Christmas Pictures

So I am showing off two things here. First the cute Rudolph and Clarice that we bought last year and the kids absolutely love this year. (I hear they are being auctioned on Ebay ya for Aunt Lena!!!) Second my adorable little kids. It is so funny because I used to get Christmas cards with just pictures of the little kids and think to myself - okay yes they are cute but where are the parents? I don't even know who these kids belong to? Well I have turned into one of those people. I realize now the main problems with Christmas pictures are that it is next to impossible to get a good one with kids, and also who holds the camera for Mommy and Daddy? So the result is a Christmas card with just the kids. Below are some of the outtakes and cute pictures from Sunday morning.

California Snow

Ashlee has been watching all of the great Christmas movies with me. She is really getting into the holidays, but keeps asking me.."Where is the snow." "Mommy, when can I go to the snow?" Well today I was sitting in the house and heard a very loud noise and looked out my window to see Hail coming down. I ran to the window with Ashlee and she yelled "It's snowing, can I make a snowball?" After further inspection she declared that it was ice coming from the sky. Well as this is as close to snow as we usually get around here we just stood there and watched it until it stopped. I guess we will have to make a trip to the mountains soon to see real snow. But I thought I would share with everyone what California snow looks like:

*******Warning********

Please alert your neighbors, friends, and relatives. I have recently discovered a brand new pest. This pest is extremely tricky. He sneaks into the fridge and consumes small amounts of apple!! Be weary of this new pest as he is not satisfied with just one apple but must take some from each and every apple in your refrigerator. The said apples are then returned into the fridge ready for some unawares person to discover. I am trying very hard to locate this pest and post a picture so others will not be subjected to the same boggling phenomenon. Truly we hope that no one elses home as been infected with such a pest, but I am posting a picture of the evidence so all can see what it looks like!!!

Twilight

Okay I am adding to the masses and their opinions of the movie Twilight. No spoilers here just my opinion. Honestly I liked the movie. It was what it was. I had only read the book once so I wasn't to wrapped up in all of the little things, I just wanted it to give the same feeling to me as when I read the book. I have never been an Edward fan and actually liked the "other guy" the most when I read the books, but about 40 minutes into the movie I turned to my friend and said "this is changing me to an Edward fan!!" It was cheesy and good - just like the book. Today I actually had some free time (my niece is visiting and her, Ashlee and Hyrum played all day!) and I reread the book. It was interesting to read it because I was able to see why they cut stuff out and combined stuff in the movie. Of course there were a few parts that I was like - oh yea why didn't they put this in???? Like the whole meadow scene....oops I said no spoilers so sorry that is all I will say about that! Anyway all in all I liked it and want to go and see it again - anyone else want to go?????

Peek-A-Boo

I was walking through the house this morning looking for Hyrum and almost missed him. This is his new hiding place.....

The funny thing is that he just stands there. I waited for a long time and finally said his name which is when he turned around and gave me this adorable look....

Honestly is there anything cuter?????

Giant trees

For those of you that don't know California is home to some of the largest trees in the world. There are the Sequoias and the Redwoods. Before we moved here we would visit my mom and talk about the Sequoias. Jed had always dreamed of seeing them and was so enthralled with the idea of these massive trees. Well since we have lived here we just never made the time to go and see them...sad, sad, sad. Last weekend we finally made the trip up into the mountains and had a picnic in the clouds, (it was very rainy and overcast). Ashlee loved the giant trees and had a grand time playing with the pine cones and building the fire. It was very overcast and rainy so we didn't spend a whole lot of time up there but we roasted hot dogs and made smores with the slightly damp wood we could gather. It was so funny trying to light a fire when it is so moist in the air but the kids loved trying. It is definitely worth the hour drive to go and see them and for our far away friends if you come and visit we promise to take you! I think we may even try camping one day as we found a perfect camping spot.

This is a big stump from a fallen tree. This was Jed taking Hyrum and Ashlee on a little hike. I am not sure if you can even tell how truly large the trees are, but take my word for it they are HUGE!

Ashlee gathering pine cones!

This was a cool bench that Ashlee pretend to sit on. It was really very cold there, you can see the fog in the picture from when we first got there.

We stopped at a visitors center that had an explore area for the kids. Hyrum loved to play in the little tent. What a cutie!

Halloween

We had a great Halloween. Honestly it was pretty uneventful. The pictures are adorable though so here they are!!!! Jed and my sister took Ashlee and my niece Brianna around while I put Hyrum down to sleep. He was a very tired boy!!

Mary Kay

A few weeks ago I had a MaryKay party. While we were playing around with all of the colors and stuff my little Ashlee decided to join us in the fun. It was funny to watch her putting all of the makeup on and playing around like "Mommy." Aunt Lena joined in the fun by letting Ashlee put some makeup on her. Looking back I don't think she did too bad!

Autumn Day

Is there anything better than sitting at home curled up in a blanket with a good book and the wind blowing outside on a crisp autumn day? This is why Fall has become one of my favorite seasons. Even with kids at home running around I can still be at home with that chill in the air and a wonderful cinnamony (is that a word?) smell from my Scentsy candle I just love it. Maybe it is the excitement of the coming holidays, or getting out old clothes that now feel new for the season. Whatever it is I am so glad that fall is finally arriving!! Is anyone else as excited as I am???

I've been Tagged...

My friend just tagged me. I was supposed to post the fourth picture from the fourth folder under my pic docs. This was it!! Isn't she cute???
So I now tag...Mariana, Sarah, Lauren, and Carolyn.

Fabulous Meatloaf

Thought I would share a recipe. This was taken off the dottie's weight loss website last year ( www.dwlz.com ) and we LOVE it! Don't be turned off by the label "Meatloaf" or by the weird ingredients. It is truly great, my husband keeps asking me "When are we going to have that meatloaf again?" So here it is:
1 box pork-flavored Stove Top stuffing mix
1(8 oz) carton egg substitute
1 cup mild thick n' chunky salsa
1/2 cup honey barbecue sauce
1 (14 oz) pkg fat-free smoked sausage
2lbs lean ground round

Glaze
1/4 c grape jelly
1/2 cup honey barbecue sauce
2 tbsp salsa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a blender grind up the stuffing mix into fine bread crumbs. In a large bowl, combine egg, salsa, BBQ sauce, and stuffing mix. Stir well until combined. Cut sausage into 1 inch pieces and grind in blender. Combine ground sausage and ground meat with the bread crumb mixture. Separate into two loaf pans you can freeze one for later and then bake the other one in the oven for 50 minutes then spread on glaze and bake another 10 minutes.

Be aware that many times I have used whatever on hand: hickory bbq sauce, turkey stuffing mix, I have even done 1 lb ground turkey, 1 lb ground round - each and every time it has turned out fabulous! Let me know if you try it and what you think....

Happy B-day to me!

I don't know about anyone else, but it just seems that unless I have adorable pictures to put up on my blog it is hard for me to sit down and write. Sad I know, but nonetheless true. So in an attempt to update my blog slightly I am posting a few random pictures from fun times this summer!!!
This was my birthday dinner with my family. Jed and baby Hyrum stayed home as it was about 8:00 when we went out and Hyrum just does not do well unless he sleeps in his bed.



This summer Jed and I took the little ones to the coast for a fun day at the beach and and the aquarium. I was so amazed at how much fun Hyrum had with the interactive displays and themed rooms. He was so adorable! I snapped this picture while we were packing the car back up. The kids just loved playing in the trunk while we cleaned off the sand and stuff!

Best Friends

Nothing big has been going on with us, so I thought I would share a cute story. When my first child, Ashlee, was born my Aunts in Tennessee were all so wonderful and threw a shower for me. They pretended I was there and handed me gifts. They then mailed them to me with instructions to watch the video while opening the presents. (The are so creative!) Anyways one of Aunts went to the store and bought a cute bear for Ashlee. Well this little bear has become Ashlee's favorite thing in the world. All of her others toys come and go, but bear has always stayed. When I found out I was pregnant with another baby my sister said that baby would need a bear too or they would fight. How right she was!! I find them constantly snuggling up with their cute little bears!! How adorable they are! Hopefully Bear can make it a couple more years.

Mom's Graduation Party

Brianna with her cousins on baptism day. Brianna with her dad before her baptism.

This past weekend we celebrated my nieces baptism and my mother receiving her Master's Degree. It was a great day that we all spent together - (of course I am still a single mom while Jed is away for work, but with family around it all went well!) Anyway we had the baptism in the morning on Saturday then had lunch afterward. After lunch we all told mom that we were going to go see a movie. Instead we got on the freeway and drove up to my brother in Pleasenton, CA for a surprise BBQ/Pool Party!! It was a blast. He even had a cover so Ashlee could kind of swim with her cast so all had a good time. Following are some of the pictures:

Brianna with her dad before her baptism.

Brianna, Ashlee, Michael, and Hyrum with the newest member of the church!

Hyrum was soooo cold!!!

Ashlee with her Lobster claw cast...
Banka and Ashlee chillin poolside...
Hyrum strutting his stuff already - ladies man...
Grandma and brother Darin

Twilight Series - Midnight Run

So I just finished Breaking Dawn about 2 weeks ago and loved it. I have really enjoyed reading this series as it is light and funny. Well I heard that you could read an excerpt of her book the one from the perspective of Edward, I think it is called Midnight Run, so I went online to check it out only to read a depressing letter from the author on her website www.stepheniemeyer.com . I guess someone either stole a copy of the rough draft or something and so now she has decided not to right the book!!! If you go to her website you will find a 200 page copy of her draft as she decided to make it public for all. I was so sad for Stephanie Meyer - how horrible to have your work stolen like that. Anyway when I have a couple hours to sit in front of the computer maybe I will get the chance to read it it was such an exciting option. Hopefully she will change her mind in the future. I just thought I would put this out there for other readers to mourn with me the loss of one more Edward/Bella story. Too, too sad.

Crazy Day Part 2

And the verdict is in......BROKEN.....so I called the Orthopedic office and was told "We'll call you for the appointment." Finally spoke with them at 12:30 and was told no food or water for Ashlee until her appointment at 2:45 - did I mention it was 107 here on Friday???? Anyway we picked up x-rays and went to the appointment. The doctor comes in to report that the x-rays where the x-rays of an adult so Ashlee had to get a new set. She was such a trooper and just sat at the huge table with her little arm on the tray. They came back in and said the fracture was near the elbow and the bones were all aligned so no surgery necessary. They then asked Ashlee "So little one what color will it be?" Guesses anyone??????? Hahaha - if you know Ashlee at all only one color should be screaming at you - PINK, PINK, PINK. She has been such a good little girl and sat completely still for the cast and has only asked a few times for it to be taken off. The hardest was this morning when she got an itch she couldn't scratch and anyone who has had a cast knows what that feels like. So here is her picture in her cast.... - it comes off in 3 weeks!

One Crazy Day

Okay so most of you know that Jed has been away on business for awhile. So yesterday I got a little cabin fever and decided that today I would go and do!!! I just wanted to get out of the house! First off the cutest thing was after dropping Ashlee off at preschool I went and got Hyrum's very first haircut. It was well past time as it was uneven and long, but I just did not want to lose his curls. I asked the lady if we could just cut the top and leave it long in the back to which she gave me a weird look and I asked "Mullet" and she said yes so i just told her to cut it. Oh well, maybe one day I well get to see the curls again. He was such a perfect angel for the lady and she kept commenting on how well my little one sat for her. Below are the adorable pictures of during and after. She even gave him the cute little spike I love so much!
Isn't he cute?????

Okay so I proceeded to run a bunch of errands after this ( I won't bore you with the details) and then called a friend, Mariana, to see if we could meet at McDonalds for lunch. We got there early and Ashlee was playing and having a ball. I see her swinging on the polls and then the next thing I knew she is screaming and crying sitting on the floor holding her arm. I go get her and check for broken bones and find none so she sits on my lap crying for awhile. She had swung off and fallen on another poll with her elbow. Well her friends arrive and they are begging her to play and she just says no and sits on my lap holding her arm. This is very unAshlee like. She usually shakes things off quickly so I check her arm and find a lump is forming on the side of her arm. She is holding it still and any movement she says "Mommy don't hurt my arm!" So I end up taking her to Urgent Care where they x-ray it. Luckily as of now, no broken bones, but they gave us a sling and are going to have a specialist check the x-ray and call me back tomorrow. So needless to say this cabin fever mom left the house at 9:00 am and returned at 6:00 pm - so ladies be careful what you wish for!!!!! I am blessed with a bunch of little troopers though who just keep going no matter what.

My little happy camper with her XS sling!!

Utah Trip and Jett's Baptism

Sorry it has been so long since my last posting, but life has just gotten away from me!!! Anyway we just got back from a very fun trip to Utah. I packed up the two kids and joined my friend Sarah with her two kids for the long drive to Utah. As you can see the trip was very exhausting for the kids. I was so impressed at how well they all traveled. I must admit I was nervous that it would be screaming for the entire 12 hours, but they did really well.
Part of this fun trip was a visit with Ashlee's cousins. She got to see Jett, whom she honestly never stops talking about! We spent a few days with Jed's family going to Temple Square and The Church History museum. We ended our time together with a fun filled trip to Lagoon. Ashlee absolutely loved it there and Hyrum basically slept the entire time. Thanks Grandpa and Grandma Smith - we loved it!! Okay so I had way to many cute pictures so this is my attempt at a Smilebox. Let me know if it works for ya!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Jed is 30!!!

Jed officially turned 30 today. We had a fun weekend to celebrate this momentous occasion. Yesterday Jed and I went to San Francisco with my friend Tandra and her husband Mason. We walked around Union Square, ate lunch at the Cheesecake factory on top of Macy's, had Ghiredelli Hot Fudge Sundaes, and saw the sea lions at Pier 39. Jed had never been there before so he was very excited to see all of the "touristy stuff" (as he called it). There were several festivals going on while we were there so it was very crowded. I must say it was definitely an experience riding the public transportation, I was continually amazed at how many people could squeeze on those buses. After our fun time we then went to a Giants game at AT&T park. That was truly a fun experience. We were surrounded by die hard fans who were willing to fill us in on anything we didn't know about. The view was incredible as it sits adjacent to the San Francisco Bay. The big shocker was that the attendance at the game was 37,000 people which is more than the population of my home town!!!! Incredible! Sadly the Giants lost, but it was still fun to sit there and eat the famous Garlic French Fries. We really did enjoy ourselves. Invariably we would see a little girl or little boy and be reminded of our little ones, but it would pass quickly and we were glad we could spend the day together without having to chase after the little ones in all of that chaos.

Sadly I must report one sad thing....I woke up this morning to realize I did not have a cake mix in the house. I was so upset, because I wanted to do something for him. Well after speaking with my sister-in-law, the maker of Jed's very favorite cake (chocolate cake, hot fudge, and Snickers bars), I went to my trusty recipezaar.com and found a recipe for homemade chocolate cake and fudge. As you can see in the pictures the cake didn't quite come out of the bundt pan, but it still tasted good. We all ate it up. Hyrum is definitely a chocoholic!! Anyway - it turned out to be a good birthday for Jed and hopefully the next 30 will be even better!!

It's Circus Time!!

The circus is in town!!!! On Friday we took the opportunity of going to the circus with little Ashlee. We left Hyrum at home with a babysitter tonight so that we could be with Ashlee and not have to fight him at 9:30 that night. Let me tell you as we look at the mom's around us having to fight with their little ones, we were glad we left him at home to sleep. We sure did miss him though. Anyway we went out to dinner with my family and then went to the circus. When we first got there we were able to go down on the floor and see lots of the acts and animals prior to the show starting. Ashlee sat on Daddy's shoulders so she had the best view in the house. She LOVED the elephant and watching it paint was hilarious. We went up to our seats and watched a fabulous show. Jed of course loved the circle of death motorcycle act. (Is it just me, or is anyone automatically reminded of Wild Hearts Can't be Broken when this act is mentioned or shown!!! Maybe I am just a movie junkie but I just can't help it.) Ashlee loved the tigers and the "dancing girls in the sky." The cutest thing was when there were stars lite up on the screens and she started singing twinkle, twinkle, little star. She loved it and was so excited to be there. I loved watching her face light up with each new thing. We did relent and by here one of the severely overpriced elephant snow cones ($10) honestly is the thing made out of gold????? But watching her devour the thing was well worth the price...hahahaha! In the end we all enjoyed our time and had a blast being there. The very next day Ashlee woke up asking "We go to the circus again today?" I guess that means she really, really liked it!