Happy Thanksgiving

Hope you all had a wonderful, grateful holiday.

Ours was nice. A little lonesome, as some of our family (David, Loretta, Julie, and Ally; Jimmy, Allyson, and Sydney; and Amy) had other commitments, but nice nonetheless.

Aunt Jackie and Uncle Larry were here from Washington state and that was really nice. Grandma D., Uncle Drew, Brian, Susan, Tyler, and Aubrey were with us too. We had seven others join us for dessert and visiting so that made it seem more like Thanksgiving! (Susan's sister, Jillian, Anthony, baby Maizie, and Anthony's dad, stepmom, and two younger sisters.)

The kids made placemats, napkin rings, and turkey finger puppets.


Maddie helped them color.


Tyler was one proud turkey. Oh. That was his finger puppet.


Aubrey was quite proud of her work. (Daddy helped her.)

The food was good. The dessert was good. The company was good. We played "Sticks" for two-and-a-half hours. (Don't wonder what it is. Aunt Jackie and Uncle Larry made it up and left us a game four years ago when they were here!)

A happy Thanksgiving to all!

Happy 14th Birthday

Our baby girl, Maddie, turned 14 today.


She is counting down the days till her first Stake Dance. (New Year's Eve.)


We don't much like it. Where did the years go?

She wrote us a thank you note recently. It was signed, "The last bird in the nest."

I cried.

Catch-up

I am again playing catch-up with my posting. If you want to read about our trip to the pumpkin patch, go here. If you would like to see Halloween pictures, look here.

Beautiful "ARI-ER"

Not all mermaids can say their "ending 'L's" very well.



But it doesn't keep them from being the cutest mermaid on the block.

Happy Halloween

Jeff, Maddie, and I dressed up for the Young Men/Young Women Stake Halloween dance.


Maddie was supposed to be an "ugly stepsister" to Cinderella, but we told her she might as well be a princess...


She was too "pretty" to be "ugly"...


Mom was her old standby--a witch. SHE's not too pretty to be ugly! (Love that green lipstick and eye shadow...)


Dad wore an old costume of Amy's and became "Bilbo Baggins."


Maddie, Ally, and I carved pumpkins.


Maddie transformed her painted kitty from last week's Young Women activity...


Into a carved kitty...


Ally worked for an hour to carve a really cool "Edward and Bella" from Twilight. Can you believe I got so busy I didn't get a picture of it??? (Or my cute Mickey Mouse?) Her pumpkin got a LOT of comment during trick-or-treat. Everyone loved it!


We had lots of cute visitors. Ally dressed as Maleficent to go trick-or-treating with Sidney- Sleeping-Beauty.

Doesn't Ally make a cute witch? She doesn't look "ever-il" (another Sydney-ism) either!

Susan, Brian, "G-Eyed Joe," and a "giraffe with big bu** cheeks" came to visit. (That's how she described it every time anyone asked Aubrey what they were going to be for Halloween!)


Our little friend, Macie the dragon came to get a treat.

We made taco soup, root beer floats, and spiced apple cider, handed out lots of treats, got to visit with Grandma D. and her sister, Aunt Arline (more on that later!) and had a good old time. Happy Halloween!

Happy birthday, Amy!

Our sweet daughter Amy is 21 today! Maddie and I decided on the spur of the moment to drive up to Utah and crash her birthday lunch with Grandma S., Abby, Manda, and little Abram. (Thanks, Grandma! It was delish!)


We had Marie Callender Chocolate Satin pie (and spumoni ice cream...groan, SO FULL!) for birthday dessert.

Maddie and I then spent the night at Uncle Dave and Aunt Karen's and had a nice visit with them and Stephen and Jacob.


Stephen dressed for Halloween at BYU.

Found Cat!

Guess who was waiting on our porch last night when we got home from the pumpkin patch with the grandkids??? We didn't see him, but luckily David and Ally stopped by and Ally discovered him! He was gone exactly six days. Who knows what stories he could tell us? He's a little skinnier and really needed a bath, but otherwise he seems to be fine.

Welcome home, Charlie.