Happy 35th B-day to me!

Should I admit that I am 35? Yes, I think so. I feel good about it, and had a great birthday that I will always remember. Wayne sent me out with my girlfriend DL, and he and Kristen planned a surprise birthday party for me.

I did have a little bit of a clue that something was going on, but didn't know for sure. It was fun to walk in and see all my cute friends faces :)

The kids were super excited that it was a surprise.

I feel so loved! Thanks everybody!

Con's church talk

Conrad gave a talk in church about how our family gives service to others. If I ever find it, I will post the words with the pics, but he ended with this top picture, and him saying,
"Service makes me feel a-o-k!"

Sinter Klaas Day American Style (2nd time around)

Sinter Klaas visited last year for the first time. So, we thought we would do it again this year. We started doing a 12 days of Christmas thing with the kids this year, and of course, Holland is on the list. Again, we had my dad over to tell the stories told to him by his father who grew up in Holland. The kids loved it, and loved trying on the shoes!

Yia yia brought sprinkles, bread and butter over to have for dessert.
Con thought it was the best thing ever!

My dad started doing this on his mission in Holland,
and I remember doing it from time to time as a kid.

Before dinner with Yia yia

My dad telling the story to Soph. Notice she is wearing the shoes?

My first time hosting Thanksgiving dinner!

If course, all month I had the table in the formal dining room set up with Thanksgiving decor.

I made all the linens for the kids table. I thought it turned out cute.

Sophie really wanted to be a pilgrim this year for Thanksgiving. I almost told her, "no," when she asked me to make her a costume, but she is only young once, and I had fun doing it. She looked so cute, and had fun wearing it. She even packed a pilgrim baby around with her for the day. Con had fun dressed as an Indian, but that is more of an every-day occurrence for him. Notice, he wore his horse to dinner ?

A the last minute, out nice friends the Houston's were able to come to dinner. We had fun getting to know them. They are so well-traveled, and full of stories and adventures. They were great! We enjoyed getting to know them better.

Evia enjoying Thanksgiving dinner.

Jack-o-lanterns 2009

The older Sophie gets, the more she likes digging in it!

I think he did the whole thing himself!

Halloween night

Evia stopped in Halloween night. It was so fun to see her!

Grilfriend Halloween Party

I needed something to occupy my time last fall, and decided to throw a Girls only Halloween party. After losing the baby, I needed something to do to take my mind off things. I also wanted to say thank you to many the girlfriends who helped me through it. So, what better way than throwing them a party!

I was Kate Gooselin (in case you couldn't tell.) I think Kate Lee here, would be Jon. I could not find a wig anywhere, so I got this one, turned it upside down, and gave myself a haircut. Maybe I should have been a beautician.

Everyone had to bring food, and it was super fabulous!

Everything was so spooky, and all the girls went all-out! Love you girls!

I made all the napkins, and planned the table setting.

A couple neighbors helped me make the ballerina skeletons. Aren't they just SO CUTE!?!
I wish the picture was better. They even have painted toenails!

Halloween food ya'll!!!

So, my cute friend and I traded every week for the month of October, and we brought each other Halloween themed meals. These are a few of the things I made. I forgot to take pics of all hers, but they were darling! The kids LOVED it, and I hope she will do it again with me next year!

Pear Witch!

The whole platter!

Hotdog mummies

Spaghetti squash owls! My favorite, and SO easy!

Meatball eyeballs

Pear witch again.

Potato ghosts

One request

I got Sophie a new pair of boots yesterday, and today, she got them out, and said, "Mommy, if The Polar Express comes on Christmas Eve, would you mind if I wear these boots when I go?" I told her the boots were a perfect choice, if the Polar Express comes. She is so sweet.

hAUntEd wOOds at the DinOsaur pArk

The kids got to trick-or-treat along the way.

They got to make Dino snot, or slime. Conrad's favorite!

They got to assist in magic tricks.

And hang out with friends... What a fun night!

Haunted Gingerbread Houses

We made Haunted Gingerbread Houses the other night with the Deeds. The kids had a great time, and it was fun for the parents too. My previous neighbor Laurie Christensen taught me a great trick for making FAST gingerbread houses out of graham crackers. All you do is melt sugar until it turns the color of a brown paper bag, then stick the graham crackers in, and stick them together, and set them on a pan. They cool in minutes. Just be careful not to burn yourself, like I did. I still have a big black spot from the burn under my fingernail... ouch!

Before and After!

So, I have been looking for a chair for Sophie's room for quite a while. I found one at Down East Home the other day, but it was $99. That was way more that I wanted to pay, so I kept looking. I found this at DI last week, and it was $3.... yes, $3! So, I brought it home, and gave it a coat of paint, and reupholstered it, and voila... look how well it works!!!

I didn't want anything too big, or with arms. This was just what I was looking for. I love how the fabric on the seat matches the little plant holder on her desk.