Update

For those of you who don't know yet we have moved back to AZ we love the warm weather and the fact that I don't have to shovel any snow ever again and we are expecting a girl!!! Due on July 15th.  Oh happy day!!

Gingerbread Houses

Every year around Thanksgiving we get together with Grandma and Grandpa to make gingerbread houses.  This was last year.

We will miss getting together with them this year so I decided to get a kit and make them with the kids to keep up the tradition.  Once they saw the kit they couldn't wait until next week so we made them today.

What was so cool about this kit is it had a mini house for each one of the kids to decorate. It was amazing to see how each house turned out so unique.

Now they will be even more talented for the gingerbread house making with Grandma and Grandpa next year.

Broken Ryan

Well here he is all wrapped up. Luckily Ryan only had to wear his cast for 10 days. He still has a lot of pain but his Right arm seems to be getting better. His left one will take quite a bit longer.

He couldn't even stay off the computer with his bandage and cast on.

Halloween

Ok, Ok so I know I am a little behind with these, but better late than never. Right!! At least I posted these before Thanksgiving. Grandma and Grandpa sent us a Halloween package. There was something special inside for each one of us.The kids have loved having there own treasure box to hold all of their halloween candy

Sarah's Birthday

My Dad who is 73 years old once said "I never felt old until I had a son who turned 50". Well I don't have a son who just turned 50 but my oldest just turned 12. We celebrated Sarah's birthday last week. Here are the highlights...

We had a special guest for the birthday celebration. Sarah's Grandma DeeDee got to come and surprise her for her birthday. I didn't get any pictures though. What was I thinking.She gave Sarah a whole box full of decorations. We decorated the whole living room which I managed not to get pictures of either. When I turned 12 it was a birthday of many firsts like getting to wear make-up, getting my ears pierced, shaving my legs, wearing high hills and panty hose. Although Sarah got to have many of these things for the first time. I think she liked this "first" the most. We finally took the plung and got Sarah her very own cell phone. I think her face says it all. She was so shocked she cried.Sarah wanted an ice cream cake this year so I made a mint chocolate chip one.It turned out to be huge, but very yummy.

Our Anniversary

Tomorrow Ryan and I celebrate our 13th anniversary! Wow, I can't believe how fast the time has flown. I am so thankful to be married to the best husband a girl could ask for. Thanks Ryan for 13 wonderful, fantastic, and terrific years!

Summer Adventures Part 2- New York

It's here, it's finally here!! After three attempts I finally got my computer to cooperate and I get to tell you all about our trip to Upstate New York. We got invited to come and see the Hill Cummorah Pageant and help out my sisters kids come home early. The kids and I(Ryan had to stay home and work) left on a very early Friday morning and started out on our 8 hour drive after a 6 hour lay over somewhere in Pennsylvania to get the master cylinder fixed on the suburban we were on our way (again). We got to spend a lot of time with my sister's family, see the pageant two nights in a row and get to see lots of church history sites.

One of my all time favorite sites is the Sacred Grove. I just love it there. It is so peaceful and serene.

View of the field next to the Sacred Grove

While we were walking on the trail in the Sacred Grove we would occasionally see a bench or other landmark and of course the kids had to stop at each one we saw and then pose for pictures so here are some of those

Bailey

Peyton

Sarah

Nathan

Peyton and I

Crossing the creek from the Joseph Smith Home to the Sacred Grove

Spencer even stopped in the middle of the trail

Peyton outside of the visitors center on the Sacred Grove/Joseph Smith Home site. We had to do a lot of waiting for the tours and it was tricky trying to get her to not pick all of the flowers

Joseph Smith Family Log Home

In the second story room of the Joseph Smith Home where Moroni appeared

Sarah got to be the Sister Missionaries companion during the tour of the Grandin Print Shop

Palmyra Temple

The Peter Whitmer Home

We got to spend time with my sister and her family before the pageant started. Their costumes were amazing

Suzette and Jaque

Hannah and Spencer

Bryce

Joy

Caleb and Spencer

Courtney

Jake and his friend

Craig and Mara(Craigs beard looked so real I almost didn't recognize him)

Here is the stage at the top of the hill

here is the stage at the bottom of the hill

And here is the stage during the opening number

Here we are in front of the Hill Cummorah Monument

We spent our last day of vacation at Suzette's while Alexis got ready to fly back to Utah. We admired their huge garden

I know this picture does not do this zucchini justice but it was more than a foot long.

We caught little frogs
Swung on their big tree swing