Thanksgiving 2010 The Good, The Bad, and The UGLY!!

We spent Thanksgiving with the Quists this year in the small AZ mining town of Bagdad where  my sister Lydia and my brother Paul both live with their families. We all made the pilgrimage there for this year's feast.

The Good:
 The trip there was great. The car ran good, we got snowed on in Flagstaff (always fun for the kids).
We had a wonderful feast with everyone. Neither home would comfortably seat 30 people so we used the LDS church building cultural hall. Plenty of room, and plenty of great food!!
The kids all had a blast playing with their cousins. I had fun playing games with my siblings and crafting with my sisters. We all watched Pumpkin Chunkin' on the science channel at Lydia's house that night, and I'm sure I burned enough calories from laughing that I canceled out the calories from all the pie I ate.
We went on some fun buggy rides. There are tons of fun trails around Bagdad. Adam wants to go back soon to do more exploring with the Ranger.

The Bad:
I love Black Friday shopping. Unfortunately the nearest town with shopping is an hour and a half from Bagdad. I missed all the great deals this year.  I was able to find a couple gifts on-line, but it's just not the same.

The UGLY :
My niece got sick on Thursday night and by Saturday 11 family members including all three of my kids were sick. REALLY sick!! I've never seen a flu bug spread so quickly in my life.  We had a LONG night on Friday, and we ended up having to cancel our trip down to the valley to visit the Gurrs.
We did manage to make the trip home without anyone getting "sick" in the car, but the bathroom at the Walmart in Winslow may never be the same.

And there you have it. Thanksgiving.  We'll take the good, we'll take the bad. We'll take em' both....But we could do without the UGLY!

Family Pictures

We had Family Pictures taken a few weeks ago.
I just wanted to post some of our favorites.

TRY Athelete

On Saturday morning, before the sun came up I found myself pushing my bike with is newly greased chain towards the tennis courts at Central AZ College. I had just checked in, got my packet, put on my ankle timer band, and was going to park my bike and "set up" . There was a big sign on the tennis courts. It said:
"ATHLETES ONLY"
I thought to myself "So where do I go?"
The thing is...I am NOT an athlete. My entire life I've been labeled as "a musician" some times "an artist" and "creative". But "an athlete"? NEVER!!  you see to be an athlete one needs strength,coordination, skill,  and a competitive nature.  I happen to be lacking each of these key characteristics.
 But, there I was, pushing my bike towards those tennis courts about to participate in a triathlon sprint.
"Today,  I will TRY to be an athlete."
I decided to do this triathlon about a year ago as means of getting my self in better shape. I  wanted to set a healthy example to my children, especially my daughters. I wanted to show them that being healthy doesn't have to mean crazy dieting, and being skinny. It means being strong, and able to endure physical challenges.
I knew that at some point I'd want to quit, and not do the tri.  So, I asked my Sister Lydia to do it with me. We encouraged each other, and challenged each other. We also decided to get our younger sisters on board because after all... "misery loves company" right.
I set up my bike in a "prime" spot and nervously looked around. "Why is everyone around here so skinny?" I thought. Don't these people eat? The gal setting up next to me kept rambling on about what a fun "little" race this is. "Oh, you're just gonna love this little race." "These little  events are just so great!"
If she said "Little" one more time, this Big girl was going to sit on her.
Luckily before she had the opportunity, I spotted my friend Athene! I had no idea she was participating in this thing! It was her first time doing a Triathlon as well so I felt a little more at ease.
I didn't see Lydia until just before it was time to line up for the swim, and I didn't see Angela (my youngest sister) until she was swimming. She and my sister Amanda were a team. Angela did the swim, while Amanda did the bike and run.
I felt very comfortable with the swim. Swimming has always been the one athletic thing I've done pretty well.
It took a little longer than I'd been practicing at, but I was still pleased with how I did.
The transition to the bike took a little longer than I thought it would, but once I got peddling, I felt great and actually enjoyed the ride. It helped to have some fun music playing in my ears and Adam gave my bike a tune up, so it worked perfectly!
The final event was the three mile run. I knew this would be by hardest event. I am not a runner. So I walked. Fast. In fact, at one point the girl "jogging" next to me asked why my walk was as fast as her run?
I guess having long legs can be very beneficial in a foot race. :)
I did run part of the time. And I was able to run (well, it probably looked more like a shuffle) the entire last 1/2 mile. And I actually beat my best practice time on the run!
 I loved seeing Adam and the kids cheering me on as I crossed the finish line!
I've already decided to do the triathlon again next year. I know I can do better, work harder, and improve my time. Maybe I'll be the one telling the poor girl next to me what a fun "little" race it is.
Then again, maybe not.

Brag Time!!

My "Green Gators" had their last soccer game of the season yesterday and Guess what......
They were Undefeated!!! Not only was the Green Team undefeated but EVERY game was a complete shut out! That's right, not one team scored on them. GO GREEN GATORS !!!!

Happy Halloween { Eve }

Halloween was super fun this year. On Friday, the kids all got to participate in the school costume parade.
Then, on Saturday the kids carved their own pumpkins and did a little Trick-or-Treating. We also had a family Pizza party and dinned by Jack-o-lanterns Glow. Then we ate candy and watched spooky Halloween Cartoons.
The kids all had a great time deciding what they wanted to be and coming up with costumes.
Eliza just wanted to be a Super hero, ANY super hero. So, when we found a great deal on a used Super girl costume, we snatched it up.
Sarah wanted to be a princess, and thanks to Santa, she already had the dress and crown. Thank you Sarah!
Caleb's costume required a little creativity. He wanted to be a Jedi.  Luckily I found a big piece of light brown fabric at a thrift shop and with a little sewing magic we turned it into a robe and some boots. Then, we added a light saber and Viola! A Jedi costume!
The kids weren't at all upset to be celebrating Halloween a day early. They understand the need to keep the Sabbath Day holy and they still got enough candy to last them a month...but I'm sure it will all be gone by the end of the day!

Saftey First !!

Once again it was fire prevention and safety week in Taylor. The Fire station held it's annual open house and, as usual, we had a blast!

The kids all got to try on the fire fighter outfit, play games, get balloons, eat cookies, win prizes and last   

but  not least, we got to see the helicopter land!!!  SO COOL!!

 

We thank our community's fire fighters for a super fun night, and for putting themselves in harms way when necessary to protect us. You are our Heroes!!

First Grade Field Trip

O.K., I know that's not very creative title, lately my creative juices have dried up.
But, Creative or not... I was so happy when Caleb's teacher called to ask if I could go to the Pumpkin Patch with her class. Each teacher could only invite one parent to ride the bus on the field trip so, I was pretty lucky to get to go!
We went to the Willis farm in Snowflake, where all the kids got to choose their very own pumkin. Each child was given a string to measure their pumkin with and once they found just the right one, I got to help them cut it off the vine and put their name on it and bag it. It was great that the ENTIRE first grade went, so I could be there with Eliza and Sarah too.
The Trio sure know how to pick 'em. We'll have a great time carving the Pumkins for Halloween.

After going to the pumkin patch we went to the park to play and have a picnic lunch. It was a beautiful day! We all had such a wonderful time!