Thanksgiving Point Giveaway

I'm not cool enough to have connections to have my own giveaway but I do know of a place where you can go to enter it!  They are giving away a family pass to Thanksgiving Point and I think this would be a super fun way to go up North and have fun with the kidlets.

Go check it out at : http://www.jillcanblog.com/index.php/2010/12/16/thanksgiving-point-is-neat-and-a-giveawaaaaay/


Hope it works and I wish you the best of luck!!  I know that I entered several times ;)

October Fun Times

Here are some pics from October.  It has been a busy but really fun month for our family.  We took a trip to the Burgh at the first of the month and Brett and Sarah treated us well and made sure that we all had a great time.  Sarah and I got some girl time with shopping and having the most wonderful (and humongous) pieces of cake ever!  We were celebrating our birthdays that were both in September.  It was great to have a little one on one time.  The boys spent a lot of time doing football stuff.  They were able to go have breakfast with the defensive line and met a whole bunch of players.  I was so glad that we had bought their new hats the night before so they could get them signed!!  They were so excited. 

We also got to spend the evening with Bob Graham's sister and her family.  They have a beautiful home there fairly close to B and S's house.  They spoiled us with the best steaks I have ever eaten and desserts and appetizers to die for.  The kids got to swim in their new pool while we all hung out and it was a great start to the vacation. 

We took the kids downtown and went on the Incline and ate at a really fun place with Sarah and Jakie while Brett was a work.  It was a really fun and relaxing time and the kids got to ride into the city with Sarah so Chad and I enjoyed the quiet ride ;)

After the game, which the kids thought was fascinating and they really enjoyed the whole atmosphere, we had pizza back at the house.  Ben R. came over and we all hung out.  The kids talked Ben into playing basketball with them.  He won the games that they played but he came out with all the injuries.  He had really bad rug-burns on his knees because the kids made him play on them.  He said it would have been great if he would have had some volleyball kneepads.  It was really great to just hang out that night and have a relaxing evening visiting.

Jakie is so cute and spending some time with him was the best.  He enjoyed playing outside with the kids and the dogs.  They had such a great yard and while the boys set up the new tree stand, the girls enjoyed their wonderful chairs set up on their lawn.  Abby thought it was spectacular that they had acorns and had to collect many of them to bring home. 

Overall, the whole trip was a hit except the way home.  We had to leave their house at 4:30 am and be to the airport.  When we got there, our plane had hit a bird the flight before and they were going to fly it to Ohio and bring back a new plane for us.  That would have meant that we would have missed our connecting flight in New York so they rerouted our family to go from Pitts to San Fran.  They said we would get into Salt Lake just a few minutes later than originally so we thought it would be great.  It was a 5 hour flight, which drove Chad crazy but we made it.  Once we got to San Fran, we had to go to a whole different part of the airport.  Our tickets were all messed up and we had to wait for them to figure this out and then had to go all the way back through security.  Our flight was delayed so we went and had breakfast.  No big deal but then it was delayed, and delayed and delayed.  4 1/2 hours later our plane finally came to Salt Lake and we hurried and boarded.  We were totally amazed when we finally got to Salt Lake that our bags were actually there with no problems.  Dinner at Sizzler in Orem and then home.  Supposed to be home around 3ish and ended up being home at 9ish pm.  Good times.  Oh well, the trip was great anyway, just a little downer at the end. 

The rest of the month was a blur but I did put pics up of the kids on Halloween and a pic of the new spud growing in my belly.  I will try to get pics up of the ultrasound pics we got.  They said the spud is a "she" so we will see if that is how it turns out.  We will take her and hope she is healthy and happy!!!  K, well, now that I have rambled on forever, I will let you get on to the pics.  Love you all and hope you are well!!!!

Chad taking a little nap in the airport and Abby is looking out at the planes.

Gabe is sleepy but excited to go to Pittsburgh for the first time.

Zack playing on the DS at the airport

Kidlets up at the outlook point about Pittsburgh.  Jakie, Gabe, Zack and Abby

Heinz Field

Jake, Gabe, Abby and Zack enjoying the view as we go down the Incline in Pittsburgh.  It was so fun for them because none of them had ever been on it.  A tram goes straight up the hillside to take you up to more restraunts and housing.  The locals use it.

Kids at the restraunt where they cook your food on the grill right in front of you.  Another great first for them.  They totally loved it when the guy lit stuff on fire!  Thanks Brett and Sarah...it was a super dinner and really fun.

Gabe getting his first taste of wasabi...looks like he might throw up but it was just really hot and he was trying to swallow it.

Zack trying out the lobster.  Not a fan.

Totally mesmerized!

Our chef and Aunt Sarah enjoying her food.

Jake had to sit on dad's lap for a minute after the huge flames from the oil being lit on the grill.

Haha look at Zack's face.  He loved it.

Picture of my half-eaten plate.  It was sooooooo good. 

Brett, Jake and Sarah

Chad, Abby and Zack at the game

Spuds at the game

Spuds on the field for the first time.

Sarah, Brett, Jake, Chad, Gabe, Zack, Jamie, Abby   - this was our family's first time on the field.

Uncle Ben playing basketball with the spuds at Brett and Sarah's house.  Look at Abby's hair and face.  hahaha

They were having the time of their lives on this vacation and this was really fun the night before we had to come home.  Poor Ben, he won all the games but he had rug-burns because the kids made him play on his knees.  He was a really good sport.



Gabe wanted to be a girl for Halloween.  He wore Abby's Little Mermaid wig that she decided not to wear.  Wow, look at those fake ones.



Mermaid Abby



Future Buff?  or Rebel perhaps (haha)



Mommy and the new Spud - they said it was a girl at the ultrasound.  We will see.  I am 21 weeks in this picture on October 31, 2010

Starting a new chapter and working on an old one!

So Chad and I celebrated our 12th anniversary last week and it was nothing short of spectacular....or you could just say it was a plain, old ordinary day at our house.  I came home from a fun weekend of playing with my niece Meggane and her husband Osiris and Chad and the boys were coming home from a fun weekend of cowboying!  We did get to eat dinner together though and that is a rare occurance anymore.
I was cleaning through the huge amounts of junk and stuff that has accumulated there throughout the past year with practicum and student teaching!  Wow, can anyone say light a match!  It was kinda fun though to relive some of the fun activities that we did in the classes and it made me a little sad at the same time.  I have great stuff to start with as a teacher from my supporting teachers, but unfortunately, no job!  Oh well, I did find this super cute journal entry of Abby's from this last year and thought it was very appropriate since it was right around our annniversary.

It says:  I Love MY MoM and dad

Thae ARe in Love.

We must be doing something right!!  They say you shouldn't hide your affections for one another from your kids because it gives them a good sense of stability in the home if their parents show love for one another.

Enough said.  I love my guy and we will soon be showing our love for one another again when we have our next baby!!  WE ARE PREGNANT!!  Oh my goodness, what a surprise!!  We have an appointment in a week or so and hopefully can actually find out a delivery date but as of right now it is just the middle of March sometime.

Anyway, on to the part of the title where we are starting the next new chapter of our lives.  Gabe got him some braces, and to top that off,  he is now playing middle school football.  We are talking pads, helmet, mouthguard, refs and rules kind of football.  So great and Chad is helping coach.  I love being able to go watch now and see the two of them at work!!!  Great things are to come from this!!  Here are a few pics of his first game that they won...or should i say totally kicked some sweet, little bootie!!

I'm pretty sure the next post will be about the kids and their new teachers.  Abby got Mrs. Henrie!!!  Yeah for us!!!  Zack got Mrs. Helsten.  None of my kids have had her so far so we will see how it goes.  Gabe is entering uncharted territory for us by going into Middle School.  We go tonight for his orientations so hopefully I will understand what to expect a little more after that is over.  Well,  tata for now. I have bonbons to go eat...or some laundry and picking out my interview outfit for tomorrow.  Manti Elementary has some paraeducator job openings and they called this morning.  Wish me luck!! 

Here are a few bonus picks of Abby and I on our fun little weekend away having breakfast at IHOP, a pic of Zack just cause he didn't make it into this post and I love him, and a shoutout to my sweet nephew that had his big 2nd birthday this last weekend!

I do believe our present was "A HIT"!!  Haha, happy birthday little guy!!

Gettin' the Wyomin' Fix

For some reason I cannot get these first two pics off of where they are.  This was supposed to be at the very end of the post because it was showing where we were sitting when I took the video of the deer.  So stupid that I can't get them off.  Oh well, enjoy the rest of the pics.

This was one of the first times we ever took Abby up to the Big Horn Mountains. It is nice that some bunghole decided to go around the whole mountain and score out our names in every tree. Nice try stupid, you will not kill our memories with your bungholery!

Big Moose haha.

Little Miss Ashtyn strikin a pose.

Camryn and Abby playing on the horse trailer while Chad got the horses ready.

Spunky on his favorite horse Red!  Sure is a cutie.

Camryn and Zack riding around Brett and Sarah's property outside of Greybull.

Gabe getting in on the action.

I got to take Camryn, Abby and Ashy to the pool on one of the final afternoons I was there.  It was a lot of fun and HOT HOT HOT!!!

This Lady Dog smiles more than any dog I have ever seen.  She must feel loved.

Abby girl fishing in the Big Horns

Spunky the pyro!

L to R:  Zack, Gabe, Brett, Lane and Chad behind the camera.  Man trip 2010

Gabe fishing it up on the Man trip.

Gabe, Cashee, Lady and Abby enjoying the shade while we were out looking at the petroglyphs on Brett and Sarah's new property.

Chadly taking it all in.

A deer?

Bear claws

Brett looking at bird poop...not really...not sure which one he is looking at.

Bear

Some sort of bird

One of the highlights of my trip was this little girl.  She is so fun and smiley most of the time and giggles like a chipmunk.  I love going home to visit everyone I love.  I always feel bad when I don't get pictures of my sister, Mom, Nana, Wadee and Aunt Barbara.  They are highlights too.  We had fun this trip because we got to spend time with Brett, Sarah and Cashee and we also got to got see the Mollenbrink crew and have dinner.  Chad got to spend some much needed time with Josh and the Bassett crew.  The guys their Man Trip in for 2010 and enjoy the mountains that they love and grew up in.  Overall, besides me being deathly ill, it was a great trip.  Now we are back to life and back to reality.  We have missed being here camping with our besties and spending time with them.  Pretty soon everyone will be holed up again for winter and we won't see them until spring so I hope we can enjoy them a little before our hubs' brains turn to mush from hunting excitement.  I think my hubs is already working on that since we have to go spotting alot already.  We tried to find a few just last weekend and this is what we saw:

Here are some bucks that were all the way across the canyon from us.  A super long ways away.  This is through Chad's spotting scope so it was really hard to hold still and keep stuff in focus.