3-of-a-kind

Do these three cousins look alike or what?! Tori, Malia and Kelsey.

Those HATCH genes run strong! 

Thanksgiving

This year we made the trek to Utah for Turkey Day.

We had a fantastic meal prepared by all of us.

It included: cheddar rolls, sausage stuffing, sweet potatoes, creamy bacon potato casserole, turkey, ham, bacon wrapped l'il smokeys, and about 7 different pies.

After dinner we got our family pictures taken.

Once we got home we enjoyed picking over left-overs and playing games.

Here is my immediate family...in order of age.

The following day we headed up to the Homestead for a swim and a soak in the hot mineral baths.

Garrett only swims if the water is above 80 degrees so the kids got lucky enough to have Dad swim with them.

My childhood home was across the street from the Homestead. When they added on the golf course they needed to cut into our property a bit so in return they gave us all LIFETIME use of the tennis, golf and swimming facilities on the resort.

That evening we took the kids out for a night of fun and games with their cousins.

Adalyn was barely able to see over the dash board but she loved driving her little convertible.

We were rounding a corner in WalMart when I heard a voice addressing with a cheerful, "Merry Christmas!" It was Santa...and no one was around!! We got him all to ourselves. 

My kids were beyond thrilled...plus he had a REAL beard so he must be the real thing!

Our trip was cut short because the entire house came down with the flu so we all parted ways.

Thats my boy!

It must be an instinctive nature for little boys to be able to pick-up a ball and know what to do with it.

I still have a hard time understanding the game!

Benton is lucky enough to have 2 best buddies...and they are twins to top.

They have a great yard with a "play place", basketball court, gardens, trampoline, and a great place for us Moms to relax and watch.

We gather most mornings so our sons can play some ball and we can catch up.

Beautiful mornings.

Sweet Innocents

The kids are preparing to sing in church on Sunday this Christmas morning.

They are singing "Baby in A Manger".

Every time Alex sings this song she tells me how much she loves this song and how it makes her want to cry because it is so beautiful.

After singing it for me a few times she announced that she needed to make something for Jesus.

She then proceeded to pack a sack lunch.

I mentioned to her that Jesus lives in Heaven and she said,"I know Mom. It is for when he comes to earth again. He is going to be hungry!"

So there sits a little sack lunch, for Jesus, on my counter.

"tank cue"

I was nursing my baby (Adalyn) and she stopped, looked up at me, and said, "tank cue." Her FIRST words...and she was thanking me!

Shameless Plug

My 4 sisters and mom have created a food blog. We share all our recipes with each other via this blog. Now we'd like to share it with you. Stop by and let us know if you've tried anything, or if we need to edit some of our recipes. Your suggestions, variations and feedback would be greatly appreciated. Join us at Scrumptious Sisters.

Blue Eyes

Garrett came home with a Great Dane puppy yesterday. This dog has the bluest eyes...so we decided to name him Blue.

He is going to be huge when full grown. Blue is only 1 month old. Alex loves to hold him over her shoulder and put him to sleep. In a few months she won't be able to lift this dog.