Rockin' New Years Eve

I know this is out of order, and I don't know why - just be patient! :) Anyway, us Jones' really know how to party. At first, we weren't sure if Allen would be able to join us or not - but they worked very very hard all day and were done around 5:30 p.m. We ate nachos for dinner and of course had "party" food. We also played band hero - which was actually extremely fun. I have decided I missed my true calling in life. I totally rock on the drums - I amaze even myself. Tyler pretty much kept the microphone - he sure does love to sing. And the girls were good at doing it all. Around 10 p.m. the girls went off to bed, but Tyler was determined to make it until midnight. So with everyone else asleep, including Allen, Ty and I watched the ball drop in times square and Ty then promptly went to bed and straight asleep. It was a fun night just hanging out together.

Christmas 2009

Christmas was another great one this year! Well, at least Santa came - so I guess that's how the measure is set around here. This year, we remembered to check Tyler's alarm clark and make sure it wasn't set for a ridiculous time. The funny part was at about 8 a.m., Allen and I were awake and wondering if the kids were ever going to wake up. They all slept in and finally got up around 8, including Braden. The older kids really tried to help Braden get into the spirit of opening presents, but we found out he really doesn't care. He didn't even care about the wrapping paper. He did get a few new toys which he loves. The other three came out well also. Lots of new toys to play with. Anyway, here are just a few pictures to enjoy.

December Happenings

This is my post for the month of December except for Christmas. It started out GREAT! David Archuleta came to BYU-Idaho to perform, and we were so excited to be able to see him in concert. Allen, Tyler and I went and watched him perform...yes...we are cheesey that way - but we were very excited.

On the 9th was my mom's birthday. I am posting a picture of the cake because my dad had brought the cake and had that number written on it. It is a special thing between them. Anyway, at one point or another, all of my children kept asking "Grandma, are you really 381 years old??" Ha ha, it was just so funny. Poor mom - no winning in that situation.

(He really is happy here. He loves making faces and noises!)

Of course, we put up our Christmas tree. This is the first year ever that it took so long to put it up. We didn't get it up until the 8th - which for us is sad. It is usually up the week of Thanksgiving. We weren't too excited about Braden being around the tree, and more importantly all of the plugs. He loves plugs and cords. Luckily, it was low enough to the ground that it kept him away. He hated the feel of the tree on his head. All the kids enjoyed it. It is a fun time to deal with all of those wonderful lights that don't always work, and trying to figure out which branch goes where.

For family home evening before Christmas, we put together gingerbread houses. I din't realize they were so messy and so much work. We didn't have a mixer to mix the glue - I mean frosting. Then I was really dumb and I forgot to get a picture of the finished project. What's up with that? At least the kids had a wonderful time - as evident in the pictures.

School was out on the 18th and the kids were so happy. McKenna and Kylie also participate in the afterschool program, and one of the classes that Kylie signed up for was the princess class. Each Thursday they made different things. The crowns, necklaces, sashes, etc. Then they had a tea party. This is Kylie's stuff that she made. She was so proud of it and so sad that that class had to end.

Of course the final event before Christmas Eve and Christmas, was Allen's Birthday. I should dedicate a post just for that. But since I didn't, Allen turned the BIG 40 this year. We of course kept it simple and small and stayed at home and had carrot cake. But I hope you can indulge me for a minute while I tell you how much we love Allen. He is such a great dad and husband and of course my best friend. He is everything I am not which is why we probably work so well together. For the most part he is so easy going and the kids love to play with him. He is always willing to build and rough house with them all. And we can't forget what a hard worker he is. Never having a problem to jump in and do something that needs to be done. Anyway, we love him and hope the next 40 are just as great!

Thanksgiving #2

Our second Thanksgiving was just as great as the first! Allen was able to take the entire week off. We did some Christmas shopping, we all got our H1N1 shots, and we bought paint. Can you say crazy? We have been wanting to do a couple of accent walls in the kids rooms for quite some time. What started out as just a couple of walls, turned into the entire house doing "touch ups". We did let the kids paint for a little bit. I am really sad I didn't get one of Ty. However, soon, after I finish their rooms with some decor, I'll post pictures.




The girls made indian hats for a special Thanksgiving dinner that they had at school. They were extremely proud of these hats and I promised them I would take a picture.


We enjoyed another great Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's house. I invested in a coloring book to keep the little people occupied for awhile. These are the ones that they did for my parents. They are all sure great at coloring!

We hope everyone else had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We are so grateful for all of the blessing we are able to enjoy each day.

Allen's Dad

Since Allen and I have been married, his dad and Loreen (his dad's wife) have been living in St. George. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to see a lot of him. His dad is moving to Caldwell Idaho, and while he was passing through Rupert, we had the opportunity to go there and see him. He is a great man and I love and respect him a lot. Sadly, he isn't doing so well right now, and so it was a great blessing to see him and introduce our kids to him. Here is a picture with Allen and his siblings and then our family with Allen's dad.

Thanksgiving #1

I had a sister visiting from TN, and another sister visiting from Utah, so my parents had an early Thanksgiving dinner on the 14th of November. It was super great food and fun family time. We played games and ate a lot! My parents even pulled out their Christmas Tree, and let all of the little kids decorate it. This is of them. We were sad to see my sisters leave after this weekend, but felt grateful that we could have "thanksgiving" with them.