Camping with the Arbons

 We took the annual camp trip with the Arbon side of the family over the weekend. We weren't really looking forward to going, but it turned out being beautiful and fun.

We went to Bridger Lake in the Uintahs and from the pictures the campsites didn't look great. We were also warned that the bugs were terrible and the weather forcast called for storms. So not a great way to start. We got there and the lake was beautiful, the wildflowers were in bloom, and there were no bugs. We did get dumped on the first night, which was kind of a bummer. But the weather wasn't bad the rest of the time and the cool, clean air was so refreshing. We played some fun new card games, went for walks around the lake, the kids did some fishing, and we had lots of time to visit with everyone. 

It turned out to be the best camp trip we've had in a while.

 

Mason's 15th Birthday

 Mason is 15 years old now. Every year the number of his birthday just seems so unbelievable to me. 15 was such a big year for me. I think it's going to be a good one for him. 

I had been asking him for a couple of weeks if there was anything he would like to do, but he always answered that he didn't know. He didn't want a party with his friends. There was no way he was inviting anyone over to swim. Finally, a couple days before his birthday he mentioned doing an escape room, so I decided that was the plan.

We went to a place in Layton and it was so fun. We chose the vampire room and I think if it hadn't taken us so long to really get started we would have done a lot better. A vampire jumped out of the wall at the end when we failed the challenge and about gave Ava a heart attack. We had such a good time that we got suckered in to buying tickets to go again. 

He had crepes, Javier's and sushi. We gave him $50 and some treats, socks and underwear, because he couldn't decide on anything he wanted and apparently we also have no imagination. 

Mason is such a good kid. He really tries to do what is right and he has good friends. I think we sometimes get overwhelmed with him because every new challenge with him is the first time we have faced it as parents. But he is growing up smart and funny and good in spite of us. And I sure love him. 

Brielle is a teenager

 Brielle turned 13 on Saturday!

She had a cheer competition that day, so she had been trying to decide how to party around it for while. She really wanted to have a party with her friends, so we planned on her inviting people over on Friday night, but none of her friends could come. 

Christmas

Christmas is so wonderful, and this year was no exception. I came and went (without any snow) too quickly, though. 

We didn't have an Arbon family party like we usually do this year, because Sue wasn't coming up again and I guess no one else wanted to plan it. But we did get together for a nice dinner at Maddox. It's fun getting all of Tim's big family in one room. 

Since we didn't have the Arbon party I decided to throw an Arbon party for just our little family and I'm so glad I did. We played a bunch of games with prizes and watched a movie together and it was perfect. I love when I get all my kids involved in something together that's fun for everyone. They're my favorite people to hang out with. 

Christmas Eve was spent at church and then my Dad's house, as usual. Everyone agreed this is their favorite tradition. We had our Mexican food dinner and then the kids did the nativity. I sewed new costumes for everyone this year so it was extra fun for me to watch. Then Pop read The Night Before Christmas and we had our gift exchange. I didn't grow up with a lot of cousins involved, and just fills my heart to see my kids surrounded by so many people who love them and who they love around the holidays. All the time, really. 

Kelson and Lexi stayed with us for Christmas and it was so fun having them here. Luke and Jane are at such a fun age. We don't get to see them often enough so I'm glad they stayed here. Everyone woke up to lots of fun presents on Christmas morning. We had crepes for breakfast and then spent the rest of they day with visitors. Christmas just fills my soul.

Some Ski Days

This the last year that the kids all get season passes to Nordic Valley for free, so we've been trying to take advantage. We've each taken them up a couple of times to ski while we hang out by the fire, trying to keep warm. But we can't let them have all the fun, so Tim and I got passes to Snowbasin this year. The girls also got the Ski Utah pass that lets them go to all the resorts in Utah three times. We mostly got them so that we can take them to Basin with us. 

A couple of weeks ago we took Bri, Ava and Bus out of school to head up there and take advantage of the passes. Brielle is just absolutely flying down the mountain, she looks like a natural. Bus just wants to go fast and doesn't care that he's not really doing it right, cruising straight down and then snowplowing when he needs to turn or stop. Ava has it figured out, but she's a little more cautious, like her mom. Which was good for me, because even she kept leaving me in the dust.

I am a nervous skier. But I love it!

Last week Mason finally took a day off school (seriously, the anxiety this kid feels at even the thought of missing a day...he turned down a trip to South Africa because he would miss too much) and went to Snowbasin with Tim. He has really caught on they had a great time together, he came home so happy. That was quickly forgotten when he got home and had to do all his homework for the day, but we'll try to get him up there again.