It's Beginning to look a lot like...

 CHRISTMAS!!!!

Tonight we had our annual Christmas decorating FHE!  The kids love to break out their little tree and decorate it with all of their homemade ornaments and Star Wars ornaments.

 Luke gets to put on the finishing touch...

His "Lukey" Angel from Preschool!






Bring on Christmas...we are ready!

Tradition...

 When Cali was 3, I took her to her first "Nutcracker" Ballet.  We have gone every year, except last year.  She was heartbroken.  I guess I didn't realize how much it meant to her.  So this year, I was on the ball and got us tickets nice and early.  Yesterday, we went to a matinee at a different location.  It was smaller and shorter than the one we usually see downtown.  But we still enjoyed ourselves and kept with our special Holiday Tradition!

Day after Thanksgiving...

 On the day after Thanksgiving, although it was cold outside, it was beautiful!  So we hopped in the car and went for a drive down the coast!

Fletcher Cove Playground

Merry Christmas Cardiff Kook!

Definitely thankful to live in such a beautiful place!

12 years old...

Gavin has had quite the Birthday Celebration Week!  It all started on Friday the 19th, with a trip to the Movie Theater, to see Harry Potter with his buddies.

  After the movie, we headed over to "Little Cakes" for some yummy Harry Potter Cupcakes!  Aren't they cute?

Gavin got lots of Game Stop Gift Cards and some money, so we headed over to Game Stop and got some games and a new controller.  Then we ended the night w/ a trip to Sonic for some dinner.  Max got to come over and spend the night and Gavin was so happy with his party!  When I asked him if it was the best ever, he said "No.  It was better than that!"

On Monday, Gav took his leftover birthday money and his Toys R Us Bday gift card to Toys R Us to pick something out.  He was a smart shopper and got himself a voice activated Harry Potter Wand and a spy gear watch.  Once again, he was stoked!

Tuesday was a big day.  He had his Priesthood Interview w/ the Bishop and passed!  He also got his Scout Tenderfoot Award at his Court of Honor.

Wednesday night, Gammy and Papa came over for dinner.  They brought their gifts for him.  Here he is w/ his new lightsaber and the Clone Wars Season 2 on DVD.  Happy Kid! 

 Gavin's actual birthday landed on the 25th - Thanksgiving Day!  We started the day w/ a special meal-

 Then he got his gifts from his family!

 Cali got him this cool Tron Light Cycle!  It drives on the walls and ceiling!  Cool!

 At Thanksgiving at Auntie Shawna and Uncle Gavin's he got to have his birthday dessert= Pumpkin Pie!

 And a cool "Kung Zhu" Pet!

 On Friday-Gavin wanted to have his annual birthday surf!  This year, he got to go with Daddy, Papa & Carter!

 And to finish off this wonderful week, Gavin got ordained a Deacon.  All of these wonderful people came to show their support!

I can't believe he's 12!  But I'm so excited for him and am so grateful for all this Bug has taught me!  I love being his mom.  I will be forever grateful to my Father in Heaven for sending Gavin to me!

Happy Birthday!

Thanks for Thanksgiving...

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Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Thanksgiving FHE

Every year, the Monday night before Thanksgiving, we read the book "Thanks for Thanksgiving" by Julie Markes.  At the back of the book, there is a spot to write down what  you are thankful for.  It's fun to read what everyone has said in years past.  This year's list was extra special, because Gavin had a long list of things he's thankful for.  This has been a transforming year for him and I am so grateful that he has so many things he is thankful for.  Daddy:  for the love his wife and kids give to him   -Mommy:  health; home; family; friends  - Gavin:  my school; our house; my bed; my food; the Church; my friends; my family  -Cali:  Mommy and Daddy  -Luke:  Daddy  -Brody:  Mommy and Pumpkins!

Movie Review...

OMGOSH!

Yep.....it was AWESOME!  Out of all the HP movies, this one followed the book so well.  Of course, there were some parts left out....but I think they did a great job!  It was intense and emotional.  I was on the edge of my seat the entire movie!  I really think they "Empire"-d this one and I can't wait for the next one!

Movie Review...

OK-so we were really excited to see this one and it was good, but that's about it.  Just Good.  It had funny parts, and the story was OK.  But we were hoping to laugh our butts off the whole movie, and that just didn't happen.  Oh well!

The Season is over...

Another Season of Soccer is over for Cali.  This was Jer's second year coaching and it was a challenge.  The girls did not win one regular season game.  So last Saturday, while I was in WA-it was the playoffs.  They played 3 games.  After losing the first 2, Jeremy told the girls that if they won their last game, he would wear a dress to the team party.  They didn't disappoint and beat the other team 2-0!  Way to go Red Hot Cherry Bombs!

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Tash & Trish's Excellent Adventure...

Tash & Trish's Excellent Adventure

Thanks to Tash's SIL, Amy, I was able to fly FREE to Seattle from Long Beach, last Thursday night (11/4).  I arrived pretty late at night, but was able to get the quick tour of her new house.  It is adorable and perfect for their family!

Friday morning, I was awaken by my cute little friend, Natalie and we had some danish and muffins for breakfast.  Then it was off to Seattle for the day.  Tash got the Seattle City Pass and we were able to do so many things!  We parked near the Space Needle but were immediately side-tracked by the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame!  I was so excited!  This place was full of all things Sci-Fi!  I loved it!  I was able to get the kids some cute little Star Wars souvenirs at the gift shop.  Attached to the SFM is the EPM (Experience Playing Music Experience).  It was full of instruments and of course exhibits dedicated to artists from Seattle.  We had fun running around and testing all the fun instruments.  Next, we hopped on the Monorail and headed downtown to the Public Market.  SO COOL!  I loved all the fresh flowers, fruit, veggies, bread, fish, etc.....We grabbed lunch at this cute little bakery, Three Sisters.  I had the yummiest roast beef sandwich!  We ate our sandwiches on our way to our Harbor Cruise tour.  We learned a lot about Seattle and the bay and the sound and the Olympic Mtns.  We also got to see so much of the city!  It was awesome!  After our tour, we explored a little around downtown, before taking the Monorail back to the Needle.  Then it was up, up, up the elevator to the top!  It was breathtaking!  360 degree views of the city!  Once down on the ground again, we stumbled upon the Pacific Science Center.  It just happened to be housing Harry Potter the Exhibition!  No Way!  We were so excited!  It is a traveling exhibit full of props, scenery, costumes, etc..  It was so cool!  They wouldn't let us take any pix inside and I was bummed to find out that this was the last stop of their N. American tour.  I wanted to be able to take the kids.  They would love it!  Maybe we'll have to make a trip back up, before it leaves for good at the end of January.  Before leaving Seattle, we ate a delicious dinner at Ivar's.  I had some amazing wild halibut and Tash had Crab Legs...mmmmmm.  Once we got back to Tash's, we took a spin on their new XBox Kinect.  We played Dance Central and it was so much fun!  What an incredible day....we were exhausted!

Saturday.  We decided to take a little road trip down to the Vancouver/Portland area.  Dave made some yummy crepes for breakfast, and then we were off on our adventure!  First stop...taking pictures of the Columbia River Valley and Fall foliage just over the WA/OR border.  I loved looking at all the colorful trees along the way!  It was so  beautiful!  Next stop-Astoria, OR-Home of the Bowpicker and The Goonies House!  We had to have lunch at the much hyped Bowpicker and I was not disappointed.  It's just a little fishing boat parked in a parking lot that serves delicious fish and chips.  I didn't like it as much as my Harbor Fish and Chips, but it was delightful!  When we realized we were in the town that "Goonies" was filmed in, we headed over to a cute little museum and met Sally.  She gave us the "down low" on all the films and locations in the city.  Apparently, a lot of 80's movies were made there.  But we just had time to stop by the "Goonies" house.  While we were up taking pictures, we met this guy who was on "holiday" from Scotland.  I loved his accent!  I could've talked to him all day!  He was actually on a tour of the US, visiting all his favorite movie locations.  We thought that was pretty cool!  Next Stop-Cannon Beach.  This is an amazing beach.  Very cute tourist town and the rugged coastline is so beautiful.  It's also the beach in "Goonies" at the end of the movie, where the kids are rescued and you see the pirate ship head out to sea!  It was really cold and rainy, so we jumped back in the car and headed for Portland.  WOW!  What a cool city!  So many bridges!  We were hoping to meet up with some friends, but it didn't work out.  So we passed some time at the local mall, before heading back over the border to Vancouver to meet up with Trini!!!  We met her at her cute apartment and met her cute little dog Max.  Then we headed over to Applebee's for dinner and Yann.  Yann is Trini's BF and a totally cool guy!  We all hung out and talked unitl 1:00 AM!!!!  We, of course, were too tired to make the 3 hour drive back to Seattle, so we stayed the night at a hotel and got ourselves a good night sleep!
Sunday.  After sleeping in, we were still pretty slow and sleepy.  We woke up to a sunny day and found ourselves along a pretty river.  We enjoyed a very satisfying breakfast at Denny's and then started the drive back to Seattle.  We had some time to kill before my plane left, so we made a stop at the Capital in Olympia.  All of the trees surrounding the mall were so pretty!  We took lots of pictures of trees, leaves, buildings, and the port.  Then it was off the Sea-Tac!  I made it just in time to board my flight and head back to CA! 
It was such a fun, adventurous and memorable weekend!  I can't wait to see what we do next year!