Some favorite Christmas moments...

2011 was the year of two trees.
I have been wanting to use blue, silver and white (a childhood thing) in my Christmas decor for awhile now so this was the year I changed things up and put a blue and silver tree and all those winter-y decorations in our big room and brought our warm and cozy kid's Christmas decor into our family room.
I loved having both!




I like to keep the decorations up until the new year rings in.

The cutest elf.

Christmas morning mayhem.
It's so fun to sit back and watch it all unfold through the eyes of our kids.

Our annual get together with the Slades.
One of my favorite parts of our Christmas activities.
Yummy food, even better company and the family photo!

We eventually get one that works!

And the newest addition to the family is this absolutely delicious piece of heaven...
Elliott.

And underneath that stocking hat are ginger curls galore.
He's a keeper.

Whatever your Christmas traditions and activities are,
I hope you feel as blessed and happy as I do.

Merry Christmas!

Dear family and friends,

Here we are at the end of 2011. We’ve had an eventful year so let’s get started on the details!

To celebrate the milestones of our 20th wedding anniversary, Maddison turning 16, Davis being 12 and receiving the Priesthood and Cooper turning 8 and being baptized we made an unforgettable trip to Nauvoo. Brent and I had been planning and saving for three years to make it happen at this particular time when our kids were all at just the right ages. Kansas City was our first stop. We saw ALL the church history sites; the highlights being Liberty Jail and Adam-ondi-ahman. We ate lots of BBQ, went to a Royals baseball game and toured the Truman Library. We stopped in Hannibal, MO and got a giant dose of all things Mark Twain. It was lots of fun and so beautiful being right on the banks of the Mississippi River. Four days in Nauvoo allowed us to explore and enjoy it to the fullest. No stone went unturned. The highlights were Carthage Jail, the pageant and trips to the temple for Brent, myself, Maddie and Davis. Although the summer heat and humidity was intense, Nauvoo in the summer is the time to go. There is a tangible feeling and spirit there that made you want to linger. Keeping the “Nauvoo Spirit” alive in our family is a joke we often make but honestly it is real and something to treasure. It will be a life long favorite memory for us.

Maddison is a Junior this year and turned 16 in June. She celebrated in fine fashion with 50 of her closest friends. HA HA! Dating and driving are two of her favorite pass times and I do have to say that having an extra driver in the family is very nice. She spent a week at BYU this summer enjoying EFY and making lots new friends. Playing basketball at her high school and being an excellent student keep her out of trouble and plenty busy. Our time with her is going too fast. How do you hang on??

Davis made his theatre debut as Daddy Warbucks in the school musical “Annie” in May. He took the stage with a freshly shaved head and all! It was great fun to see some of his many talents shine. He played baseball in the spring and worked hard in Scouts all through the summer. He is a Life now and planning an Eagle project. Davis began Junior High this year and loved playing 7th grade football. He is trying wrestling now and learning that if it doesn’t kill you, it will make you stronger.

Cooper is in the third grade. He turned 8 in February and it was wonderful to celebrate his baptism surrounded by family and friends. He is most happy on a baseball or football field. He loved playing Little League this year with his Dad coaching them to end the season as Champions. Football this fall was a good lesson in learning you can’t always win when they lost the Championship game by a touchdown. Life lessons are good! He enjoys Scouts and is now a Wolf with a shirt and belt full of accomplishments : )






Brent keeps extra busy now that he is the Young Men’s President. He is excited to have this calling a 2nd time as the first time around he was 10 years younger and less “wise”. I am still a ward missionary and enjoying the spirit of missionary work in our ward and neighborhood. Brent had a business trip to Seattle a couple months ago and so I tagged along. Being back in our newly wed stomping grounds was a romantic and fun way to celebrate our 20th anniversary. It was a wonderful five days!

We send our love and warmest wishes for a very Merry Christmas and a new year filled with much happiness.

Love ~ Brent, Andrea, Maddison, Davis and Cooper

a birth day story...

How each of my children made their way into the world has their similarities and differences.

I'm an epidural girl but when I was in labor with Davis, the meds never caught up to how quickly he was making his entrance.  The meds finally kicked in when it was all over and he was in my arms.  Because of that I was totally aware of every little detail during the process of getting him here.  When Davis was born I was actually sitting up enough that I was able to see him emerge and bring him up to snuggle into my warm, spent body.

That moment ~
It took my breath away. Truly.

I can still feel it.
The emotion of when I caught my breath.
I've never felt so close to God.

He's offically a teenager now and somehow I know he'll glide through it all.

I knew from the moment I saw him that he was going to be something special.

And he has been.  And is.  And will be.

Happy Birthday my beautiful boy!

Cooper has been busy...

Cooper finished up another season of flag football.  He loves it!
His favorite part of the week was when Friday finally rolled around and he could go to practice and look forward to a game the next day.

The Vikings were a great little team.
Undefeated until...



The final tournament game when they went up against another undefeated team for a chance at the title of
CHAMPIONS!

They lost by just a touchdown but by the look on my little man's face you'd think it was by a mile.

Maybe losing by only a touchdown is much worse than losing by a mile.
As a mom, I'm still trying to figure that one out : )


Cooper also enjoyed Cub Scout Day Camp a couple months ago.
We took almost 30 boys to Usery Park and hiked the Wind Cave trail and in so doing I made a mental note to myself that hiking really is not my thing.

But he's worth it.

Oh! For the love of Pete...

Just in case you missed this indulgence this year...
I'm giving you plenty of notice for next year.

No thanks necessary : )

Don't let this one pass you by!

It's Day 5 on our ADVENT...

How far that little candle throws its beams!

So shines a good deed...

~ Shakespeare

It's time to pull out the advent and start the countdown.

As I was pondering how to pull it off this year, I was inspired by Rachel's idea of a service advent.

She put much thought into her countdown using Christ's words from the New Testament.

So I'm taking her inspiration and tweaking it here and there for my family.

Instead of pockets being filled with treats, cash or instant gratification, the pockets will be filled with opportunities for our family to look outward and let our little candles throw their beams.

Oh, I haven't let the other things go completely.  For instance, on one day when we read Luke 6:31-46, it teaches us "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise."
So along with this invitation (and we have to report at dinner time) I have included some Christmas Tic Tacs that say "here's a little something to keep your smile and words of love to others minty fresh!"

And so it will go throughout the season...

I'm hoping it will be a memorable advent this year.

Starting December off right...

Please enjoy this Christmas message of pure love...

Finding my inner Dr. Seuss...

Say!
I am Thankful!
I am! I'm thankful, that I am!
And I would be thankful in a boat.
And I would be thankful with a goat.
And I will be thankful in the rain.
And in the dark. And on a train.
And in a car. And in a tree.
God is so good, so good, you see!

So I will be thankful in a box.
And I will be thankful with a fox.
And I will be thankful in a house.
And I will be thankful with a mouse.
And I will be thankful here and there.
Say! I will be thankful ANYWHERE!

I am so thankful, that I am!
Thankful!
Thankful!
Yes I am!

  

Wolf-ing it...

Doesn't he realize that as the "baby" of my heart, he is not allowed to grow up?!?!

But regardless, he's doing it and doing it well!


Wolf-ing down the pudding is the rule in our pack to earn your badge.
He managed rather nicely.

And yes, that is my eight year old, nearly as tall as his mother.
I resigned myself to being the shortest in my family a long time ago.

Cooper ~ I love you with every piece of my heart!

Her feet weren't that big but her shoes are sure hard to fill...

Two attributes my mom carried beautifully and ones I'm still trying to figure out...

1.  Unconditional love
2.  Thinking of others before oneself

Sometimes two years seems so long ago and sometimes it feels like it was just the other day.

Missing you still.
Loving you always.

more on gratitude...

My very smart, beautiful, funny, insightful friend, Rachel (is that enough praise??) said these words about the month we call November...

"I find it no accident that we spend a month focusing on gratitude before we are ready to spend a month focusing on the Savior."

See!  I told you...smart and insightful : )

And I really do love November.

I love the welcome change in weather ~ finally getting out the comfy quilt to add a layer of snuggle to my bed.

I love the colors ~ earthy and natural with speckles of sunny yellows and radiant reds.

I love the smells ~ Gold Canyon Mulled Cider and Apple Orchard Paradise are the best candle scents this time of year.  Heart them : )

I love the sounds ~ the occasional rain dripping from the eaves and splashing in the pool, crunchy leaves on my porch that I don't sweep away on purpose and opening my windows first thing in the morning to hear the birds morning song.

I love the tastes ~ pumpkin pie, pumpkin bars, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies!  But let's not forget the warm soups and roasted turkey!

I'm grateful to pause, give thanks and recognize from where my blessings come.

By doing so, just like President Monson said, the doors of heaven are open and my mind and heart are ready to welcome

December.

Pondering my gratitude...

I read these words about a month ago...

"What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?"

If that was true then today I would have woke up with...

Brent and Maddison (arriving safely home from Youth Conference in the mountains)
Davis (spending the entire day together supporting Cooper at his football tournament)
Cooper (for his safety and all the fun during his football play)

So this morning it looks like all I'd have is my family.
Thankfully.

But there is so much more I'm grateful for!
The list is extensive.

I must say that for the most part I think I would wake up pretty darn good.
But last night was a quick expression of my thanks before I fell into bed ~ asleep before my head touched my pillow.

It happens, right?

I do know that there are blessings that come from the verbal expression of thanks.

But I find comfort knowing that the Lord "looketh on the heart". 

I do try to keep a prayer in my heart going about my daily and sometimes mundane routine.

I find that this is often when I have my best conversations with the Lord...
...driving to and from countless errands
...over a kitchen sink filled with suds
...looking in the mirror applying mascara
...or even eating my bowl of cheerios

So I'm glad I read that quote awhile ago.
I have been much more aware as I've knelt beside my bed.

But I'm glad to know that the Lord looks at my heart...

Thankfully.

District Champs!

Davis + Jr High = SUCCESS



And not just on the football field.

But in the classroom as well.

For whatever reason, he's got this jr. high thing figured out.

And it has been a joy to watch!

He had such a great time doing flag football that he is going to give wrestling a try next.

I love this kid.

S P O O K T A C U L A R ! !

I love to decorate for Halloween.
This year I added a few DIY projects that only costs me a few bucks.

Here is my entry table...


This is another spot...

This was a new DIY...
I bought both the candlesticks and glass jars at Hobby Lobby for 50% off.  I glued the jars to the candlesticks with E6000 glue, filled with candy, tied on some ribbon that I already had in my stash and printed off some Halloween labels from the computer...FREE!
If you haven't found Pinterest - please don't go looking.  Well, I guess you can if want some great ideas like this one : )
It's a love/hate relationship for me!

These were a new addition this year as well and LOVE them!
Total cost...nothing!
I just googled Halloween printables, picked a few I liked and clicked "print" on my computer.
I used scrapbook paper I already had to matt them and then put them inside some black frames I had sitting in my closet that needed to be put to use.

 

I bought the colorful glass bottles at Hobby Lobby at 50% off.  I think the largest bottle (purple) cost me $2.50 and the red and green were about a buck.  I found the lables through a link on Pinterest but you can find them just as easily (and without the addiction) if you google "printable Halloween potion labels".

I love Halloween in Arizona!
Perfect weather.
No coats under or over a great costume.
Neighbors gather out on driveways to pass out candy and enjoy the evening together.
We build fires in pits, share BBQ and all sorts of great food and chat the night away.

Why we believe...

Being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a blessing.  If you've ever wondered what we are all about just click here to read about people just like you. 

And if you care to know why we believe, you can click on our names : )

Maddison

Brent

Andrea

4 minutes well spent...

I've heard Amazing Grace sung many times.
But never quite like this.
It is sung by Il Divo in the Rome Colosseum.
Please pause my music on the side bar.

Have a beautiful day!

Part Three ~ final thoughts on Seattle

When Brent graduated from the mighty Y, he interviewed with a company that his sister was working at.  They had an opening...in Seattle.  He took the job and left for training without me.  I stayed behind and kept working at my job, trying to save save save some $$$$$.   At some point I joined him for a weekend and we went house hunting.  Not far from his new office building was a little hill called Queen Anne.  It was a fun, vibrant and quirky small community and that is were we began looking for a place to call home.  After seeing a few places we ended up at the Fourth West Square apartments.

That's our place.  On the second floor, corner apartment. We paid $575.00/month for rent.  I remember that we looked at two apartments that day.  One did not have a window with a view of the Puget Sound.  The corner apartment did have a window view.  The view came with a price and Brent and I pondered over that extra money for quite some time.  Keep in mind that the view could only be seen if you stood at a certain spot at the corner window, held your breath, closed one eye and clicked your heels three times : )  But we took the plunge and signed the papers. 

It was great to go back after 20 years.  It still looks exactly the same but I'm sure the rent has doubled even though the view hasn't changed!  It was fun to think about all of our "firsts" in that apartment.  Our first Thanksgiving dinner was just the two of us.  We managed to put a decent dinner on the table.  We cooked a turkey, I made my dad's gravy, Brent made his mom's orange rolls, we followed the Libby's label and made a yummy pumpkin pie and we toasted with Martinelli's.  Our first Christmas together followed.  I still have the pretty umbrella that Brent gave me.  I could go on and on...

Twenty years ago this little Thai restaurant was our hangout spot.   The price was easy on the newlywed budget, it was just up the street and around the corner from our apartment and the food was DELICIOUS!!  This is where I fell in love with Thai food.
We went back and nothing had changed except a fresh coat of pain and they had upgraded their once paper menu for a laminated menu!  You still ordered your food the same way...1 to 4 stars depending on how spicy you want it.  We always go for two stars.  The food was still incredible and it felt quite romantic sitting across the tiny table from one another all over again : )

The best place for gorgeous views of the Seattle skyline is right on Queen Anne hill.  There is a small park that was made just for taking in the incredible sight. 

The view is so sweeping that you can even see the ferries come in and out of the harbor. 

On our last full day we drove out to Bellevue and did a session in the Seattle temple.  It was the perfect way to end our trip.  It all came full circle...beginning our life together here 20 years earlier and celebrating it again right where it all began.

 

If you haven't enjoyed a vacation to the Northwest yet...please put it on your bucket list!

Special note to Maddison, Davis and Cooper...
when we retire here, please come see us : )

Part Two ~ Seattle

One of our favorite places to wander away the time is at the market.  Also known as Pike Place.
This market is full of interesting everything!

We started our day just inside the main entrance with breakfast at Lowell's.  We had a beautiful view...

And while we watched the ferries come and go we enjoyed an enormous cinnamon roll, topped with a slightly sweet, buttery cream cheese frosting that was oh so yummy.  And we shared a LOWELL’S INCREDIBLE BREAKFAST TACO, which in their words is made up of: House made chorizo, scrambled eggs, Cotija cheese, avocado and tomatillo salsas on double corn tortillas served with crispy hash browns.

Yeah...we devoured it!

 
 
The fresh flowers are truly unreal.  Honestly stunning.
Pictures rarely do flowers justice, as in this case.  It is something you have to see to believe.

All along the market are flower vendors. The blossoms were huge, colorful, fragrant and so incredibly cheap!

A monster size bouquet with a variety of flowers was only $10.

I wanted to bring home a bouquet for every neighbor, friend and stranger!

That being totally unrealistic, Brent bought me a bouquet for us to enjoy in our room.

I don't have a picture but we found a little corner bakery called Cinnamon Works.  You'll want to remember that.
They had thee most incredible cookies!  I ended up going back on our last day and buying six snickerdoodles to bring home for the kids.  The boys thought they had died and gone to heaven!

A day at the market is not complete until you've stopped here ~ The Pike Place Fish Market.
You can't miss it. It's right at the main entrance and you have to duck when these fun guys start throwing fish around. Nobody was buying when we stopped by so there wasn't any flying fish. I was tempted to buy a beautiful salmon (only $11.99 a pound) and have it packed to take home just so I could get a picture of the great fun but I got control of my impulse and walked away. I think I glanced over my shoulder a couple times though.

 

And this little side street is called Post Alley.  I hear it is quite the spot.  Something about a gum wall.  I googled it and I'm really glad we decided to just take a picture.  Like I said "interesting everything!"  But it's what makes Seattle, so Seattle.

Another activity was a stroll around the Ballard Locks.

It is always so lush and green here and today was no exception.  The fall colors were bright and beautiful.

So what are the locks?  Well according to a website the locks and associated facilities serve three purposes:

•To maintain the water level of the fresh water Lake Washington and Lake Union at 20 to 22 feet above sea level.
•To prevent the mixing of sea water from Puget Sound with the fresh water of the lakes (saltwater intrusion).
•To move boats from the water level of the lakes to the water level of Puget Sound, and vice versa.

Necessary tidbit?  Probably not but how about good random trivia!  You never know when you'll be asked how the locks work the next time you are on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire".

Here are a few pictures of a boat going through the locks, coming from the salt water of the Puget Sound to the fresh water of Lake Washington.  The lock is filled with water and rises until it is at the same level as the canal.

When the levels are equal, the lock opens and the boat heads up the canal.  It is fun to watch.  Many times while we lived here we would come to watch the boats make their way in and out of the locks.  Often there are several at a time going through.  You get to see some beautful boats, from little watercrafts to amazing yachts.

 
The large lock for the big beauties!


Also at the locks is the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Gardens.
It was a beautiful day to enjoy the park.

 

 

Can you believe the size of this tree?!?!  I couldn't find the marker for it so I'm not sure what it is but we found out this much...

It is a type of pine.  Standing back from where I was taking the picture I never would have guessed.

 It certainly didn't look like a pine until I got up close.  The needles were the give away.

 
 
And the flowers.  When I have my camera I just can't resist the flowers.

 

 

 

 

It was a gorgeous day in Ballard.