Saturday, January 7, 2017

Happy New Year!

Hi everyone, Morgan here:) Well you guys, 2016 has been such a crazy & fun year for us! 2016 was a year of firsts for us and for our family. We've loved looking back at how we've grown and pushed ourselves, but most of all we love seeing how much fun we've had. We wanted to share these memories with all of you, so we put together our Top 16 memories of 2016. Enjoy:)


1. We always enjoy when we can go fishing with family. Sydney was the lucky one this year and caught one of the few fish that we could keep.


2. For our Spring Break, we went to visit some old friends in Arizona. At night, we went scorpion hunting! Scorpions are glow-in-the-dark, so we used black lights to find them. Once we found them we would light them on fire to kill them. Not gonna lie to you guys, we were all kind of freaked out. We felt like they were crawling on our legs the rest of the night:)


 3. Sydney had run to be the Sophomore class president, and won! She was so excited about being involved and trying to make the school a fun place for everyone. She's loved being able to work with such fun people everyday, and for the friendships she's made from this opportunity!



4. We've loved supporting our brother in baseball this year. He's so much fun to watch, that even on holidays like the 4th of July when he has tournaments we would all pile in the car to support him. We also love spending time with are cute cousins who always know how to make us laugh.


5. I received my license (finally!) and Sydney got her permit. We've loved going on drives together whether it's to get food, groceries, or to go with friends we have had lots of fun moments in the car. 


6. Homecoming this year was a lot of fun! As a senior, I was nominated for Homecoming Royalty- and it was super crazy! I was so nervous to go in front of the whole school and sing funny songs and answer silly questions, but it was so fun! My favorite part of being in the royalty though was being able to spend time with the students with special needs who get nominated every year. Sydney and I have been able to be peer-tutors for them and they have touched our hearts. They all became our Homecoming Princesses, and Prince. They are some of the sweetest people in the whole school, and seeing them win a crown was priceless!



7. Sydney was able to go on a trip to San Francisco with some of her friends. She ended up having an ear infection there, but that didn't stop her from having fun. She loved being able to spend time with them all and loved traveling somewhere new.

 

8. Sydney's friend Ashtyn is battling cancer for a 2nd time, and yet is always so positive. She has been so lucky and blessed and has been doing amazing! We couldn't be more grateful for her sweet spirit, and for the strength she shows to everyone. 


9. This year we were able to go to Disneyland! We went once about 10 years ago, but all I remember is the rides that scared me, and two of our siblings weren't even born. It was a ton of fun to be able to experience it all together! We even had our grandparents come with us! We later surprised our family with a trip to Universal Studios later that week. To see more photos from that trip click here!



10. We went to the Keith Urban concert with our cousin, and had the best time! All of us had lost our voices from screaming. We had such a fun night catching up and laughing with each other. Definitely turned out to be one of the best nights in all of 2016.



11. I went on a trip to Europe with some of my best friends, and my grandpa for a school trip. It was so fun to leave the country for the first time and experience so many new cultures! If you want to see more pictures from this trip or know more about what did every day then you can check that out here:)



12. This summer we lived at the pool and had so much fun just hanging out and laughing. This is one of my favorite pics, mostly because our sister Bryn looks dumb, but also because it just makes me smile every time I look at it:)


13.  This year Syd and I have gotten so close. We used to fight all the time and would never get along that well. But this last year we have been able to tell each other everything and have become each other's best friends. It's hard to imagine what life is going to be like later this next year as I go to college and won't have her by my side.


14. Sydney was able to go on Trek for the first time. For those who don't know, Trek is an opportunity for the youth of our church to experience what it's like for the Pioneers. We dress up like them, and walk while pulling handcarts. Everyone is divided up into a family where they have siblings, a Ma, and a Pa. Sydney was able to be in the same family as one of her friends and ended up having such a fun time!


15. Our whole family was surprised by our grandparents with a trip to Yellowstone National Park. We had such a fun time hanging out with all of our aunts, uncles, and cousins. We went horseback riding and river rafting for the first time here, and had a blast! If you'd like to see more pictures from rafting or of the overall trip click here.


16. Both of us couldn't be more grateful to be surrounded by these girls as we rang in the New Year. It's crazy to think that as we head into 2017, a lot of us will start going our separate ways and having new experiences. We sure love our cousins and all of our family who support us and laugh with us.


We sure hope you all have loved getting a peek at some of our favorite memories from this past year. We are so grateful for all of you and hope that 2017 brings you new adventures and happiness.
Love you all: Morg & Syd

Monday, December 26, 2016

Christmas 2016


 Christmas was really magical for us. We decided that this year we would try new things. We tried to better think of those around us and their needs this Christmas instead of our own. We shoveled the snow off of people's driveways on Christmas Day, and even went to sing songs for an assisted living home. On Christmas Eve we went to Midnight Mass where we listened to music and the lessons prepared by the Reverend and other leaders of the Presbyterian Church near our house. It was really neat to listen to the music that they prepared to help us remember the true spirit of Christmas. The next morning we woke up to a white Christmas. Which was really fun, since it hasn't snowed much at all the last month.


At about 12 o'clock we were finally able to start opening our presents from Santa. Everyone was so excited to see what was left in their stockings this year. 




One of the traditions that Santa has done the last two years is he folds money into shapes that represent what happened in the last year, or is going to happen by next Christmas. This year, mine was shaped like a butterfly since I will be spreading my wings and leaving home to go to college next year.


Christmas was very different for us this year. My parents tell us that they give Santa a budget every year, and that Santa has to be limited in what he can give us. Earlier this year we all pitched in money for us to go to Disneyland, which made the "Santa Budget" be smaller for us this year. So we decided that Santa would only give us stockings, and that we would all pick a family member to buy presents for this year. It was simple, but so much fun! We loved to see the gifts that people found, as well as every one's faces when opening their gifts.




















Our big surprise this year was a family trip to Mexico which the whole family got from Santa. We are so excited to go, since most of us have never been out of the country before.



Happy Holidays! Love you all: Morg & Syd