A Breakfast Just For Me

Isaac: " Mom can I make you breakfast?"



This is what awaited me after I got out of the shower. I guess he couldn't locate a smaller bowl.

Thanks Isaac.

Look at my child....it's December!

Look at my child. No matter what I have him get dressed in, this is what he ends up looking by days end. I don't even notice the hat anymore, until I notice others looking curiously at him.


Ironically, this is a boy that has been begging us to take him to the snow. He just wants to go "tobogganing in the snow."









Well my half-naked child...this is the closest your going to get.

Becoming Lake People

Up until this year, we have not been "Lake People." With a little prodding from the kids, we decided to try it out. We love it. On our quest to become legitimate "Lake People," we are going whenever we can. We aren't scared to go at the end of November or if it is up to me to drive and maneuver the boat trailer. "Lake gals" know how to handle the trailer.... and the pressure. Oh and "Lake dudes" never get mad at their "Lake gal's" attempt to back a trailer in straight. It takes practice to become "Lake People" and we are determined to do it. We had to remind the kids, just once, that "Lake kids" don't get scared by a few swarms of bees. And if confidence in your "Lake People" status wanes.....you bring along a "Lake Expert" for the ride. Thanks Grandpa Jack for reassuring some rookies and making us believe that we are on our way to becoming "Lake people."




A lake in the middle of a desert. Doesn't get much better than that! Luckily we are about 20 minutes from Saguaro Lake.




After all the Thanksgiving feasting, it was nice to wear sweats to the lake.


We missed Summer, she was at a birthday party. So Robbie took her place. We love that Robbie!

We also missed watching Ike ride the tube. He had to sit this one out because of fever and chills this week. I have to say that Meg did not disappoint in the entertainment. To watch her face, while tubing, was unforgettable.

Giving Thanks

It threatened to rain, so we moved everything inside Sheri's barn/garage. Although we didn't end up needing the shelter, it turned out really nice. Great yummy food and beautiful tables. Tom and I just had to bring 10 lbs. of mashed potatoes. We get off easy every time. My favorite dish......Lori Farnsworth's sweet potatoes! Followed by a close second of Parker's chocolate creme pie.


Meg was excited to play flag football after dinner. She asked Cole to practice and throw to her all morning, to get her ready for the big game.












The only bummer of the day was that Ike couldn't fully enjoy it. He is just wiped out from being sick. Even the pumpkin pie couldn't put a smile on that face.

Cole's List

I found this class assignment on my computer desktop this morning.

What I am Grateful for
Cole Farnsworth

I am grateful for..

for my mom’s love and support in everything I do,
for my dad’s exhilarating attitude in sports, work, and fun,
for all of my cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents that lives so close,
for the chilly and nippy weather after a long, frying summer,
for the excitement in the air on a fresh Christmas morning,
for seeing the world come to life after a cold winter,
for music, and the fun it brings with listening and playing,
for my mom’s kitchen, or the food that comes from it,
for my family’s home, and the shelter and protection it provides,
for a comforting, soft bed after a long, tiring day,
for the freedom of religion,
for the freedom to choose one thing or another,
for my dad’s business, and the hard work he does for our family,
that I can ride my bike over to my grandma’s house that let’s me in with open arms,
that I have a loving family that encourages me to chase after my hopes and dreams.

A First

Today Ike finished reading his first book and yes he still wears the "Huck" hat everywhere, all the time. I threw him a few hints on words like "know" and "circle", but he did it on his own today! The English language can be tricky when you look at it through the perspective of a 5 year old.
On the same note, Cole finished his first series--Grey Griffins. He has been a reluctant reader, until now. Since elementary school, I have felt like a bit of a nag trying to get him to take to books. All my tactics and encouragement never seemed to work. When I finally left it alone it happened. Hmmm, good lesson learned.

Field Trip Back in Time

Miss Rita took her band of Indians to the Park of the Canals yesterday. There they made vests, headbands, and put on their "celebration paint" not war paint. She then took them to hunt and cook their food. She taught them all the things that they can use the animal for.....shoes, clothing, tools, and nourishment. They had a feast to celebrate all they are blessed with. They were served carrots, corn bread, and roast. Isaac wanted it to be called deer meat, so it was. I snuck some big pieces of that deer meat and cornbread. It was a terrific breakfast. All of her effort and preparation was appreciated. It was a great preschool outing. I did learn that my sweet inquisitive child asks a lot of questions and tries to get a little too much of Miss Rita's attention. She kind of gave me that wink that says, "See what I deal with every day."

Meg's Debut As......

If you guessed a goose......thank you! Actually thanks to Nana for coming over to make Meg look like "Amelia" in the Aristocats. However, when we arrived to the "call" the director took one look at her and turned to me--- "I told you NO white paint on her face!" I sheepishly replied that I never got the memo. Sorry Nana, she hated your rendition of a goose. Anyway, Meg was a fantastic goose tonite. She has been to many long rehearsals and now its time to have fun and perform. I got some shocking news when I looked over the program tonite. Apparently I am in charge of the cast party...who knew. I thought I was off the hook when I helped with the set. I better brush up on my party skills...or get some.

Getaway

So I have some really awesome SILs and a pretty fun husband. Bonnie and Janet called a couple days ago and arranged to keep my kids for Friday night and Saturday. When Tom heard the plan he hurried and booked a nice little casita at The Royal Palms. This quick, spontaneous get-away is the way to go . There was no pit in my stomach leaving my kids and no stress in arranging to tie all the loose ends before a longer trip. We left after Tom's work, checked-in, went to a fabulous dinner at T. Cooks. We even got to eat outside under the full moon because we were both wearing jeans and " not dressed appropriately. " They served us out in the resort's courtyard.....by ourselves. It was perfect. I'll wear jeans every time!



When we entered our room, there was a fire burning, soothing acoustic guitar playing, and a fabulous creme brulee cheesecake waiting for us. What a great 24 hours it has been. Thanks for a great early birthday gift! Tom is an expert at making a birthday turn into a birthweek!

Happy News!

We are pretty excited that the propositions, in support of Traditional Marriage, passed in Florida, Arizona, and California. That now makes 30 states adopting a state constitutional amendment preserving traditional marriage since the legalization of same-sex “marriage” in Massachusetts.

Tom or Huck

Last night I told Isaac that this would be the last time he wore "Indiana Jones." It was very much like taking a binky away, but from a 5 year old. He was sad and then understood as we looked at the dirty shreds of what was left of his pseudo leather jacket, pants, and floppy hat. So, we decided that he could wear it to our Sunday family gathering, for one last hurrah. He informed everyone that this would be his last day as Indiana Jones. We had several of his cousins join in the ceremonial ripping of the shirt/jacket ( just to be sure we were absolutely done being Indy Jones). All that was left were the dirty pants and floppy hat. Our 5 weeks of being Indiana Jones was finally coming to a close. All it took was for Aunt Janet (his biggest character enabler) to say that he now could be a Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn. She took the scissors to the pants and another character was born.
I have decided that "Tom or Huck" (depending on the mood) can reside with us for a couple of days and then we need to have our wonderful Isaac back. I think if the weather would finally start cooling off, it would help him get out character a bit faster. He has never seen the movie or heard the story, so I had to dig into my very hazy memory and come up with the only story line I can remember. We reenacted the fence painting scene. I was Aunt Polly (I pretended she was Irish--they loved it), Ike was Tom and his cousin, Nate, was Huck Finn. Once I got the ball rolling, they played in character all afternoon.
Don't be alarmed by the knife he is brandishing...it is one of those retractable plastic ones......thanks to Nana for that one!

Yes, I know... a little disturbing. However, he was the only one at our neighborhood Halloween carnival that didn't sweat to death. He was dressed appropriately for the 94 degree weather we had.

Saturday

Guess who cleaned out and organized all the kitchen cupboards and drawers...








got the kids up and going on their Saturday work and now my garage looks brand new...........









and snuck my car out and washed it..........






discussed/bounced off ideas/got some great quotes for my combined YW lesson........




provided a great shoulder to get a good cry out on......




& then made everyone's favorite chocolate chip cookies
(His are the best I have ever tasted)..............................









Thanks T ! Your my rock.

Indiana

Around here you don't need "Halloween" to dress up in character and you don't even need to see the movie. Isaac has been "the real Indiana Jones," for about 3 weeks now (ever since Aunt Janet got him his duds.) This is his daily uniform, just ask anyone that has seen him these past weeks. There are 3 rules: no wearing it to school, church, or to bed....and we've given in a couple of times on the latter. I kinda wish I had a uniform to just slip into and become some adventure seeking archaeologist. One draw back is that this get-up could probably walk by itself now. I have tried washing the pants but they are made of some funky material I have never washed before. It comes out of the dryer smelling like rubber and hot enough to catch fire.

Ike's little preschool buddy has been filling him in on the last Indiana Jones movie plot line. So, today when we were amongst all the Halloween decor at Walmart (a store I hate but that is for another post)....... he found the best most perfect relic--the crystal skull. He couldn't wait to get home with it. I drew him a map of the front yard with clues to where the skull was hidden.

He passed under it so many times that I had to resort to playing hot and cold with him. He thought my map wasn't very clear. I didn't know how seriously he would be studying it.



Don't worry Meghan, we got Bret a "crystal skull" too!

Wedding Day

They are married. We had such a great week of celebration. However, the very best part of the whole week was watching them be sealed in the temple on Friday. My dear friend Julie's dad was their sealer and he gave such great counsel and made it extra special. I love this picture, taken right before they entered the temple. Don't they look so happy and ready for their lives together.

Bridal Shower

Only 3 more days until Bridgette and Corey are married in the Arizona Temple. We had her bridal shower today. I loved seeing all my cousins and aunts...I don't seem them near enough.


Pretty Girls...Rachel (cousin) with my sister Aryn.

Aunt Jennifer, Bridgette, Aunt Robyn. These 2 Aunties are superwomen.


She got some of the cutest aprons. It is always more fun to cook when your looking cute!
These are some of my cute cousins and aunts, on my mom's side.

Thanks "super neighbor" for the fabulous chocolate cupcakes with blackberry mousse filling. Leave it to Melody to make them go with our black and white theme splendidly.

These little girlies were so good and patient until......

Bridgette had time to play.