Yo' Momma

Had a blast with Mom this week. We partied like rock stars: which means, in essence, we went to movies, visited Kohl's more times than I'd like to admit, talked 'til the wee mornin' hours, ate out, ate in, and played games.

Gotta say, I'm not sure if it was luck, but my hubby has been amazing. He'd urge me to go out for hours at a time and never made one little complaint about spending so much time with his Ma-in-law. In fact, I'm pretty sure I can say they have a great relationship. Trav has let her into his 'circle of trust'! He's not an untrusting fellow, but it's more than I could ask for!

Thanks for all the good times, sweater dresses, and endless generosity. Love you, Moodums!

Hope Yule Like It

We had such a great Christmas. During the week we went to Temple Square to see the lights, which was so fun. We listened to the story of Jesus while admiring the nativity. Boston is very inquisitive, and it's a great opportunity to share my feelings about my Savior. I'm surprised at how much he knows (though after a primary lesson, he brought home a picture of Jesus and told me it was Santa. Beards can be confusing for li'l tykes!).

Trav waaay overdid the gifts. It was pretty fun to watch him the first night pulling out presents from his little hiding spot, but by late night wrapping party #3, I was starting to feel guilty. I know there are many kids who probably didn't have a Christmas. We are so fortunate.

We always have a sort of revolving door around the holidays. We cooked (by we I mean mainly Trav) 3 delicious meals for Christmas.
Christmas Eve: tri-tip steak on the grill, fresh grilled green beans, sweet potato casserole, cheesy potatoes (also known as 'funeral' potatoes)
Christmas morn: sausage and egg breakfast casserole, blueberry muffins, fruit
Christmas dinner: soup buffet- loaded baked potato and creamy Italian sausage delight, rolls and an amazing salad with cashews, pears, and a yummy lemon poppyseed dressing (thanks Dad and Renita)
Oh, and there were some yummy desserts. Am I always talking about food? Hello!

One thing I absolutely love about my family is that we rarely talk about the weather. I always learn so much from my parents and enjoy thought-provoking conversation. Sometimes we're serious and sometimes we're silly, but it's never boring.

Here are a few quotes overheard during the various festivities:

1. "I'm not judging! I got major freakin' problems!"
2. "How many ppppeople did I kiss?"
3. "Tell Baby Jason to watch out for the dog's naughty bits."
4. "One movie I'm not going to see is that one with Emma Thomson and Dustin Hoffman! Why do they keep giving that guy movies? He's disgusting."
5. "Sara, why don't you try on your new slippers?"
"She's afraid everyone will see her knobby toes."

Hey, I didn't say our conversation was always high class!







One of our family traditions: new Christmas pjs.


Sarajane's new pjs are a delight: footed!

My Aspen: Good!

Ahhh, Aspen. Just want to go back! I've always pictured a true 'me' vacation being somewhere warm, but I may have changed my mind! I absolutely loved sitting by the fire with some of my favorite people in this world drinking hot cocoa, loungin' in the hot tub, skiing, shopping, snowshoeing, snacking, and playing games.

Snowshoeing was more fun than I thought.

Snowshoe rental, $13, Jacket: $200 (in the year 1998!), a dog humping your friend on the hill: priceless.

Seriously, when a random puppy comes running up the hill and your friends get all nervous, the right thing to do is to bend down, make a snowball, and throw it to distract the dog. Well, the dog apparently thought that was invitation to jump aboard. Aaron was the only one to attempt to save me amidst the roaring laughter. My dear husband just kept on shootin' pix. It was hilarious!

Great men apparently think alike. . .they simultaneously debuted brown sweaters our first night on the town.


If you've never been to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. . .mmmm. Two words: yummy filet.


Her cuteness!

Super Girl

I knew I'd find this somewhere. Sarajane, you are such a superhero!

Global Warming? Big Fan.

December 1st and I'm excited to announce that we spent over 2 hours at the park. December 1st!!! I arrived equipped with 3 children (we often borrow our carpool buddy from preschool) and a pile of chicken mcnuggets. Glorious.

I Heart California

I never reported on our fabulous vacation to California in October. I took about 700 pictures (yikes!). What a joy it was to go with Ben and Shannon and their li'l ones. While more children may cause more frequent travel stops, it is so fun to share great times with friends (and also laugh together—or cry—at the kids' scattered meltdowns!). We spent some time in Newport Beach and a couple days in San Diego. So much I could say, but let's let a few of the many photos do the talking.

Thanksgiving

We had an amazing Thanksgiving meal and a great day with friends and family. We had 10 guests, including my sibs, Trav's dad, Sarajane, and Eleanor. We've been keeping some old traditions and adding in a few of our own. Chef Trav did some fun new things, including homemade cranberry sauce and potatoes that had simmered for hours in cream and other deliciousness before later getting mashed to perfection. Bridget provided 6 fabuolous desserts. After dinner, the 4 a.m. Black Friday planning was underway. (Needless to say, this morning's shopping excursions were lengthy and exciting. T loves the thrill of the hunt.)

It really wasn't until the quiet of the evening today that I got to thinking about everything I have to be thankful for. I feel pretty undeserving sometimes of all that I've been given. . .

Granny Annie: Grillz Just Wanna Have Fun

When we were in Cali, "Grandma From the Beach" (as they call my mom) gave each kid a dynamo pack of goodies: Halloween straws, their Halloween light-up shirts, insanely messy sparkle play-dough, books, and candy bracelets. The favorite items, however, were the sweet, jacked-up grill teeth. Upon returning home, my dad came for a visit and announced that he'd always wanted some of these faux fangs. Boston had fun modeling them with Grandpa.

At one point on the drive home, I turned around to find that the kids had put their teeth on. Bad pic, but this adequately captures the snot and drool. Love her!

Random Thoughts on a Tuesday

I have a few random thoughts for now.

#1 Happy Veterans Day. Seriously, I love this country and I so appreciate those who are serving and have served our country. All you army wives, bless you.

#2 Think I'm bitter at my doctor for talking me into the flu-mist for Boston. I was in the doc's office last Friday because he's been sick with a myriad of little bugs, but I'm feeling the sting of not trusting my motherly instincts on the mist because now he has a new set of lovely symptoms. We've all been on and off sick since our return from the Sunshine State. Yuck.

#3 I'm hungry...again.

#4 Last night we ran into lots of friends at Target. Am I lame for having so much fun there?

#5 I think Travis needs more hats. This is only part of his ample supply.

We Won!

Can't believe we actually won our soccer game this week! Love playing with all the great guys and the pro girls, Stacie and Harmony.

There are always interesting characters on each team...some hard core, some super slow, some prone to falling. For example, look at this chick. She's definitely sending out the vibe Don't mess with me! Interesting scare tactics, eh?!

Boston's Art

My son gets some of his artistic abilities from his dad. You never know what treasures you'd find on any given day on Trav's side of the bed. I once likened these 'findings' to a snake's skin. As the snake no longer requires the skin, he sheds it and leaves it behind.

Tacky Prom

Our friends, Ginny and Wally, throw a Halloween party every year. This year's theme was 'Tacky Prom'. After much deliberation, I thought going as a pregnant teen really was the only way to go. I didn't get photos of everyone, but here are a few.

Ginny and Wally in their gothic glory:


Western duo, Melanie and Dave


Biker hotties, Kelly and Jason


Ximena and "urban businessman" Craig


JoAnn and Todd in their duct tape creations. . .so crafty!


Something tells me Michelle and Derek may have worn similar getups in their dating days!

What I love so much lately about my neighborhood is that I can be my crazy self, and, in fact, am often outdone in the crazy department! Yessss!

Hilarious London native, Graham, whose wife dressed as his mom. Sweet.

What's in Your Fridge?

My cute hubby is the main grocery shopper in our family. He searches the ads and shamelessly barters with the Wal-Mart cashiers to match prices so that he gets good deals. It has become a weekly ritual to go out with Ben in the late evenin' hours to get every last item on my random list.

I'm grateful that he's found joy in this mundane task, and I'm sure fortunate that he works so hard to put food in our fridge!

Merry CassMouse and a BosMan New Year

This has been my favorite Halloween since my childhood! The weather the week of Halloween was so gorgeous. We spent hours at the park each day. When Halloween finally arrived, I figured we'd get the season's first snowfall. Instead we got warm temps and a light drizzle. It really felt like Halloween and I reflected fondly on my many years of trick-or-treatin' in good ol' Glendale.

We of course hit Bridget's church trunk-or-treat (now a family tradition!). We then walked the neighborhood collecting mad stashes of loot and even enjoyed hot dogs and chili at a neighbor's driveway party.


Cassidy picked up quickly on the whole concept of trick-or-treating. She politely told neighbors "Gracias!" and hoarded her favorite candies in her li'l mousey paws. I loved that her costume was round and tumbly, like the Cinderella mouse, Gus. Beyond precious.

Boston has energy that won't quit. He's such a big boy now and could have gone until midnight. He's very sneaky when trying to get his hands on more candy. My little Batman will not soon be retiring this cape!

14 and Counting

We had a playdate at the park a couple weeks ago. Can't believe that about 8 years ago, 4 of Trav's childhood buddies all got hitched within approximately a year. Things sure have changed! I feel blessed. . .

Just the girls, minus the new arrival, Tessa, who must have been snoozing.

Take a Good Book at Your Marriage

My dad and his adorable wife recently got their book published. I am sooo proud!

The book is available at Deseret Book and other independent LDS bookstores, and on-line through deseretbook.com. Buy many and buy often...Christmas is just around the corner, friends! I can pick up some copies to bring on my upcoming trip to Cali if you're interested, so let me know!

A brief synopsis:
Behind the Smiling Faces is an honest, realistic view of marriage and divorce from different perspectives: successfully married couples, divorced spouses, and leading LDS marriage experts. The book is a cautionary tale for those considering marriage, struggling with their marriages, or contemplating divorce. Ultimately, readers may find that they are the people behind the smiling faces.