Goodbye 2011...hello 2012, bring on a good, new year!

As the year winds down, I like to try and recap what went on within our family...if anything so I can keep this as an online journal for those times in the future when I'll want to look back and read about the memories that were made not so long ago; to give me that warm fuzzy feeling that I might not have felt at the actual TIME the pictures were taken :)

* T turned 9 on January 2nd! Almost a new year's baby, but luckily he was born the day AFTER new year day, otherwise it would be a challenge to try and have a party with his friends! He's also always out of school because of the winter break since it always ends ON his birthday, so I think he's lucky! Or not, I guess it depends on how he sees it :)
* Jay and I got some box seats to a Utah Jazz game! That was coach Sloan's last game he coached at and I also won a $100 amex card to being the closest to guessing the score at the end of the game. Go ME!!
* In February Jay had a business trip down to Tucson for a couple of days, and I got to go with him, courtesy of his company, how lovely :) I haven't flown since '99 and I pretty much had anxiety the whole flight down...I don't do well in the air, or in a small confined space and hoping we don't go down in a fiery ball of twisted metal and I live my children parentless...but it was fabulous to get a couple of days away just together...
* Also in February, we had a series of mini-earthquakes where we live...not enough to do any major damage, although we did notice some cracks in the wall and foundation in the basement...but enough to rattle your nerves where it's REALLY difficult to relax and go to sleep at night, wondering if the BIG ONE is going to hit at any moment...
* Our family had our 15 minutes of fame on the news...we decided to go and take a little venture down the street where the epicenter of one of the earthquakes was and check things out. This was a sunday so of course, people weren't really out and about...well the news station shows up and asks us if we want to be on the news and starts to ask some questions about the quakes we'd been having...so, yep! We were local moviestars for a while, it was kinda fun being able to be a part of that; and luckily the quakes eventually stopped!!
* Our sweet boy C turned 7! His birthday falls right after V-day so he gets extra gifts and treats, lucky him!!
* We finally got our fence put in after 3 years, whoo-hoo!!
* J played in superleague baseball again in the Spring, but we decided that was also going to be the last...he just wasn't into it and we figured he's played it enough years, maybe it was time for a break.
* C continued on with gymnastics, despite regular meltdowns of not wanting to go...and me not wanting him to quit on it just yet, I kept encouraging (and threatening!) him to do it just a little bit longer. To no avail, we decided to end it in July, just in time for him to learn how to do backflips on his own...now that's money well spent! lol
* Payton turned 2, I can't believe my baby is getting so big!! Jason also turned a year older :)
* The boys took swimming lessons...J & T both took level 4 and are going to take it one more time, then they're done. C passed level 3, B passed level 2. Good job boys! I only have to MAKE you take the lessons until you pass level 4!
* The boys last year at their old school, as a new school was being built for them to start the new school year in. It has been a fabulous change and I'm grateful for that.
* Braxton graduated preschool and started kindergarten at the big school with his brothers!
* Jaeden turned 11, my oldest baby's last year in elementary!! :'(
* We took our family roadtrip to Lava Hot Springs and Yellowstone Nat'l Park...there was a whole lot of fighting going on in that trip, so I didn't fully appreciate the memories until all of that faded a couple of months later! I also smashed my pinky in the stroller as we were going to walk around at one of the sights in Yellowstone. It was our last night there. It was the worst pain I've been in from a personal injury, it was awful!! It took 3 months for that darn nail to come off and another 2 to grow fully back out.
* Jaeden had his playoffs for his superleague baseball, but they only won about 2 games...he was really bummed.
* Boys start school again! J in 6th, T in 4th, C in 2nd, B in K.
* Jaeden started his very first season of TACKLE football! You could say I was a nervous wreck to let this finally happen :-/
* Jason and I did a major overhaul with our financial situation which has lifted a big burden off of our shoulders, and to this I am thankful!
* Jamie celebrates yet another birthday :)
* Braxton turns 6! Our birthdays are only a couple of days apart so it makes for a lot of fun parties to be a part of! I'm so glad he practically share a birthday with me :)
* We finally started finishing our basement! Our goal is to have it completely finished by the summer so Jaeden can have his own pad for the start of a very big milestone...JUNIOR HIGH!!!
* We've all been fairly healthy this year! The boys keep growing without me noticing much, but its when I look back on previous years I realize how fast they really do grow up! I want to cherish the moments I have with them because they don't stay little for long and I don't want to have any regrets. I love them so much!!! And I am so grateful for having an amazing hubby and daddy for our boys, and that's Jason! He loves me when I'm not very loveable and plays with his boys and they know how much he loves them! He works hard outside of the home so I can work hard INside of the home and be here for my boys...

God has blessed us SO much and I am so thankful for His guidance and protection he gives to me and my family. May God bless each and everyone of you and that you will have a fabulous 2012, full of health, wealth, love, laughter and abundance! Cheers, from da Bohn family, with love.

Christmas with daBohn's 2011

Another Christmas, REALLY??! I suppose I'm just not very good with gauging time...I always seem to think I have more time than I really do, with basically everything in life! Sometimes I feel like I was meant to live on a planet where there IS no time...I like to take in things around me and when you have to stick to a schedule, that just doesn't make a very good fit. Isn't that what they call a daydreamer?? LOL

So the fact that Christmas just came up and out of nowhere shouldn't be such a surprise to me, but it always is, no matter how many months, days, hours, minutes until Christmas is officially here.

We have certain traditions that we keep, like having my side of the family over to our house Christmas eve. We usually have somebody over who doesn't have anywhere to go for Christmas, so this year we had Jason's dad come over since he didn't celebrate Chanukah with us. We usually have sandwiches every year, so this year I wanted to shake things up a bit and live dangerously and make a beef brisket...I know, edgy, right? haha...

I also attempted to make pastry dough for the very first time so I could do an apple pie the right way...I always end up overdoing myself, and I've heard that its really hard to make pastry dough turn out light and flaky, but I was sure I couldn't screw it up too bad, right? Well, let's just say that the pie looked like it came out of a Martha Stewart cookbook...but the taste, was more like, made in a soup kitchen. But, at least I tried! One of the times I wished it would have tasted better than it looked, LOL! It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't fabulous like I had wanted it to be. Oh well, that gives me something to work on before Christmas NEXT year :)

We also do a reading of "Teach the Children"...I will leave a link below. It basically takes all of the material symbols of Christmas and uses them to explain them in a Christian way, to remember CHRIST...although this year we didn't get around to it and I feel bad about that. But I think its a great way to help kids get a perspective on the real meaning behind Christmas; I'm big on that part so I love being able to tell it to them through a story and not just as a "nagging mom" :)

http://www.share-christmas.com/stories/teach/

Present time! That's a lot of people for a little room we're all squished into!

Caught on candid-camera!!

The boys can hardly contain themselves~ grandpa just gave them the Kinect for the Xbox!!

Picture with grandpa Bohn! Danged camera, grrrr...

Our little family :)

Shouldn't we be UNDER the mistletoe??

The boys all decked out in their Christmas jammies and Bears hats!!

A little sumthin' for Santa :)

Now for my festivly decorated, beautiful home :)

Santa stopped by!!

The children were nestled all snug in their beds...

Christmas morning...the boys woke up @5am and I told them to come back and get us when it was light outside, sheesh!! I'm not a morning person even if it is Christmas morning :-/
Got some sweet Xbox games!

Got a couple of surprise reactions, that's always fun :)

The tongue means concentration, right? Think Michael Jordan :)

Payton made out like a bandit...and trains galore!

Braxton is in jet heaven!!

Cameron got quite the hook-up!

Teagan's goodies

Jaeden's a techie now! I don't think he got any toys this year :(

It was a fabulous Christmas holiday and our boys all seemed to be happy and grateful for what they got...I sure do love that magical feeling that kids bring back into Christmas and I get a little nostalgic to be back to being that kid again a long, long time ago and that special magic that I too, felt in my heart as a child...

Christmas @Temple Square

So every year we have a tradition of going to see the lights downtown in Salt Lake City @Temple Square. For those of you who don't know what I'm referring to, it's basically a square of wall surrounding the beautiful Latter-day Saint temple and its grounds. They deck it out in the most ornately displayed Christmas light display you have ever seen, its absolutely GORGEOUS!!

We first went out to dinner at the Olive Garden, compliments of the reporters at Jason's work~ but it was also a quick hour-long wait, so we decided to take a drive to pass the time and decided to go up past the state capitol of Utah (modeled after a very famous building in D.C.)

We made it to the top of the hill overlooking Salt Lake valley, overlooking the west side of Salt Lake with the Great Salt Lake in the background...
Man, was it COLD!! So cold my almost-teenager refused to get out of the car, so he's the only one missing here. We took my niece with us this time and I think she really enjoyed it, even if we are a crazy bunch of nuts :)

We finally made it into the restaurant to eat and here is a picture of Jason, myself, our 5 boys, and my one lovely niece :) I look hideous in this one, but couldn't get myself to crop me out of it, as I am the mommy afterall!

Bellies full, ready in the car to go and see the lights!

But first stop, hot chocolate!! Every year we make a stop at this cute little corner market, Neighbors Market. We all get a hot chocolate to sip on and keep us warm while we're outside in the crisp, winter air. Hot-chocolately goodness!!

I thought this apartment building on the right was cute how quaint it looked with the holday decorations and lights on it...too bad my dumb camera messed it up!

Here are some beautiful shots I attempted to take with my POS camera :)

Inside the Joseph Smith Memorial Bldg, otherwise known as Hotel Utah

Yes, this is a tree with lights on pretty much every possible branch!

In going through my pictures, I can't help but have a love/hate relationship with my camera!! Love because it captured those precious moments with my family and to that I am grateful. HATE, because it takes such crappy resolutions based on the surrounding lights or anything else that might mess with its functions, I REALLY need a new camera STAT!! So unfortunately in most of these photos they are blurry and you wouldn't be able to make out who's head is who's and what not~ good thing I know, but at any rate, enjoy the beautiful lights and scenery that's accomanying our "shadows" :)

In the shadows of the beautiful temple...

And then what they really looked like when the lights went on ;)

Me 'n Jason's shadow :)

Inside the old tabernacle building...I can't believe this is where the LDS general conference was held, it is sooo tiny compared to the new one north of Temple Square!

The Christus statue in the north visitors center at temple square...beautiful, glowing white light!

This is a miniature model of the LDS temple inside that they had on display in the south visitor's center...I love the miniature details of everything!

The Assembly Hall on the grounds of temple square, love the architecture on this building! It's used for free music concerts and such on the weekends and as an overflow when the LDS general conference is going on.

Nativity at Temple Square

Had a wonderful time looking at the lights, our Christmas season just isn't complete without it...till next year!!