More Turkeys...

 We went to Grandma and Grandpa's cabin in Lake Arrowhead and were surprised to find a little of this.  (Can you tell by the shoes we weren't expecting it?)

 Lots of games and delish food and grandma even took the big kids sledding. They came back with wet bottoms to prove it! 

 Then a quick trip down to San Diego to see these guys. Luke could not be luckier to this little man for a cousin. Luke came up to me and said, "I like Sawyer. He shares." 

 After watching the jaw-dropping Ute victory over the Cougs, the boys went to play basketball (the uncles whooped those nephews!). While they were gone, we girls had some especially good bonding time which might have included txting take-overs (Emily loves those), leg wrestling, heel clicking, and getting asked my favorite question, do I know the words to a song.  Amber learned hard and fast that I do know every word to Mulan's Be a Man and I will bring down the house with my performance of it (a huge thanks to my back up singers).  Also trying to convince these ladies of where the tallest Christmas tree stands in the US is no easy undertaking.  They laughed me to scorn but who pray tell is laughing now?

(Does anyone else love how me and Penelope match and we do it without even planning it? I'm sensing favorite aunt.)

 Sunday Penelope was blessed and it was such a sweet blessing. Luke kept announcing he had diarrhea in his loudest, most irreverent voice, but thankfully he only did it before and after the blessing, not during. We went to Spinder's after and I sat on the couch the entire time and just loved on Penny.  I took a lot of heat for it, especially from this grandma, but it was worth it. Loved every second of it.

Grandma and Grandpa took us all out to eat at Pat and Oscar's and it was so good!

I'm so thankful for all of the great family that we have! 

So glad we could spend a few days together!!

Thanksgiving 2010

We found out that sometimes the best Thanksgivings are the ones you don't really plan. This year we wanted to just have a low key day, because tomorrow we are going to do Thanksgiving with Jer's family. But at the last minute Paige came up with a plan that was so simple and easy and for deciding it all late yesterday afternoon, it was amazingly some of the best Thanksgiving food I've ever had.  I found out a few other things too:  Jer will do all the cooking if you disappear upstairs to get ready, Justin will always mop up, I just might like stuffing after all (as long as it's Paige's 2 ingredient specialty it was honestly soooo good!), Jake thinks Paige's turkey is the best he's ever had, I can put down more food than anyone at the table, having desserts the night before and snitching on the sweet leftovers Thanksgiving day is the way to go (that is if you remember to bring them), and the 3:30 movie after an early dinner is gonna be our new tradition.

Loved it all.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Preschool Festivities

Day 1: Authentic Headbands - those patterns are looking sharp boys.

Day 2: Freshly painted vests to complete the look.

After our costumes were all done, we had a great feast and everyone brought something yummy to share. 

And we were so glad to have a few extra friends stop by for the fun.

The kids all told what they were grateful for:

CJ - His Family

Ashton - His Mom and Dad 

Gabe - His Bedroom

Luke - His Car Bed

Haley - Her Family

Allison - Her Mom and Dad and Brothers and Sister

(hope I got them right)

Today put me right in theThanksgiving Spirit!

Finding Fall

Yes, we had to look closely, but we did find some traces of fall and it was just what I have been craving. A slight chill in the air, leaves dancing in the breeze, and winding canopied roads, boy did it make me miss fall in NY. But I was glad to get a little taste of it today!

Luke could not get enough of the powdery dirt on the trail, and would not let up about going on the 'swimming plane' after our hike. He also started calling Jer Jeromy and me Foxy Mama (Jer's nickname for me for obvious reasons). Jake was pretty sure there were bears lurking around and he nearly jumped out of his skin when way down the trail he saw 2 black figures that he thought for a just a second were black bears. So relieved they were just hikers in black. That got me singing No Bears are Out Tonight. Jake dug.  But the best part of the hike might have been the timing. We watched "Watcher in the Woods" last night which is an older psych thriller about what you would think based on the title. So as we were hiking in the woods I kept reminding them that there was probably a watcher in these woods too.
I sure thought that was fun.

Next time we go we have to leave earlier because we definitely could have spent all day there.

So grateful for this little fam of mine and for a sweet day together!

Grateful Tree

My good friend from NY recommended I check out her friend's blog and it has become one of my favorites. This idea came from that blog which is full of thoughts and insights that inspire me to try harder to be a better mom. It would be nice if I knew how to do that click here thing but since I don't you can go to my blog list and click on the one that says "life" and it'll take you right there. It's worth peeking at. 

So, back our tree....The kids were coming up with some pretty great things and Jer and I loved hearing what they are grateful for (Luke is definitely grateful for Brittany, Bree hospitals and Jake had food & planets covered).  I'm thinking this is gonna be a family tradition.  The kids were still going strong when we ran out of leaves. 

Two of my favorite quotes from the little lesson we did were:

"Gratitude is deeper than thanks. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts"

(Pres. McKay)

and

"When we learn to show gratitude we actually become happier and we begin to feel more peace in our lives."

I'm so grateful that today was one of those rare Sundays where we could all be home together!  And so thankful we stopped to think about all of our blessings.  I love this time of year!

I have so much to be grateful for!

Fabulous Friday

 This was the new hot spot at the zoo. Trouble was they had this 4 year age requirement which wasn't a problem for Grady, but it was a big problem for Luke who spoke right up and said, "I three" (while holding up 3 fingers to prove it). So in the end Jamie Jace and Dallas headed to the top and came down in lightening speed. The rest of us were either too young or too chicken. 

 Like always, we saw lots of animals (or perhaps not) and because we were at the zoo, certain animal experts gave me an education on the anatomy of a certain mammal. We also spent some quality time observing trees. Did you know that when looking for a good palm tree, those tall sleek ones are infinitely better than the unkempt ones with all the dead bushiness hangin around the bottom?
Oh there were good talks. (and Sarah's silence speaks volumes, we like it!)
 Such a fun day!

The lady who took this pic of us asked me to take hers after, so I jumped up to get the perfect shot of them.   Meanwhile, Luke climbed up the fence and swung his leg over the top.  Scared me half to death when I saw him about to go over. But Sarah was already there. Thank you Sarah for seeing it and saving him from going over. (And for saving Jamie from having to jump in and get him like she did at the park the other day except he was in the bathroom with Sarah, not in the lake.)

Did I mention I have some pretty sweet friends?

These jewels might have been a little crazed in the car on the ride home.  Sarah brought out her preschool teaching skills and kept them entertained. She's a keeper.

Finished the day off with a trip to the temple. Oh where do I begin?  From packages to ultimate dutch ovens these guys were on a roll before we even got to dinner.  And don't even challenge Jon on his counting skills cuz he knows "1" like no other.  Then James tooks us for a walk down memory lane which was funnier than I can even begin to say.  The look on his face in this pic was the one his mom gave him when he told her the bad word he called a girl in 2nd grade. Or was that the look of his dad when he got caught "somehow" being pushed against the fogged glass? Or was it the look his teacher gave him when she found you know what you know where? Or was it the look James was giving the waiter when he brought his extra pinch of cinnamon?

Sarah's smiling over the oodles of extra sauce the waiter brought her.

Really, it was so great to go to the temple with these guys. Felt like we were there with family and I loved it!

The perfect night and fabulous day!

Four Square Tourney

I LOVE when my kids have a day off school.  Just having a whole day with them without having to rush off to school makes me pleased as punch. So we got some things done this morning and then met Jer at our favorite pizza spot for lunch which was a serious treat in itself.

Then we came back home for an afternoon of 4-Square.  

It's the hot game at charter schools that have minimal playgrounds.

And both Jake and Bree love it.

 The Boys: Jordan DJ Jake Peter

 The Girls: Georgia Breanna Whitney Sierra

 They also snuck in a few games of Pit.

 While these guys wrestled on the trampoline.

 It really was the perfect day!

Just a little shout out to this lady whose idea this whole event was.

Nothing like having a friend who came up with the best idea to cure my Breezy's little blues.

And boy did it work!

Date Night

Despite the somewhat controversial restaurant pick (which is one of my favs) I think we came out on top because Red Robin is not just for lunches and kids and calling ahead actually works at that place.  Remember tho that when you are leaving and making last minute car switches it's best to call not text.  Back at home, leave the dutch ovens to Jer and James their scouting skills cannot be matched but remember they are still in the kitchen when you start in on the girl talk.  

It's good to know that dutch ovens and covered wagons are synonymous so if you invite certain people to a dutch oven shindig, they just may bring their blue darts which will start and evening full of flatulence.
Certain pillows will have to be sterilized. 

No need for games when Jamie's there to flatten, squish and fold me in half. I couldn't stop laughing long enough to fight back (which I would have and won).  My dear, you were lucky I couldn't talk and I was lucky to have remained intact if you know what I mean.

And lastly but most importantly, Jon you can ignore Riley anytime, the later the better!

Boating in November

 After the Veterans Day Parade, these guys were nice enough take us out on their new toy!

 Miss Georgia making it look oh so easy!

 Despite the lure of the island, Jake decided to hold off & give it a go next time.

If it weren't for the sharks and alligators Luke would've been in.

He loved holding that flag (Ava, you're so nice to share!) and yelling FASTER, FASTER!

 But Breanna wanted to try.

We forgot to warn her that water up her nose can make everything confusing.

 She gave it a shot, but hit the water and came up screaming in pain, something about her knee....

We all started having flashbacks about broken bones.

We were sweatin it for a second or two.

Those slurpees can get expensive.

 Yeehaw those knees are looking pretty good to me!

The key to this pic is where his finger is.  That would be the horn.

Probably what James and Sarah loved most about letting us tag along.

That and Luke's obsession with the driver's seat and rolling around the floor or hanging off the boat.

On second thought I think the dog at the dock that jumped into their boat and hung out for a while

might of been the winner.

My favorite was pulling into the dock and James saying,

"Hey Camie I forgot to ask if you wanted a turn".

You know, he's always looking out for me:)

You guys have the sweetest set up with that boat.

Thanks for sharing with us and for putting up with our skills:)

It was a blast!