We're still alive. The end.

Just kidding! You didn't think I'd let you off that easy, did you?

Nope, I'm going to make you read every last thing about what we've been doing. So sit back, relax and listen up.

We took another trip to Utah. Are you surprised? Didn't think so. We're looking into having a subway installed between our house and Heber City. With all the gas we use driving there, we figure it might be cost effective.

I had my Scentsy Convention in Salt Lake City and Chris had his 20th class reunion all at the same time, so we couldn't resist the opportunity to go kill three birds with one stone. Scentsy, the reunion and catching up with the Wrathall family.

This is the only picture I took of the convention. I know it doesn't look like a convention...it looks like I took my 5 year old daughter out clubbing! But Scentsy had a party to celebrate their 5th anniversary and all the families were invited. It was called Cirque de Berserque and they had all sorts of performers doing cool stunts and entertaining our kids. Jantzen tried really hard to resist the dance floor, but in the end she gave in and danced her little pants off. This is at Mirror Lake, where Keaton caught an albino trout and earned his fishing merit badge. It was so pretty up there! We packed a picnic and spent the day relaxing by the water.
It was so nice.

This is at Provo Falls on the way up to Mirror Lake. So pretty!

I'm such a sucker for these hand in hand daddy/daughter pictures.

I also like to try to take nice family pictures for those Christmas cards I never send out.

But Carson....

apparently....

doesn't.

Photoshop, anyone?

Check out this cool slip-n-slide! We borrowed it from some friends to use at a church activity for the kids that I'm in charge of. It's actually from an old billboard. Well, I got it home and decided that it just wouldn't be right if we left it folded up in the car. A good Primary President would test the product before she turned a bunch of kids loose on it, right? So I hope the Snells don't mind, but we had a blast on it! I love this kind of fun. No batteries, no remote controls, and no sitting around looking at a screen.

We had to use a little dish soap to make it extra slippery.

Now we'll just sit and watch for the grass to die from a Palmolive overdose.

Mmmm. Something smells GOOD!

Scentsyland!!!

The happiest place on earth!

Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but my Scentsyland is a great place to be because I just got promoted to director! What does that mean, you might ask? Well, I don't really know for sure, but I do know that Scentsy is paying for Christmas this year! And that makes me happy. Really happy.Last Wednesday Jantzen was sick so she and I decided to just hang out in our pajamas. Things here have been very busy (see above pictures), so it was a welcome break. I knew that UPS would be bringing this very LARGE shipment that day, but they usually don't come until about 2:30. I think you can see where this is going. Yes, UPS was here at 1 o'clock, I was in my pajamas, and there was not ONE, but TWO good looking brown-clad guys on my front doorstep. They probably thought that I'm some lazy housewife that sits in her pajamas eating bonbons all day. Next time they drive past my house you can bet I'll be in the front yard doing push ups or something to try and redeem myself.

Moving on...


This is our nephew Jace. We got to see him and smooch on him at Thanksgiving. The good thing in my family is that babies come along only every 4 years or so, so there's plenty of attention for each of them. We had so many cameras pointing at him, I think he probably thinks he's a movie star. But the funny thing is...

Whenever you press the shutter button he goes to this "deer in headlights" look.



See? We were trying to capture a smile, but as soon as we would snap the picture, the smile would disappear. Maybe Jantzen could give him some lessons.

Or maybe not.

Thursday was Carson's Christmas program at school. Jantzen (obviously) was not excited about it. This year they decided to hold it at Carson's school rather than the much BIGGER (and better suited for 3,886,048,127,459 parents, grandparents and neighbors) high school. But this was actually good news for us. Because the third graders sang first. Then we went home. Then we went back 30 minutes later for the grand finale. Carson was none the wiser. But I think he suspected something because he kept quizzing us on which songs he sang, and in what order. "Mom, which song did we clap our hands and stomp our feet on? Did you see me in the kick line?"" We passed with flying colors. Oh, the benefits of living next to the school!

Friday was the PAX (Program for Academic Exchange) Christmas party. We spent about 30 minutes lost in West Richland, but we survived the big city and were treated to a middle school Calypso band. They were so awesome! They ALMOST inspired me to start fundraising for one in Hermiston. Then I remembered how much I hate fundraisers. And how I sneak anything with the word "Fundraiser" into the garbage before my kids see them. But anyways, all the exchange students were given a chance to try the steel drums. The rest of us were jealous.

Daniel, being the music dude that he is seemed to really enjoy it.

And after their time was up the real band played one more song. I don't know the name of it, but it goes like this: Duh da da da da da da duh da da da da da. Oh, forget it. It inspired an international kick line.


Hey, I never said they were the Rockettes!
Here's all the exchange students in the area that are here with PAX. All of them except for us live in the Tri-Cities, which is a bummer. But once in a while they get together for things like... A Crispy Kreme fundraiser this weekend!
I will not eat any donuts.
I will not eat any donuts.
I will not eat any donuts.
Deep breath.

New subject, please.
Saturday we went to the Irrigon skate park. For a town so small that they don't even have a McDonald's, they sure do have a cool skate park.


It was a gorgeous day, a balmy 50 degrees.Which means that we could stay outside for more than two minutes.It was a LARGE time had by all.

Does that mean anything?

Or is that just rodeo talk?