February 2009 cont...

Spencer and his friends at the winter party at school


Will really wanted to play soccer. We tried to get him on a team with his friend, but it didn't work out. Will is so shy! He had a hard time meeting his new team and coach and wouldn't leave Brian's side during the warm-up before the game. Actually he wouldn't even play the first quarter. He was too afraid and scared. After the first quarter, the coach convinced him to go in and play. Then he got to do the kick-off and the rest is history. He was still shy at first, but once he got into it, he didn't want to quit. since this first day, Will has become the top scorer for their team and he can't wait for the next practice or game. Way to go Will!

i just thought this was a cute picture of my little boys reading on the couch. Aren't they cute?

Happy birthday to Brian! the big 35. WOW! I love you, honey.

Zach begins gymnastics...Jan. 2009 cont...

Zach loved watching Will in his gymnastics class so much that I decided to try a mommy and me class with Zach. As you can see from the pictures, he loves it! We enjoy the time together and he really gets into it and participates in everything. He especially loves swinging on the bars and "bubble time" at the end. BTW: these bubbles are great! They are from Gymboree and you can actually catch them in your hands and the kids love it. Zach is a natural. He is physically capable of everything they do in class and he is socially in his element.

Happy birthday Spencer! 01-09-09

Spencer enjoyed his 11th birthday party with a bunch of friends. They came to the house for pizza and brownies (Spencer's b-day dessert) and presents. Then Brian took them all to the local pool for some swimming fun. It was a great celebration. I can't believe that I have an 11-year-old! It seems like yesterday that we were finishing up at BYU and leaving for Texas. How is that?

Happy Birthday Emma! 01-01-09

Emma had a happy birthday at home this year! She wanted a giant cookie cake with a snowman on it, so this is what she got. She had a bunch of friends over for a party

Emma turned 8, and thus was able to be baptised into our church if she chose to. Here we all are at her baptism with Grandma and Grandpa H. and Uncle Mark and Aunt Kyra. We had a great time and it was fun to have family visit for this special day.

Starting Things off Right! January 2009

We had a lot of fun cheering in the new year with the kids and some of their friends. We had lots of party food and candy and we all took turns singing karaoke, playing games, then watching the TV as the ball dropped in New York. It was really great. Everyone finally went to sleep, then we had a great big breakfast in the morning with hash browns, bacon, sausage, pancakes, eggs, orange juice. YUMMY!

DECEMBER 2008

Well, December brought a lot of fun for our family. here's some of what we've been up to:

Will continues with his gymnastics and is doing really well. He has gained a confidence in himself, but he is still rather shy and has a difficult time going to class without his blanket. We're not sure if we will sign him up again.

Will and Zach in their Power Ranger dress-ups


Will helping decorate the Christmas tree

Emma displaying her cookie during our sugar cookie frosting extravaganza!

showing off the Christmas Eve jammies from Grandma and Grandpa C.

&

waiting for christmas!During Christmas break, we decided to have a family fun day at 6 Flags over Texas. It was a great day...very warm during the day, then chilly at night. We spent the whole day there. It was Will and Zach's first experience at an amusement park, and they had a great time going on rides and seeing roller coasters and eating yummy food!They even had Frosty's sledding hill! The kids loved it and did it several times.

I wish I had taken a picture of the entire hill...it was really small compared to the hills I grew up sledding down in Idaho...but it was fun anyway.

I had to include this one! Where else can you ride in a boot? You know what they say...Everything's bigger in TEXAS!

NOVEMBER 2008...Our Mexican Vacation

Our trip started last Sunday at 3:20 am when we woke up a little late to catch our 5:40 flight out of DFW airport! We quickly got all the kids up and made it to our flight with time to spare! WaHoo!! We were off. Flying was a new experience for Zach. He's been on a plane before, but he was too young to remember. He was excited watching the guys load the luggage, but as soon as the plane started moving, he was terrified! He had to hold my hand during take off, and he had to have the blind closed on the window. This became our routine for all future take-offs and landings. It was rather indearing and nice to be so needed and to know that I had the power to take away his fear and to have him believe that everything was going to be ok.

After flying through Atlanta and changing planes, we arrived in Mexico to see a rainstorm! It didn't stop us from heading to the beach the moment of our arrival. Everyone was excited to see the ocean and to play in the sand. We didn't want to be too rambunctious on a Sunday, and it was raining, so we did a Christensen Family Favorite, and threw rocks in the water.

We stayed at an all-inclusive resort about an hour south of Cancun. We had all the smoothies and food we could possibly want. So much so that Cami and Spencer got sick the first day after having too much! It was nice to have buffet meals with lots of choices and a few nights, we made reservations at some of the nicer restaurants for dinner which was fun, too. We basically spent our time going between the beach and the water park at the resort. Brian and the older kids enjoyed snorkeling and swimming. Cami's favorite things were the smoothies, building sand castles, and going to the kid's club activities. Emma loved the ocean, watching some of the fun contests organized by the hotel, and making friends in the kid's club. Spencer loved snorkeling, swimming, and playing sports with the other boys that were staying there. Will and Zach liked the kid's water park. Brian liked doing activities with the kids, snorkeling, and walking along the beach, and taking care of Zach when he woke up at 5:30 am! I loved watching the kids enjoy new things, and lying in the sun reading a book. Brian took us on a small hike through some jungle to see an ancient Mayan temple located just off the hotel property. It took some coaxing to get the kids to leave their new friends and activities, but once on the way, they were having fun. Like any family vacation, we weren't without some squables, some tears, and some cross words, but looking back, it was great. The kids did well during meal times, and during the flights, and even during the long lay-overs, and the drives to and from the airports. I'm afraid that we left Mexico without having really "seen" it. Our kids have this distorted view of what they think Mexico is like. To them, it's this fancy hotel where everything is available when they want it. We had a great time and it was a much needed break for all of us.

View our pictures by clicking on the link below!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/rachelekc/MexicoVacationNovember2008#