Updating Life: February and March

Okay. So, I'm really bad at regular posts. I guess it's because I'm really bad at taking pictures unless it's an "event." So here's a little update on what's been going on in our life:

February:
Larry and I flew over to Colorado to surprise Tiffany for her birthday. Andrew had recently started his internship with a construction company in Denver, Colorado. Colorado is a little farther than Idaho, but family is there. So we were excited that he found an internship and also that it was near my parents and brother.

I was missing Tiffany and Andrew and little Taylor keeps changing so fast...it was time to see them. Tiffany was totally surprised and we had a great weekend visiting, checking out their news digs, exploring Denver, eating out, and celebrating Tiff's birthday.



March:
March was Ballroom Month after many hours of practicing with their partners and with their teams. Devin and Kyle competed in the National Amateur Ballroom Competition at BYU. They did great! They both made it to the semi-finals in their individual competitions. Their teams also placed. Kyle's Latin team took 8th and Devin's Latin took 2nd and Standard took 1st. Good job boys! We are very proud of them. Tiffany, Andrew, Taylor, and Larz all came to see them compete. Kyle is finishing high school and this was his last team competition. He may still compete individually with his partner until he goes on his mission.

Devin's Team
Devin had black hair for the Latin Dance


Kyle and Partner

Kid in a Sink

While Tiffany and Andrew were staying with us, we discovered a great place for Taylor to play. We have an extra sink in our kitchen island that we rarely use. It is deep enough to have Taylor sit in and still see out. We put him in there once just to be silly and discovered...he liked it. We put some "toys" in there and he could reach them easily whenever he dropped them. I think he also liked being up with the rest of us. He seemed to feel like he was a part of the action while he was there.

Christmas Memories 2008

Christmas this year was Fantastic! We had all the family home for the holidays for two whole weeks. It's hard to see it come to an end. Here are some of our fun holiday memories:

First we had some Christmas Ballroom Concerts

Cathy's Birthday
Cathy is 8!

We had a VERY white Christmas!
Yes, Andrew is in shorts. Crazy!

Taylor was very happenin' in his hats.

Christmas Eve at Grandma & Grandpa Macfarlane's
Isn't that the happiest and cutest baby Jesus?

Christmas Eve Gift: Jammies!

Christmas Day!
Santa came!
Lining up to see our gifts...smallest to biggest, well...kindof...
Dad's White Envelopes

We also had Christmas day dinner and games at the Becks. Game nights with the Macfarlanes. Saw "Valkyrie" with the Becks and Davises. Saw "Bedtime Stories" and "Seven Pounds." Went bowling. Ate out a couple of times. Watched movies in the theater room. Played Wii. Played lots and lots of family games. Watched the Alabama vs. Utes game...sorry Andrew. :-(
Had a New Year's Eve party. And just had a lot of fun family times. It was great!

Tagged

So I've been tagged by my daughter, Tiffany, for one list and my friend, Ginger, for another. I thought about combining them, but I think it would be a mess. But, I did tweak them just a bit. I have less items on my list. I'm either too boring or I'm just lame and can't come up with more. Sorry. So here goes:

Tiffany's Tag:

Five Shows I love to Watch:
American Idol
So You Think You Can Dance
CSI
Monk
CSI: NY

Five Favorite Restaurants:
Carrabba's
Chef's Table
The Tree Room
Magleby's (for the cake)
Bombay House

Five Things That Happened Yesterday:
Larry left for California
I worked on Christmas Cards
Devin went to Ballroom Team
Kyle cooked dinner
It finally snowed here! (It didn't stay, but still.)

Five Things I Love About Winter:
Snow
Hot Chocolate
Reading by the Fire
My Birthday
Christmas

Five Things On My Wish List:
Touring around England
Bookcases for our downstairs
A vacation with just my honey
Having my kids live close to me
Having more grandkids

Five Things I Look Forward To:
Seeing all my kids married in the temple
Seeing my boys go on missions
Spending time with grandkids
Having Tiffany, Andrew, and Taylor here for this
Christmas
Christmas Break

Five People I Tag: Carrie, Ginger, Stephanie, Donna, Leslie

Ginger's Tag: Five Unspectacular Quirks
1. I love to make lists. So you would think that I would love this tagging. I guess the list
making has to be of my choosing.

2. I like to have my porch lights on until 10:00 p.m. If anyone wants to visit up till then, it's
okay by me. Larry disagrees. He feels like we should turn off the lights when we head up
to our bedroom, even if it's only 8:00.

3. I like to figure out the maximum time I can sleep at night. So, my alarm is never set for
something like 6:30 or 7:00. It's set for something like 6:34 or 6: 52.

4. If I am worried about something (and I am a professional worrier) my kids hear about it
non-stop. "Now remember..." or "Did you do..."

5. I hate to be late. I don't even really like to be on time. I like to be early. I feel prepared
and ready for something that might delay me to just being on time. Larry likes to be on
time, not a minute sooner than he needs to be. So this is something we are still
negotiating on.

Okay for this one I tag: Tiffany and Megan

Taylor

We are not the best at taking pictures of our family happenings when we are home. On vacation....tons. Home, not so much. But, we do love taking pictures of Taylor and showing off Taylor. So here are a few of my favorites of my adorable grandson who is 6 months old today!

It's Ballroom Time Again!

Okay...so writing once a week is NOT happening! I'm a lame mom and I don't take enough pictures of our life. So, be patient and my new goal is 2 - 3 weeks. Let's hope I can manage that!

Ballroom Season has begun again. I don't know if it's really called a season, but I feel like it is with the events and competitions in full swing from fall through winter. You have to be just as dedicated a parent as any "sports parent."

From October to March, we have competitions, competitions, competitons...all to get ready for Nationals at BYU in March.

Kyle is on the Timpanogos High School Team and he competes in individual dances with his partner, Megan Butler. Devin is on the BYU Youth Team and he competes in individual dances with his partner, Caroline Sorensen. They both really enjoy it and are getting better all the time. And yes, we enjoy watching them. All the dancing practices and competitions keep you hopping, but it's fun too. I can't dance a waltz, samba, quickstep, etc. And all three of my boys are great at it!

Devin & Caroline

Kyle & Megan

Greece

For our 25th anniversary, Larry and I took a trip to Greece. We were expecting a trip on a yacht ( the description of the yacht said they had spent 7 million Euro on renovations.) So, you can imagine we were picturing a very nice boat. We would travel for 10 days to many of the Greek islands, including the well-known island of Santorini. Then we would spend a few days in Athens. We were so excited for this luxury trip.

When we arrived at our boat. We discovered it was NOT anywhere close to being a yacht. I will let the pictures tell the story. And with the waters being rough near Santorini, this boat couldn't take us there. We struggled for a couple of days with this disappointment along with the others who signed up for this trip. But, the 18 other guests on the boat were so friendly and Greece and the waters were so beautiful. The ruins were awe inspiring. We soon focued on all the good things and had a great time.

Isn't this an awsome yacht?

Here's our suite.

Temple RuinsBeautiful Beaches, amazingly clear and turquoise waters.

I loved all the blue doors and windows all over Greece.Ampitheater at Epidaurus. The accoustics and carvings are awesome.

Here we are on the Acropolis. The Parthenon is behind us.