Mini Session

My Children are not camera shy at all.  Actually the only way I can get them to sit through a session for me is to let them do some crazy shots.  Some of them actually are quite funny! Love these guys!!

Not sure what she is doing here exactly, but it's intense whatever it is.

BOYS!

Maybe a little Charlie's Angels thing??

I said "One, two , Three and Khora pulled a fast one.  That girl!!

Merry Christmas From the Markers

Christmas card 2013

People and Cultures Museum

 Last night for FHE I stayed home with Bonnie, who is still sick.  We watch one of our favorite  holiday movies, The Christmas Story.  Dennis and the rest of the kids went to the BYU people and cultures museum.  They were holding a special FHE event there.  Afton said, "there were lost of nativities and Indian stuff."  They made this cute nativity out of clay together.  They also had cookies and milk. On the way home they stopped at IHOP, a family favorite, and had dinner.  

Give Thanks

This year we spent Thanksgiving in Ogden with the Marker Family.  The kids really enjoyed playing with lots of cousins and eating waffles at Grandpa's and Grandma's house.  We tried to go to see the new Disney movie Frozen but apparently everyone else does that on Black Friday also.  We didn't find an open show anywhere in the Ogden area, so we drove home and Dennis took the girls to see it that night just in Payson.  That meant that I got to take the boys to see Thor on Saturday.  Fun, fun!  Don't think that we will try this again next year. We will leave the crowds behind.

-1 Degrees

Someone turned on the snow switch. .  . and then forgot to turn it off.  Tuesday it snowed All. Day. Long. I think we had over a foot. The kids were so excited that they pulled out all the snow gear and  had it spread out everywhere.  Yesterday they started to build huts and forts in the back yard.  Today though, its just way too cold to go out side and play. So we've all been huddled up trying to stay warm.  Why is it in the winter that 68 degrees feels so much colder than 68 in the summer.  Dennis brought home some of those old clay-mation type Christmas movies and we've been enjoying time watching those together.

Here are some pictures of my beautiful girls. It was such a nice day for pictures yesterday.  I love it right after it snows because everything is just so clean and fresh.  Beautiful day! Cold, but beautiful!


 

 

 

 

 

 

Scouts, Sewer, Singing

Jacob participated in his "Ordeal" for the local Order of the Arrow. They went to Oak City, Utah on November 9.  It was the first really cold night of the month and he couldn't use his tent.  It didn't snow however, so that we a good thing.  He stayed nice and warm in his sleeping bag and had bedding underneath. The boys participating in the ordeal had to take a vow of silence for 12 hours.  The group also participated in a service project of helping to rake and clean the city park. He received his Order of the Arrow sash as part of his initiation ceremony into the Order.

On November 15th we went to the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new city reclamation facility.  Dennis was able to take us on a tour of the building and the kids even experienced the "stinky room".  It is a very impressive, green, modern, forward thinking facility.  The city should be very pleased with it!  The local newspaper had a nice piece on the front page. Almost all of our family made it in the pictures!

Friday and Saturday we watched Afton perform in the fall season shows for Rococo.  Her age group is called the Melotones. She has really enjoyed this performing group and has a talent for singing and performing. The theme for this season was animation (Disney). She had several solos in songs like Bare Necessities, Hakunamatata, Under the Sea and When Will My Life Begin. Her solo from the Tangled movie was AMAZING!! She was given a special award (a Rococo bag and Symphony candy bar) for her attitude and good work this season.

Afton after the Rococo Fall season performance 

Dennis L. Marker AICP

He did it!  Dennis passed his AICP test.  So for a little clarification on what that means exactly here is a little diddi from the wiki. . .

The American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) is the American Planning Association's professional institute. AICP certifies professionals in the United States in the field of Urban and Regional planning and assists planners in the areas of ethics, professional development, planning education, and the standards of planning practice.^[1] Members of AICP pledge to adhere to a detailed Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Once certified, professional planners may place the designation "AICP" after their name to indicate their membership in AICP, and their mastery of the principles, skills, knowledge, and experience determined by the organization as essential for a professional planner.

To become certified, a planner must have a specified combination of relevant education and professional experience, must pass an examination that tests skills and knowledge, must pay an annual fee, and must be a member of the American Planning Association in good standing.

Dennis has just been working so hard with everything he has on his plate right now that we are just so glad to have this part done! He can now take his nose out of the 12 inch books he has been lost behind for the past month and focus on other things . . .like school. Just 6 more months there and he can add a masters degree to his resume as well!!  Yeah for Dennis!