The Niven Clan: 2010

Christmas Was Here!

Here are some of the things we've been up to during the holidays.....

Free Macey’s Christmas activities....

Niven Christmas Family Home Evening.....

Ethan loves Bryan’s cousin Lachelle. Whenever we get together he follows her around. She’s really cute with him and even sent him a Christmas card she drew of “The Nightmare Before Christmas”. He keeps telling people he has a teenager for a girlfriend, ha! ha!

We had a fun time sharing talents, singing carols, and enjoying yummy food.

One of the boys favorite things during Christmas now is the Lego Advent Calendar. Thanks Jeff & Barbara!

The last two years we spent Christmas in California with Bryan’s parents. This year was the first time we celebrated Christmas Eve with our little family, but then on Christmas my sister Jamie invited us over for dinner with my grandparents, twin sister Tara and her husband Matt, Tara’s kids Gavin & Bailey, my brother Jake, and Jamie’s family. Sadly, Bryan got sick on Christmas Eve and wasn’t feeling too hot during the holiday.

On Christmas Eve the boys got new pajamas.....

And thanks to our amazing families our tree had TONS of presents under it.....

And the boys were especially excited when I wrapped up a present of a baby and told them we were going to have a baby!

And one last picture of a note Ethan wrote for me.....

Merry Christmas!

It’s been really busy, and hopefully I will have time to catch up on my blog after Christmas, but for now I just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Ethan's School Winter Program

They used to call these Christmas programs, but now it's called a winter program. I wonder if they will start calling a Christmas tree a winter tree? ......Here are a few pics and a video from Ethan’s school program. He knew most of the words of the song, but he didn’t sing them at all! He got more into the dance, especially at the end when he got to slide on the floor!

Provo Tabernacle

The beautiful Provo tabernacle was ruined December 17, 2010 by a fire that started in the building.

I was so sad to hear that the Provo Tabernacle was totally ruined by the fire. We had been planning on going to a Christmas fireside just two days later, which they had to move to Utah Valley University. I’ve dated this entry as the date the fire happened, but it is now really January 16, almost a month later. Just the other day I drove by the tabernacle during the day and it’s just so strange how you can look right through the empty windows and see the inside of it completely broken, burnt, and ruined. So sad! I don’t think they’ve decided yet on whether they will rebuild it or what, but I am anxious to hear what they decide.

Free Horse-Drawn Carriage Ride, Riverwoods

The Riverwoods in Provo did some remodeling of their shopping mall and brought some new stores into the mix...(I’m still praying that Apple will open a store there so Bryan doesn’t have to commute so far; it would be the perfect location!) Along with their remodeling, before Christmas they had carolers from the Hale Center Theatre and free horse-drawn carriage rides. I don’t know if the word got out, because it wasn’t very crowded, but we sure enjoyed ourselves on a free family outing. I keep forgetting my camera everywhere I go, so we just have pics and video from our iPhones.

Da Boys

Here are some random pics from November and December of Ethan and Austin.

Thanksgiving Feast x 2

I had two yummy Thanksgiving Feasts this year. At Ethan’s school they had a Thanksgiving Feast and all the parents brought different foods, and it truly was a feast. There was so much yummy grub! Before the feast the kids made either a Pilgrim or Indian hat and then the teacher laid out big rolls of paper where they drew their own placemat area. Here’s Ethan’s in the middle. He's been drawing that face a lot lately.

On Thanksgiving day we went up to my Grandpa & Grandma Newman’s house. This picture is one my cousin Jenisse took in October for my Grandpa’s 80th birthday. (Hope you don’t mind I borrowed it Jenisse :)

Our family was the only representation from the Jorgensen side, but a lot of my cousins, the Decker’s, were there. It was fun to visit, and of course, so yummy! I have had Thanksgiving dinner at my Grandpa & Grandma Newman’s so much growing up, that all the yummy food brought back good memories of old times. My parents went down to visit Tara & Matt and stayed with Gavin & Bailey for a few days while Tara & Matt had some time to themselves. My brother Jake also went down with them. My other sister who lives in Utah, Jamie, went down to visit their in-laws in St. George, who are on a mission there. My mom is usually the one who makes all the pies, so I volunteered to bring some. I made two pumpkin pies, a sour cream apple, and then I ended up buying a pecan pie because I ran out of time. Sadly, the only picture I have from that day is on my iPhone, and it’s of all the kids when they were being silly, and of course is a little blurry as well.

I’m glad my cousin Clint had his kids there, otherwise my boys would have been the only kids. It’s much funner with cousins! Or third cousins I think! They had fun after dinner playing hide-and-seek.

Utah Valley University International Photo Contest

Bryan entered some of his Jerusalem pictures in Utah Valley University’s International Photo Contest that they have every year and won 1st prize! They have all the winning photos on display in the International hall at UVU and he won a gift certificate to Allen’s Camera. Good job Bryan!

Fieldtrip Fun

On November 5, Ethan got to go to the Scera Theatre to see a play about a dragon. I didn’t take any pictures, but had to share Ethan’s conversation with the girls in our carpool. The teacher asked us to drive two girls who are identical twins. They look so much alike, and they are adorable. Ethan is usually pretty quiet until he warms up and gets to know you -then he doesn’t stop talking! I was surprised as we got into the car and the first thing he said out loud was, “I’m so lucky, I get to sit next to a pretty girl!” The girl blushed and smiled and from then on the conversation was just hilarious. I wish I had recorded it! On our way back from the play and dropping the girls off, the girl sitting next to him exclaimed, “I’m going to remember this day forever.” Then she told him when she grows up she is going to marry him, (she’s only five)! They got kind of silly and started saying all the people/things they were going to marry, and then Ethan said to them, “Well I’m going to marry both of you!” Maybe you had to be there, but I thought it was so funny. The next day the mother of those two girls came up to me and told me that last night at dinner her daughter told the whole family, “Today I met my prince.” So now every time Ethan sees these girls they smile at him; they even smile at me and are excited to see me because I’m Ethan’s mom. Too funny!

October Happenings

October has been very busy and fun! Here are a few highlights.......

Ethan’s class got to go to Cornbelly’s. I hadn’t been there since Thanksgiving Point first opened with their first corn maze...I think I was in high school. Now there are so many things for kids to do and explore.....very fun!