Ice Fishing and Sledding

We haven't had very much snow this year, it's only snowed a couple of times and only stuck twice. We did go up to the mountains to go ice fishing 1 time this year. There is a little bit more snow in the mountains but not much.

Ice fishing was a bust, it was really cold and the fish were not biting. Sydnie stuck with it the whole time though holding her pole and waiting for a bite:

The older girls gave up early and decided to go sledding with the ice fishing sled instead:

One of the two times the snow stuck this year I took Sydnie and her friend Tia up to our neighborhood hill and let them go sledding. I also took some stock photos :) They were really brave and dared to go down the hill all by themselves.

Brianne get Baptized!

We are so proud of Brianne and her decision to be baptized. She had an exciting baptism because she was baptized on new years eve. She got to have a party after her baptizm with her cousins, so the whole day was really fun and special.

We love Brianne she is a very thoughtful little girl. She is a very good helper and always the first one I go to when I need help with something. She often will do things for her sisters without me even asking. And even will spend her hard earned money on things for her sisters. We hope she will always remember this day and continue to make good choices and think of others.

I took a few pictures of her in her baptism dress a few weeks before her baptism. So I could use them on some baptism announcements I sent out. Here are a few of my favorites.

Here she is looking cute on the day of her baptism:

Here she is with here dad before they went and changed into their baptism clothes:

And here they are in their baptism jumpsuits ready to go to the font:

That night the Thornton cousins stayed for a new years eve party. We had fun playing games, like Bingo, and eating the marshmello off the string:

Merry Christmas 2011

Our Christmas started out with the ward Christmas party. The girls always enjoy sitting on Santas lap. Sydnie said she would not cry this year, and she didn't but she did look a bit nervous the whole time.

Sydnie:

Brianne:

Kaylee:

One Briannes Birthday we were also in Idaho for Christmas Parties. After Brianne opened her presents the rest of the cousins got to open their presents from Grandma and Grandpa and the cousins. Grandpa Thornton made some really fun handmade wooden gifts again this year. Brianne got a sewing machine and Sydnie got a mixer.

Christmas eve we were back home and ready for Santa to come. We always let the girls open their p.j.'s they get from Santa the night before. We also watch the church Christmas video and read the Christmas story from the Bible.

The girls all spent the night downstairs, here they are coming up to see what Santa brought them:

Sydnie opening up her stocking, here gifts this year were a singing Rapunzel doll, a princess scooter, a walking puppy and a rapunzel dress.

We played a little trick on the girls they had only asked for one scooter to share, they were excited to get it and posed while I took their picture.

Boy were they surprised when they went into the kitchen and found another scooter waiting for them. Santa brought them each a scooter this year!

Brianne took off full speed on her scooter, without even any instuction on how to stop. We were all a bit worried as she came down the hill. But she managed to stop.

Brianne is usually quite timid with these kind of things but she just took off without even a bit of timidness. If anything I had to tell her to slow down.

Kaylee was a pro in a matter of minutes.

And Sydnie had fun riding her new princess scooter, but was begging for a ride on the moterized scooter any chance she got:

Briannes turns Eight!!!!

I can't believe I have another girl old enough to get baptized. Brianne turned 8 this December, we had a fun friends birthday party for her a few days before her birthday. She wanted to go to a place called Jump on it for her party. So I let her invite a few of her friends and we all had fun jumping in a room full of trampolines.

For her birthday party I decided to make a doughnut cake. My girls love doughnuts and I hardly ever buy them so it's always a fun treat. Here she is ready to blow out her candles:

Here is the whole group of friends ready to go to Jump on it and have some fun:

Here is Brianne opening her prestents:

We were in Idaho on her Birthday so she got to have a party at Grandma Thorntons house with her cousins. I made a snowman cake for her. I'm not very good at decorating cakes but this one wasn't too hard:

Blowing out her candles:

Opening her presents Kaylee is always jealous because Brianne is around family over her birthday and gets more prestents. I guess having a birthday so close to Christmas isn't all bad.

Reflections 2011

This year the theme for reflections art contest was "Diversity Means..." My girls came up with some good ideas and did really well. In the local level meaning our school Kaylee won first place in Photography and 3-D art. Brianne won first place in Visual Arts and 3-d art.

I was in charge of the program this year on our local level so I go to hand the trophies to my girls.

Kaylee getting her award:

Brianne Getting her award

The whole group of winners:

Both Kaylee and Brianne were excited to find out they had won on district level. Kaylee won for her photography and Brianne won for her painting. Here is the whole group of kids who won on district level.

And then just a few days before Kaylee's Birthday we found out that she had won on Regional level for her photograph. She got to go on to represent our whole region at state level. She didn't end up winning on state level but we were really excited to have gotten that far. The only draw back was the awards ceremony was on her Birthday. Not a very fun birthday party sitting at a boring awards ceremony.

Kaylee getting her award:

Family Photos 2011

We finally got out and did some new family photos. We waited until the last part of October so I was worried the weather was going to be bad. But we have had such a mild year the weather was perfect. I went with my friend Tineka and her family, she took photos of my family and I took photos of hers. They all turned out great.

Sydnie age 4 2011

Brianne age 7 2011

Kaylee age 10 2011

Halloween 2011

This year for Halloween my girls had a hard time deciding what to be, all except for Sydnie. She knew she wanted to be Rapunzel months in advance. She has this purple play dress she wears just about everyday anyway. So really all she needed was a wig and a crown. My girls are growing up they all wanted to go trick or treating alone with their friends this year, I barely had time to snap a few photos of them in their costumes before they rushed out the door.

Sydnie was the only one that went trick or treating with me this year. She and her little friend tia went with me to quite a few houses. It was so warm this year that they were able to go to quite a few houses. Here is Sydnie in her Rapunzel outfit.

Brianne just didn't know what to be this year. It took a little convincing but I finally talked her into being a baby like Kaylee was a few years ago. She looked super cute and I was happy because it was an easy inexpensive costume:

Kaylee's first idea was to be the Queen of Hearts from Alice and Wonderland, I just couldn't figure out how to make a costume, well I probably could have but it would have taken a lot of work and money. So I talked her into being Alice instead. She made a really cute Alice:

And we can't forget about Lu Lu. The girls made her tu tu and I made her witches hat, the shirt was furnished by Build a Bear:

The school hold an annual Halloween parade so the parents can come and see the kids costumes. Here is Brianne with an embarrassed look on her face as usual:

And Kaylee as Alice:

Sydnie wasn't in the parade but insisted on putting on her costume for it anyway:

Shaun carved a few masterpieces this year as usual. This one is Chief Butternut Squash:

And here is "The Big Meanie"

A few weeks before Halloween we went to Idaho to visit family we had a fun Halloween party at Grandma Thorntons house. Here is Hayden, Kaylee, Hannah and Sydnie showing off the cake pop eyes they made. Poor Brianne was so sick that she just laid on the couch the whole time and didn't even feel good enough to carve pumpkins.

Kaylee scooping the guts out of her pumpkin:

Sydnie getting her hands a little messy:

The whole crew and their pumpkins lined up ready for pictures: