Monday, December 30, 2013

December

There are so many things to be thankful for this month - here's a roundup of just a few
Good friends - its fun to laugh and play! 

The pixie program - we have a family to be a "Christmas Pixie" for and we bought doughnuts.  (Although I think these were actually the ones I bought for us.  I think we got all snowmen for the other family!) It's fun secret santa program.  Even though we actually got busted!

Christmas traditions - the Nutcracker is one of my favorite new traditions.  Rachael is always on the edge of her seat she likes it so much.

Running into friends - turns out our bishop and his sweet wife were one of the couples in the performance this year! 

Good kitchen help - we sometimes do a ginger bread house for Christmas but this year we did a cookie tree instead.  Rachael lovingly placed each sprinkle on by hand.

 Rachael danced in another version of the Nutcracker this year! It was a lot of hard work but overall I think she enjoyed the experience. 

Letters to Santa - this is a fun tradition we got from Uncle Declan's family.  After you write it, you burn it! I love sharing everyone's traditions as our families grow and change.  

Our beach trip this year was at low tide at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve.  I have never seen so many urchins and anemones  - this is only a small sliver of the thousands out there.  It was beautiful.

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Temple Weddings

We knew Michael when we lived in Kentucky, so when he married a girl from California we were thrilled just to be able to attend the reception and see the Arntz Family.  Then Michael asked us if Ryan and I would attend their temple sealing and I was so touched and so pleased to be able to share that milestone with their family.  What a blessing to have eternal families.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Strawberry pie

It was my sister-in-law's birthday today and I bought her this cute purple pie dish.  It looked kind of empty so I made a strawberry pie to go in it.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Piano lessons

Today was our first day of piano lessons at home.  So far, so good!

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Family fun

For family night we made caramel apples.  So much fun!

Friday, November 1, 2013

New furniture


Last year I sold our bedroom furniture (except the bed) because it was so bulky and it didn't make sense to move it across the country again.  So for my birthday this year Ryan let me re-do the bedroom.  (Yes, my birthday was weeks ago.  It takes a girl a long time to commit!) We have been using the most pathetic collection of dressers and cabinets for our bedroom - it was so lovely to get a new dresser and two new nightstands delivered.  It feels like a read bedroom again!

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Halloween costumes

I do have a tendency to go overboard at Halloween...

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Supermoon

When Rachael and I drove to Utah, we had a chance to see the "super moon." It did actually look larger and brighter than average, although the picture doesn't really show that.  We stopped at a rest area somewhere across the salt flats to take this picture.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Family

Lorie came down to see Rachael in her 2nd grade musical.  It's so great to have a little family close for fun things like this!

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Shoes

In this picture, you can see Rachael's favorite pink shoes.  We bought them last October to go with her Pinkalicious costume.


And here they are today, slightly worn.  She was genuinely disappointed when I told her they were no longer suitable for wearing.


Wednesday, May 22, 2013

2013

Dear little gratitude blog...

I didn't mean to be so long in posting.  You have been in my mind since July - like when we drove across the country and stopped at Mt Rushmore, when I took my last sunrise picture in Kentucky, when I took way too many baptism pictures of Rachael, two weeks ago in Yosemite, and anytime I take a quick picture of something that strikes me.  (Usually with my camera phone these days.)

So I have a new purpose for you, little blog.  Last year a got a sweet new MacBook Air and it is awesome.  Except I have used PCs my whole life.  Which is a long, long era in computer time.  Anyway, I need to figure out importing, organizing, editing and posting my pictures with my MacBook (and only my MacBook) so you are just the blog to do it.  Because now I can freely admit I have posted a lot on the family blog from my old laptop.  Ryan is rather embarrassed for us. But I'm determined to learn this system.

Let's start with a picture of Yosemite. It's currently the lock screen on my iPhone.


And I'll be back, gratitude blog.  I'm going to try to fill in one or two posts since last July.  I know there are plenty of pictures.

love,
me.