....ThE reSt oF tHEm!

I wanted to share the remaining Fall Photos we took. My good friend Becca snapped these while the leaves were a beautiful fall shade. I only wish we had 100 more....and I now would love some Winter White photos.....we'll see if that happens! I have one more that is my favorite that I will have to add later. Unfortunately, Luke's face is so incredible that it captured ALL of the flash. So...we cannot seem to adjust it, but you'll have to check it out anyway.....

Over the River tne Through the Woods....

After Christmas we packed everything but the kitchen sink and Tag, Lys, Jake, Luke, me, and Trevor all headed to Cascade, Idaho, for the Castleton Family Christmas! ;-) They had rented a nice cabin by the lake where the view was amazing. Everything was planned perfectly. Monday our sledding adventure was cancelled due to rain, but we had a fun day of ice skating instead. After a good 30 minutes, all ankles were sore! The following day we headed to the sledding hill again! I had mixed emotions about getting Luke, let alone myself, up on that hill....but never the less the tickets were bought and I found myself on an innertube hooked to a tram! My baby LOVED it. He couldn't get enough of it. I have to admit that it WAS actually fun. Everytime we were about to go down, Luke insisted on me promising him ONE MORE TIME! Jake, Lys, and Tag had a blast too. The scenery was beautiful....the family was amazing....and the experience was definately one to remember always. Thank you again to the Castleton's for including us on your adventure!

~Christmas 2008~

This Christmas Eve we joined my family at the Presbyterian Church in Idaho Falls. We had such an awesome experience listening to the Christmas story, hearing Christmas music, and feeling such a cherished spirit. It was neat to have a moment of Christmas Eve truly focused and in tune with the reason we all celebrate this time of year. Once we were home, Allysa shared a Christmas story with us, we fixed Santa's plate, and headed off to bed. However, we had to check the Santa tracker and locate HIS exact spot first. Not until Santa had arrived in Boise did the kids decide they really did need to get to sleep....FAST!

FaMiLy!!!

Thank you to my sister Kamala and her family for hosting us all to a wonderful Christmas party. Fred made homemade eggnog and the ham was incredible. As chaotic and loud as it can get, it is nice to settle into a peaceful night with those you are most comfortable with, safe with, and LOVE. The last few years my sisters & I have tried to get a picture together....here are a couple family shots I want to share....Jake arm wrestling with Marshall!
Allysa with her princess Santa hat from Trevor....and Lukey wrestling with Uncle Gavy!

Balmforth Christmas Party

It has been a family tradition as long as I can remember to have our annual Balmforth family Christmas party on Christmas Eve. As we all have gotten older, and our families have grown, we have moved the date to at least SOMETIME in December. It is truly one of my favorite events. I have been blessed with such wonderful relatives. They have been such strong examples, supporters, and friends in my life. The great thing is...that we ALL know what we mean to each other. We ALL know how important maintaining our connection is. And we ALL know that we WILL do it. Santa visited our party and even brought the kids presents! We had a WONDERFUL traditional dinner and even got to decorate gingerbread cookies. As we went around the room and each were able to share what we were thankful for, many memories of times past were also shared. A DVD was shared of our old Christmas parties. It was so fun to see how much each of us has grown and changed. I LOVE my family!

Here Comes SANTA ClauSe!

Santa made his yearly visit to Shelley this past Monday. Jake was busy watching a football game, so Lys, LUke, and I headed over to give him our lists. It was a lovely evening...a little cold, but we didn't have to wait in line hardly at all. We even got some hot chocolate! Luke would not let go of Allysa. As she giggled over the GRASP he had on her, she tried to maneuver enough to sit on Santa's lap without slipping or dropping Luke. What a great sister she is. I think she'll get bonus points from Santa for that!

Thanksgiving in Island Park

For Thanksgiving, my entire family spent time up in Island Park at our cabins. I took my kids up Friday for some fun-filled activities! Luckily, there was enough snow to enjoy some tubing! How lucky we are to have such a great family, great cousins, such a great location to visit, and somewhere to crash while we are there. There is nothing like escaping to the TREES! We love it up here!