Merry Christmas to All!

What a fun day! I hope your Christmas was filled with as much excitement as ours was. We got up early to the sweet sounds of the boys wispering, trying to not wake us up while checking out what Santa left. We managed to spread out gift opening to make it last a while. That's unusual. I seem to remember past Christmases tearing through the presents and by 7:30 we're ready to take a nap! When Christmas fell on a Sunday 2 years ago, we weren't late for 9am church...Anyway, back to today...

Dean with his cool Ben 10 Deluxe Omnitrix. I'm still not sure what it is, exactly. But he said that now he knows Santa is real because he asked for that and got it. :)

Evan likes dogs, balls and blocks. Santa knew that.

Drew is excited about his Cosmic Catch. I'm excited that Dean kept it a secret for about a month. I thought for sure he was going to tell.

This is Edie, no, excuse me, Ledwina, modeling her present Blue made-- a lion costume!

And this little bit of video was requested by a few of you.
Enjoy. I know we did.

Pie's Blog

I guess we all blog about what we love. Go find out what Pie's passion is.

We're Ready for Christmas

We've been busy with Christmas preparations. I've had the camera out a lot, but not a lot of time at the computer to share all the pictures. Here goes:

My Christmas wish came true! We are now the proud owners of a lovely fake Christmas tree. I had convinced myself that since I couldn't find any amazing deals on a pretty tree, that we would go live one more year, Pie would be happy, and I would wait for the after-Christmas sales to get the one I wanted. And then I went to Target and saw my tree 30% off. Not amazing, but certainly a respectable before-Christmas sale. But I didn't get it.

That night we went out to find a real tree for FHE. It was cold. Edie was whining. I was holding a bundled-up Evan. So that left Pie to deal with Edie and hold up the trees for me to inspect. The boys had to comment on each one. We were there for about 5 minutes before Pie was done. He said, "Forget it. Just go get the fake one." I did not have to be told twice! He took the kids home and put them in the bath. I went to the warm and merry Target store to pick out the perfect Christmas tree.

The next night we decorated it.




Last Saturday moring was the annual Primary Breakfast with Santa. Beebe was kind enough to come with her fancy camera and take pictures of all the kids sitting on his lap. Edie refused. She preferred to crawl around on the floor, growling, telling anyone who mistakingly called her "Edie" that her name was actually Ledwina the Lion. Drew and Dean took good pictures, though.



Last night we made gingerbread houses with Beebe and Conrad. We made 2 and the boys took it as a competition. Beebe, Drew and Dean on one team, Me, Edie and Con on the other. My team chose to eat the candy rather than decorate with it. Evan was left to his own devices in the kitchen while we worked. When the daddies came home from work, they were asked to judge the winner, but neither one would. I caught Drew this morning licking a candy still stuck on to the house. I made a mental note right then to avoid eating any of it!




After the gingerbread house mess was cleaned up, we went to Rocklin's version of Candy Cane Lane to see the light displays. The kids loved all the displays, the boys liked the Pokemon one especially. There was an Aladdin one that Edie liked, but she wasn't posing for pictures. Conrad liked all the trains. My favorite was the Santa kneeling at the manger. It made me laugh.

Davis Girlfriends Get Together

Last night was our annual Christmastime Davis Girlfirends Get Together. Only about half of the Davis Girlfriends still live in the area, but Tracey is here visiting family from Iowa, and what is a better excuse for everyone to gather than that?

Helen offered her beautiful new house for the occasion. All together we were 7 friends and 22 children, with one on the way very shortly. Mike C. was a very good sport about being the only husband there and played with the kids and made dinner and did dishes. I'm sure he picked up tons of toys today, too, seeing as Helen is 8 months pregnant.

The kids took off upstairs as soon as we arrived. They completely entertained themselves. The mamas got to visit and catch up with each other until dinner. What a treat! I love these gals and I love hanging out with them. What a great evening! It could have only been better if Michelle, Heather, Jeanette and Rachelle could have been there, too.

It was almost time to go when someone (Andrea?) realized that no one had taken any pictures for our Girlfriends in other states, so we got some quick ones. They were still taking photos when my little group had to go.




I think Tracey is planning on posting her pictures, too, but we may have to wait for her to go home for that.

Happy Birthday, Pie!

We had a big, big birthday party for Pie last night. Since I'm younger, I don't have a problem telling the whole of the internet he's 35 now. We had his work buddies, some college buddies and brother and all of their families over for dinner last night. It was a houseful and lots of cooking the day before, but boy, was it fun! The kids were (strongly) encouraged to stay downstairs after dinner so the grown-ups could hear each other. I really like all of Pie's friends and their wives and it was nice to visit with them for a while. I should have remembered to get the camera out, but I didn't. Pie just wasn't as cute eating his cake as Evan was a couple weeks ago!

The cutest elves I've ever seen

If this doesn't put you in the holiday spirit, then you're a big Scrooge!

Party Pictures

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EVAN!

Evan's party was Thursday night. The Monsons, the Pay Fardaneshes and the Elders came over for dinner and cake. Evan enjoyed his cake, of course.


The big kids were very helpful when it came to opening presents.

All the kids had fun with the band instruments from Grandma & Grandpa Stewart. We learned that the wood floor is much louder than the carpet. Pie went online that night to find us an area rug!

Not exactly 7 things

Emily tagged me to write 7 random things about me. I'm having trouble thinking up 7 things that I haven't already mentioned on this blog. Here's what you get instead:

1. I ate absolutely nothing healthy yesterday. Breakfast was the cinnamon melts from McDonalds (have you tried those? AWESOME!!) and a Diet Coke. Lunch was an In-N-Out cheeseburger, no onions, and a Diet Coke. Dinner was corn dogs in front of the TV (Pie's out of town. That means no cooking for me!) We watched Shrek 3. And after the kids went to bed, did I eat my recommended 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables? No. I had some Ben & Jerry's instead. No wonder my tummy hurt when I was trying to go to sleep!

2. The Cub Scout Raingutter Regatta is tonight and the boys are so excited! I bought a kit for Dean to make his own sailboat and he's as giddy as I've ever seen him about participating. It means a late bedtime for everyone, but I'm looking forward to it, too.

3. I have the most talented friends! You all know about Heather and Ali, but let me introduce you to Blue. She has a new business called That's so Childish and it's almost online. Bookmark this site and check back every so often. You'll be glad you did. (Don't tell Edie, but she's getting a Blue Reid original for Christmas!)

4. The last of my new hardwood is being installed right now! I'm thinking that I won't post a picture of it and the completed fireplace. You'll have to come and see it in person. Ha, ha.

5. All I want for Christmas is a fake tree. Real trees are messy with the dropping needles and the spilled water, and we haven't had one make the room smell nice since we moved to this house. I want one that I can set up whenever I want and take down whenever I want. Thanksgiving to New Year's is too long to keep a real one from drying out, and after all that work, I want to appreciate it for a while. I think Pie will finally agree to it this year. At least he's not vetoing it right away.

6. Tomorrow is Evan's birthday and he's still not sleeping through the night consistently. We've been working hard on it for over a month now. I'm tired. The fact that I'm searching my brain and can't come up with #7 is a testament to how tired I am.

Here Fishy Fishy Fishy!

We went on our annual fish hatchery expedition with Beebe & Con and Pay, Mary & kids. It was similar to last year's trip, so I won't blog about the details again. But here are some pictures.
Con & his mama, feeding the fishies.

Edie could not be bothered with feeding the fish when there were birds around to scare away.

The fish ladder was awesome, as always. Here we are "ooo"ing and "ahh"ing over the huge, huge salmon that were waiting at the bottom.

If you want to come and visit, we'll take you there. It's lots of fun. (hint, hint!)

Rock the Vote!

Have you seen this website? You answer a little survey about your feelings on the issues, and then it tells you which presidential candidate best matches you. I've never heard of my perfect candidate. I guess that means I should study up a little more.

Kids Photo Wall

I've been planning to do this for a while now. Then Ali posted a How To a couple months ago explaining everything I needed to know to get it done. I considered it a sign that I needed to proceed. It's still taken this long.

It's the wall right outside my bedroom door, where the baby pictures used to be.

I think I like it. I'm going to have to stare at it for a few days before I know for sure. Maybe something will get moved around.

Thanks Ali, for giving me a little push on this project!

Ammon, the coolest story in the BoM

Drew and Dean provided the lesson for FHE tonight. They love the story of Ammon & King Lamoni and retold it very well. First Drew read a summary, showed the following picture and the two of them acted out the best parts of the story (the slingshot & arm-cutting, of course!)

I'm including the picture because I think it's really funny. My favorite parts are the sheep and the sad faces on the bad guys.
Ammon, by Drew Fardanesh. Ballpoint pen on notebook paper.

Guess what we're doing today!

Who knew that ripping out carpet could be so much fun??

Experiment

I know I just posted these pictures. I'm trying to figure out Movie Maker. This is what I've come up with. Maybe some day I'll make a real one. I'm already annoyed with this music.

Pumpkin Patch

Last week Edie's preschool class went on a field trip to the pumpkin patch. It's the same pumpkin patch we've been going to for years on field trips. It's a nice place, not too far away.

The kids get some pumpkin info from the farmer-lady while waiting for the hayride. There's a little petting zoo with goats and sheep that always seem to be starving and really happy to see the kids coming with handfuls of sheep feed. Also ponies that have a big sign that says "Don't feed me. I bite!" There's a kid-friendly corn maze which is really just a path in some corn, no maze turns or dead ends. There's a big hay pile to climb on and around and through.
And then comes the haunted barn. Who thought this was a good idea? It's very dark with strobe lights and fake fog. The spooky things to look at are built into the walls and look like a crypt. Just "dead bodies" for the preschoolers to stare at. There are probably 20 bodies, all dressed in costumes, not unlike the costumes that the kids wore on Halloween. Witches and monsters are first, but then come police men, army men, Spiderman, etc.

The first year we went, we didn't know any better and just walked on in with little 4-year-old Drew. Freaked him out. The next year I peaked in, saw everything was the same and skipped it. It's been the same set-up for the last 4 years. We skipped it again this year and Edie was none the wiser. She had a great time.
(I forgot my camera so the pictures are from Pie's phone.)

Further proof

that the Baby has left the building: Today I sat and watched Evan crawl all the way up the stairs and then back down all by himself. He can't stand, but he can safely manage the stairs. Go figure.

Where's the Baby?

Gone forever. I'm so sad.

Evan got his first haircut and now I can't see anything but "Big Boy" when I look at him. It was time. His hair in the back was getting quite long and unruly. Notice the "before" picture. Long, babyish hair.

And then after 5 minutes of buzzing, the baby is gone. He looks all grown up!
WAAAHHH!

Sorry. It's going to take me a while to get used to this.

The Ward Trunk-or-Treat: Tons of Fun for Everyone!

The kids are quite hyped up on all the candy they ate on the way home from the Trunk-or-Treat. Bedtime is a laughable idea tonight. Soon, though, their blood sugar will crash, and I will too. I'm tired. But first, here are some pictures.
Dean loves the bat costume!

We all have funny looks on our faces, but it was the only one with the zookeeper and animals together.

Katherine was a little stinker!

Evan's turtle costume turned out OK, but it made it hard for him to crawl around.

Another little turtle friend at the party!

Drew with his bucket full of treats.

Dean with one of his super-buddies.

The Trunk-or-Treat was fun. I love seeing all the kids dressed up and excited. It was a potluck dinner this year and while my feelings on potlucks are not as strong as Beebe's, I still like to know who made the food I'm eating. Usually I just eat my own.

There were some carnival-type games and a little haunted house, and then we headed out to the parking lot for the real fun. We have a tradition that Pie walks the kids around and I sit and hand out candy. I like it that way. The kids go around and around the parking lot until everyone runs out of candy, and then they see how much they can eat before we realize what they're doing and make them stop.

As ward parties go, it doesn't get any better than that.

Getting Trunky

I'm taking a break from frantically creating Halloween costumes. Why did no one tell me the Trunk-or-Treat was on Saturday?

I guess I may have heard vaguely mentioned a few times this month that this, the best activity of the year was on Oct 27. What they didn't say was "Sister Fardanesh, you have 3 weeks to make the kids' costumes." And then a week later I should have heard "Ann Fardanesh: Are you paying attention? 2 weeks until costumes need to be finished."

I might get them all done, though. Edie's lion costume was borrowed from Cousin Tyler, so she's ready. I just finished Dean's bat shirt & hat. I need to buy some black pants for him.

Drew's Anakin vest is started and almost done. He needs a blue lightsaber. I got him a red one, but he has informed me that Anakin's is blue even though Darth Vader's is red, and yes, it matters a great deal. So I'll exchange it when I get Dean's pants.

I need a hat for my zookeeper's costume and some kind of patch for my shirt that says "Fardanesh Zoo".

I haven't even started on Evan's costume. The plan is to make him a turtle. If I can't manage that, he'll be a spider, borrowed from Con. I would ditch the turtle idea all together except I've never had a crawler at Halloween and I think it would be cute.

So that's what I've been up to this week. We're off to Cub Scouts in a little while. Drew is a big fan of scouting and his enthusiasm has rubbed off on to Dean. They worked together to create a scout program for 6 year olds, complete with uniform and patch to earn. Pretty cute.