Blessed...

We are so wonderfully blessed. It is truly amazing to me how one family can be so incredibly lucky. We have such wonderful family and friends. We spent Thanksgiving with Toddy and his side of the family. It was totally relaxed and laid back- just our style. Before we dined on turkey and the works we took a very short family hike. McKinley was horribly cranky (due to a diaper rash we later found out) so our aerobic exercise was limited to a 1/2 hour or so.

We just returned from the annual seafood feast at Craig & Nancy's. It was amazing to say the least. There is nothing like fresh crab, tuna & oysters. Not to mention the pies, salads and horvy-dorvy's. It was so fun!!

We have added an infant to our family. Lucy, our new PUPPY was welcomed into our family today. McKinley is absolutely thrilled to have a "baby" and would not leave poor Lucy alone. She even pushed her in the stroller. Lucy was a good sport:)

Our family wishes you the best during the next few weeks of holiday madness. Remember what is truly important---FAMILY & FRIENDS!

Learning Curve...

McKinley is quite messy when she eats...click on the picture for a close up.
This picture was taken yesterday...naked with snow boots = future blackmail:)

Snow Camping...

Tyler and I went camping with Brent & Hailey Saturday night. We slept in our tent that was on about 4-5" of snow. We had a great time and enjoy the outdoors so much!

Flashback...

This picture was taken last November. We can't believe how quickly the time goes.

Have a fun and safe weekend. TGIF!

Recipe of the Week...

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2007-12-01/Easy-No-Knead-Dutch-Oven-Crusty-Bread.aspx

Here is that FAB dutch oven bread recipe. Seriously, it is sooo easy and sooo good! Please give it a whirl!

First REAL haircut...

McKinley had her first real haircut yesterday. She needed it desperately! After her appointment we took Granny P to Seattle for her doctor appt. It went well and we had a great time shopping afterwards in N Bend.

Graduation to a Booster...

McKinley has been a royal pain in the rear when it comes to mealtime. She has figured out the latches on her highchair and stands up all the time. Recently, she has been wanting to sit with us at the bar instead of her highchair...so we retired the highchair and have moved up a notch to the booster. She loves it and has been good at mealtime ever since.

Kids!

Tag...

Tagged.......
Gemma tagged me.
In this tag you are supposed to list six random things about yourself, I am not that interesting of a person so it took me awhile to think of things, but here goes:

1) I love to white water raft. I have gone on a few great trips and can't wait for more. Tyler, Randy & I went with Miles this summer and had a blast. For those of you that know me well, I'm not much of a thrill seeker (unless it involves snowmobiling) but I love the rapids and the technical aspects of rafting.

2) I love to cook for other people. I enjoy making big meals for our family and friends. I rarely cook for myself though and if (by chance) I cook for myself, I will almost always make a waffle. My favorite topping is peanut butter and syrup.

3) I, like Gemma, have a huge love affair with coffee. I got hooked when D & M opened the little shack by the Elks building years ago. I think I was a freshman in high school. I like drip coffee, but only if it has Coffeemate creamer!

4) I climbed to the false summit of Mt. Stuart. I got to the false summit and freaked out about how high I was. I sort of had a little breakdown and glued my butt to a big rock while Dad, Tyler and Randy climbed to the tippy-top. I regret not going to the very top and hope to do so next summer. The false summit is east of the true summit and can be seen from the valley.

5) I love a good book, one that is hard to put down. It doesn't happen to me often as my time to read has dwindled a bit. I love Jodi Picoult books and recently read Hatchet and loved it.

6) I need to organize my kitchen cupboards in a bad way. I have been procrastinating it for some time now, it's one of the projects that doesn't sound fun at all and I probably won't do it until 2009!!!

Now I tag; Stacy, Jaime, Terry, Kayla and anyone else who wants to do it. :)

Cabin Fun...

This picture was taken on the way home. She has one shoe on and one shoe off- just like Auntie Hannah!!!

Tyler and I took McKinley to the cabin on Saturday. We had a great time. There was a little snow left from the storm last week. McKinley wasn't sure what to think about it. She was so little last year- she must have forgot the snow.

We have been busy processing deer and elk meat the last few days. Luckily we have some willing helpers!

Happy Monday.

Big Girl Potty...

*Update: 3 potties and a poo this morning- were are on the right track!!!! :) YIPPPPEEE!!!

*Update #2: Tyler arrived home safely at 2:30 a.m. We stayed up until about 3:30 catching up. Pictures to follow:)A few weeks ago I bought McKinley a training potty. It's been in her bathroom since and she loves to sit on it when I go to the bathroom. It's pretty funny that I'm writing about our bodily functions, anyway, that's beside the point. This past week she has recognized when she "goes" in her diaper and will bring me a diaper when she needs a new one and she's gone potty and poo in the big girl potty a few times today! I am hoping this trend is not a fluke as diapers are disgusting and spendy. And as a side note to McKinley when she realizes her mommy posted a picture of her on the crapper...sorry, but it was cute.

On a total different wave length...

When I was a little girl, I spent a lot of time at my Unky Alan's. He had this gun cabinet that had a drawer at the bottom of it and when we were little we (Michelle, Kirt & I) would play with the dentist tools (my grandpa's) and binder clips that were stored in the drawer. I have always liked the gun cabinet. A number of years ago, Unky's house was broken into and the cabinet was damaged. My dad fixed it and turned it into a book shelf. I have whined for a few years that I wanted this gun cabinet/book shelf and since I didn't have any luck selling our washer and dryer, I traded them for the book shelf! I couldn't be happier and McKinley loves the new toy. She is such a monkey. I never know what she'll be climbing or hanging off of next!! This is how I found her this afternoon...I heard a few giggles and discovered the new book in the shelf:)

PS. I just got off the phone with Tyler- he will be home sometime late tonight. I'll post all the details of the big hunt soon. :) Please pray for his safe return home.

Trick-or-Treat...

Monkeys ride rocking horses, right?

Monkey with the good witch

Ladybug with a binky and a monkey with a thumb. Perfect!

McKinley was a MONKEY for Halloween. She was the cutest monkey I've ever seen. I taught her to make monkey noises, but she would only make them in the car- can't blame her there:) Kind of like singing in the shower. We went downtown on Friday with Michelle and Hayden. It was a total madhouse, but the girls had fun. Michelle and I took the kids to the Pasta Co. for dinner. Sooo yummy.

We spent the weekend at Nana & Alan's house. Had a great time as always. Hope you had a great weekend too.