Temple Square!

We love and look forward to going to Temple Square every year around the holidays! The lights are amazing and so beautiful! This year we didn't make it before Christmas so we decided better late than never, as did everyone else! It's always crowded during the holidays, but I have never seen it that busy! We all dressed warm and enjoyed soaking in the lights and beautiful scenery! The kids were determined and insisted on seeing the Christus in the visitor center. There was an extremely long line. It didn't seem to bother the girls to wait, so we stood and followed a long line to catch a quick glimpse and photo of them in front of the Savior. Even if it was for a quick second, we were so glad the girls were insistent! It was a wonderful evening being at the temple with our little family!

Christmas Morning!

Adam and I were definitely not thinking our Christmas morning was going to start off as early as it did! At 2 a.m. I heard two whispering voices: "Mom...Mom? Can we go see if we have presents to open? Was I dreaming? Nope! My response was, "ABSOLUTELY NOT! Are you kidding me!", and sent them off to bed! The next time was 4:04 a.m. when I heard those same whispering voices. Okay, could I possibly be dreaming this time? Once again... Nope! Kaitlyn informed us that she had tickles in her tummy that just wouldn't go away and prevented her from falling asleep. Adam told them they had to wait till 6:00 a.m. So for the next hour and forty five minutes, I laid there with my eyes closed listening to their quiet excitement and anticipation! I remember those same butterflies when I was a kid. The kids had a fabulous morning! Makell had a perma-grin all morning long! They were excited that Santa didn't forget Harley, as he left him a nice bone that he had devoured by the end of the day. After opening gifts, they spent the day playing the Wii that Santa left! It amazes me that it takes weeks to prepare, but only minutes for it to be unwrapped and over! :) By the time 9:00 a.m. rolled around, I was ready for a nap! :) I love the magic and excitement Christmas morning brings! Around noon, we all met up at Grammy greats house for lunch and visiting. The kids loved hearing what Santa had left them. A few of the kids and cousins played Twister Hoopla! You have to be pretty flexible and coordinated to win that game! Grandpa and Grandma spoiled everyone! A day full of fun that we didn't want to end!

Christmas Eve!

We started our Christmas Eve by watching the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional that was being rebroadcast. I love listening to their messages! We read the story called the Christmas Apron. We all loved it as it depicted the true meaning of Christmas. After that, dad read the Christmas story from the scriptures while the girls dressed up and reenacted it. I love their "homeade" costumes as they had no help putting them together. I thought Kaitlyn (aka Mary) depicted quite well how Mary must have felt that very night. I tend to think Mary's donkey probably felt very similar to Kaitlyn's stick horse. I'm sure Mary also felt extremely uncomfortable being great with child, feeling as if she would pop, just as Kaitlyn looked! I'm sure their facial expression were similar too. :) I love this part of Christmas Eve, as we have made it a family tradition!

Christmas P.J's

This Christmas Eve, I put together a small scavenger hunt in hopes the others would find their new Christmas pajamas! The girls had a lot of fun and I came to the conclusion that harder clues are needed for next year! I love the excitement as they rip open their gifts and sprint to their rooms for a quick wardrobe change! :)

Our Christmas Gifts to Christ!

This year we tried something a little different. I was all about trying to make the Holidays simple, but still having it meaningful. We decided that instead of making or buying something for one another, we would perform small acts of service. As the Christmas Holiday quickly approached we spent many evenings talking about what the real meaning of Christmas was. It's the spirit of love and kindness. We read in Matthew 25:40 that we can give gifts to Christ. In the bottom of our bowl was a picture of Jesus. Every time we did a small act of service for someone else, one cotton ball (or snowball) was placed in the bowl. Our goal was to fill the bowl by Christmas Eve. Every Monday night, we redrew names and tried to be secretive about it.

In the beginning! Week one.

Week two.

Week three.

Week four!

Our goal was to fill the bowl by Christmas Eve and I think we did a pretty good job! It never ceases to amaze me the feeling in our home when it is focused on Jesus Christ!

A few thing I noticed throughout the month were:

• Everyone got along better.
• The Holiday Spirit filled the walls of our home.
• Santa's toy lists consisted of no more than one or two things.
• Trying to not get caught in the act, brought about many happy little smiling faces.
• Closer relationships with one another.
• Better understanding of what Christmas is all about!
• Deeper love for the Savior.
• The small and simple things become magnified into great and glorious things.

There are times when I'll admit I tend to get caught up in all the hussel and bussel. As I participated in and watched as our family performed acts of service for each other, it brought about a love and happiness that is almost unexplainable!

Piano Recital

Wednesday night Kourtney and Kaitlyn performed in their Christmas piano concert. They did awesome! They have been working really hard, and we are very proud of them! They each performed two pieces. One of Kaitlyn's songs was a duet with her teacher Jake. Her pieces consisted of, Silent Night and Angles We Have Heard on High. They were beautiful! Music seems to come easy for Kourtney and you can tell when you hear her play. I am amazed every time I hear her! The songs she performed were, Angles We Have Heard on High (one of my favorite renditions) and Carols of The Bells. I am so glad they they want to develop their talents and share them with others. I love that Christmas music has filled our home on a daily basis. It makes the Holiday's even more special an meaningful for me!

The Mini Luge!

With all the snow that has fallen, the girls put their creativity to work and built a "mini" luge track. They have had a ball playing in all the snow and have spent many hours outside! I love hearing their giggles and laughter as they crash or tumble at the bottom! Makell has turned into quite the comedian lately. She says some of the funniest things!

Me: Can I take a picture of you girls while you are coming down the hill together?
Makell: Mom we keep crashing so just take one right there and I will open my mouth so it looks like we coming down the hill!

Top picture in the middle- totally staged! :)

Let it SNOW! Let it SNOW! Let it SNOW!

I guess you can say we will have a white Christmas because this snow isn't going anywhere anytime soon! Everything is completely covered! It's finally a snow storm like I remember when I was a kid! It has been years since I have seen snow like this. I have told the girls many times that it just doesn't snow like it did when I was a kid. I remember playing on several huge(10-12 feet high) snow hills out in front of the house that my dad made with the tractor & loader because there was no other way to move it! The girls finally got a glimpse of what I have been talking about. With Adam's job, snow days are crazy. It requires him to leave very early to check road conditions. The first phone call came in at 3:45 a.m. and they didn't stop after that! Snow plows couldn't keep up with the heavy falling snow, so around 7:30a.m. the announcement was made to cancel school. I have to say I was a little shocked! I never had the experience of school being cancelled when I was a kid! From reports it hasn't happened in over fifty years! I told the girls the news and couldn't believe that they were a little disappointed! Kaitlyn said, " But we were going to make gingerbread houses today!", and Kourtney response was, "But what about the gifts we were going to give?" As you can imagine everyone was outside trying to clear driveways and sidewalks, and there were several high school boys out as well. It was fun to see others with the excitement I had anticipated my girls having! When the boys heard the news they raised their shovels over their heads and yelled, "Ya!!! No school!!!!" It was funny! My kids responses told me how much they really do enjoy school! After shoveling and snow blowing several times, I decided to measure. 20 1/2 inches in a twenty four hour period! It could have been more since the wind in our area likes to blow on a regular basis and makes it look like a winter wonderland most of the time. I loved walking outside and seeing kids in every snow pile and in every yard. They were loving it! The girls stayed outside for four hours playing, sledding, and making snow sculptures! I guess we are living up to our motto: "The Greatest Snow On Earth"!

Naughty or Nice?

Makell: I think that was the REAL Santa!
Kaitlyn: I don't think so...didn't you see his eyebrows?

Yeah, a little creepy!

Dressed in White!

I love this picture! Two beautiful little girls dressed in their white baptism dresses! Kaylee, Kaitlyn's cousin was just recently baptised. These two little girls are practically inseparable. I think they could play forever and live in a fairy tale if we would let them. What a special year for the two of them.

Christmas Concert!

Kourtney and her choir group put on a concert for family and friends the other evening. We were finally able to hear what all the early morning and after school practices consisted of! It was a perfect way to bring in the Holiday Season! I love the songs they sing with bells. They are some of my favorite! She has some amazing teachers!
I just love this girl!
























Kourtney has several friends that participate in the choir as well. A great group of girls!























Kourtney was excited grandpa and grandma came to support her!

Train One, Train Them All!

For the past few months we have been in the process of having Harley trained. We just completed our training with Leo. Leo is absolutely amazing! He is a miracle worker! This is the story of how we found Leo!
In September, we participated in a walk to raise money and help find a cure for diabetes. While we were there, I noticed a young lady with her dog. Normally I don't pay much attention to things like this, but we had just recently added Harley to our family atmosphere. As I watched her and her dog for some time, I leaned over and whispered to Adam, "do you think Harley will ever mind like that?" Adam could only roll his eyes at me. This dog was so well behaved. While in a crowd of several hundred people and chaos, he was so calm. His owner would give him soft short commands and he immediately responded to them. I was impressed!
When we got Harley he was about ten weeks old, and we had heard all the stories about the puppy stage. We were told that the earlier we had him neutered the more mellow and calm he would be. As soon as he hit the 16 week old stage, we called and set the appointment! Two days following the surgery he was back to his hyper energetic little self. There were many times Adam wondered what on earth was he thinking letting the girls get a puppy! It felt as if we had a two year old all over again. I was constantly having to watch what went in his mouth, potty training, and trying to prevent him from getting into trouble. We were told by several people that his excessive chewing would go away after his puppy teeth fell out. Well, yeah that didn't happen! After Makell's bike seat and helmet had been chewed into hundreds of little pieces, we knew we had to do something.
So at the walk, I ask this girl if she trained her dog or if someone else had? That's when she told me about Leo and her story. They had had three other trainers before Leo, and none of them could do anything with their dog. They were at the point of putting him down because they thought he would always be mean and unteachable. After hearing her story I couldn't believe I was walking with the same dog! I ended up talking to her throughout the whole walk. She gave me Leo's information, and I was ready to give him a call! The appointment was set and the training began!
That call was one of the best things we could have done! We have a totally different puppy now! He responds well to commands. As Harley went through the training, Adam and I had to learn as well. I think we learned more than the dog to be honest. There are times he listens better than the kids do! :) We are in the process of signing our kids up to go through the program as well! JK! We have great kids! Leo and his family are some of the nicest people we have ever met! They have become really good friends. The training comes with a Life Time Guarantee so there will be many more group training sessions in the future!

Peter is Back!

He's back! Makell was sure to not let any of us forget that Peter would be returning the first day of December! The morning of December 1st Makell was the first one out of bed and on a mission to find our friendly Elf. The girls hunted high and low before they left for school and still couldn't find Peter. They began to wonder if he even made it to our house from the North Pole? But sure enough after everyone was home from school, Peter was spotted! I guess he figured he needed to hide in better place this year! ;)
Adam and I wished Peter could stay with us year round! I love to hear all the little comments about how they better be nice to each other because "Peter is watching"!


They scramble to clean up toys and messes because they don't want Peter returning to the North Pole and telling Santa not to bring toys, because they can't clean up the ones they have now.

I love the fun and magic the holiday's bring!

An Afternoon at the Movies!

The kids have been anxious to see Tangled ever since they saw it advertised several months ago! We thought it would be fun to watch it with the other Heaton family! ;) Before they left to catch their plane and return to Texas, we headed off to the movies! The kids loved it! It was such a cute movie. I think it's going to be a movie that is watched over and over again.

I just love this picture!

Festival Of Lights!

A little snow couldn't stop us from going to see the Festival of Lights. The kids actually thought it was quite fun as snow flakes fell on the tops of their heads. It did make it feel a little more like Christmas. We knew the kids would love the display of lights, since it's a must every year. We drove to the golf course and all loaded into the back of the truck. It was a slow night, with only one other car there besides us. Zayn was funny as he would holler, "A DRAGON, A T-REX, IT'S SANTA'S WORKSHOP!" That excitement is what makes the Holiday's for me! As we circled the park, Adam heard chanting of "Lets go again!, Lets go again!" coming from the back of the truck. Adam circled around and this time Caleb drove so Adam had the opportunity to jump in the back and ride with the rest of us. After noticing wind kissed cheeks and red noses on the kids and Mubeen :) we decided to head back home. We were so glad the other Heaton family went with us! We hope we can do it again with them!

The Amazing Race & Treasure Hunts!

Whenever the Heaton's get together, Aunt Maria puts together some of the funnest activities for the kids! This year there were three different events. The younger kids went on a treasure hunt, finding different clues and a hidden treasure filled with candy and fun toys. The middle aged kids began a game of Fear Factor which didn't last long due to much dry heaving, tears, and fear! The adults had fun as we watched our children become sick over mashed potatoes with red food coloring, marshmallows dipped in cheese and ketchup, and a life saver hidden in different cups filled with color liquid(soda). They were obviously thinking about it too much! After realizing they were not going to make it through the first station of Fear Factor, they changed course and went on a treasure hunt. I asked several of the kids if they still had fun and they all said YES! Maria put together the game of "Amazing Race" for the older kids. They were given the first clue and had to figure it out and find a way to the next clue. Some of the clues required them to travel to the next town. Adam and I were the taxi for a few teams. I loved them watching them get excited, and you could tell their adrenaline was pumping! Especially the boys! At one point we had three teams in the car and I had to sneak a quick picture. They were focused and eager to win! I love the look on Zane and Abraham's faces!
Some of the pit stops and challenges were:

They had to decode a clue which had them to try hummus.

Then they had to find their own way to the Blair's house (next town) which required them to build a replica of the Eiffel Tower with tooth picks.

After that, they had to get themselves to the Gubler's house where they had to make a pizza and find someone to eat it. This took us back to grandpa and grandma's house so they could feed the unbaked pizza to the pigs. They figured this would be faster then waiting for it to bake and finding someone to eat the whole thing before they could get their next clue.

So back to the Goubler's we went so they could get the next clue and then back to grandpa's and grandma's house where they had to find Maria and learn a song and sing it in Portuguese.

Then after they completed that task, they had to make a cup of herbal tea and only using a spoon, transfer the liquid into a tea cup where their other teammate had to drink it. The first team that completed the challenge won!

I think I had just as much fun watching them as they did playing the game! Maria surprised each person with 5 dollars and the winning team with 10 dollars each! The looks on their faces were great! She also gave the winning team a box full of candy bars and told them they could do what they wanted with it. And wouldn't you know the winning team shared with everyone!

I asked each of my girls what their favorite part of the week was? Can you guess what they said...? Of course it was all the fun things Maria did with the kids! She has touched and left a special mark on each of these children's hearts! She is amazing!

Minute To Win It!

After Thanksgiving dinner, the Tonioli girls put together a game of "Minute To Win It" for everyone! Five teams competed in different challenges. I have to say there were times when I was glad I hadn't volunteered to do a certain challenges! :) I think Sadi and I made a great team with the tissue box! ;) Some of the games consisted of:

1-Knocking over five cups with a yo-yo tied to the back of your belt loop.

2-Trying to get a cookie from your forehead to your mouth without using your hands.

3-Using only Vaseline on the tip of your nose to pick up cotton balls and race back to put them in a container.

4-Using one hand at a time to rotate a stack of plastic cups one after the other.

5-Emptying a tissue box by pulling out one tissue at a time.

6-Unwrapping Hershey kisses using oven mitts for gloves.

7-Pushing your partner on a coaster around the gym in hopes of recording the fastest time!

Good times with memories we will never forget!

Thanksgiving!

A few things to expect when the Heaton family gets together for Thanksgiving:

• A lot of noise!



• A lot of food!



• A lot of game playing!



• A lot of people (72 this year)!



• A lot of laughter!



• A lot of visiting!



• A lot of funny story telling! :)



• A lot of planning for Black Friday!



• Lack of sleep! Who needs sleep? :)



• Lack of seeing our children because they are to busy playing in the barn with cousins.












• Can't think of a better way to spend the Holiday!
  

The older girls were sweet to help the younger kids with some fun activities! They painted nails, made flowers, and drew pictures of what they were thankful for. I love this time when they can create memories with cousins!

We missed those who were not able to make it this year! Hopefully next time!