Merry Christmas to me!

I got a iPad, so good news for you. More posts!

Of course I have to figure out how to work it.....

Thanksgiving

We stayed home this year for Thanksgiving.
It was nice not to make the long drive.

P.S. Yes I know the cabinets in the background are scary.
P.S.S I got a new kitchen table for my birthday. It's HUGE. It's scratched, dinged and dented, but it's mine, all mine, and I think it's beautiful. Pics to come.

Because two people got married....

(picture taken family reunion 2011 Bear lake)




A few month back, Barry family gathered together to celebrate his parents anivesary. As Barry and I, his parents, and seven siblings plus spouses sat around the big table talking. I looked around and thought, "This is truely awesome."

It is just amazing what these two people have accomplished. What an incredible legacy!

Halloween!!!

For the annual Halloween party. The Stuart's once again hosted a Spooktacular Halloween Bash. The decorations were amazing. I wish I could have got better pictures of everything. My camera doesn't work very well in normal conditions and in the dark it hardly works at all.


My older brother, built this amazing witch, her head turns, her eyes glowed, she stirred her cauldron which bubbled up spooky smoke bubbles. I must say the smoke bubbles were the coolest thing i think I have every seen. The kids loved trying to catch them. Next to the witch was a bookshelf with glowing potions and other nasty ingredients for the witches brew. Spiders and cobwebs were everywhere, there was even a giant spider in the basement that would jump out at you when you stepped on a pressure pad. Even people warned about the scary spider would still jump from surprise (Dad, Matt, Ellie(twice). The backyard was filled with fog and gravestones, and a very cool spooky ghost hung in the garage. Oh Oh and there was food too. Barbecue, green salad, caramel apples, pumpkin dessert, a bootiful cake and a super yummy drink.

James trying to catch the bubbles

Ryan and Matt in their scary costumes.

The witch and the potion shelf

Barry dressed up as a party pooper, James the dinosaur

Pirate and lumberjack or axe murderer, (wasn't sure)

Ellie fairy princess

Randy and Katie the party hosts. I am afraid they look like vampires because of this picture, but that just adds I think.

Dad the chef

Thunder and the Scary Monkey

My favorite pic of the night.

Apples!

apples, applesauce, dried apples, apples for pies, apple butter.

I have been lucky this year and have had unlimited access to quality apples this year.
Macintosh, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious. Red Delicious. Mmmmm

On one apple picking excursion, I picked over 40 gallons of apples in a couple of hours. Even Lauren helped by clearing away the leaves in the trees so I could see the apples better. When I climbed the ladder with her, I would pick the apples, and she would pick the leaves and stuff them in her mouth hoping I wouldn't notice.

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Barry surprised me one evening by coming home from work and saying that he had been thinking about me and realized that there aren't many women in my generation who are willing to do all the work of canning for their family to enjoy. So he had got me a little present.

A double burner Camp Chef stove!
He also bought me an extra canning pot and filled up our propane tank. Whoho! Now I can can outside, use both pots, and have my whole stove top free!

Happy Day! I got all my applesauce done in one day, with Barry doing most of the work. :)

I have been amazed with how many apples my children can gobble down. Especially James. Lauren loves to eat them too. She does pretty well and leaves little bite marks all over the apples, proving her teeth do exist, thought they are ALL currently still MIA.

A Fall Ride

Lauren having Daddy time.


Mmmmm... what to do for fun???

I love this picture, you can see she is laughing with the binky in her mouth.

A serious horsewoman

Giddy-up!

My beautiful girl

He could ride all day.

Heading back to the barn, after a fun afternoon.

James and the Giant Tractor

Long day, working on the farm, chasing the girls in the tractor.

Guess what

we have been doing......

Ellie does not like wiggling her teeth, so when I told her she had to *wiggle her tooth for 5 min before you played. She just groaned in complaint and came over to me with her mouth open and said, "How about you just pull it out instead."
So, before she had too much time to think about that request, I reached in and yanked that tooth out. She was happy as a clam not to have a loose tooth anymore. Unfortunately, she bit a lotion bottle later that day and made another tooth real loose.

*Perhaps you think I am a mean mother to make her wiggle her teeth, but as you can see from the picture the permanent residences are moving in and the current occupants need to move out!

Yes, beans, beans and more beans. If you want to here the funniest little cackle, show James how to pinch bean seeds at his sisters, he never got tired of it, and would always let out the funniest mischievous cackle whenever he was successful and hitting anyone.

We leave 20 min early everyday to pick up Ellie from school, this gives us time to review letters and read books in the car while we wait for Ellie to come. Baby Lauren is usually napping so it's a little special one on one time I can spend with James every day.

see napping



not napping

Last Saturday, I took a quilting class from my dear friend Anita(More on this later)I was gone for approximately three hours. While I was away Barry built this. He sure does accomplish amazing things while he is watching the kids.
*It's a half shed, half green house.
He has the metal roofing on now, and has the plastic ready to put up. More pictures to come.


and now you know what we've been up to.......





**** author's note
Spell check has disappeared off blogger, so um sorry, you're going to be getting these posts very raw.

Diggin'

Digging a root cellar

Sometime I look at my little boy and just think

"Como???"
I love my little Mexican boy

The Many Faces of Lauren Noelle

for Jeana

Lauren looks like my mom, the lightening on this pic was all messed up, so I darkened it and I swear it could be a baby picture of my mom -minus the modern funny outfit. The bow is from dress-ups. It's Snow White's I believe.

Lauren the doll

Lauren Larue

Sleepy Lauren

Beautiful Lauren

"Just stop already MOM!"

I can always tell when Lauren wants to give me a kiss, or eat me. She gets this certain look in her eyes.

I love you Lauren, my happy beautiful girl!