CHICAGO!!!

Wow..... I had a cold weekend!
For the past three years my Mom and I have had a mother/daughter trip around the holidays. The past 2 years were San Francisco and this year we went to Chicago. I cannot believe how cold it was. On Saturday it got down to -5 degrees and snowing!!!The locals said they were 20 degrees below the average and that it's never that cold in December. Well wouldn't you know....especially for us!
We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel on the 21st floor. It was right on Michigan Ave. Also known as The Magnificent Mile. It is some of the worlds best shopping. We had such a blast hustling and bustling around taking trains and taxis everywhere. It was really cool to live the urban life surrounded by skyscrapers for the weekend, but I don't think I could live like that all the time!
My Mom and I fell like all we did was eat while we were there! We went to dinner once at a Thai restaurant and to the popular China Gate restaurant and of course we couldn't leave the city without trying some famous Chicago deep dish pizza! We went to a place called Gino's East for that and the restaurant was so cool. Every square inch of the restaurant is covered in people signing or engraving their names so of course we had to follow tradition and find an open square inch but it's there...Monica and Cassie were here 12/08!
Anyway, check out some pics...

Thanksgiving 2008
whew! Thats a chore....but definitely all worth it!
And to think the food isn't even my favorite part...it's family and friends sharing the holiday together!
My menu this year consisted of: herb crusted turkey, sour dough artichoke Parmesan stuffing along with traditional, broccoli gorgonzola casserole, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls and salad. It all turned out very good but I tell ya I'm glad that only comes around once a year!
Hope all of you had a wonderful holiday and that this finds you all healthy and happy.

Can you guess which one Wyatt called a "girly" pumpkin?

Well Halloween has come and gone. Mommy Daddy and Wyatt carved pumpkins. The others thought they were too old for the event. Wyatt designed his own and Steve helped carve it. He told me "Mommy yours is a girly pumpkin" sheeesh!
The night before Halloween we attended his preschools annual Fall Festival. It was a great turn out. There was face painting, games, raffles etc. and the school raised a record amount of money!

Wyatt went trick or treating Halloween night with Daddy through our neighborhood. He was on a mission to see if he could out do his older brothers. Hmmm who do you think won?

Last week my Grandpa Green died at the age of 92 from complications due to melanoma. He leaves behind my dear Grandma who is now 87. They were married for 63 years! I made the drive by myself this past weekend to El Centro for the funeral. It was very lovely. There were so many people there that spoke of my Grandpa is such high regard. It was great to see my cousins and of course my lovely Grandma. I had someone snap a picture of the 2 of us because you never know when it may be the last!

Oh...while I was there i went by the house that I was born in and spent the 1st few years of my life. Some of my first memories are of being in that house! Afterall, Santa Clause came to that house and brought me my first red sports car....I'm currently driving the second! Hee Hee
My life's lesson this week is to never take life for granted. Life's too short. Enjoy your friends and family and don't sweat the small stuff!!

Camping!

So Steve is working on building a couple of decks for someones cabin in Forest Lakes and the boys and I headed up this weekend to hang out. We had a great time. We had a hot dog roast around the campfire and then we played games at night. Wyatt and I went on a nature hike while Jesse and Gabe helped Steve. We sat and watched the squirrels running up and down the trees. We got a kick out of them coming so close to us. It was neat.
It was pretty chilly up there but it felt great! It was so funny, Steve scared the boys at night by making scratching sounds on the walls while we were going to sleep. It was so funny because we could hear them going "oh my gosh what the heck was that?" What was really funny is when we heard Jesse say "Gabe get over here and get in bed with me, I'm worried about your safety!" Yeah right Jesse!!! Anyway, it was a lot of fun and chance to get away without spending money :)

Steve and I went with 5 other couples to Lake Powell for Labor Day weekend. We had a blast. We stayed on a houseboat which was really cool! We toured that majestic beautiful lake for 2 full days. It was so fun! Check out some pic's

Lake Powell

Steve and I have been working on some home improvements. I painted the kitchen...just for a change and he completely remodeled our entry way....new door and all. He even installed some waynes coating...I absolutely love it!

I painted my kitchen. It looks quite yellow here...but its more of a deeper harvest gold and burgundy. I love it!

Aunt Sharon took Wyatt to see his first Diamondbacks game.....GO D-BACKS!!!!

Jennie Lloyd and I got Wyatt and Gavin together
for a playdate....they made their own pizzas!

I'm back!!

I know! I know! I'm back by popular demand! Hee Hee! Apologiesd to all my fellow bloggers for being such a slacker. I promise no more hiatus's
Gee, where do I start...Jesse is a sophomore at Red Mountain High School this year. He is doing very well. He gets good grades and has a very active social life! He got his driver's permit last month. EEEK! He' very active in Scouts and is on a mission to get his Eagle this year. His scout troop took a week long trip to Catalina Island this summer and did over 100 miles of kayaking! He had a blast! Gabe is in the 8th grade this year at Shepherd and has a lot of friends. He is staying active with his scouts and is trying to talk us into getting him "break-dancing" lessons. (smile)
We have Cody this year! He is attending Shepherd this year with Gabe and is very excited. He has a lot of buddies here and is also attending scouts. He and Gabe both attended Camp Yaymond near Flagstaff this summer. They had a blast and earned a lot of merit badges!
Wyatt will be 5 in two weeks!!!! Wow...he is such a joy to all of us. It is so refreshing to have a 5 year olds perspective in the house! He sure is adored by his big brothers and Mommy and Daddy too!