Thanksgiving

Sorry, no picture. I wanted to take a picture on Thanksgiving Day, but it just didn't work out. I started on Wednesday and made a pumpkin roll, a pecan pie, a pumpkin cream cheese pie, boiled eggs to "devil" later, brined the turkey, and put together the sweet potato casserole to be baked on Thursday. I think that's it. Anyway, it was a busy day. Robert did the rest on Thursday while I cleaned and prepped the house. What a nice trade off, don't you think? We were trying to get some people over who might not have family nearby, but everyone either had family or were going out of town. We did, however, find a woman in the ward who has two sons in primary (so I know the family a little) but she's a single mom and the boys were with their dad for the day. Her parents were out of town visiting a sibling, so she was going to be all alone. We planned to eat at 3:00, but by the time we all sat down around then, Craig and Ethan were both sound asleep for their naps. So it was just the three of us with a huge table full of food. :) Eventually the boys did get up and eat a little, she took some leftovers home, and we worked on the food over the next few days. All that's left now is some stuffing and a few pieces of pie. And two bottles of Martinellis. I love Thanksgiving and the big gatherings of family and friends. This year was nice, but here's to hoping for more and merrier next year!

Cute things

Jade got a bath today. I also blow-dried her (what IS the proper conjugation for that word, anyway?) She looks pitiful, but I just can't help but laugh at her sad-sack little face. It's like she's pleading for her life. A wet dog is always good for a laugh.

Craig has been getting better with the camera lately. He's learning how to point and shoot. The other day he brought me the camera and said, "Mom, take picture of Craig." And then he smiled this toothy smile. One more thing about Craig: I usually tell him he's a big boy or a cute boy or a smart boy, etc. But when I ask him, "Are you a big boy?" he says, "No." However, the other day we were at Target and he was carrying a little hand basket which he had filled with toy cars (which were strategically placed on the bottom shelf of a display at the front of the store). He was really struggling with it so I said, "Do you want Daddy to help you carry that?" To which Craig replied, "No, I carry it. I'm a big boy." It was so cute and it made me laugh out loud in the middle of the aisle. Of course then he spent the next ten minutes saying, "I'm a big boy, Mom. Hey Mom, I'm a big boy. Mom? MOM? I'm a big boy!" I love my little broken record. :)

What could be better?

Popcorn and chocolate milk. They were in heaven. And so was I...they were quiet for about 20 minutes solid! Not long after this picture was taken, we were vacuuming popcorn off the couch, the floor, in between the cushions...

What have YOU won at a Relief Society activity?

We had an activity tonight where people were supposed to bring an unwanted item to "auction" off. Before the auction, we got "money" (or points) based on our answers to questions like, "Have you done your scripture reading everyday for the last month," and, "Have you done your visiting teaching." Then we used those points to bid on items. Someone (no one said who it was) brought two highly anticipated bags. Now, I've never been one for name brands and expensive things, but it was thrilling to win this. It's nice and roomy, too. It could hold some diapers, a water bottle, and a change of kid's clothes.

Or maybe I'll see what I can get for it on eBay. :)

A Belated Birthday Post

I have been meaning to get this posted, but time has been slipping by me. Robert started his new job on Friday and before that we were all just bumping around the house all day, trying to get things done without our normal routine. So, things have settled, Sunday has come (which is when I find time to do my posts usually) and this is the next one my list.

Robert turned 28 on November 7th! We were in California so we had a big dinner at my parents' house with my sister and her kids. For the birthday "cake" I made these peanut butter and jelly cupcakes that Robert is eating in his picture. They turned out really well and were so easy. I saw the idea on a Foodnetwork show called Cupcake Wars. You just mix together a cake mix, put a little dollop in the bottom of a lined cupcake tin, put a bit of jelly or jam in the middle, some more batter on top and bake as the box says. Then you frost with peanut butter icing. I used this recipe. That's it! Unfortunately, his birthday present hadn't arrived before I left for California and then it got mailed to our old address so he didn't get it until about a week after his birthday, but he loves it. I got him a set of CDs called Malt Shop Memories. It's all the fifties music a person could want. So, that's it. Happy birthday, Robert! I love you!

California, there we went

I've been dreaming of going to California for a visit all year. My chance finally came and we jumped on it. My aunt, who's been meeting with the missionaries for several months, decided to get baptized! At first I was debating about going due to other conflicting things, but when my mom told me that my brother was flying out from Colorado Springs to baptize her, I loaded up Craig and Ethan the next morning and we were off! It's been almost two years since I've seen my brother and his family and three and a half years since all four of us siblings were together. It was the best time of year to go. I love the fall and Sonora (my home town) has everything I love about it.

First, we went to a little farm called Covers (pronounced co-vers, not cu-vers). They have apple orchards, a train ride, and farm animals. Craig's favorite things were the chickens and the train. Here are Craig and Ethan with two of their cousins at the little hay maze there.


And here's the train. This little train ride was so peaceful. It goes around the farm and past the apple orchards. They even take you through two tunnels and you go around twice! Craig was so excited to go through the tunnels and Ethan was just about rocked to sleep by the motion of it. Oh, and that's not Cousin It behind me--that's the back of my sister's head.

The next day we went to a little state park/ghost town called Columbia. It's charming, nostalgic (I have many memories there plus it takes you right into Little House on the Prairie), and beautiful. Once again, we saw chickens! They sell little bags of feed you can throw in to them. Craig was cracking up when the seed would fall on their backs and they would frantically peck around for it.


When we were kids, one of the places we loved to go in Columbia was to what we called Rock City. Since Columbia is an old mining town, there are several places where the dirt was washed away, leaving these big, lumpy boulders exposed. It was very poignant for me to see Craig and my sister's girls playing on these rocks, discovering all the cool little nooks and crannies as if they are the first to find them.
Here are two shots to give you an idea of how pretty and serene this place is. It really feels magical (however corny that might sound). Yes, the first is an outhouse, but it makes me wonder the same thing I think every time I see an old building, "If these walls could talk..."

One picture I wanted to take but never had the chance was of downtown Sonora. There were these beautiful, vibrant red trees deposited here and there among the yellows and fading greens. I seriously wondered if those trees had always been there or if I had just never noticed them before. I guess when I was a kid I always thought that everyone's hometowns had trees that turned red and orange and yellow in the fall. Palm trees don't. (Sorry, Arizona. There are other things I love about you.)

My parents have a picture of my brother and sisters and I sitting on the seat of this wagon sometime in the late 1980s or early 90s. It was a traditional picture, so of course I had to have one with Craig and Ethan. Three of my nieces are riding in the back: L-R Lily, Lanie, and Kate. The next picture is of all the cousins on the seat together.

Saturday was the day we had been waiting for: Nancie's baptism. Here she is with my brother before the baptism.

It was a really neat experience. My parents have been members for almost 40 years and we all thought that if any of the extended family would be baptized it would have happened a long time ago. It just goes to show you that everything happens when it is supposed to happen. Here we all are together afterward. We had a little dinner and time to talk before heading home. Robert, the boys, and I went back to Sonora so we could attend church and celebrate Robert's birthday (another post).

Unfortunately, Scott's wife and three kids couldn't come out with him. He, himself, was only able to be there for about 24 hours before flying back for church on Sunday. But it was great to see him. Now that I think about it, we should have gotten a picture of all four of us together. Oh well. We'll just have to do that next time!

Halloween (finally)

I'm going to start with Halloween pictures and then move on to our California trip.

We had a busy Halloween this year. On Friday night we had the church party. It was fun, but Robert was working so we had cut the night short. I find my patience running short on things like that when I'm flying solo. Saturday was the town party. They had trick or treating at the businesses up the main street and at the top there was a smallish carnival. The best part of that was the fire truck. Craig got to touch it and sit in it and talk a real firefighter. He loved that part. Sunday we went trick or treating in a really good neighborhood near the elementary school. We got to dress up a lot, which I love to do. Craig really liked it, too, for the first time.

Craig was a little chef. Robert's been dying to get him his own little chef coat and we finally decided to justify it for his Halloween costume. He was resistant at first, but then decided it was totally awesome. Once he made the connection between Halloween=candy=party with friends, I could hardly keep the jacket off of him. Ethan wore the Batman costume that Craig wore two years ago. I made myself a gypsy outfit that I was rather proud of. Unfortunately, I was never able to get a really good picture of it. Here we are, all together:

Here's a close up of Ethan in his costume and below that is one of Craig when he was wearing it. It's funny to me because Ethan is over a year, but smallish for his age. When Craig wore the costume, he was only six months old.

The cutest little batmen you'll ever see! (By the way, Craig wasn't really standing at this age...I just wanted a full body shot so I propped him up against the couch. Two seconds after this picture was taken he fell over. )

I'm waiting....

I would like to say that we JUST got back from California and not that we've been back almost a week and I still haven't posted the pictures I promised, but unfortunately the last one is true. I do have a (kind of) good excuse, though. My camera batteries died while we were there and I hadn't brought the charger. My sister let me know borrow some batteries until we left, but then the old miser took them back when we left. :) I have been trying to charge the batteries, but something might be wrong with the charger or I keep plugging it into bad outlets. Unfortunately, I fear the first one is true. So, I need to buy some batteries. Or steal some from Craig and Ethan's toys. Either way, I will try to get those pictures downloaded soon and get them posted.

As another note (and another reason that I've had a hard time getting much computer time this week other than what I do for my classes) is because Robert's been home. He's starting a new job next week and he quit the last one when this new one was offered last week so he could come out to California. When he's home the routine changes and I can't seem to get some of the things done that I normally would, especially on the computer. We're really excited about the new job, though. He'll be working for a company called Lehi Valley Trading Company. They make snack foods and sell them in grocery stores. One of their biggest accounts is with the Kroger markets: Kroger, Frys, and Smiths. He will be the manager in charge of quality control and developing recipes for a new line of canned foods. It's a really great opportunity and just another step up on his career path. He'll work normal hours, too: M-F, 8-5. I'm really excited to have him off on the weekends and home in the evenings. We can count on him being home on the holidays and getting regular paid time off. Well, I gotta go. That's the update so far. More to come later.

Catching up

I have pictures from Halloween I want to post but have been in California this week. I decided to come as a last minute thing on Monday, so here I am. When we get back next week I'll have Halloween stuff and CA stuff. See you then!