when they grow up, their skin doesn't grow so they shed their skin and walk away. It's like different layers. This picture shows the skin after they walked away."
Nolan worked hard on his magic flying carpet. He was excited to pick out thread and fabric at the store, and then he loved working on the sewing machine. He did a great job being so detailed when cutting everything out. His favorite part was choosing which kind of stitch to use. He's all about using the different knobs and features on the machine! For his carpet, Nolan won an "Award of Excellence" ribbon and will be moving on to the next level of competition. He was thrilled when he received a set of clay all his own (since the category for his carpet had been 3D art, now he can do some sculpting!). Here's his artist statement for the magic carpet: "I like magic carpets because I would like to ride on one, so I made a magic carpet. I used the sewing machine and I got fabric at the fabric store to decorate it. And what makes it magic is that it flies!"

 Here are all of the winners, holding their movie ticket that our local theater gave out. What a special night! Nolan was excited that Sabine (front row, left) from his class also won. She called out, "Way to go, Nolan!" While we were out celebrating with ice cream, Nolan kept saying, "I hope that Sabine comes here, too."

 Unfortunately, Dad was out of town for the award ceremony. But Nolan called him right after and told him all about it. Nolan was disappointed that I wouldn't let him pull out the clay at 8 p.m. last night. He's always excited to start in doing arts and crafts! Good job, Nolan! We're proud of your hard work and creativity.

Halloween 2012

Another Halloween has come and gone. All the festivities of the week were fun. Our computer is having issues... so I'll have to edit the red eyes later. We enjoyed a soup dinner and donuts at our ward party. The boys dressed up as minions from the movie Despicable Me. I had seen the idea on pinterest, so I can't take credit. It was fun to see lots of great costumes, though Justin and I didn't dress up. One of these days we will... or maybe not. We sat with the Nelsons. That's our wonderful Bishop Gibbons in the background.

For family home evening we went out to eat at SoDa row in Daybreak and then headed to a corn maze. Nolan had been begging to do a corn maze so we squeezed it in just before they close for the season. Nolan loved it and was a good leader. Ezra didn't love it, but he remained a good boy as long as he was holding and loving an ear of dried corn that he found. The weather was so nice and the moon coming up over the mountains was gorgeous!

On Tuesday, I helped out at Nolan's kindergarten Halloween party. We played bingo, decorated oranges like pumpkins, searched through cooked macaroni for spider rings (all was placed in a big hollowed-out pumpkin), and wrapped each other as mummies. Nolan said it was the best party he's ever had.

Tuesday evening was Ezra's preschool program. He insisted on being a skeleton, rather than a minion. But he's cute either way, so I didn't care. He had been saying that he didn't want to sit in his seat and sing the songs, so I was worried. But he started out great. As the kids were introduced, Ez walked in and did a giant jumping turn to show his costume. He had some great energy going. Song #1 went okay, and then he really got into song #2... Witch's Brew. I took a little video that I'll try to post later. But as that song was winding down, he plopped in his seat and said, "I'm done." He tunneled his way under the other chairs and then came to sit with me for the remaining songs. We couldn't get him to go back up. But he did so good for that one song, so it was okay. Good job, little skeleton!

 Trick-or-treating was fun because Grandma K. came for dinner and then went down our street with us. The first 4 houses we went to didn't answer the door so Ezra yelled, "This is stupid!" But once we got to the houses with candy, he was thrilled. He was out for about 45 minutes before he said, "I think I'm sleepy." Dad came to get him and then Nolan and I stayed out for another 45 minutes. Nolan's our walker/hiker so he doesn't get tired easily. But it was too long. We did NOT need that much candy... even if it was fun! They had a wonderful time sorting through it at home and didn't get to bed until nearly 10 o'clock. I guess that's the fun of Halloween... staying up late all hopped up on sugar. Doesn't it seem right that Halloween always be on the last Friday of October? That would be nice if they didn't have school the next day. 

 When we got home I gave Nolan a "war head" candy, telling him they're yummy. He wasn't happy that it was totally disgusting and didn't appreciate my trick. Then Ezra licked one but he was too smart to put it all the way in his mouth.

Jump!

The boys were having so much fun launching themselves off of their little stool that I had to grab the camera. They had even more fun striking a pose in the air!

Chit Chat

I gave Nolan a squeeze after school today and told him, "I miss you while you're at Kindergarten." (This is a self-esteem booster; Kindergarten isn't actually long enough to truly miss him!) He smiled and accepted my hug.
But Ezra was in the other room listening and he said, "Mom, I miss you when you're in my tummy."
I chuckled and said, "You're funny, Ezra." He looked a little embarrassed and then said, "I mean... I miss you when you're at Zumba!"

October

Here's what has been going on around here during the past month:

Nolan has worked hard on two Reflections contest entries. He loves to use the sewing machine so he decided to make a magic carpet. And he also practiced his picture-taking skills in the backyard. He captured some great up-close pictures of bees, bugs, and flowers. You might be wondering what happened to Nolan's head... we were at a friends' house and they had a neighbor boy visiting. This boy was going through some hard things and threw a heavy, wooden toy at Nolan's head. It was bloody and traumatic (as head wounds are), but he got over it quick. It only shows much when he's had a fresh haircut. 

We went to the rainy pumpkin walk but the boys still enjoyed the blow-up slide immensely and I didn't have to make lunch. 

Ezra had a field trip with his preschool class to the dentist. Ez almost volunteered to have his teeth x-rayed but then changed his mind. He was happy to just watch Sophia get checked. 

Nolan scored the most awesome goal at his soccer game a couple of weeks ago. That means that he has now scored more goals than his parents combined! Yeah, Justin and I are definitely not sporty so we were surprised and thrilled when Nolan made a goal. And the best part was that he was so proud of himself. He looked over at us with double thumbs up. Later, he walked over and said, "What do you think of me now?" Soccer is winding down, with only one game left, but he's really done so well. He may not be the most aggressive but we'll work on that. We were afraid he'd decide he didn't want to play, but it turns out that he might have some talent. 

The boys have been bringing home some fun projects. Ezra always runs out of preschool with a huge smile on his face, ready to show me what he's done that day. They love arts and crafts. Ezra is even starting to love drawing. He's really good at drawing circles! 

Ezra was invited to a Halloween party at our neighbor's house. He insisted on being a skeleton even though I prepared a different costume for him. It was a lively event with ten toddlers running around. It was fun to have an event just for Ezra while Nolan was at school. 

And this morning we woke to find the first snow of the season. I'm never ready for the snow to fly, but the boys were so excited! Nolan wouldn't get ready for school because he just wanted to sit in front of the window and watch the snow. Mind you, it wasn't snowing anymore, he just wanted to stare at the dusting of snow on the grass. They were disappointed to find that it had melted within an hour. 

Sometimes the boys like to fall asleep cuddling together in Nolan's bed. We move them later, but sometimes I can't help snapping a photo. I don't think I could sleep like that. Too many arms. Too little space. 

 Nolan has recently made a new friend. When we got back from our cruise, he was telling his grandmas that he's in love and that this girl has changed his life. Come to find out he was talking about Jadalyn, a girl in our ward. They had never met until kindergarten because she's in an older primary class. They've only played outside of school one time, but it turns out that their relationship has gotten more serious. I got a note from their teacher saying that there was a little too much hugging, hand-holding, and even kissing going on. I guess when asked to stop, Nolan would say, "But we love each other!" I had to have a little talk with him that he needs to cool it and keep his hands (and lips) to himself. But really, I think it's pretty funny. They're so young and innocent and I'm happy that Nolan has a good friend in his class. And can you blame Nolan? She's a lovely little lady!

  And last month (I forgot to ever post this before), Justin was part of the regional conference choir that was held at the Conference Center. He was really excited to be a part of the big event. We left Ezra with Aunt Lacey during the meeting, but it was fun for Nolan and I to watch Dad way up in the choir seats and see him on the huge screen. They sounded really good! Here's the group from our ward that participated.

 And last of all, we got Nolan's school pictures back. I was thinking that we wouldn't even bother buying them, but when I saw how important it was to Nolan I realized we should. He told us that he wanted to look his best. He made sure to put gel in his hair that day. We asked, "Are you sure you want to wear your church clothes?" He said, "Yes, I have to be handsome for picture day!" Well, he really he a handsome kid. I'm so glad we have record of that big kindergarten smile! 

Ketchikan Off-Roading

Ketchikan is such a cute little town. It was fun to see Creek Street even though we only had about 30 minutes to look around. Luckily we came across some seals (or are they sea lions???) that were having some fun. One was mercilessly chasing around a fish, catching it and letting it go. I thought humans were the only ones that play with their food. And another one was basking in the warm sun. So cute! In the background you can Dolly's house. Back in the older days, Dolly and her gals were there to meet the needs of all those hard workin' men, if you get my drift. I wish we'd had more time to stroll around. We were so thankful for the 65 degree weather! Even though I was feeling bad that I bought rain jackets for the trip. We didn't use them once!

 

Then we were off to do some off-roading in the wilderness. This shore excursion was a splurge, we'll admit. But there's something about driving fast through potholes and rocky terrain that Justin can't resist. And I actually did some driving and it really was fun! We took a 30 minute bus ride to a more remote area of the island and got all buckled into these Tomcars. We would ride caravan style, following a guide and being brought up in the rear by another guide. Well, they gave a brief little lesson about how to start and then we'd be off. As I looked to my side, I realized that an older man (maybe 60) was having trouble listening to the directions, "Put your left foot on the brake." I realize that most people don't drive with the left foot on the brake, but he just wasn't getting it even after repeated directions. I knew this might be a problem. But we got started and were having a great time! Here we are:

After about 10 minutes, we pulled up to our guide and waited for everyone to catch up. It turned into a long wait. Sure enough, that couple from Hong Kong were THE SLOW CAR! We ended up spending a significant time waiting for them. Our guide told us not to slow down for bumps and potholes but this didn't sink in with them. We were disappointed that we had to spend so much time waiting for them to catch up. While we were actually driving, we did have a great time. We stopped at some gorgeous view areas, one atop a hill and the other down near a lovely waterfall. Unfortunately, it was time to head back all too soon. One of the guides confessed that they usually take two other side roads and do a brief obstacle course at the end, which we didn't have time for. It's painful to pay a lot for this kind of thing and then realize you didn't get  to do everything. On top of that, we ended up getting back and waiting 20 minutes for the bus to take us to the ship. Grrrr! We had to keep reminding ourselves that what we did really was fun, and that we shouldn't focus on what we didn't get to do. While waiting, I did get to pet this cute dog, Shadow. I knew the boys would have loved this friendly pup. We made it back to the cruise ship with no time to spare. In fact, on the bus ride back our driver was radioed and asked when we'd arrive. We walked on the ship and 5 minutes later they pulled up the gangway. We were off to Victoria, B.C. where we actually didn't get off the ship at all. It was 8 p.m. and dark when we arrived so it didn't seem that appealing to wander around a dark town. The next morning we enjoyed our last breakfast in the dining room and it was home to our sweet boys!