I am Loved

Ever since my kids could eat solid foods I made heart pancakes for breakfast for Valentines day. I would always put a note in there lunch with a special treat, and a little box of chocolates. This year it was on a Saturday, so no note in there lunches with a special treat. I did make them our annual heart pancake breakfast. My hearts did not turn out as great this year, but I was in a hurry because I had a Stake Young Women's Leadership meeting in the morning from 10 to 12.

We had some extra special kids with us on Valentines day morning. Who enjoyed our tradition. Jessica and Hunter are not in this picture, because they were just getting up.

I left that morning in such a hurry I did not have time to clean anything up and left my house a mess. I wished everyone a Happy Valentines day and left for my meeting, which was 30 minutes away. When I got home I was really wishing that my family would have cleaned up the huge mess I had made from that morning. This is what I encountered when I came home:

This beautiful note on the back door inviting me:

It immediately put a smile on my face. I walked into the house and it was immaculately clean and the table was set just like this. A peach rose from each on of my kids and white roses from Doug, with a special note/card from each of my children and a love letter from my husband.

With a dinner Menu of what they were going to serve that evening for dinner. I had to wait in the other room till they were finished and they called me into dinner and this is what the table looked like. I wish I would have taken one with all of the kids sitting down. Doug made it all. It was heavenly, and plenty left for the next day and it was just as good the second day. Thank you Doug, Jessica, Hunter, Spencer, & Taylor for making me feel so loved.

I love you!

Happy Valentine's Day

I love you!

Laser Tag & Rollerskating

During the Christmas break we took the kids for some fun. We did Laser Tag and rollerskating. It was Taylor and Spencer's first time for both. They both started out slow on the skates, but by the end of two hours they were so much better.

We ended up taking them skating a second time during the break, because they loved it so much. I had a blast skating with them. It brought back great memories for me and they were impressed that there mom could skate. It was darker in the place and my camera's batteries died. I was able to get a few pictures though.

Jessica and Hunter invited some friends too.All of these boys are in our ward and good friends with Jess and Hunter. They all cracked me up.

Christmas pictures

Christmas eve dinner we always have Strawberry waffles, bacon, sausage, and juice.

My kids waiting on our bed to see if Santa came.

Taylor playing with her barbie set that Santa brought.

The kids checking things out. Spencer and Taylor playing the Wii. Mario Kart to be exact. The kids were so excited to get the Wii for Christmas, but not as excited as my friend Rachel's girls were. That was priceless.

Gingerbread House

The kids always have fun when it is time to make our Gingerbread house.

Why it says jump on it is beyond me. It is an inside joke for Jessica and Hunter

Why, Hi Bob? I don't know why either. They just are goofy. They did write Udall's on the front of the house.

Hunter wanted some of Jessica too, I guess.

But Jessica was going to get revenge. When the kids were done with the big house, they got to make their own.

New years Eve

I know it has been a very long time since I have blogged. I have not been motivated to post anything lately. I have so many pictures to share and events that have happened, but I also have been busy.

For New Year's Eve we just stayed home and enjoyed each other by playing games and doing puzzles, then we had a countdown to midnight and had sparkling apple cider. My kids look forward to the apple cider.

Jessica had other plans. You know plans of a teenager. Our stake combined with another stake and had a big New Years Eve dance. Jessica went with her friend Melody, (which we miss dearly, she moved last Saturday). The dance went until 1 am. They had all sorts of games, dancing, karaoke, and breakfast at midnight for the youth. Jessica had a blast. Her and Melody came back to our house and stayed up till 5am.

A friend took pictures at the dance.

Jessica and Preston Preston, Jessica, Melody, and Marcy

Jessica and Seth

This is how I started out my New Year's Eve. How did you start yours? For those that know me I always have my sunglasses on top of my head. Even at midnight and at home, there they are on top of my head. It is like they are a part of me. I know I have a problem.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Goodbye 2008

Hello 2009

Merry

Christmas!

Christmas Letter 2008

We all have been so busy this year that I still have not had time to send out Christmas cards, so I opted to do a email, blog one this year. I hope this does not offend anyone, but please understand I am trying to simplify our lives as best as we can. We took our family photo this past Sunday the 21st right before church and I am happy to say we did it on the second take. Yeah!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS 2008

We hope at this time of year you are all doing well. We want each of you to know that we love and miss you. Our family has had a very blessed, busy year.

Here is to summing all of 2008 in a condensed version.

Doug: A father, husband, brother, son. He continues to work for Arch Chemicals and is going on his 15th year there. He loves his job and is very good at what he does. He is the Cub master for our ward. He is great and creative with the boys. He has traveled more than he cares to this past year going all over the US and Canada. He is the best father and loves his family more than anything.

Renee: A mother, wife, sister, daughter. She is enjoying being a stay at home mom, which she is never at home. She is always, taking someone here or there. She is currently the Young Women’s President of our ward and loves working with the girls. She has done a card group this past year and will continue it into next year with another group of woman. She loves to scrapbook in her spare time.

Jessica: A daughter, sister friend is 16 and is a sophomore this year. She just finished the volleyball season at school and is getting ready to start the track season. She wants to defend her current title as the fastest girl in her high school of 2500 students. She has the record in the 100, 200, and the 4x100 relay. She is on the Stake Youth Committee and enjoys socializing with her friends when she has the time. She is sixteen now, but not in a hurry to get her license, as much as her parents are. She likes that she can date now too.

Hunter: A son, brother, friend is 13 and an 8th grader this year. He is the Deacon Quorums president. He has grown in the past two months so fast that we have had to buy him two pairs of shoes and more jeans. He played defensive back on his 8th grade football team. They made it all the way to the playoffs. Hunter missed out on the last three games, due to his knee. (He had surgery on it last year.) But all is well and he can play sports again soon. He loves football, football, and can I just say football. He follows in his father’s footsteps and loves ASU.

Spencer: A son, brother, friend is 9 years old and in 4th grade. He decided not to play football this year, but regretted the decision. He is excited to start baseball. He is very smart in school and is in the gifted program. He loves playing any kind of game and does not really play with toys, just games. He started piano lessons a few months back and doing great. He will be playing “Away in a manger” for our Christmas Eve. Spencer loves the Oregon Ducks, but also ASU. His dad is sad about this, but Spencer loves the fact that he was born in another state then the rest of his family.

Taylor: A daughter, sister, friend is 8 years old and is in 3rd grade. She decided not to take dance this year. She started achievement days and gets really upset if she has to miss. She had the chicken pox this year. She was baptized in April by her dad. She also started piano lessons and loves it. She will play the song “Up on the house top” for our Christmas Eve.

We also enjoyed several family vacations this year. We hope to be able to come home to AZ next summer for a few weeks over the 4th of July. We are so thankful for each one of you in our lives and especially our brother, Savior Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love,

Doug, Renee, Jessica, Hunter, Spencer & Taylor Udall

Christmas Tag

Christmas getting to know you:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? both

2. Real tree or Artificial? Love the real, but use the artificial

3. When do you put up the tree? The first Monday night after Thanksgiving for FHE

4. When do you take the tree down? When I feel like it

5. Do you like eggnog? Yes

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Cabbage Patch Doll

7. Hardest person to buy for?

8. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail all the way

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Bug snapper (fly swatter)

11. Favorite Christmas Movie? This is a hard one. Ask my family I love them all

12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? November

13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? no

14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? homemade chocolates

15. Lights on the tree? yes

16. Favorite Christmas song? O' Holy Night

17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home, but would and have traveled to be with family

18. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? yes

19. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star

20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas day? One on Christmas Eve (pajamas)

21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? People not saying Merry Christmas

22. Favorite ornament theme or color? Rustic, country

23. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Ham

24. What do you want for Christmas this year? Rest

25. What is your favorite Christmas story? The nativity

26. Snow or No snow ? SNOW

27. Go Christmas Caroling, or be caroled to? Be caroled to.

Now go and copy and paste in your own answers and post it on your blog. I tag all of you.

The Christmas Tree

We always decorate our Christmas tree the first Monday after Thanksgiving for Family Home Evening, but this year we had to decorate it on Sunday night. Doug was leaving out of town for work (again) for a few days and the kids wanted to get the tree up. Ok, Ok I wanted to get the tree up, but the kids wanted to after I suggested it.

Hunter kept trying to put his ornaments higher than Jessica's. He got a chair and put a bucket on it, just so his would be the highest and they are.

Spencer

Jessica caught in the middle of a sentence.

Taylor is always joyful about anything Christmas. The finished product Afterwards we played a game called sequence that our family really enjoys playing. Doug and I were on a team, Jessica and Hunter were a team and Spencer & Taylor were the other team. Who do you think won? Spencer & Taylor won the first, Doug and I the second and Jessica and Hunter the last game. Taylor and Spencer are really, really good at this game. The next day we received quite a few snow flurries. Can you see the white on the bench? Well it snowed and has been cold all week long. I believe it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.