Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were spent with various family members and friends. The younger people acted out the nativity and the boys made very good shepherds. After hosting Christmas Eve, Christmas breakfast, and Christmas dinner I am happy to say that I have not made any food since Christmas Day. Maybe tomorrow I will bake some wheat bread. I have unpacked and washed my new wheat grinder so I am ready to grind some fresh wheat.
The boys as shepherds
Cousins and friends helped complete the nativity
The boys in their matching Christmas jammies enjoying some of their new presents
It has been a busy week! Since I am tired and ready for bed I will just post a few pictures from the past week.
The boys played with these boxes for hours and hours
Food table for my annual Christmas Open House. I thought I was cutting back this year but it doesn't look like I really did
The boys reading stories with Grandma and Grandpa snuggled in their new Christmas blankets made by Grandma
Snowshoeing for the first time during a light snow storm
We caught the most amazing snowflakes while we were snowshoeing. This one is on my glove
We have had a couple of big snow storms the last few days. The most recent left us with wet, heavy snow that was perfect for making snowmen. Unfortunately, the rain that came today erased the great sledding hill that the snowplow had made earlier in the week. But I'm sure there will be many more sledding hills to come in the next months.
Boy #2 loves his Santa hat and the snowman we made
Boy #2 and the friends who helped make the snowman
A new favorite game is jumping off an enormous snowball
Actually it wasn't strange, just long, but we had a great time in Oregon. We ran on the salt flats on the way there and on the way back. We visited a farm and went to the Oregon Coast. The coast is so scenic and beautiful. We had a great Thanksgiving dinner and I went shopping for the first time on Black Friday. I got up at 6:30 and not 2:30 a.m. like so many crazy people I heard about. Here are some photos of the trip.
Running on the West Salt Flats
Riding on a Belgian draft horse named Tucker
Tucker was enormous
The boys with Grandma and Grandpa at the coast
We found a starfish in one of the tide pools
The boys loved playing in the cold water
Mud mishap for hubby at the East Salt Flats
Boy #2 has a preschool friend who enjoys superheroes as much as the next three year old. Here they are enjoying some costumes. 
Batman and Superman hanging out together
My husband and I currently have two favorite artists that we have recently discovered. One is Fanfarlo and one is Mason Jennings. What a surprise to find that both of them were playing in the Big City on the same night! We had to choose and based on the ticket price and the likelihood of being able to see one of them again, we went to Fanfarlo. The concert was at a great little venue called the State Room. I wish they had played longer and that I wasn't feeling congested, but it was a good concert anyway.
My husband's last grandma passed away this week. He has lost four grandparents in the last three years. Grandma Lucy was a fabulous great-grandma. She would get down on the floor and play with the boys and one of the favorite games was for her to throw a beach ball at them. She was a tough woman who survived breast cancer, lupus, and uterine cancer. Unfortunately, she did not survive pancreatic cancer. She loved to play games and tell stories. She will be missed by all of us. Goodbye Grandma Lucy.
Grandma Lucy in April 2009
Watching a show with the boys
The boys with Grandma last summer
Halloween has always been a fun time for me. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I love almost all candy bars and as a child would get my costume on a few days before Halloween and go trick-or-treating with my friend, Keri, just to get some extra candy. Most people gave us candy even though it wasn't Halloween. Anyway, the boys were going to be Jedis and so I decided to be Princess Leia. Boy #1 had an Obi-Wan Kenobi costume and boy #2 initially had a random Jedi costume. However, boy #2 changed his mind and decided to be a medieval knight. My hair was not long enough for the famous Princess Leia hair but with some ideas from my friends I found something that worked. We had lots of parties to attend on Halloween and by the end of the night we were all pretty tired. Here are some pictures of the costumes.
Yes, those are bagels in my hair
Here is a little video that the boys have been dancing around to. Thought I would share it with you.
I have a favorite tree in the neighborhood this time of year. It stands alone and is vibrant and beautiful. I captured some of its beauty a few weeks ago before the leaves began to fall. I love this time of year and the crispness of the evenings.
Unfortunately the camera doesn't do justice to the color
I also love caramel apples this time of year
The boys are lucky to have a wonderful great-grandma. They wanted to say hello to their great grandma, so this video is a message to Grandma Lucy. Enjoy...
Boy #2 is three years old and he just concluded his third visit to the local ER. He caught the flu bug that Boy #1 had last week, but it came to him with a vengeance. He started with the flu bug at about noon today and then continued every 20 to 30 minutes until we arrived at the ER tonight at 7:30. We went to the ER because in the 30 minutes we were at the Dr's office he had three episodes. The doctor suggested getting him to the ER for some fluids and anti nausea medication. After two hours at the ER we were sent home with a prescription for the medication they gave him and instructions to return if he got worse. He ended up not needing the IV and he seemed to perk up quite a bit during our stay in the ER. Let's hope it's at least three years before he needs to go the ER again.
Boy #2 covering his face with a paper - He did not want his picture taken
I have been making quite a few pie crusts lately. I think I have made seven in the past couple of weeks. Some of the crusts were filled with eggs, cream, cheeses, and bacon while others were filled with fruit. I've realized that making pie crust is pretty easy and they really do taste better than the store bought crusts. Here are a few pictures of the various pie crusts with their fillings.
Spinach quiche with some mushrooms and zucchini thrown in for good measure
Bacon, cheese, and green onion quiche - This one is my favorite
My first ever peach pie - I also made two apple pies but I guess I didn't take any pictures of them
Boy #2 is becoming quite the story teller. He says things that have one true thing and everything else is made up. He believes every word of what he says, including that dad told him that doughnuts were nutritious. Dad never said such a thing, but boy #2 is adamant that he did. Anyway, I was recording the boys last week and boy #2 came over to tell me a story. It was so cute that I had to post it on youtube. I guess I could have just shared it here, but I thought it was worthy of something bigger.
We have the best dog. He is gentle with the boys and so mellow. Although he does go a bit wild when someone comes to the door or it's time for a walk. Boy #2 decided he wanted to snuggle next to the dog and I thought it was pretty cute.
Our home computer crashed about 10 days ago. It was only a year and a half old, but the hard drive failed and so it is in the shop being fixed. We bought an external hard drive about two months ago so hopefully it did its job and we will not lose anything. We do have a laptop, but I miss my regular computer. The boys have been sick, the bathtub is broken and I am in a blogging slump. I have a few photos on the laptop so I thought I'd share some that we took on our summer trip to Cambria, CA.
How in the world is someone going to pick up this seal? I'm sure he weighs a ton!
A few weeks ago we hiked to the grotto in Payson Canyon. It is a short, easy hike and the boys love it. They get to play in the water at the end and this time Boy #1 even climbed to the top with dad. Thanks to Sarah for telling me about this hike and Trish for taking us there the first time. We have now shared this kid friendly hike with more friends and hope to make many more trips to the grotto.
The boys playing in the water
Boy #1 made it to the top despite my thinking it was too steep and slippery
Boy #2 wanted two walking sticks
I love this photo
Boy #2 has been wearing last year's Halloween costume for the past 6 days. Every morning he gets dressed and then immediately puts on the doggy suit. He loves it and has worn it to get an oil change, go shoe shopping, go to choir practice at church, etc. I'm not sure how long this phase will last, but he looks pretty cute, so I guess it could be worse.
He has pretty good puppy eyes (notice the nose of the real dog in the background)
The dog likes to run
And chase the neighbor's cat
One happy dog
