Happy Easter!

Easter came so late this year it seemed like it took forever to get here! We haven't taken a family pic for a while so while we were all dressed up for church, we decided to take a moment and capture all of us.

19 Years and Counting!!

Phil and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary. I can't believe I've been married for half of my life. If doesn't seem like that long, but at the same time, it's so normal and comfortable that it's like we've been together forever. I'm so grateful for him in my life and the love and support he gives me. We have a great family together and I can't imagine my life any other way!
We went out to celebrate on our anniversary and had dinner at Happy Sumo and went to a movie. As we were on our way home, we were in the mood for something sweet, so we stopped at the bakery and brought home cake to celebrate with our kids. Because what better way to celebrate a wedding anniversary than with wedding cake??

Christmas Events

This Christmas came and went so quickly this year that I'll just highlight some of the events:


Choir Concerts





Looming Hats



Gingerbread Houses




We had such a great Christmas with Phil's parents and brother, Dan. We had a great Chistmas Eve dinner and enjoyed sharing Nativity and scripture stories, songs and laughter together.






The kids enjoyed opening presents Christmas morning and seemed thrilled with all their gifts. We had a wonderful weekend watching movies, playing with the new gifts (lots of Epic Mickey Wii), and the beautiful lights at Temple Square. We're so thankful for friends and family that make our lives so richly blessed. It was great to spend the holidays with family!

Halloween with teens

Halloween this year was a litle different than in previous years. All our kids had their own parties and friends to be with, so Phil and I stayed home by ourselves. It was kind of a crazy day since Phil decided to paint and fix our front door and when the kids started trick-or-treating, we had a blanket hung where our front door should have been. We were able to finish the door project and rehang the door before the evening was over, but the kids that came to the "blanket" door thought it was for Halloween. Nope. That's just my husband and the way he works when he gets a project in mind. Doesn't matter what day it is - he has his own agenda.



We did take a few minutes and went to visit Grandpa Hutchinson. It's always a tradition to see him and show off the kids each year. We love visiting him and we know he's always excited to see his grandkids.



James had a blind date with Landon and some girls he knew and went to a corn maze and haunted house. He decided to dress up like Shaggy from Scooby Doo. He had a fun time with the girls and decided blind dates weren't too bad.



Lauren went to a party with her girlfriends and dressed up as if she'd been electrocuted. It was a fun and interesting idea that came from her brother - he used this costume last year because his "bed head" hair when he wakes up looks naturally like he's been electrocuted.





Natalie went trick-or-treating with a bunch of friends in the pouring rain, but had a fun time anyway. Aunt Carri came up with her witch costume. She was also a cheerleader for her daddy/daughter party and a volleyball player at her dance party. She just couldn't decide on one costume this year!

Mother's Day

I'm usually not the greatest fan of Mother's Day - I don't love the expectations of it, and would rather it be a spontaneous day to celebrate the Moms you love than for it to be "required". However, this Mother's day has been great. My family really showed me how much they love me and it was truly genuine. Phil made me breakfast in bed - I have the greatest husband! :) The kids helped Phil make dinner and decorated the table with candles and presents. Phil suprised me with a beautiful watch from Brighton and the kids gave gifts of cards, candles, and school made books. It was so fun to be celebrated, and to top it off, the Red Sox beat the Yankees tonight, too! What a great day! I sure love my family!!



The yummy dinner my family made for me!



My beautiful family taking care of me today



My new watch!

The Fire Pit

Phil brought home the fire pit he purchased from the work charity auction this week and we had a fun little get together and enjoyed some s'mores. My parents and Nick, Carri, and Lexi came over tonight to have a little party. Even though I wasn't thrilled Phil bought the fire pit, I can see that we'll really enjoy it this summer. We look forward to lots of marshmallows and chocolate!

Thanksgiving in St. George

Thanksgiving in St. George was so much fun this year! Unfortunately, no one else could join us but it was a lot of fun just our family of 5. I made the Thanksgiving dinner all by myself, and although it wasn't as fancy as if it had been done by the entire family, it turned out really well! We had such a nice relaxing weekend! We spent time playing basketball and tennis, watching TV and playing pool, reading and putting together a puzzle, going to see the movies Twilight (I did this all alone since I was dying to see it!) and Bolt. We enjoyed the Johnson trail walk when the weather was really nice and took some great pictures in the red rocks. It's so beautiful there! It's amazing that it's within walking distance of my parents' home. There is so much to do there, we just love the time we get to visit!