Snowman Chair

Teagan built an awesome snowman and then decided it would make an excellent seat and climbed right on top.  He cracks me up.  I love the blue steel pose with the kissy face.  He lights up our home and brings much needed comic relief.

Young Men

Zac just got put in as the Young Men's president.  The kids have loved having all the fun teenage boys around, especially Teagan.  Zac does such an awesome job with the boys, they really look up to him.  I love that Teagan and Eloise are imitating Matt (Leal).  Teagan looks up to those boys so much.  It is crazy that one day he will be that teenager that the little boys are looking up to!

Selfie Queen

Eloise has mastered the art of taking a selfie!  She was so funny, "mom, look, I can take a picture of myself now!!!"  My camera is always full of these shots from when she steals my phone.  Her expressions crack me up!

Baby Quinn

We got to meet our newest baby cousin Quinn and she is so sweet and arguably one of the most beautiful newborns I've ever seen!  Besides my own, of course.  

Teagan and Addy were sick so they got left behind.  Eloise was in heaven and announced, " I'm her mom now!"  Because apparently holding a sweet newborn makes you the mom.

Eloise and I share that love for newborns, I just couldn't get enough of her.  Good job Jesse and Bri!

Scriptures

Addy is learning to read scriptures with the family.  She loves to copy Eloise and Teagan and "repeats" what Zac and I say.  She is really growing up!  Family scripture time is probably my favorite time of night.  Not always reverent, but it is usually good bonding time.  Usually, being the key word.

Snow Day!

We have gotten so so much snow this year.  Every time we think that it is going to melt we get another load.  For a while we had a couple feet on both sides of the driveway from all the shoveling.  The kids have been having a blast.  

Eloise wants to out about 10 times a day, each time for approximately 8 minutes.  She is a character!

Adeline just loves to be a part of it.  She mostly follows the others around and tries to stomp on the snow and smash it.

Teagan has built so many different enormous snowmen and has learned how to snowboard down the hill.  He doesn't even have boots, but somehow manages to cruise down the hill and halfway across the yard!  He is seriously so athletic.  I am proud of him.  The first day he fell down the hill about 25 times.  I watched him roll down and crash over and over.  He just picked himself back up and tried again.  Now he has got the hang of it and I'm proud.  Teagan can do anything he puts his mind to.

We love the snow around here!  Except when we want to play outside in the sunshine and it's so cold our faces freeze, but it's good because it motivates me to get inside work done.  This winter I've gone through so many closets and cupboards and we've got the basement ready for sheetrock.  Hooray!

Teagan's Baptism

Teagan chose to be baptized on January 2nd and we are so proud of him. He was a combination of nervous and excited.  As we talked about what it would be like we cleared any nervousness about drowning.  That morning he woke up and was just so nervous, to the point of paleness and shaking and we asked why, he said, "I am just nervous about having to take so many pictures today."  Poor guy, I had no idea he dreaded posing for pictures so much.  He made it through okay and loved the day.

We were all so grateful to have so many friends and family members support Teagan. He had all of his grandparents and great grandparents, most of his aunts and uncles, and his three best friends (Eli Heath, Mason Murdoch, Zachary Nielson) all there. 

We missed a picture with his Durtschi grandparents, darn!  

I asked him how he felt on that day and he immediately said, "cold, the water was  cold and the bathroom was cold."

I asked him what it was like to get baptized and he said, "I felt the spirit really strong when I was baptized and when I got the Holy Ghost so it was really good; I liked it."

We are so proud of Teagan and the choices he is making.  I love his testimony and closeness to the spirit.  He is such a strong boy.