Getting ready for Christmas!

We bought our first Christmas tree! We've been using a little one of my parent's tree since we got married (thanks mom and dad). Ethan and Ella are having a great time decorating and redecorating it.

Another Roadside Party

Kent's boss, Gary (with his wife, Katie, and son Jon), drove down to Utah for Thanksgiving too. They were just a little bit ahead of us on the freeway when Gary called to tell us they had run out of gas. They were about 15 minutes up the freeway, so when we saw them on the side of the road we stopped to wait with them until "Triple A" showed up. They were good sports to let us take pictures!
Then we all went to dinner together. It was a darling little restaurant with a train that rode on some tracks around the ceiling throughout the whole diner. That is why Ella is not looking at the camera. The kids loved it.

Roadside Party

Since Ella got sick, and I wasn't able to go to the cabin, I met a couple of my family members on the side of the freeway to exchange gifts (let's be honest- I don't have my shopping done yet so I really just collected gifts). Ethan was heartbroken he didn't get to spend more time with his cousins so he cried and cried until we promised to go back soon.

Ethan's uncle Greg was gave Ethan some toy jets for a belated birthday present. We had so much fun with those on the ride home because we watched "Top Gun" in the car and played with our new jets! Thanks Uncle Greg!

BYU Game! Kent was able to go with his brothers and his dad to the BYU vs. UTAH game. This is them on the field before the game. The girls went shopping. We were happy to hear BYU won so our husbands wouldn't be mad at us for spending money! They had a great weekend full of sports. The night before the BYU game, they were able to go to the Jazz game and sit on the floor!

Ella got sick

Friday night, I was going to go up to my family's cabin in Bear Lake, Utah. After I had packed up the car, we felt like she was too sick to go up there without seeing a Dr. first. She was wheezing and coughing like a seal. We took her to the doctor and he gave her a steroid shot because she had the crupe. I was sad not to be able to go to the cabin, but my family was very supportive and Ella is feeling much better now.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am so thankful for my beautiful family. They are so much fun to be around. I am thankful for my husband who is so patient with me and my children who love me unconditionally.Here the kids are tackling Papa.

Ethan and his cousins were jumping and dancing for Grandma's camera. I thought this was such a funny picture. We had dinner with Kent's family in Alpine, Utah. His parents, from Florida, were able to be there along with three of his siblings. There were 10 kids and 10 adults. The food was fabulous and the conversation was even better. There is never a dull topic with the Copelands. We had a great time.

After dinner we went through the ads to see which sales we would want to hit the next morning. Ella looked through so I would know which presents she wanted. Only a few more years and she'll be invited to do the shopping thing with us. (Okay- maybe more than a few...)
Although it was a "ladies" morning. George (Kent's dad) decided to go with us. I guess between the option of going shopping with the women or staying home with all the kids, he decided to take his chances with his wife and three of his daughter-in-laws. After we put him to work holding our place in line- which wrapped around the store- and keeping track of our many, many trinkets. Knowing what he knows now- I wonder if he would have made a different decision. He was a great help though and we were all glad he joined us. Love ya George!

Driving to Utah for Turkey Day!

Since we drove from Washington to Utah for Thanksgiving, we had an 11 hour road trip ahead of us. We had to get creative. Here are some pictures of Ethan as Prince of Tin-Foil Town and Ella as the princess.

Happy 5th Birthday Ethan!

I cannot believe my little baby (he would be so mad if I knew I called him a "baby") is five years old! He is such a sweet boy. I look at him all the time and can't believe how lucky I am to be his mother. He is so smart and loving. He is always trying to protect me and take care of me. He always tells me how much he loves me and how "bootiful" I am. I am grateful that is a healthy and happy kid. If I could make a wish for him as he grows it would be for him to be a confident, generous, loyal person with integrity and spunk. I hope he'll always know who he is and what he wants. I hope he will be a good example to those around him and not give in to pressures of the world. I love the stage he is in right now. He is constantly- and I do mean constantly- asking me questions about words, and meanings of things, and the reason why things happen (sometimes I am too exhausted to answer him- but I still love this stage). It reminds me of how much what I say and how I teach him will effect how he views life. I try to remember to stay positive and happy and show him that life is to be enjoyed and to help others around us. I love my little Ethan and wanted to put some things in writing about how amazing he is and I am thankful for these last five years with him and I am grateful for the future he holds. Thanks for reading! Happy birthday my little man! So we began a new tradition with our little family called the birthday fairy. "If you are really good all year long- you will wake up and have a present left in your room when you wake up on birthday morning." Needless to say, Ethan was very good. The birthday fairy decorated his ceiling with balloons and left him a present to open as soon as he woke up. After Ethan opened his present, I saw him look out the window and whisper, "thank you birthday fairy." It was such a sweet moment.
There is no better way to start your birthday than with a sugar high. Ethan requested his favorite food of- cinnamon rolls. It didn't stop there. He wanted sprinkles on top and then dusted with powdered sugar! Whew. Breakfast of champions!
Ethan was so excited to take cupcakes to his preschool class for a party at school! I thought this picture was hilarious since they had chocolate all over their faces.
Here is a picture of his whole class and his two teachers. Ethan is in the backrow with the Spiderman shirt.

Spiderman Party!

Ethan has been all about Spiderman, so naturally that is what kind of birthday party he wanted. I was thankful that it was after Halloween so I could recycle my Halloween decorations.

Lots of birthday fun!

Ethan has been wearing his costume almost every day since Halloween. Today was no exception. For those of you that have heard my talk about Ethan's little friend, Cameron- that is him next to Ethan.

Spiderman even made a guest appearance to help break the Pinata! Ethan's eyes almost popped out of his head! It was so great. We're very thankful that Spiderman came to see Ethan.

Party favors

Austen Party

Tiffany (left) and Danae (right) both have November birthdays so we celebrated them together. In book club we just read "Pride and Prejudice" so we decided to go with a Jane Austen theme. Everyone dressed up and we had an authentic english dinner- right down to the whole roast chicken. It was divine. Kathy, spoken of earlier on the blog, took a Regency era ballroom class in school so she taught us all a dance. We had classical music playing and everyone had a "ball."
Becky (front, right) brought all of her fine china and silver cutlery. We had pewter candlesticks and crystal goblets. Everyone had to take a quiz prior to the dinner to see which Austen character they were. It was really fun to see who matched up with which character.

Enchanted Enrichment

Last night was a very special evening for me. I was in charge of the Enrichment meeting for our ward. The theme was gratitude for our spouses, so naturally the husbands were invited too. Reagran (the food coordinator) and I worked so hard to make each couple feel like they were at a nice, romantic restaurant. Everything went perfectly and I was bursting with happiness. As we sat at the tables with our dear friends surrounding us, I was so thankful for the blessings I have in my life. It makes me excited to get in "holiday mode."

This is a giant chalkboard we had on the stage. After this picture was taken, someone wrote the menu, of the evening, in beautiful script.
This is my Reagran. She is my dear friend. Without her, this night would never have happened. She is a miracle worker. I love her creativity and selflessness. She is a kindred spirit and I am thankful to have her in my life.

Ella's Hair Woes

Since Ella was tiny, she always had crazy hair.
I have been waiting for it to get long enough to try sponge curlers to make it looks "finished."
And still we wait...
So I finally was able to get her to hold still long enough (thank you to a whole bag of Cheeto's!) to put the rollers in her hair before church. I was so excited to see how darling she was going to look that day. She was doing great to leave them in. When they were about half-way dry, she started ripping them out. Needless to say, there is no "after picture" because it wasn't worth the effort. Crazy girl. Gotta love her!

Natalie's parents in Fiji

Natalie's parents have been serving a full time mission since August of 2006. Kent and I are planning on going to pick them up when they are released in June. Their mission has already given them so many amazing experiences. They are a wonderful example to their children. Here are some neat pictures. Enjoy!



My dad had to take two old trucks and trade them for two new trucks. He had to go to two different islands BY BOAT! The trip took him three days and two nights.

Korovovou Chapel:

The Korovou Chapel dedication was a "choice memory" for my parents. Here is what my mom wrote home in a letter: "We drove with the President and Sister Ardern 2 hours into the high interior of Fiji. The final miles were on a one lane hilly dirt road. We drove past the one-room flat of the Elders; we drove past the village and the tin house where they have held church for 30 years. We came upon the new chapel on a beautiful setting, overlooking the tropical forest and ocean. It was like seeing the San Diego temple for the first time. Magnificent. My words and even the pictures can’t tell how beautiful it was. President Tagadugu was the first member. When a church is built in a village, it has to be accepted by the chiefs of the area. The chiefs were in attendance at the dedication. After the dedication, they put on a Fijian celebration, with food (whole pigs and fish) and dancing. It was a choice experience for us and they treated us like royalty. All the Sr. Missionaries got fresh flower lais."

In October, they were honored to have the apostle, Elder Nelson, attend their stake conference. My mom sent a quote from his talk about not giving up: "You have to want to fly so much that you’re willing to give up being a caterpillar."