The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I can't believe that Christmas is only a few days away. I LOVE the Christmas Season and don't want it to end. We have been busy enjoying this time of year.
-We built a gingerbread house. This year we even bought the gingerbread house pre-built. All we had to do was decorate it with the candy and that is the funnest part. The kids did a great job. It is still standing. It is missing quite a bit of candy but it is still standing.
- We decorated for Christmas and that really got us into the spirit of Christmas. We have an open entry with a beautiful staircase and I was so excited to wrap lighted garland around it and it turned out beautiful. It took a couple days to decorate the tree. We have no lights outside because we are renting. We did buy a wreath and it is already dead due to all of sunshine here in sunny California.
- We went to the Swim Team Potluck Christmas Party to our Ward Christmas Party. Santa Claus was there and the kids opted out of sitting on his lap. I wasn't surprised they are getting a little old for that.
-I took Talia and Tucker shopping separately to buy Christmas presents for each other and for their dad and Tate. Talia has been a big help this year in wrapping presents. She has no idea what is in store in the years to come.
- Talia and I participated in our ward's Christmas Program. I sang in the Choir and had a small speaking part. Talia participated in a children's choir and did a beautiful job.
- Talia participated in a Christmas Piano Recital and did an excellent job. I am so excited about her new piano teacher. She is WONDERFUL.
- We went and looked at Christmas lights last Sunday night and found a couple of streets with spectacular lights. Almost every house on those 2 streets went all out in decorating and it was absolutely amazing I want to go back again before Christmas. There was a lot of traffic on those streets and there were even lots of cars parked with crowds of people walking down the street.
- Trent took the day off and we went to Disneyland and California Adventure yesterday and met up with our old neighbors, the Kuffels. It was so good to see them and Talia and Tucker had wonderful time with their friends Peyton and Spencer. It was a little crowded but we lucked out with short lines at Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Grizzly River Rapid, and Screamin. The kids also enjoyed Brother Bear's Obstacle Course which included a rock wall and zip line. The parks were beautifully decorated for Christmas and had gorgeous Christmas trees, lights and garland.





I can relax a little, my Christmas Cards are sent out, goodie plates have been delivered, and most of presents are bought, wrapped and mailed if needed. Talia and Tucker can hardly wait and I can't wait to see their reactions when they open their gifts. We will certainly miss being with our families this Christmas but we are excited to spend at our own house and have great plans. We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.

We Are Thankful!!!

Our long awaited trip to Washington finally was here. We were able to go to Washington to visit both sets of grandparents for 10 days. We stayed with Trent's parents the first part of our trip. Trent's mom, LaRae recently had shoulder surgery so we happy to go and visit and help out. Trent's sister, Rebecca and her 2 girls came to visit while we there. We were able to see Trent's sister Brooke after Thanksgiving for a couple of days. Trent's sister Jodi and her family were in Canada until the day after we left. We missed seeing them.




We went to Mattawa during the middle of our trip. We were able to see my parents and all of my siblings except for my sister Sally and her family. We missed you Sally! Trent came a couple of days before Thanksgiing. We spent Thanksgiving day with my family. There was lots of good food and I was so grateful to be with my family. My sisters Betsy and Stephanie brought crafts for the kids, they included Turkey hats and Christmas ornaments. The 10 days went way too fast. Talia and Tucker had so much playing with their cousins on both sides of the family. We spent a couple of days at the park and went on walks to the pond in the orchard. We even went and gleaned apples at the orchard my dad manages. Talia and Tucker thought it was great. I just enjoyed talking, playing games and cooking with our families. I brought some crafty stuff and made some flower barrettes and scrabble tile necklaces for my sisters, moms and neices. One night we went and watched New Moon. My mom, sisters and I met Trent's sisters, Brook and Rebecca and her husband, Montel. We had a big group to watch it. It met all of our high expectations. Trent enjoyed shooting, eating and watching Football and movies during the break.




The Sunday after Thanksgiving Talia, Tucker and I hitched a ride with Brooke to Portland to spend a couple of days with our dear friends. My sister Stephanie and Michael were nice to take some our suitcases to Portland for us. We stayed with friends for 2 short days and had a wonderful time. Talia and Tucker were able to have a few playdates and sleepovers with their old friends. Talia went and ate lunch at her old school and saw lots of friends. I went and watched New Moon again with my friends and it was so much fun. We were sad to leave our family and friends but ready to go home. Thank you friends and family for such a wonderful trip. We feel very blessed.


I have read and appreciated my friend's and families lists of what their thankful for and wanted to make my own.

I am Thankful for:

- My Savior Jesus Christ.
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
- My testimony and knowledge of the gospel.
- A hard-working, patient and righteous husband who makes me laugh.
- Two loving, talented and hilarious children.
- My parents,Trent's parents and their example's and support.
- My siblings, Trent's siblings and their kids.
- Trent's good secure job.
- Tate, my dog. He is a very good dog and makes my children SOOOOOOO happy.
- A nice warm house to live in. (Yes it does get cold in California)
- Private Health Insurance (not run by the government)
- Yummy and healthy food to eat.
- Mine and my family's health.
- Exercise - it makes you feel so good and is a great stress reliever.
- Shared talents
- Crafts - I love creating things and sharing them with my friends and family.
- Books - let me escape from reality for awhile.
- Internet - it helps me keep in touch with my family and friends.

Grandma and Grandpa's Visit!

My mom and dad came to visit for a few days the first of November. We were so excited to have them come and visit us. We sure do miss being close to our families down here in California. They were here for Veteran's day and the kids didn't have school so we went to Legoland. I had free tickets for them and we have season passes. It was a little crowded but it was a lot of fun. Crowded for Legoland is nothing compared to Disneyland. We went on lots of fun rides and checked out the Miniature Lego world. Talia and Tucker even go grandpa to go a water ride with them. It involved squirt guns and getting people wet and he was all for it. We hurried home to take Talia to piano lessons and Tucker to swimming lessons. We had a late dinner and then watched the movie Up with grandma and grandpa.

The next day Talia had school. Tucker, grandpa and I went on a exhilerating bike ride. Afterwards grandpa went another bike ride to get some more exercise. We went to In and Out for lunch and ran a few errands. After school was out the kids played wallball with grandma and grandpa for over an hour. It was very entertaining. That night we watched Talia swim for her 1 1/2 hour practice. Everytime I watch her I am amazed at how committed she is and how hard she is willing to work.

It was short stay for them and we were sad to see grandma and grandpa leave the next morning. They were on a road trip and were driving to Utah and then Idaho see some of my siblings. We were so grateful that they took the time to come and visit. Thanks mom and dad! We love and miss you.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

We had a very fun October. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. We decorated the house and the kids had fun helping me. W carved pumpkins and instead of molding before Halloween they cooked in the hot weather. Talia wanted to do the spider but it ended up being too complicated so she helped more with the bat jack-o-lantern. Trent and Tucker did the traditional jack-o-lantern.



We were able to go to the Ward Halloween Party the Wednedsday before Halloween. Talia was a cave girl and Tucker was a skeleton. I didn't let him wear his mask so he let me paint his face and color his hair for the party. There was a chili and cornbread dinner with hotdogs for the kids. There was also an amazing Alice in Wonderland Haunted House. It was perfect for the kids and it was just a little scary. Tali and Tucker both went through it twice. We invited our neighbors, Meg, Lisie, and Zach, to the party and they came for the Haunted House and Trunk-Or-Treat. We all had a great time. We were so glad that our neighbors came.



Halloween morning was spent at the swimming pool. Talia participated in a smaller Halloween Swim Meet and did great. She got first in 2 of her 3 races. She has an excellent coach and he is really helping her to improve. I made a scary face pizza for dinner that night. Talia and Tucker loved the pizza. It is amazing what little things can make your children happy. After dinner we went trick-or-treating with the neighbors and we went for over 2 hours and the Talia and Tucker got TONS of candy. It was a very fun.

September Catch Up Blog

BACK TO SCHOOL

We arrived in California on September 4th and I registered the kids at the District Registration Office that same day. School had started in July or August and so the kids were behind a little bit. We had moved to California as soon as we could after we found out about the job. I was worried about getting the the kids in the same track but then they gave me the bad news that there was no room for them at the same school. There was room for Tucker at Eisenhower Elementary but not for Talia. Eisenhower Elementary is one of the best schools in the district and so EVERYONE wants their kids to go there. Talia was put in Vicentia Elementary. They were at different schools for 3 weeks and it was not fun. Tucker's school started at 7:45 so we would walk him to school and then an hour later I would drive Talia to her school. Tucker go out at 2:10 and I would walk to get him and then an hour later we would pick up Talia at 3:15.

I was very excited to get the call from Eisenhower to tell me that Talia was going to be able to go to Eisenhower. The bad news is that she was going to be on a different track than Tucker. Tucker is in B track and Talia is in C Track. It was late enough in the year that they wouldn't give me an option to move them once there was an opening in a track. Later I found out during Teacher Conference that the spot that Talia filled was open the whole time she was at Vicentia Elementary. I found that very interesting.

Tucker's teacher is Mrs. Weinrich and she is a wonderful teacher. Tucker is feeling more comfortable and making friends. He is really struggling with paying attention and getting his work done in class. His grades don't reflect that. Does anybody have any suggestions? I could really use them. I have tried to give him incentives with no luck. He ends up having TONS of homework every night and he is in 2nd grade. Talia was placed in a 4th/5th combined class and it's challenging but good for her. Luckily since this was her 2nd school in a month she was able to make friends quickly.



HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRENT!

Trent had a birthday a few days after we arrived in California. It was on Sunday. We went out to dinner on Saturday to celebrate. We still didn't have any of our stuff from the movers. It wasn't the most exciting birthday for him but at least we got to spend it together as a family. We had been apart so much during August it was nice to be together. I am so thankful for Trent and can't imagine life without him. He is a very loving, kind, righteous and hard working man. He is a wonderful dad and husband. Although this move to California was difficult for all of us we are proud of him and his new promotion. He works so hard for us and I love him so much. Happy Birthday!!!



FUN IN THE SUN




Once we settled in we wanted to enjoy the beautiful California weather. We bought Boogie Boards and went to the beach twice. The beaches are VERY different in California than in Oregon. Trent, Talia and Tucker spent hours in the water boogie boarding and had an awesome time. The water was warm enough that you could actually stay in longer than a few minutes. The first time Trent took the kids out to find some waves and before I knew it they were far enough out to make me worry. The lifeguard had to help them come back in. Hopefully they learned their lesson! The 2nd time we sent to the beach the waves were much stronger so we stayed closer to shore. We are waiting for Grandma to come and visit to show us how to really Boogie Board.
It was super HOT the first few month we were in California. We went and found a fun little park in Corona with some fountains one day after school. The kids had a great time and were so excited to be able to cool from the really hot weather. Corona doesn't have any Recreation Centers or Public Pools which is crazy considering how hot it is here.







DAY AT DISNEYLAND

My brother Ross and his family came to visit for a weekend in September. They wanted to go to Disneyland before they moved to Idaho. We decided to buy year passes at Disneyland and joined them for the day. Talia had a swim-a-thon that day so Trent and Tucker went early with Ross and Jana and their kids. Talia and I met up with them after her swim-a-thon. She swam 65 laps in about 45 minutes. She is amazing at swimming and I can't believe how hard she pushes herself to improve. Disneyland wasn't too busy.
It was before the Halloween rush and the park wasn't too busy. We had a wonderful time and were able to go on lots of rides. I went on the Tower of Terror with Talia, Jana and Ross. I haven't screamed that loud in a long time. I was pretty sure that I wouldn't like the ride very much and I was correct. I think that I screamed louder than anyone else on that ride. We stayed later than planned and poor Tucker got sick. He ate dinner and then we took him on a couple of rides and lucky for me he threw up when he was on a ride with Trent and not myself. I felt bad for Tucker because we had to walk quite a ways back to car. He is too heavy to carry so we just tried take it slow. He seems to throw up every time we go to Disneyland. He just gets worn out and does get motion sickness. Next time we won't let him eat very much before he goes on any fast moving rides. It was fun to go to the park with Ross, Jana, Parker, Lilly and Kinsley. Kinsley was so good.

Ross and Jana stayed the whole weekend and we had a great time. They were able to go to church with us and it was nice to just relax with them on Sundayafternoon. Talia and Tucker can't get enough time with their cousins and I love to watch them play together. Thanks for coming to visit. It was lots of fun.




TRIP TO PORTLAND

Our truck and boat were still in Oregon. The boat had been in the shop and was finally fixed. The original plan was to have Trent fly back to Portland and drive the truck and boat down to California. We decided to have me go instead. Trent would be able to work half days instead of missing 2 whole days from work. I wanted to go back to Portland to visit friends and family and have a break. I flew into Portland on Wednesday evening. Thursday morning I was able to walk with with friends which was great even though we went at 5:30 in the morning. After the walk I met my sister, Stephanie for breakfast and it was fun to see her. It makes me sad that we moved away from Portland shortly after she moved here. I had errands to run during the day to get our house ready to rent or sell. I went to lunch with my friend Liz and then had a hair appointment with my wonderful hairdresser who I am going to miss. I was able to catch with my old neighbors and it was so good to see everyone. Thursday evening I went out to dinner with my good friends Debbi, Holly, and Liz. After dinner we went and watched Julie and Julia and I loved it. I loved being with friends more. It was so fun to see them again. It was a very quick trip and I headed to California Friday morning. My dear friends came to see me off in the morning. Have I said how awesome my friends are. I sure do miss them.

I got past Salem with no engine trouble. I have been reading the Harry Potter series since I moved to California and was on the last book. I was able to check it out from library and was listening to it on my road trip. It made the road trip go so much faster. I was about 4 hours into the trip when I was rear-ended. For some reason the car in fron of me slowed down quickly and I was able to slow down fast enough the person behind me wasn't. I have decided not to drive from Oregon to California anymore. I don't seem to have very good luck. Either I have engine trouble or I get in an accident. Luckily there was more damage done to the camper that hit and the camper damaged the boat deck. The truck's bumper was bent but it was driveable. I am so grateful that I was able to drive it home and didn't have to wait to have it fixed. We had to call the police becuase the damage was more $1500 dollars. The accident and waiting for the police delayed me for about 2 hours. I was got to my brother's in Sacramento about 9:00 p.m. It was fun to see them again even though it was for only a couple of hours. My drive on Saturday was pretty uneventful and I was able to finish the Harry Potter boo also. I LOVED it. I was able to get home in for Trent to go to the Priesthood Meeting. We are still waiting for our boat trailer to be fixed. The man that hit me is insured by Progressive. Need I say more. Progressive insurance stinks and they aren't very helpful or fast.

Overall it was a great trip and fun to see so many friends and family. Yeahh now I can blog about Halloween!!!!!

August Catch Up Blog

I am SOOOOOO behind in blogging. I really wanted to post my Halloween pictures but told myself I had to wait until I was all caught up. Hopefully I can make the posts somewhat brief but this is my journal and scrap booking lately.

August - Last Few Weeks in Oregon and Trip to California

The last few weeks of August were a blur. I was so busy trying to get everything ready to move, stopping and starting utilities, changing addresses, and cleaning out all of our stuff so that we wouldn't be moving things that we didn't want to keep. I made lots of trips to the local Value Village. All the while Trent had started working in California for half of each week. We didn't see him much during August.

With only a few weeks left the kids were getting lots of play dates with their friends and neighbors. They wanted to see all of their friends and spend as much time as they could with them before we moved. We also fit in a few boating afternoons and evenings with friends. Thank you Maysen, Abbi, Maya, Molly, Zach, Shane, Keaton, Brenden, Kyle, Kira, Erik, Jarae, Jane, Anne, and Aaron.

My dear friends planned a surprise night out and it was such a surprise that I was over an hour late to it. My cell phone just happened to die that night and so everyone was calling me while the kids and I went out to dinner after Talia's swimming practice. Trent was out of town that night. My awesome friends waited in my house for over an hour for me to show up for my own party and then we all went to dinner and a movie. We went to California Pizza Kitchen and I had dessert since I had just eaten dinner. We went and watched the Time Travelers Wife which I chose. Thank you for a fun night!

The packing day finally came and it took a day and a half to pack up all our stuff. I could have given the movers some pointers and if they would have arrived before 11:00 a.m. each day they probably could have got it all packed in one day. The packing of the boxes and packing up the truck took 2 LONG days. We used Master Movers and I wouldn't recommend using them. They damaged my dresser due to not very good wrapping and they even stole some gifts that I was saving for a birthday or Christmas. It was a brand new Wii game still in the package. They weren't very professional and seemed to want to take lots of short cuts rather than do a good job.

Our last night in Oregon our house was empty. We wanted to spend our last night with so many different friends we decided to have everyone come to our house for a big slumber party. The kids had a great time running around in an empty house, playing games, eating ice cream, and eating snacks. The parents just talked and played games. We had over 15 kids spend the night and everyone just slept in their sleeping bags downstairs. Trent and I got a lot of sleep and miraculously so did the kids. I think that they had run around so much everyone was able to crash.

Finally the dreaded morning came and with a very tearful good-bye we started our long trip to California. Our friends took such good care of us and sent us off with care packages and treats. One of my friends even did some research and gave me a gift certificate to go and get dinner in Corona once I was there. I have AWESOME friends. Trent was staying for a couple of days to work and was going to meet us in California. We had a slow start and ended up spending 5 hours in Salem while they did repairs on our car. The check engine light came on 30 minutes into our trip which led to the stop in Salem. That made for a very long day. We had Tate with us so we couldn't go to the mall across the street to pass time. Luckily the rest of the trip that day went smoothly and we made it to my brother's house in Sacramento at 11:00 p.m. Talia and Tucker feel asleep the last few hours of the trip. I was extremely tired but thanks to the sunflower seeds in the care packages from friends I was able to stay awake.

We stayed with my brother for a couple of days and had lots of fun. My sister-in-law was a wonderful hostess and took great care of us. She is an excellent cook. Talia and Tucker had lots of fun with their cousins Lilly and Parker. Sunday we went to church with them and just spent afternoon together. Monday we went to a Fairy Tale Park. It was a very cute park and it was FREE that day. Talia, Tucker, Lilly and Parker made up a song and sat on top of a big statue of cheese and sang their song about LOVING cheese for over 15-20 minutes. Other kids even joined in and then we couldn't take it anymore we ended the fun. That afternoon we went swimming in Ross and Jana's friend's pool. It was lots of fun and Talia and Tucker would have stayed all afternoon if they could. Thanks to Ross and Jana for their hospitality. We had lots of fun.

Tuesday morning we drove to Corona and I was able to make it in time to get the kids registered for school. It was a relief to finally be done with the LONG road trip. We unpacked the car and went grocery shopping so that we would have some food to eat. Our rental house was very empty for over a week and a half before the movers arrived. It as interesting not having any furniture. It made me realize how much I take chairs and couches for granted.

One Last Trip

My mom and sister Betsy came to visit for a long weekend one last time before we moved during the 2nd of August. They stayed with us for a few days and then went and stayed with my sister Stephanie (her and her husband recently moved to Beaverton)for a few days. It was lots of fun. We went to this great park one day in Lake Oswego. There was this little beach on the river and the water was shallow and warm. The kids loved the sand and the water, especially my niece Ella. She loved to destroy whatever anyone made or wrote in the sand. It was quite entertaining. There were some ducks that would very close for food. They were pretty fat ducks and you could tell they were fed quite often. I also introduced them Burgerville. They had been coming to visit me for several years and I had never let them experience Burgerville. They enjoyed it VERY MUCH. Another day we went to the Children's Museum and my kids enjoyed it more than I thought they would. I got the free passes from the library and we were going more for my niece who was almost 3. I hadn't taken the kids there for a couple of years and they had a lot of fun. Tucker's favorite place was the digging room and Talia's was probably the water although she really enjoyed the camping room also. I think all the rooms were Ella's favorite. On Saturday all of the girls, Tucker and little Tanner went to Saturday Market in downtown Portland. It is always fun to see the hundreds of booths and see the fun toys and crafts for sale. Later that evening we went out to 5 Guys Burgers and Fries with Mike and Trent and it was fun.
















My mom and Betsy were planning to go home on Monday morning but extended their trip to watch Talia and Tucker so that Trent and I could make a quick trip to California to find a place to live. We still hadn't found a rental and we were supposed to be moving in a little over 2 weeks. It was so nice for them to stay and watch the kids and Tate. It made the trip less stressful for me and we were successful in finding a beautiful home to rent with a 6 month lease rather than a 12 month lease. My mom and Betsy took Talia and Tucker and Betsy's kids to Oaks Amusement Park. They had reached their summer reading goal and had discount ride tickets. They had a great time and I wish I could have been there because I heard that Ella was quite entertaining. Talia can get her to do almost anything and go on almost any ride even if it scared her to death. Mom and Betsy thanks so much for coming to visit. We will definitely miss our weekend visitors now that we will be moving to California.