Thanksgiving

What a wonderfully fun holiday we had. We spent the day at my sister's house and it was delightful. She had plenty of room for all of us. We had people downstairs playing nintendo on the movie screen, we had kids playing in the toy room with the slide, we had card games going on in the office, we had visiting and cooking in the kitchen and great room. It was just a great day all around. The game of hearts was tight (top three scores all in the 70's). As can pretty much be expected, Dad won and I came in second. One of these days I will win!

The kids had at least as much fun as the adults. Ammon, Carolyn, Kylie played and played and played. It seemed like we went hours without even seeing them. Aunt Krista brought a fun craft for them which they also enjoyed.

Peter, Kambria and Isaiah had an especially fun time when most everyone else was watching a movie. The mom's took them out in the back yard and they played on the slide together. They are all so adorable with their own little personalities that are starting to shine through. It is fun having three little ones all within 6 months of each other!

I wish I had gotten more pictures, but mostly, I was just enjoying the day!

Pow-Wow

Ammon's school had a fun Thanksgiving Pow-wow today. It was a combined activity for both the morning and afternoon classes. We had a lot of cousins there, so that was fun. Carolyn was checked out from school to join the festivities, Kylie was there from the afternoon class, and Michael, Ammon's new class-mate (starting Monday) was there as well. What a lucky kid to get to be around so many cousins!

The activity was for parents as well as the students. With Andy working a night schedule he was able to come (although he took Peter home during most of it). The pow-wow started with the school kids singing a fun Thanksgiving song they had learned. After that we had an 8 year old boy do a great ring dance Native American style. He was awesome. We also had a pot-luck Thanksgiving day meal, and a trading post where we had all made things to sell as a fundraiser for the school. The weather was perfect and everyone had a great time.

My Little Quilter

Ammon was curious about my sewing machine and wanted to give it a whirl. I was amazed with how well he did. I thought he would run it at full speed and with no control, but he actually used a great deal of restraint and sewed near perfect lines. He ended up doing one practice piece (sewing in a line on a single piece of fabric) and then making a 4 patch quilt block. It turned out beautifully! I did use one pin for him to hold the middle of the block in the right place, but other than that he did the sewing 100% by himself. Wow!

Date Night

A week or so ago my mother-in-law mentioned a Bell Choir Concert at Temple Square that she had tickets for. As she often does, she offered to give us tickets. As I often do, I thought, well, that would be nice, but since I don't have a babysitter, it probably won't work. But practically before I could even finish that thought she offered to babysit as well! Whoo hoo! So for the first time in way too long, Andy and I had a really great date night.

The babysitting offer was extended for well before the time of the concert and on to well after. When was the last time I was able to get out with my husband and without worrying about rushing there and back? I can't even begin to remember. At first we were just appreciative of the offer but felt a little poor for going out to dinner. But Andy got a promotion at work (it is a temporary position for the holidays, but we are hoping it will turn into permanent and if nothing else it builds his resume) so we decided to bite the bullet, pull together every spare penny we had and actually go out for a nice meal. After dinner we met some great friends at the Tabernacle and then spent late into the night nibbling fudge, drinking hot chocolate and visiting.

Although Andy and I make it a point to have our own "date nights" at home when the kids are in bed, it was amazing to get out and have a "real" date. I can't remember the last time I felt so free from the responsibilties of my children, so eager to be with him, and so quick to laugh and enjoy life with my husband.

So I just want to say a big Thank You to my Shadel Mom and Dad who made it all happen!

Fun Day In the Backyard

Pony Ride at Thanksgiving Point

It's Not My Fault

This morning I was driving Ammon to school. It was cold, as Utah mornings in November tend to be. He left his jacket at his cousins house last night, so he was wearing his sweatshirt. I was ridiculous enough in my rush out the door to be dressed in just the basics and didn't even have that much to keep me warm. As we drove, Ammon mentioned he was cold. I could certainly relate and quickly said, "I'm so sorry it's cold, Ammon."

His reply: "It's OK Mom, you're not the weatherman."

Apparently I was off the hook and not being held responsible. Seeming to decide that we did need someone to blame, Ammon quickly followed his pardoning statement with an all important question, "Mommy," he asked, "Who is the weatherman?"

Little Helper

Lately, every time I have gotten the can opener out, Peter wants to do it. It is amazing how young kids are when they start feeling capable of doing adult things. We were much better about letting Ammon help with cooking and being involved in that sort of thing, so I had to make an extra effort to slow down my pace enough to let Peter help me. He was so proud of his part in making dinner that night, though, and it was well worth the extra time it took.

Quilter

I never would have thought that I would someday be a quilter. But my mother-in-law taught me the art a few years ago and I fell into it quickly. I love having a project and my favorite part is going to pick out the fabrics that take a pattern and turn it into something that is my own. In this picture I am actually working on a special Christmas project, and I am excited to see it finished.

Chess Game

Ammon is a huge fan of games. He recently discovered Stratego and has been constant and unrelenting in asking us to play it with him. Andy thought that he might also enjoy being introduced to Chess. It is obviously a bit beyond him at the moment, but Ammon is a brilliant boy and is catching on to the logisitcs of the game pretty well.

He puzzled over the board to really take it in. He studied out every move Andy made and was careful in determining his own action.

Ultimately Andy won. But they had a great talk about the fun of the game and I think our competitive little Ammon benefited not only from the time with Daddy, but also from the lesson in enjoying the game and having it be OK to not win EVERY time.

That's My Boy

Everyone has always thought that Ammon looks just like a little clone of Andy. It has been fun for Daddy and Son to look so much alike. We thought they couldn't be more similar... until Peter was born. Peter looks even more like Andy than his big brother does. But today, I saw that Peter takes after me.

I know that this drives some people crazy, but I LOVE to eat off of other people's plate. Somehow your food always looks better than mine. One time Andy and I were eating out and ordered the exact same meal. My first bite was from his plate - it just looked yummier.

Peter must have the same philosophy. Today the boys were eating lunch together. As the older child, Ammon ate a lot faster than his brother and his plate was quickly just a few random crumbs. Peter, on the other hand, had a plate still filled with pizza and strawberries. He had lots to choose from of his own, but I watched - and laughed - as he leaned over to Ammon's plate and picked off the last two little specs of food Ammon had left.

Family Project

We had a fun time picking up the leaves the other day. The bad part was that the leaves fell AFTER the snow storm, so it was a COLD job. But it was fun to be out working as a family.

The boys each had a turn jumping on the pile of leaves in the trash can to stomp them down. You can tell from Peter's expression that he LOVED it.

Ammon took a turn over and over again. By the end of it, Andy was having a hard time heaving that heavy kid in and out of the trash can.

Early Birthday Present

Yay! In just a few short days I will have a functioning camera again. I have had two that have both been on the fritz for the last couple of months. My favorite one saw it's final moments the afternoon of our Halloween Cookie Decorating in mid-October. That night I tried to get a picture of my brother with his new girlfriend, and found that it had died. The other one (which I hated, but hey, at least it took some pictures) was useful for Halloween morning, but when I took it to Jordan Landing for some early evening Trick-Or-Treating, I dropped it and it hasn't taken pictures since. I have missed pictures of us going to Oquirh Lake, driving up the mountains in this beautiful fall weather, spending the last good day of the year outdoors with the boys on the trampoline, and now this morning an amazing snow storm. Thanks to my husband and my parents who decided to do my birthday early, I will now have great pictures of Thanksgiving (and of the days before and after).

An Historical Day

I voted for McCain. My vote lost. In terms of feeling that my values will be represented in Washington, I am disapointed. However, as I have been watching some of the coverage, I can't help but be struck with the great historical moment this is to have our first black President. It is awesome! I just wish that the first black President could have been someone with whose political views I agreed with more.