Christmas lights at Temple Square

One of my favorite things to do at Christmas is go and see the lights at temple square. It was a freezing cold night, but really fun! McKay opted to sleep through the whole thing, I think he was probably roasting with all the layers I had on him. It was fun to have the whole Edwards' family together, and we already miss everyone. What's wrong with Utah? I mean its not that bad at all, and its much better that S.F. (just kidding Cory and Kristen).

Our Wild Little Turkeys!

Our eldest chief is CHIEF WILD TURKEY,

Next we have CHIEF Hubba Hubba!

This is CHIEF TAN HIDE...

and this is CHIEF PICK 'EM and EAT 'EM!

Edwards family Thanksgiving Party

After hours of trying to figure out some cute little "crafty" decoration for Thanksgiving, our one and only Kristen Edwards (A.K.A Martha Stuart) came up with these orginal Indian hats. The only problem was Paul's feathers wouldn't stay up. But with Martha's help (just a little med), Paul's feathers were up in no time!
Here is the whole clan, I've decided its nearly impossible to get everyone to look good at the same time. We may all look a little on the "hefty" side, but don't worry, its just because we finished eating Thanksgiving dinner and lots and lots of yummy pie!
Nothing is better after a big Thanksgiving feast than playing some football. It was perfect weather for it too!

What's Wrong with this Picture?

Tanner was taking a bath the other night, when all of the sudden I hear a splash and a lot of giggling. I ran back to see what was going on and this is what I found! Of course, I wasn't very happy about it, but I had to get a picture.

McKay has a very limited vocabulary, but the one word that is always loud and clear is "Baff", he loves bathtime. We just need to teach him how to skinny dip!

The Old Fashion Way...

After an hour of trunk or treating, Bryson asked if he could try the old way of trick or treating, "you know like you use to do it when you were a little girl."
So we went around to a few neighbor's homes that weren't at the trunk or treating party. The boys were having a hard time holding up their heavy buckets.

Our Trunk OF Treats

As a society, we pride ourselves in trying to find ways to get the job done quicker, we are always trying to be more efficient with our time. I am still waiting for the vacuum that can sweep and mop my floor at the same time. But, for now I am happy with the latest, safest way to trick or treat. We went to the church parking lot with 4 eager trick or treaters at 5:00 and left at 6:00 with a trunk full of treats. We now have our year supply of treats, the trick will be if we can make them last that long.
The picture above is our kids, Ry & Jess's, the Clydes, and the Heywood kids.
Mom and Dad, this picture is for you, can you pick out all your grandkids and figure out which one is missing?

Here are our trick or treaters, close up...

The NERD (A.K.A. Bryson age 9) He was in character all night. He had fun pulling up his pants, pushing up his glasses, and grabbing a pencil from his pocket. His outfit was complete with suspenders and his hair parted in the middle.

The FROG (McKay 18 mo.) He was adorable. We were in such a hurry, we forgot his shoes, so he had to be held, which really cramped his style.

STITCH the Alien (Garrett age 6). With four arms, Garrett was able to get his fair share of candy. However, with 2 missing teeth and 2 more that are really loose, its hard to actually eat it!
BUZZ LIGHTYEAR (Tanner age 4) What a proud little man. He had wings on his back and glasses that lit up. Tanner got to wear his costume 3 times! To his preschool Halloween parade, a Halloween party we went to on Saturday, then again to go Trick or Treating.

All done truck or treating! Now we are just hanging out with the pretty girls.

Carving Pumpkins

Carving pumpkins is not what it use to be. I remember sitting around forever drawing face after face to get just the right jack o' lantern pattern. Then, using a kitchen knife, I would start to carve the face that I had drawn on with a marker. Now the boys look on the computer to find the right pattern and then tape the pattern on the pumpkin. After that, we punch little holes along the pattern lines, that then leave a line to cut on the pumpkin. We even have pumpkin carving tools. Man, how things evolve! We had a great time, here are some pictures... Bryson, our true blue fan! Garrett(and his cookie) with his spooky ghost pumpkin.

Tanner and Daddy at work gutting out a pumpkin.

McKay even got to work on his own little pumkpin. How fun!

Our Trip to Michigan!

Last week, over UEA break, we took the boys to go see Grandma and Grandpa in Michigan. We were so excited to see them and to see the area where they were serving. Mom and Dad looked great, and we all fell in love with Michigan. It is beautiful, the trees were still full of bright colorful leaves and instead of deer running through their yards, we watched the squirrels play. The mission home is in a very nice neighborhood, just a few blocks from the church and the mission office and about 15 minutes from the airport. The picture (above) was taken with the poster that Mom and Dad take to the airport to go pick up new missionaries .

The boys favorite pass-time was playing in the backyard of the mission home. Bryson had brought his glow in the dark BYU football and wanted to play football as much as possible. The boys seem to really get into the tackle part of the game.

McKay warmed up quickly to Grandma and Grandpa and became Grandpa's pal again in no time. He also loved to be outside playing with the boys, even Grandpa changed his clothes for awhile to play football. McKay has started this new thing were he acts shy and covers his eye with his hand, its so cute!

The boys with Grandma and Grandpa standing in front of the mission home, after walking around the neighborhood and collecting leaves. Note: Beautiful neighborhood with huge homes and huge trees, but I could get lost very easily. There are no mountains to orient yourself and the cute street names aren't very helpful either.

The mission office...this is where it all happens, Dad has his own office next to the A.P.'s office. And the office missionary couples are in the front lobby. Dad has now taken the prize for being on the cell phone the most. Paul, who we all know, is a close runner up, was happy to see that Dad has now won the prize. His phone could be heard ringing anywhere from 6 a.m. to midnight.

Sitting around the kitchen table eating around treat before bed, sound familiar? We had fun hearing Dad's stories and we all had some good laughs! If you ask Garrett what his favorite part of the trip was he will tell you, "the food!" Thanks Mom!

Bryson's turns nine!

I can't believe my oldest is nine! What a fun birthday for Bryson. We had yummy chocolate cake the eve before his birthday with Grandma and Grandpa. Bryson licked up every last drop. Then, we left early on Bryson's birthday to fly back home to Utah, he was proud of the fact he had been in some many states on his birthday.

When we got back to our house, we had yet another pary with Grandma Elda. We had Bryson's favorite meal...sloppy joes and then we (finally...according to a very anxious 9 year old) opened presents. The next day after school, I was surprise to find out that Bryson had invited most of his class over to play with his new gamecube games. Happy Birthday Bryson, we love you!

BYU vs. Notre Dame

Paul, Bryson, Garrett, Uncle Scott and Uncle Ryan all drove down to South Bend to watch the football game with the Ritchie clan and friends. The boys had a great time but where disappointed to see BYU lose (can't you just see it in Bryson's face...or maybe he just loves getting his picture taken).

Whenever Notre Dame scored, the crowd would pick up a student and do push ups with him or her for their new score. So Scott and Ryan, decided to do the same with Garrett. To Garrett's dismay, he was not lifted as much as the Notre Dame's team. But, as you can see, he loved every second of it!

Let the Games Begin!

This soccer/football season has been crazy and I feel like I am just getting a taste of things to come with four boys! On game days, we have four games we are trying to watch. All the boys are in soccer and Bryson is also in football. This first picture is of Garrett warming up.
This picture is of Bryson with his cousin Spencer just after finishing a good game of flag football, then we were rushing them both off to their soccer game. Its really fun to watch Bryson this year, by this age, they really understand the game and it gets pretty competitive!
This is right before Tanners game, and the boys are supposedly "warming up". Tanner's game are really fun to watch because the kids are just happy to run around for awhile and then they can get what they really came for...the treats!

Just "Ask Ang"

Those of you out there who know me well, know that I don't hestitate to share my opinion on things that really interest me. On occasion, I have been asked my personal opinion on serveral topics: For instance, Scott called to asked me what I thought about my Bosch and if I would choose it over a KitchenAid. My brother Ryan just called to ask me about his love life and how to make a yummy Sunday dinner for a bunch of girls. I've been asked by Paul (on a regular basis) "Do these match?" Or from friends, questions such as, "Do you think this scrapbook page is cute?", "What do you think I should wear to ...?", "How do you get your baby to sleep through the night?" , or "Do you have a good recipe for..."

All of these questions I feel comfortable answering. Not that I have the right answer by any means, but I feel that I can carry on a conversation and might even be able to add some information that could be valuable to that person in that subject area.

Apparently I've perfected the art of giving counsel. Yesterday, I had a neighbor lady call and ask me this question: "I was wondering what your opinion is of the candidates that are running for mayor and who you are going to vote for." I said, "Excuse me? Did you mean to call someone else?"

I was a bit taken back by her question, but, given my nature, I began to tell her my thoughts. The more interested she seemed, the more advice I gave. I waxed eloquent on the topic. She seemed interested and I hung up feeling pretty proud of myself for giving her something to think about before casting her vote.

Then, a few minutes later I received yet another phone call from this lady's friend. They had apparently talked and liked my political viewpoint so much, that they now felt that they couldn't cast their votes for city council members without my input. At this point I started laughing and said, "Is this some kind of joke? No one has ever asked me my opinion about politics." But she assured me it wasn't and that she really was interested on my thoughts. So, I began again to give her the information I had and who I thought would be the best man (or woman) for the job.

As the conversation went on, I realized that I kind of like giving advice, (maybe it's the older and wiser sister in me - Paul probably could have told me that). But these kind of questions historically seemed to be reserved for Paul (along with "What do you think they should do about Coach Crowton?" or "What do you think about the economy right now?" or "Is the real estate bubble going to burst?" or "Where should I invest some short term money?"). Well, not anymore ... Just "Ask Ang!"

I am now officially on the advice-giving soap box, regardless of the topic. I might even seek to get a column in the Wasatch Wave. Heck, since the calls yesterday, I've even become aware of the fact that there are two vacancies in the Supreme Court. I'm full of knowledge! Those ladies made my day.

(A little plug for Ang from Paul follows)
So, for all of you mental midgets out there, or those of you who just can't make a decision without affirmation or some outside direction ... go ahead and ask away... Marital or relationship problems that the family counselor can't solve? Financial problems that the financial planner and banker can't solve? Medical problems that the doctor can't solve? Trade deficit problems that Alan Greenspan can't solve? Doctrinal questions that Bruce R. McConkie didn't address? Your answers are only an e-mail away. . . Just Ask Ang!

Grandma Loves Me More than You

I have to ask the question? Has grandma Elda made any of you rice pudding lately? No, I didn't think so. I am grandma's favorite - and frankly she's mine too. No one else makes me rice pudding and sends the whole pot home with me. The fact that she asks me not to tell anyone else suggests to me that she might like you all a little bit (seeing as how she is concerned about your feelings and all) - just not enough to be on my level of love. . . Keep trying - but I doubt you'll catch up.

Fall Sunsets in Heber

You've got to love the fall sunsets in the Heber Valley.

Paul's Treasure Hunt

Despite the sad look on Paul's face, we had a fun time celebrating his real b-day Monday night for family home evening. We had a treasure hunt all over the neighborhood that finally led to his birthday presents at the end. The boys helped me hide clues (with a candy bar on each) at different family member's homes. Then we drove around that night, recording Paul as he read his clues. The boys loved the treasure hunt for presents (I stole the idea from M'Recia) and I am sure we will use it again! Happy Birthday Paul, we love you!

Paul's b-day Dinner

Sunday night we had Brady,Karen, and Ryan come up for dinner to help us celebrate Paul's b-day. Brady and Ryan decided it was their job to ruff up McKay a little and teach him to become a real man. McKay was thrown across the room between his two uncles at illegal heights, then they would swing him in a blanket and throw him onto the couch. He loved every minute of it and wanted to keep doing it over and over. All the boys wanted a turn and pretty soon they were doing rocket launches off the blanket and some other crazy ride I don't remember. Brady and Karen gave Paul the best b-day present for our whole family. One night of free babysitting, Paul and I are excited, but the boys can hardly wait! For all of you family members of couldn't be here, we missed you lots!

Fall Colors on the Alpine Loop

Sunday afternoon we decided to go on a ride with Grandma Elda,and the Alpine Loop we heard was beautiful right now. Little did we know that the rest of Utah had heard the same thing and everyone was driving the Loop. However, the leaves were beautiful! I love seeing the contrast of Evergreen trees next to the bright red, orange and yellow leaves. The boys were looking for just the right leaves to take home in the baggies. It was amazing how they would find just the right leaves along the side of the road and need to stop immediately to find "the leaf". Each boy was looking for something different...Bryson: the quantity of leaves, Garrett: the perfect leaf (not any that had already touched the ground), and Tanner: could care less about leaves, but wanted the pinecones!

Why I'm Glad I'm Not a Pioneer

While Garrett may some day be embarrassed I'm telling this story, he thinks it is the funniest thing ever right now! While collect leaves on our drive, Garrett announces (with a much concern) that he needs to go to the bathroom immediately. Luckily we were walking around, not far from Aspen Grove, and I was sure there was a bathroom right across the bridge. So the boys and I ran to find a bathroom leaving Paul and Grandma sitting back in the car with McKay sleeping, they had no idea where we had gone. But, when nature calls with the boys, I've learned I must respond quickly. After checking 3 bathrooms to only find locked doors, Garrett couldn't take it any longer. He relieved himself in some wild grass and I had the honors of teaching Garrett how to use leaves in place of toilet paper. Bryson said that we should have taken a picture of this for our blog, I insisted that wasn't appropriate, however, I couldn't resist sharing. Our boys will probably not remember our Sunday afternoon ride for long, but I can assure you they won't forget what you can use leaves for...