Finishing Our Family Room!

We recently put A LOT of work into finishing the family room in our basement.  It was a LONG process!  I really wanted to get it done in time to put my Christmas tree down there.  We were finally ready for carpet...

My brother in law, Joe, came and helped us lay the carpet...

This is the best picture I have of it done.  It has been SO nice to have it for the kids to run around in and have space for people to come visit us.

Cody was nice and helped the kids put up the tree last Sunday.  I was so happy to have a big space for the tree (even though our tree is tiny!)...

But it didn't do much good.  Here is the twins' handiwork!  This is the third time it's been knocked over.  I think I'll just leave it down until Christmas!  Oh well!

A HUGE thank you to Joe and Sandra for their help with the carpet and to our neighbor Josh for helping us frame it up!!

These fun CRAZY kids of mine!

Here are some random pictures.  Life is always interesting at our house these days!

Adorable!

Konrad and his shoe fetish!

Handsome!!!!!

Corbett always dressing up!

Again with the shoes!

Corbett made this at school...

I think this might be the best hair day yet for Kennedy!

Konrad stole Cody's shoes.  He's getting ready to work out!

Let it SNOW!!

We got the perfect snow one day for a snowman!  It melted within a few hours but we really enjoyed it while it lasted!

Thanksgiving Surprise!

We had such a FUN surprise for Thanksgiving! My niece Kelsey went to College in Virginia and Cody and I knew they weren't planning to fly her home for Thanksgiving. We got a hair brained idea to surprise everyone and bring her home with Cody's sky miles! Cody must love me a lot because he's pretty protective of his sky miles. Originally he planned to surprise even me but eventually he told me and a few other people got in on the surprise along the way. My dad picked Kelsey up from the airport. Everyone had already arrived at Rhonda's house for dinner. We had to eat pretty late since she flew in that morning.

When my dad arrived at dinner Cody ran out and gave his ipad to Kelsey and she skyped us, supposedly from Virginia. Above is a picture of Cody getting Justin to set up skype on his laptop in preparation for the big surprise. Justin went along having NO IDEA why we were setting up Skype. He even added Kelsey so she could Skype.

Above a group of my family watching Kelsey on the computer. This is right before the big moment when Kelsey turned the camera around and showed us all where she would be eating Thanksgiving dinner!  Below, Kelsey outside the house...YAY!!

And after she turned the camera around it took very little time for a crowd to rush the door to find Kelsey outside.  They caught on right away!  It went so perfectly!  As soon as they saw the house on the computer, everyone looked out the window, ran for the door, and SCREAMED!! Below Tammy and Quinn (Kelsey's brother) reacting to the surprise!

We were so happy to have Kelsey home for a few days!  Our Thanksgiving table...

My nieces, Sam & Mariah...

Tammy, Kelsey, & Emma...

So sweet!  Konrad LOVES babies! 

Erica with Kennedy...

Kelsey brought the twins a fun gift!  SVU shirts!  LOVE THEM!

This is one Thanksgiving I will NEVER forget!

An Early Thanksgiving!

We were so happy to have Cody's mom and dad and Kiel & Jen come to our house for an early Thanksgiving dinner! It was a lot of fun! The kids LOVE playing together, especially Corbett and Brode.  Above: Grandma & Grandpa with a bunch of the grandkids.

We had a nice turkey dinner and then just hung out for a few hours. It was a great day! Corbett and Brode had a lot of fun out in the snow...

And Grandma brought the supplies to make these YUMMY turkeys. They didn't hold together too long but they got eaten rather quickly so it was ok!

The winds of change...

Allow me to indulge myself here.  This is the home I grew up in.  My parents have lived here for 34 years.  I have a million memories here.  This weekend we helped my parents move the last of their things out and clean it for the last time.  They will be in an apartment in Layton for a few months and then they will move to Mount Sterling, 8 miles south of our house here in Nibley, into a new home that is being constructed.  We can't wait for them to be closer and for our kids to be able to have a closer relationship with their grandparents.  You can't live in a place for that long though and not miss it!  I loved growing up in Kaysville.  It was smaller then. Of all the places to grow up I wouldn't have it any other way! 

Goodbye for Now...Grandpa!

Last Monday my mom called and told me my Grandpa Thorson had passed away.  He had been sick for quite some time and we were not expecting him to live too much longer.  However it took me back to hear that he was really gone.  I sat in shock for a while.  My entire childhood is filled with memories of my Grandma and Grandpa Thorson.  We grew up a few short miles from their house.  We spent Sunday evenings there regularly.  We worked in the greenhouse most springs from the time I was 8.  I was paid 50 cents a flat that I transplanted.  I remember my mom had to check each one before I moved on.  We went on several deer hunts with Grandpa there, reunions, birthday parties, etc.   The memories are endless.  I think my Grandpa did five times as much work in his lifetime than other people. He is the most honest man I've known. The funeral was on Saturday with a viewing the night before.  It was a bittersweet funeral, but it was a beautiful one.  We knew it was his time to go.  He lived a good life and we know he is in a good place.  Until we meet again...I LOVE YOU Grandpa!
We had some neat pictures taken of the day...these are my cousins and brothers.  This is only half of the pall bearers. 

The other half of the pall bearers.

The grandsons placed their boutonniere on the coffin and then the granddaughters got to place a daisy each. It was a moment where I felt a sense of pride that I am his granddaughter.

This is a picture from a few years back of me, my dad, grandpa, and Corbett