Thanksgiving!!!

Turkey

Mashed Potatoes

Gravy

Stuffing

Green Bean Casserole

Sweet Potatoes

Stuffed Mushrooms

Artichoke Dip

Jello Salad

Wheat Rolls

White Rolls

Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry Juice

2 Pumpkin Pies

Apple Pie

Key Lime Pie

Family and friends gathered together to celebrate what we are thankful for over a wonderful meal! We have SO MUCH we are thankful for, the list is endless, as we are incredibly blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Snow Day!

These kids LOVE the snow. They were outside for hours today sledding down our driveway, then the neighbors driveway with all the neighbors. It was a beautiful, clear-sky, sunny day with cancelled school for the kids and a day to play, even Amiga played in the snow and loved every minute of it. It was so fun to spend time with the family playing in the snow and fun to watch the girls enjoy themselves so much. Enjoy the pic's of our adventures in the snow!

snow, Snow, SNOW!!!

Here is Wa, we typically don't get much snow, but... this is what we woke up to this morning! School is cancelled and we are keeping warm inside. We will, however, be going out this afternoon to play is this wonderful white, cold stuff! It's just beautiful out there and I LOVE it!

Halloween!!!

We had a GREAT halloween this year! The kids are just so much fun and they were so darn adorable in their costumes. We had a beautiful day without any rain and everyone had a lot of fun trick or treating.

This month was full of Halloween festivities including: halloween art projects, reading lots of halloween books and a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch. Unfortunately, Tyler was very sick when her school went on their first field trip to the pumpkin patch and we were both so sad that she could not go, but Daddy stayed home with her while I took Kai with her class to the pumpkin patch.

We had a really good holiday month and I love to see my little girls so delighted to get involved in the fun festivities. I try to savor these fun times with them in this adorable age as I know it wont last forever, but it really is so much fun for Austin and I to share in their excitement and see them so happy.

These are the pumpkins we carved about a week before halloween. Like my 26.2 pumpkin?

The trick or treating group.

We all piled in the back of our friends truck and drove around the neighborhood.

The cutest trick or treaters around!!

I LOVE this little bug!

Even baby Blaze was went to the Halloween party and trick or treating with us. He loved it and was a good trooper. Especially since he got to eat his first sucker!

Tyler did a good job, look at all that candy!

Kai at the pumpkin Patch for her preschool Field Trip, picking out her favorite pumpkin.

Carving pumpkins!

Daddy always does such a great job carving pumpkins and helping the girls. This year Kai said, "Daddy, I want a princess castle with a door the opens and closes." Tyler just wanted a ghost.

We just laughed, and next thing I knew, Austin had carved his daughter a princess castle jack O lantern.

The scary witch fingers (breadsticks) that I made for the neighborhood halloween party. They were actually really yummy!

Fall Pictures

My sister took the girls pictures today in the mountains with all the beautiful fall colors and leaves. I think she is a great photographer and did an amazing job taking these photos today. I really love them. It was totally painless, she was fast, great with making the girls have a good time, and there were no crying sessions by either of them.

Thanks Sister!

And Now She Is 6!!!

How did my first born child go from this adorable 1 year old....

To this adorable 6 year old??!?!

My tiny Tyler turned 6 years old today! I love this little child to pieces and its hard to see her get older. Tyler is such a good girl and is a child full of light, laughter, and love. I enjoy being with her and watching her learn and discover new ideas about life as she grows older.

Tyler had a great day filled with surprises from me, her Mommy, and a fun filled princess birthday bash with her friends.

I made a princess castle cake as a surprise for Tyler for her birthday cake. I worked on in for the last two nights after Tyler went to bed, then all day today and had the help of Austin's mad decorating skills to polish it off! It was not perfect and I learned a lot in the process, but regardless Tyler was so delighted when she saw her cake and she loved it, which is ALL that matters to me. I love to see my kids happy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TYLER!!!

My Baby is no longer a Baby..

Today was Tyler's FIRST day of Kindergarten! Yes, I said Kindergarten... she is no longer by my side every day, close enough for me to hug and kiss anytime I want during the day. I don't know her every move, who she is playing with, what she is hearing, saying, seeing. It is up to her to make her own friends, choose what she is eating for lunch, get herself through the day.

Besides the fact that it was a difficult day for me, as her mother, to "let her go" she was beyond excited for school. She has been waiting for this day all summer.

I thought about her ALL day today and wondered what she was doing, if she was having fun, if she missed me, if she was sad or happy, nervous, or scared.

She was so adorable standing in her class line to go into school with her backpack and all.. it was all I could do to hold in my emotions as I did not want her to know I was about to lose it!

This look that she is giving above, is what she does when she is nervous. She was looking around, taking it all in, then got this nervous expression, then I almost lost it again.

I really wanted to go in with her, just for today, just to make sue she was okay and comfortable and got her lunch okay. I really just wanted to go with her, just one day to school just to make sure...

I didn't go with her, I let her go to school. And when I picked her up she was so happy, and in one piece, she had made it through her first day all by herself, even without me holding her hand.

I asked her about every detail of her day in the car, in the parking lot, before I even turned the car on. I gave her a millions hugs and kisses.

I missed her so much today, but I was not the only one that missed her. Another little baby, who is home by herself had an adjustment too. She missed her sister and asked about her frequently today.

I love my little kindergartner more than anything. This is a milestone in her life and I am so proud of her and happy that she loves school so much. I know she will be a great student and I look forward to talking to her about the day she had every day.

She might be a big girl going to school now, but Tyler is still my first baby and we will go through these milestones in life together for the first time.

Tomorrow is another day...

My Family Visits!

This has been a very busy month for us! And even though I had surgery, I was still able to enjoy a much anticipated visit from my family!

It was a difficult planning process to get everyone to Wa and Or for a planned deep sea fishing trip in Astoria, OR and a visit to my house, but mission was accomplished! With some driving, some flying, some going to Wa first, some going to Portland first, then some leaving from Wa, some leaving from Portland... see what I mean by difficult?

The trip started with my Mom changing her flight to come out early when I went to the ER and was admitted to the hospital for my gallbladder issues. The plan was then changed a little, since Devan and Ginny were supposed to be here next and we were going to go to Seattle and do some fun things etc.. BUT unfortunately I was not healthy enough for that, so they came out 1 day later than expected and just relaxed around my house and played with the girls. Then Danna Lee and Adam were next to arrive via airplane to Seattle. They were here 1 night and the next day we ALL drove to Astoria, OR to Ginny's parents house where there was Lance & Jena (drove from UT), CL, Jeff, and Kirrah, my Dad (flew into Portland), Katie, Doug and girls (drove from UT). Can anyone even understand that?

The next day was the deep sea fishing day for those that were going. (some of us stayed behind), BUT the captain of the boat called at 11:30 that evening and cancelled on us! Poor Steve (Ginny's Dad), was up bright and early searching for another charter to take all 11 people that were supposed to go fishing.. after a lot of searching, cursing, and yelling, another boat was found and they were now schedule to leave the next morning. Since there was no fishing that day, we all went to the beach and had a great time! We played in the tide pools and touched the sea anemanie, starfish and played in the sand. It was absolutely beautiful and fun for us all to be together. That evening Ginny's family hosted a bonfire on the beach. The kids loved sliding down a hill of sand and to this day, I am still finding and cleaning up sand.

The crew went fishing the next day and even though it wasn't a very good fishing day, the weather was beautiful and they all had a good time. Austin was sea sick, but still managed to catch the biggest salmon, and I can't wait to eat some of it for dinner this week!

Now it was back to our house in Yelm with Katie and her family, Mom & Dad, CL, Kirrah, and Jeff (who left the next morning via airplane out of Portland). Everyone else drove back to Ut.

The next week we had a great time going to Mt Rainier, the lake in my community, the pool in my community, and a night in Seattle.

I loved spending time with everyone and Tyler and Kai loved having their cousins here. Thanks to everyone for helping out when I couldn't lift anything or hardly do anything myself because of surgery, but I had a lot of fun and I loved spending this time with my family!

Enjoy the pictures from our adventures below!

The Seattle Aquarium gift shop

Seattle Aquarium

The jelly fish were Kai's favorite.

Kaite, Mya & Ellie

Grandpa helping Kai touch the sea anemone's

On the dock at the lake

Doug jumping

CL jumping

Afton and Kai loved to whisper secrets to each other

Steve (Ginny's Dad) was amazing the way he filleted the salmon that was caught on the fishing trip.

These were the salmon caught

This was the salmon Austin caught

The sea lions on the barge in Astoria, Or

Tyler loves doing hand stands everywhere. She looks pretty good, huh

Yummy a completely sand covered smore

Everyone together

The beach bonfire in Astoria, OR

Just the girls!