little pieces of Christmas

Don't you just LOVE this time of year?! It gets a little stressful here and there but once the kids are out of school on Friday, we'll be able to focus more on the good stuff. These are just little pieces of December at our house

We made some homemade ornaments for the tree (I have to include the never-ending pile of laundry sitting on our couch in the background)
The sock countdown to Christmas. This is one of the kids favorite traditions that we started last year.

a gift from my parents (one of my favorite things)

I love all the ornaments that we've received and made over the years. The Chicago Bulls one is from 1997, our first Christmas
I never get tired of the ornaments the kids make...they make me happy
My mom sent this one to me this year. I've collected Wonder Woman stuff for a long time. As a child, I idolized her and honestly thought that I had super powers. I'll leave that story for another day...
No tree is complete without Hank Aaron. Grandma gave this to me. I spent many nights as a kid watching baseball with her so this one is special to me. I'm looking forward to seeing her over the holidays...I miss her like crazy

my favorite basketball player of all time (sometimes I look at this and think, 'I have Larry Bird in short shorts on my Christmas tree, have I lost it?')


my sweet little momma made these one year
last but not least, the good ol' star on top. Aaron and I bought this star the first Christmas we were married. We were poor college students that decided to splurge on a Christmas tree and some decorations at Kmart. The glitter is worn off and a light doesn't work on one side but I just couldn't part with it.

What font are you?

I thought this was a fun little quiz
What font are you?

(I'm Helvetica, what are you?)

my new favorite

this is one of those pictures that just brings pure joy and happiness to my soul.

I'm thankful to be their Mom :)

our last RV adventure

For our last RV adventure, we traveled down to Tombstone and Bisbee AZ this past weekend. Our friends Jeff and Adrienne own the RV and asked us last year if we wanted to share it with them for a year. We have had so much fun on our travels and have made some great memories with our kids. How will I ever go back to camping in a tent?! I've been spoiled! We traveled down to Tombstone in January, we had so much fun we decided to go there again. (and we wanted to stay south where it's warm)

the fam


When we came in January, we saw a show about the famous OK Corral shootout. This guy plays Doc Holliday. He was by far the best actor in the show and he was in full character when Braden asked for his picture. We saw him on "The Colbert Report" a few months ago, you can check it out here, it's pretty funny
in front of the famous Bird Cage Theatre

Allen Street

the kids wanted a picture in the coffin...

we were cracking up...

and Heston is just doing what his brother and sister are doing

Howdy pardner

Braden in Bisbee (can't see the B on the mountain very well)

downtown Bisbee. They had this great antique store there. We found a "Pigs in Space" lunch box like the one Aaron had as a kid.

us in Tombstone

one word sums it up...

my heart is full of love and gratitude for all my blessings

I wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving

what's up this week

The holidays are fast approaching and like many of you I've been running like crazy just trying to keep up with everything. I love the holidays and I'm looking forward to some relaxing family time.

This week, I had the pleasure of attending a defensive driving course. A few weeks ago on my way to take H to preschool, I was going 46 in a 35 through an intersection and was caught by the photo cameras. The speed limit is usually 45 on most roads here but I didn't realize this certain area was 35. The ticket was $210 (um, yeah that's not cheap) so I opted to pay $198 and attend a 5 hour class so that it doesn't go on my record and change my insurance rates. Good times...I have vowed to become a slower driver. I was telling Aaron that it was actually kind of nice in one aspect...I could sit for a couple of hours just focusing on 1 thing and not having anyone yelling for 'Mom'. :0)

This week at school, Braden received the Jaguar Award from his principal at flag ceremony. It was for being kind and respectful. I'm so proud of him :)

(hey Mom, you'll have to tell Gary and Maryann that B is representin' DD in AZ for them, he loves that shirt)

The weather here is beautiful so it's back to playing at the park. Our sweet little Paigey kinnny kin kins...my little buddy and crafty partner in crime :)

H had his preschool program yesterday. I told him to go get his shoes on, we hopped in the car and when we got there, I realized he had his Buzz slippers on. I laughed and thought he would be in the back, no one would see them. I bet you can guess where they put him on the stage...you guessed it...the front row. The curtain was closed and the kids were shuffling into place and I could see his slippers, in all their glory with lights blinking, under the curtain. It was cute...those are the things you don't want to forget.

JoJo Henry

The kids have wanted a pet for a long time. We've hesitated because they are a lot of work. (I've got my hands full with the 3 munchkins we have as it is) Last week, a cat started coming over. We're pretty sure it belongs to one of our neighbors because we've seen it around. We don't know if it's a boy or a girl but the kids have named it JoJo Henry. He/She (we're pretty sure it's a girl) waits by the patio for the kids to come home from school. It's cute to see the kids interact with Jojo.
Aaron's not convinced. He hates cats. Always has. Always will.
My mom on the other hand thinks it's adorable :)

Mission Beach, CA and BYU football game

I'm a little behind here...story of my life!
Last month, we took the RV down to San Diego for the BYU/San Diego State football game. On Friday, we spent the day at Mission Beach. The weather was absolutely perfect! Aaron bought some boogie boards for the kids and they had a blast. It was a fun day hanging out as a family. (I'm cherishing every moment of this stuff because these kids are growing up way too fast)

We went to Qualcomm Stadium on Saturday and did some tailgating before the game. When we went to find our seats, we were pleasantly surprised how close we were to the field.

my poor children...Aaron's turned them to the dark side (the Yankees)
No one tell my Grandma :)

some of the players came by after the game to say Hi to the fans. This is Harvey Unga.

OK now it's time for a helpful tip for all you parents out there that have little ones.

Nacho cheese is a good thing when you want your child to be good during a football game.

Hes will now demonstrate:

MarShel

MarShel-

Thank you

for your friendship

your laugh

the fun times...we had lots of those

your positive energy

for your courage

You will be greatly missed!

love ya!

k

Our Grand Canyon adventure

I've been a slacker when it comes to blogging lately. The last 2 weekends we've been gone and I'm just trying to catch up on some things. Last weekend (October 9-11) we joined Aaron on a trip to the Grand Canyon. He usually goes with some friends and hikes every year...this year we decided to go with him. He hiked from the South to the North Rim along the Kaibab trail. We stayed at a lodge on the South side the first night and then the kids and I drove around to the North Rim to meet him. It took us about 4 hours but we really enjoyed it. I'm one of those people who like to stop and get out of the car, take pictures and just enjoy the drive and that's what we did. We stopped at every lookout and just enjoyed the scenery. We can't wait to go back!

Us at the North Rim

the boys

North Rim
can you believe this?!
Moran Point- South rim
Grandview Point- South rim
this is inside the Grand Canyon lodge on the North rim. This is the only hotel on the North side. The seats are facing these huge windows that overlook the canyon. This place was built in the 1930s...I loved it! They just don't build things like they used to! the lodge from a lookout point
I took this right outside our room. Those little black and white squirrels are called Kaibab squirrels and the only place they're found is on the North rim.

Bison on the North rim...sorry you can't see them very well. Someday I'll get a zoom lens...someday...

Aaron at the North Kaibab trail after his hike. 22 miles...he said the last 4 were brutal. I'll take his word for it

the Watch Tower- South rim

the little munchkins

on the way there, we saw this Fred Flintstone RV park and thought we'd stop. My kids only know who this is because they take Flintstone vitamins. They've never seen the cartoons, how sad it that?!

If you're wondering what Yabba Dabba Do means...the mystery has been solved