Here are some fun pictures from December.

The kids refuse to sit on Santa's lap anymore!! I have a picture of them every year from the time Ashley was born. It has been a tradition of sorts to get a picture of the kids with the big guy every Christmas. They all said they were done this year, and Mom was very sad that a chapter of our family's life had come to an end. So, they agreed to take a picture with our Santa that Steve got for his birthday last year. I guess a new tradition was born!

Shepherd Cousins

Kaitlyn and her new blanket Aunt Julie made her.

Scott and Julie (Steve's brother and his wife - the other Julie Ann Shepherd!)

Waiting to open gifts.

Christmas Cheer

This was the sunrise on December 21st. It literally looked like the sky was on fire!

Max received his Tenderfoot and 2nd Class awards.

The Zimmerman Family Christmas Caroling at the Hospital.

Building a snowman at my sister Lisa's house in Utah.

Christmas lights at Salt Lake's Temple Square.

Waiting for the Christmas Concert at Temple Square to begin. We are in the Conference Center. We had amazing seats and the concert was unforgettable. It was the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra at Temple Square and David Archuleta. It really got us all in the Christmas Spirit.

It was an amazing show! We highly recommend going if you ever get the chance.

It was so cold and the lights at Temple Square were very cool!

The Girls!

Waiting to cross the street to Temple Square. Our cousin Daniel came with us to the concert.
Dinner at Olive Garden before the concert. Yummy!

Winter Formal

It was Winter Formal at Mesa High last Saturday 12/11/10. The girls were busy with the decorations and food for the evening. Mom even got involved making cinnamon rolls. I won't tell you how many I made, as you will think I'm crazy. It was a fun night. Emily was nominated for "Sophomore Royalty" at the dance, so she got to get a new dress for the occasion, even though she didn't have a date!! Here is Meagan in her dress:

Meagan and her date Connor Cox. She said they had a great time!

Emily and her dress

The other Pampered Princess running around our house lately - Bentley!

Fall Fun

To start off with, sorry for the long gap between posts. I'm trying to stay on top of things. We have had a great few months, so the following posts will help fill you in. To start us out at the beginning of October, Steve and Julie celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary (even though it is really in December) on the island of Maui. Because my wonderful husband hates asking others to take our picture, here is one of the few of us together. Self portraits - you gotta love them. We had so much fun and can't wait to go back. Maybe we won't have to wait another 20 years this time!!!

Our good friends and next-door neighbors, Keith and Jamie Bloomfield and their little miracle Paige. This was in October before her last heart surgery. She is doing so great!

Carving our Pumpkins!

Costumes!! Max's attempt this year, not quite sure what you call it. He wasn't either, just loved the mask.

Meagan and her friends Emily and Ashley

Ashley and her friends Morgan and Sarah

Zack and Friends/Cousins

Emily and her friend Sarah

Julie had her 20th class reunion. It was such a fun weekend. Here I am with my friends Alisa Bradshaw Leavitt, Shannon Hastings Hatch, Joy Packard Fieldsted, and Aimee Clarkson Patton. We were all color coordinated and didn't even plan it! Love these guys! Thanks for the memories!

Meagan and her Homecoming date Tommy Stewart

Our Tiger Football team. It was the first year of tackle for most of these boys.

This handsome guy turned 10. Zack is such a fun kid to have around. He loves football! It's all he talks about. He was the QB on the Tigers this year and did an amazing job. We are excited to watch him grow and mature. He is a great kid with lots of friends, who he loves to hang out with. Because he is the youngest of 5, he thinks he needs to hang out just like his older siblings do every weekend. It is so fun having him around. We love you Z!!!

Zack and his friend Trace earned their Bear Cub Scout Awards

Emily finished her quilt. It was one of her projects for her Personal Progress Award. She is so talented, and has more patience than most 15 year olds! Way to go Em.

Zack's birthday

At the birthday party, Thank you Phelps family for the use of your amazing pool. Silly Boys!!!

So Thankful for Families!

One of my favorite quotes is from the movie Madeline, and it pretty much sums up the Shepherd family these days:

"We love our bread, we love our butter, but most of all we love each other!"

Our newest addition - Bentley! Adorable, but just like a Sour Patch Kid! She is a 4 month old Jack Russel Terrier/Miniature Pincher Mix. And oh what a mix that is!!!!

Thanksgiving with some of the Shepherds.

Thanksgiving with 2/3rds of the Zimmermans.

A sneak peak at one of our family pictures we had taken in October.

Max is 12!!

Well, the long awaited day has finally come. Max turned 12. He has been waiting for this day for about 5 years now. Literally, he has wanted to be 12, so he could go to mutual, be a Boy Scout, and most importantly get an XBOX 360. He is such a good boy, and even though he is a tease and loves to make strange noises, we love him so much. He is a great friend to everyone and loves to talk. He will tell us every detail of his day (which his Mom loves!) He has an amazing sense of humor and says the funniest things. He is brutally honest and if you know Max, he probably has told you something you didn't really want to hear!!! Happy 12th Max!

My 3 Boys!!

Ready for his 1st Scout Outing

Max and Mom

Here he is with Bentley

Max about to open his birthday presents. Yes he is wearing an ASU Snuggie!!

Max pinning his awards on his Mom. He received his Tenderfoot and his 2nd Class.