A very merry Thurman Christmas

Cookies for Santa.  I was so tired and I'd been in the kitchen for awhile already, but I just couldn't skip Santa cookies-glad I didn't, the kids had a great time decorating them.

We enjoyed a tour of our neighborhood Christmas lights Christmas Eve

One of the two pictures of me taken for posterity's sake

Ed was hilarious as "Baby Jesus".  He was way too big for the manger, but played his role nicely.  Cam had wiseman, shepard and innkeeper costumes on simultaneously.  All the kids got into dressing up for the nativity reading.  More so then when they were younger, I think!  Do you think baby Jesus would have liked footsie pajamas?

We read President Monson's "A Christmas Dress for Ellen"

11:30 p.m.  All is calm, all is bright, all is under the tree

Inky had a wonderful time with all the wrapping and ribbon.  She was intrigued by all the new smells and arrangements. Cam quickly shooed her off his gift.

Eddy with his gift from Santa, and a dragon he got in his stocking.

Johanna rockin' out with one of our new rockband instruments.  She had fun playing rock star all afternoon, until the drums and one guitar stopped working (that's what you get with used electronics!)  I'm hopeful in at least one case, new batteries are the fix.

The aftermath....

Breakfast-huckleberry french toast....mmmmm

Picture of Andrea no. 2  Post church.  Notice my corsage.  Our ward music chair got them for everyone participating in the program today-I accompanied a vocalist on "o holy night".  Also, this adorable velet jacket (Katy's castoff) looks much better in person-this picture just does not to it, or me, justice!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Christmas-lots of work for Mom, lots of fun for kids

Camden, Logan, Blake and I worked hard for an hour making 34 reindeer bags for Cam's class party.  I almost tried to do them all by myself....1 hour times 4 people = 4 hours!!!  glad I didn't

My first batch of holiday treats for our new ward friends.  Pizelles, JoAnn's chocolates, white chocolate dipped gingerbread stars, fleur de sel caramels....oh my!

Earlier this week all of my kids, plus a number of kids from our ward sang and played instruments at the local VA facility.  I think they all had fun.  They all got jingle bells, which Ed loved 

We have a Super 8 hotel close to our neighborhood.  They have a water slide with open swim hours.  We tried it out on Wednesday.  The kids had so much fun in the water, and I happened to meet two friends there, so I got to chat while the kids swam.

The pool pictures all turned out steamy.  Cam thought this was quite funny in the hot tub.

Ed loves to give the thumbs up sign.  He had a fun time in the pool too, and managed to keep his hair dry until the last 30 minutes.

Johanna and friend Sophie have been hanging out all week.  Good thing we like Sophie!

Cam performing "Go tell it on the Mountain"  flawlessly

Holiday Happenings

This little gnome popped out of a birthday card for Blake singing a very annoying song-Blake is checking for hidden gnomes in this picture.  Also pictured is Blake's Jello cake-his oft requested birthday treat.  Happy 40th Blake!

Grandpa brought some wooden turkeys he'd made for the kids to paint.  They had a great time doing it and they turned out beautifully!

This picture is for Jennifer-who makes fun of my Turkey Frame Soup.  It was delicious-why waste a thing of taste and beauty (okay, not so beautiful..but tasty!)

Cam and Logan drinking our fave holiday drink-grapejuice (grandpas) and 7-up. 

Our 5 buck Christmas tree (plus a little gas).  Really, why buy one?  The kids had a great time looking for this, though Johanna had to stay with Ed because somehow he got in the car with no shoes.  It was great to drive up out of the fog too-we all brought snow clothes, hot cocoa, etc. because it was cold and frosty in the valley, but as we drove higher-all was sunny and bright!

Can you see that the tree goes well above my second story bannister???  If you look closely, you can see the string Blake tied from tree to bannister because it started falling on me when I was putting lights on.  I actually like it now that it's decorated-it's very pretty, though I don't think we'll get one this big again...14 feet!!!

Logan and Johanna had a concert last night.  Johanna played with the concert band and they both played guitar.  It was a very interesting, and actually entertaining concert.  Blake had the camera and couldn't get a picture of both of them.  Too bad-I had come later and was in a perfect spot, but alas, no camera...oh well.

turkey trot

We had a great time running the Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning. Johanna and Logan ran the 2 miler and Blake and I did 8 together. What a great way to prepare for feasting!

Hoofin' and Halloweenin'

Blake and I had an early celebration of his birthday last weekend in Calistoga, CA. Blake wanted to run a 1/2 marathon and I decided to do it with him. After 10 weeks of training (my first race!), I was "ready". The race was fun-a beautiful trail in the Napa-Bothe park-babbling brooks, shady trees......steep inclines, jagged rocks and limbs, bee stings oh my! My legs are just now recovering. Blake and I had a fun time together and it was so beautiful in the Napa Valley...just gorgeous, and perfect weather!!!

Eddy had a fun Halloween day at kindergarten. I manned the caramel apple table all morning and helped the kids dip and sprinkle their treats. It was fun talking to them and seeing 1)how much they could eat and 2)how much caramel they could get on their costumes, wigs, real hair and every other part of their bodies.

the booty.....the boys were all happy with their treats. I don't think they ate too much last night! They had a terrific time going to all the houses and their were a million kids in our neighborhood. No wonder Halloween is kids fave holiday.

My little trick-or-treaters are getting so big!!

Fall activities and.....MORE FOOD!

Last Saturday all the boys (plus one) were eating peanuts on the front porch-I thought it was so cute! However, they left peanut shells all over the driveway and were even floating them down the stream-probably not good for the pump.

Grandpa's pumpkins have been so beautifully gracing my front porch. They are still, but now with scary faces to boot! The kids had fun carving pumpkins. We had to literally force Logan to stick his hand in the pumpkin and get the guts out. He doesn't like to get dirty or touch slimy stuff. Blake reminded him that the scouts will not be kind to a fellow scout who will not bait or gut his own fish, so he'd better get used to it!

Isn't this just the perfect Fall photo? Ed, and the pumkin patch, on a tractor, in front of a barn, with his pumpkin! I had to lug this thing back to the bus. I loved sharing a beautiful Fall morning with Eddy and his kindergarten class.

Sir Edward approves of the tasty caramel apple.

My annual Halloween piano recital/party. Participants were skimpy this year-only 6 pianists (and myself-I played Bach's Tocatta in d-), but everyone had a fun time, I think.

I didn't get to eat one, but they were fun to make, and they LOOK good.

I did get to eat plenty of these and they were very tasty. Do you like my Inky kitty cookies-they just need green eyes

Strawberry pie in October...really??? Medford is awesome!

These berries were soooooo good! They were perfectly sweet and delicious...I wish I could have more right now. They didn't last long around here!

Hodge Podge

The next picture of our front yard will hopefully be green! We just had sprinklers put in and Blake planted grass seed-they just started poking up yesterday! The left side of the house was just ugly gravel, so I can't wait to have it be lovely grass and a nice planting bed. We'll just leave it to Blake's yard-magic.

Camden comes around for a lap at the Jewett Jaguar's Jog-a-thon

Eddy's first jog-a-thon. The kindergarteners got to run on a smaller track. It was hilarious to watch them go all over the place and get tired after one lap (not Eddy!)

Johanna's response to "hard labor" that Blake put her through. Blake had the kids (and me too) shoveling gravel from one side of our house in preparation for sprinklers/grass.

Our beloved Alameda Home! Johanna lived here from ages 1-3 and Logan spent his first 4 months here. We were able to visit Alameda and our friends the Pixtons, Teuchers and Harlows, and have a fun time in San Franscisco for a few days.

Food Glorious Food! My homemade salsa with homegrown tomatoes......so good and pretty to look at!

The last blackberries-it was slim pickins, but oh that pie was good!

If pie weren't enough, we also had this giant chocolate cake-I should have weighed it-it was heavy! Camden always enjoys his desserts, so it's appropriate that Cam hold the cake for this picture.