Thanksgiving 2008

We had a nice Thanksgiving feast thanks to Chef Bouy R' Laura! The kids loved every minute of our visit. We enjoyed playing a game late one night. You get all of the family together late at night to play a game and it gets pretty hilarious. Laura kept falling asleep and just as she was dozing off, Randy would shout in her ear to keep her awake. Needless to say, she was a trooper and hung in there until the end of the game. Thanksgiving dinner, game night and going to see Twilight were some highlights of Thanksgiving!
Here are a few pictures of our wonderful Thanksgiving with Shane's family...


The girls saw the movie "TWILIGHT"...

Pictures of our house

It's getting close and every day is more and more exciting! I've been busy picking out colors, cabinets, countertops and every other little detail you can imagine. This part has been so fun for me and not too stressful. It nice if you already kind of know beforehand what you like. I have had to go back a few times and add something here or there. Today I decided I like the look of staggered kitchen cabinets. Surprise Debra! Good thing we haven't ordered them just yet. We set it up so that most of the square footage is on the bottom floor of the house. The bottom floor has everything including the master bedroom and an extra guest room w/private bath on the opposite end of the house. The upstairs consists of 3 bedrooms. One with it's own private bath and the other two with jack and jill, and each has walk in closets. There is also a laundry room upstairs and one downstairs in the master bedroom closet. Sound odd? Well it is different, but I think it's going to be nice to have. The one in our master will be just for our clothes and the one upstairs will be for the kids clothes. Then I won't have to drag clothes up and down the stairs each way... Plus, when we go to sell, we open the market up to older folks who can't or don't want to climb stairs to do their laundry.

We tried to build the home with the future in mind...so that when the kids marry there would be plenty of room for their families when they come home for the holidays. Three families will have the upstairs to themselves, and one family will have the huge room downstairs. Details that will be interesting to us later: We had them kick out the living room wall 3 feet; we added a 6 foot hall from the rotundra to the library, put a door instead of archway from dining room to the hall, and had them tear down and redesign an archway from the living to the family room. Really everything has gone smoothly and as planned. We go to the site just about every day and take pictures. It's getting more exciting as the house comes together. Here are a couple pictures we took along the way. The last five we took this morning.


what the lot looked like before foundation was laid

looking out at the gorgeous mountains that expand across the valley on the east side of the house

Foundation

Michelle's 1 yr supply storage room (back) and 3 month supply storage room (front)

courtyard and circular entrance

Shane's garage

circular staircase

circular driveway will go here
front of house

Election Thoughts

We certainly live in unpresedented times. With the Presidential election now decided it is time to look to the future and prepare for what lies ahead. I believe that now more than ever it is important to strengthen our testimonies. The world is changing in so many ways and seemingly so quickly! I want to share a quote I came across on my cousin Sarah's blog. I think it is very enlightening and will help us be prepared for the future.

"Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters, in the months and years ahead, events are likely to require each member to decide whether or not he will follow the First Presidency.

Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions.In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ. . . .Your discipleship may see the time when such religious convictions are discounted. . . . This new irreligious imperialism seeks to disallow certain opinions simply because those opinions grow out of religious convictions.

*Resistance to abortion will be seen as primitive..

*Concern over the institution of the family will be viewed as untrendy and unenlightened....

Jesus said that when the fig trees put forth their leaves, 'summer is nigh.' Thus warned that summer is upon us, let us not then complain of the heat."
--- Elder Neal A. Maxwell

I try to be content with my lot, knowing that God is my friend. In him I shall find comfort. I have given my life into his hands. I am prepared to go at his call. I desire to be with Christ. I count not my life dear to me [except] to do his will.
---Joseph Smith

Halloween 2008

Fun plex with Joe-Veronica & family, trick or treating and ward halloween party made for a spook-tacular halloween this year! Braden-vampire, Kyle-spiderman, Aleah-chick-a-dee, Michelle-Hannah Montana, Shane...a missionary without a tag?

scary!

1st Year Pictures(late)

I'm behind on getting Aleah's first year picture out to the grandparents. Life is so busy, but it's coming! She had her pictures done awhile ago and here is a shot of us together on picture day~


Not even a day old...

Other favorites of her first year...




one of my favorites of Shane and Aleah.
she keeps a pretty good pace, doesn't she daddy!