Christmas Morning

We had a fun Christmas. It started very early. Connor had a nightmare at 4:30. He came in our room and fidgeted around until we sent him to get in his own bed at about 5:30. We warned him not to wake Logan--too late Logan was awake. I went in and told them to go back to sleep because we wouldn't wake Ashlyn until 7:30 but she woke up as soon as I got back in bed. So long story short we lost the battle and our Christmas officially started at 5:45. The kids got more than they could wish for. On top of all of the stuff they got, the boys were excited to find out that they get to go to the Sugar Bowl. It took them a minute to understand what the ticket was. Once Connor read the whole thing they jumped up and down and hugged Chad. I'm not sure they understand how LONG the drive is. Ashlyn and I will have a fun girls week when they go. The kids also went on a treasure hunt to find out that they are going to Disney World next month. They were very excited. Ashlyn can't wait to see the princesses. The boys will have a busy month with two trips and Chad's knee surgery squeezed in between. We had a great Christmas spent with family that lives near by but missed the many family members that are far away.

"Hark the Hair"

For the past two Christmas' Ashlyn has asked us to play Hark the Harold Angel's Sing (shortened to "Hark the Hair") over and over during car rides. We don't know why this is her favorite but she would rather listen to it than her princess music. Here is video of her singing it last year and this year. She insisted on being "gorgeous"--wearing my boots when singing this year.

Logan's Second Basket

Christmas Card Bloopers

Is it just me or does it take 45 tries to get one half decent picture for Christmas card? The kids decided to throw one more complication into the mix when they asked that Foster be in the picture. Here are some our MANY family bluppers. I hope it makes our Christmas card seem more perfect--It would be too much to ask to have everyone looking, smiling and sitting still. Their sweet personalities shine through at picture time. Every time I do the Christmas card picture I vow to buy Photoshop to make the next year's picture easier.

Connor's Baptism Day

We are very proud of Connor today. I can't believe it has been 7 years and 3 days since his blessing day. Time has flown by. When I sat in the bishops office during his baptism interview, I was blown away by what he knew. The bishop even commented today about his knowledge of the gospel. How did my baby know so much? He has been waiting for this day for a long time. He glowed all day. Everything went smoothly and the spirit was very strong. When I asked him how he felt when he was being baptized, he said, "It felt like I had 10,000 warm blankets on me." He is such a good kid. Chad and I feel blessed to have such a great son. I know he has many important tasks to accomplish on earth. He will be a blessing to many!

Jr. Jazz

Connor and Logan are loving basketball. Logan asks all week long how many days it is until Tuesday. Logan made his first shot this week. I had Young Women's so I missed it. Every time I saw him for the next 24 hours he would say, "I made a shot!" I was sad I missed it. Chad said he cheered and then pointed at Chad. He is such a cute kid. Connor has really become a great player this year. He says he is like Korver--this is the reason for the socks!!! He is scrappy and loves playing defense. He always wants to guard the best player on the other team. Sorry about the blurry video.

Thankful!

Sorry I haven't posted for awhile. I need to post Logan's basketball video. I keep meaning to post it but wanted to wait for video of Connor's game but we forgot the camera again this week. He is getting so close to making his first shot. He just can't get the ball to drop. Logan gets so excited when his teammates score that you would think he scored. He is a very cute basketball player. He tries to fake passes--Maybe he has watched too many basketball games on t.v. He already thinks he has skills. He is such a funny kid. We have known since he was a baby that he would be a clown. What would we do without our always happy Logan.
I haven't had anything interesting to write about, but, I am very greatful for our boring life. Some families around us are really suffering right now. A teenager that lived across the street was killed in a car accident last week. It is the second child that they have lost to a car accident. I can't imagine the pain that they are going through. I couldn't be more thankful for a healthy, happy family. I feel so blessed to have life going along so smoothly. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! We love you all!

Connor's Birthday

I can't believe Connor is 8! He has been so excited for his birthday. He is excited to be baptized next month and he was really excited to start cub scouts. We started celebrating the night before when Chad and I took him to the Utah vs. TCU game. I wanted to go to the last 2 games so I decided we would take Connor to the TCU game and Logan to the BYU game. It was a great game. Connor couldn't believe that they pulled it off. I kept telling him that he had to believe. The Ute's like to put excitement into the games this year. He asked if he could rush the field after the game. We gave in as a birthday gift to him--It was just two hours away. He couldn't believe how big the players were. They didn't usually even notice him standing next to them and he was too shy to say anything. When he was standing by Hensel some girls talking to him noticed Connor standing there and told him. He talked to Connor for a minute. He was very nice and Connor loved every second of it. Chad took Connor's picture when he was standing be Mack but it is on our phone so we'll have to figure out how to get it to the computer--I slacked with the camera for a lot of the important birthday pictures.
We decided to go to the ever other year plan for friend birthday parties. That is what most of his friends do. I wouldn't mind having a party if he could narrow down his friend list. Last year's near fiasco with 18 kids who wouldn't watch the movie--thank goodness for good weather and a football. We decided to do some activities as a family instead. We went to see Madagascar II it was really cute. Ashlyn is still singing "move it". Then we let the boys go rock climbing at IRock. Connor has done it before and that was his main request. He likes to do it but it makes him nervous. He would get 3/4 of the way up and then ask to be let down. We finally convinced him that it was safe and he made it to the top. He was really proud of himself. Logan almost refused to go but we talked him into it and he had a lot of fun. We finished off with a dinner at Iggy's and then went home for ice cream cake. It was fun spending the day together. We all had a good time.

Connor's Birthday

Halloween

The kids had a fun Halloween. The boys had the day off from school. It was a little wild around the house so we rented movies and had a pizza party for lunch. Luckily Logan had basketball practice in the afternoon--that help get some energy out. We went to Grandpa and Grandma Hatch's to see all the Utah cousins. They had fun seeing all the costumes. We had dinner and headed home. The kids had a blast trick-or-treating. The weather was so nice that Connor wore shorts. It sprinkled on us a little towards the end of the night but it was really warm. Ashlyn loved it. They went out with Chad for about 45 minutes then they came home for a drink and I took them for another hour or so. We walked pretty far but she never gave up. The boys wore out before she did. When they were ready to go home she yelled at us for passing houses. Her only complaint was that her bag was too heavy. She was good at saying trick-or-treat most of the time but sometimes she would say "I need candy!" They got a lot of candy!!
Ashlyn has been limping all day because her muscles are so sore. It's a good thing the boys got tired or she may not have been able to walk today.

Utah Cheerleader, Indiana Jones and Tony Hawk

Ashlyn's Halloween Program

Ashlyn had a Halloween program on Thursday. She did a really good job. She has been singing the songs to us all week. The program is divided into the 3 classes and then they sing a couple of songs all together. Ashlyn participated in 2 of the classes--she was on the edge of one class and didn't realize it wasn't her class so she stood up and sang along. She knew all of their songs too. When she sang with her class the teacher made the mistake of saying "sing loud" boy did she ever. I think it is the second video.

Ashlyn Cheering

The other night the boys were playing football downstairs and Ashlyn was cheering. They play football downstairs constantly. Pretty much every decoration we have downstairs has suffered because of it. I knew it looked like a bowling alley before we finished it, but, I didn't realize that it would be a football stadium after. The second Chad is around, they beg him to play football with them. Logan can hold his own. The only problem is that our ceilings are a little low for high passes that Connor can't intercept.

Downstairs Football

Ute's Hair

Logans Goal?--Almost

Logan's Goal!!!!!

Boys Stuff

Tonight we found out last minute that Connor had a football tournament. Only 4 players showed up so the coach had Logan play so the team wouldn't forfeit. Logan was so excited. Logan had been mad all season because his best friend plays on Connor's team and he wanted to play too. He denies that he said he didn't want to play when I asked him if he would like to sign up. He had a lot of fun playing. On one play he followed a kid that had faked a hand off. He ran the whole field with the kid. He thought he had him. It was funny. He was mad because he didn't get to run a play. He says that if the coach would have let him he would have got a first down. We told him that he could play next year and he says he'll win because the coach will play him. Earlier today he kicked the football so far that he says he will be the Ute's kicker. He is becoming quite the trash talker. He is becoming competitive like his brother.
I was wrong about Connor. He is Chad's duck hunting buddy. He went with Chad on Friday. He loved it so much that he begged to go again on Saturday. It was freezing cold and snowing on Saturday but he still wanted to go. He loved it. He tells Chad about all the ducks he is missing and yells when the ducks are 150 feet above them. He is sure he will get them all when he is old enough to hunt.
Chad asked Ashlyn if she wants to go hunting. Ashlyn informed him that girls don't hunt, that is for boys. She also yelled at him today because he took her to Walmart. She said, "Walmart is a boys store, girls like Target." I have trained her well!

Fall???

Winterlike weather hit very fast. We went from getting excited about fall to full blown winter in just a few days. The kids picked pumpkins at Grandma and Grandpa Hatch's house last Sunday. Ashlyn is very proud of her pumkin and asks me, multiple times a day, to carve it. She is excited for Halloween. The snow started falling yesterday but didn't stick. We sat through a very cold soccer game. Logan wasn't about to miss soccer two weeks in a row. I was wishing I had gone last week instead. Today when the kids woke up and saw a lot of snow they screamed and ran around the house. Ashlyn has bypassed Halloween and has moved on to being excited for Christmas. She thinks Santa will come any day now. The kids begged to play in it. It is still snowing but they are having a blast.

Long Weekend

This weekend ended up being a long weekend for the kids. I was supposed to volunteer in Connor's class on Friday. When I went down to the school I found out the power had been out for the first hour of school and they didn't anticipate it being on for several more hours. They were in the process of calling all the parents to let them know they could pick up their kids if they wanted. I took Connor home with me and Logan didn't go. My busy day turned into a quite one when Logan and Ashlyn went to friends houses and Connor went to Farmington Bay with Chad. They were just looking at ducks but they had biked out pretty far and Connor got a flat and had to walk all the way back. He wasn't very happy about it. I don't think he'll be Chad's duck hunting buddy for awhile. Later that night there was a carnival at the school--luckily the power was back on. Our kids look forward to Fall Festival all year long. It always starts out fun, but, it always seems like an eternity before the tickets run out. The kids had a good time.
Saturday it rained all day. Logan had a soccer game but we skipped it because of the bad weather. He was not happy with his fair weather mom.
By Sunday night the kids were wild from being cooped for the last couple of days. We are all glad for the school day today.
I forgot to write about Connor's football game last Wednesday. He had another great game--of course we didn't have the camera. He scored the winning touchdown. It was a great run, zig zagging over half the field. He was so excited. He had already thrown a great pass for a touchdown--but he doesn't think that is important. He might be a tiny bit of a glory hog. He also pulled a flag that end of the game that stopped the other team from scoring in the seconds of the game. He is having so much fun this year. We thought it might be a season to learn about losing. In his age group, most of the sports in South Weber aren't scored. Flag football is the exception. His team won the championship game last year and only lost one game. This year his team is mostly 1st graders and kindergarteners so we didn't think they would be able to compete with teams that had more second graders. So far they have proved us wrong. He has 2 more regular games and then they usually have a tournament. Logan has two more games and then he is done until spring. He will miss it. He is excited for basketball but he just glows when he plays soccer. I will miss it too.
Chad and I went to the Utah vs. Oregon game on Thursday. Usually I let the boys go but it was a late game on a school night so I had my Mom and Dad watch them. Chad and I had a lot of fun. It was a great game. Go Utes! I might have to make the boys rotate going so I can go more often. Maybe next year Ashlyn will sit still long enough to go. We can wish can't we. We had a really good dinner before the game at Market Street Broiler--a belated birthday dinner for Chad. It was fun because the place was packed with Ute fans. Chad talked the waiter into putting our free icecream into "to go" containers so we had a treat to take in. We had a great night.

Logan's Soccer Game

Connor's Touchdown

Logan's Soccer Game

Flag Football

Connor has been loving flag football. He scored his first touchdown last game. He also threw a touchdown pass. He told us that defense is his favorite part. He loves pulling the flags. One of the videos shows his touchdown but we weren't prepared so you can't see it very well. Sorry about my screaming in the background of all of the sports videos. I forgot about the sound.

Ashlyn Dancing at Home

Ashlyn is the second girl in the video. She spends most of her time behind another girl so most of the video you can only see part of her. We were just happy she did it. She wouldn't even dance at the dress rehearsal. I will post a video of her dancing at home too--without the music. I was impressed with how much she remembered considering she only participated in two practices. I am not sure I will win the fight against dancing and cheering. She spent the whole first quarter of the game begging to watch the cheerleaders. Whose girly girl is this?

Future Cardinelles--Ashlyn Dancing

Ashlyn Singing

This is our attempt at a family blog. We will try to keep it updated. After a very busy summer we are getting back into a normal schedule. Well, once swimming lessons are over we will. Connor is liking 2nd grade now. He loved his teachers so much last year that he had a hard time getting used to his new teacher. I think he liked the variety of team teachers. He is looking forward to starting football next week. Logan and Ashlyn are both loving their new schools. Chad and I are loving the 2 hours of free time. Logan was so excited to start Kindergarten. To make it even better, his best friend is in his class! He is loving every second of school. He also loves riding the bus. He wants to walk to his bus stop by himself. He is growing up too fast. Logan just started AYSO soccer. He is a superstar! He is so fun to watch because he is so animated. He just lights up. One time when he got a breakaway he started giggling so the other kids caught up with him. Last week he scored the only goal. Even though score wasn't being kept he was very disappointed that his team "lost". He informed me that it was because his shoes were too small and that maybe everyone elses were small too and so they couldn't run fast. We got him bigger shoes and sure enough this week he scored 3 goals and his team "won". Maybe everyone else got bigger shoes too. Ashlyn is loving preschool. She comes home and recreates preschool. She rings a pretend bell and tells everyone what to do. She is still our girly girl. She loves everything princess and barbie. I don't know where we got her. She is our singer and dancer. We will try to put on a video of her singing princess songs. Ashlyn is looking forward to Jr. Cardinelles (Northridge High's drill team) this week. It will be a busy week but it will be fun to watch her.
We will try to add pictures and more video soon.

Logan Learning to Ride a Bike