Thanksgiving

 We decided to spend Thanksgiving Day this year at the happiest place on earth. Or at least right next door to it at California Adventure. 

What a brilliant idea. Short lines. Turkey dinners provided at just about every restaurant there. No dishes for me to clean. We had such a great time!

Amos Lee

Had a really great girl's day trip with my dear friend Melissa.

 It began with a trip to the Oakland temple.

And ended with a fantastic Amos Lee concert and a very late night drive home. Such good fun.

Sunsets

Now that we are FINALLY getting rain, we are also getting clouds. And clouds make for beautiful sunsets. So I've been forcing my kids to come and appreciate them with me.

Surfing....Sort Of

I learned to surf. I took six lessons from an instructor. He said that was a few more than most people take.

It was MUCH more difficult than I thought it would be. But incredibly fun somehow. Looking forward to this new hobby!

Ag Day!

The Boy had a field trip to an agricultural festival. He learned about raising chickens and milking cows and he got to sit inside the wheel of a giant tractor with his buddies. 

Be Still, My Soul

My son reached over and held my hand during church. When I looked down the pew I saw this. Minus The Man being on his phone during sacrament, it was so sweet I had to get my phone out and snap a picture. Love these kids!

Paintball

We were invited to go paintballing for our friend's, John, 40th birthday. Tons of fun and bruises that will last a good, long while!

When Good Friends Leave

I hate when good friends leave us.

We had a little sending off party for our friends, Lacie and Scott. They were a fun part of our group and they'll be missed.

First tooth!

Pulled it out all by herself!

Chalk Festival

Another great chalk festival at Los Ranchos Elementary!

We had our second Lip Sync Battle party. Unfortunately, I had to do it without The Man. I quite happily performed "Tacky" by Weird Al in this lovely get-up.

 Our friends, the Harris' were kind enough to offer up their barn as the venue - a far better choice than our backyard.

 Some crazy things went down. There was a little Chris Cross, a little N'Sync, some Selena Gomez, and a whole lot of fun!

Hawaii

We took the kids to Hawaii! We stayed the first four days at the Disney Aulani resort and had such a great time hanging with cousins.

 Learning to play the ukulele.

Meeting the characters around the pool.

Snorkeling and swimming.

Driving to the North Shore purely to get this amazing shaved ice.

The second four days we rented a house in Waimenalo. 

And we visited Waikiki beach.

We did a couple of hikes.

And generally enjoyed the amazing scenery and sunsets that Hawaii offers. 

What an incredible trip!

Bishops Peak

Bishops Peak conquered and not one whine out of anyone!

First Day of School

 Fourth Grade.

 First Grade.

They are ready for school. But is it ready for them?!

Anniversary

17 years, 4 major moves, 3 universities, 2 kids, 2 house purchases, 1 dog and 1 big remodel of a home later....still together.

Oh, and we went to probably the greatest concert on earth. I will never forget the experience of watching Coldplay perform. Absolutely amazing!

The Ravine

Dad had the day off, so we took one last trip to the water park before school starts!

Bike Riding

She was a bit afraid to begin this, but once she got started, she was alright. Now she wants to practice. What this girl lacks in ability, she makes up for in determination.

Family Reunion

 On our way to the family reunion this year, we stopped at two places for the kids. At the top, the place where dad and mom were engaged. Unfortunately, it was 106 degrees that day and we couldn't hike!. Below that, the place where mom and dad were married.  Then on to Alton, Utah to meet the rest of the fam.

I don't have many pictures from this week because I, along with a few of the kiddos (not mine) suffered from what felt like a 24 hour plague. I also have lost the group photo of the 39 of us. That's right, 39. All in one, large and pretty awesome cabin. The kids had so much fun playing with cousins, hiking at Bryce, making catapults and watching The Princess Bride outside at night.