North American International Auto Show, Detroit

We had a great opportunity to go the the Auto show in Detroit, MI this past Saturday. It is the major international auto show for all the auto makers. We had such a good time. The venue was absolutely enormous, with every space filled with all makes and models of different kinds of cars. I think every auto maker was represented. Most of the cars you could get up close and sit inside and look at, and some were just to look at. The kids had a great time as well. Here are just a small fraction of what we saw.

This car is a concept car that Mini has made. An SUV off road vehicle. Lee liked that it had no doors. :) A pretty sweet Lotus Elise. I think this looks like a mid-life crisis car. What do you think?

This is an Jaguar XFR. Lee and I would really like this car. Anyone want to buy it for us?

This a Steve Saleen special. He takes other cars and blings them up. I am not sure what kind of car this is. It looked pretty cool though.

This is Carson's dream car. It is a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. Bonus that is was orange. Carson's favorite color. He loves jeeps, and the color orange, so the perfect combination for him.

This is the upgraded 2011 Toyota Land cruiser. We own the 1995 version. It was a little different. (Especially in price.):)

This car had a price tag of only $375,000. No problem. Pocket change. Lexus LF-A super car if you were wondering.

This is another concept car that will soon be a reality this fall by Hyundai. It is the hybrid Sonata. You can just plug it in to charge it up. Pretty cool.

This was a race car represented. I was surprised how low to the ground it was.

We had a blast, and I am glad we went.

My husband wants followers.....

My wonderful husband has a new blog dedicated to his paintings. Check out his blog! He has some great paintings to look at and critique. :) If you are interested in buying some paintings, or know of someone who is, he is offering a 40% discount on all of the paintings on his blog. You must purchase directly through him to receive the discount. So pass it on, and let's give him some blogging love!

http://www.bartholomewpaintings.blogspot.com/

P.S. He loves comments on his work. So feel free to leave some.

2010

A new decade. Where did the last one go? This past ten years has gone by way fast.

Things that happened this past decade(At least the top 10):

1.Married to my best friend, and supporter.(just celebrated 10years!)

2. Had 3 children in 4 1/2 years. I know very quick, but they came when they wanted, and we really had no control over that. We love them very much.

3. Lived in 3 different places in Ogden.

4. Husband was self-employed for the first 9 years of our marriage.

5. I worked, and am still working as a nurse in the NICU. I love my job!

6. Traveled to many national parks, California, Colorado, Wyoming, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada,New York City, and our big trip last year to Peru. We also passed through Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana while moving to Ohio. We also went to upstate New York this summer which was fantastic, and have visited Michigan a few times. We plan to see some more sites and places this coming year. I love to travel.

7. Restored 2 houses which was a great deal of work, and time, and money, and I am still not sure I would do it again. :)

8. Supported my husband's return to school for his bachelor's and now his master's. I must really love him.

9. Moved 1500 miles from Utah to settle in Ohio. We have enjoyed our adventure here.

10. Taught Gospel Doctrine for entire year, and I am still trying to love my calling.:) I have really learned a lot,and hope to learn much from the Old Testament this year.

So that is my top ten list for the past decade. I could go on, and on, but you would get bored pretty quickly! I hope the next ten years treat us just as well.

~Happy Birthday Kale!~

Kale had his 4th birthday today! I can't believe he is already four! He has been SO excited for this day, and has been talking about it for weeks. We had a really fun day with him. After all the excitement we had the birthday cake and ice cream. Kale picked out his own cake. He blew out all the candles in one try. :)

This was his birthday lunch. We always let the kids dictate what they want for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on their birthdays. They have so much fun deciding what they want to eat all day. Kale wanted tacos for lunch, so we went to the Del-Taco since we were up in that area already. (We even called Aunt Shannon to let her know we were going there in her honor :).
We thought it would be really fun to go the The Imagination Station for Kale's birthday. We hadn't gone before, and we really had a great time! This is the gravity room. They had such fun trying to stay upright!

In the Circus section, Carson and Kale decided to try and fit in the box. They did a great job.

Kale was very happy to get his own big bike for his birthday. He can't wait to ride it more once the weather turns better. He liked riding around the house trying it out. We love you Kale! We are so happy you are in our family. Kale was born at about 7:30am on December 30th, and weighed in at 7lbs 10oz. He was grown up so much.

Christmas 2009

Our kids fared very well for Christmas. This is Carson and Dad working on his Twilight Lego ship. It was very complex, but they loved putting it together. Mara love Art. She really like trying out all her new supplies.

To say that Kale likes cars is an understatement. He loves them! He had a great time playing with his new garage and all the cars to go with it.

Kale posing with all his new loot.

Carson was equally blessed.

Mara was overjoyed with all her presents.

Christmas Eve

This is the treat we left for Santa this year. He thought he would be tired of cookies, so we left him pumpkin pie, and cream soda. We also left some oranges for the reindeer. He wrote a little note back, thanking us for the pie, and he also said that Blitzen liked the oranges! Our cute kids in their new pajamas. They love getting everything ready for Santa.

We were lucky to have the Sister Missionaries, serving in our ward, over for Christmas Eve. Sister Hansen, and Sister Carter were so fun! It made our evening so special to have them share it with us. We had great food, conversation, and played some great games. We had a Christ centered lesson about shepherds and make some candy cane bark. Since we were unable to be with family for Christmas, it make it extra special to share it with someone in our home.

Sister Carter opening her present from us. We gave them some warm fuzzy socks, and gloves. They will need it here!

Sister Hansen playing Zingo with us. Who knew that missionaries could be so competitive?!