Wyatt in 2011

Here are some of this year's highlights for Wyatt:

1- Went sledding for his first time and HATED it.
2- Graduated from sleeping in a crib.
3- Started drawing faces, circles, and squares.
4- Officially stopped eating ALL meats.
5- Climbed the climbing-wall all by himself.
6- Learned how to jump on a trampoline.
7- Can sing "I Am a Child of God" all by himself.
8- Threw lots and lots of rocks into rivers.
9- Got his first bike.
10- "Helped" make a ton of meals.

Mallory in 2011

Here are some of this year's highlights for Mallory:

1- Lost her first tooth!
2- Started Kindergarten
3- Learned to ride a bike without training wheels
4- Learned to swim with her face in the water
5- Drew at least 700 princesses
6- Was Rapunzel for Halloween
7- Had a Halloween Birthday party
8- Taught Wyatt how to get into all sorts of trouble
9- Took soccer and decided that she HATED it
10- Learned "Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater" on the piano and played it at least 200 times
11- Took Zumba and Dance lessons

Taylor in 2011

Here are some Highlights for Taylor in 2011:

1- Caught his first fish
2- Got Baptized
3- Was in a 2nd Grade play as the spider that scares Little Miss Muffett
4- Got REALLY into Dr. Who and now owns 3 Sonic Screwdrivers
5- Learned the Dr. Who theme song on the piano and has played it about 200 times.
6- Earned his Wolf award in scouts
7- Took swimming lessons and got pretty good at it
8- Became famous at the elementary school for his "Chipmunks" impression
9- Learned how to play the card-game Magic and plays it with Dad and Carter
10- Took soccer and decided he likes defense the best
11- Got a score of 99/100 at the Piano Festival
12- Memorized and recited a Halloween poem at a College Poetry function.
13- Went to his first BYU Football game

Carter in 2011

Some of the year's highlights for Carter:

1- Finished Elementary school (4th grade)
2- Wrote about 30 volumes of a comic book called "The Nerd Herd"
3- Got REALLY into the show Dr. Who.
4- Learned the Dr. Who theme song on the piano and played it at least 200 times
5- Perfected the British accent
6- Started taking Ballroom classes
7- Started Middle School and met lots of new friends
8- Got his Weblos award and graduated from Cub Scouts
9- Improved a lot on the piano (mostly by playing and making up versions of the Dr. Who theme song)
10- Memorized the Witches' Double Double Toil &Trouble poem and recited it at a college poetry function.
11- Had dinner with Gary Schmidt.  (famous author that our family LOVES)
12- Went to his first BYU Football Game

Allen Riverdance

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, our family has become a bunch of Riverdance fans.

It all started when Mallory picked up some Irish dance moves while watching "Angelina Ballerina."   We noticed that she actually looked like she knew what she was doing, so we showed the kids some Riverdance on YouTube.  Since then, it has become the new dance of choice when we "bust out the moves". 

I'm posting this video because there are some funny surprises besides Mallory's jigging - Wyatt posing for the camera, and Taylor showing everyone up at the end.

Taylor's Baptism

Taylor was baptized this weekend.  It was a great day.  It is hard to believe that he is growing up so fast.

Here are some pictures from the big day.  Among all the hassle, we didn't get any pictures with Kim and Bill's family, but they were there also.   Taylor's friends Owen, Seth, and Olivia were also there.  His friend Owen missed his last basketball game to come and see Taylor, which was really touching.  We have amazing friends and family.

 

The traditional "Baptism Cake" that Josh finds offensive.  (Our ongoing debate)

Carter's Boot

Carter tripped while going down the stairs last week.  (We keep telling him that he's got to come up with a more interesting story).  He either ended up with a minor fracture/crack in his ankle, or he sprained it really bad.  They couldn't tell from the X-ray, so he gets to wear this boot cast for a couple weeks.

The boot hasn't slowed him down a bit.  Sometimes we forget he is even wearing it.  Hopefully it can come off next week (the first week of February) because he is dying to get out into the snow.  They will X-ray it again at his appointment see if it has healed up.  Until then, he can enjoy a little extra attention and stay warm inside.

Click here for Carter's Retelling of the Story