Playing in the Snow!

If you look closely you can see Megan's face!
Lincoln being a nice brother-in-law & helping Megan learn how to board down the hill on our skateboard without wheels.



This picture makes me laugh. Meet our cousin Bobby ERC (a.k.a. Eric). He fell off the board & hit a big log on his way down the hill. It was hilarious!

Fun in Pinetop!!!

On Christmas night we drove up to Pinetop with some of my mom's side of the family. It was SUCH a fun trip. My aunt and cousins can make me laugh harder than anyone else (except for maybe my mom & sisters)...we just all have the same sense of humor. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt and really enjoyed being with everyone.

Yesterday some of the guys went snowboarding while the rest of us stayed at the cabin playing games & watching movies. Here is part of the gang playing my new favorite card game, Quiddler. Linc didn't go snowboarding, so he was really happy that they had an X-Box at the cabin. He disappeared for about 6 hours & finally emerged from the loft when I told him that he needed to talk to my family. I'm sure he is so glad that he has me to keep him in line! :)

This is cute Bailey, my cousin Amy's daughter. She was the only little kid there, and we all had so much fun with her. It was her first time being in the snow & she loved it!

We all had dinner at Pizza Hut that night. Lincoln's cousins & aunt met up with us and Linc went with them to see a movie.

My cousin Amy & I...I love her so much & was so glad that she was there. She is having a baby in February. I think she is the cutest pregnant girl that I have ever seen!

This was definitely a memorable trip! From my mom & Aunt Tricia running around the cabin at midnight acting like the creatures on "I Am Legend" & trying to scare people, to us sliding down the snowy hill out back on our makeshift snowboard & me falling on my butt every time, I don't think that I will ever forget it! :)

Santa Came!!!

We spent the night at my family's house on Christmas Eve so that we could be there in the morning when everyone woke up. My parents gave us a tent, sleeping bags, part of our emergency preparedness kit, movie tickets, etc. It was SO nice of them! We were so excited about all of the camping stuff we got. I told my mom last year that if Lincoln opens his present & starts using it right after he gets it, that means he REALLY likes it. (He isn't one to really show how much he likes something. :) ) When Lincoln opened the sleeping bag & climbed right in before we were done opening gifts, I think my parents knew that he loved what they had gotten us. The highlight of our day was talking to my brother & sister who are on missions! They sounded great. We had a wonderful Christmas this year! P.S.-If you are wondering why Aaron got a Clorox wipe in his stocking....you'll have to ask him. I'm not at liberty to share the story! Ha ha!

Christmas Eve Dinner

It is a tradition to eat this DELICIOUS cauliflower soup in bread bowls at my family's house every Christmas Eve (on the years that we stay in Mesa). It really is the best soup EVER! I drool just thinking about it! :) My Grandma Cooper comes as well as my Uncle Richard. This year he had his kids Austin & Kira...it was so fun spending Christmas Eve with all of them! It's sad that the only picture I took that night was a picture of the food! Oops! :)

Christmas Eve Breakfast

Our friends Brandon & Christa invited us over to have a big breakfast with them on Christmas Eve. It was so good & we had a really fun time with them. They are such good friends! Their kids are adorable! After breakfast they gave us a few Christmas gifts...as you can see we were pretty excited about the "swimsuits" that we got. (That's what we told McKenzie they were.) Actually, they gave us a gift card to eat out as our "real" present. It was so nice of them. They are great friends. Thank you Moak Family!!!!!

Allen Family Christmas Party

Every year we get together with my dad's side of the family to have a Christmas dinner & program the Sunday before Christmas. We had yummy Mexican food & each family performed a few musical numbers. My little sister Megan played the violin for everyone. She is so talented! I don't really sing at Allen parties...my cousins have the most amazing voices it isn't even funny! So I will sing to myself in the shower for now. :) My cousin Rachel got home from her mission last week & it was so fun to have her home for Christmas!
Nana & Grandad make such a great looking couple! I am so thankful to have them for my grandparents. Nana is so thoughtful & always asks me how I am feeling. Grandad is so fun to be around. I love them both so much!
My parents...they are amazing! What more can I say?!

If Lincoln looks tired in this picture it is because he was! My parents had a leak in their pipes so Lincoln worked all night Friday night, fixed my parents' pipes & went to the Hiatt Xmas Party, then worked all over again the next night with ZERO sleep! He is a crazy man. He was still recovering in this picture. :)

Hiatt Family Christmas Party

The Saturday before Christmas we have a big party with all of Lincoln's dad's side of the family. His family is HUGE & it is so fun to all get together. Lincoln's immediate family drove from Snowflake, Sanders, & Flagstaff to be there. We had yummy soup & then a pinata. The kids re-enacted the nativity story while Grandpa read from the scriptures & we sang songs. Then Santa came to visit the kids & gave each of them a present.

Our nephews Marcus & Jayten played the part of shepherds.

I think Alyssa is so pretty and I love spending time with her. She is so smart & sweet.

Do you think Claire liked the gift that Santa brought her???

It is 2am (don't ask!) & I am up thinking about what else...Primary! I LOVE Primary. I love all of the kids in our ward & am so thankful for the special spirit that they bring into my life. They are such great examples to me! Last week I gave sharing time & asked some of the senior primary children to get up & bear their testimonies about Jesus Christ. It was AMAZING!!! These kids know SO much about the gospel & they aren't afraid to share it! Of course I bawl like a baby every time they do. :) I think this holiday season I am most thankful for my calling as a counselor in the Primary Presidency. I missed Jackson SO much last Christmas. I still miss him this holiday season (like I always do) but being around children has really helped me. I am still able to teach children, interact with them, learn from them, etc. Every day that I was pregnant with Jackson, I thought about the things I would be privileged to do with my sweet little boy. I feel so blessed to be able to do at least a few of these things with other children. I know that we are all precious children of God & we each have a divine mission to fulfill. I LOVE PRIMARY!!!

Guitar Hero!!!

We love hanging out with Steve & Erica. They are such great friends & are so fun to be with. Last night we had an exciting night of Guitar Hero 3...we were pretty into it! :)

Putting on our game faces...


The guys jamming out...


Our crazy jumps...


We had way too much fun taking these pictures. Every time I look at them they make me laugh so hard. Thanks for the fun night guys!

Omaha Mall Shooting

The mall shooting in Omaha, Nebraska hit way too close to home for our family. My sister Melissa is on her mission in Omaha. My mom heard the story on the news, but my sister had just emailed us two days before so we figured she had already had her P-day and wouldn't be at the mall that day. We found out later that her district had gone to lunch there. They were going to eat at a restaurant inside the mall, right next to Von Maur (where the shooting took place) but decided to go to a place outside of the mall instead. The place they were at when the shooting happened was right next to the mall. After lunch, Melissa & her district walked outside to find tons of police cars & ambulances. I am so, so grateful that the missionaries were protected and my heart goes out to all of the victims of this horrible crime.

Lincoln really knows how to get in the Christmas spirit!

Click to see the two hottest elves this side of the North Pole!!!