Arizona Thanksgiving 2008

Thanksgiving 2008 was spent in Arizona with my side of the family. We hit the road on Tuesday for the long drive through the deserts of Utah and Arizona.

We made as few stops as possible and this was one of them, Glen Canyon Dam.

Hannah

Julia and Emily

We arrived safe and sound and enjoyed the beautiful weather (even a little bit of rain) and the unique landscape.

Wednesday morning I was able to catch up with a few lifelong friends (yes, we date back pre preschool days). It was so fun to see them--thanks Jill and Tracy!

Random cactus that I liked...

Dad and Hannah

Hilary

We took family pictures Wednesday afternoon and here are a few that different family members took from my camera...

Sisters with Mom

ALL the girls with Grandpa and Grandma

Thanksgiving Day was also my mom and dad's 45th Wedding Anniversary. Grandpa surprised Grandma with a beautiful new diamond ring. The granddaughters were all catching a glimpse of it at Thanksgiving dinner.

Thanksgiving dinner was hosted by Aunt Kristin and Uncle E.T. and it was all excellent. Emily and Hilary are pictured here getting a taste of some dozen pies we had to choose from!

More Thanksgiving Day pictures...

J.J.

Later in the evening we headed to the Stake Center to celebrate Grandpa and Grandma's wedding anniversary. Without their knowledge, we had put together a DVD of pictures that spanned the years. After the DVD, Uncle Dave broke out these one of a kind drinks to commemorate the anniversary.

We also played a lot of fun games with the cousins and aunts and uncles.

Friday is what I will call Temple Day. Earlier in the day, all of the grandchildren, 12 years and older, attended the temple to perform family name baptisms. They patiently waited over two hours (we did sneak in a trip to In and Out Burger) to get their turn. It was an unbelievable sight to see 12 granddaughters, dressed in white, lined up near the baptismal font--not to forget the one grandson who also watched and waited in white. The best part of all was seeing Grandpa and Grandma inside the temple, dressed in white, checking in on all of us while they worked their shift. That same evening, all the married children and spouses did a sealing session at the temple. Once again, it was an unbelievable experience to be in the temple, with my dad performing the sealings. Afterwards, some of us headed to Nielsen's Frozen Custard for a late night concrete.



Kristin and E.T.

Dan and I

Alison and Curt

Mom and Dad

Before we headed home, the girls picked fresh grapefruit, oranges and pomegranates to take home.

Hannah

Many, many thanks to all our family for the awesome trip! It was wonderful to be all together. A huge thank you also to the Andersens for taking in Scout and our awesome ward members (executive secretaries and yw leaders) who scrambled at the last minute to rearrange things so that we could stay an extra, unplanned day!!!

I'm Soooooooooo Excited

In a few more days we will be hitting the open road and heading south to the Valley of the Sun. I'm so excited, so much in fact, that I'm even looking forward to the 10 hour drive--no telephones, television, doorbells, etc. I can't wait to break open a new book, fasten the headphones to my ears and drink in the sounds of the music on my i pod.

What awaits us you may wonder? Beautiful sunsets, native desert landscapes, and the best part, lots and lots of family!

Date Night...

At PetsMart...no kidding...

Scout is enrolled in training classes for the next 6 Friday nights, so you know where we will be for at least one hour of our date night.

Decking the Halls

I know it is a little early

to be

decking the halls

of my home

with Christmas,

but I just couldn't wait!




Our travel tree as we refer to our foyer Christmas tree, had a few additions this year. Whenever we travel with the kids or when Dan and I go away, we always bring home a Christmas ornament for this special tree. It's tradition...



Here's a close up of our family room Christmas tree which I take complete control over--a little Scrooge-like I know, but nevertheless I love doing it.



Now that I have two of our Christmas trees up and decorated, after Thanksgiving the girls will be in complete control of the basement Christmas tree. They will be able to adorn the tree with their own creations and may even decide to have a "theme" for their tree. I vote for a chocolate- themed tree myself. I'll guess we'll have to wait and see...

Lonely Girls

'Tis the season...for tithing settlement thus the title of this post. Let me clarify, I am not complaining just explaining how Sundays seem a lot longer these days! Dan started tithing settlement early because we have quite a few young married students in our ward that head home over the holidays. His goal is to have it all done before Christmas--we are collectively crossing our fingers. In the meantime, all the girls in the household are patiently waiting for their hubby or dad to get back to his regular Sunday schedule.

My Ballroom Dancer

Hannah has been enrolled in social dance this semester and has discovered that she really likes it. She put her dancing skills to the test today by competing in a ballroom dance competition at BYU. She danced the Cha Cha and rocked the dance floor. It was fun helping her get ready--white shirt, black skirt, heels and pulled back hair.



She made it through the first two rounds--not bad at all for a first timer. We all thoroughly enjoyed watching her perform.


This is Hannah and Justin warming up before the competition with other middle-schoolers.


This picture was taken during the competition. Hannah and her partner are the second couple from the right toward the back. Hannah may be back next weekend, breaking in the ballroom floors of Utah Valley University. Way to go Hannah!

The Emperor's New Clothes

Julia performed last night in the production of The Emperor's New Clothes. She loves doing this kind of thing, especially when her cousins and friends are involved. Before the play, the kids had a pizza party in full costume. Amazingly, the cast came out of the party without any evidence on their costumes that they had just chowed down on pizza and chugged root beer. I caught Julia and Eliza doing just that...


Amy sang a solo and was magnificent!



Julia and her bff Maude were both cooks--Julia's character was Fannie Frosting.

I tried to capture pictures during the play but I still don't know how to work my camera well.


Ruthie, a future actress perhaps, gazing at the cast at the end of the play.

Belated Veteran's Day

I meant to post something about Veteran's Day yesterday, but the day got away from me. Today in the Deseret News, there was a nice article about a gathering of World War II Veterans in Utah, one of which is Dan's Uncle Don. I am amazed at Dan's grandmother Wanda, a young widow, who sent off 4 of her 5 sons into the military during World War II. The oldest brother, Tony, served in the Air Force; Don in heavy artillery (he also stormed the beaches of Normandy and fought for 217 consecutive days in the Battle of the Bulge and later helped open concentration camps); Shipley and Ellsworth, the next youngest brothers both served in the Air Force. I can't even begin to imagine the sacrifice and service of Dan's uncles and then his mother, sister and youngest child Karl back at home. Today, the military tradition continues in our family through the wonderful, committed service of Elisabeth's husband, Ron. You can check out her well-written Veteran's Day tribute at their blog, We Willises. It is with gratitude and sincere appreciation that we thank all our wonderful veterans past and present.

Scout's Least Favorite Thing

My really nice neighbors have one of these...

Unfortunately, Scout HATES cats. I always know when the neighbor's cat is outside because Scout barks unceasingly! While I've never cared much for cats (probably because I am highly allergic to them), I do appreciate their rodent-catching skills. This skill comes in handy when you live in the foothills, so I am grateful for this cat. However, if my own puppy's barking drives me crazy, what are my neighbors thinking? When Scout finally stops barking, I figure my neighbor's have also heard enough of Scout and bring their cat inside. So here's a shout out to my patient and kind neighbors who just might dislike my puppy's yapping but who have never complained.

P.S. Scout's mother also only barks at cats--it's genetic--what else I can say?

Sadies 2008

Sadie Hawkins was last night and Emily had a blast! I think I was as excited as the awesome teenagers who graced the halls of our home.

Couple #1: Rory and Emily Couple #2: A 6'5" Eric and Matisse

After dinner at a hip new Spark Restaurant and Lounge in downtown Provo, they all headed to the dance and then some ended the night at our house around a fire eating smores and drinking hot chocolate!

My Student of the Day

Hannah came home from school a few days ago and casually mentioned she had been named 8th grade student of the day at school. Of course, she emphasized it was no big deal but I feel it is my motherly duty, even my prerogative to give her the kudos she deserves. My choice in pictures to post is one of my favorites of Hannah. I think it illustrates her fun personality and great sense of humor. Last April when we were at the Polynesian Cultural Center, she just had to get her picture with our Samoan friend and no surprise it was her idea to flex their muscles. On top of these two great qualities I've shared, Hannah is a hard worker, determined, and an amazing organizer. Way to go Hannah--we love you!

Spazzola

Scout is looking quite cute in this picture because she just got back from being groomed. And boy, does she smell goood! However, a day has passed and the latest whiff I got of her emitted the old puppy smells again--(eg) the smell of our compost pile. And isn't spaying your puppy supposed to mellow her? It's been two weeks since her "procedure" and she is still as spazzy as ever. I literally have a hole in every pair of my socks! However, like every family's pet she is mauled and loved beyond belief by the entire family--spazzy or not--she's a keeper.

Another Milestone

It's official--Emily is a legal licensed driver! She drove herself to and from school today and to piano lessons. It is wonderful to have another driver in the family and a very conscientious one at that.

SIX YEARS LATER

After six years of orthodontic phases, extractions, expanders, elastics, retainers, bleaching, bonding and countless appointments, Emily finally got her braces off! My dentally delayed daughter with a Barbie-sized mouth is known throughout the orthodontic office as the poor girl with the complicated case. She often left the orthodontist with coupons for free ice cream or movies because it took a herd of assistants surrounding her to get the job done. A postcard in the mail last week was addressed to Emily from one of the orthodontist assistants hailing her as a wonderful, sweet patient. I think they are going to miss her!