Still playing catch up....

Thanksgiving 2009 at Nana and Grandpa Hall's:

It was a joyful yet low-key Thanksgiving. (That's the way we like it!) While Kirsten, Audrey, her Mom and sisters baked up a storm, Joe took the boys on a "Thanksgiving Morning Adventure." One of the highlights was visiting this creepy old cemetary in Everett, and climbing "Rucker's Tomb."

(By the way.... thanks Mom, for letting me talk you into trying some new dishes, despite the heated "controversy." The meal was divine!!

Christmas Eve/ Danish Dinner 2009:

This year we hosted the much anticipated "Danish Dinner" at the McNames home. It is a special tradition in our family, and it was so much fun to have family AND friends there to participate with us. The menu included all Scandinavian dishes, and a big thanks to Tom for making the "Aebleskiver," they were so delish!!!

Audrey and I made the gingerbread house.... ok we cheated a little, by using a pre-made kit. But the licorice roof was all our idea!

It wouldn't be Christmas Eve without a manger scene reenactment. Karoline, Karli, Tyler and Tommy were such good sports to play along with the kids! Quinn took his role as Wise man very seriously!

Christmas Morning 2009:

These are the faces of Christmas morning....... is there anything left to say!?!?

I guess just ...... THANKS SANTA!!!!!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween night, Mommy and the two matching Sugar Plum Fairies.

Quinn was "Max" from "Where the Wild things Are". It was so awesome of my sister Kim to send me all the pieces of this costume, all I had to do was assemble. Thank You Kim, you're the best! It was great that Quinn's naturally tousled hairdo actually accentuated the costume.

Joey wanted to be a fierce Viking Warrior.... I was shaking in my boots!

Our good friend Brandy had a Birthday close to Halloween so we did cosmic bowling
and this is the cake I made her.

Let the good times roll.....

Joey had his third season of soccer. His team was "The Silverados". It was so much fun for our whole family.

This is Grandpa Stella and cousin Madison, Conference Weekend.... Yay, BYU station!

Our city of Lynnwood, built and opened a brand new High School this year. Joey's Cub Scout Troop was invited to be a part of the dedication flag ceremony. It was exciting because this is the school Joey will go to someday.

Mormon's Rock!

About two months ago our good friends the Pedersen's dropped by with a Dairy Queen cookie dough ice cream cake and I just about died laughing when I realized they had to have the Dairy Queen employee write this on the cake for us. Tom and Brandy, you are some funny people!!!

I got thinking about how we are asked to always look for Missionary opportunities, and although I can't say for sure what Tom and Brandy's motives were in that particular moment, I have always been impressed by their courage. And besides.... Mormon's DO Rock!!!!!

Recently I started watching two girls in the morning before school. They are 7 and 10, and their family is wonderful, but they aren't LDS. Our family, does scripture study every morning at breakfast. (I find if their mouths are full, they absorb a lot more.) So I wondered at first if it would be offensive, or uncomfortable for the girls, to be present for that. They eat breakfast with us. I briefly considered moving our family scripture study to another time, but then I felt kind of ashamed that I hadn't even given this great family the benefit of the doubt. We tried it out for a few days, the girls could not have been more polite, and seemingly interested. I had a conversation with their Mom, she was thrilled that they girls would be getting daily devotionals.

I have to say it's been a surprisingly uplifting experience for us having these girls in our home, at our table sharing the gospel on a daily basis. If nothing else I see the spark of good (for lack of a better word), in my kids eyes as they share their own ideas about what we've read in the scriptures, and then quickly peak to see the two girls' welcome and open faces in response.

I find more and more that the Lord is blessing us in ways we are not even realizing we should be asking for.

Our ward recently had an activity, where every man women and child was invited to come and participate at the Temple. We've taken our children to the Temple grounds several times, but they were invited into the lobby along with the rest of the Primary children at the activity.
I was taken back at how elated they were by the experience. It was so special to Joey, Audrey and even Quinn, all of them couldn't believe that they were allowed inside the doors. They each individually described feeling the Spirit that day, what could be better for a Mom and Dad to hear? I just wanted to write this down so I could help them remember that day.

(Joe took this picture.)

Where is the pause button?

I know it's been months since I blogged, and to be really honest, it's partly because September/ October were months from "Hades", and partly because I went to this class on journaling/ blogging that made me want to do a better job. Not that I feel like each blog entry needs to be an Ensign article, but I'm still new to this, trying to figure it out, and I want to document what is really going on in our lives, not just the "picture perfect" moments. There is a whole lotta funny, coo-coo, crazy going on in between each of the choreographed events that I want to be able to remember too.
At the same time...... I have NO time!!! So I decided I'll just keep doing what I can, and at least something's getting posted.
Plus, I'm no writer! If you know us, you know.... that's Joe's department. So if you want the witty editorialized version, I'll give ya Joe's cell number. :)

Quinn is yelling at me that he's hungry, (what's new). So that's it for now.... is that real life enough???

I'm feeling kinda sassy today, is that coming out in my writting at all??? :)

Back to School

The summer flew by, and on Tuesday we started a new school year. Joey is now in 4th grade, and Audrey is in 2nd. Although I am a little heavy hearted to have them away so much of the day, they are very excited to embark upon another year at Lynnwood Elementry. It is however, beneficial for me to be able to give Quinn some much needed one-on-one attention.

What brilliantly clever and studious, yet fashionable, children these two seem! I wonder who their their mother is..... she must have it ALL together!!!
I wonder why they were almost late on the first day then?!?!?

Quinn wanted to be apart of the experience, of course. He has his own back pack.

If you look really carefully, you can see that; "Mom you're embarrassing me", eye roll happening here in Joey's new "upperclassmen" classroom. As, always though...... a really good sport!

Audrey, on the other hand still likes all the attention! Amazingly enough, her teacher, Miss Gough, recognized Joe as soon as we stepped in the door. They went to 7th grade together. What a small world. (Or I guess just a small Lynnwood, Wa.)

Audrey.... You Amaze Me!

About 9 months ago, Audrey informed me that she wanted a "Masquerade" themed party for her 7th Birthday. I guess I shouldn't have been that surprised, she listens to the "Phantom of the Opera" soundtrack at least every other day. Needless to say she had quite a while to dream up exactly how she wanted the party to go, down to the last detail!
So last Friday night at 7, we had 14 giddy little girls arrive totally decked out for a Masquerade that took place on our deck. Unfortunately, at the exact same stroke of seven, this nasty little flu bug that has been going around hit me like a ton of bricks, so Mommy spent the night on the bathroom floor. Luckily Joe is "The Man", and could take over flawlessly, (ok... well with a little help from Amy and Brandy.) Thank you for taking such wonderful pictures Amy, otherwise I really would have missed the whole thing!

We put up the big camping oning and strung up a small chandelier and lights everywhere. (Thanks Tom and Brandy....and thank you duct tape and zip ties!!)

Audrey looked adorable, and this cake was so fun to make! It's amazing what you can do with fondant. The cake mask we got at "Costume Display," along with that fantastic fan Audrey's holding.