December 23rd, 2012

• Brynn fell off the monkey bars last Friday...and hurt her right arm. (Sound familiar? Yeah, same thing Addy did in October!) She favored it all weekend so on Monday I took her in to get it checked out. Nope, not broken! Thank goodness. Brynn was kind of bummed though, she thought a cast would be very cool.
• Todd and I have enjoyed teaching the 9 year olds in primary this year. We are really going to miss them in 2013 so we held a Christmas Party for our class. We got them Happy Meals and played Minute-To-Win-It games. It was a good time. Even Sebastian, who is in a wheelchair and doesn't really talk, was laughing the whole time. We really have been blessed to teach these great kids; Victoria, Sebastian, Madison, Freddy, Elliott, and Alyssa. 
• Wednesday was Addy's last day of school before Christmas vacation. Todd met me at the school in the afternoon for their sing-a-long. The 1st graders were super cute and sang one song in English and one song in Chinese. Afterwards I had volunteered to help with the class Christmas Party. It was so fun to be a part of. I loved watching and hearing how the Chinese class worked since I only am able to volunteer with the Mrs. Helm, the English teacher. The kids are no longer allowed to speak English to Mrs. Ackerson, the Chinese teacher  but the kids are completely comfortable with it. It seriously amazes me and probably always will.

• Thursday we planned on meeting with our friends the Johns family to sing carols at a nursing home. Unfortunately we got our locations mixed up so the kids missed out but we instead went to the library and finished our birthday/Christmas shopping for Dad. We drove up to the outlets and I took the kids to Johnny Rockets. Yum! The kids and I loved the 50's type diner.

• Bodee makes me giggle:)

• Thursday evening we drove up to Draper to visit with our friends Shawn and Katie Ross. We hadn't seen them since the summer and we have missed them. The kids had a super time playing with their friends too.
• Bryan and Suzie's family and our family went in together for Cathy's gift. We were trying to find a time we could all meet up to give her the present and it all kind of worked out that we would meet up for an adult only dinner on Saturday night. Since Todd's birthday was also being celebrated he picked the Thai House in Lehi. We had a great time. Todd even commented that it was "one of the best times he's had with his siblings in a really long time." We just really enjoyed ourselves. These people are why I love Todd's family so much! (Kate was sick so Taylor came in her place. He really is a super kid...and getting so grown up:) 

• Kids in their Christmas outfits just before church on Christmas Sunday. They sang with the primary the Nativity Song in sacrament meeting. 

• I love Bodee's face in this one so I had to add it in. (He's laughing, not crying) 

•  Christmas cut-out cookie making in full swing! 

• A few weeks ago I found some Hostess cupcakes in a vending machine. Had to buy them since Hostess is gone. We finally ate them this week. Just knowing they no longer exist is weird.

• Todd drove up with his parents to visit his Uncle Craig a couple of times this week who is recovering from surgery. He appreciated both the time with his parents and visiting with his Uncle. We all pray he recovers quickly.
• Sunday evening we headed up to Temple Square to see the lights. It was pretty mild out which was a bonus with such small kids. Besides Bodee sticking his gloved hand in the water within the first five minutes, therefore having to strap him into the stroller, it was a beautiful, spiritual evening. We love being able to continue these traditions with our kids.

December 16th, 2012

• This was a week of Christmas cheer! I sent out all of our cards and the girls were great little elves and delivered all of our neighbor gifts. 'Tis the season! This is a copy of our Christmas letter:

YEAR IN NUMBERS 2012

24 soccer and basketball games the girls played in

208 miles Jen ran to train for the St. George Marathon

101 Chinese words Addy can now speak

17 Date nights Todd took Jen on

8548 miles traveled to Disneyland, Wisconsin and New York City

152 times Bodee has watched Toy Story 1, 2, & 3

39 trips to the swimming pool

423 times Brynn has asked “WHY?”

54 wrestling matches started by Dad

7500 smiles shared

1076 uncontrollable belly laughs

1 giant Merry Christmas to all of our friends and family

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Love, The Bassetts

• For Girl Scouts on Thursday the girls held a mini food drive and gathered 52 cans of food! I was so proud of them. Even 6 and 7 year olds can make a difference! These girls are so fun to have in a troop together.
• Brynn had her first assessment in preschool this week. She only forgot one letter of the alphabet and because of that she was the best in the class in that area. Super job!
• Friday night was our Ward Christmas Party. One member in our ward smoked brisket for two days and then added his own special sauce. Definitely the best church party food we'd ever had! They also had a talent show which was fun entertainment.
• Saturday was Addy's last basketball game for the season. She has come SO FAR in the last two months! She shoots great(thanks to her many hours of practicing on the hoop on our street), plays awesome defense, and works hard out on the court! Todd and I are so proud of her.

• Emma, Coach Steve (Emma's Dad), Addy, and Alyssa (The neighbor girls that were on Addy's team)

• We went to the mall on Saturday night and let the kids sit on Santa's lap again. (We didn't buy pictures and they wouldn't let us use our own camera.) The kids also begged to ride the little train around the mall. We splurged...we're suckers:) Bodee really loved it though. He kept making train sounds and laughing. Cute little dude!

• Played Monopoly with Addy tonight for the first time. I love Monopoly and I'm so glad I finally have someone to play it with. Although we didn't finish the game when we ended she was beating me:)
• I don't often get personal on this blog but Friday's tragedy at the Elementary School in Connecticut was heartbreaking. I can only imagine what those families are going through. It has served as a personal reminder to cherish and treasure the moments with my husband and children every day.

December 9th, 2012

• Monday for Family Home Evening we went to Alpine to visit a live Nativity. We kept hearing about how awesome it was and Monday was the last evening it was being put on so we bundled up the kids and went out. It was super awesome. Live animals like sheep, camels, and donkeys for the kids to pet. Roman guards to "keep everyone in line", a Jerusalem market with dozens of demonstrations and of course a live nativity scene. Luckily we went early because the line was enormous when we were leaving but it was a touching experience.
• Here is the crew with the three wise men.

• We stopped at Wendy's on the way home. Here is Boden doing is current "huggy" thing. He hugs you really tight while saying "huggy, huggy!" Luckily for him he's darn cute because most days by the time Todd gets home I'm just grateful Bodee has made it alive one more day:) He is completely and utterly a two year old boy!

• On Thursday for Activity Days I let the girls make homemade lip gloss. They then put in it little containers and then wrap them up for gifts. It was a lot of fun but as a self reminder... Vaseline gets EVERYWHERE and never fully comes off, especially with 20 girls. LOL! Always an adventure!
• It snowed a lot this weekend. Brynn spent TWO hours outside rolling a HUGE snowball. She didn't want to make a snowman, just a HUGE snowball. Funny girl! She did it.

• Friday night was Todd's work Christmas Party at Prime Steakhouse in Park City. It was DELICIOUS, the kind of dinner we would never go to on our own. Todd works with really fun people so the company was great. Todd's boss not only treated the couples to a wonderful meal but also gave each wife a generous gift card to Nordstrom. Wow! (Plus a fancy date night with my hubby)...Merry Christmas to us!
• Saturday was the Bassett Family Christmas Party. Cathy went above and beyond and provided everyone with a great party! The kids decorated cookies, played BINGO and other games, filled neighbor gifts, and got to visit with Santa. 
• Here are cupcakes to celebrate Todd's December Birthday.

• These are our pictures with Santa. Unfortunately Brynn's was actually a movie, not a still picture...sorry Brynn:)
• Bodee was ALL ABOUT Santa this year. Super cute! He couldn't wait to sit on Santa's Lap. He asked for a Buzz and Woody from Toy Story. Brynn asked for twin baby dolls (right from the hospital) and a double baby stroller and a camera with games on it. Addy asked for dangle earrings and the game Operation.

December 2nd, 2012

• We all started to feel the Christmas spirit this week! We sure do love this time of year.
• Bodee finally got a real hair cut. He needed it. Bad. He sat still so well during the cut. Here he is with his goofy smile and one huge, yummy cookie.

• I was gone three nights this week due to working draft nights for boys recreation basketball and Girl Scout leadership meetings. This meant Todd had to pick up a lot of the night time slack and he did great. It always gets a little crazy when the normal schedule is off.
• On Friday night we had nothing planned so we drove over to Thanksgiving Point for some ice cream after dinner. Lucky for us they had real reindeer there. How cool! Too bad it was raining out pretty hard:)

• This is how I found Bodee the other day. All curled up hiding in cabinet. Oh, and don't forget the girly shoes he has on. Haha!

• Saturday Addy was invited to celebrate her cousin Sage's 8th Birthday! Aunt Suzie took them to a real salon and they got their hair, nails, and make-up done! How cool is that?! Then Sage chose to go to IHOP for lunch. (I wonder if Addy influenced that decision?) Here they are looking adorable!

• Sunday evening we had Grandma and Grandpa Bassett over for dinner. Bodee LOVED wrestling around Grandpa. He just can't get enough of that man.

November 25th, 2012

• It was Thanksgiving this week! Throughout the month we wrote what we were thankful for and taped it to the "Grateful Wall". I loved hearing things the kids were thankful for. It always puts things into perspective. Things I'm grateful for... (really, my top six are probably always the same, and that's okay!)

1. The Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. I am grateful Christ atoned for my sins.
2. Todd. What an amazing husband! Marriage can be hard but the laughter and fun Todd brings into my life is priceless:)
3. Addy, Brynn and Bodee. Such wonderful, cute, and awesome kids! They bring so much joy to my life.
4. Todd's job. We are so blessed with Todd's employment. He works so hard and it allows me to stay at home with the kids. 
5. Parents and family. We appreciate all the support and love we feel from those who are close to us.
6. Health. Turning 30 this past year and making more of an effort to be healthy has reminded me of what a great blessing is it so have a strong, healthy body and mind.

• The girls love to share a bed and sleep next to each other but I will only let them do it on nights when there's no school the next day. Such buddies! 

• There was no school on Wednesday so the kids and I met up with our favorite family, the Tongis at Nepture Park. We grabbed a $5 pizza and had a picnic there too. Once Todd got home that night he put up the Christmas lights while I started the bing cherry salad and pecan pie for the next day.
• Thanksgiving morning Todd followed tradition and went shooting with all the brothers. I made another two salads that morning and got the kids ready for dinner. Dinner was yummy and the kids really enjoy their day with their cousins. The girls ended up staying at Bryan and Suzie's for a cousin sleepover! I tried to tell Suzie to send half of them over to our house but she said "if we have one, why not have them all"! She is amazing!
• The next morning when the girls returned home their cousin Chrislyn came with. Then Chad and Terral soon came by with their other kids and Hogan and they all spent the afternoon with us. It was great to have them over and enjoy their company since we don't see them as often.
• That evening we took the kids to Mi Ranchitos and shared a huge nachos. We had a bowl of jalapenos sitting on the table and Todd double dog dared Brynn and Addy to eat one. Addy ate hers without a problem. (Not sure if it wasn't very hot or it just didn't bother her) Brynn was DYING! Her eyes started to water and she was gasping and we told her to spit it out but since Addy swallowed hers Brynn was not about to lose the bet! She finished it! That girl is tough! We bought them a chocolate truffle on the way out for eating it...Love family nights out!

• The girls are obsessed with basketball! Todd is such a good father and shoots hoops with them all the time. Here he is at the park working with them until the sun goes down. (Fuzzy picture from a camera phone)

• On Saturday night Todd wanted to drive up to Cabelas and look around. He and Bodee were in heaven. (Seriously, from now on the boys just need to have their male bonding time there). The girls did want to practice target shooting though. Todd was more than happy to teach them. Funny when you spend over an hour at Cabelas and all you walk out with is a bag of circus peanuts for the kids:)

• We put up the Christmas decorations and tree this weekend. I love how the house feels when it's Christmastime. The girls were really good helpers when decorating the tree.
• Brynn talks ALL THE TIME! She asks questions about everything! She wants to know how, why, when, and who. It drives me crazy but then I stop and realize how much her mind wants to learn and figure out. So in reality, she is a smart little cookie!
• Todd loves to wrestle. We had a very big and long family wrestling match this weekend. It ended with all three girls crying and Bodee just laughing, sitting on Todd's head yelling "MORE"! Todd, I think you have met your match.

November 18th, 2012

• It was a busy and fun week at the Bassett house!
• On Tuesday Addy got her cast off! Wahoo! My favorite part was when Dr. Glade brought out the saw. Her eyes got huge and she whipped her head around to look at me with a look saying "Oh Mommy!". Luckily it didn't hurt a bit.
• Wednesday was Addy's first basketball game without her cast. She hadn't seemed really into basketball this year as I thought she would and I wasn't sure why...well it was the cast because as soon as it came off she scored six baskets during her Wednesday game! On Saturday she scored another basket at her game and played awesome defense. She got use to dribbling with her left hand and so she still dribbles with her left hand even though the cast if off.
• We bought Bodee a stuffed animal dog. When we asked him what the dog's name was he answered 'Sue'. I said "Sam or Sue?" Sue! The other morning I realized he was feeding Sue after I poured him his cereal. Cute kid!

• On Thursday Bodee started to get pretty sick. Cough, cold, etc... This is how I found him on Thursday afternoon. I was so busy with carpool and getting ready for Activity Days I never got him down for a nap, even though I know he needed it and he just couldn't take it anymore.

•  The things I do for my friends:)...My friend Elizabeth loves Twilight and had an extra ticket to Breaking Dawn Part II. I told her I would go with her even though I had only read the first book and watched the first movie and had no interest to continue with the series. But for her I watched all the movies this past week (I did like two and three the best) and we went to the 10pm showing of Breaking Dawn Part II! It was fun to go with the ladies and since I had seen all the movies I did want to know how it was going to end...actually I was only concerned for Jacob's future since he is definitely my favorite:)

• Friday was Winterfest at Riverview School. This is one of two fundraisers the put on a year. I had been working with the PTA for the last couple of months to help with this big event. I was one of the ladies in charge of the food and it was a zoo! I was so glad to help out the school though. During Winterfest they announce the Reflections awards. Addy's entry was not chosen to go on to the next level but we are really proud of her for entering and doing her best! 

• This weekend was spent working on the yard, garage and running errands. Really, a low key weekend. Todd and I keep saying how much we love weekends that aren't planned to the minute. We can just enjoy being with our kids. Something tells me this isn't going to be like this forever.

November 11th, 2012

• Todd left for New York City this week on Tuesday and got home really late Thursday night. We sure can tell a difference when Dad leaves and everyone wants him to come back quickly. The girls were so upset when he was leaving that he promised them he would shorten his trip from five days to three days...little did they know he was only suppose to be gone for three days. Sneaky Dad!
• Todd took the kids swimming on Friday night while I finished the laundry and cleaning I had been working on all day. 
• There was also snow storm on Friday and the kids were so excited to play in the snow come Saturday. Bodee loved the snow this year too!

• Bodee reminds us of Randy in 'The Christmas Story'...all bundled up in his snowsuit:) 

• Kids playing with our neighbors trying to build a snowman.

• Saturday night Grandma and Grandpa Bassett came over for dinner. After dinner came movie time. Here they are all snuggled up!