Pappy

Tonight we were able to spend some time with J's grandparents. Pappy is 94 and Mommy Allo is 92. They have both lived rich, full lives. When J and I were first married, we lived in their basement for 2 years. It was a huge blessing in our lives. They have such radiant spirits about them and helped us to form many good habits. They are both such hard workers and keep everything they have so clean and so nice. It is an honor to be around them. We love them both so much.

In September, we celebrated Pappy and Mommy Allo's Birthday. They share the same day, just 2 years apart. We had a family picnic up in the canyons. We played a Bingo game of their lives and made ice cream (dancing to "Dancing Queen"). My favorite memory from their most recent party however, was Pappy swinging at the Pinata. He used his cane to wack it and it made us all laugh! 94 years old! Look out for Pappy!

On Thankgiving, Kate, J, J's Dad and his brothers and in-laws went to visit Pappy and Mommy Allo. Kate loved sitting on Mommy Allo's lap and seeing them. Now, just a couple days later, we all went to see Pappy. We love Pappy and wanted to see him one final time. He didn't respond to us very much! Ella said, "Hi Pappy" and his eyebrow raised for just a second and one eye opened for just a peak! For just a moment....it was the Pappy we know!
It was a sweet and tender moment. We love you Pappy!

Ella

Ella:

We all love Ella! She is so feminine, funny and sweet.

Favorite things that come out of her mouth.

"This is boring." Who knew a 2 year old could get so bored playing games, watching movies, or reading books. She always says it with a smile. What a tease.

"I'm a Princess." She twirls and dances, saying this all day long.

"I'm tired." A mother's favorite words.

"Hold me." So sweet.

Ella loves to play with her sisters, read books, play under the Ping Pong Table, or kitchen table. Her dimples make us smile and her laugh is contagious!

Go Blue

Go BYU!

The North Pole

We visited the North Pole. We saw ice skating elves, their tiny elf cottage, and even did some Christmas shopping. Now we just need more snow! Let it snow!

Give Thank's

Today is a beautiful Thanksgiving day. The sun is shinning and it is crisp and cool.
We have so many blessings to be thankful for.

Dad: I am thankful for game night with our family.

Mom: I am thankful for our beautiful home and healthy family.

Abby: I am thankful for clothing, and for our family.

Kate: I am thankful for families, planets, Jesus, and Thanksgiving turkey!

Ella: I am thankful for fruit.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Class Store

One of my favorite memories from 1st grade was our class store. We could save our pretend class money, and buy gummy worms, or small erasers. My favorite thing to collect were these little cabbage patch looking dolls that were clips. If you pinched their shoulder blades together, you could hook them onto anything! I loved them! I had about 12, 6 boys and 6 girls. Some of them were twins (a boy and a girl) that matched. I spent hours playing with them and felt good about "earning" them. I was happy to learn that Abby's class does a store too. In fact....it made me SO happy! They earn nickels and have to count their money. Abby had 125, and bought the biggest Hershey Kiss ever. Keep up the great work Abby. We are so proud of you!

Leaves

"I believe that second only to ensuring that every child receives an understanding of the gospel of our Lord and Savior is teaching them the joy of...labor. Teaching children the joy of...labor is one of the greatest of all gifts you can bestow upon them" Elder L. Tom Perry."


When we moved to our house....we knew it had a lot of trees. But is wasn't until our first fall when we raked leaves, that we realized how many trees and bushes we have. 52! Last Saturday was leaf day at our house. While J was hanging the Christmas lights on the house, I thought I would help by raking leaves. I began by opening a new box of bags.....little did I know that 55 bags later, after a full day of work....every bag in the box would be filled with leaves. Abby was my helper through most of the work. She has a lot of stamina! At one point she was SO tired and said, "Just sitting down feels like such a treat." She stuck through it, taking minimal breaks and keeping me laughing! Our legs hurt, our backs ached and 55 garbage bags were filled to the brim. However, I think we both learned a valuable lesson....the joy of hard work! There is nothing like giving your all physically, and getting a job done!

Agave

I enjoy new recipes and I enjoy healthy cooking. One of my favorite cookbooks is an Agave cookbook. Tonight we made brownies out of Xagave and whole wheat pastry flour. I have had a lot of success cooking withe Xagave....BBQ sauce, lemonade, and many things in between. However, tonight I made the nastiest brownies ever. One bite was more than enough. J had half a bite.....he was warned....and the kids wouldn't go near them! It will be a while before we make brownies of any kind again! That being said, Sunday night game night was much healthier tonight without dessert.

New Moon

Loved it, loved it, loved it! I also love the crazy people who go on Opening Day, and I love the random comments you hear from random people throughout the movie. Good times and good laughs. Can't wait to see it again!

Happy

Happy! I love happy kids! Kate ALWAYS has a smile on her face. She helps me to enjoy the simple moments of life. She finds happiness in simple things....

FHE

Monday night is always family night! This week Kate gave the lesson. She showed the picture of the little girls who saved the manuscript from the angry mobs. They took the manuscript and hid in the cornfields. She then had each of us take turns carrying the scriptures and hiding, while the angry mobs came looking. It was creative and kept everyone awake, even Daddy.

We had special visitors stop by tonight. Papa J, Grammy, and Daisy. The kids were so excited. Abby read to them, and everyone played with Daisy. They loved Daisy's sweater. It was very cute!

Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

I love Christmas time! A couple of weeks ago, I helped plan our annual Super Saturday for our ward. We put up Christmas trees, made Christmas presents, and listened to Christmas music. It was a wonderful day and it really started the Christmas season early for me. Last Saturday when it began to snow, we built a fire and decided it was a perfect day to decorate for Christmas. The kids had SO much fun decorating the tree. I don't think the back of our tree has ever looked as good as the front. However, this year it does, thank you to Abby and Kate. Each year we take turns putting the star on the tree. This year it was Abby's turn, with a little help from Daddy. It looks magical!

Kate is dancing to Frosty The Snowman with her dance class this year. As a result, she loves Frosty. Last week at the school Book Fair, she choose Frosty The Snowman, to buy. This year when we got out the snowman kit, she tried it on! She makes a cute snowman!

Abby also dressed up, and then she rediscovered the Christmas tree box from last year. After all of the decorations were up, the kids had tons of fun playing in the huge box and teasing one another. They giggled and laughed. The Christmas feeeling has arrived at our house. I love it!

Cursed With Spilling

This has been a week of spills! First it was Gatorade, 2 days later a full carton of milk, yesterday a whole box of fruit loops, all over the kitchen floor 20 minutes before we had to be at church. Today, it was cheez-its. More than half a bag lost to the kitchen floor. Wow! I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Popsicles

Why do I even bother to keep the Popsicles on the top shelf of the freezer?

Amanda

No one is a bigger Disney fan than Amanda. It is no wonder the kids love Amanda so much! We found this huge card, and the kids were excited to decorate it and give it to Amanda for her Birthday! Happy Birthday Amanda!

Disney Princess on Ice

Disney Princess on Ice

Belle, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella!

Mecham Cousins....fun day out!

The kids LOVED Princess on Ice, especially Ella. I love the look of disbelief on their faces whenever they get to see a princess. The kids loved the flying carpet, how HUGE and scary Ursala was, and all of the fireworks and special effects. Cinderella was the favorite of the show. We especially liked how silly the two step sisters were. It was a fun night!

Princess Ella

Ella is into everything! Gum, paints, lotion and anything messy! Yesterday she opened the fridge and got out a full 32 oz container of Gatorade. She also got out a 6 oz cup from which to drink. She then poured every last drop of Gatorade into her tiny cup. I walked in as it was spreading in all directions across the hardwood floor. She took the smallest sip and decided she had enough, and then attempted to pour the Gatorade back into its original container. I was left with a sticky mess! Fun traits about Ella: She calls pink, green. She wants everything green (which is code for pink). She can climb out of her crib, but waits for us. "Mom," she yells every morning. Why not Dad? We're still working on that one! She loves fruit!!! We call her our fruit monster. Raspberries, strawberries, grapefruit.....there isn't a fruit she doesn't love. She loves everything Princess. "I'm a Princess," she says. She also has a passion for dogs. Daisy (Grammy's dog) and "Ruffy" her stuffed dog from Build-A-Bear (Thank you Grammy and Papa J) are her two favorites! Now if we could just get the dogs to lick up all of her messes!

Haircut Time

Our kids love getting their haircut! We had a hair growing contest for a whole year. Abby and Kate tied for longest hair! Today they all had their hair trimmed. No one wanted to let go of too many locks after letting it grow out, for so long! I'm not sure what they like most about getting their haircut...the toys to play on, the cool cars to sit in, the movies they get to choose, or the balloon and sucker at the end! They were all smiles! Now we're ready for family pictures!

Fall

I LOVE FALL!!! The kids have had so much fun raking up huge piles of leaves and sliding into them! There are so many vibrant colors everywhere! I love the sound of the leaves as they crunch, as well as the cool fall air!

Halloween Through The Years 2008-2009

2009 - Abby, High School Musical Cheerleader - 6 years old
Kate, Fancy Nancy - 4 years old
Ella, Snow White - 2 years old

2008 - Abby, Hannah Montana - 5 years old
Kate, Sleeping Beauty - 3 years old
Ella, The Bunny - 13 months old

Halloween Through The Years 2003 to 2007

2007 - Abby, Cinderella - 4 years old
Kate, Snow White - 2 years old
Ella, a princess - 7 weeks old
Daddy - A Runner
Mommy - A Runner

2006 - Abby, Miss Emily Elizabeth - 3 years old
Kate, The Cowgirl 15 Months Old
Daddy - Kate's Cowboy
Mommy - Ms. Viola Swamp

2005 - Abby, Strawberry Shortcake - 2 years old
Kate, The Bunny - 10 weeks old

2004 - Abby, The Cowgirl - 17 Months Old

2003 - Abby, The Bunny - 5 Months Old

Halloween is always fun! It is fun to look back through the years at all of our silly costumes and to think of all the fun memories!

My babies

Kate

Ella

Abby

One of the advantages to having 3 girls is that their clothes can be passed on! This is one of my favorite outfits on all 3 girls, each at 4-6 weeks of age. I love seeing each of their unique personalities at such young ages.

Cooking In The Kitchen

Sunday Nights have become one of our favorite nights. We always spend time together as a family. Everyone helps with dinner. Ella like to prep, by helping to set the table. Abby likes to cook, pour, cut veggies etc. Kate loves to wash dishes. Everyone has a job, so it works well. A few weeks ago we made real spudnuts. We made mashed potatoes for dinner and saved some to put in our doughnuts. The kids couldn't believe that we could make doughnuts out of potatoes! That makes them healthy? Right?

Thank's for the recipe Launi!

SPUDNUTS

Makes approximately 8 dozen donuts.

4 C milk

1 C sugar

1 C shortening

Heat the above until warm only, then add the following:

1 tbsp salt

1C mashed potatoes

½ tbsp lemon extract

4 tbsp yeast

5 eggs

10 C flour (approx.)

Let rise twice.

Roll out onto table approx. half inch thick, cut into donut shape. Scraps can be re-rolled.

Deep fry in healthy oil such as canola. Correct temperature is when a drop of water sizzles, then turn down temperature slightly.

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Glaze:

Pinch cream of tartar

2 C powdered sugar

1 C water

Add flavoring of your choice to taste. Chocolate or maple are favorites.

Sugar Cinnamon coating:

Put 1 – 2 C sugar and cinnamon to taste in a gallon freezer bag. Put 3-5 hot donuts in the bag and shake. Remove from bag and repeat.

See How Our Garden Grows

This was our third year growing a garden in our backyard. Each year it gets a little bigger. This year we added pumpkins and raspberries to our garden. J and I both have fun memories of picking raspberries in our backyards as kids. We want our kids to have that same fun memory....so the tradition goes on. In May we planted 10 raspberry bushes. It is November and we are still getting raspberries! Yum!

3 Little Cutties

Cool purple cast! It has been a crazy 5 weeks of cast life. No gymnastics, soccer or dance. My favorite memory with Abby's cast is the night she slept with me. J was out of town, so I agreed. In the middle of the night, she rolled over and whacked me in the face with her cast! Ouch! I never knew how hard a cast is!!!! Good thing I love you Abby!
Kate loves preschool. She loves her teacher, her friends, and playing with toys. Her favorite toy is the beauty parlor toy set. One of the things I love about Kate is her natural eye for fashion. She tells me how to do her hair, which boots she wants to wear, etc. She even gives me tips on what I should wear (I think I should listen), and always compliments me when I wear ruffles or skirts! Thank you Kate!
Ella's favorite past time is to follow me around the house. Wherever I am, she is 2 steps behind, or ahead, depending on the day! She loves to play barbies, to dance to music (with pom poms), and to play outside. Ever since Halloween, she has been really into dressing up. She loves everything frilly, especially to twirl. In this picture she has some toy scissors and a toy curling iron, as well as a daisy hair clip. She is ready for the next client! Any volunteers?

Boo

This High School Musical Cheerleader, got her cast off just in time! Not only does she look the part, but she can do everything from headstands to cartwheels!
This Fancy Nancy is extraordinarily fancy! She loves to eat with her pinky up, and to call her friends, darlings!



I'm a Princess! I'm Snow White. This little Princess loves to dress up and continues to dress up everyday. Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Snow White are her favorites.

Halloween PJ's

I love these Glow In The Dark PJ's. It made Halloween last all month long!

American Girl Place

American Girl Place was everything we hoped it would be. First, we searched the 4 story store, looking for the perfect doll. Abby knew before we stepped foot in the store that Kit was the doll for her. She has talked about Kit since the day we planned our trip to New York. We dined with Kit, we took Kit to the beauty parlor, found a movie about Kit, found matching clothes for Abby and Kit and $500.00 later we were out the door! It was magical and so much fun!

Girls Weekend in New York

I love to travel! It was fun for me to get to spend a Girl's Weekend in New York with Abby, My Sister Amy, and our friend Janene. Our favorite trip highlights: Central Park, The Statue of Liberty, Dinner at Rockefeller Center, Times Square at night (couldn't get enough of it), Mary Poppins on Broadway (WOW!!), and of course American Girl Place.