Thanksgiving

Our First Thanksgiving at home was perfect. Riley & I cooked like we've never cooked before (That's very true for Riley). He was such a good sport and didn't even try to sit down to watch football. We had so much fun doing it.
I wanted to make it special for the kiddos so I bought some crafts for them to do. Damien and Riley put together a model airplane that actually flies, and I helped Amaya paint a door hanger.
We didn't eat until almost five, and had quite the feast. The kids sat at the table and picked at their food for about 5 minutes and then were off to play outside. It was definitely too much food for our little family, so we are really hoping for some company next year...anyone?



I had to put a picture of our apple pie that I am so proud of. It was the best apple pie that I have ever tasted. I am craving it as I write.

Happy Halloween!

We had a great Halloween day and were really looking forward to a night of Trick or Treating. It turned out to be kind of a bummer night. There didn't seem to be a whole lot of Halloween spirit this year. Most of the houses were dark and no one was home. I guess people had better things to do on a Saturday night. At least my kids looked so cute in their costumes!

Amaya's 5th birthday

My baby girl turned 5 on October 22. I guess that's what it takes to get me blogging again....please don't give up on me, keep checking back.
It was such a bittersweet day. I love the joy a birthday brings to my kids, but It makes me sad to see them grow up. Amaya has been talking about this day for over a month and was so excited when the day finally arrived. She had the whole day planned. The first thing she told me when she woke up was "Today is my birthday and I get to do whatever I want". Well she did! She went to preschool, had her friend Brooklyn over for lunch, got to play for awhile, skipped a nap, had her favorite dinner (orange chicken), opened gifts, and then went to build a bear. At the end of the day she asked if tomorrow was her birthday too. What a great day we had!

Damien turns 7!

I'm not usually much of a party planner, nor do I enjoy doing it, but I think Damien's birthday party turned out pretty good. He wanted to have a star wars party so we made invitations that said...

Invited You Are… on a Galactic adventure with … Damien Madsen
On Saturday, March 14, You’ll take part in your Jedi Training. Your mission will be to rescue and protect Princess Leia, as she has been taken prisoner by Darth Vader. After Galactic Pizza and Yoda Sodas, we’ll be fighting to destroy Darth Vader & the Death Star, using your Jedi force powers. Please bring your Jedi lightsaber to aid you in your mission. Then after sufficient training, you will be awarded with treats from the republic. May the force be with you!

There were 7 boys, all with lightsabers. These boys were ready and serious about their Jedi training. One of the boys was outside meditating before the party began. It was too funny! Riley was Master Jedi and did all the training. Thank goodness for that, since I know nothing about star wars.

Gabriel turns one!

It's hard to believe my baby is one year older! Gabriel celebrated his first birthday on December 18th. This year went by much too fast. Happy birthday Gabe!

Thanksgiving in Utah

I thought I better blog about this before Christmas is here. We had such a great time spending Thanksgiving with family in Utah. What a reunion! It's been about 2 years since my kids last saw their cousins. We had such a fun and relaxing time. It was hard coming home, especially for Damien. He had his moments on the way home when he would break down and cry. It broke my heart. He's really missing his cousins. It is definitely hard being away from family, but I have learned to appreciate them so much more.

Halloween fun

Visiting the Pumpkin patch with friends



My little Pumpkin


Amaya with her "sister", Brooklyn at the pumpkin patch


Trunk or treat


Aye, Aye, captain

Shiver me timbers! It's Jack Sparrow!

The kids had so much fun trick or treating but
couldn't wait to get home to pass out candy.