New Thanksgiving Traditions

We started some new Thanksgiving Traditions this year. My favorite was the Turkey Trot in Pima. Jason and I ran the 5K together. I loved the little brisk morning run and it was cool to have him by my side. It was a bit rough on Jason, but he tried hard and even finished strong--sprinting and beating me across the finish line. What a brat! As we drove away, I coaxed him with a "Now wasn't that fun?" comment. He didn't take the bait though and replied, "The only fun part was spending time with you!" Okay--so Jason didn't enjoy the run, but he did it for me. What a sweet husband!

I think Jason started the next tradition--cooking our own turkey at home. He built a new barbecue and was excited to give it a try. With ours and some friends and family's turkeys--I think he did 6 or so! It was a hit as usual...surprisingly for one friend who said everyone shyed away from the not so turkey looking turkey at first, but once one dared to try it--it was over and the turkey disappeared quickly. Good job Jason!

We finished the day with our normal traditions--eating a beautiful dinner at Grandmother Ford's in Safford with the Larsons and Fords. We were small in number this year, but it was still fun to get together and talk and eat Gram's famous lemon pie! Poor Gram...her turkey wasn't done in time for dinner for the first time in Ford history so we ate a Larson bbq turkey. I felt bad for her but had to laugh--most people have cooking disasters all the time--but not this lady--she's a true Betty Crocker woman!!

No pics while we're eating Mom!

Next, it was on to my sister Tanya's in Thatcher for a Cole feast...as usual there was more food than a person can image or even eat...3 turkeys cooked 3 different ways even! My Aunt and Uncle from Tucson came with their 2 sons. Jake is off to North Carolina next year to play Division 1 baseball--too cool. And Zach is still a musician and hockey player. Reagan and Travis loved the boys attention--and I think the boys loved hanging out with them too.

Last tradition for the day--me off to work.

It was a great day of thankfulness...we are so blessed! We are surrounded by family and friends. We are blessed with a home and stable careers. We are healthy and we have the gospel--a direction to follow in our lives. I am thankful for Thanksgiving and its reminder that we should stop and count our blessings...

Girls Just Want To Have Fun

Yes, no matter how old a girl gets--she still just wants to have fun! So lucky me--I got a fun filled weekend "in the big city" without my hubby and kids...something I've never done before....but can't wait to do again!

I went with my 4 sister-in-laws and my mother-in-law to the Valley. First was a relaxing session at the temple with names from Grandma Joy. It was nice to not be in a hurry...and nice to be in the Lord's house. Next, was fish tacos at The Cheese Cake Factory. (They were amazing...I didn't tell Reagan about this part of my trip because I knew she would be jealous--she loves fish tacos almost as much as I do!) Then, a slumber party consisting of 5 grown girls...just having fun, laughing, and talking into the wee hours of the morning at the Goodman condo (so cool; gotta get one of those some day).

Getting up early on Saturday was surprisingly easy since we were all so excited to see NEW MOON! It was awesome...even better than I expected....and yes, I felt like a teenager again as we rushed to get our seats, sprinted to bathroom breaks, and oogled over the hot young boys on the screen. (Shhhh...don't tell my husband!) We finished our fun filled trip with some Christmas shopping and lots more talking.

My fun wasn't over just yet though...since Jason had to work, my little ones spent the weekend in Virden with my parents so when I got home, Jason and I got to go out on A DATE and spend an evening alone together...something we rarely ever do but maybe once or twice a year.

It was fun to be just a girl having fun...it was fun to just be a wife with her husband having fun, but it wasn't fun to be a mom without my kids around --so I went and got them early on Sunday.

It definitely was a weekend of fun times and good memories...I'm looking forward to more times like these in the future...there will be 2 more movies that we'll be dying to see...then we'll have to find another excuse to just get out of town and have some fun!

All Good Things Must Come To An End....

The first good thing that came to an end was Reagan's soccer season. Last Saturday was her last game. She had a great game and overall-- a really awesome season. She found her competitive streak off and on and usually managed to score 2 or 3 times a game. The competitive streak was funny though--it was mostly just in the joy of scoring....I think she would have even done better if we could have gotten her to be competitive between her and another girl on her team....if Lucy was playing hard and scoring, Reagan would relax and just enjoy the game and let Lucy take charge and if Reagan was playing hard and scoring, Lucy seemed to do the same. Between the two and some great supporting players, I don't think the Lavender Ladies lost a game all season! (There is no keeping score, but Reagan always did of course!) They were fun to watch...and believe it or not, I will actually miss the games and even the practices. (I like hanging out with the other moms.) I will be nice for Reagan though--now she can just focus on her "girly stuff"--piano, dance, and gynastics till spring.

The PTO Harvest Festival at the school also came to an end on Saturday. It was a craft fair and carnival and quite a success I think! I wasn't in charge of it, but helped a friend with lots of the prep work...from measuring and marking our gym for the craft fair to organizing and getting donations for the Silent Auction--I managed to keep busy. We made close to $3000.00 last I heard! Not bad for our first year...now its on to my next project or projects...Christmas!

Well, Jason may not agree that his hunt was good as it ended and he came home empty handed. He was bummed to only get one vacation day for it, but still managed to hunt several days without the camping aspect (which Reagan was really bummed about). He could have shot a spike, but let a buddy go for the kill...he also hiked lots and even saw a big one, but never got close enough for a shot. We even spent our "vacation day" on Weds. out with Daddy on a ranger ride/hunting trip. The kids loved every minute of it and we even came within a couple feet of little white tail doe. So, no glorious kill story this year, but still a good hunt I would have to say.

I Ran A Half Marathon!

YEAH FOR ME! I did it! I ran a real half marathon here in Safford on Saturday at the Health Raisers event. No pics...but I have a medal to prove it! I heard about the race about 9 weeks ago and I had always wanted to run a marathon...so I decided a half was a good start. I've never really been a runner per say--I ran track in jr. high but was a sprinter (ha! ha! I'm so slow now!). I was always an athlete I suppose, but not the most athletic ever...I often felt like I got the spot over the next girl due to my desire...or my drive. I was grateful that drive never left--for I'm sure it was what kept me getting up day after day as early as 4am to train for this race. (This was quite a feat for me because I am NOT a morning person and hate getting up--and it was the only time of day I could go on such long runs due to Jason's and my schedules!)

In training, I always ran alone. (Well, Travis went along on my short 3 and 5 mile runs sometimes.) But Saturday, I was grateful to have a partner. Mila (a friend from work) and I had decided to run together. We had both ran some races at the same time, but never really together. I was worried I would be too slow to keep up with her, but on race day I was grateful for her speed which pushed me a bit harder than I think I would have gone if I was alone.

I won't lie--it wasn't near as easy as my training runs. I was prepared for the distance--I had ran 13 miles twice and 14 miles twice before the big day, but I wasn't prepared for the sandy, rocky dirt road we ran on for what seemed like forever...probably only 3 or 4 miles, but the road stretched as far as you could see-- so it seemed like forever. Once that stretch was over, the race seemed to fly by. Mila and I even did we do best--chatted off and on despite the crazy windy weather, lack of air in our lungs, and ache in our legs.

I finished the race of 13.1 miles in 2 hrs and 20 mins. I got 24th place....which meant I got a medal! (The first 25 did! Lori, a dear friend from my ER tech days and now my DON, was at the finish line and was so proud and thrilled "her nurses got medals". We were proud too!) I am glad to have accomplished my goal, but now I'm not sure how I'm going to get out of bed in the mornings.....maybe I need a new goal.....

ThE QuEeN oF HeArTs and ThE wHiTe RaBbiT: Halloween 2009

Okay, you guessed it! Reagan,who is not necessarily the girly type, wanted to be a Villain again for Halloween. This is no easy task! We thought long and hard--Cruella...so last year, Ursula....where are we going to find a octopus costume?....she finally agreed that The Queen of Hearts on Alice in Wonderland was villain enough. So, of course Travis had to be The White Rabbit (while I can still choose his costume)! Cute pair aren't they?! Travis actually loved his rabbit costume and from the first time he tried it on, he never wanted to take it off! He was tearful that night only because I didn't let him wear the white slippers that came with the costume! Silly boy!

Halloween Day was actually a busy day for our family. First, I ran a half marathon in the morning (more on that later) and Reagan had a soccer game. Then, lunch at Tanya's with my family. Next, Amber Halversen took family pictures of us and my entire family. It was fun! And so easy! The kids did better than expected, especially Travis who loved Amber's husband Josh and his noisy clown puppet. I can't wait to see how the pics turned out! Next was the Halloween festivities of course.

Reagan and Travis LOVE candy--what kid doesn't?! So they were eager to Trick or Treat....and eat their spoils. We went out to Rose's to see the cousins and admire everyone's costumes. All unique and so creative! Getting 11 little goblins to look and smile at the camera was futile, but here's my best attempt:

We joined the cousins for the Trunk or Treat party at their church south of town. Reagan had fun, but it was Travis who was all smiles and just walked from trunk to trunk with his hand out...raking in more candy than his little bag could hold. Next, it was off to Grandmother Ford's house--a Halloween tradition. The kids play and hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters that stop by and Gram ooohhhs and ahhhs at their antics. On our way home, we had one more important stop: to see the Cheshire Cat! Baby Kaela couldn't choose her costume yet so Tanya decided it would be cute if she was part of our little fairy tale (and Tanya has a Cheshire cat she has had since she was 3--it was her favorite stuffed animal as a kid!). We just needed Alice.....

After the long day, we read the kids stories and it was off with their heads...to sleep anyways! Jason crashed and I made it in to work by 9pm for my shift. What a Halloween to remember!

A Princess's Song

Once upon a time there was a blonde little princess who was six years old and not afraid of anything! (Okay, except maybe spiders...they will occasionally elicit a shriek or two!) The princess was asked to sing a song in the Thatcher 7th Ward Primary Program. Her mom was nervous...and asked if there was another prince or princess that would sing with her. Nope, she was to perform all alone--a solo. The princess wasn't afraid or even nervous, she was excited in fact! The song was her favorite of all favorites and she already knew the words by heart--I Love To See The Temple.

The days passed quickly and the princess practiced her solo with her Nana the Queen and any time she was in her royal coach. She learned to sing softly, then loudly, then on tune. Finally, the big day arrived. Again, her mom was nervous, but not the princess--only a look of excitement filled her eyes. First, she sang all the songs loudly and proudly with all the other kids in the kingdom. Next, she stood and said her part without flaw. Then, it was her turn to sing alone and she waltzed to the pulpit and opened her mouth. Out came the beautiful words of the song and then a precious smile crossed her lips as she realized she was finished. She had done it! Sang all alone and beautifully! Her family sitting in the back watching her had never been so proud! Their smiles radiated the love they felt for the princess's song and for the princess. It was truly a fairytale to remember!

The Princess even loves her naughty little prince of a brother!

Family Fun

Last Saturday, we made a trek to Tucson for a little fun family getaway. Our first stop was Disney On Ice Worlds of Fantasy. Jason had tried to say that ice skating shows were just for women and small children...but I convinced him this was a family excursion for all and it wasn't optional for him to miss out. (I was actually pleasantly surprised to see another family from our ward there--with the Dad in tow....men are so funny about these things!)
Cute family huh?! We stood in line to see princess dresses and all the things fairy tales are made of....Reagan loved this and we even got to see Cinderella and Belle (which was great since these are her two favorite princesses right now). Daddy and Travis weren't as impressed as us girls were...at least while waiting in line!
Reagan and I had been to Disney on Ice once before so we were prepared for the awe and wonder, but I think it really surprised and impressed Jason and Travis. Jason became the official photographer and I think I ended up with over 75 pics of the amazing event. It was broken up into four little segments: Cars, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, and Tinkerbelle. Travis was glued to the entire show and I don't think ever took his eyes off the ice. His favorite was Lightening McQueen and Mater of course....he was so excited to see them in person. (He loves to watch the movie and every night we read one of three Mater stories...I think he's addicted!) As for Reagan, she was glad to have a friend at her side--the C's joined our in our little getaway so Lucy and Reagan took turns singing quite loudly along with the performance. It was hilarious and so sweet at the same time! Reagan said her favorite was the Lion King part and she definitely sang the loudest during it...she knows the songs by heart. I just enjoyed the awe of it all...my kids being so excited, Jason and I being relaxed, and just taking in the amazing talent of the skaters/actors/actresses. It really was cool. We'll definitely do it again one day!

We finished out the trip with some shopping, a wonderful dinner at Carraba's, and a comfy night's stay at the Hilton (Yeah for Priceline!!!). The kids especially loved the pool! They are both still fish and loved the water, even though it was a bit on the chilly side! We all love home, but it was nice to get away for a day and enjoy some family fun!