In Review....

Well, sufficeth to say, a lot has happened in the last several weeks.  So I thought I'd upload a few pictures since they are worth 1000 words and that might help tell the story.

Here we are in front of the mammoth ship that is called Oasis of the Seas as we docked in Falmouth, Jamaica. There were 6,000 people on board.  We had so much fun. The kids had a great time. One of our best vacations.  The other stops were Labadee, Haiti which is owned by the cruise line, and Cozumel, Mexico where we did some snorkeling.

This was our zipline crew.  They were wonderful and since we were the only ones there that day we got the full VIP treatment.  The kids weren't afraid at all.  I tried to upload a video, but couldn't. If I ever get it figured out I'll try again.

Miniture-golf was a popular activity for the kids on board. They played daily. There was also a rock-climbing wall and nightly soccer on the sports court with the English speakers vs the Spanish speakers.  Alex loved it and got lots of practice in that week.

This is, of course, Roger's funeral.  It was such a beautiful service.  The kids each had their moments, but did really well. I did place a rose on the casket as you requested. He is already missed greatly.  It still doesn't seem real. But we know he is busy with the work on the other side.

Halloween 2013 brought us a Pirate, Where's Waldo, and MorphMan.  I'm not really sure what the morph suit is all about, but that's what Alex wanted to be. The head was too small so he didn't even wear it after the picture.  Hey, I'm just the mom, what do I know?  Reagan's was a last-minute find and Vienna's was a combo of stuff I had from Alex and my friend Julie.

I went to Goodwill looking for Halloween stuff and had looked through all of the stuffed animals for a parrot, because what good is a pirate without her trusty squawking parrot? None to be found.  I got distracted by so many other things and last-minute decided to look through some open bins full of random toys and with a little digging came up with the perfect parrot to complete the outfit. I love it when that happens!!! She was a happy pirate all night long.

This is us with our good friends, the Garrison's, after we'd completed a 5k obstacle race last Saturday.  No, that's not snow in the background, it's foamy soap bubbles or something. The shirts say, "Obstacles on course are closer than they appear".  Ha Ha  We had a great time and are already planning on doing it again next year.  We would've had Alex participate, but it's for ages 13 and up.


Reagan finished her swim season and the coaches have asked her to return to her club team so she can continue to improve her times.  That was encouraging for her.  Alex and Vienna are finishing up their soccer seasons in the next few weeks.  All continue to do well in school.

We are eagerly anticipating the dedication of the Gilbert Temple in March.  Our stake will participate in the cultural event that will proceed that.  There are lots and lots of people who are very interested in going through the open house and we will be taking several friends to see it.

So, in a nut-shell, that's what we've been up to. It's hard to believe, with the exception of the race, all the other photos are just what took place in October! What a whirl-wind month that was. Sorry we haven't been in better touch.  We think of you and pray for you daily.  We are anxious to have you back!  Love and kisses!! XOS