It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas . . .

Oh wait, that was a few days ago.  It must be the snow that is FINALLY falling here in the valley that has me thinking about Christmas . . . I love watching it come down when I am in our warm house and have no plans to leave for several hours.  Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow I say!

Eric is in Hawaii, visiting family, so the girls and I are holding down the fort. We have been keeping it pretty low-key, though.    We've gone shopping several times (Target, the Mall, Wal-mart), because if Emma has money, it is definitely burning a hole in her pocket.  I finished packing up Christmas last night and Katy helped me take the tree down this morning.  Taking the tree out of the stand was a major accomplishment.  Here is a picture of our tree.  

See how it is up on a table?  I made Eric put it there because I did not want to be taller than our tree.  You see, I fell for a cute, fat, yet very short tree this year.  I failed to notice how short it was when the girls and I were fawning over it on the lot . . .

It took a few minutes to figure out how to get it down, but we managed!  I stood on a kitchen chair while Katy sat, almost under the table/tree, and waited for me to drop the stand in her lap.  Once out of the stand and safely on the floor, we wrapped the tree in a sheet and pushed it out the front door.  My plan for next year is to buy a taller, skinnier tree and make sure Eric is home to remove it when all is said and done!

As for the afternoon, we joined my mom at the movie theater to enjoy a showing of "Les Mis"(Katy and Grammy) and "Wreck-it Ralph"(Emma and I).  Good movies all around.  We sent Grammy on her way, in order to beat the storm to Mtn. Home.  Once we were at our house, the girls and I ate dinner and then cleared the table for a few mini-manicures!  Both girls received nail polish for Christmas, so we had plenty to choose from.  In fact, I found Katy a nail polish countdown calendar, so she had 25 colors to work with!  (It was from Sephora and they called it a "Mini Mani Month"--so cool!)  They are both asleep in my room as I type.  They have been taking turns sleeping in my bed with me, although the first night, they were both in the bed, making the term "three's a crowd" a very apt description of the situation!!  Now, one is on the floor, sleeping on top of several blankets and pillows while the other is in the bed, hopefully warming it up for me . . .

Here are a few more pictures from Christmas.  We had a lovely day.  Thanks to Mom for joining us and to all who sent gifts, cards, and called or texted us to wish us a Merry Christmas.  We love and miss you all, especially this time of year.  We hope you have enjoyed the season!

Opening the new fancy sewing machine from Uncle Ryan and Aunt Starla.  Emma is just a little bit excited.  I am looking forward to figuring out to sew on such a high-tech piece of equipment.  It has a USB cord, for goodness sake!  It sews without using the pedal!  It embroiders!  It scares me!  No really, I see a few more pillowcases and quilts in Emma's future . . .

Cookies for Santa, or as Emma puts it, "Cookies for Daaad!"   

Christmas morning stocking unstuffing.  Check out the yule log on the fire in the background.  One of the local TV stations had that running from Christmas Eve until the evening news on Christmas Day.  It was great!  

Never a bad thing when your teenager wants to learn to cook!  Katy and Eric made a fabulous deep-dish apple pie for us all to enjoy.  It was awesome!!  

Katy must be standing on her toes, because she is NOT taller than me . . . yet!!

   

Burning down the house . . .

Yesterday (Okay---I am a little behind in posting this one!!!) was Eric's 50th birthday!!  He did not want a big party so we had a little party instead.  A few decorations, a few extra family members (Etta, Kem, Troup, and my mom), and a few eyes filled with the smoke that lingered from a birthday cake lit with 50 candles.  Those cheesy number candles were not going to do for this  momentous occasion.  I wanted to see a great cake of fire!  I was not disappointed!! 

Kem and Troup getting the party started!!!
(I tried a new twist on the Texas chocolate cake . . . coconut-pecan frosting!!  I was a little worried about how the frosting would taste with drips of wax scattered about the cake . . .)

More hands were needed to get the job done quickly. . .

. . . 47, 48, 49, 50!!!!

Behold, the great cake of fire!!

Happy 50th Eric!  
As Brennan so kindly mentioned, you don't look a day over 47!!!  No really, you make 50 look fabulous!  Looking forward to many more birthdays with you . . .

It was a real "hit" today!

Presenting our new Thanksgiving tradition . . . the Turkey Pinata!  (Katy and I named him Albuquerque upon purchase)  We introduced him as half-time entertainment between the main course and the pie!  

Hanging out in the backyard!

Emma takes a crack at it!

So did Grandpa . . . 

then Katy . . . 

I knocked the head off . . . poor thing!

Losing it at the end!
We had a lot of fun working off our dinner on the pinata.  Emma was so excited to break it open!  Once Albuquerque fell apart, though, she figured out we had stuffed it with her Halloween candy.  Bad mom!!!  

Happy Thanksgiving to all!  We are thankful to all of our family for the love and support that you send our way!  We love you and hope you enjoyed your day.  

Mail for the soon-to-be birthday boy . . .

Most days, the mail that arrives at our house is pretty boring.  Magazines, new business advertisements, bills, and the occasional catalogue.  Today was different.  

With Eric's birthday just around the corner, he has been anticipating cards and/or packages.  This is what came for him this afternoon . . .

Best birthday mail ever!!!  

Eric took it better than I will when my invitation finds me five years from now . . . 

Just a little behind in my posts . . .

Here are a few pictures to showcase the beauty of the season here in Boise.  Our Elm tree turned a fabulous shade of yellow this year.  In the past, the leaves have gone a bit reddish-brown.  Even our willow is more yellow than bright-green this time around.  I am guessing it all has to do with our dry summer--who knows?  I enjoy fall no matter the colors of the display each year . . .

 Looking good . . . all of the leaves have fallen since this picture was taken two weeks ago.

Fall beauties . . .

Mysti "dressed up" as a colorful skeleton this year.  

Costumed cuties . . . 

I have one good-looking, yet completely silly, family . . . 

We received several comments about our spider-webs.  The little kids in the neighborhood really liked them and the parents would joke that I was falling behind in my cleaning . . .
FYI--Emma was responsible for placing all of the spiders.  She does it for me every year!  I'll have to buy a new batch for next year, though, as Eric kind of wrapped up the webbing and spiders together before tossing the whole mess in the trash!!  

A-maize-ing fun . . .

Not-so-rowdy teens at The Farmstead Corn Maze & Pumpkin Festival.

Emma and her BFF, Margaret, ready to roll on the Cow Train!

Get along little doggies . . .

It was only a matter of time!  Just kidding--these two are the silliest girls you will ever meet.  They giggle non-stop and make me smile every time I hear them!!

Catching some air . . . 

Cutest children of the corn ever.
 If you check out the website link above to see the map of the maze, you ought to know that we went left!!!!  Needless to say, all that government assistance that I am told I must be receiving did not help me at all.  I still got lost!  

On the night train . . . they rode this thing 4-5 times!

Only two of the five tried the Field of Screams.  Katy was not one of them.  She opted for the hayride.  Good choice.  The only scary thing I visited that night was the porta-potty.  Talk about a nightmare!!!  

Okay--I just figured out how to add the picture!  Love it!  Katy and her friends made it through the left but got lost on the right.  Mitt's hair did them in!!!

Ch-ch-changes . . .

Out with the old . . .

In with the new . . .

Eric has a new job!  He is the General Manager at TableRock Brewpub and Grill.  He is in charge of the "grill" and all operations that do not relate to the running of the brewery part of the business.  For those of you thinking that this place sounds familiar, it should.  Eric worked there while he attended Boise State, back in the early days of our marriage.  He started out as a line cook and worked his way up to kitchen manager before he graduated from BSU.  He left TableRock for better opportunities/money and worked his way through the downtown Boise restaurant scene until he landed at Applebee's.  He spent 13 years with them, some years good, some not-so-good.  Most recently, he had been in the not-so-good phase that seems to have lasted for several years.  Opportunity knocked in an unexpected way and Eric was able to finally leave Applebee's to start this new adventure.  I am thankful for the years of hard work and long hours he put in to make our life as good as it is.  I am now thankful for a happier husband/father who has more quality time to spend with us.  (Only real drawback is that he is home for dinner more often, meaning I now feel like I have to make food that appeals to more than just the girls!)

In related news, I was hired by the Boise School District to be an Educational Tutor at Owyhee Elementary.  I work less than 4 hours a day, but it is a start.  I love the little school I am at and I am thankful for the privilege to make a difference outside of my home.  We are the Jets, as we are located across the interstate from the Boise Airport.  I hear/see planes take-off every morning as I am watching the kindergarteners at morning recess.  Kind of loud sometimes . . . 

A couple of firsts . . .

It is that time of year again . . . glue sticks, 6 for a dollar; spiral notebooks, 25 cents each; new markers, colored pencils, and clothes for the first day of school.  It was an early start as Katy wanted to be at the junior high by 7:30 and I had to be to work at Emma's school by 8:00.  I was not sure we were going to have any daylight to take a picture.  Luckily, we did!  Both of the girls are off to a great start to the school year.  I still cannot believe they are in the 5th and 8th grade!  

Here is the second first . . . Mysti finally "performed" in a show!!  Mysti has been to three shows, and today was the first time she entered the arena and did something other than freak out.  Prior to today's event, they never even made it into the arena.  I am sorry I did not have my video camera!  Katy entered the ground pole class, which means the horse has to trot over poles that are flat on the ground.  This is in contrast to jumping the poles that are placed on the standards.  The good news--they made it into the arena.  The not-as-good news--Mysti was a bit high-strung, therefore they had to walk over the poles and did not follow the course.  But, as Katy is telling me (as I type), the trainer wanted it that way--slow and steady.  It is all a mystery to me.  I show up, pay the money, and try not to have a nervous breakdown.  I accomplished all three!  It really was nice to see Katy out on the horse.  She works very hard each week trying to train Mysti, as does the other owner, Lily.  Today was the day that some of that hard work payed off. 

Top of the Needle . . .

My favorite picture from Seattle!
We had a great trip. Thanks to Eric's family for making us feel right at home--especially to Karen and Danny for "loaning" us their home!  We loved it.  (Looking at their cute house, I am in the mood to update ours . . . if only shopping at Ikea did not involve a days drive to a major metropolitan area.)   I have more pics to post, but I need to hit the hay.  Emma has a friend staying the night and I am certain they will be up early . . .

Summer in the neighborhood . . .

Even though it is hotter than heck in Boise, there are two things that make me happy to see the sun every morning . . . watching our garden grow and watching Emma at the Natatorium!  Without that big ball of fire looming large in the sky, summer would not be as enjoyable . . .

Loving our garden, even the ridiculously large patch of zucchini--I believe Eric planted four starts.  They have now taken over . . . 

View from the other end . . . check out that garlic . . . it is fabulous!   I never want to use the dry bulbs from the store again!!  If you ever have the chance to watch garlic grow, do it.  Maybe next year I will take a picture of each stage and post it for you.  Someone out there will need to remind me.

Emma has mastered the "swim test!"  This would be the test you have to take every time you go to the pool if you want  to use the diving boards.  Kids are required to swim the width and back of the Olympic sized pool.  Not too bad if you are a confident swimmer.  Emma is not.  She is an over-confident swimmer.  After an attempt gone bad-she did not really swim as much as she kind of paddled/thrashed her way across and was denied access -she has pushed herself to try the test on every visit.  Her pride and determination motivated her and she has passed each test since . . . Now she spends her time perfecting her jumps!!! 

 As easy as taking a walk . . .

Good splash!  I gave it a 10!!!!

Band pics . . .

Just a few shots from Katy's year-end Pops Concert at North Junior High and Emma's band camp performance. 

The students love the Pops Concert because they do not have to dress up in the "black and whites" for this performance.   It also takes place on the lawn outside at the school instead of in the gym.  The weather is often iffy, so the clothespins keep the music from flying away.  The biggest bonus--the students are able to play pop/rock songs.  No classical music at this one.  

This was also the band awards night and one of the "honors" was being voted as "looking most like your instrument." Before the concert, Katy was horrified to find out several of her bandmates chose her for that particular award.  She was quite relieved when a young man won for looking most like his Baritone.  Poor guy.  One would think Katy was a shoo-in, but there were more boys than girls in the band, so the boys' choice won again.  I was surprised that Katy did not the see the "obviousness"of it all!  I asked about her choice--she voted for the tall girl who played the clarinet!!!  

Such serious work!!

They played Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", Katy Perry's "Firework", and LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem."  The 8th/9th grade band performed a medley of Rolling Stones tunes.  Can you tell her instructor is over the age of 50?  He made jokes about the Katy Perry/LMFAO songs being his favorites!  I guess he had to give the kids a few "modern" choices!!  

Emma was involved in a three week long Beginning Band/Orchestra day camp that was offered by the Boise School District.  It gives the incoming 5th graders a chance to see if they might like to learn an instrument before the classes begin in the fall.  Such a good idea.  Emma gave it a go with the clarinet!  She took to it pretty well and really enjoyed the camp.  Over 150 kids throughout the district participated!!  In three weeks,  Emma learned three songs that she was able to play with all of the other participants at the camp-ending concert.  I was amazed at her level of improvement in such a short amount of time.  She is now looking forward to participating in 5th grade band!  

In her first "black and whites."  Looks a bit like her instrument . . .

Peeking out before the show starts.  Emma played the "Mickey Mouse March", "Old MacDonald had a Band", and a tune called "Black Magic."