Thanksgiving - Because it's January

I know Thanksgiving was so last year but I'm posting pictures anyway.  I might make it to Christmas pictures before next Christmas.

We invited ourselves to Teresa and Dave's house in the Bay Area for Thanksgiving.  Luckily they were both raised with "The More The Merrier" and it didn't even phase them too much.  I did mention I felt a bit like Cousin Eddie from the Lampoon movies, but it turned out awesome.  There were three other families there also so it was a party!

Thanksgiving day started with football and swords in the backyard with mad cooking in the kitchen.  There was also a bed jumping/frolicking/kid laughing crying happening upstairs.  Thanksgiving night we played games and ate pie.  A lot of incredible pie.  We learned some new games, although the rules varied with whom was playing.  Ha ha.

The day after Thanksgiving we went on an adventure to the beach - I can honestly say I've never been to the beach around Thanksgiving.  Yeah, that rocked.

Let me tell you a bit about Teresa.  She is my closest cousin in age and personality.  She is super fun and super cute and I've always wanted to be like her.  Do you have a cousin like that?  Yeah, she's all that.  I do have to mention she is 7 days older than me.  Not a big deal - unless when you're a kid she always said, "I'm older so I get to decide."  Well - karma has a funny way of turning that action around.  Now I'm 7 days YOUNGER than she is.  Ha ha.  :)  Here are some pictures of Teresa and I and Dee and I at sunset.  Fun stuff.  Love that they live so close now!

We also went for a hike to work out some energy and lose some of that pie.  Beautiful place they live and as you can tell it was nice and warm for us.  

It was awesome to see them and enjoy Thanksgiving with such cool people.  There were lots of kids to play with, adults to talk to and great food to eat.  It was fun to laugh (yes, POWELL laugh) with Teresa and hear  her view on childhood shared memories.  I am thankful!

Where to begin?

Happy 2013!  

Starting the New Year feeling this behind isn't good.

I'm not sure where to start, I have soooooo many pictures.  And excuses. And so much has happened since my last blurb.

Maybe this one will be without pictures, maybe it'll be stories and the pictures can come later.

First the excuses.  

I got an iPad.  It was supposed to be in last July for our anniversary (Dee won it through work - Yay Dee!) and it didn't come until October.  Love it.  What does that have to do with my blog you ask?  I rarely use my computer any more.  However, I haven't figured out how to access my pictures to update them to my blog.  Complicated technology, I know.  

Next and more time-note-worthy is Tyler started home school in October.  It's a long complicated story involving high expectations and a teacher not delivering (when I say "high" I mostly mean "teaching").  It has had it's ups and downs: one of the ups being Tyler gets to be home all the time and one of it's lows being Tyler gets to be home all the time.  Selfish, I know.  I had about 4 hours to myself a week with Carter being in Pre-School - which might not seem like a big deal but this was the first time in 13 years to have 4 hours a week to myself.  Selfish, I know.  

Some of the good out of that is I've learned a lot of things I had forgotten from school, things I distinctly remember thinking, "I'll never use this again!  Why do I have to learn this stuff?!"  Surprise!  I've also been reminded of things I enjoyed learning.  It has also been fun getting to know Tyler on another level.  He's a funny kid.  Most importantly I see a love for learning returning to Tyler's eyes, I love when they get excited about something they learned, get excited about learning.  This is why I do what I do.  

As for adventures that include a lot of pictures to be posted at a later time:

Thanksgiving was spent with my amazing cousin Teresa and her family.  We weren't turned away when we invited ourselves to their house (no, really) and had a GREAT time.  They recently moved to the Bay Area and it was the first time in history I can recall being at the beach around Thanksgiving.  It was great company, great food and a great time!  I laughed so hard (although not the Powell laugh that reared it's ugly head...LOL) and loved sharing stories and commiserating with Teresa about our family and youth.

December flew through with projects at school (not Tyler's though, ha ha!) and a performance for Ellie - LOVE the Christmas song she learned this year - Carter's Preschool (he had his pants zipped this time - forgot to mention that about Thanksgiving, talk about funny!) and a big one for McKenna at the middle school.  Our friend even called it a "McKenna variety show" because she was in so many numbers.  That one also included the snack bar which I am always crazy enough to volunteer to run which means I spend a week baking like Mrs. Claus.  

Christmas break this year included going to Utah for two full weeks!  It was different for me this time.  Better.  It was the first official time we didn't have a baby I had to get up with or follow around to make sure they didn't get into stuff.  I slept in.  I played with adults.  We got to see lots of family but didn't feel rushed to do so.  We played in the snow.  We saw sites (Temple Square) and went on a date.  My entire family was together a couple times.  It was a wonderful time and my heart feels so full being able to be able to go.  

I promise pictures will come. I only have 500 or so to filter through... back to the iPad of avoidance.  :)