Dancin' Up A Storm

Aly had her winter recital for dance last weekend. We got there early and FiNAllY got good seats! She looked absolutely beautiful in her sparkling costume.....

and performed perfectly.

I had to laugh at her because she always sends me a text message as soon as she's off stage asking how she did. She was fabulous!

Grandpa Y. ReAllY (?) enjoyed the dance "pose"....Special thanks to Grandma's and Grandpa's for being there to support Aly! We love you all!

Moab "Itch"

Well, we've enjoyed the snow, but now we're ready for Spring! I think we've all got a case of the Moab Itch! So, yesterday, a group of us headed south to Little Moab. It's like a miniature playland of Moab. There was still some snow that covered a lot of the rocks, but we still had a good time playing around.

Having a lunch break.....
Aly and Jayden

Aly, Kels, and Angel

Only 3 more months until Jeep Safari in "big" Moab. We can't wait!

Chi-Yorkie?

My brother sent us a picture tonight of their new Chihuahua puppy. He is ReAllY cute! - Aly thought he looked a little like Bugsy from the movie "Bedtime Stories" ;). So, tonight while we were giving Jake a bath, we got a good laugh at the comparison. Jake in the bath... a Chi-Yorkie?

Card Games

Aside from what this looks like, Grandma and Grandpa Yates really aren't teaching the girls how to play poker! Aly and Kels got a cube full of games for Christmas, so Grandma was teaching them how to play 31. They had so much fun, they continued to play it for quite a while even after Gma and Gpa left. To top it off, Aly decided that a "family card game" fit nicely into her Family Home Evening lesson tonight about FaMiLIeS and being together.

Thanks for coming and hanging out with us Grandma and Grandpa!

Oh, and nice job on the FHE lesson Aly - we had a lot of fun.

Happy Birthday Mom!

We celebrated my Mom's birthday last Tuesday by going out to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. Aly was unable to attend due to her procrastination of her "Oprah" report. Missed you Al! I am so grateful that my Mom is such a big part of my life and especially my girl's lives. She is always there for me whenever I need her, and is such an example to me. When she was battling cancer, she was the one that was strong for the rest of us. I couldn't even talk about her cancer without breaking down and crying. I'd never been so terrified and scared. But my mom never slowed down. She went through several months of chemotherapy and radiation. There were people in her office that didn't even know she was sick, because she didn't skip a beat. She is a shining example of courage, faith, and love, and I'm so lucky to have her for a mom and best friend. We love you Mom!

Welcome to the Oprah Show??

Alyson had an assignment for her English class to do a biography on someone, so, she chose Oprah. She had to create a picture board which also included a photo of her as "Oprah", as well as some props to create the "show". I'm still not sure how, but she made this "Aly as Oprah" picture on some website and we all got a laugh out of it. She did a great job and we all learned some facts about "O" as well. Good job Aly!

The Perfect After Christmas Gift

Kelsey had her 3 month check-up on Tuesday. We had gone in a few weeks ago for some tests, new lab work, and another x-ray. We met with Dr. OGorman and she was SO excited to tell us the good news! Kelsey is doing really well, the new meds seem to be working fantastic, and she took her off one of the other meds. There are a few things that the doc will continue to watch, and we'll see her again in April. We are all very relieved and happy for Kels.

The Holidays, All Wrapped Up

The GiRLz From the Hood

A few of the girls from our old neighborhood (where I grew up), planned a little get-together so we could reminisce about the good ole' days. It was so fun to see everyone and talk about our childhood. We all felt so lucky to have grown up where we did and be able to maintain those friendships.

Back row: Lynette and Julianne (Shaw), Candice (Cooper), Megan (Staker), me

Front row: Mindy (Staker), Liz, Katie, and Michelle (Clegg)

ChRiStMaS DaY

Santa was good to all of us and everyone had a fabulous day. We felt so blessed to have been able to share the day with all of our parents!

We had our annual Overly family Christmas party the weekend before Christmas. My Grandma has hosted this family get-together for as long as I can remember, and every year she has a little gift for each of the grandkids and great-grandkids. I think our family has reached somewhere around 70 people!We made the annual trip to see Santa...
We had to convince Aly that no matter how old you are, you're NEVER too old to sit on Santa's lap!

Rather than buy the gingerbread house kit that I usually do, I decided that this year, we'd do something a little different. They turned out really cute - and the girls and I had a lot of fun!