Thanksgiving Week

Our school district gives the kids the entire week of Thanksgiving off. It's especially nice when Brian can take the week off of work too.

We planned for our house to get fumigated over this week so that we could go somewhere fun, since we'd have to pay for a hotel anyway. We took our first trip ever to Mammoth. It was AWESOME! Brian took the kids for a 3 hour ski lesson and then they skied, and skied!

The mountain was beautiful. The snow was good, especially the first day. Jon didn't use sticks. The other kids were a little nervous about his skiing technique. He had no fear. He just went straight down, as fast as he could. It was so fun to watch them play.

Those red jackets made finding them on the slopes really easy!

It snowed the day we were coming home. The kids had never played in such fluffy stuff. They built a snowman, had snowball fights, made snow angels, and unanimously agreed that we needed to either live where it snows or go back to Mammoth soon!

As for me, I have no confidence in my ability to fall down the hills gracefully. I stayed in the condo with the fire burning. I spent time reading, finishing up my ornaments, watching TV, exploring the village, and shopping. Brian took the van, so I got to know Mammoth by foot. It was awesome to feel cold and get us all in the mood for the holidays.

We all came home a bit under the weather. We got home Wednesday night, and darn it there was no time to defrost a turkey. Ha! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at Marie Callendar's. It was a very calm holiday, and for that I am grateful. The kids got along so well and played together the entire time. One of the surprise games that caught the kids' attention at the condo was Battleship. I haven't played that in years! The kids LOVED it! Another big hit is the game "Whoonu". Jon got it for his birthday and we finally broke it out over the holiday. Just trying to share game ideas for your holiday shopping! Ha!

Procrastination

I'm an expert at putting things off. For example, our house is getting fumigated next week. I should be packing up my food and medicines into annoying little bags, but I'm not. We're heading off to Mammoth this weekend. I should be finding snow clothes for my kids, but I'm not. I have 2 weeks to finish my ornaments for this insane ornament exchange. I actually made 8 ornaments, and then decided I didn't like them and trashed them all. Now I'm starting over and am afraid I won't like the results again, so I'm having a hard time being inspired.

AND YET ... I have time for this:


I ended up being co-team mom (with Heidi) for Aubrey's (and Hannah's) soccer team. This weekend is the final touraments for her and Jon's teams. I decided to have fun and make these adorable (3 day process) cookies. See, you have time to do whatever it is you WANT to do. Ha!

The soccer season was great! Brandon's team ended their season last week. They came in 2nd for their level. Aubrey's team didn't do as well, but she was invited to try-out for the All-Stars team. And Jon just loves being out there. He is a hustler and tries to do whatever it is that the coach tells him. He's always on the field yelling, "I'm open, I'm open" ... even when he's not. Great season!

Designs in Floral

You know, I really enjoy crafts. I get a little giddy when I am collecting the raw materials of a project I am working on. I feel good when I complete a mini-master piece. I would go so far as to say that I have some creative abilities that make the process fun. I don't feel confident enough to say I have any actual TALENT. I'm a pretty good instructions follower and a great idea thief. This realization makes me more appreciate those who have REAL talent.

My girlfriend, Jen, is one of those people. She helped with Super Saturday this last weekend. She can create the cutest things from a simple inspiration like a cute ribbon or paper. She amazes me.

Another person I really admire is my sister-in-law. She has taken her hobby of collecting and drying flowers and made it into a real business. You have to see the temple pictures she's created OUT OF FLOWERS!!!


Incredible. How much patience is needed to do these things??? Check out her website! Seriously, if you're looking for a unique Christmas, wedding, or other gift, this is a great idea.

Scout Camporee

Brandon getting shooting instruction

Brandon & a friend canoeing the day away

One of the biggest joys we get as parents is watching our kids enjoy their "life experiences". Brandon really likes scouting, and camping is the BEST. Brian went along for this campout, and it was so much fun to watch their excitement.

Brandon LOVES shooting. He has been trying to work out when we can go shooting again. I'm thinking our visit to Utah will have to be sooner than later so he can learn more about this fascinating new hobby. Hmmm, should I be worried that my 11 year old is so into this???

I have to say, I'm NOT a big supporter of the scouting program. Brian was an Eagle Scout, worked at scout camp during the summers when he was a teen, and did his time as scout leader taking boys camping every month for 4 years straight. Our deal is I would deal with Cub Scouts, and he would have to do Boy Scouts. I've been warned that I'm fooling myself and that a boy doesn't reach Eagle scout without his mom's help. I now categorize this as a science experiment and will see if that theory holds water. Ha! It's only Brandon's future we're talking about, right!? (I can see the moms of scout aged boys all cringing out there).

Halloween Fun

My kids pick their costumes for odd reasons. Both boys set the standard for their look to be anything where they could wear shorts and a t-shirt. Jon chose to be "birthday boy". We had to buy the balloon and the pin labeling him as the birthday boy. Original, eh?! Brandon's Charlie Brown is recycled from last year. And Aubrey is a pioneer, wearing the outfit that her grandmother made her. You can only see the apron and not the fancy skirt underneath. Too cute!

"The Friendly Ghosts"

Halloween is a big deal on our street. We get lots of kids, and the decorations are everywhere. Some homes were pretty scary, but we're all about a "Happy" Halloween. I didn't think much of the decorations until I started seeing people take pictures of our ghosts. Why would you do that??? Are there people who actually scrapbook pictures of other people's decorations??? It just made me laugh.

AUGH!!!!

Ok, please tell me I'm not the only one who has ever done this. Now that Halloween is over, I want to change my background. Carefully following all the steps, I have now lost ALL the blogs I love to follow, and my background is the same.

Remember back when we'd just get on the phone and share about how our lives were going. All this technology is really driving me nuts this morning! Ha!

Just had to share my frustration. I guess I'll be spending some time getting my favorite blogs back on. If you read this, please comment so I can get your blog even quicker!