Thanksgiving Break Travels

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Thanksgiving

10 Things I am thankful for:

(not in any particular order)

1. Good Food (of which I partook of today especially)

pumpkin pie

sweet potatoes

cranberry sauce

Without these, it just isn't Thanksgiving dinner:)

2. The Thanksgiving Day parade: because it gives me a reason to be lazy on Thanksgiving morning.

3. Running toilets: because I really don't know what I'd do without them!

4. A warm house to come in from the cold.

5. A loving family: immediate and extended. For the love you feel around them.

6. Apologies: because we all make mistakes and need to be forgiven.

7. A body: They really are amazing things. I think most of us take for granted the way they move and function without even realizing it.

8. Friends at home: Because they are my family in Fresno.

9. Transportation: all the different kinds, but mostly for cars and airplanes because it allows us the chance to visit family and friends faster than if we didn't have them!!

10. A nearby temple: because we have always lived within 30 minutes of one, and I sometimes forget what a blessing they are. It is where I feel the best.

Party Halloween Style

The annual Salway Halloween Party!!
We had such a fun time this year with lots of new friends and costumes!! Never a dull moment. We split into teams this year and made videos. The winners of the costume party were the "Bun in the Oven" with the Cook. So cute! It is so amazing what people come up with!! Thanks to all for a terrific night.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Time Out for Women

I love "Time out for Women"!! This is our second year going up. It is in Sacramento, about a 3 hour drive, which is fun to do in and of itself with no kids!! We stay in a vacant house of one of the girls' family's. We stay up late and talk and talk and talk and then talk some more. Then we all battle for the showers and head off, trying not to be late:) We get to listen to people like Hilary Weeks (who is hilarious), Jenny Frogley, John Hilton III, Cherie Call, Laurel Christiansen, and more. We cry, we laugh, we shop Deseret Book, we eat:) Then we hit the road again to travel back to our families that have missed us sooooo much:) One of the girl's daughters asked us why we had to have a "time out"...she said "why don't we just go sit in the corner?" chuckle, chuckle...Mom's do need a time out sometimes, and we do need longer ones than our kids usually get. I am so grateful at this time for wonderful friends and for the experience that we had. I will treasure it.

Chop Chop

I was getting sick of my hair, so I chopped it off. I haven't had my hair this short since junior high!! Mike wasn't too fond of the idea, but he says he likes it. I actually got it colored, too, although you can't tell in this picture. And most people can't tell without the picture, but I did ask for subtle:) New haircuts always take some getting used to, but I do like it.

Apple Hill take 3

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

This is just ridiculous how long it has taken me to figure this out today!! Somehow I was confused and forgot how all this video blog stuff was done...and so it took my husband coming home and fixing it for me and then me fixing his mistakes and pheww. Here it is.
Anyways, the text that I had written out before was somehow deleted, so this is the shortened version of the happenings at Apple Hill...
We had our fill of apples:) Everything from apple doughnuts to apple cider to apple butter and don't forget the apple crisp! YUM! The kids had fun with their friends--Amanda was in her element with the babies! The little blondie with the red shirt you may not recognize--that's Nash. He was throwing apples at everyone and I started egging him on...so it became a game for him. I know that you all must remember that scene in the Wizard of Oz where the trees are mad that the people are picking the apples, so the scarecrow starts making faces at the trees so that they will throw apples. This is what I did (and what I imagined) while he was throwing the apples. It was hilarious! And he really does have a good arm for a not-quite-two year old!! It is so nice to live here in sunny California where there is lots to do not so far from home. The kids went through a corn maze and everything! It was a blast! Thanks to our friends for making it all the better!

Apple Hill

Free MySpace slideshows, photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Horseback Riding

There is a gal that works with Mike who owns a horse and is always telling him to bring Amanda to the ranch where she keeps her. So we went a couple of weeks ago and of course Amanda LOVED IT!!! So we signed up right there and then for lessons. The company is called Too Hot 2 Trot and is owned by this young couple with 3 kids. ANYWAYS...here are a couple of shots I got before the camera died. I'm sure there will be more to come:)

Centerpiece

This might not mean much to a lot of you, but for those family members that have this same centerpiece, I am always looking for ways to make it fun...so here is mine. I have dried black beans in the bottom and then eyeballs on top of that. I used a spider stamp and stamped the outside of the glass for an added effect. (It comes off:) Anyways, I want you ladies to show me what kind of fun things you do with your centerpiece!

Boating with Friends

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Thanks for the fun times, Flandro's!! The only thing we didn't take pictures of was my attempt at water skiing! Which, believe me, was not even worthy of a single picture!

High School Musical 2 Party

Thanks Heather!!
As you can tell, the boys weren't too into the movie, but they loved the microphone cupcakes:)

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Oh my goodness! I can't believe I have finally entered the world of blogs! Mike talked me into it. It is so much fun to look at everyone's pictures and keep in touch with family and friends, so here it goes:) Pardon my beginning blogger mistakes. I am learning!

My Baby Turned TWO

Before & After the big two-year-old haircut!

I can't believe my baby just turned 2!! He is so much fun! Whenever we asked him how old he was he would hold up his hand and with five gingers in the air, say "TWO!" I also cannot believe that we have had 4 kids and have never had one of these big red & yellow hideous buggies!! Where have we been?

I was with a friend the other day (she will remain anonymous) and she said that she had only made one of her kids birthday cakes (gasp). (she has 4 kids) I think I have bought maybe 2 or 3 birthday cakes for my kids in their lives, and felt guilty as I was doing it. But this is only because I love to bake and think this is one of my duties of motherhood. (Whereas laundry and the things that get left because I am baking and frosting all day, are not:) Anyways, I tell you this not to poke at a friend who may not have a love of baking cakes, but because I want to let you in on a part of my life that probably most of you know already. I love sweets!! I love to make them and to eat them. Enough said.

First day of school

The kids had a GREAT first day back at school.

We had to celebrate with CAKE!!

Amanda's Birthday

For Amanda's birthday this year, I took her to the American Girl Place in LA with her best friend, Emma. That place is amazing! The girls were in their element. We spent the whole day walking around shopping, and had lunch at the cafe. It was a day that they will remember always!

Sea World

We took the kids to Sea World for the first time. They had a ball. Our favorite was the Shamu show. Carter couldn't stop chanting "Shamu, Shamu", so we picked him up a little Shamu souvenir at the shop. He has slept with it ever since.

Half Marathon

Emily's first half marathon in Palos Verdes. It was such a beautiful run. Totally worth it!