JA Biztown @ Discovery Gateway

i can't even explain how amazingly adorable this field trip was! 

Boston's whole 5th grade team have been planning and preparing for this event for 2 months. 

 Learning all about economics, running businesses, writing checks, and interviewing 

for their positions and jobs.  It was a priviledge for our

 school to have this opportunity.  It's for 5th and 8th grade students and 

our school got a grant just for "Biztown!" 

Such a great experience.

Some of the companies the kids had to run were...

Best Buy

Questar

Rocky Mountain power

merit medical

deseret news {they did interviews & even printed a newspaper}

first security bank

larry h. miller

Zions bank

JA Restaurant

Smiths Marketplace

and many many more.

Boston was the CEO of the JA{Junior Achievement} Restaurant.  He had employees,

 had to sign payroll checks from the CFO and many other tasks. I think he liked using

 the cash register and getting drinks and treats for the kids.~wink

I volunteered for the day and was over the "Best Buy" dept.  We stocked everyone's stores with real food {smith's marketplace} flashlights, beanies, newpapers, etc.  The CFO sent out bills and and invoices for the companies and we enjoyed watching these kids do EVERYTHING to run a business.  

I think they loved working on computers and printing out invoices & writing checks!

The kids got there at 9am and had their checkbooks and Debit cards ready to go! 

 They swore in the Mayor and got paychecks.  Once they went and cashed

 their paychecks they were off to their businesses to work.  

They all had breaks at different times and shopped at different vendors.

It would be an understatement to explain how much these kids loved doing their jobs.

 Boston in the background running his restaurant.  He was LOVING this job!!

 There were flat screens in all the vendors and around the city so you could see the interviews from 

Deseret news.  We even did commercials for our company's.

Here is Boston telling everyone to come and eat at his restaurant.

 Boston with his employees at JA Restaurant

The Mayor gave him a certificate for

"Citizen of the Day"

The Whole "5th" grade class

This elevator is ginormous!  The kids loved arriving in this and also leaving in it...

end of the season "Football party"

we ended the season with a BANG!  Awesome party at "Santa Monica Pizza" with the

 players and their parents.  We watched a killer DVD of the boys and the coach handed out 

trophy's and said something about each boy.  He was an amazing coach!  

We really had an awesome group of boys.

 One of the team moms blew up an awesome pic of each of the boys.

 Another mom made a sweet DVD of the whole season, with awesome plays 

and music in the background. 

 These boys got spoiled!

Boston with his buddy Tanner.

He has met some awesome friends during this football season.

I was in charge of the Coaches gifts.  I remembered seeing these awesome caramel apples 

at Rocky mountain chocolate factory but specially made for BYU and i asked 

if they would do it for our Lonepeak team. 

 I think they turned out pretty cute.

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas...

...at the Taylor home.

this year we decided to start a new tradition. 

my Idea. {sigh}

i thought my kids would Love to have the experience of cutting down our own tree and having

 a real tree this year.

we were so excited.

  I even went with some friends a couple weeks prior at 5am and stood in line 

until they opened at 8am to get a permit!

they only issue 1000 a day for 2 days!

 on saturday we went with the curry's up into the "Uintah's" to find the perfect tree.

after a few hours, and some cold, starving kids {and mom's} we 

finally just chopped whatever tree looked good enough! haha

it was taking WAY too long but,

we did it!  

Then ate at a yummy burger stop in Heber and off to decorate {early} for Christmas.

when we got in the car and were heading home, Boston said "i never want to do that again!" haha 

We think next year we will make a snowmobile trip out of it and do some sledding as well, 

there was SO much snow!!

So now today as i'm writing this post, i loved it.

It was all worth it!

 Once we got home, we pulled out the Christmas bins, turned on the Christmas music

 and started the hot cocoa!

I love this time of year.

one year the elves brought these personalized books for my kids.  This is still one of their favorite books to read this time of year, and the giggling makes it all worth it.

~ one of my favorite things about decorating for christmas is the train.

my kids absolutely love putting the train together and putting all the nativity characters in the caboose.

Guess who's potty trained?

My little girl came home from church on sunday and told me she wants to go pee pee in the potty.

we kinda just went with it and she has been a rockstar ever since. 

 I cannot take any credit, because honestly i kept telling her to just go in her diaper! 

I guess i wasn't really ready for that yet.

seriously, it was that easy!!

so totally different than my other experiences of potty training! 

 the twins were so hard that i was looking for "potty training" boot camps! ha

she loves sitting on her dora seat and now does it all by herself.

she is only 2! 

I'm pretty sure she just wants to be like her siblings.

  Luckily she still drinks a bottle so she's still our little baby.

just an attempt...

to taking my own fall pictures.   

not the greatest idea.  

Beautiful setting, cutest kids, but one crabby 2 yr old.  

o well, they had fun in the leaves instead!

isn't this background beautiful though?!

book report...

this month at school Boston got to pick a "free choice" book and it had to be in an advertisement.

He loves "the strange case of Origami Yoda" and has been making all sorts of Origami. 

i find all sorts of cool stuff that he has made from paper.

he is getting to be so creative.

in this advertisement, he did everything all by himself.  I love how he made his own
 "Origami Yoda" and light saber.

 ~I love how it turned out.

runners high.

i have loved running outside this fall.  

My new running surroundings are absolutely beautiful! 

It took me a long while to love

 long distance running, but this summer i came to LOVE it, 

and find it so Therapeautic. 

 i am usually a fair weathered runner but lately i can't wait to 

get out and run in THIS...

isn't it gorgeous?

  

We are the KNIGHTS...

Boston's team made it into the semi finals last week and today we 

played against an amazing team who is undefeated, and we played hard!  

I love watching my boy play this game today, He has so much passion.  

He caught an interception in the first quarter and stopped two touchdowns from happening

 ALL in the first quarter!

 He played harder this game than any other one.  And played the WHOLE game! 

We wanted to really win. 

but we didn't,

we have LOVED watching boston and his team play together, they are

 incredible little football players and LOVE this sport!

The coach teared up at the end of the game telling these boys how proud he was of

 their hard work this season, and he couldn't wait until next year!

way to GO Lonepeak!  

at halftime we gave all the kids and parents balloons and as soon as the boys 

ran through their banner we let them all go.

i love how ivy was front and center before the team ran through... 

Where's that girls MOTHER?! ha

The game was early this morning, and all i can say is... Isn't UTAH ridiculously Beautiful?!  

Seriously look at these surroundings! and the weather was AMAZ-ing!!

birthday lunch

I have the best girlfriends in the world!! 

seriously, i do.

we all went to Malawi's {my favorite pizza place} in the riverwoods for my 

birthday lunch. Their dessert pizzas are

 to. die. for.

I {heart} these girlies. they also all spoiled me rotten. 

thanks besties.

susan/mckenna/jane/sela/daphne/becky/me/ivy/cynth/melanie/summer/caryn/kara

and my friend shannon showed up shortly after this pic. 

last week my california girlfriends took me out to "dear lizzie" 

I love that these are my childhood friends and we are still so close today.

so lucky to live by these girls.

i love it!

happy halloween...

we filled up our weekend with plenty of festivities! 

 Friday night we had our Hansen Trunk or Treat party, we ate pizza played fun games and then

 trunk or treated. Cory & Boston came straight from football practice 

so that night Boston was a football player~wink

on saturday morning the twins had a birthday/halloween carnival for one of their buddies Austin 

who turned "6" and were sent home with lots of treats to last a lifetime.

saturday afternoon Boston won his Football game!!  It was an awesome game, 

and now we are in the Semi finals! Woot Woot!

and then home for some Trick or Treating!  Phew~ i am exhausted!

my husband is a stud for dressing up with Hayes for Halloween, 

Sunday~ my cute family made me Crepes for my birthday!
i turned the big "36"  on halloween.

I was plenty spoiled with  treats, presents, texts and emails. I
was feeling all sorts of love. My kids even let me have a birthday nap.
{that usually never happens on halloween}
Thank you everyone.

  IT was a fabulous birthday!
we are all coming off our sugar high and I'm ready to detox!

Saturday's game... Boston scored the winning touchdown!!

love my baby girls expression!

we had to get the full effect with the fogger and all. ha

my kids loved trick or treating in the rain... NOT.

luckily i lured them into passing out the candy and they were all about that. 

 Boston went with his friends and came back soaked!

my sister jill got me a "Cold Stone" cake! Mmmmm