Joey gave Dave a golf club cover, guess who it looks like?
New golf clubs for Dave!! Thank you, Santa!
Surprise!! Look who showed up Christmas morning!
June's wondering what Dave's got up his sleeve...
An iPad was necessary this year to keep Dad in the 21st Century.
I wouldn't be who I am today without the support, love, advice, friendship, style, and humor from my 2 older sisters.
This is what you'll find when you come knocking at our door tonight. What would you pick?
And this is who you'll find standing inside.
Looks like Dracula himself decided to throw a party, with the help of his witchy wife, of course. Let the cosume parade begin!
the gypsy from Transylvania
Life really is a circus with the Walkers
I don't know how that little mermaid survives the spookiness around her!
You would think Mario would bring his go-kart.... and interesting how Jeff just happened to have all the ingredients for a nerd costume....
Practicing for next year's event... turkey legs on a string!
If you like it then you should've put a ring on it... oh oh oh
I wonder if the ladybug is Team Edward or Team Jacob
Prizes to suit all your Halloween wishes, from glow stick wands and stretchy spiders to grow-your-own skeletons. It's like a Hogsmeade store!
We need not travel far to have a good time! We spent a day at the Homestead in Midway and had a blast. We started off with some tubing, lazy style- where the rope tow drags you up the hill. But the rides up were half the fun~
The mineral water natural crater served as our warm water destination. Oh how I love swimming when the water is warm!
These ice sculptures were quite the sight- the pictures don't do them justice. It made me want to be an ice princess and live in a castle like that.
I wish we could make a tradition of this and do it every year! I wanted to stay longer and go snowshoeing, x-country skiing, relax with a good book, and sleep in for a few more days. What a great way to start Dave's birthday celebrations. 
Another pregnancy come and gone, and still no desired result. The news Dave and I received on Christmas Eve: "You're not pregnant after all. But you may have an ectopic pregnancy. We don't know. You can't go on your cruise. You need to take a chemo drug to kill all the cells. You can't try to get pregnant again for several months. Merry Christmas."
I've been thinking about all the many things I am grateful for this year, and my thoughts continually turn to you, my best family and friends. This past year has been a tough one for me and Dave, and I don't know what I would have done without you. Some days it was hard to find hope and I'm not sure I would have ever found it without the love you've shown to me. I've been amazed at how small and simple things can make such a difference in my day, my attitude, my life. From a kind hand written note, a big hug, or a simple blog comment to a night spent talking, forgiveness on my bad days, or a night at the temple, I have been touched by the thoughtfulness of my family and friends. And although Dave and I have traveled down rocky roads together, he has been the strong one, giving me encouragement, laughter, hope, and true understanding. Each of you has been an instrument in the Lord's hands, for He has answered my prayers through the love of others. The Plan of Salvation and the knowledge of Eternal Families has never meant more to me than it does now. So I'd like to thank each of you (you know who you are) for being there for me and letting me know you love me. I feel so grateful to Heavenly Father for surrounding me with such amazing people. So at this time of Thanksgiving, although I feel so blessed in many areas of my life, I'd like to give a shout out to the people who make me feel life is good, joyful, and worth living.
Our Annual Pumpkin Carving Party was a huge success- thank you to Chelsea and Mark for hosting the event this year. Lizzie introduced me to the trick of using a jar lid to scrape out the guts- brilliant! Dave's pumpkin took on a cartoon-ish complexion, and I'm not sure if mine is shreiking or yawning. Either way, these are the faces greeting our trick-or-treaters this Halloween.
Our friend Siqi carved this all too pretty jack-o-lantern... not too shabby for a first-timer, eh? I love the smiling eyes.
WHOO can resist pumpkin carving? not I!
Dave and I just hiked in for the occasion, fresh from Camp Tomahawk. "On my honor..."
The guests ranged from an "Enchanting" Princess, Little Red Riding Hood, and a Skeleton to the Incredible Hulk, Spiderman, and a very scary Witch.
Who can resist Minnie Mouse? 
This flower and bumblebee pair was as darling as ever. Now where is their Beekeeper counterpart?
I give them the prize for most clever- crossword puzzles! Now let me get my pencil...
Jeff never disappoints, always showing up in his non-PC skin color of choice. I'm sure Ronnie Price will forgive him. 
There's just something about the 4th and 24th of July that make them 2 of my very favorite holidays. I love being outside, the warm weather, the smell of the BBQ in the backyard, and the brightly colored fireworks that light up the sky at night. It's so nice to spend the day with family and friends without the stress that often accompanies other major holidays. Plus, I've always considered myself an exceptionally patriotic person and I love singing as many patriotic songs as I can think of. Here's a look at some of the holiday highlights:
3 cheers for the red, white, and blue...
s'more smores please!
I love being able to celebrate Alana's birthday and the Pioneers on the same day! Talk about a winning combo!
We just celebrated one of my favorite days of the year: the Annual Cookie Bake. This is something we've been doing forever and not only do I cherish the memories, but also every bite of every cookie. The girls of the family get together, everyone brings their assigned cookie dough, and we bake for about 10 hours straight. My mom's oven should be on a commercial for Kenmore- everyone would buy that oven if they could have these delicious cookies coming out of it every 8 to 10 minutes.
We roll, dip, cool, and frost all day long until we leave exhausted, with tins FULL of cookies. This year we made 8 varieties, and ended up with thousands of cookies. We share them with neighbors, friends, loved ones, and keep some for ourselves, of course!
The types of cookies we make are special because we only make them at the Cookie Bake. I look forward to them all year, especially the Thumbprints, with their perfect dollop of green frosting surrounded by toasted chopped pecans... yum!
I was in charge of making all the dough for the chocolate crackle. I had 2 mixing bowls full, and I used over 20 eggs and 10 cups of flour! Their ooey-gooey goodness leaves you only wanting one thing: a tall glass of cold milk. For the next month, there will always be something to eat at my house: milk and cookies. No longer is my freezer full of frozen veggies, chicken breasts, and popsicles- just loads and loads of cookies. Just the way I like it.
