Holiday fun and a flashback

We have had a fun and busy couple of weeks getting ready for Christmas.

Setting up our Nativity and decorating the tree - I take no responsibility for what my kids are wearing once we are in our house! They come up with the craziest get-ups, especially after church on Sundays! (For example, above, Savannah is sporting the black tights she wore to church with the summer outfit she decided to change into after church:) And above and below, well this is pretty much what T would where all the time if I would let him.


Some funny things . . .

Last Sunday we attempted our tradition of making my Grandma's famous fudge. I decided to use butter instead of margarine and well, it didn't set up so well. It made really great frosting, though! We put it in between graham crackers (we call these Camille cookies, after my sis), and they are super yummy. Maybe even a new tradition! The second batch turned out perfectly . . . whew!

I bought some Christmas cards for Ashkii to take to some co-workers - just bought what was on sale at Target on Monday. Well, they were glitter cards, and we have glitter EVERYWHERE! He got some serious flack at work for having glitter all over him, too! Really, my house is covered in glitter right now. I should send it all to Camille, who thinks it is funny to send my kids cards full of confetti:)

Our house is also covered in fuzz. My sweet aunt Cheryl made my kids these cute, snuggly, fleece blankets, and for some reason Savannah's continues to shed! She loves it, so she drags it everywhere, so we have fuzz everywhere (maybe Aunt Cheryl is playing a joke on us!). We are a holiday house of glitter and fuzz!

Rachel turned 5 months old this week! I can't believe this - it goes faster with each child. After the first couple of months, I finally have felt less discombobulated! It is so nice when they start to sleep through the night:) She is such a fun baby - very content and smiley. And very patient with the ever-in-her-face siblings:). She started eating rice cereal and seems pretty excited to finally be a part of the dining table action. She is discovering her feet and is mesmerized by them! It is so fun to see each stage. I find I appreciate it more this time around because I know how short each phase is and that something new is coming up around the corner.




Trevor came home last week singing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and it reminded me of Christmas '06 when we caught him singing it (or trying, anyway!) in the bathtub. He is a little embarrassed, but says I can post it as long as you all understand that he was ONLY 5:)

I love to see the Temple

Last weekend, we drove into DC to enjoy the Christmas lights at the LDS Temple. It was very festive and there is always such an awesome feeling there. The visitors center has a theater, and there are performances every night of December. We saw a big band orchestra - so fun! They just needed a dance floor!

The live nativity was a hit with Savannah. She was mesmerized. Then there happened to be an older couple at the visitors center that came in dressed as Santa and Mrs. Claus. Mrs. Claus let Savvy feel her soft, furry muff, and then Santa shook her hand and said, "Love you; be good!" and she just stared - speechless! The world is magical through her eyes. It's fun to be four!

We plan to go again and see the pretty lights and a different concert next week. I love the temple!

Fun out West

We just returned from a two week trip to Utah and Nevada (translation: long post). It was so great to see so many great friends and all of our family that lives out there. Thanks to everyone who went out of their way to coordinate get-togethers, and especially to our parents who we completely exhausted (hopefully they are taking a nap right now). We are a little tired, too, and a little confused on which time zone we are in, even Rachel. It always takes awhile to get back into "reality" but we sure are grateful for the fun times! Here is a synopsis:

Savannah loves her aunts' pedicures

All the Grandmas love to spoil the kids out there

Our cute and chubby! munchkin had
a "photo shoot" with aunt Lindsi


ADVENTURES WITH GRANDPA G

Trevor has always wanted to help my Dad hang Christmas lights. You can see by his face that it was everything he had hoped. And he loved that it made my Mom really nervous to have them out there on the ladders. Savannah mostly played in the tree.







My cute Dad planned an afternoon with Trev to build birdhouses with some spare wood he had. Trevor waited excitedly for him to get home from work and then LOVED every minute of this project. He wanted to bring home the safety goggles because he thought they were super cool.




GOLFING WITH DAD AND GRANDPA G


SHOOTING
There is a crazy, redneck:) side of my family that loves things like shooting clay pigeons. I have to say I had a great time staying home with the baby and relaxing:) but the rest of my family enjoyed a fun day in the UT desert with friends and family. Savannah totally loved it - who knew there could be this side to our little princess? And my littlest sister, also a princess, shot 8 clay pigeons in a row! At least they are well-rounded, right!?


Note Trevor's BYU Cougars hat - a gift from Grandpa L. This was the day of the HUGE rivalry game between the University of Utah and Brigham Young University. I have always found the whole rivalry a little over the top (sorry Utahns!) and so I cheer for the U just to razz my hubby and in-laws (love ya!). My siblings have gone/go to the U as well. Trevor LOVED the trash talking and was furious when the room he was to sleep in at my parents' house was decorated in Utah red balloons, pom poms, and posters!!! It was too funny. And in the end, the UTES prevailed - wahoo!


RACHEL'S BLESSING DAY
We decided to have Rachel blessed in Utah amongst our family and friends there. It was so wonderful to see so many people and feel that support. A very special day for a super sweet baby . . .

THANKSGIVING IN NEVADA
Ashkii's mom grew up on a farm in NV and it is tradition to go out for Thanksgiving. It has been awhile since we've been out, and we are so grateful we were able to go this year. The kids have a BLAST with all the cousins and second cousins. Savannah was ECSTATIC to find out that she has GIRL COUSINS!!! "How come I never knew this?" she asked us. Too funny. All of her first cousins are boys, so this was REALLY good news:). She and Kalea bonded instantly. The boy cousins enjoyed being all together. Trevor is still missing them.

The weekend was JAM-PACKED (as all trips involving my hubby's family are:) with activities: riding four wheelers, kayaking, bowling, playing football and ultimate frisbee, visiting the local museum, grinding corn on the farm, riding the cow train through the corn maze (sorry, I know this should have been pictured), and visiting with great-grandparents, of course! I relaxed at the hotel and read a lot while Rachel was napping, which was a nice change of pace. And some of us girls went to see Twilight, too. We had a GREAT time . . .

Notre Dame game

When it was still November (whoa - that flew by), Ashkii's parents and brother came to town and we all got to attend the Navy/Notre Dame game at the Ravens stadium in Baltimore. I was amazed by the SIZE of that place. Rachel wasn't so sure about the whole experience; she cried a lot and finally fell asleep on Grandpa's shoulder walking out of the stadium. Trevor said it would have been the best day of his life if Navy had won. They fought hard - it was a great game!

Goldyfest

Our family reunion in TN was a blast. My Dad's family is so much fun! There were about 40 of us gathered from WA, UT, OH, KY, NC and MD. A HUGE thank you to my Dad's cousin Melonie for organizing this amazing weekend and finding such awesome accommodations. We stayed in this beautiful, huge chalet in the mountains - it was beautiful and so relaxing and I didn't want to leave.

I think the best part for Ashkii and I was the adult/kid ratio (only 7 kids there). I actually got to relax and READ!!! Plus, there was a video/game room, theater room, and my (3rd?) cousin Beth brought her Wii - thanks Beth! Needless to say, my kids had the time of their lives, and also didn't want to leave. Savannah said her favorite part was the bunk beds:) and Trev can't decide between playing football with all the men who were so willing, playing Wii with Reed, video games, or riding the Go Karts in Pigeon Forge. I thought Rachel might be overwhelmed by the chaos, but she was so good and let everyone hold and cuddle her. We also built haunted houses (lots of fun- thanks Mom!) and ate, ate, ate tons of delicious southern food.

The Halloween party was awesome - some very hillarious and creative costumes, a scavenger hunt, and prizes. My kids couldn't get over the fact that my Dad got an award for the Worst/Ugliest costume (he was a redneck - it was well deserved). We made wanted posters with my Dad's picture and put them all over the cabin - Trev was a police officer and got to "arrest" him (the kid's been planning this for months!)

We also had a great time viewing a slide show (thanks Uncle Kevin!) of pics from the last big gathering (17 years ago!), including my Dad sporting some sweet MC Hammer style pants that apparently my Mom MADE for him. Nice.

Thanks to everyone who made this such a great reunion. What fun memories - we are planning NOT to wait 17 years to gather again!

Happy Haunting

We love Halloween! (And yes, Savannah is in her swimsuit again) Many pictures to come . . . we have a trunk-or-treat at church tonight and then are headed to a family reunion/Halloween party in the Great Smoky Mountains of TN! Ye haw!! Hope you all have fun and get lots of treats:) Here are a few pics from the last couple of weeks. We had such sunny fall days but it has now turned COLD!



Rachel is so snuggly - I love it!


"Camping" in the basement!

Savannah cheering for Trev at soccer




Trev has really become football-obsessed - he now tracks games play-by-play online! Who knew you could do that!?

Thank heaven for sisters:)

My favorite fall dessert

This recipe came from a friend when we were living in Cache Valley, UT. It is one of the reasons I look forward to this season. We are always trying to come up with a better name for it . . . maybe "the essence of fall." :) I won't say how many times we've made it so far . . .

Apple Cake with Warm Sauce

Cream:

2 cups sugar

½ cup shortening

Add:

2 eggs, beaten lightly

Mix, then add:

2 cups flour

2 t. baking soda

1 t. cinnamon

½ t. salt

Mix, then add and mix:

4 cups apples, peeled & shredded (I use 2-3 granny smith, 1 fuji or gala, 1 golden delicious)

Lightly grease cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 min.

Sauce

In saucepan, bring to boil:

2 cups sugar

4 T. corn starch (stir into cold cream first)

1 cup light cream (half and half)

BOIL 2 MINUTES, THEN REMOVE FROM HEAT

Add 2 cubes butter, till melted

Add 3 t. vanilla

Serve cake with sauce and whip cream on top!

On the farm

Savannah went on a field trip this week, and since Dad had Columbus Day off (love working for the government!), she insisted he be her chaperone. This was a true test of his love since he is usually an allergic mess around farm animals. They had a great time. She was VERY excited about riding on the bus (Ashkii said it was so bumpy, he was nearly sick!), picking a pumpkin, going on a hayride, and seeing all the animals.

Magic moments

Rachel has started giggling and using her voice - it is so sweet. I forgot how fun each phase is, and how quickly they develop. Also, we've had some requests for video of Trevor, so I asked him what he wanted to do on video, and he replied, "Play football!!" He asked me today if he can play football instead of soccer next year - I'm scared.
Please excuse the messy house - my kids have been having fun pulling out bins of Halloween decor and costumes:)

Go Navy!

Navy just won their fourth game this season. We were lucky enough to get tickets to the game two weeks ago - on the second row in the end zone. I am not a big football fan, but it was really fun - I think good seats make a huge difference. It's also fun that three members of the coaching/medical staff, including the head coach, are members of our church. So the excitement for Navy is contagious around here!!!

!
The kids were really getting into it - except for Rachel,
who slept through the entire game!!

Love This Season

A very talented friend in our ward (church congregation) here has a daughter Savvy's age. We are getting to know their family, and Savannah went to their house last week. My friend decided to take these fun pics, then very nonchalantly gave me a CD a few days later, and I just had to share. I think she is so talented - just snapped these out in her backyard and house. She also took some sweet baby pics of Rachel, like the one I added to the right. Now I'm trying to come up with a talent to share with her:) I love the fall pics, Savvy (of course) loves the dress up/ballerina pics.

Discombobulated

A few Sundays ago, I was talking to an older friend at church. She was asking me how I was doing with "three" and said that when her third child was born, she was very discombobulated. "YES!" I almost shouted, "that's the perfect word!" And it is. I don't really even know how to say how I am doing right now. I feel like I am doing okay with three, but I really just feel kind of . . . discombobulated! Like I am not sure how to stay afloat and keep up with everything. A lull in activity hits, the baby is asleep, and it's like I don't know what to do with myself because I really just want to sleep, but there's dishes, laundry, piles of mail, a very cluttered house, a church lesson to prepare, phone calls to return, bills to pay . . . you know how it is. So I am still adjusting to having this new little person in my life and learning how to balance it all. We also recently started soccer and ballet again, which added another dimension. Oh, and I have had some "fun" stuff going on health-wise, but that is an entirely different post. For now, the grandparents are wanting updated pics, so here are a few recent shots and videos.







Rachel is really smiling now and starting to make cute little sounds, especially for her daddy & brother.


Savannah has decided she wants to be a Navy cheerleader when she grows up . . .



On another note, I am LOVING the fall here. It has been a perfect-weather week. Hope you are enjoying this time of year, too!