Temple Square

Last night we took a trip down to SLC to see the lights on Temple Square. It was a bit warmer than it was last year when we went, but it was still VERY cold!!! We bundled the kids up as best as we could in layers. We met up with our good friends, the Yospe's at Crown Burger on North Temple before we headed to Temple Square. I had their Garden Burger...not too bad! Once we ate, we parked at the Conference Center and headed out in the cold. I love seeing all the lights, but I totally remember there being MORE lights when I was younger! But it is still a very neat thing to see every year!

We had both our stroller and the Yospe's stroller with us after we parked, so Carson took advantage of it and enjoyed the ride!

Kaylee did more pushing then riding I think!!!

We decided to take a look at the lights from the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building to get a better view (and it was warm inside!). They have a beautiful tree in the lobby! I remember singing there when I was in choir in High School.

We headed back outside for some more lights and pictures...

Then we headed to the Energy Solutions Arena for the Annual Christmas Sing-a-Long. We were going to take trax, but it was so full, so we walked the few blocks and made it just in time to start singing!

The best part was when Jon Schmidt played. It was awesome!! Oh, and did I mention it was FREE!?!?! And they gave away Jazz and Bees tickets, and free popcorn coupons for the Megaplex. Totally worth going!!!! Thanks again Jana for letting us know about it!

Since we didn't take trax TO the ESA, we told Carson we could ride it back to Temple Square. That was quite an adventure.....we got on a train going the opposite way first, then had to wait for it to turn around to make sure we could get on a train going toward temple square. It was so busy, by the time we made it back to the ESA stop, they couldn't get any more people on because it was so full. So it was a good plan on our part to do it that way! We probably would have been faster to walk, but it was all about the experience for Carson! We had fun! (These pictures were taken right after we got on the train, I wish I would have taken a picture of what we looked like when it was FULL....I don't think we could have gotten the camera out if we tried...we were squished!!!)

And Kaylee loved it, and sat SO still the whole time we were on the train!

It was a fun evening, and definitely something that we will continue as a Christmas Tradition! Tonight we had 'Movie Night'. We ate some popcorn we got as a neighbor gift and watched "Sword in the Stone". (That was the movie Santa brought for Nicholas last week!). It is so fun to do things with our kids now that they are getting bigger! I know it will only get more and more fun as the years go by! But for now, I am trying to enjoy the precious moments NOW!

Christmas Party Time!

Since I no longer work and we really don't want to attend Nick's work party (since we have to pay and we don't have any desire to watch people get drunk at a bar) we only really get to attend one official Christmas Party, (Other than Family Ones), the Ward Christmas Party. Before we left, I had to take a picture of how cute the kids looked, in front of our tree.

Of course, the primary did the whole Nativity scene and sang some songs. Carson looked so cute with a tie tied around his head! He even tried singing some of the words to the songs, it was super fun to watch!


The theme of the Ward Party was an "Old Fashioned Christmas". Our bishopric is so cute, and they even sang a song for us. Then handed out a fun bag of goodies to all the kids! The madrigals from Woods Cross HS came and sang as well for entertainment while we ate our yummy turkey dinner.

We sat next to our good friends the Yospe's. I can't believe how big Carson & Luke are getting...I remember when they both were babies!!!!

It was a good evening to visit with our friends and neighbors! But we were able to get home and get the kids in bed by 8:30, and Nick was close behind. He has been working 12 hour OT days on Fri & Sat, so he was pretty tuckered out! We are so grateful for his job and the hard work he does to support our family! At this time of year, we are so grateful for all of our many blessings! For our health, or home (which is completely fixed from the explosion), our jobs, our kids, our family, and the gospel! What a fun experience it has been to be able to play with the Bells On Temple Square. I was able to do the broadcast today, and it was wonderful! It has put me in such a great Christmas mood!!! I can't wait to take the kids to Temple Square this week! I love that place!!! And I can't wait for Christmas.......what a great time of year!

Telling Time....

I had to post a quick bit about the funniest thing Carson has been doing.....he is always saying the funniest things and telling the funniest stories. The last few weeks, he has been asking "What thirty does the concert start?"...."What thirty does dad get home?"....."What thirty will my cousins be here?". It made me laugh when I realized that he was asking "What Time". You see, Dad gets home at 3:30 and I pick him up from school at 11:30, so quite a few things happen on the half hour. He just assumed that is how you ask what time something happens. So lately I have been correcting him trying to explain it is "what time, not what thirty?" But he still has been doing that occasionally! And it just makes me smile!!!

Gingerbread time....

We bought a gingerbread house kit a few weeks ago from Costco, and Carson has been begging to put it together. We thought it would be a great thing to do for FHE. So last night we finally got it out and got it put together.
The kids thought it was great!!! They actually did a good job putting the candy on the house and not in their mouths....but a few did end up in Kaylee's!!!!

Nick decorated the trees all by himself, and did a great job!!!

Here is the final product:

It was a great project!!! Carson and Kaylee even took some of the candy off today and played with it! It will be a fun centerpiece to have during the Holidays!! Whew....those are all the posts for today! There are a lot, but that is because we had such a full, fun packed week and weekend!!

Candy Factory

So after a fun filled weekend, it was back to normal life for us at the Bennett House. But it was not a normal school day for Carson on Monday, he actually had a field trip to the Candy Factory in SLC. I was able to go with him and it was a great time!
They gave us these cool "Candy Maker Hats" to wear for the tour. Carson loved his....in fact he took it home and wore it most of the day!

The kids looked so cute in their matching hats!

I love going on the field trips with Carson! We always have fun!

They wouldn't let us take cameras through the tour, but we got to see big rolling tubs of jelly beans, taste taffy and chocolate, and see how they package their candy. I think it was a hit with the kids! At least the candy samples they gave us were!!!

Hallie's Blessing

On Sunday, we all headed back to Ogden to attend Hallie's Baby Blessing. It was quite snowy, but we made it!!! Afterwards, we had a potato bar dinner at the church. It was so fun to get to hangout with the family before they all took off. Unfortunately, Tiffany and her family had to leave as soon as it was over so they could get on the road before it got too late.
My cute siblings....Chris and Ris.....

I so admire my big sis Marisa! She is always one of the first people I call when I need recipes, advice, and to chat!!! It is always fun to get to hang out with her in person!!! She just recently moved two hours closer....so we are happy about that!!!

Grandpa....silly silly grandpa!

The new daddy.....he and Nat are such good parents!!!!

Kaylee was in such a good mood there! She had plenty of smiles for the camera!!!

Natalie, the new mommy!!!

Grandma Joy with Hallie!

I even got a second to hold her long enough for a picture! She was a popular girl that day!

This was my favorite thing.....Kaylee and Mayci. They were so cute this weekend! I love that they are so close in age. (Only 7 weeks apart! Kaylee is older). This is just priceless!!!!

Family Party

On Thursday, both of my sisters and their families came into town for the weekend and to have a family Christmas Party. It was so fun to have them stay at my house, even though it was a little crazy since it was going to be super busy with the concert and everything, but really fun!!! Carson was so excited to have his cousins come to play with him! Thursday, most of them attended the concert, and Nick and my Dad stayed home with the little ones. Here is Emily and Kenzie playing....there definitely wasn't a shortage of someone to play with this weekend. With 12 cousins all under the same roof, there was never a dull moment! On Friday evening, the group of them all headed down to see the lights on Temple Square. Carson said he had a blast, even though it was really cold!!
Chris and Justin, chillin' in the basement. I wish I got a picture of Chris's cute PJ's, he has a pair of foot pajamas....I didn't know they made them in his size! :)

On Saturday Morning, we had a yummy breakfast and got ready for Family Pictures. I was so happy that my Sister in law, Kelly, came and took family pictures for us. She is a great photographer and it is a rare chance that we get to all be in the same place at the same time!! After pictures, grandma read the kids a few Christmas stories, and then we got a fun surprise visit from Santa....

He and Mrs. Claus came and visited us and handed out presents to everyone in our family. Kaylee didn't mind sitting on Santa's lap, and she even got the cutest doll from Santa!

We all took our turn sitting on his lap, including Grandpa!!!!

This was so cute...Tiffany was holding Hallie when it was her turn, and when Santa asked her what she wanted, she said "A baby!" (We all hope that someday she will get that!! Right now though, she has her hands full with her 5 great stepkids....and she is a terrific mom to them!)

I even got a turn on his lap!

It was so fun! After Santa, we had lunch and ate cake to celebrate Matt's graduation!!! The kids had fun playing with their new toys! But then Mom and I headed to a recording for the concert and Ris & Justin had to go to the airport to fly to Boise for the evening, so a few of the adults held down the fort while we were gone. They kids played in the snow and enjoyed some hot cocoa, and watched a movie. I wish I could have been home more this weekend to spend time with my family, but it was still great to see them while I was around! It is going to be a fun tradition to get together every year for a Family Christmas Party.

Matt's Graduation!!!

So during all the craziness of the week, Matt graduated from College at Weber State. So on Friday Afternoon, my siblings and I headed to Ogden to attend the graduation ceremony. It was so fun to hang out with each other!! It was also fun to cheer for Matt when they called his name...we got a few strange looks from the people around us, but we wanted to make sure Matt knew we were there!!!
The four of us....I took this one myself!!!

Dad & Tiff, just waiting for it to start!

The proud wife, Natalie, and Hallie is hiding under the blanket....I think..... :)

Matt the Builder....can he do it??? YES HE CAN!!!!!

He graduated with a Bachelors in Construction Management.....don't you love the hard hat??? It made it easy to pick him out in the crowd of graduates!

We didn't get to stay after he walked, since we had to hurry home and get dinner before I had to head to SLC for the concert, but we are so proud of Matt and all of his hard work!!!! Way to go!