Days after Christmas

 The days after Christmas have been fun. I love that there is no schedule and the weather is good. We try to be outside as much as possible.
The day after Christmas we had a few cousins over. Total kids were 12 and they all had a ball. I love that my kids are getting to know their cousins, even their second cousins.
Easton, Keelie, Jay, Wyatt, Hannah, Kate, Jack, Annie, Jacob, Ty, Rowen and Abby

Kaden got a BB gun for Christmas so Ryan took the boys and Kate and Keelie out shooting. The boys all shot their BB guns and even hit the can a few times. They need a lot more practice though to become sharpshooters. Jay, Kaden, Kate, Keelie and Jack

Jay got all of the NFL team helmets. He will line them all up and have a tournament. The teams will "play" each other until there are only two teams left. The winner of that "game" is the Super Bowl Champion. He does this at least once a day and it's usually the Saints or the Redskins who win. Jay also put the helmets on his ears to become a spy. He was happy and I got a good laugh out of it so I didn't stop him.

 

Merry Christmas

 

Christmas 2012 has come and gone and it was a great one. I really do love this time of year and all that it represents. I love being reminded of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and all He has done for me and us. I love watching my kids light up when they open presents and see what Santa Claus has brought. I love watching my kids get into the 12 Days of Christmas and making sure they don't get caught and wanting to do it again next year. I love the Sunday before Christmas and hearing our amazing choir sing all the Christmas songs and the great speakers speak about Christ. I really do love everything about this season.

Kate always gets a new dress for Christmas and Easter. The boys just get to wear the same old clothes. Kate loves to pose and the kids love to make funny faces. 

Christmas Eve we went with our friends and rode in the back of a trailer to look at Christmas lights. My favorite are the dancing lights by my parents house. I could watch them all night. We also got a new basketball hoop for the boys for Christmas. The kids spent all day playing ball with the neighbor kids and having a great time. The kids all slept in the same bed for Christmas Eve and enjoyed their new pj's. Jack did end up in Jay's bed for most of the night because he said he was smashed. 

 

Christmas morning the kids slept in until 7:15. I was ready to wake them up. I think I get more excited for Christmas than they do. They were very excited to see what Santa brought and loved opening all the presents. Jack got a mad gear scooter, a bow and arrow, socks, underwear and an ASU sweatshirt. Jay got all the A-Z mystery books, a bow and arrow, socks, underwear and an ASU sweatshirt.  Kate got a desk, jewelry, slippers, movies, and underwear.

Christmas night we went to my parents house and I have great pictures but I can't get them to upload so you can just imagine the chaos and such. The boys got remote control cars and head lights and Kate got a jewelry box and a head light.

We had a great Christmas and I know I am truly blessed.

Ricedorff Christmas

We celebrated the Ricedorff Christmas early. I love celebrating early because it extends Christmas beyond just the one day. We had the kids do the Nativity and I hope that they realize the true meaning of Christmas. This picture of the Nativity cracks me up. I kept asking for a good picture and good smiles and this is what I got. I love that the kids all love to play and laugh and I love that Kate was taking the role of Mary seriously. After the Nativity it was time to open up the presents. Kate had a little meltdown because she wanted to know where the gifts I got her were. She was all ready to open all of the gifts. Jay figured out the order we would be opening up the gifts and he was number five, behind Duke, Callie, Kate, and Tessa. We had a great time at the Ricedorffs and I love Christmas.

 

Kate with her present. She got a Snow White Barbie, a marshmallow gun and magnetic paper dolls, which I love because she has played nonstop with them and has been entertained. Grandma and Grandpa Ricedorff gave her a gift to Girly Girl Glam where Kate will get her nails, toes and hair done. She will have so much fun.

 Jay got Madden 2013. He was clearly very excited. He and Jack have been playing it nonstop. Both Jay and Jack get to go to Bounce U with Grandpa and Grandma Ricedorff. They will have so much fun!!!!

 Jack got a new Ned's Krazy Sub shirt and gift card. I can't wait for him to treat me to Krazy Sub now. He loves eating there.

Jack's piano recital

Jack had his first ever piano recital and he did a really good job. He has improved so much and is learning to really like the piano. I hope he continues to practice and learn. I would love for him to learn to play the hymns. He is growing up so much.

Jack is 10

Happy Birthday Jack!!!

Jack had his golden birthday this year. He turned 10 on the 10th. Here are 10 things that I love about my Jack.
1. He is a good worker.
2. He helps me out with Kate and Jay all the time.
3. He has the sweetest heart and wears it on his sleeve.
4. He is a competitor.
5. He likes to play and play hard.
6. He works hard in school.
7. He bears his testimony in church often and it is growing every time.
8. He is the friendliest boy ever. He can talk to anyone, anywhere, anytime.
9. He loves to snuggle.
10. He is very easy going.
His teacher, Mrs. Smith, just called me so I have to update this post. Jack was at school and Mrs. Smith said she had had it with one of the students. She said I didn't know what to do. She said Jack read her mood just right and came up to her and said "I'll help him Mrs. Smith. I've got it from here." Jack's teacher was so impressed that he stepped in and helped her out. I was very impressed with it too. Jack is a great boy and really does try hard to help others.
This year Jack's birthday party was an ASU basketball game. He invited 10 friends over and we took them to the game. They all had so much fun and I think we even converted a few kids to root for the Devils.
I love my Jack and I am very grateful he is my boy. I can't wait to see him grow up. Well I can wait, but I often wonder what he will achieve and become. It will be fun watching.

Jack with all his friends and Sparky at the ASU game and then on his birthday opening presents at a Logan's steakhouse. All he wanted for his birthday was steak.

Kate's Dance Recitial and Jay's Hip Hop Recital

Kate had her dance recital and Jay had his hip hop, can't call it dance, recital. I loved watching them dance and seeing how much they have improved. Jay really enjoyed taking hip hop this year. I am amazed at how strong he has gotten. In our family sit up competitions he beats everyone and can do 23 sit ups in 30 seconds. Once he did 50 sit ups because he could. Kate is getting a lot better and stronger at dance too. She really enjoys dancing and still wants to be a cheerleader when she gets bigger. We had a great time supporting our little dancers.

Jack's Orchestra concert

At the beginning of the school year Jack begged us to let him play the cello in orchestra. I was a little leery. It was one more thing on his already busy plate. But Ryan and I agreed. And Jack has really enjoyed it. I don't think he will continue on after fourth grade but he has learned and improved over the semester. He had his first concert this week and it really wasn't that bad. I would think it would be very hard to be a music teacher in elementary school. You would have so much knowledge yet the kids are not quite getting it. It was fun to watch Jack and I can't wait until the end of the year concert.

Jack's football

 Jack's football season has come and gone. They ended up losing two games in the regular season and second place overall. Jack was devastated when he lost in the championship game. He is a competitor and was not happy about second place. He wanted to win it all. Ryan did a great job coaching the boys and one boy came up to Ryan and said "thanks coach, you were the best coach I ever had." I would agree with that boy. Ryan is a great coach and Jack improved so much this year.

The Lake in November

We Bought a Boat!!

Even though it is November the temperature has been in the 80's so we thought we might as well go and try out the new boat. We had a ball. Jack, Jay, Rhett, Ethan and Joe all tubed without wet suits and Joe and Ryan wake boarded with wet suits. The rest of us, Kate, Keelie, Hadlie, Cassie, Randy, Grandpa Jack and myself all hung out in the boat and enjoyed the ride. Even when Randy took a huge wave head on and dredged the people up front, me, Kate and Grandpa Jack.  I can't wait until summer time when the weather is hot and the water is warmer. Hopefully we will be at the lake weekly.



Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving. I know I say this every year but it really is my favorite holiday. I love being with my family and I need to be reminded more often of what I have to be grateful for. I know I have a lot to be thankful for. This year for family home evening we went around and said what we were thankful for. We told the kids they couldn't do the usual, family, friends, and such. It was fun listening to them come up with something different and then explain why they were grateful for it.

Jack said he was grateful for football because it entertains him.

Jay was grateful for his freedom, so we don't have to be slaves.

Kate was thankful for the sun, because when she is cold she can go in the sun and be warm.

Ryan was thankful for the gospel.

I was grateful for my health and for the fact that I don't have to work outside the home.

We had a great time coming up with "original" things to be grateful for and I hope my kids maybe appreciate things more?

 

This year like all other years we started at my parents. My parents have 26 grandchildren and all but one, Ryan, is pictured here. It is not easy getting 27 people and a dog to look good in a picture but it was fun trying. I love that my kids have all these cousins to play with.

 No trip to my parents is complete without a Popsicle no matter how much food or dessert you have just eaten. Jack reminds me so much of Ryan sometimes. I hope he grows up to be just like him because then I know he will be a good man.

 Jay with Wyatt and Abby. Abby and Wyatt are only two months apart and Jay is over a year younger but they get along great and have so much fun together.

 After hanging out at my parents and winning the name game again. We headed to the Ricedorffs. We are full once we get there but we still manage to eat some pie and pick at the food that is left over. Jay, Kate, Kaden and Tessa were having so much fun stuffing pillows in their shirts and being sumo wrestlers. They are too cute.

 Jack keeps asking for a little brother and I keep telling him he has one, Jay. But he wants someone younger. Good thing we have Duke. Jack was in charge of Duke while we played Rook. He did such a good job and I think he had more fun than Duke. Both Jack and Duke were cracking up and having so much fun playing ball.

Well here is our Thanksgiving in a nut shell. I am grateful for these memories and for my wonderful family. I am truly blessed.

The Grand Canyon

I have been putting off this post about the Grand Canyon because I have been waiting on the picture of the start of the hike. Every year we get a picture of the group before we start the hike but I haven't received it yet so I am just going to post. So no big group picture of the start of the hike. This year we had a ton of people hiking with us. I don't even know all of their names. We had two full vans and a couple of other cars. Plus another group that went rim to rim to rim. It was crazy.

 It was a hard hike for me because I had just gotten home from my girls cruise. I struggled. But I made it out. Next year I will plan better and go on the cruise after the hike.

 

Here is a good part of our group on Friday night at the North Rim of the Canyon.

 

 Me and my cousins Mike and Kelli at Ribbon Falls. I really do love Ribbon Falls. It is beautiful.  Kelli had shirts made up for us that said rim to rim 2012. It was fun to see all of the red shirts. In fact I kept seeing another woman with a red shirt who was not a part of our group and I was annoyed that she was wearing a red shirt. How dare she. 

 Me, my dad and Matt at Phantom Ranch. I did not stay with my dad this year, so this was the only time I saw him on the trail. In fact my dad got sick and really dehydrated so he had to spend the night at Indian Gardens with Matt and Jeremy and be helicoptered out. He has since recovered and now says he will be the driver from now on. He says his days of hiking the Canyon are over. If I would have know that I would have stayed with him. It's fun to hike with my dad.

 Me crossing the Colorado River. It's tradition to take this picture, no matter how sweaty and gross you look.

The finish line with Barrett, Jodi, Kelli, Pam, Nathan, Steve and myself. I took a lot longer than I wanted to. Next year I will do better and not take a cruise before. We had a great time and I can't wait for 2013. 

Goodman Reunion

Growing up I had a truly unique life. I have always lived next door to my cousins. My Uncle Steve's house, then Uncle Jim's, then mine, around the corner was Grandpa and Grandma Goodman and around the corner from them was Aunt Katrina. I always thought this was the norm until I met other people who didn't know who their cousins were or only saw them at holidays. As we have all gotten older I don't see them everyday like I did growing up. Now it really is on the holidays and at the Harry and Rita Goodman Reunion. It is so much fun to get together and laugh about old times. I have a lot of fun memories of my cousins and it's fun to watch the second cousins all play and get to know each other. This year we were without both Grandpa and Grandma Goodman. It's hard to believe sometimes that they have passed on but I know they were up in heaven and enjoying the get together from there. I am sure that they could see their posterity and it made them smile. I am grateful to my grandparents and my parents who taught me to love my family. I know I have been blessed by being born a Goodman.

 

Uncle Steve, Uncle Jim, Aunt Katrina and my dad, Dale. I love that they still want to hang out and see each other. My dad goes on walks with my Uncle Steve and my Uncle Jim stayed with my dad at the Grand Canyon. They love each other and it shows.

 Most of the grand kids with their spouses and a few of the great grand kids. My Grandparents had 21 grand kids and a whole lot of Greats.

The great grandsons. I love that they are all getting to know each other and have so much fun together. They played football all afternoon.

 The great granddaughters. What a posterity.

 The granddaughters. We were missing Rita who just had a baby. It's funny to me because growing up so many of my cousins seemed so much older than me. Now I realize we are all the same age and have so much in common.

Jay's football team

Jay's football season has ended. He only won one game but they played their little hearts out. The season ended with a heartbreak loss in the playoffs. Jay had a blast playing football and had a lot of friends on his team. Sometimes Jay would rather play with his friends than watch the game. But he enjoyed the season and he did improve.

Halloween

 Halloween came and went. I am trying to like this holiday but the older I get and the older my kids get I am becoming more cranky about it. Maybe that's why my kids seemed to not have as much fun this year. I will try to do better next year. We had fun this year though. Jack was a black morph suit. That is all he wanted to be. So we found one online and got it. He was old enough to go trick or treating with his friends. It's weird for me to think he is old enough to do this but other parents, one who is a policeman, said it was okay so I succumbed to peer pressure and let him go. He was fine and was actually home earlier than expected. He said the next day that "Halloween is a lot of work and not all that much fun." Jay was the Incredible Hulk. I think he is a cute Hulk, I mean a fierce Hulk. He wanted to meet up with his friends too but when he did he went to about five houses and then was done. Kate was Annalise, the Barbie Princess. She stayed home on Halloween with Ryan and passed out candy. I think she had more fun doing that then trick or treating. Overall it was a fun holiday but we didn't get nearly enough candy and gave away too much. Even some adults were trick or treating. Which I don't agree with. I really need to change my attitude about Halloween.

Vegas and St. George

I posted this out of order. Before we went to California we went to Las Vegas and St. George and then to California. Ryan ran the St. George Marathon and it was right before fall break so we all got to go and support him.

Vegas is really overrated and I was afraid of what my kids would see. Kate loved all of the lights and just looked out the window and was mesmerized. Jay only wanted to go back to the hotel and sleep and Jack noticed a few things on the billboards but overall they seemed to like Vegas.

Kate, Jack and Jay at the Bellagio's flower garden. Jack and Kate thought it was cool, Jay just wanted to sleep it was after his bedtime.

 Jack outside waiting for the Bellagio water show to start. He really liked all of the light and wanted to drive and walk around more. And then wanted to go back to the Strip during the day to see everything.

 After Vegas we headed up to St. George. I really like St. George it's a nice little big town. It seems like it should be a small town but yet it has everything you need, a mall, good restaurants and such. Ryan even said he would like to move there. I don't know if I'm on board but I could be talked into it maybe.

Here are my kids outside of Brigham Young's winter home. He was a smart man and was a snowbird. The tour guide said that when Brigham Young would go to St. George for the winters then church headquarters would move with him. I think Jack really liked this place because this last fast Sunday he go up to bear his testimony and said he went to St. George and to Brigham Young's house and if you ever get the chance you should go there. I hope this means he felt the spirit there but I really think he just liked seeing an old house. 

Beach Camping in Carlsbad

I was a little leery of beach camping but it turned out to be a blast. My sister Julie's family was there as well as my cousin Kelli's family. My kids were entertained the entire time and so was I. We had the best weather for three glorious days then we packed up and headed back to Mesa where we were not hit by 100 degree weather. I really think I like going to Cali in the fall. It might just become a tradition.

One day Ryan borrowed Jim's, who is just met, surf board and took the kids surfing on it. Jack was able to get up and so was Jay but I don't have a picture of Jay. They all loved it and I love that my husband is willing to stay out in the water and teach the kids to surf. 

 Here's Kate trying to boogie board. I still get a kick out of the fact that she wants to be a surfer when she grows up but refuses to go in the water. The water is cold but once you got in it was nice.

 Jay after he had just got a wave all the way in. It was so fun to watch the kids boogie board. They got pretty good at it and would ride the waves into the shore.

Here is a collage of the rest of the pictures. My kids had so much fun and loved hanging out with their cousins. I loved how Taylor and Kyley would take Kate and play and I never had to worry about anyone. We had a great time and can't wait to go back. We love Cali and might even beach camp again.