Tyson - January/February 2016

I'm going to try for letters every 2 months and see if I can manage that, so let's see how January/February 2016 went!

We started off the year ice fishing on New Year's Day.  I'm not kidding when I say that within 5 minutes of getting your pole in the water you asked when we were going home.  Argh!  It's so frustrating to get everyone dressed and bundled and out the door and all the gear out to the ice, etc., only to have you guys be ready to go home the second we get there.  Good thing we love you!  We didn't catch much that day, and you and I decided that maybe we were better off staying home or hanging out with grandma in Panguitch when everyone else went fishing.

You sure looked cute with your matching fuzzy trapper hats with your dad and brother though.

The next time dad and the big kids went fishing you and I did stay home in Kanab.  We found plenty to do around the house and around town and of course had a lunch date at Junction.  Look at those big brown eyes!

For dad's birthday I had you guys paint a fire picture he could hang up in his office.  It took a lot of me biting my tongue to let you guys paint them the way you wanted them, but your dad absolutely loved the gift and hung them right up in the office.  That's yours, Tessa's, and Logan's L-R.

You got a lovely ear infection, and I finally decided to take you to the Instacare in Hurricane one Saturday after you moaned the whole morning.  As soon as we got there you perked up a bit, but sure enough you really did have an infection, and I was glad we hadn't waited any longer to get you in.

The Tuesday after President's day all you kids had another day off, so dad took the day off too, and we went to Horseshoe Bend by Page.  There was a little hike involved, but the most exhausting part of the day for me was trying to keep you from tripping and falling off the edge or even accidentally running right off.  It makes me tense all over again just thinking about it.  You were mad that I wanted to keep you close, which made you try to run/lunge/jump/scramble even further away.  I felt like I was trying to herd a cow that wouldn't let me get too close!

Luckily we did manage to keep you from falling, and we even managed to keep you relatively dry when we stopped at Lake Powell to throw rocks in the water and pick up shells.  That water was COLD!

On our way to Page we somehow got talking about the war in heaven and how not everyone chose to follow Heavenly Father and Jesus' plan.  Your dad adn I both about melted when you piped up in the conversation and said, "When I get to Heaven I'm gonna tell Jesus I followed his plan!"  You can be such a sweet little guy sometimes!

We had the Balloons and Tunes festival in Kanab in February, and we had a fun time watching the balloons go up Friday morning with our friend Kyler who we are tending again.  He is in your preschool class now too, so you two have had lots of time to hang out lately.

Grandma Hillier came over on Saturday to hang out with us at the street fair, and you guys played in teh bounce houses/slides and even did the bouncy bubble soccer things where I got to push you around and bounce you off each other.  After we had pizza and I painted your faces at home because the line at the festival was too long you went home with Grandma for a sleepover.

Your dad got the opportunity to go to Oklahoma to fight fire there, and we have been missing him a lot.  I especially miss him when it is up to me to get everyone ready for early church!  I sent him this picture this morning with the text "Have you ever thrown a cat in the bath?  This the the 4-year-old human equivalent."  You had played too hard the night before that there was no time for our usual Saturday night bath.  You were NOT a fan of the Sunday morning bath though, and you glared at Tessa for some reason the entire time you two were eating your breakfast.  Luckily your friend Brother Heyborne stuffed your pocket full of Lifesavers at church, and you were a pretty happy camper after that point.

Later we loaded up Toby and went geocaching.  We found one our friends, the Shakespeare's, had hiiden, and then we made a new one to replace the one that we hid that got washed away in the flood late last summer.  You guys then played in the creek and on the new ATV bridge until it got chilly.  It was fun to get out and do some of our favorite spring/summer activities outside again.

I don't think I mentioned in your letter for last year your invisible friends!  We don't hear about them very often anymore, probably because since starting school you have more "real" friends, but for a while we heard a lot about your friends Din and Rainbow.  Sometimes you would even talk about your friend Nobody, which was confusing when you would tell us a story about him, "Nobody likes to eat outside," or "Nobody loves pizza."  I miss hearing about those guys!  It's so fun to see you grow up, but I can't help but think I'd love to freeze time right now.  I don't want it to stop being cute that you say "thinger" instead of "finger" and some of the other funny things you say.  I do want you to keep growing but maybe just not so fast!

We can't wait for even more warm weather and the fun things that spring brings!

Tessa - January/February 2016

I'm hoping that letters every couple months will be more manageable for me, so here's what we did the first two months of 2016.

We started off the year ice fishing and have gone a few times the last couple months.  The 2nd trip we went it was windy and cold and you jumped right in the shack before we were even done setting it up.  You accidentally got knocked in one of the holes we had drilled and your foot got soaked before we had even started fishing!  In true Tessa fashion though, after we had bundled you up on the fourwheeler you sat there and played on my phone and didn't complain about being cold or bored once.  

You lost another tooth and really look like a toothless Ted now.  I sent dad this picture while he was in Albuquerque doing hiring, and he told you on the phone that night that you could drive a train through that gap!  Thanks dad!

I finally got to work on a quilt for your bed, and even though it still isn't finished you are pretty excited about it.  I can't wait to see it on your bed, and I hope you love it many years.

Dad bought his own present for his birthday, so I had you and the boys paint fire pictures on canvases for him to hang by his desk in the office.  That's Ty's, yours, and Logan's from left to right.  He was so excited to get them and hung them up ASAP.

This is a picture from the day you got your foot soaked ice fishing.  I finally had enough of the wind and asked dad to take us to the truck where we would wait for them to get tired of the wind.  You looked so cute hanging out in the front seat with the heaters on your feet and my sunglasses on.

This picture is awesome.  This is pretty typical of an outfit you'd wear to school.  I think you may have been home sick this day, and you played with Tyson building with the Magformers.

YOu guys got an extra day off school after President's day weekend, so we headed out to Horseshoe Bend by Page.  You were definitely the most cautious of all the kids and didn't venture too close to the edge, thank goodness!

After hanging out there for a while we stopped by Lake Powell to throw some rocks in and collect shells.  The water was SO cold!

On our way home we were playing one of our favorite car ride games.  We pick a topic and then take turns naming something that starts with each letter of the alphabet, so if the topic is food someone will say apple, and the next person will say bread, etc.  We always do the same topics, so I threw everyone off and chose "plants."  It was dad's turn and he had the letter N, so he came up with "noxioius weeds," something they deal with at the Forest Service.  You were next and without skipping a beat or needing any help you said, "Obnoxious weeds!"  Dad and I laughed and laughed about that one.

The Balloons and Tunes Festival was in Kanab in February, and we were so happy that the weather was better this year.  On Saturday morning I couldn't get the boys out of the house to go chase balloons with me, but you wanted to come, so we followed the crowd to some nearby fields to get a look at the balloons a little closer up.  It was so fun to see almost 40 balloons in the air at one time.  Dad left for Oklahoma the day the festival started so we didn't get to hang out with him as Smokey this year, but we did have a fun time at the street fair with Grandma Hillier playing in the bounce houses/bubble soccer balls and eating pizza before you guys went home with her to spend the night.

The last Sunday in February we loaded up the dog and the boys and went geocaching.  We found one that our friends had hidden near the creek and then replaced the one we had hidden that was washed away by floods late last summer.

You guys played in the creek and got nice and sandy before we headed back to the car to spend the rest of the evening at home.

You had your 2nd trimester parent-teacher conference this last week too.  Your teacher gave you glowing praise in every aspect with 100% on your math tests, spelling tests, and a reading level that is the highest in your class at 4th grade 2nd month.  We are so proud!  He also said you are a good friend and helper in the class, which makes us even more proud.  We love how well you are doing in school, and it has been fun to see you grow and learn this year.

We have a lot to look forward to this spring with Easter, spring break, and a trip to Phoenix coming up!

Logan - January/February 2016

OK, so I'm thinking that a post every 2 months is maybe more attainable!  Here's how our post-Christmas winter has gone..

I ordered furry trapper hats for you and Ty, and you guys tried them out one night with dad when you were gathering stuff to go ice fishing the next day.  Pretty handsome fellas in their nerdy hats!

Our favorite new ice cream shop in Kanab got bubblegum ice cream in, so the very next day we went down and all got some.  We have been down lots of time since, and I'm pretty sure we have eaten our way through one of the huge tubs ourselves.

For dad's birthday this year he bought himself a scope for his gun that he wanted, so we didn't really have anything to give him on his birthday.  Instead I got these canvases and had you guys paint a "fire scene" he could hang up in his office.  That's Tyson's on the left, then Tessa's, and then yours (I think).  Sure enough, dad loved them and hung them up by his desk in the office.  He's pretty proud of them.

The Tuesday after President's day weekend in February you guys had another day off school, so dad took the day off work and we headed out to Horseshoe Bend near Page.  It was crazy busy with tourists, and you were not impressed with all the bugs flying around, but we had a fun time finding the best spot for pictures and trying to keep you 3 from falling off the cliff.

You REALLY weren't all that impressed with the bugs...or the tons of people...or the heat (70-ish degrees).

While we were there we stopped at Lake Powell and threw some rocks in the water and picked up shells.  I knew at least one of you was bound to end up in the water, and sure enough you slid off one of the rocks and dunked your shorts.

The water was FREEZING.  It was so cold it hurt to even walk in very far.

The next weekend was the Balloons and Tunes festival in Kanab.  Last year was cold and rainy and the balloons didn't really get to fly much, but this year was perfect weather.  It was so fun to look out the window every morning and count the balloons.  There were almost 40 in the air at one time, and even though I couldn't convince you and Tyson to leave the house to chase them with me, I grabbed Tess and we followed the crowd to the nearby fields to see them a little closer up.

Later that day Grandma Hillier came over to go to the street fair with us.  You guys did the bounce house/inflatable slides and then did the bouncy soccer bubble things (that I didnt' get pictures of because I was too busy pushing you guys around), but you didn't last long after you'd had your fun.  We stood in line for WAY too long trying to get Tess and Ty's face painted, and you were not impressed.

You were able to attend your first Blue & Gold banquet the end of February.  Each scout was supposed to make a cake, and the theme was something like "friends all over the world."  You told me what your idea was, and I baked the cake.  I handed you the frosting, and you did the rest.

Your cake won for "most on topic!"  We had a fun time eating pizza and visiting with friends and watching you lead the skit.

Dad got the opportunity to go fight fire in Oklahoma the end of February, so in an effort to not be too terribly bored one Sunday after church we took Toby and went geocaching.  Our friends the Shakespeares had hidden one nearby, and we had a fun time climbing around to find it.

After that we headed back to the ATV bridge over Kanab Creek where we had hid our geocache last year.  Ours had gotten washed away in a big flood late last summer, so we rehid it in what will hopefully be a better spot.  You guys played on the bridge and the edge of the creek for a while before we headed home.  We are trying to make our Sundays a more special day, and I think hanging out together at home or out in the hills is a good way to do just that.

You had your 2nd trimester parent-teacher conference this last week too.  Your teacher couldn't say enough things about you.  You are reading on a 7th grade level, spelling on an 8th grade level, and you were the only one in your class whose math scores went up in the last trimester as they have started introducing more complex stuff like fractions.  Along with that she said you are a good friend and a great kid to have in class.  We are so, SO proud of you.  The academic stuff is great, but I think your dad and I are even more proud to hear about how you get along well with other kids and adults and are friendly and helpful.

We are looking forward to a fun spring with Easter, spring break, and a trip to Phoenix in our plans!

Tyson - 2015

I didn't write letters for a year.  An ENTIRE year.  I'm sorry.  Luckily, though, I didn't stop taking pictures, so I'll do my best to summarize the year.

We started off the year ice fishing.  You are finally getting old enough to go ice fishing, where one of the requirements is that you be big enough to not go down the hole if you were to fall in.

You weren't quite sure if you liked it enough to give up staying in the warm house with grandma, but you did manage to give us a smile.

For Christmas Santa brought you some "trains like Mason's" which is what you'd asked him for, and you got some more for your birthday.  You were in heaven, and I was too because for a few weeks you and your brother and sister had something that you all played with relatively nicely!

You weren't too thrilled with the skates you got for Christmas, but you DID love to go downstairs when the other kids did so you could terrorize them on your bike.  Many, many hours were spent chasing them down.

A random trip to the park with Pringle duck lips.

On Valentine's Day dad took us out to Gunsight Point for a picnic.  You and Tess enjoyed eating your sandwiches together before running around throwing rocks off the edge of the cliff and getting altogether too close to the edge for my comfort.

You're adorable.

We went to Salt Lake for a Jazz game in February, and I was nervous about how I was going to keep track of your wild self, so I borrowed a backpack "leash" from our friends from church.  I was SOOO glad to have it, regardless of the not-so-nice looks I got from some people.  I took you and Tess with me to Temple Square to kill some time before the game while dad and Logan went to some hunting/sportsman's expo.

We gave a couple Sister missionaries at the visitor's center a good laugh as we walked by, but really it was awesome to have and kept you close by.  We tried to get a picture of you guys being cute in front of the temple, but you decided to give us some crazy faces instead.

The Jazz game was fun, and I think the part you guys liked the best was getting to choose your own dinner from the concession stands.  You got a cheeseburger and at the whole thing!

The next day we went to Scheel's and rode on the Ferris wheel where I remembered I am scared to death of Ferris wheels, but you and Tess weren't scared at all!

Each of the big kids got a bow and arrow set from Scheel's, and we got you this dart gun from Cabela's.  I wasn't sorry when we "accidentally" left it at Grandma and Grandpa Veater's house.   After it quit shooting darts it was used as a club and fought over by you and all the babysitting kids.  You look pretty darn cute looking through the scope though.

We went to check out dad's new fire truck at the Balloons and Tunes festival in Kanab in February.

And we got to hang out with Smokey and play frisbee with him.

This is my favorite picture from that day.  You guys had been playing with dad who was Smokey that day, and he came up to me and said, "You gotta tell him to quit calling me dad."  It was pretty dang cute though.

We got a pretty heavy snowstorrm, so we headed to the sand dunes to play in it.  It was SO deep, and when dad picked you up and threw you in it you got STUCK!  Dad spent the rest of the time taking turns throwing you guys in and getting you stuck.

I don't know what the story is behind this picture, but it was so dang cute I had to put it in.

On St. Patrick's Day I put you in your bright green shirt only to have your buddy Kyler show up in his green shirt.  Nobody was going to pinch you guys!  We have had a blast having Kyler come play at our house this year.

Our spring and summer were packed with stuff to do.  The big kids played baseball, and we spent a few evenings up at the Ranchos park practicing.  You are a bit more of a natural at baseball than your brother and sister and surprised me by hitting more than a few of the balls I pitched to you!

We finally made it out to Peekaboo and had a blast exploring the slot canyons there.  You guys were amazed how cold it was in the canyon on the warm summer day.

One afternoon during the big kids' spring beak we went out exploring and trying to find some geocaches.  We never found them or the canyon we set out to find, but we stopped at the creek in one of our favorite spots by Mt. Carmel Junction...

 and found a cool cave under the highway there that you guys forced me to follow you through.

For Easter we went to Kodachrome for our annual picnic and we camped for a day or 2.  I'm not sure what this picture is all about, but it's weird so I'm keeping it.

This is my favorite shot to get of the Easter egg hunt.  I'm not even sure if I see you in it, but it's funny, so I'm keeping it.

As always you guys nearly filled the buckets grandma gave you, and we spent the next week trying to keep you from eating so much candy that you were sick.  I help by eating all the Tootsie Rolls without you noticing.  Dad is the designated Reese's egg eater and gets all the chocolate you guys manage to find before it melts.

Continuing with our exploring, we took dad with us to find the canyon and got a little closer.

We decided to take the shorter, steeper, more direct route out of the canyon.  I'm pretty sure I dragged you up by your belt loops.  Next time I think I'll take the long way because you didn't enjoy the process one bit, and then rounded out the experience by putting your hand in a cactus.

One day before school got out we had a rare day where we weren't babysitting, so you and I took the chance to go to lunch at Junction.  I wonder how many ice cream cones/french fries we have eaten in this booth?

I'm not sure what this trip to Hurricane was for, but you and Brody look pretty happy about it.  You guys love to play with him!

I LOVE this picture.  Someday I am going to embarrass a few kids with this gem.

When baseball season started we went to the Ranchos park a lot to help the big kids practice.  One day Logan tossed the ball to you, and it smacked you right in the face leading to an almost immediate black eye which led me to one of my most favorite pictures of you EVER.  (It's not this one, but a funny story about this picture is that you are saying "mayo" which I didn't understand until I realized that your favorite sandwich is a mayo and cheese, and you probably think that saying random sandwich ingredients works just as well as saying cheese.)

This is the one!  I laugh EVERY time I see it.  You actually weren't even mad when I took it.  I told you to make a mean face, and this is what I got.  I posted it on Instagram with the caption, "I feel like this has a chance to bear a strong resemblance to a future mugshot."  Oh man, it cracks me up still.

One Sunday in the spring when we were supposed to be at Stake Conference I loaded you guys up and took you on a hike to the K.  Which was fine, until I realized that the trail skirts about 100 yards downhill from the actual K.  We scrambled up anyway, toting you and Toby and water bottles, etc., and then you and the big kids proceeded to climb ON the K.  You weren't sure how to get down, so I braced myself at the bottom (there's a bit of a ledge) and you slid down.  Thank goodness you didn't knock me over and send us both rolling back down the way we came!  It was even more of a trip trying to hike back down to the trail keeping you upright and the dog from tripping us both!

Our friends Kelly and Bridger invited us out to the Ranchos park one windy day to fly their awesome kites.  These things were huge, and the day was perfect for it.  I couldn't believe you could hang on to this giant one.

On Tessa's last day of school you got to go to her kindergarten circus with me.  You were pretty happy about the cookies and snow cones they served afterwards.

We went to Hurricane the first weekend in June for Brody's 1st birthday party.  You were all about his cake!

And we picked up my kayak that Grandma and Grandpa Hillier picked up for me.  We headed home so we could take try it out on the new reservoir.

We got a lot of mileage out of the kayaks this summer.  We thought we had the perfect place to use them near Kanab (turns out the reservoir had swimmer's itch again) in the creek near the dam, but pretty soon the water started flowing as much, and this pretty water in front of us in this picture was slimy muddy muck within a couple weeks.

I love the first swimming pool trip of the season.  It wears us all out like no other, and you actually crashed for a nap!

Logan got baptized the end of June, and you thought the whole thing was pretty cool, especially the part where we had pizza with all our family afterwards!

We had the Veater reunion with Grandma and Grandpa Veater in charge.  Our spot was by a little pond, so we kayaked a lot and played games and raced in races.  Everyone came home dirty and worn out!

We also had the Hatch reunion in July where you played with cousins and got picked to be in a silly skit during the program.  We were cracking up as you danced like a pro in front of a bunch of people you didn't know!

We even got dad out on the kayak when he was able to make it out for a day.

I can't remember the occasion, but I took you and Tessa to Three Bears for some ice cream one day.  Apparently you were too tired to handle life, and fell asleep while you were eating it.

Over 4th of July weekend we went to the Fish Lake cabin with Grandma and Grandpa Hillier.  They brought their new kayaks, and we brought ours, and we had a good time playing in the creek, taking hikes, geocaching, and playing games.

Looks comfy, kid!

We love going to the pool, and this year I was able to get you into swimming lessons at the Fredonia pool.  I was really impressed with how well you picked up on things, and by the end you were jumping off the diving board with no fear and jumping off the side of the Kanab pool and swimming 10-15 feet on your own!

Cousin Quade came to visit for about a week.  We were finally able to find some geocaches on our own...

and we went to the slimy, muddy creek!

We went to the pool a bunch of times, got some shaved ice, and practiced baseball before finally crashing on the way to meet his Uncle Dusty and Aunt Sylvia and pick up Tessa.

Look at your little tan face!  And your finger stuck in a letter so tight I thought we were going to have to take a trip to the ER...

You weren't ALWAYS excited to go hiking.  Pretty sure this was one of those days.

I totally caught you playing with Tessa's dolls and snapped pictures before you caught me!  You're so adorable.

Our annual school shoe shopping trip at Shoe Carnival was a nightmare as always.  Luckily Grandma H kept feeding this ride quarters and kept you and Brody somewhat contained for a part of the trip!

Dad was gone for quite a while this summer, pretty much from the end of July until the first of September.  You missed him and insisted I help you draw hearts on paper so that we could send a picture of them to dad.  (Pretty sure both of your legs are in one hole of your shorts in this picture, which is not all that abnormal.)

You had you first checkup at the dentist and passed with flying colors.  You could have knocked me over with a feather when they said you didn't have any cavities.  You did SO good in the chair too.  Nice work bud!

You were not so fond of the Flowbee.  I mentioned to Grandpa that you and Logan needed haircuts, and he went right to work!  You weren't sure something that loud that was attached to blades needed to be anywhere near your head.

Have I mentioned that I love your personality?  I think this was another picture to send to dad.

During one of his few breaks between assignments we decided to take you guys to Lagoon.  Our hotel was right across the parking lot from a fun center with a bowling alley, so we spent the evening before Lagoon hanging out there before heading to get some pizza.

Our first stop at Lagoon was the bumper cars.  You spent pretty much the entire time trying to hit Tessa's car as many times as you could.

Chilling with dad on the train!

Log ride family photo.

You were a trooper and rode a bunch of rides, but by the afternoon you were wearing out.  This is one of my favorite pictures from the day, a boy in a hunter orange shirt with an "If I'm lost call..." message on it who is too tired to even think about running away.  I take as many precautions as I can, and I'm shocked we didn't lose you!

Back over to Hurricane for Peach Days and some more school shopping.  You got a new puzzle before we left and had to bring it over to put together on grandma's puzzle table.

We had been shopping with Aunt Lisa and grandma, and you threw a giant fit about something.  Judging from this picture it is probably the fact that Logan and Tessa got to ride with grandma and you were stuck with me since that's where your seat was, but I got you a drink at Sonic and you zonked out pretty quick.  Being 3 is tough.

Peach Days was a bit of a nightmare.  You were on one and not really listening to me at all, and we actually ended up leaving before everyone else because of it, but not before you got what you deserved on one of the slides.  You came down and landed pretty gracefully and did a little dance to show how cool you were, and then here comes Logan who totally takes you out with his leg.  I still laugh and watch it over and over.

Labor Day weekend dad was still gone, so we went out to a canyon near Kanab that I can find (somewhat) on my own.  I only got lost for a few minutes, and it wasn't even THAT lost.  We played in the pools of water that were left from the monsoons, and by the end of it you were all muddy and wet and cold.  I let you all ride in the back with Toby until we got to the highway.

And the Tuesday after Labor Day you started school!  I debated on putting you in preschool as a 3-year-old, but I had the opportunity to start working a little bit more in the tax office for Ben & Meridee Beckstead, so I put you in so you could learn a little something and I could go to work a few hours a week.  You were a little excited and a lot nervous, but you absolutely love it.  By the end of 2015 you are already sounding out some words and asking how things are spelled.  I LOVE it!  You'll be a super reader like your older brother and sister.

A little nervous, but loving the trains!

And crashed on the couch after your hard day!

Haven who we babysit also goes to the same preschool, and one day I found the two of you taking turns "reading" to each other.  It didn't last too long before you were both fighting about who was reading to who, but it was cute while it lasted.

One day you two were arguing over who was bigger, and you insisted that you were absolutely taller than she was, and you made her stand up.  When you saw that she was, in fact, taller than you, you grumbled something under your breath and just walked away.  You two have a pretty funny little friendship.

The end of September we moved out of the only house you've known.  We had known since early spring that it was going up for sale, and we were so blessed that the timing worked out that it didn't sell until we were able to find a place in the ward to move just down the road.  My visiting teacher and her husband were going on a mission and offered to let us stay in their home while they are gone. The day after they left we got right down to the business of moving with you and me (and Haven behind me!) pulling a trailer with the fourwheeler to the new place with the first load of stuff.

The new house is definitely a home that has been loved, and we are loving having a backyard with grass and shade trees, although we may have grumbled about those shade trees a bit this fall when all their leaves fell off.

The neighbors had a cat that was super friendly too that you guys decided to try to keep.  My insistence that you not encourage him to stay at our house went ignored to say the least!

Halloween rolled around, and I let you guys have free reign of the sugar cookies.  Funny enough, Sister Douglass, whose house we are living in, makes the BEST sugar cookies and brought me some as my visiting teacher.  I begged her for the recipe, and now here we are making her cookies in her house!

You're wearing dad's sweatpants on your head.  Just because that's who you are.

You and I went to the Forest Service office one day to get wood permits, and you had to stop and get a picture with Smokey for the bazillionth time.

For Halloween you had a program at preschool where you all sang the songs you had learned all month.  It was adorable, and I loved watching your faces!

We had our make-your-own pizza tradition before it was time for trick-or treating.  Gotta stick that tongue out to make sure everything looks right!

And a picture on the doorstep with the siblings and pumpkins was the next step before heading out the door.  Our first stop was the trunk or treat.

We haven't seen as much of Kyler since school started because his mom gets to stay home with him, so it was so crazy to look over to where his mom and grandma had their trunk set up and see that he was dressed up as Scooby-Doo too!  What are the odds?!

After the trunk-or-treat we hit up the old neighborhood to get enough candy to satisfy you guys, and I made Logan's friend Easton (who was also Harry Potter, but that was planned) take a picture of us.

Obsessed with mustaches?

Dad and I have been trying to convince you that 4-year-olds don't sleep in their mom and dad's bed, and since you are going to be 4 soon that you might want to practice that.  At the same time, we also get a little sad when you have a good run of sleeping in your own bed because you are our last "baby."  I remember this morning deciding to take a minute to hang out with you on the bed before moving on with our day.  I'm gonna miss this, and the constant requests to lay down by you at night.  You're sweet, and I like you.

I made some of the corn puff crack this fall to take to a presidency meeting I had.  You were mad when I came home with an almost empty bowl and spent the morning licking the bowl and picking the stuck pieces of caramel on the bowl.

Thanksgiving we went to Panguitch and ate a bunch of food and played a lot of football.

The next day we went out looking for Christmas trees and found one of our better ones even with the snow making it hard to tell the duds from the good ones.

You were a little mad when Logan and Tess got to help cut down the other trees, so grandma may have gotten a little tree to put in the back room just so you could help cut one down.

And haul it to the truck with the others.

We headed back to Kanab, and that Saturday we went out to the annual light parade.  We found our new parade spot at the new pharmacy and bought some hot chocolate to help us stay warm.

Our ward Christmas party we did our usual gingerbread house decorating before having a yummy dinner at Houston's.  Santa came, and you asked him for more trains.

 Just a random picture of you sleeping in the car cause you're cute.

The Saturday before Christmas we went to Panguitch to have family pictures taken before opening presents with the Veater's.  You got a cute outfit and a fun train that makes sounds and has lights from Grandma and Grandpa Veater.  Then we went to the Pollock Christmas party where Santa came, and you, again, asked him for more trains.

The next morning you had chocolate milk and toast for breakfast with dad and Keston.

On Christmas Eve we finally got around to making our sugar cookies.  I don't know why, but for some reason I swept and mopped the floor right before I set you guys loose on the cookies and sprinkles.  As you decorated there was the nonstop sound of sprinkles dropping to the floor.  You guys had fun though, and that's what matters.

That night we let you guys open your Christmas Eve gifts with your new pajamas, candy, and new Scooby-Doo movie before we made hot chocolate and headed out to look at Christmas lights.  You were a little cranky, and Logan was sick, so that didn't last too long before we got you guys home and sent to bed.

The next morning Tessa was sitting on the couch at 6 when I was on my way to sneak in a shower before everyone woke up, so she woke you guys up and we got started on opening presents instead.  You got a new church shirt, more Magformers, two different train sets, and a truck that holds 50 of your Hot Wheels cars.  Mom and dad got you guys a new swing set that will hopefully get more use when it is warmer.  You were pretty excited with all of your presents.

All in all it was a good morning, and we had fun playing with toys for a few hours before heading to Hurricane to Grandma and Grandpa Hillier's to meet up with Uncle Joe, Aunt Lisa, and Brody.

 We had yummy food, lots of fun, and you guys got lots of fun stuff in your stocking, and you got another Hot Wheels truck for 50 MORE of your Hot Wheels cars!  We spent some time there before heading back home to play with your stuff some more.

A few days later it was your birthday, and you were super excited to open up a baseball pitching machine, some Playdoh from Great-grandma Hillier, and a new bike!

Big brother and sister had to get in on the picture too!

We ate breakfast, which were pancakes made in the shape of a 4, and had you blow out your candles then because we were heading up to a Jazz game!

(More "4" pancakes because I kept practicing my technique, and you said you wanted to eat ALL the "4" pancakes.)

 We had gotten the family tickets to a Jazz game, and wanted to go in December so we could see the lights at Temple Square.  There was a game on your birthday, so we decided to celebrate that way.  It was a long car ride, and at one point about halfway through you asked dad when we were going to go back home, which made us feel kind bad, but once we got to Salt Lake you had a good time.

Our hotel was downtown, so we walked to City Creek Center to kill a little time before heading up to Temple Square to see the lights.  It was cold, and you put your gloves in the water of one of the first fountains we went to, so you got to use my gloves for the rest of the night.

We got to the game about an hour early and proceeded to find our seats before heading back out to the concessions to get dinner.  You were tired of walking by the time you finished dinner, and actually tried to take a nap for a few minutes and complained that it was too noisy.  Right before the game started and the players were warming up you perked up too, and said to me, "What if they cancel the game because all the basketball players are too busy getting presents for me?"  You're adorable.  Seriously.

I had gotten on the Jazz website a couple days before the game and saw that you could put a birthday announcement up during halftime.  It was pretty cool to see your name up on the Jumbotron, even if you didn't seem to care!

All in all, we had a fun time, and I was grateful you kept me warm the whole mile back to the hotel while I carried you on my back.

On the way home the next day we stopped at Scheel's (where we rode the Ferris wheel again but I was too scared to take pictures), Cabela's, and Great-grandma Hillier's house before making it home.  our car had been having a bit of trouble, and then when we pulled in the carport at home we heard the sound of air whoosing out of the tire!  We were blessed to make it home.

We spent New Year's Eve in Panguitch at the Triple C where they do a dinner and some fun games for kids.  I wasn't feeling good, so the thought of having someone else cook and entertain you guys while I just got to hang out and watch sounded good to me!  It was a fun time, and you enjoyed playing the carnival games and eating as much cotton candy as you could get away with.

2015 really was one of my favorite years so far.  We had some changes, but everyone took them in stride.  Dad and I don't want you to grow up SO fast, but it is fun to see you learn to sound out words and love school and grow as a person this year.  Everyone just loves you and your fun personality, and we are excited to see that continue to evolve.  You are a sweet kid who always keeps us laughing, and we love you so much.

Love you bud,
Mom