Merry Christmas!

I don't know about you, but for us, Christmas came and went in a flash. Heidi and David and the girls came over for Christmas Eve. After sandwiches, soup, veggies, soda and peanut butter balls, we played "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader" and came to realize that none of us are. Thanks guys! It was a fun night!
We had such a relaxing Christmas Day. The kids played all day on their new bikes and in the evening we headed to the lake for a hike. Now we're on to Tyler's birthday and the New Year! We hope you all had a great holiday too!

Don't do drugs . . . eat salad!

So this is a big thing for me, posting without a picture. I feel quite like I left the house without my pants! Here's how our conversation went in the car yesterday. Tyler saw a D.A.R.E. van beside us on the freeway.

Tyler: Mom, what does D.A.R.E. mean?
Me: It means we don't do drugs.
Paige: What are drugs?
Me: One kind of drug is a cigarette, you know, smoking.
Paige: Yeah, we don't do drugs. We should eat salad. . . it's good for our body!
Tyler: Paige, you don't even like salad!
Paige: (defensive) YES I DO TYLER!

So, just in case you felt as though you needed a peek into our everyday life and conversations. . . there you are. The depth is overwhelming:) Don't forget to eat your salad!

Rainy day

Some dream of the first snow of the season . . . we're pretty much happy with anything. Ty and Paige raced their bath toys down the gutter for a good hour yesterday until they were soaked through. I guess it's the AZ equivalent to building the perfect snowman!

TURKEY WEEK!

Just a few pictures from the week of Thanksgiving. We had a such great time! Here are just a few things we're thankful for!
1. Karaoke and those purely skilled at dancing!


2. That we don't have any Javelina (A.K.A "giant Rats") in our yard, though some unfortunate AZ residents do!



3. Grandmas, Grandpas, aunts, uncles, and cousins!



4. Our little Paigey, and now she's 4! Happy Birthday, we love you!






5. Fried Turkey, Fried Potatoes . . . heck, fried anything!



6. Halloween in November, and of course . . having a house full of family to share Thanksgiving dinner with!



7. The temple . . . even without the Christmas lights on!



The list could go on, but since I have already written a short novel, we'll end on that note!

Sedona

Camp Verde

Tyler took this one! I'm so proud!



Montezuma's Castle (Indian Ruins)


Slide Rock Park






Cairns "Prayer Rocks"






Cathedral Rock



This weekend we went to Shane's continuing education conference in Sedona, AZ. It was fun to get away and see the gorgeous red rocks. We went to Slide Rock Park, which is a kind of swimming hole in the summer and the kids put their feet in. I went into red rock crossing park and took some pictures of Cathedral Rock. I could have stayed there all day. It was so quiet and peaceful by the creek and the view was just amazing. Along the trail there was a section across the creek full of "cairns." People pray or make wishes as they stack the rocks. I couldn't believe that they stayed put like that. Such a delicate balance. I was afraid I might step wrong and knock over someone's "prayer." I don't know if they withstand the weather, but I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures.

I guess that's only my version of the trip. I'm sure the kids saw the trip through totally different eyes. I suppose that their favorite parts were jumping from bed to bed at the Days Inn in Camp Verde,(which Inn I would not recommend) lounging on the hide-a-bed in the Hilton Sedona, visiting the toy shop in downtown Sedona, swimming in the spa and "trick-or-treating" at the conference hospitality suites (displays from the optometry vendors). One room had a chocolate fountain that they couldn't get enough of. I said to Paige, aren't you glad that we're in this nice hotel? She said, "I liked the other one better. They had Scooby Doo and Tom and Jerry on their TV and fruit loops for breakfast." It just goes to show you, kids just aren't impressed by the glitz and glam. All they want is cartoon network and free breakfast.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Happy Halloween! We went to the trunk-or-treat last night. For all of you who don't know about the trunk-or-treat, that's when you forget to bring your camp chairs and make due with the available seating, which happens to be the trunk. We'll scrub out the chili stains later.


Tonight we went trick-or-treating around the neighborhood.

Doesn't Ty look happy to be taking yet another picture?



HERE'S TO CANDY, SPOOKS, BLACK HAIR DYE, GUMMY EYEBALLS, WENDY'S and SUGAR COURSING THROUGH YOUR VEINS!!!!!