Douglas Family Pictures

Unfortunately, Bryce's grandma Douglas passed away in November.  She was in her late nineties and was passed ready to go home to her husband and other family.  She ended up passing away in her sleep.  Anyway, all the kids came into town for the funeral.  It ended up being one of the coldest days of the winter.  There was snow and ice everywhere.  They had the funeral in Hyde Park.  It was a nice service. 

While the kids were in town, we decided it was well overdue for a family picture.  We had Jocelynn come take pictures of us.  We took the pictures in a neighbors barn and it was freezing cold. Some of the kids had a hard time sitting still, but for the most part, we did good with that many people.  I was so happy to finally get some pictures I could put up in my house.

Here is a picture of the In-laws. What a great pictures Jocelynn took of everyone.  WE ended up getting this big family picture for Marilyn and Roger for Christmas.  They were so excited about it.  Now, hopefully, relationships won't change and everyone will stay in love and happy with their spouses!

Tae Kwondo

Cooper started Tae Kwando in September at Kimberly Academy in Roy.  He has really enjoyed it and it has been great for his confidence and has allowed him to get more fit. He can go up to 6 days a week, but mostly goes about four times a week.  I like the instructor, Mr Hugh.  Although he is extremely layed back about starting and ending on time, he teaches the boys some good things. 

I love that Cooper is learning new things and that Mr. Hugh expects them to be respectful and courteous to each other and to him.  They are also learning to be disciplined. Cooper was able to test for his first belt advancement in early November.  He did a great job on his kicks, blocks, and breaking the board!

Cooper advanced from a white belt, to a high white belt.  He is looking forward to advancing again very soon.  There are many students in his classes and he enjoys spending time with them.  They are kind to him and he feels safe and comfortable there. On New Years Eve, Cooper spend his evening at a party put on by Mr. Hugh.  The kids had so much fun eating food and playing games. 

Families That Play Together, Stay Together

This Fall, while Steph and Paul were out of town, we took the kids to their house to swim.  It was a great time for the boys to spend with their Dad playing in the water.  Even Parker loved the warm water and all the splashing and fun! We just love spending time as a family and creating these memories that will hopefully carry on in our children's hearts and minds!

 We love to go on family walks.  Almost every Sunday, when the weather permits, we go for a walk around the block.  Sometimes we will take the kids over to the Roy pond to feed the ducks and walk around the pond.  Parker loves being outdoors. 

 The boys really enjoy to wrestle and fight with each other.  For the most part, Clayton is the feisty one and he will haul off and hit Cooper.  But, rarely does Cooper retaliate.  The are both loving to each other.  They pray for each other.  They encourage each other in soccer and taekwondo.  Cooper is starting to give Clayton rides on his back and shoulders.  I love it when they love each other.  Most mornings when Clayton is awake, he will always tell Cooper that he loves him as he goes out to school.  This melts my heart and I hope that they will always have a special bond as they continue to grow.

Cooper had school off on a Friday, so Bryce took it off of work and we spent a night up at the Wolf Creek Condos in Eden. We went on a small Razor ride with the kids and they also had a great time swimming in the hot tub.  Steph and I took them over to play basketball, volleyball, and run around in the grass. Later that evening, we ate dinner at Huntsville BBQ.  The food was yummy and we all had a great time.

We also took the kids to the Great West American Heritage Center.  Alpine bought tickets for our family and so we went out their on a Saturday.  The wind was blowing like crazy, so I stayed close the buildings with Parker.  We went on a small train ride. The boys rode the little horses, played on the hay slides, and then Bryce took them on a quick tour of the corn maze. Side note: I was not sad to miss the corn maze.  I don't care for corn mazes because I hate feeling lost and for some reason that frustrates me!

It was so nice to have some fun family activities this Fall. Bryce was able to take some days off of work and it was great to make these memories with our kids.  WE feel that it is very important to spend quality time with just our little family so our children can build strong bonds with each other.