Disneyland!!!

We snuck in a trip to Disneyland this week. Always fun. A little stressful getting there since the kids were a bit slow to help in the morning, but after threatening to send them to school, they got a move on! We didn't go on too many rides, but we did something that each kid wanted to do. I didn't realize until yesterday that we didn't go on one ride that Scotty could go on! Oh well. He was so good and loved watching the Jedi training and playing at the Brother Bear area. That one is always a favorite. Our longest wait was 40 minutes for the Toon Town roller coaster that Atalie wanted to go on. Even Thunder Mountain and California Screamin' were like 20 minutes!

Us over looking the pier before I took Cozette on Screamin'. That ride is sooo fun!
All of us. It was a little chilly, so we didn't stay for any of the night shows. We're wimps, I know!
Wyatt really wanted to take this picture by the Indian. He's so great!
Cruella was very funny. We didn't get a real picture because she was on her way out.

Oh and P.S., we went to Tehachapi on Monday to play in the snow. Thanks Cristin (and Erik) for a great time! It's always worth the drive, even when I'm throwing fits at my fighting kids in the back seat! We need a bigger, more fuel efficient car. I'll try and post those pictures later. Tonight we have Kirsten's kids since they are at the temple with Mom and Dad (we went last Friday). We're taking all of them over to the Wager's for a birthday celebration for Jeremy's Aunt and Uncle. Oh and I ran 11.5 miles this morning!!! Feel great! Getting ready for my race in 4 weeks!! Yeah!

Brotherly Love

I walk the girls to school everyday, unless it's pouring rain or like today, Scotty has a fever, and everyday, Wyatt loves to say goodbye to his sisters. He makes sure that they get a hug from him. If Atalie walks away from him, he'll run out on the playground and find her, just so he can give her a hug! I love it! I'm so grateful for his sweetness, most of the time. Scotty, too, likes to get his fair share of hugs. The best part is the girls don't get embarrassed by their brothers, in fact, Cozette loves to "show off" Scotty. Some of her friends that are there when we are will come up and say hi to him and try and give him and Wyatt hugs. Wyatt also loves to give hugs to Addie and Audrey when he sees them coming up to the school. Addie will usually stop and give him a hug because she is a little affectionate one herself. If we aren't close enough for Audrey, she'll just barely wave and run off, a little embarrassed I think! :) We all have such great kids and I'm so thankful for my own brothers! And sisters of course, too. Kirsten brought me a cookie the other night when I was watching her kids while she was at the temple. I left it at her house by accident, but yesterday, she opens my classroom door at church and gave it to me while I was teaching primary! I felt so loved! Thanks Kirst! I love you all and hope you will have a great week!

Christmas

Here are some photos from Christmas and during the Christmas Break.

Doing our traditional Christmas tree cut down. We hadn't been able to get our tree until about the 17th of December and this year I was actually really sad to see it go. It was still so nice and fresh. I think it was one of my favorite trees yet! Thank you beautiful tree for bringing joy and happiness and a great smell into our home! We loved you!
The kids decorating the tree. I think this was the first year I didn't put any ornaments on it at all! Jeremy was even home to put the lights on! It was great!
Hans, Cozette, Elina, Scotty, Wyatt, Isaac and Atalie waiting for their turn to come out and perform their part in our Lassen Family Christmas Pageant. They are such great kids!
Addie and Atalie, little angels!

Mary and Joseph, respectively!

Cute wise men!
Man, they are getting so big!
Dancing around the Christmas tree before we got to open presents.

We went to the temple to see the lights after Christmas. It was very nice.

Christmas Letter 2010

Sorry we couldn't send this out to everyone, but we hope enjoy it!

Dear Friends and Family,

As I have been looking at pictures and reflecting on what has happened this year, I realized how blessed we are. Sure we have had and will continue to have our ups and downs, but thankfully we have the Savior in our lives to help us through those times.

Jeremy and I both started the year training for various events. Jeremy did his first 150-mile desert dirt bike race and LOVED it! I went out to California City where it was held and the kids and I were his pit crew. We put paper hearts on his gas cans and cheered him on as he came through the pits each lap.

My sister and I trained and did a ½ marathon in Agoura in March. It was a great experience and I’ll hopefully do it again this March. I enjoyed the training: getting up early on Saturdays to get in my “long runs” and then trading babysitting every other day with my sister so we could both train. Running has helped me in all different areas of life and I didn’t think I would ever enjoy it as much as I do, being a swimmer at heart.

Cozette (age10) was able to save up money and get sponsors from family to send her to Sacramento, CA for a fourth grade field trip. She got to fly on an airplane with her classmates and teachers and tour the capital for one day as they learned about government and the gold rush. I have to say I was a bit nervous, but thankfully a member of our ward went with the class and made me feel much better! Cozette is enjoying playing the piano and wanted to play the trumpet this year in band and is doing very well! She also loves to dance and create things.

Atalie (age 8) made a big decision this year to get baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We are so proud of her and have enjoyed teaching her in primary this year. Jeremy and I were able to team-teach her class. She is a very good student and is picking up Spanish like she has always known it. She is excelling in dance and can do the splits. She was the first girl in her class to make it onto the “splits” wall! She is very helpful to me as is Cozette and I tell them all the time “I couldn’t do it without you."

We just finished reading the first two Harry Potter books with the kids and that has been a growing experience for us to read with them and talk about good and bad and just enjoying the time together. We’d bring it in the car everywhere we went in case we had time to read. It’s been a lot of fun.

Wyatt turned five in October and we decided to let him go to one more year of preschool before starting kindergarten next year. He loves preschool. He now knows all his letters and their sounds and has really picked up writing over night. He loves anything musical and really enjoys anything physical as well. He can ride a two-wheeled bike with ease and also started riding his three-wheeled dirt bike by himself this last desert trip. He’s amazing to watch and we especially love to watch him “break dance”. He is such a good big brother to Scotty and is a sweet boy, for the most part!

Scotty, who is two and you know it, is a great little boy. He is picking up talking and tries new words everyday. Right before his birthday, we were at the park playing on the slide when Wyatt decided it was his turn to go down even though Scotty was at the bottom of it. He slid down right into Scotty’s leg and broke it! Wyatt is so strong and doesn’t know it and apparently he hit Scotty’s tibia (shin bone) just right that it caused a fracture. He had on a little blue cast for about 4 ½ weeks. Ironically, he got it off on Wyatt’s birthday. He adapted so easily and was even walking on it by the last week and a half that he had it on. He is a very happy and smiley guy and very entertaining to watch dance and run around.

We are truly blessed with wonderful children, even when we want to tear our hair out! We couldn’t be happier and are so grateful to have one another as well. We hope you all have a wonderful new year and a Merry Christmas. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is the true meaning for this time of year and as we follow him, we will find true joy.

Love,

The Wagers

Jeremy, Ditte, Cozette, Atalie, Wyatt and Scotty

Random Photos from the Fall

This is from our latest desert trip over Thanksgiving. It was so fun being able to ride with the kids. The girls were confident enough to ride on their own and so was Wyatt. The only trouble with the ATC is that his thumb would get tired so he didn't last too long. His Pappy was so patient following him around and taking him and Scotty for rides. It was probably our most fun trip yet. Thank goodness we had our trailer! Otherwise I think we might have frozen. It got down into the 20's at night!
Kirst at our trunk or treat the night before Halloween. We parked our van right next to theirs.
Our cute pumpkins!
Indiana Jones was at our van! ;)
We had a Tiger Lily, Superman, Pippy Longstocking and a cowboy (for the 3rd year in a row!)
Wyatt and his chums at his 5th birthday party. They had a great time in the Lovstedt's backyard with a treasure hunt, pinata and making some Halloween crafts.
Penny and Wyatt at their party. They share the same birthday, just a year apart.
Scotty with part of the pinata on his head and a sucker in his mouth!
Kids waiting for the pinata...
Indiana Jones (he even had his own theme music!) and Hermione Granger
Crossing the railroad tracks at Carpinteria with Gramma and Gramps. We went camping there for three wonderful days over fall break. Jeremy was with us for one night and a day and then my dad was there the other night and day. It was heaven. No crowds and gorgeous weather!


Wyatt enjoyed "surfing". Jeremy also started pulling the kids back and forth, skimming the water. He sure got a workout from that!


Big dork jumping off the lifeguard tower....

Studly guy!

Jeremy had all the kids jumping off the lifeguard tower and took their pictures. They had a great time trying to do karate and dance moves in the air.




Watching the seals next to the oil pier. There were a whole bunch on the beach that day.
Coming down the big hill at the pumpkin patch.

Scotty's cast the night before he got it off.
Else and Cristin at the apple farm in Tehachapi. Not ideal weather, but the kids had fun!

Cute Luke and Wyatt with their empty bags flowing in the wind!