THE BLACK FAMILY: 2011 Roundup

So, I just realized that there are a few things from 2011 that I never posted, so here they are, some of the Black family's final moments in 2011. Enjoy:

A FAMILY TRIP IN THE SEMI

We traveled all the way to Elwood, Utah in the Semi truck to bid farewell to our nephew Aaron, who is now in the MTC, preparing to serve a mission in the El Salvador, San Salvador mission. We congratulate him, and wish him the very best! While we were there (and the reason we brought the semi) we got a load of silage in the end dump. We've never fed silage, but to avoid having to buy high-priced hay, we decided to give it a try. We were also able to help my brother J.J. and his wife load up their stuff so they could move to Blanding - Yay!!! J.J. is working at Recapture Metals and Tamra is doing her student teaching at the High School. We are so excited to have them here! So anyway, here are a few pictures from the trip:

Now this is first class travel - see that comfy bed in the middle? That is my spot - yeah!

Lucy is lovin' the ride with her teddy bear and a cup of juice

Yes, we ate at Burger King; and yes, Stetson got a crown - He LOVED it!

I'm sad I didn't get a picture of Aaron, but I did get a picture of my cute little family at Dave & Marlene's house after church

KENNY'S BIRTHDAY

I feel bad that Kenny's birthday is so close to Christmas, and it always seems to get a little overlooked. The kids and I wanted to get him something fun this year, and we have noticed him eye-balling the remote-control helicopters ever since last Christmas . . . so we got him one! I know, it is kind of a little kid toy, but he is still a little kid at heart - even though he turned 34! Wow, I remember when I thought that was pretty old, ha ha! We also got him something useful, a yellow rainsuit to wear when he cleans out his bull wagon (trust me, it is a must!). We had him try it on, and Stetson said, "look, dad is the man in the yellow hat!" So funny! So, I had him hold our little Curious George for a picture - LOVE IT!!!

Curious George and the Man in the Yellow Hat

And now, the worst part of Kenny's birthday . . . the cake - or the lack thereof. Kenny wanted a red velvet cake for his birthday. We found a recipe, but not in time to do a practice run - bad idea! I was trying to bake the cake and quilt at the same time, and the baking got the raw end of the deal (as usual). The cake was supposed to cook for about 35 minutes, and I think I ended up cooking it for about an hour and a half! Yeah, it just wouldn't cook, and by the time I was done I had a condensed, crystalized mess. I offered to make another one, or a pie or something because I felt aweful! But he just made me feel worse by saying, "just don't worry about it!" All the frustration from the first few meals of our married life came flooding back, and I remembered why I hate to cook! Sorry honey, I hope your birthday was great anyway :)

GETTING WOOD IN THE SNOW

Yes, we waited until the mountain was covered in snow to get the wood we started to get when my dad got hurt. I had never seen our cabin surrounded by snow, and it was beautiful.

There's the man, cutting wood in the snow

Stetson had a blast, he was even able to climb up on the infamous rock

Lucy was not impressed, she was cold and couldn't go anywhere in that dang snow!

NEW HAIRDOS

I wanted a change, so I decided to try bangs. They were good for about a week, and then they started driving me crazy! I felt like my hair was always in my eyes, and my eyes and face would itch constantly. So, I went back to the half bang comfort do. Maybe someday I will try again.
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The full bang look

Lucy's hair was starting to grow and thicken up, but it was so uneven it just looked straggly all the time. So, I had my mom cut it, just to even it up a bit. Kenny was not happy, he thought it made her look like a boy. So I started trying to curl it a little with a mini flat iron, and that helped give it a little body. Here are some of Lucy's cute hair-dos:

low piggy tails before the hair cut

high piggy tails after the hair cut

And this is what Lucy looks like in the morning . . . too cute!

And the lazy-day-do (Lucy's favorite!)
No pony-tails, just a little curl, but notice how thick it is getting!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

This year we celebrated the new year with my family, and had a blast! We ate Chinese food and played games, and the kids both stayed up to ring in the new year! Best of Wishes in 2012!!!