Fun Day Sledding

Austin & Jacob

Sharlena & Aubrey

Dave & Cole, he is almost as tall as his father at 15 yrs old, he is 6ft 2"

We had a fun and relaxing day spending time with the Noriega family.  We slept in and had breakfast eating at noon, we then all got dressed and went sledding up the canyon, there's lots of snow, we got back about 5:30 pm in time to clean up and go to dinner at Café Sabor, it was so crowded tonight that we had to do take out and bring our dinner home to eat, we're just chilling at the cabin, Stacy and Tasha are on their way up tonight.  We will have a cabin full, for our Family New Year Party.

My Handsome Hubby

Craig's New Calling

We met with the bishopric last night in our new Bear Lake Ward and they extended a new calling to Craig as the Gospel Doctrine teacher for the adult class, this will be a great calling for my dear husband, I'm so excited for him.  I taught the Gospel Doctrine over 12 years ago in our Oak Grove Ward, it was a great growing time for me in learning about the gospel principles.  Craig will do a great job teaching, we are studying the Doctrine and Covenants this year, his first lesson will be this Sunday, January 1st, 2017...

Noriega Family Arrival

We came home on Monday after Christmas day to get some things done at the lake before the family all arrives for the big New Year's weekend, we got our pool table all done it's turned out really nice.  Craig recovered it with a camel color fabric.  Craig and I just got done playing a couple games of pool, I actually won a game, I never beat my husband so surprise!! We are waiting for the Noriega family to arrive for the week.  They are staying Tuesday night thru Friday evening.  They can't stay for the weekend.  Dave has to work Saturday for his sports radio show on Saturday afternoon, It is a important show with all the football games going on for New Year's day, the final playoffs. We will enjoy having a few days with their family. 

Our New pool Table covered a camel color

Christmas Day

Craig and I slept over at Natasha and Bridger's house Christmas Eve and spent Christmas morning with them, it was fun to see the kids open their gifts from Santa.  We had a nice Christmas breakfast and then we all got ready to attend Sacrament in their ward, fun to visit with the Saints in Tasha's ward, we actually know several of the families in their ward.  We hurried home and got ready for our big Symes Family Christmas gathering, all our family are coming over to Tasha's house this year. She is hosting our annual family Christmas party.  Trisha hosted it last year at her home.  With Tasha moving in her new home, she has a great place to host families parties.  Many of the family have not seen their new home yet.  It has been so fun to see the progress they have made in the remodeling of  their new home, it has turned out so nice.  Tasha has decorated so pretty for the holidays and has her home all set up nicely, it has been a year process for them.  They spent Christmas with us last year, now we are homeless and spending Christmas with them.  Can't really say we are homeless, we have just simplified our lives and living at our family lake house at Bear Lake.  It is about a three hour drive and too far for everyone to travel, so we came down to the Salt Lake Valley to share Christmas day with our family. We all had such a great time, when everybody got there I felt the energy, the smiles and the happiness from our family members in gathering, just mingling and visiting with one another a joyful time!!  The grandkids love getting together!!  Lincoln got a new hover board from Santa, and all the grandkids had a great time trying it out.  It is a motor scooter type that you stand on and it goes any direction by just standing on it and leaning sightly the direction you want to go.  It is very responsive and quick.  Craig and I tried,  I was terrible and didn't want to fall off, Craig practice and did pretty good learning. There is nothing to hold on too, you are handless, so you have to have very good balance in order to stay on.  Lincoln makes it look easy,  He just gets on it and goes!!  We all had a great time opening our white elephant exchange gifts, Had some really good laughs.  The kids all gave us some snow shoes, coat and gloves for our Christmas gift this year.  We have never snowed showed, so this will be be something new for us to try out while living up north in lots of snow.  We are going to need things to do this winter living at Bear Lake.  We are so thankful for all our children and grandchildren, they bring such joy in our lives.

Craig & Debbie Christmas Day 2016 This has been a blessed year

Chaudhry Family- Landon, Alec, Shannon, baby Ashtyn, Ryan, Michael, Jaxon, the boys have all gotten so big!!

Noriega Family- Cole is now over 6ft tall, catching up with his dad, Dave, Austin, Aubrey, Sharlena, Jacob

Towner Family- Yael, Stacy, Jude, Farrah, Chad & baby Enzo

Burbidge Family, Karlee, Boston, Trisha, Buck, holding Angel their new puppy & Saydee

Thomas Family- Lincoln, Annie, Tasha, Bridger, Winston not happy!!

All the younger grandson opening their Christmas gift from us, we gave them each a nija turtle sleeping bag, blanket & PJ's, Winston-4yrs, Lincoln- 7yrs, Boston -6yrs, Jacob- 6yrs, Jude- 5yrs, Yael-4yrs Landon- 8yrs, they will have fun bringing them to the Lake for a sleepover.  I also made them each a tooth fairy pillow, they are all losing their teeth. "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth"

Our older grandchildren, Aubrey-12yrs, Cole-15 yrs, Alec-15yrs, Landon-8yrs, Saydee-13 yrs., Karlee-11 yrs, Michael 17 yrs, Jaxon-13yrs old.  They are all getting so big, Missing Austin in the picture he is 10 yrs old.

Craig & I holding baby Ashtyn, she is such a happy baby!!

Our Hostess-Bridger & Natasha

Karlee with her new puppy Angel, she wanted a puppy really bad this year and surprise she got the most darling puppy!! She only weighs 1lb, she is so tiny.

Trisha with her girls, Karlee, Angel & Saydee

Craig holding our new family addition Angel

Annie & Farrah in the new Pj's from us this year, we also gave them a princess sleeping bag, Elsa baby doll and a fleece princess blanket,  they both love their dolls and are fighting over Farrah's doll

Jude & Farrah Christmas Day

Trisha made a beautiful fruit Christmas tree and vegetable tree, a great center piece

Karlee trying out the new hover board

Cheese-says Lincoln

Ryan & Alec 15 yrs old

Shannon & Ryan with their darling baby girl Ashtyn

Lincoln missing his teeth-6yrs old

Christmas Eve

Christmas eve we drove down from the lake, we ordered Chinese takeout and hung out at Chaudhry home, all the boys open their Christmas pj's

Craig Papa Symes holding baby Ashtyn on Christmas Eve

Grandma Debbie with our baby Ashtyn, her first Christmas

Ashtyn opening her Christmas pj's with her daddy Ryan

Shannon & Ashtyn modeling her Christmas PJ's with legwarmer and white fur so cute

Michael with his baby sister yawning, it is getting late for her, bedtime

Michael & Granpa Symes Christmas Eve Chillin

All four boys with their Christmas Shirt's holding baby sister, they all had to take turns holding her for the picture

Our Alec

Jaxon

Ashtyn with her darling Christmas PJ's

Landon

Our Michael Boy

We came to the lake Tuesday night, Michael came up with us, he is off on his Christmas break from school he also took the week off from his work schedule as well, we are enjoying our Michael boy. Craig & Micheal went snowmobiling yesterday, today we are just hanging out at the cabin tonight were going to Café Sabor for dinner.  The cable installer came today to hook up all our TV's yesterday our internet service was installed.  Michael and Craig are working on hooking up all the TV speakers.  Michael is a great helper and knows how to help hook up the equipment. 

Michael our oldest Grandson

Our Dating Anniversary

Today is our dating anniversary of 45 years Craig and I went to Disney World as a seminary class Christmas party in 1971,  We paired off that day as a couple.  Young Love!!   We had such a fun day together and our love for one another began to blossom.  It has been an amazing journey that our lives have embarked as husband and wife.  Here we are enjoying our lives as empty nesters now.  We have raised our family, Craig retired last year and we have just moved to our family cabin at Bear Lake for our primary residence.  We have entered a new season in our lives.  I love my dear husband so dearly.  We are enjoying our lives together and the time we have to share with one another.  We are so very blessed!!   We are just hanging out at the cabin today.  Michael rode back with us last night to spend a few day with us while he is out of school for the Christmas break.  They just went snowmobling this afternoon.  We got our internet hooked up today and I'm able to work on updating my blog.  It is so fun to look out the window and see three deer laying on the grass sunning in the winter sun and Candian geese gathering on the lawn.  It is such a tranquil sight to behold.

Light The World

We went to a very Spiritual Christmas fireside at the Paris Tabernacle tonight.  The theme- Light the World, the music was beautiful, they had a darling nativity story and the kids were all dressed so darling, give me ideas for our own family nativity story at Christmas time.  A special time to reflect on the life of Jesus Christ and all the many things that he did in the short time that he lived on this earth, his fame and honor still continues  two thousand years later, so grateful for him, his sacrifices and the example he is to the world, Our Savior, our Redeemer.  Pray we have a blessed Christmas this year!

Sabbath Day

Today we attended church in our new Bear Lake Ward, we are in the Garden City Bear Lake first Ward, they officially announced and sustained us as new members of the ward in sacrament today, it felt strange being in a new ward, it will be nice to get to know their names and associate with the Bear Lake locals, hopefully in time it will feel like home to us,  It is very cold and snowy here, winter is going to be challenging. Hopefully they will give us a calling in our new ward to serve the saints.  This will help us to feel more apart of the ward.  Change is good, it takes us out of our comfort zone.  I pray for the strength I need in making this change.  One nice thing, the Church is the same no matter where we go.  That is comforting to feel and see the unity in the Church. I love the gospel with all my heart!!  I want to be Valiant in my testimony of Jesus Christ and remember the Savior this Christmas season.

Santa 2016

 

Shannon took Landon & Ashtyn to see Santa this year.  Such a darling picture.  Ashtyn has an Elvis Presley smile, a little charmer.  So Fun this time of year.

New Earrings

Ashtyn Nevaeh got her first pair of diamond earrings. 💎 💎she looks so cute with her little earrings in, Our darling little granddaughter, Love her so much, She is the most precious baby girl, We are all enjoying her so very much.  She looks so much like Michael as a baby.  Hard to believe he is going to be 18 yrs old in January.    ❤️❤️

ASHTYN 5 MONTHS OLD WITH HER FIRST PAIR OF EARRINGS.  HER DADDY WAS NOT HAPPY.

Lincoln Seventh Birthday

Lincoln 7 yrs old. with his new Lego set

December 13th, 2016   Happy Birthday Lincoln.  He has lost two teeth.  We gave him a Lego set that glows in the dark, he seems to really like it.  He reminded me that he needs his tooth fairy pillow.  I told him several months back I would make him one and he did not forget.  While in town I went to Karen Mcdougal's we stayed up late making tooth fairy pillows for the grand kids.

We drove down Sunday afternoon to have dinner with the Thomas family to celebrate our Lincoln;s seventh birthday. Tasha had fixed us a lovely dinner, Bridger's family and his grandparents came too, so fun to visit with everyone, we slept over Sunday night in their guest room.   Craig and I both ran errands all day Monday,  We had a full day,  that evening we went to the roller rink for Lincoln to have a birthday party with his friends and cousins, Tasha planned a fun party.  She  fixed us a nice guest room so we were able to sleep over three nights at their house, fun to visit with the Thomas family.  They lived with us 8 months last year.  Hard to believe the year has gone by so fast.  So nice to have them in their new home.  Tasha has had fun fixing it up.  Their new home has turned out so nice.

Lincoln with his fun cake!!

Christmas Time

Shannon just posted some cute pictures of the boys growing up at Christmas time, where have the years gone?  they're so big now!!

Our Darling Chaudhry Brother's at Christmas over the years.

Fun Time Tonight

All our Adult children, Craig and I went to the K-1 racing tracks last night and raced against each other, it was lots of fun!!  We then went to Leatherby's afterwards to eat dinner and have ice cream, was a fun evening for everyone, fun to spend time with our children this holiday season,  Not the traditional Christmas activity.

Craig took 1st place, Ryan second place, Trisha third place, we all had such a fun time racing one another, Ryan was in last place on our practice run and he surprised us all, taking second place, this was a fun activity to interact and visit with one another.

( cute note from Shannon)  We had a Great time at our Adult Family Christmas party we went to K1 🏁 racing track . No Surprise Dad came in first 1st, Ryan 2nd Trisha 3rd.  We had a blast thanks Again Mom and Dad ❤️❤️

Decorating For Christmas

It is snowing a little bit each day and is supposed to snow this entire next week, we have about 6 inches of snow, fun to be in our cabin warm and cozy, I started decorating for Christmas yesterday and put a few things out, we finally got the last little bit of stuff out of the trailer, it took us a couple weeks to get that last trailer load unloaded and put away we're starting to settle in to our new home,

Fun Christmas wreath on our Cabin Door.
Fun to Decorate the cabin this year.

Our Fun Christmas Decor!

  
                                Let it Snow, Let It Snow!!  Starting to Feel Like Christmas!!