Christmas 2009

This is Stratton Horace, my brother's new baby. Moriella got to feed him his bottle with my help while we were there. She was so happy. I think it made her happier than Christmas morning did. Isn't he cute. They think he looks like an old man but apparently old man looks good on him.

This is why we do it all. All the crazy shopping, all the late night wrappings, the money spent etc. all for this moment of awe.

Of course the nativity picture. Moriella didn't get to be Mary for the Reids so she was so excited to be Mary for the Fershtuts.

Most mornings in the quiet of the day you could find my Moriella in this chair playing with the baby Jesus and Mother Mary. One of my favorite quiet moments of the season, simply beautiful.

And of course the Charly Brown Tree we cut down every year. This one was nice and full but quite lop sided, but the pickings were slim this year.

Here is the Christmas Train at the live Nativity at Tuachan. If you ever get the chance to go it is amazing with live animals and an outdoor amphitheater.

Two Trophies in One Day

Moriella started Dance and Gymnastics this year and has really enjoyed them both. It is so cute to see her semi-shy dancing.

Datan played flag football this year and soccer again. He liked flag football the best but it made for a crazy fall since both were on the same night sometimes. They both ended on the same day so he was thrilled to get two trophies on the same day.

Halloween comes before Christmas.

Datan wanted to be a ghost this Halloween and Moriella wanted to be a purple monster. So I decided to do classic Halloween and have Asher be Frankenstein and I was a witch. It was really fun and I love the ages the kids are for Halloween.

Datan is Six!!

I'm not sure who had more fun at his birthday party, Datan or I. We did a mad scientist party, I was the mad scientist. It was so fun. We did six different experiments with the kids from scenses to pulleys to self inflating balloons. The kids loved it. Then after cake and icecream, and presents we did our final experiment, Mentos and Diet Coke. If you haven't seen this it is so fun. The reaction is immediate, so get out of the way. I think you should get about (6) 2 liter bottles and 3 packages of Mentos because it is fo much fun you'll want to do it over and over. Everyone should do a science party for their kids age 5-10 it's awesome. Happy Birthday my smart little, I mean big, Boy.

The lighting of the tree for Dad.

IHC Hospital lit this tree in honor of my FIL because they were large donors to the hospital over the years. It's called the tree of health and life. Interestingly it is a bronze statue of a tree that was done by a local artist named Jerry Anderson, who is in my in-laws ward.

I love this picture of my MIL looking toward the grandkids.

Moments and Memories.

This was the kids last visit. We came to show Grandpa their Halloween Costumes. He thought Datan's eyes were hilarious, and kept joking with Datan about who could have been the on to give him his black eye. This day will always be remembered by me and hopefully Datan too. It was such a beautiful moment. Grandpa joked and laughed with Datan and was really alert. Then he gave Datan a big hug and told him how much he loved him. Datan stayed while I took the other two, out of control kids out in the hall. They talked for about 40 min. Just the two of them. It was a real blessing and I am so grateful as a parent that my son had that time. These other pictures are from another one of our better visits. I love his funny side shining through and I love the pictures of him playing dolls, they are so precious. His granddaughters held a special place in his heart , espcially my beautiful Moriella. Of Asher on our last visit grandpa said, "He has such a sweet spirit." Then he gave a little chuckle that he always gave when something made him happy.

Chris and his brothers Brian and Dave were always called the three little guys growing up. Seeing them try to fit on this little bench for pictures lead me to wonder about the nick name. It was hilarious watching them, it got everyone laughing, it was the perfect comic relief for the situation. These guys are definately Chris' support system and I am glad he has such a close relationship with them. Guys would never admit it but it's definately "Guy Love Between Three Guys." (It's from Scrubs so don't freak out. Check it out on YouTube if you're in the dark.)

Moriella's Utes Game

Chris takes each of the kids to their own Utes game each year. They make a day of it. They get to go to a special place like a children's museum, etc. and they get to choose where they eat before the game. It's their special day with Dad and they love it. Moriella had so much fun. She really loves her Daddy so much.

Steven James Reid

October 20, 1940-November 4, 2009

At first meeting of my father-in-law you might be a little intimidated. He was a quiet man of large stature, which leaves you wanting to fill up the air time with words you know you are inevitably going to regret saying later. (I imagine that the boys who came to court his only daughter of seven children didn't have an easy go of it.) But as you come to know him you soon realize that everything he says is a joke. That he's just always teasing. Then you find that he is just a big teddy bear.

He tears up over hallmark commercials, has a total soft spot for little girls (especially the granddaughter type), he quietly helped people and was madly in love with his beautiful wife Sandy.

He was the quiet type of leader. He lead in his business and in his callings with a no nonsense kind of attitude. He didn't allow for all the pettiness. He was hard working (although his later years of golf twice a week didn't show that.) Working multiple jobs and long hours in the begining to get their company started. He was inventive and tried his hand at so many different inventions and businesses over the years. Thru his company he and Sandy were able to employ so many people through the years and they always tried to be fair and honest in their dealings with their employees. In the front hallway of their business he had the words printed "Achieving Success Through Honesty and Integrity." I think he truly embodied that statement.

I love this picture of him because I think that's how he would have liked to have been remembered. Sitting on a boat with a smile on his face.

Diagnosed with his second round of Cancer November 6, 2007, he and my MIL have shown such grace over the past two years. Through all the treatments, sickness, and pain they always came back with a positive attitude. Just last Friday while we were visiting him he spent most of his time teasing and telling jokes to get me and my kids to smile and be happy. I am so grateful to have had that simple moment watching him interact with my children with such love in his last days and hours. He was a wonderful husband to my MIL, father to my husband, and grandfather to my children. Even though we are grateful for his release from this mortal existence and pain; He will truly be missed. We love you, Dad.

Hanging with Dad and final summer days.

Our ward summer party is always at Pine Valley which is so nice to beat the heat and enjoy nature.
We have such a fun ward.
This was our families nature creation at the ward party. It is a scorpion. We won and got a fun s'mores basket as our prize.

Asher always has to be like the big kids and tried to hula hoop.

My kids just love their Dad. He is such a good Dad. He always make them a priority by spending as much time with them as he can. He has very few extra curricular activities and the ones he does have he tries to include the kids in. I am so lucky to have him as the father of my children.

Lego Land, the beach, USS Midway and Sea World.

Moriella stood in line four times to see this Princess. Each time she got a little closer to her. For this picture she was finally close enough to get the picture. Shy and sweet.

Lego Darth you don't stand a chance against "the force" of Datan.

This is what all our family picture experiences look like. Me wrestling the kids and no one looking at the camera.

The USS Midway ship was so fun. The kids loved it and I couldn't believe how huge it was.

Do you like Asher's Cheese?