Brother and cousin time

 We went to the Gilbert Temple this year.  We can really get lost here.  Love the Grand Staircase.  Everyone survived the Davis brother camp out.  Weather was wonderful. Stephen Brennan came out for a day also.  JL was able to go out too.  We have started a tradition of having a brisket dinner on Saturday.  Carrie invited cousin Larry Ethington to come and enjoy the fun.  He brought three of his grandsons.  We had a lot of funny stories going around.  What a hoot.

Ken, Don, Harold 

 Ken, Don, Harold, Carrie and JL

 Carrie and JL

This is a stare down between Cody and cousin Dallin Ethington.  Cody won the war and Dallin fed him a dinner roll :)

 Larry Ethington and his grandsons, Dallin, Caleb, and Brendon

 Little Richard, Larry, Kenny, Harold

Holidays in Arizona

We tried to always celebrate three holidays while we are down in Arizona.  This year we did Christmas, Halloween, and Easter.  Carrie left up her Christmas decorations until we came down.  We decorated gingerbread houses along with opening the presents.  Cody was totally excited.

Holiday time is some of our favorite activities :)

 Halloween time

 Kaylynn made her spider earrings

 Easter time is also messy time :)

 Carrie rigged up umbrellas for Harold so he wouldn't burn.

 Cody's favorite hiding place was in his tricycle

Old Tucson

Kids were out of school on Monday so we decided to take them down to Old Tucson.  The place has changed since we took our kids.  All the kids loved the carousel and the car rides.  Panning for gold was another big hit. (We didn't tell them that it was fool's gold :))  They also loved the stuntmen presentation.  The men showed how they stage fights and gun battles in the movies.  Pretty fun stuff.

Temple Square Lights

Christmas night we drove up to Crystal's place in a snow storm.  Glad Harold and Crystal was driving.  Friday we rode the Trax up to see the Christmas lights on Temple Square.  We were not prepared for how cold it was.  We walked for awhile and then went into the mall or stores to get warm.  Crystal got some great pictures.  Here is a few I took.

 Sunday we headed back to John's to go to church with them.  We got to see Daniel pass the Sacrament since he turned 12 on Dec. 15th.  They ordained him right after his birthday so he could go to the temple to do baptisms with the Young Men and Young Women.  He loved it.

Christmas 2014

We decided to spend Christmas with John's family and Crystal this year.  We went over a day earlier than planned so we could stop in and see Kenny and Melanie.  Had a great visit with them.  Christmas Eve we got a motel room in Springville to spend the night along with Crystal.  We decided we needed our beauty rest :)  Christmas Eve and Christmas we spent with John and Pam's family.  Pam cooked all day Wednesday and then Thursday shared cooking duties with John.  Pam made 6 pies that were absolutely fabulous and then made several different kinds of cookies along with pumpkin rolls.  Our waist lines will never be the same.  Pam had us all organized for the evening.  We made gingerbread houses, had dancing in the dark with glo sticks, and then the kids acted out the Nativity while John read the story out of the Bible and Book of Mormon.  We laughed so hard watching the kids dance.  Levi has moves that rival John Travolta in Stayin' Alive.

Christmas Day, John fixed a huge breakfast of homemade biscuits and eggs.  Pam was trying to keep the kids organized as they opened presents but that lasted for about two presents and the free for all was on.  It snowed all Christmas Day so we did get our White Christmas.

Pam got everyone pajamas and socks.  The kids also wrote out their testimonies on a piece of paper and then drew a picture on the back for us to put in our keepsake journal at home.  Here are a few pictures.

Shannon playing a game with John Jr

 Pam cooking big time.  Yum

 John, Levi, Caleb, Ryan, and Daniel playing Angry Birds Transformers

 Gingerbread houses 

 Crystal and kids showing off their new p.j.s

 Harold trying to style for Christmas

 Found John Jr. asleep in the box

 Snow fun

 Shannon building a snow cave

Thanks John and Pam for a great Christmas!

Farewell to Eleanor

Monday we said our farewell to Eleanor.  It was a blessing that she went so peacefully.  We just had a visitation at Taylor Funeral Home since we were right upon Christmas.  Thank goodness for the Paonia Ward.  They supplied four of the men for pallbearers.  It was sad that her son Ed could not make it since he is in Michigan and flights are outrageous at this time.  Also with the weather being cold we were not sure what to do about flowers.  Crystal gave us the idea of poinsettas.

I went to Michaels and found a beautiful wreath for the casket and then bought poinsettas to decorate and use as thank yous to the people that helped us.  I think it worked real well.  

 Eleanor loved  stuff animals so Rudolph got to be included

 Two weeks before Eleanor passed away she told a nurse that all she wanted for Christmas was something red and something sweet to eat.  I think we met her wishes.

 Pallbearers were her nephew Terry, Charlie Huff, Bishop Bayliss and his son-in-law, Don Edmonds, and Harold.  (Gee John you lucked out)

Thanksgiving

Crystal decided to come home for Thanksgiving.  We hardly ever have cake anymore so Crystal decided we needed a Thanksgiving chocolate cake.  She and I braved the crowds pre- Black Friday to pick up sheets and a few other items.  On Saturday, I put up Christmas decorations and Crystal and Harold ran for the mountains.  They rode the ATVs up 16 Road.  It was a very cold brisk afternoon.  Glad I stayed home :)

 Crystal the artistic one!

 There is a little snow on the hillsides

 Harold being Mr. He Man 

 Bookcliffs