snowshoeing

On the 26th, we gave our Christmas presents a try and went out for a little snowshoe walk. Once we all got comfortable, everyone had a great time. It is always so nice to be in the outdoors at winter. We saw ducks swimming in the river and geese flying around. We played on the frozen ice and tried to ski down the hills, which doesn't work well in snowshoes. All in all a good time and we look forward to more fun in the snow.
Jeff & Becca thanks for joining us!

Christmas 2008

Wow, Can you believe another Christmas has come and gone. Here are a few shots from Christmas at our house. My camera was dead for some of the festivities, so I don't have many great photos, but you get the picture right.



MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Cheerz Allstars!

Look at these cute girls! Probably a little cuter without the makeup though. Yes we have spent the last couple days at Cheerleading competitions! What a new experience for Mom, but always fun to see Brooke having so much fun out there. Today was great they took a first place and qualified for Nationals in Vegas. So exciting! Go Cheerz Allstars!

Brynn at Temple Square

On Wednesday Brynn went off to Temple Square with the Young Women's to see the Christmas Night. It was cold but of course the girls had a great time, and of course there was hot cocoa afterwards. What great leaders to brave the cold for the sake of these cute girls.

Weekend Adventure

Would you have guessed, the Watkins went on a little adventure this weekend. Well at least some of them did. Blake, Brynn and Camden went down near Lake Powell and adventured in a slot canyon called Leprechaun Canyon. Lori and Brooke stayed home and went to Cheerz and did hard work. I know your jealous. Blake and the kids had a great time and are ready to go back again. Camden even survived the repelling part of the adventure. He was a brave soul! He said "That was the best hike ever" and that "his dad is the best dad ever" I have to agree! What a great dad who loves to take the kids to do the things he enjoys!

UEA Weekend - St. George

We went down south for one last hoorah before winter hits. We took the boat and had some fun in the water at Sand Hollow Reservoir. We all needed to make sure we didn't forget how to wakeboard over the winter. Sorry no photos of Blake and Lori on that one, just Brynnley. We enjoyed the day at the lake with the Taylors and the Brockbanks. The dog even got in on some of the fun!






























We also took a trip to Zions & Snow Canyon and enjoyed some hikes and fun with they Sybrowski's.



Always fun times in St. George!

Pumpkin Carving!

Brynnley with her howling at the moon wolf!









Brookelyn with her witch profile and pumpkin!








Blake and Camden with their pumpkin masterpiece!

Yes we did it, we got a puppy! What an eye opener for Mom! Guess who is home all day with the dog or at least who has to come back home every couple hours to let the dog out to potty. MOM! What fun! I'm thinking a baby might have been easier?! Well, his name is Bo and he is a Labrodor/Border Collie Mix. He is pretty cute when he isn't biting and attacking the kids pant legs. What an experience to learn to train a puppy!

Brookelyn

Brookelyn got tagged in a game of "Kiddo Tag". What a fun thing! Once you're tagged, you're are supposed to tell 5 things about that person that others may not have known.

Here we go my first attempt of this game of tag!

5 things you may not know about Brookelyn:

Brookelyn is a peacebuilder!One of the goals at our elementary school is for the kids to be peacebuilders. Brookelyn is definately the peacebuilder at our house! She always tries to make sure everyone is happy and seems to know how to do it. She makes our home a happier place!

Brookelyn gets it! Most kids don't quit get it that if they will do their homework or their practicing when it is time then it is done and they don't have to worry about it any more. Brookelyn is good at this. She comes home from school most Mondays and gets her homework done for the week. I obviously love it! We then don't have to worry about homework the rest of the week. What a great attribute!

Brookelyn is a good friend! She is very social and loves her friends. She is always able to make new friends and be a good friend. I never have to worry about her finding friends each year when her classes change. She also has the ability to choose good friends who bring out the best in her!

Brookelyn loves animals! I think she has every stuffed animal there is too have and would have the real life once if it where an option. One day she loves koala bears, then frogs, then pumas? Lately she is loving the new puppy that is part of our family. She has been a great help with the puppy and loves to play with him.

Brookelyn will try anything! Brookelyn is willing to try anything new. Sometimes she can be a little scared, but is usually willing. She has tried her hand at dance, softball, violin, waterskiing and now cheerleading. She went to a college volleyball game the other night and is ready to try her hand at that. She is always willing to learn something new!

Sorry I am new at this blogging thing, so not too many to tag, but here goes.

I tag!
Macey R.
Isaac G.

Muir Elementary Talent Show

Ok I give! My plan was to catch up on the events of the summer, but that is obviously not happening. So now I will just try to keep up from here. So last week the kids had a school talent show. Here is Camden with his debut on the piano. He was pretty excited since he has only been taking lessons for 2 months. He did a great job!

Now here is Brookelyn's! Sorry it is turned side ways, I guess I shouldn't video that way any more. She also did a great job. I thought she had the best performance, yes I am a little biased. It was fun to see the kids in each class perform.

Blake & Lori Normandy - June 2008

This is the 2nd phase of our European Vacation. It was great to see the sights of Normandy and the countryside of Europe. This was a very eye opening experience for me. Enjoy the photos!

Blake & Lori Paris - June 2008

In June of this year, Blake and I went to Europe with most of the Watkins. We enjoying seeing some of the sites Dick saw while serving his mission there. I think we got to see everything on the list and enjoyed some relaxing time at cafes and

Brynnley Graduates from Elementary

Brynnley and her great teacher Mrs. Talbot
















Tatum, Jackie and Brynnley

Memorial Day at Lake Powell

We went to Lake Powell for Memorial Day. It was still a little cool, but nice to be out on the boat and a great start to a summer full of adventures!

Brookelyn the softball all-star

Brookelyn played some spring softball and had a great time!

Blake & Jeffs Spring River Run

Blake and Jeff decided to attempt a run down the river. The river was running pretty high with spring run off. Round 1 was successful, so they thought they would give it another try.

Headed up for Round 2! The second time around they got dunked! Boy was that water cold. They were pretty quick to get to the shore and get out!

Brynnley turns 12!

It's Brynnley's Birthday and we get to go to Tepanyaki for Dinner. It is always a fun night to celebrate birthdays together with our family.

Blake & Lori Europe - April 2008

Blake and I got to spend a week in Interlaken Switzerland this April with Humana Health. Blake earned the trip through selling policies for Humana. What a great time. We were totally taken care of the whole time, food, lodging, entertainment was all top notch. We we able to do and see many amazing things, for example, fondue at the base of the matterhorn, carriage ride through Interlaken, tour of Luzern and tram ride to have dinner at the Schilthorn (where one of the James Bond movies was filmed). The weather could have been a lot warmer and sunnier but at least we get to come back in June and see things in the sunlight.