Mark's Family

This is my brother, Mark, and his wife, Robyn, with their kids Paris (at BYU), Carrie, Davis, and Christie. They asked me to take a few family pictures with their new camera (that I mentioned earlier) and it was fun to pretend to be a photographer. I have a lot to learn, i.e. lighting! Thanks guys for letting me practice on you. Hope you were able to use at least one picture! Let Huy know if you want any Photoshop work done!

Party at Aunt Alyson's

My Aunt Alyson was so gracious to host a gathering of family from my dad's side. His brother, Jimmy and his wife, Claudette were there with their two daughter and their families, Nichole and Kristin (their son couldn't make it), and then my dad's sister, Alyson and her husband, Mark had all of their kids there, Danielle (from CA), Scott and Ashley and Lily (from Chicago), Natalie and Cam (from Logan), and Taylor (from Logan too). It has been a while since we had all seen each other so it was a great time to catch up and see how the kids have all grown. The family is growing and it makes us want to live closer. Thanks Aunt Alyson for a wonderful gathering - the police showing up was a fun twist!

Evans Family Christmas

It was a "rockin" time with the Evans'! We rocked out to Rock Band on the Wii at my brother Mark's house and Tanner's world was rocked when Mark squared him in the nose with the boxing gloves and he landed in Grandma's Christmas tree. The cousins loved to play together and the adults enjoyed their chats. Nike and my dad's dog, Buck, didn't get along as well as I thought they would, but Nike quickly learned where to play with him and where not to play with him. We had a great time! Thanks everyone. We missed Tammy and Doug and Megan as they were "snowed in" in Oregon - how odd is that?!

Not quite done with our trip to Utah for the holidays, if you can believe that. I'm waiting on some pictures from my brother. I used his camera because he got a nice new one (Nikon D60). Now guess what I want? A Nikon myself. Someday, hopefully soon.

Keep coming back for more!

It was "snow" fun in Grace!

One day, we drove 3 hours to Grace, Idaho (about an hour outside of Logan, Utah), to see Grandma and Grandpa's new home being built and to play in the snow on the four wheelers. My brother, Mark's kids came with us (Carrie, Davis, and Christi) so everyone had a playmate. There was lots of snow there too. While I talked house with my mom and dad, Huy got the four wheelers going and started pulling the kids in the sled. I'm not sure who was having more fun - the kids riding or Huy driving. It is beautiful up there.

The cooler picture? We had to stop in Logan at the Gossner Cheese Factory because they not only have good cheese, but the best ice cream ever. Huy wanted to take some home to his mom and so we packed it in ice and snow in the cooler. It was a bit milk-shakey when we got back that night, but it was still pretty good. Note to self... next time we need dry ice!

Two of the cutest cousins

It is so nice to be with cousins! Tanner and Taylin and Kaylie love to play with Noah and Luke (Huy's sister's boys). Look at how cute they are - how could you not want to eat them up!

Snowy Day Dog Walks

Huy and the kids had gone out for several morning walks with Nike while in Utah and they raved about how fun it was so one morning, myself and Kaylie bundled up and joined them. It happened to be a morning where there was about 10 inches of fresh snow. It made for some great pictures and a lot of snowball fights and snow angels and fun! And Nike couldn't get enough of it. He loved the snow while we were there.

Extended Nguyen Family Gathering

It is always a good time with Huy's aunts and uncles and cousins. They are a fun, and loud, bunch. There is so much laughter and joy when everyone gathers. The food was delicious and there was more than tons. And they are more than generous too. The kids received more presents! Hard to believe, I know. They were also very supportive as we all gathered around the TV to watch Tanner's first TV deput (he is hoping to play for the NFL one day) - the NFL Flag Football National Championship highlights. Sadly, there wasn't as much of Tanner as we would have liked to see, but there was a brief shot of him throwing a winning touchdown pass to take the team into the final four. We had a great, great, great time. Thank you everyone for gifts and the fun!

S A N T A C A M E !

Before the night was over, we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's house to see if Santa could find us. We like to keep him guessing. The kids did leave a note in Texas to tell him we would, once again, be in Utah, but they didn't say exactly where. But to the kids delight, he found them! The kids got everything they wanted and then some more. Can we say "spoiiiiiled?" Kaylie got the cupcake maker she asked for and the Barbie Peekaboo dolls and house, along with a Webkinz and a Princess Wii game. Taylin got her much loved iPod Nano, complete with "Taylin, YOU ROCK" engravings, an iFlip (a great little video camera that downloads directly to Utube), a Webkinz, and the Kung Fu Panda movie. Tanner got an electric scooter, the Nerf Longshot, a Webkinz, and Guitar Hero for his DS. And that was just the beginning. Santa's letter was a huge delight, especially to Taylin. She shared it with most everyone. It was wonderful to share the morning with Grandma and Grandpa! Thank you, we love you!

Nguyen Family Christmas

There were so many pictures of our fun Christmas Eve that I had a hard time narrowing them down. After our yummy dinner at Christopher's, we went to Aunt Linh's house to open presents. Another tradition shared as soon as we got there was Ba Noi giving the kids her famous, and loved, pajamas. This year was all coordinated in reds, High School Musical 3 shirts for the girls with polkadot pants, and the boys in striped pants with red shirts. They were all so cute. Thanks Ba Noi.

The theme for this years family gift exchange was "FLAT." It could actually be something "flat" or you could be creative and have each letter of the word "flat" stand for something. And that seemed to be the more favorable option.

Vu got a Borders gift card from Kim...

From, with Love, from Austin, Texas

Huy got a Labrador calendar and an iTunes gift card from Kaylie...

Found Late At Target

I got some earrings from Vu...

Feminine, Little, Accessory, Trinkets

Tanner got boxing gloves from Luke...

Fight Like A True champ

Taylin got some American Girl books from Huy...

From Dad, with Love, And kisses to Taylin

Kaylie got some princess pajamas and princess rings from herUncle Mark...

Finger Love A Treat

Linh got a wallet from Noah...

it is FLAT

Mark got a Nike fleece jacket from Tanner...

Fleece Lined for Arctic Temperatures

Noah got an art kit from Linh...

Fun Little Art Thing

Luke got a hoodie from the Gap from Taylin...

Funky, Likeable, Awesome, Totally

And then Ong Noi and Ba Noi got a new TV from everyone and a picture with several pictures of her grandchildren. They gave all of us wonderful things like sweaters and sweatshirts and toys and gift cards. Huy and I also got a beautiful, huge picture of the Salt Lake Temple. I can't wait to hang it. They spoil us.

Again, we missed Vu who couldn't be with us (Australia is a long way away) so we were able to talk with him on the phone for a bit. Thanks for the earrings Vu! You were greatly missed.

It was a great evening full of giving - the giving of punches was probably one of the more memorable happenings as the little boys loved Tanner's new boxing gloves and they were having fun play fighting. They are precious! Aunt Linh read the kids a great bedtime, Christmas story to end the evening.

Thanks everyone for all the nice gifts and for the great time together!

Christmas Eve Dinner

It's becoming a fun tradition to go to Christopher's Steak House in Salt Lake City with Huy's family. We have a nice time enjoying a delicious meal with loved ones and celebrating the birth of Christ. We missed Vu this year, but hopefully he will be joining us next year. Thanks Ba Noi and Ong Noi for the beautiful evening!

Grandma and Grandpa's House


in Grace, Idaho

These pictures are for you Tammy since you weren't able to come to Grace yourself to see the work in progress. It is coming along and is looking like a nice home. I'm sure they will enjoy it! (Pictured from top left to right - living room, kitchen, front of house (left side), Mom's garage, front door, kitchen table nook, basement (the guy was there cleaning up the plaster from the walls which is why it is fuzzy), front of house (right side), Mom and Dad present the kitchen granite, master bedroom, stairway, Dad's garages, and main bathroom.)

Park in Post



The first day of our drive to Utah for Christmas began on the 19th of December. The car was very full, mostly because we took Nike with us and his crate took up a lot of room. We had to get a roof rack and use the hitch to fit all of the luggage and Christmas gifts, but we were cozy and comfortable and safe. We found a great stop for lunch - this park in Post, Texas. It was full of antique playground equipment. Huy and I swear that the big slide was just like the one on our playgrounds in grade school - like I said, antique! The kids had a blast and Nike enjoyed running around. It was a great stop that the kids will look forward to on each future trip.

Many people thought we were nuts for taking Nike with us on a 24 hour drive and many have asked how he did. Maybe because I was so worried about it and was expecting the worst, he did great, just like Huy knew he would. Nike just layed down in his crate while we were moving and as soon as the car stopped, his head popped up and he was ready to get out. It really worked out just fine and I was greatly relieved!

Christmas Factory

The house was full of Christmas cheer as the girls helped make reindeer cookies and wrap presents. We had fun singing Christmas carols while we worked. And then we all helped fold and bag Daddy's work gifts. Our days leading up to Christmas were busy ones, but ones filled with fun!

The Nutcracker Dance

It was a beautiful beginning... the music started and Kaylie was lined up ready to perform her Nutcracker dance with her class, but...

As the music began and the girls filed out to their places, Kaylie decided to stay behind and stand by the wall and not participate...

She is still pretty cute though.

And then when they performed the dance a second time, she did get out there and did her best. What a beautiful ballerina!

Kaylie sings Christmas carols

At Kaylie's holiday music program, she sang so beautifully, in English and Spanish and her moves are just like her dads!

(The pictures of Kaylie singing have disappeared. I've done something with them when trying to clean-up my desktop and organize all my photographs. Ugh.)

Main Street Bethlehem

Back in December, Ty and Karmen and their kids were in town visiting Ty's family and invited us to come along to our first trip to see the live nativity at Main Street Bethlehem in Burnet, TX. It is about an hours drive and you get to stand in line for a long, long time, but it was worth the wait - the first time. We actually were able to step in line with Ty's family which was really nice so we really didn't have to stand in line long. But the live nativity was really pretty cool. We walked a mock little town of Bethlehem in the day. The kids were able to pet a goose and a hen, they saw the jail, the inn, live camel, ride a chariot, walk the market, fetch water at the well, eat bread and see the cave that had Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus. It was great to go with friends and it was very worth it. Now if I can just get Huy to do it again next year!

This just in...

Snow and cute kids are waiting for us in Utah!

I know I have said that I am ready for Christmas at home one of these years, but look what I would miss. These adorable little guys are Noah and little brother Luke, Huy's sister's kids. They were out playing in the fresh snow.

We ALL can not wait to see them and the rest of the family so we have decided to leave earlier. We will be heading to Utah on Thursday rather than waiting until the kids are out of school and leaving Saturday. Let the fun begin!

Nike Dog

That's what we call him sometimes, Nike Dog. We have come to adore this guy. He is definately a big part of the family. His latest... he loves chewing ice cubes. When I fix the kids waters bottles for school, I usually drop one as I'm fitting them in the bottle and so now he has learned to sit and wait. Now I drop one reguardless if I meant to or not.

And isn't this the saddest thing ever? He has to wear a lampshade for about ten days to keep him from pulling out his own stitches because yes, he was neutered! But he is still a man dog. Huy assures us of that.

Where's Tanner?

Do you see him? Can you pick him out of the crowd? Oh, there he is... at his 5th grade musical! He just loves to sing and dance and perform. He would rather do this than go to basketball practice. He is such a good kid and he did a great job singing and doing his little ditties that went along with the music. We are so proud!

I mean, check out the good time he is having. NOT! He went and was pleasant about it, but surely didn't love going over basketball practice. He would hardly smile for the camera. I think he was pretty glad when it was over. But he at least now knows the song, "My Favorite Things" from the Sound of Music. (The theme was "All That Jazz" so they sang a few classics and had a live band. It was really pretty good."

Look who came for a visit!

One night we were all getting ready for bed and there was a knock at the door... it was Santa! He came to see if the kids had been naughty or nice this year and he sat with each of them, asking them what they wanted for Christmas and gave them a little present. They weren't quite sure what to think of the whole thing, but Kaylie was definately enjoying all of it. She came up to me and asked if she could give him her letter and she had a little book catalog that she had been looking at. She shared them both with Santa and she was just too cute. Santa had a cookie and was gone. I'm sure he had many stops still to make.

The photo quality that night wasn't so good, a little dark and fuzzy. Darn.

Ward Christmas Party

Yes, I made these adorable, or not so adorable bible clothes. I thought, ahh, just a few dollars a yard at Walmart and I can sew a straight line. This should be something I can do and it will be kind of fun. Well, about $50 dollars later and most of the day leading up to the event, this was the outcome. Note to self, look up "bible costumes" on Google BEFORE making your own. You can't see it in these pictures, but the length of ours were more like ninja or jedi costumes than the floor length attire worn in the day.

We were invited to Bethlehem as if it were during the time of Jesus' birth. We received a decree that told us where we needed to be when and what we needed to bring. It was very cute and clever. The gym was set-up with all these tents you could visit after eating a "meal" on a blanket. There was a fresh fruit market, the food tent that had bread and hummus and cheese cubes and dates, and a jewlery tent. Kaylie immursed herself in the storytelling.

Taylin and Tanner liked the game booth where they were taught how to play a game called "Dreidle." It was so cool I sent it to my nephews on their mission. They can have fun playing on Christmas with their companions! And I'll probably bring it out with our families in Utah. It is a fun way to get some candy! The evening was followed by a nice program of the nativity.

Huy and Tanner decided to modernize their costumes. Everything in our house needs this logo!

Late Nights with Friends

The Colquitt girls have been coming over for a few "late nights." They have enjoyed playing, watching movies on the projector and having hot chocolate. They've had so much fun and it is nice to have good friends for them to play with! Kassadi and Halle, you are welcome anytime!

Disney's M A G I C K I N G D O M

Because Tanner's team was going to Disney World, the girls and I HAD to come along and one of the great perks... going to Magic Kingdom. It was the best mother/daughter date ever! The girls and I had all day to do all the things that girls wanted to. As you can see, it was such a great time that I couldn't choose one or two or three pictures to share - there were so many cute ones. It surely was "where dreams come true!"

After spending ALL day doing EVERYTHING, we had to stick around to see Cinderella's castle lit up in Christmas lights. Kaylie had fallen asleep and Taylin and I were freezing (yes freezing, even in Florida), but it was worth it. It was beautiful!

It was fun to shop all the Disney stores too. Taylin got her cute, black and white plaind hat. So High School Musical! She loves it. And Kaylie got a Tinkerbell Polly Pocket and then a Minnie Mouse one. She couldn't seem to live without them. We had so much fun! We want to go back next year!

NFL National Flag Football Championships

What an experience! Tanner and the rest of the Dallas Cowboys team had a great time in Orlando, Florida at the Disney All-Star Sports Complex competing for the National Championship title. They won their first three games in their pool which placed them as the first seeded team in the tournament brackets. They then won their first game in the bracket which led them to the semi-finals where they played a well-known, veteran system team, Mo Steel. The Cowboys were very close to winning it, but ended up losing to Mo Steel who went on to win in the championship game. Despite the loss, it was an experience that we will all remember for a lifetime!

The Clarks and Thanksgiving

This is a sampling of our dear friends, the Clarks, and their Christmas card photo shoot. It was one of the many fun things we did over the Thanksgiving weekend. They came down from Fort Worth after their dinner with Karmen's Aunt and family and after we enjoyed our Thanskgiving feast with our friends. We always have a good time and it has been such fun to watch our families grow up together!

Taylin and Lauren had a great time playing and playing and playing some more. They often included the little girls which was nice too. They were good to keep themselves entertained so we could get started on Christmas things.

Cole and Tanner kept themselves busy as well. They made vinegar and soda bombs and let them go off in the cul-de-sac. After several small "booms," they wanted bigger ones so they proceeded to make bigger ones. And then when one went off, I told them about the kids in the neighborhood that the police showed up at their doorstep for letting bombs off and that seemed to quiet the big ones down and they went for a few more smaller ones.

Ahh, the joys of putting up the Christmas decorations. It was a huge help, and much more fun, to have help putting up the tree and decorations after a morning of shopping on Black Friday. Karmen and I made the most of our shopping trip, finding some real good deals and just enjoying time shopping alone!

Huy was an awesome help too as he worked at getting a few stands of lights working again on the tree. Albeit unsuccessful, turning the tree around so the dead spot was in the back was brilliant! Thanks sweetie!

By the weekends end, we had accomplished a lot. Christmas cards were done (now I've got to address them and get them in the mail), decorations were up, we saw Bolt and the new 007 movie, ate lots of yummy treats, got a jump start on some Christmas shopping, and had fun playing and doing it all together. Thanks guys for coming to hang with us!

Give thanks in everything!

Little Miss Jennifer Pilgrim came to Thanksgiving dinner and cooked the turkey and all the yummy fixins! It was such a delight to enjoy this "Tom the Turkey" with our good friends, the Simmons, at their home, and with the Mabeys. Everything was most enjoyable!

Huy enjoyed the electric knife as he helped cut the turkey.

And after that wonderful meal, the kids took a dip in the Giles hot tub (before their home sold, we got one last dip).
Thanks everyone for all the delicious foods and the great time!

My beautiful new haircut

"I love my haircut, but I don't want to smile and pose like a pretty, cute, obedient, little girl. I want to be grumpy!"

"But okay, Daddy makes me laugh so I guess I will let him make me laugh so my mother will be happy that I am finally smiling for the camera for you all to see my cute haircut that I have been asking for for weeks now."