Teasing keeps you humble...

Mike is a teaser. I am not. Thus we struggle.

Some of our kids are teasers. Some are not. Thus they struggle.

Teasing might just be for the fun of it, but I still, after 13 years of marriage, think that teasing is a way of telling the truth, but making it lighter so it doesn't hurt as bad. I have come to accept that a certain amount of teasing, if done with love ( if that is possible), can help us be more humble. Teasing helps us laugh at ourselves. I want my kids to be able to laugh at themselves.

Tyler and Brigham have always had little "ticks". Brigham's latest is to pull his upper lips up to cover his nostrils and sniff his nose. He does it all the time and does it several times in the time of one complete sentence.  We were giving him a hard time one night during dinner. Hopefully, he will be more humble because of it.

Welcoming in the New Year!!

What were you doing to welcome in the NEW YEAR?

Amy, Riley and Jess were playing with dolls.

The rest of the fam was down n the basement rockin' out!

Mike was lead guitar and even able to do a great job while being tortured by Mr. B.

Ty guy was nailing it on guitar too.

KK on vocals


Mr. C banging it out on the drums. Every once in awhile his sticks would stray and hit an unsuspecting target.

Headed up stairs to enjoy some bubbly in very fancy glasses and watch the ball drop in NYC.

Ready for 2013!

A WHITE Christmas!

This winter has been a wet one! We thought we might be in trouble with such a mild fall, but I think we are getting plenty of moisture. We got some of that wonderful white stuff right before Christmas!

Dad got up early to take a pic of Santa's Spoils!

We couldn't wait to take a peek!

Line up in order to go down the stairs! Can't you smell the stinky breath?!

We open stockings first and then dive in to all our presents!

We had a wonderful morning! Lots of fun new stuff and not any tears! No tears is always good!

Christmas Eve with The Denks

Every year my parents take the kids the night before Christmas Eve to give us a night and day to get ready. It is such a nice break!

During our "alone" (Jessie was in tow) we had lunch at Kneaders and Mike gave me my Christmas present... a new awesome Canon camera! This was the first picture I took!

So excited for this new photography era. I am off to a slow start! So much to learn!

With my parents the kids get new jammies and have fun with movies, lots of sugar and cousins! We all meet up again Christmas Eve for a yummy Mexican Dinner and festivities.

My dad reads aloud the story of the Savior's birth and the cousins act it out. This year's new costume was Katelyn as an angel in my mom's 1977 wedding dress!

A very wise man! Handsome too!

Three "wise" Men

Katie and Matt- 1st Christmas married

Christian patiently waiting to open gifts!

The cousins had seen this HUGE present wrapped and waiting and were so excited to know what it was and it belonged to Katelyn! It was a BYU chair!

Jessie got a shopping cart and a baby!

Amanda and Robbie's little baby Lily was loving all the boxes, bows and paper!

Jessie had her baby so Crayton wanted one too. Funny how he is mimicking his mom!

It was a great evening and we were excited to get home to sleep snug in our beds

and wait for St. Nicholas to arrive!

Christmas Jingle

Tyler was a part of the school choir again this year. He had four performances and did a great job.

This performance was outside infornt of the movie theatre in Farmington.

Amy also had been preparing a few numbers with the 4th grade. Everyone playing a recorder! It was great!

Merry Christmas from The Blacks!

HO! HO! HO!

Dec 6th we had our annual Ward Christmas Party. This year the Primary children did a live nativity while the YM/YW sang songs and read scriptures. The kids did a great job and Katelyn got to be Mary ( she is the oldest girl in Primary!).

The big man himself was there too! Christian wanted nothing to do with him! He cried when we even made him go in close proximity to get a candy cane from Santa's Helper.

"Tyler , were you good this year?"

Jessie hadn't wuite made up her mind about Sanata Claus.  We caught a glimpse of him in the hall before he went into the cultural hall and she was excited and even surprised me by saying his name. Then when we got closer she became afraid. I am sure next year she won't want to go near him.

We have a darling neighbor that was wanting all the kids to listen to his Christmas tie that played a little Christmas tune. The kids loved it!

Not a bad group !

Brigs is now SIX!!!

The festivities began in Vernal with the busting of his birthday pinata! Brigham loves a good pinata bashing and he wanted to share it with his bestest cousin Chandler so we took the Pirate Ship with us.



Brigham had an awesome sixth birthday! This was the first year he got to celebrate it at school and at home. At school he was treated like a king for the day and every person in his class wrote him a birthday note. He took his friends at school some candy to celebrate.

He requested a snake cake and this is what we came up with!

Lots of good presents- legos, Power Rangers outfit, sword, Nintendo Star Wars DS and Smurf Christmas movie!

Can't believe this kiddo is already 6 years old! It was awesome when he discovered that he has to use two hands now to tell people how old he is!