Just In Case

Just in case the 100 photos that I printed and the 100 cards I bought and the little messages I typed up don't make it to your mailbox before Christmas.

Just in case you don't get a Christmas card at all from us.
(Only because I do not have your address)

Just in case I can't do it all:)

Just in case....
Please know we wish you the very Merriest of Christmases and the
Happiest of New Years

P.S. I think that I have figured out the whole video thing. (at least I got them on the computer!) Be Prepared for some awesomeness coming your way.

Big Green Egg Turkey

Thanksgiving was at our house this year. It started out with the traditional turkey bowl, held in our yard. I think the only winner is the team that has the most fun. {How can you have a competitive football game with 6 to 10 year olds?} During the game the girls found a kitty that they carried around the yard the entire time. What a patient and good-natured animal to be so lovingly abused for such a long period of time. I'm wondering if that means that we have a cat now? It's name is Smokey, for what it's worth, and it's always trying to sneak into our house. I found it in the coat closet yesterday. P.S. I've since found out that it belongs to our neighbors who were away for Thanksgiving. It was fun while it lasted!Now, I'm sure the question burning in your minds is: What is a Big Green Egg Turkey?

Well, THIS is the Big Green Egg. It is a grill/smoker that will cook anything to perfection with a taste out of this world. Our favorite is salmon with asparagus. It can cook a mean steak too.

And THIS is the Big Green Egg Turkey.
Yes, it is for real. And it tasted just as good as it looks. We brined the turkey overnight and then in the morning we stuffed it with a mushroom stuffing (no, I do not like mushrooms, but we wanted to do it right) just under the skin. The recipe said that if the skin ripped you had to stitch it closed, so Nate took his stitching talent to the turkey, and voila! After 5 hours on the grill, we had a scrumptious turrkey.

This is Andrew. Need I say more?

For A

I really like to take pictures. Pretty amatuerish, but fun nevertheless, especially when I have such darling subjects like my nieces and nephews. Here are a couple from our "session."

I really did start a post about our Thanksgiving, but got a little crazy busy. I'll try to finish that before Christmas:)

A Little (Big) Favor

So, my second cousin-in-law is a phenomenal photographer and she agreed to take pictures of my beauties. I would like to brag about how wonderful they are turning out. I did promise, though, that I would respect her maternity leave (it's a boy - love little boys). So, no, she's not available now. I guess I'm just one lucky girl. And she's a great second cousin-in-law. Go to her blog to see her wonderful artistry and my loves. Allie Hoopes

Proof That I Was There Too

Amy, this one is for you. I really was there with Nate in the Bahamas. But really, who wants to post a swimsuit picture?!?!?!

This is Noah, bringing back the football Nate threw for him. The kids loved it that Nate played football with a dolphin.

And I got to hug him. He was so funny with a great personality, and it was fun to watch him play and be distracted. The football was only there to keep him on task, but I think we enjoyed the football part most.

And I forgot to tell one of the funniest stories of the trip. On the day we flew out, my mom showed the girls on the map where we were going, and looked at it periodically throughout the day. About dinnertime Emma said to my mom, "Grandma, is my mom in the Obamas yet?" What a perfect statement for the day after the election, coming from a little girl in a Republican household.

BahamaLand

Nate and I were blessed to have a little "get away" last week. Several months ago, a company sent him a brochure about a conference they were hosting at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island of the Bahamas. And he decided he wanted to go. It was a very fun and incredibly relaxing trip. My mom flew out (THANKS MOM!) and stayed with the kiddos for the week. I'm pretty sure that it was great for all of them. Clay even had to take a living show-and-tell (grandma) on Tuesday after we got back. He told some pretty random things about her: how Uncle Andrew's car used to be hers, but he's the youngest and needed the car; how she let them play the x-box when they were done with all their chores; how he likes to play at her house because she has a huge Rescue Heroes ship that they can play with when they go there; but the very cutest thing was at the end, and the teacher asked if there was anything else, he wrapped his arms around her and said, "and I love her." It was just so sweet I wanted to giggle. They made bracelets, turkeys out of cookies, and chocolate butterflies for Vanessa's cupcakes. It sounds like they had fun. I think they needed a break from me just as much as I needed a little break.

Nate, cruising down this insane slide that tunnels through a pool of sharks. Funny thing is that you go too fast to actually see any of them.
Lovely beaches Lonely palm tree

Even more lovely beaches

Amazing aquariums


Unique cultural experience at the Fish Fry.

The rats were much bigger than the fish, but the fries were surely bigger than the cockroaches.

Beauty

The t-shirt says it all. Many people in the Bahamas sported t-shirts declaring their support of the newly elected American President. According to one fellow we talked to, he is the man who will create peaceful resolutions and cure the ailing US economy, on which the Bahaman economy depends for its own well being {tourism}. I really hope they're right.

Atlantis Resort

Morning walk on the beach. Quiet. Peaceful. Salty ocean air blowing through my hair. Ocean waves teasing my toes. Rhythmic pounding of the waves against the shore. What is there not to love?

Happy Halloween

Just a quick picture of the kids from tonight. We have Sam as Indiana Jones, Clay as Mutt Williams (aka Henry Jr), Amelia as Little Bo Peep, and Emma as the lamb. I wish I'd taken more time to take pictures because they were all so priceless all night long. We do quite a bit of traveling in the car on Halloween night, making visits. It really is fun and has become somewhat of a tradition to visit Grandpa up at the ranch, Uncle Burton and Aunt Evelyn, and our old neighbors, Mark and Meryl. This year we added a couple of friends(and about 20 miles) to our list and we were happy that we did! Our little lamb and bo peep did not make it home awake, but when we pulled Emma out of her car seat she was surrounded with candy. Amelia caught on pretty quick and was the first one to each door, reaching for all she could to hit that doorbell. Emma was very interested in each thing that was put into her pumpkin. When she got a little can of playdough, she ran to the car, waving it at Nate (who was driving), saying, na-na-na-na-na-na. What a riot. Clay had to show off his missing teeth and his new sword to everyone we stopped at. We had to tell him to stop telling people that Sam couldn't have the candy they were passing out {he's allergic to nuts}, that we would all combine and redistribute so that Sam was taken care of. I think he enjoyed the socializing just as much as the candy. Sam was the first and the loudest to say thank you. He's really a very gracious boy. OK, so you got more than just a picture. I guess I didn't want to lose the feeling of the night. We really had a ton of fun.

New Favorite Quote

Obstacles are what we see when we stop looking at our goals:

• I'm reminded of this when the reasons why get overwhelmed by the reasons why not.
• I'm reminded of this when all I see are the dangers, rather than the multitudes of opportunity.
• I'm reminded of this when I see the drop-off, the rocks, the stumps rather than the smoothness of the trail that my bike's wheels travel so easily along.
• Yep, those obstacles loom large when I look at them but they disappear as soon as I focus on my goal.

Here's to invisible obstacles and larger-than-life goals.

~missy park, founder title nine

Nate's Elk

This spot is reserved for the hunting story told by Nate. All bragging rights reserved.

Witches & A Pumpkin Patch

There's more to that story, but for now, here's one great picture I got today.

New Dress

Looks pretty cute, huh?

Beautiful work, darling purse.

Thank You Grandma!!!

My Man

I don't think that I have ever been tagged before, but it looks like I'm it. Thanks A.

So, you want to know a little about my man Nate? Here goes.

What's your husbands name? Nathan

How long have you been married? 11 1/2 years

How long did you date? 7 months

How old is he? 32 and 11 months

Who eats more sweets? me, hands down.

Who said "I Love You" first? I can't remember. I think we both knew that the feeling was mutual right from the start.

Who is taller? Nathan

Who is a better singer? tough one. we are both just mediocre. Nate has a nice voice, but a little off key

Who is smarter? Not a fair question. Who's the doctor?

Who does the laundry? Me-all of it

Who pays the bills? Me-all of them

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me

Does he snore? not usually

What does he do in his spare time? hunt (in the fall) baseball (in the summer) read (at night)

and family stuff

Who mows the lawn? Me - he trims

What is his favorite candy bar? Reeses peanut butter cups

Who cooks dinner? Me

Who drives? Nate

Who is the first to say they are wrong? neither, we're both pretty stubborn

Who kissed who first? Nate kissed me, but only because I told him it would be ok.

Who asked who out first? Who flew to Ohio and was on the doorstep of the plane when I got home off my mission?

Who wears the pants? Depends

Does he say he loves you every day? I believe so.

I should have done this on a day when he hadn't been gone hunting for 3 days and called to tell me he just shot an elk. There is one thing we don't really see eye to eye. He loves it. I don't.

Nonetheless, I love Nate more and more as we experience life together and work to create a loving, honest, and hard-working family. I admire his faith and his gospel knowledge. I love that he adores me and the kiddos. He's wonderful.

So, My turn to tag. I will tag the Perkins girls...Amy, Laura, Vanessa, and Bonnie...you're it!

Just answer the questions above!

3 Years Old

1

2

3

I can hardly belive that my baby is three. She is so full of personality and charm. She is a mischievious little thing that either wants to be completely left alone, or have every single ounce of my attention. Her giggle is so contagious it will make anyone smile {or laugh}. Although she likes to keep the peace with her siblings, she is not afraid to be contradictory.

She loves:
tink{erbell} {quite fitting, i think}
purses
lipstick
saying prayers
horses
chicken and rice
dolls
swinging and strolling
reading books
pretending
Yukon
her sister
peace
cheese {not ham}
sleeping in my bed

This year for her birthday she wanted a pink vacuum. After a recent visit to the toy aisle in WalMart she decided that she wanted a Little Einstiens computer also. She was always very clear on this, and did not deviate or waver. Once she knew what she wanted, she knew what she wanted. So, when she woke up on her birthday to see three presents wrapped on the living room table, she walked right up to them and the conversation went something like this:

Emma, pointing to each present, said, "this one is a vacuum, this one is a computer, and this one is clothes."

Mom,"You don't know that."

Emma,"Yes I do."

What a girl.

Tinkerbell Cake {of course}

Here is the birthday girl with her pink vacuum, Little Einstiens computer, and clothes (pjs).

The assortment of tinkerbell things is from Grandma & Grandpa. {THANKS}

Love You EmmaNae

PS: Need your input. Which picture do you like best of the Emmagirl? 1,2,or 3?

Do You Have Snow? We Do.

Need I say more?

Twilight and Other Things

I knew this would happen. I had heard from friend after friend that I needed to read these books. Although there is nothing about vampires that "calls" me to a book, I love to read. I hesitated, knowing that once I started a book, I would be pretty much checked-out until I was done. That's how I read books. None of this: read a chapter before bed every night. Let's try: read until midnight or one, until I realize that I will be absolutely useless unless I put the book down and go to sleep. And then I find myself working at double speed so that I can have an extra half hour somewhere to read the book. Two weeks is what it took to get through these four books. Sorry for my absence, but I really loved that reading time. If you want a good romance, these are your books. Gets a little odd during that last novel, but who doesn't love a happy ending filled with assurances of the possiblities of stretching to reach our potential.

But of course, that was not all.

Tomatoes, 2 bushels = 9 quarts of spaghetti sauce, 9 pints of salsa, 3 frozen lasagnas, 6 cups of fresh salsa, 13 servings of cheese BLT's, and then some.

Peaches, 1/2 bushel = 4 quarts of peaches, 1 divine peach cobbler, 12s of bowls of Just Bunches and Peaches

Never a solo job. Every job needs a helper or 3 or 4. Lest you think that I did nothing while they did all the work, I did stay very busy preparing jars for canning, and chopping other vegetables for the recipes. {thank you Dr. Frakes}

Good Spaghetti Sauce

1/2 bushel tomatoes, skin and grind

1 head garlic

3 onions

2 small jalapeno peppers

1/2 C oil

2 tsp oregano

1 1/2 C sugar

1/4 C salt

2 tsp basil

Boil 3 hours uncovered.

Add 2 Tbs parsley

24 oz tomato paste

You can see how much help the kiddos really are. Emma had to be holding my arm so that she could be helping me peel the peaches. {they were too hot for her to touch}

And then there was the weekend visit with the cousins. Nate, Terrick and Darren worked on building a retaining wall to replace our weed hill that goes from our lawn to the driveway. I'll have to take a picture of that. It looks pretty awesome, and will look even better with some bushes, flowers and trees. {spring project} And the kids had a ball playing, and just being cute. On Saturday morning, Clay and Sam started a Rock Stand to sell all the cool rocks that they find in the yard. After a discouraging morning of no takers, I suggested they add kool-aid to their offerings, and they had a couple of dollars {and lots of red mustaches} by the time the day was over.I took some pictures of this beautiful boy, and looked over to see this tinkerbell posing. I love to see the cousins taking care of each other. For more cute pictures about this fun weekend, go here or here.

• Decorating for the fall: on our new amazing rock fireplace. {what I love about my house}

• Cutting hair {trying to anyway} I cut bangs on Mia, but not a good picture yet.
  
• Football, football, football

Sam did a really good job playing this year. He played quarterback and threw for a couple touchdowns, or 1st downs at least. He also ran the ball quite a bit and scored a couple touchdowns that way. He scored two in the game last night. He also caught interceptions. Not to paint an unrealistic picture: he also threw an interception, fumbled the ball, and let most boys past him. But, he is only 9. He loves to play, and that's the important thing. You can see the intensity as he runs. It's pretty fun. He loves anything that requires him to be active.