The Best Park Ever

is in Wendover, Nevada!! Every single time my family has driven to Utah we stop there to play. It has the most unsafe yet most fun playground toys we've ever seen! We spun and swung and spun and spun some more. I was SO sick after this and my equilibrium was thrown off for the rest of the night--but it was worth it!
This swing bounces up and down while swinging in a circle! Sweet huh?
Look at this old metal beauty, Meg's looks just slightly unsafe!

A cute teeter totter.

This one's awesome! You stand in the middle while someone spins you and you try to push back against the centrifugal force that wants to throw your body into the side bars. This one is sure to make anyone sick!

Who doesn't love this spinny thing?! I haven't seen one of these in years! The girls both loved it and wanted to stay on much longer than their mother!

We're off to Utah!

My brother Tim is getting married on Friday so we're driving an rv out to Utah for the big day. Above is my family just last week. Tim and Michelle(his fiancee), Dusty, Chloe and Josh, Mom and Dad, Me, Megan, Mikayla, and Trent

Tim and Michelle, don't they look cute together? A lot of people tell them they look like siblings because of the fair skin and blond hair!

Who Knew?

Who knew raking leaves could be such a great workout?! Holy mole! I thought I'd rake some leaves the other day while the girls napped and then they could jump in them and have some fun. I had no idea that I would break such a sweat! It was actually fun and felt rewarding to gather up the leaves to reveal the green lawn underneath. Jumping in them had to be the best part though! My 4 year old photographer caught me in action!

leaves everywhere!

Megan wasn't quite sure what to think at first!

Mikayla really wanted me to jump in so she could get a picture. It was fun until I later realized I lost my cell phone in the pile and had to pick through leaf by leaf until I found it!

She caught some air!

Our Active Week

My brothers and their girlfriends/wives and Trent and I went bowling...

A few of us went golfing...

We ALL played a rousing game of kickball with a huge exercise ball. This is a pic of some of my team. Tons of fun for all ages...

We went rock climbing at Devil's Kitchen, this is Dusty repelling upside-down, showing off...

We always find plenty of activity up in Chico. I don't have pics of it all, but we took several bike rides, played at parks, went bowling, played frisbee golf, played flag football, went rock climbing, hiking, played kickball, etc. etc. this week. My dad is the impetus for the bike rides and varied activity and has developed within us a love for many types of recreation. I think it's great that we can find so many different activities to do all right around Chico and that we can have the kids join in for so much of it. Sure, we might be on vacation, but it feels good to exercise and have fun doing it with people you love.

Thanksgiving Fun!

All the ladies (and Joe!) making the turkey dinner!

Mikayla and Noah making the "indian corn," a sweet treat for the kidlets

Mikayla, Josh, and Chloe getting ready for the photo shoot.

The whole gang!

Pilgrims and Indians gone wild!

We had a great Thanksgiving week in Chico with aunts/auncles and cousins. We enjoyed a great dinner, dressed up like pilgrims and indians again--a long-time running tradition-- and lhad lots of fun together. It's always fun to spend time together as family.

Happy Anniversary Honey!

We just celebrated 6 years of marriage on November 23. Trent and the girls got me a necklace and earrings and a Gerbera daisy plant with 6 daisies. We went out to dinner together at Macaroni Grill and went Christmas shopping together while the girls spent the evening with Aunt Chloe. We had fun out together and always enjoy a kid-less night!

Thank you for 6 great years honey and here's to many, many, many more. I love you for all the hard work you do for our family; for how hard you're working at school to get the kind of job you want, for doing the dishes, for spending time with the girls and building forts with Mikayla. I love when you take her on Daddy/Daughter dates to the movies, the mall, or wherever she so desires. I love the way you love me and tell me I'm beautiful even without makeup on and after a long day of running errands when I'm cleaning house in my gym clothes. You bring out the best in me and make me want to be a better person. Though the road of life has many twists and turns, and peaks and valleys, there is no one else I want holding my hand along that road. I love you honey!

I am such a teenager... :)

The girls at 11pm, you can tell the "already tired" ones! Ha, shoulda had the Diet Coke... :)

Ahhh...my first fan-crazed movie premiere!

SOOOOOO......I went to the midnight movie showing of TWILIGHT and LOVED IT!!! Every single minute in fact! It was so fabulous! We started our night at Mimi's Cafe with desserts and then headed over to the crowded theater to snag enough seats for our group. My neck thanks me that we weren't in the front row! We sat in our seats for an hour anticipating the start of the movie. Random teenagers wearing "Team Edward" shirts ran across the front row of the theater trying to get us all to do the wave. Lame. But, alas, I was at the midnight showing of a movie made about a book dealing with teenagers in high school. From the throng of teenagers in that theater we knew we were in for many a squeal and shriek during the movie. I was not disappointed. In the movie...or the shrieking! Okay, okay, I happened to let out a tiny squeal too in some parts, but hey, come on, this was TWILIGHT!!

Truth be told: I was not a huge Rob Pattinson fan before the movie. My take on him now: he is H-O-DOUBLE T!!!! The characters in the movie were cast quite well and had a charming, irresistible chemistry. I went into the movie with an open mind--which I suggest you do too, because you KNOW it will be different than the book. I wasn't sure how the movie would be made to be believable, but I was so completely drawn in from the first scene when Bella lays eyes on Edward.

Do not--and I repeat--do not see this movie before reading the book. You just won't "get it!" I'm not kidding, there is such a depth to the characters that is built up from the series that makes it so that the movie enhances the depth, but is hardly understandable/believable without the background knowledge of the novel. I absolutely loved it and I only have one question-- when is the second movie coming out???????

Okay, 3am is way too late (or early) to be blogging. I hope the 4 precautionary Diet Coke's leave my system soon so I may fall asleep and dream.... of Edward.... yes, even Edward... the vampire.

Crazy 8s

Crazy 8s Tag
I was tagged by Christine... :)

8 TV Shows I Love To Watch
1. Brothers and Sisters
2. Desperate Housewives
3. Biggest Loser
4. Dancing with the Stars
5. Jon and Kate plus 8
6. House
7. Grey's Anatomy
8. My Own Worst Enemy

8 Favorite Restaurants
1. Macaroni Grill
2. Chevy's
3. Panda Express
4. Chili's
5. Outback Steakhouse
6. Carmelita's
7. Baja Fresh
8. Chipotle

8 Things that Happened Yesterday
1. Took Mikayla and Megan to Whole Foods for a preschool fieldtrip
2. Met Trent at the park for lunch with the girls
3. Ordered some CUTE pics of Mikayla from JCPenney
4. Went to work
5. Made pasta salad for dinner
6. Went to the gym
7. Had family home evening
8. Went to Ross to buy the cute Christmas dresses for the girls I had my eye on, only to find they were all gone! sadness!

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To
1. TWILIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!! The movie. On Thursday. At midnight. !!!
2. Thanksgiving
3. Tim's Wedding
4. Christmas with the Dudley's
5. Our 6 yr. Anniversary and going to dinner together
6. Time to scrapbook over Christmas Break--h0pefully!
7. Finishing painting and having the house done
8. Playing in the snow over Christmas with the girls

8 Things on My Wish List
1. Some elves to help me make all Christmas presents I have planned
2. A fun girls' night to go to dinner and gab about nothing and everything else!
3. Clinique Happy perfume
4. Time and room to scrapbook
5. More time to finish all the crafty projects I want to accomplish
6. To lose 10 lbs-vain I know, but these are wishes right?
7. A day with NOTHING to do and the ability to not feel bad about doing NOTHING
8. A cute pair of black high heels

Alrighty and I tag....
1. Danielle
2. Katie
3. Ashley
4. Kimberly
5. Ruth
6. Kelsey
7. Kim B.
8. Terra

FIRST PLACE?!?!

That's right, me, who has NEVER made chili before, won first place at our church's chili cookoff on Saturday! How funny is that?! I found a recipe that I had tasted before and gave it a go. What's even funnier is I hadn't even taste-tested mine--I just cooked it and brought it to the church and set it out with the 20 other chilis. Needless to say, I was shocked when they called my name as the first-place winner! So, if anyone wants a good super-yummy chili recipe, here it is! :)

Creamy White Chili
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut in 1/2 in. cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. veg. oil
2 (15 1/2 oz.) cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained
14 1/2 oz. chicken broth
2 (4 oz) cans diced green chilies
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
8 oz. sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

Saute chicken, onion, and garlic powder in oil. Add beans, broth and seasonings. Bring to boil. Simmer uncovered 30 minutes. Stir in sour cream and whipping cream. Serve!

--I followed it all, but didn't have oregano and used chili powder instead of cayenne pepper (b/c I didn't have any!). Other than that, followed it all and it was super easy!

The Santa process is too complicated...

As we were walking through the mall tonight Mikayla passed Build-a-Bear and the Disney store and saw many things she thought she might like for Christmas. Trent told her that Christmas was coming and that we would listen to the things she wants and make a list to give to Santa and then he'll see about getting some of those things for Christmas. She thought this over and said,
"Daddy, this is too complicated. It would be much simpler if I just have Santa walk through the mall with me and I'll tell him the things I want myself."
She's right. It would be simpler. But where'd she learn that word? The kid's a freakin' sponge. She repeats everything she hears and has a massive vocabulary. We have to constantly watch what we say and find ourselves spelling the bad words: h-a-t-e and s-t-u-p-i-d etc. We both got a laugh out of our almost-too-smart-for-her-own-good 4 year old and have to wonder just how long it will be before she's completely able to outsmart us!

Wedding Pics

I took Josh and Chloe to the temple to take some wedding pics and I am in love with them! The pics and the couple! lol We had a lot of fun and got some really great pictures too. The day they got married it was so incredibly stormy, windy, rainy, cold that they really didn't have great pictures. So, a few months later, we tried again! These were just fun.

Isn't she beautiful?!

they are so cute together!

Sleepover!

Enjoying brownies!



Crazy kids!

Teeth brushing time!

Asleep at last (NOT!) Mikayla and Erik have wanted to have a sleepover for awhile now and we finally gave in. They had a blast! What fun friends! :)

WE DID IT!!!!!

Prop. 8 passed! We did it! It took a lot of time, effort, and money on everyone's part to show our support for the definition of marriage. We have again defined marriage in the state of California as being between a man and a woman. I am proud of so many in my state right now for having the courage to stand up for something we strongly believe in and to go out of comfort zones at times to protect the sacred institution of marriage.

From the campaign manager of protectmarriage.com, "I couldn’t be prouder of the campaign we have waged. Together, we’ve raised important issues about same-sex marriage including implications for religious freedom, freedom of expression and, most importantly, how same-sex marriage will be taught to children in our schools. Our opponents have vilified us for having had the courage to speak out. Our campaign materials have been stolen and destroyed, churches have been defaced, properties damaged and some of our volunteers have even been assaulted. Still, you have persevered and brought us to the brink of victory...."

I made phone calls and was hung up on. I put signs in my yard and they were stolen. I waved signs on street corners and had obscenities yelled at me. Quite a lot of persecution. How many more signs do we need people? We are in the last days! Did you do all you could....?

Happy Halloween!

We had a fun-filled, busy Halloween day and were thankful the rain stayed (mostly) away until bedtime! Is this not the cutest thing ever?!

The little pirates, Mikayla and Erik!

Brock and Megan weren't quite sure what was going on.

Mikayla at her preschool party practicing her pirate look and saying, "Aarrrggh!"

Making a craft at preschool with Pinky the Parrot.

Megan loves going to Mikayla's preschool and when I turned around to take a pic of Mikayla, I turned back around to find Megan at the drawing center happily scribbling away.

After the preschool party, Trick-r-treating in Fair Oaks Village, going to work, and waving signs for Prop 8, we dressed up again and went to the Tew's Halloween party with lots of our friends. The girls loved the carnival games, but were scared out of their minds in the haunted house! Mikayla said, "Okay, that was scary! I was just terrified in there!" What a crack up!

Teacher Gift

I made these little jars for teacher gifts for Halloween for Mikayla's preschool teacher and her aides. I got the jars from the dollar store--what a find, huh?! Filled 'em with candy, added a rub-on of a pumpkin on the lid, tied a big bow and made a tag. Easy, totally cute, and much appreciated by the teachers.

Just thought I'd post in case anyone needs a quick, easy and inexpensive Christmas gift for teachers! :)