Our "Elf " tree

Last year the kids and I hit the after Christmas sales and decided that we wanted to put together a "elf" tree for this year. We all forgot until we opened up our Christmas buckets last week and saw all the new stuff for the tree. It was such a nice surprise since we have had the same snowman tree for the last several years. The tree is very fun and crazy, but we like it! Let the Christmas season begin...

Idaho Thanksgiving

Our family spent Thanksgiving 2011 in Idaho. We had limited time, but we managed to see most of our families. We enjoyed visiting and spending the holiday with all of them. We first had Thanksgiving dinner at Tom and Frankie's which Craig did an excellent job preparing. Then, Tracy, Gail and I headed out for some crazy Black Friday shopping that started at 9pm on Thanksgiving night, Crazy! We had such a great time that we kind of forgot that we stood in so many lines. We ended our shopping spree at 5am and ate breakfast at Ihop then we all took a nap. It was great!

Then it was off to my mom's place where we had another dinner and got caught up on life. My mom had all the her Christmas gifts together so we were sent home with them. We then visited Great Grandma and my Dad. We all were very thankful that we could fit in to see everyone. Our suv was so full and packed tight that we had to leave a few things behind to be brought down in a few weeks. We felt like we were driving Santa's sleigh with all the Christmas gifts inside plus our luggage.

I like the sign that says "Line forms here" because we got to that point after waiting in line for about 2 hours getting ready to check out. It made us chuckle. Tracy had to snap a photo of the animal crackers because this was toward the end of the line and we had to stand in front of the snack aisle. We saw these two buckets of crackers just sitting there with a sign that said buy one get one free so, we had to get them. We then dove into them in the car because we were a little on the hungry side and had to refuel for more hours of shopping. Good times!!

What's the girl up to...

Ashlynn has been her social self these days. She was invited to a "Fancy" party where she had to dress in her fancy clothes. The picture below is what she came up with. She then wanted photos taken of her with her "Fancy" outfit. She is so funny! We also included a picture in her Indian get-up that she made at school from her "Pow Pow" party.

Carter's Piano Recital

Carter got to show off his piano skills at his piano recital. His song was the "Star Wars Main Theme". He was so nervous that he couldn't contain himself in his chair. We were so glad that he was second on the line up so he could relax for the rest of the performances. Carter did so well! He has only been in lessons for 8 months and he has picked it up really fast. We are so grateful for his very talented and fun teacher Christa. She is so good with all the kids and Carter loves going to lessons. We were so fortunate to find her through my sister-in-law Tracy. Thanks Tracy for the referral!

We were excited that family could support Carter.
He looks so sharp!

Football

Carter just finished up his first year of football. We opted to try out flag football because we wanted to try out this sport before he went into the real football league. Carter enjoyed his time and learned a lot about the sport. He scored several touchdowns and now understands more about the sport when he watches it on TV. He definitely wants to play tackle football next year, but we will see what we decide. He is a little sad that the season is over, but he still is playing backyard football with anyone that will play with him (including his sister) and she isn't scared to tackle him to the ground. It was fun to watch him get excited about touchdowns, making fun plays and grabbing the other team's flags to get them down. I love that at one of the first games the sprinklers turned on and the boys were playing the game with them on. What dedication and the boys thought it was fun when the weather was warmer, not so much now with it being colder. We were making hot chocolate after the last few games. Can't wait for next football season.

School Halloween Carnival

We has so much fun last year at the school carnival that we had been looking forward to it again this year. I didn't disappoint again. The kids loved seeing all their classmates and faculty dressed up and there is a activity in every classroom.

Halloween excitement

Halloween has come and gone by again. Our family enjoys this holiday and all its craziness. Our neighborhood had their annual trunk or treat and then we hit the streets. Ashlynn was done after the trunk or treat and did not want to be out when it got dark. She says the scary people come out at night. So, she and her friend Ava handed out candy at Ava's house. Carter and his friends went out with the mom's and scored a ton of treats. Matt missed the entire night due to having to be at work so long at the office. He was very bummed because he had been working the past 3 weeks on his scare for the trick or treaters. Well, it still turned out to be a good night and the weather was great!