Our Yearly Vacation -

So this post has pictures galore! I am missing a few from Tricia's camera, but here are the ones from mine.

We started out on Wednesday, November 17 and headed to Provo. We left a day earlier than we anticipated because I wanted to be able to see my Grandma Coy (mom's mom) who is not doing well at all. So we started early so I could love on her for a little bit.

We left there after I saw here on Thursday morning and headed to Vegas. We stayed there with Aunt Kathy and I was able to see my cousins and go to my sweet cousin Dianne's baby shower. My kids took a bath in Kathy's bathtub and thought it was the greatest ever! Swimming pool even! Hunter and Tyler had a blast (except when Tyler got water in his eyes.)

We left Vegas on Friday and went to Tricia and Matthew's in Valencia, CA. We spent the next 4 days with them.

We went to a place called Mountasia on Saturday. Hunter climbed a rock wall, the kids played laser tag, we ate french fries, and rode rides that didn't give out tickets. Travis nearly fell going into the place because it was raining. He was holding Dallin and watching him slip was like slow motion. He was so sore the next couple of days because of that near fall - as he tried to save the baby from cracking his head. :) What a guy!

Sunday was church and a super yummy roast and then a brisk walk to a nearby park where we saw some rabbits and played on the playground. Dallin and Maesyn carried around our portable DVD player and watched movies all over the apartment.

Monday we attempted Disneyland. It was insane. I was hoping that it wouldn't be that busy the first day of the week of a holiday - but it was packed...I tell you PACKED. I think the kids had a lot of fun. The bus ride to and from the car was even a highlight. Dallin was exhausted by the time we'd been there a few hours and he hated his little "monkey harness" - but he finally fell asleep for just about 45 minutes which was good. Tyler got to ride the Matterhorn - which was a huge deal to be on a big roller coaster. However, Gwendalin missed riding Indiana Jones because the pushed her hair down with one index finger and told her she wasn't tall enough. But she sure was pretty enough with her nice face butterfly paint! :O) We took in our own lunch which was handy for snacking. All in all, it was a good day - just way TOO MANY PEOPLE. Better luck next time. Actually we think we might do Lagoon or Magic Mountain next time, our kids loved the roller coasters the best.

We were going to leave on Tuesday from their house but we were having too much fun watching TV off of their computer after we put kids in bed. and playing with cousins and so we decided to stay one more day (that's the day I didn't have the camera) We went to the Santa Barbara Zoo....it was the perfect size! love love loved the Gorillas. Anyway, the beach was on the agenda as well, but it started raining so we went home and the kids tried swimming in the apartment pool and hot tub - these were not heated and the hot tub was broken...but they attempted it anyway in 52 degree weather. They asked for hot chocolate when they were done. :)

Wednesday we left and headed to the Phoenix area....also not a good idea to travel the day before Thanksgiving. It was horrific. We made it to my brother's house and were able to see both of my brothers and their kids for a few minutes (not nearly long enough) before we left that side of the valley and went over to Grandma and Grandpa Chesley's house. I don't get to see my brothers and their families enough at all and I wish I could because my kids need to know those cousins too....maybe someday we can have a reunion if everybody would get on board.

Thanksgiving was fun - it was good to see the family and let our kids play with those cousins too! Gwendalin loved taking poeple's restuarant orders on a new notebook grandma gave here and also doing grandma's hair. On Friday I got to see my bestie, Marie! We just hung out at her house after a round of lunch at Higley Hotdog! She introduced Travis and I to a scrabble game on our phones.....we are now addicted. I wish I could see her more. But she'll be here in a few weeks... :) hurrah!

Friday night Travis got to see his brother Clark! It's been about 10 years since he's seen him. That was a real treat for our family. We enjoyed Native New Yorker for dinner with him at the house and then watched a devastating loss at football for Boise State.

We didn't know when we were going to leave because Travis kept watching the weather and it was bad towards Utah/Idaho. But Saturday morning he looked and then we left - it was unplanned but we took off and made it to Provo in 11 hours. Sunday was the kicker! We left Provo and headed home through a snow storm. The roads we usually take were closed and we saw tons of people that slid off the road and 2 people that actually died (they were covered on the side of the road) - police and emergency vehicles were doing their best to keep everything under control. It was scary, but Travis got us home safely. And Sunday night we all slept soooooooo HARD! It was great!

We are so glad we got to go, so glad we got home safe. So glad we made memories as a family!

There's no bears...

So I have a little Dallie Doodle that for some reason has a horrid fear of bears. Every day at least 37 times he will announce to Travis and I : "There's no bears." We confirm this and he proceeds with all of our reassurances: "Dad won't let the bears get you." "Bears live in the forest." "Aggie and Jethro won't let bears in our house."

A few weeks back he came into our room (he's now in a "big boy" bed) in the middle of the night and a few inches from my face said "There's no bears mom. A bear won't get me." This freaked me out! I was dead asleep and he came in like a stealth bomber and announced his bear news. It has become bears and bad guys now - he will refer to both....I love this kid!

Defeated...

I have never been one that likes to cook. I can bake all day long and it will taste good and life is grand, but cooking meals - just not my thing. Although Hunter did tell me once that something I made tasted like it was by a "professional cooker". :) I wake up in the morning and realize that I am responsible again for dinner that night. It's so discouraging. I loathe it. I don't think I would mind if I enjoyed it or if I had recipes my family would like.

Last night we had a take and bake pizza from the grocery store and when Hunter asked what was for dinner I told him pizza. His response "Finally something good for dinner!" I don't feel bad about it because I know I am not Betty Crocker or Mr. Stouffer - I told Travis what Hunter said and he laughed (as I would expect) but then he said "You make the best chicken I've ever tasted." I am frequently mocked because I cook a lot of chicken...and I know Travis gets sick of it. I like it because it's lean and it's not fish - so yes, it gets made a lot. He was being a little sarcastic when he said what he said.

I think I do a pretty good job at most of the things I take on - cleaning, organizing, loving on my kids, payroll taxes, business related tasks, etc. but in this one area I know I am failing miserably. LIke tonight for instance, Travis won't be home until 7 so I will likely bust out the tortillas and cheese and make quesidillas. I could eat a sweet potato for dinner every day, yogurt for breakfast, and some turkey slices for lunch...however, I am now responsible for 5 people that don't enjoy eating those things all the time...and so they suffer through my chicken experiments and somehow gag them down.

I remember when I got married and I was still under the "happily ever after" spell - my Aunt Debbie said "I remember when I woke up one morning after I was married and it occured to me that I am responsible for dinner every night for the rest of my life." I laughed, now I just cringe at the truthfulness of that statement. I think because I don't enjoy it I don't want to spend any length of time on it....But I don't want to be considered lazy by anyone because I don't have gourmet dinners on the table every night or at least dinners that include all of the food groups-

I have this fear of having to go back to work. It literlly causes severe anxiety and panic for me. I am afraid that I won't be good at anything. And we aren't even contemplating this at the moment, but maybe if I think it through all the time, it won't really happen. Anyway, then I see myself falling short in many aspects of motherhood and think - maybe I should be working outside my house....I might be better suited. Then it passes and I realize how stupid I sound. And the "blah blah blah" echoes in my head.

So, if you have healthy recipes that are easy and take 30 minutes or less....send them my way. I will keep trying but I am sorely defeated lately at this particular motherly task.

Family Pictures

We had a good friend (Rebecca) take our family pictures this year. They are so beautiful and she got so many cute shots! Tyler had gotten a necklace from preschool on the day they were taken and insisted on wearing it along with having his hair "spikey." Those two things he insisted upon were battles I decided not to fight...I just wanted him to smile. He is our own little "Soprano mobster."