Merry Christmas & Happy 3rd Birthday, Zerin! December 2013

 Hooray for snow!  It snowed the beginning of the month and stayed all month long.  Love having a white Christmas!

Lydia before her first dance recital

Lydia loves to make all kinds of crafts.  She's so fun and creative!

 Christmas morning!  Santa brought Hyrum an ipod, Lydia a doll, Zerin a buzz light year ride on 4wheeler and Porter a playskool ride on/bounce toy.  All Hyrum wanted for Christmas was an ipod and once again, Santa caved!

 We had a wonderful simple Christmas.  The gifts were all needed or something we'll all enjoy like games.  Roger came over and enjoyed a few hours of games and ate brunch with us (sweet potato pancakes, elk sausage patties & scrambled eggs).

Zerin's birthday dinner at Fiesta

Zerin is the peacemaker in our home.  He is always loving, kind and sharing.  He has such a tender heart that it naturally rubs off on the rest of us.  What a blessing it is to have Zerin in our family!

He enjoyed his birthday hat and song

 Happy 3rd Birthday, Zeriboo!  You are such a sweet & loving little boy.  You bring so much joy into our home!  So happy we could celebrate your birbay (that's how he said it until Lydia insisted on teaching him the correct way).  Also, at the beginning of the season he called Christmas "Mismis".  For weeks Zerin had been saying he wanted to go swimming for his birbay so we went to the only pool around-- the Payette pool.  I sure love this little guy!

We spent the week of New Year's at our cabin in Council.  New Year's Eve day Jon and I got out and enjoyed a hike to some hot springs on the river.  We didn't end up sitting in it because it was a little cool.  It was still great to get out and hike!

On Zerin's birthday we traded our '07 Tundra in for a new 2014.  We actually downgraded a little but we needed the bench seat option in the front to be able to fit our family.  It's so much more enjoyable now that everyone has their own seat!

I look like I have antlers on my head... it's just some sticks but Jon shot this one perfectly :)

Sure love my amazing husband!

 Zim's Hot Spring.  We had lots of fun swimming at Zim's a few times this month.  Zerin's favorite part is the Dora life jacket.  Dad and Hyrum spend most of their time playing basketball.  Lydia does a little of everything and helps me play with the two little boys.  Zerin is a fish and LOVES to swim.  I took his life jacket off to hold him for a little while and he kept telling me, "I swim by myself, I swim by myself," as he tried to squirm out of my arms.  Porter loves playing in the water as well.

Porter LOVES basketball right now.  He carries one around almost non-stop and grunts at his Dad to lift him up to shoot baskets in Council.  At home he's got a small hoop he loves to play on.  It's quite adorable!

 Hyrum's becoming quite the all-star basketball player.  When we're in Council he's always playing a game with his dad.

 There were a couple rather large dogs wandering inside and Porter had no hesitation about checking them out.  Porter's favorite activity right now is to shoot baskets.  He absolutely LOVES it!  We brought our small hoop home from Council so Porter walks around with the ball in his hand grunting for his Dad to pick him up and let him shoot on the tall hoop.  At home he plays non-stop on his small hoop.  Out of all our kids he loves basketball the most at this age.  It's quite adorable!

Zerin loves to dress up.  Too bad most of our dress up is girly :)

Zerin and his FAVORITE sissy!

 A little early Christmas.  We let the kids open their gifts from Howard and Gloria.

Zerin enjoying his new shirt, hat and computer from Gloria.

 My new apron and Hyrum with his new Sonicare.

Ward Christmas dinner/program

Zerin loves to say, "Porter has chubby teeth."  It's so fun to watch them play together.  They're already the best of friends.

Dinner with the new Sister Missionaries and Korey.  The usual right now- breakfast burritos.