Christmas Season

This year's Christmas dinner was the Sunday before Christmas,

with everyone who was in town,

including Jackson and Cara from Michigan,

and Jordan, Camilla and Walker from Iowa.

 Grandpa read the Christmas story out of the Bible

while the kids built the scene using Playmobile Nativity figures.

Our Grand Party

A party with Grammy and Grandpa for the over-age-4 grandchildren.

Pizza, impromtu Puppet Show, Cookie decorating,

and then shop for a book

First group of performers:

Ford and William

Followed by:

Taylor and Hardy

Parker and Redd
- who did an original version of The Christmas Carol.

U Bowl Game Party at the Snow's

       The best part was not the game. It was our littlest Ute fans

LIGHTS AT TEMPLE SQUARE

 Stan and I were joined by Jordan, Camilla, Walker, and Emma,

Camilla's sister.

It was a beautiful site!

Walker could only take so much fun.  He fell asleep inspite of the crowds and the cold.

We discovered a Nigerian nativity

on display in the JSMB...looks familiar.

Christmas Eve

        As we sat down to a nice, quiet, candle-light dinner with Jackson and Cara, Brandon arrived playing his trumpet with Ford holding the music, and the rest of the family singing carols. A fun surprise.

Christmas Day and after...

Walker loved Llama Llama and the Red Pajamas

 Danny promised that this time next year he would look like this.

 Ava brought her new doll, which she named "Merry Christmas Santa"

 Great-Grandpa Butters joined us, and brought us some of his homemade peanut brittle.

 Notice the green outside.

This was not a white Christmas, but very soon,

the next week to be exact, the snow came again.

And we could try out our new snowblower. Thanks, everyone!

 Jackson was there to help with the cord.

 An electric snow blower has been on the wish list for many years.

THANKSGIVING and beyond...

Thanksgiving at home with Brandon's family and Ashlee's family.

The kids outnumbered the adults. 

Ford loved the dark meat

 A little lego activity after dinner

 Miss Ava modeling the hand-me-down apron.

There was lots of snow the end of November, and it just kept snowing;

with frigid temperatures to keep the snow hanging around.

Nature's beauty unmatched.

A week after Thanksgiving, Ava turned three.

Grandma knit her a PINK headband by request,

to replace the red U headband.

With the snow melting, the deer are showing up

uninvited into the backyard.

This buck was not afraid of the camera behind the glass.

It barely interrupted his nibbling.





November 2010

NOTRE DAME TRIP via Grand Rapids

First stop, a visit with the Bringhursts...

Three boys off to school

While at home, Grandpa and Nathan discuss current events

 Amanda shows the boys how to make snow.

 Connor, Owen and Spencer were ready and waiting to play dart war with Jackson & Cara, Danny & Amanda.

We loved staying with the Bringhursts, even though Nathan refused to get in the group picture.

Lunch at Roses, in East Grand Rapids, on Lake Reed



Game Day-
Saturday, November 13

On the eve of game day, we gathered together to watch "Rudy", then experienced for ourselves

the sights of the Notre Dame campus, three hours prior to kick-off, sans rain.

There were Utah fans everywhere, and the nicest Notre Dame fans and personnel.

On the green in front of "Touchdown Jesus"
which can be seen from inside the stadium, past the end zone.

Walker was the darling of the day. Everyone called him the mini-fan.

His feet moved so fast, they were always a blur.

The main gate where the teams enter, next to the green.

We saw everything from the Basilica of the Sacred Heart (after the ND team held it's Mass

and marched out), to the Golden Dome and the Grotto.

Amanda can be seen in her red as she searched for a candle to light.

We might have needed many more candles for a victory on the field this day.

We even saw the four horsemen tailgating....don't know who the long hair dude is.

At the end of our tour, the rain came to escort us into the stadium.
Jordan gave Mark Leone high five, heading up to our seats, with Amanda following.

We were prepared for the weather, but not for the outcome

Walker's two hats, beginning and end, as it cooled off.

We came, we saw, but we didn't conquer.

Oh well, it was great fun to do it together.