Thanksgiving Break!

This was a much needed break for all of us! It was wonderful having Nick home four full days in a row (Thursday - Sunday)! On Wednesday Owen had early release, so we busted out a game to make the time go faster until Nick got home.
Notice the game pieces are Batman action figures. Am I surrounded by boys or what? I love Jaren's little head poking up over the table.

I tried to get a picture of Owen and Jaren wearing matching shirts, but Corbin felt left out. This was the best shot I got.

I finally gave up on the normal picture smile, so we had to revert to the easier goofy face. Lovely.

Owen brought home these leaves from school to write something we were thankful for. He did a great job! (top) Family - Dad, My boys - Mom, (middle) Legos - Owen, Family - Corbin, (bottom) Jaren - Brothers.

The Falk family was kind enough to invite us to their home for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. We had an awesome time visiting and eating with their family and friends.

Here Owen and Corbin are playing legos with Lucas after dinner.

Jaren was really good, even though he missed his afternoon nap.

Mexican Train! Here are all the girls playing dominoes.
Me, Wendy, Diane, Suzette, and Tauna

On Friday we determined we should use some of the free time to clean up a bit. Corbin was first on the list, as he was badly needing a haircut. I love the face he is making!

The holiday wouldn't be complete without a movie! The boys went and saw Bolt in 3-D. Here is a shot of them wearing the 3-D glasses from the theater. Don't they look goofy? Jaren was kind enough to nap the whole time they were gone, so I got some much enjoyed free time. I even got to be lazy for a while.

I am so grateful for this time of year. I love the wonderful traditions and family time it brings. We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Merry Christmas! Just for fun!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Just for fun!

Last Night Nick downloaded picture we had taken off the phone camera.
Some of these are pretty goofy!

Don't ask.

Silly boys!

The brains in the family!

Was Jaren ever that little?

Look at those cheeks!

Good Buddies!

Grandma and Maryann's visit (final part)

The last couple days of our trip were in D.C. visiting the sights and spending time with family.

We went to the Vietnam Memorial and looked up Uncle Allen's name on the wall.

(Allen L. Faler)

We were able to do a temple session Saturday morning and get some good picture just before it started raining. As we were leaving at the gate there were some prop 8 protesters.

Here are some of the different sights:

(This was the best view of the White House.)

(D.C. Temple)

It was so fun having some of my family here. The boys loved the extra attention. We had a great time!
Thanks for making the trip Mom and Petey!

I have been TAGGED!

Wow, I have never been tagged before! This is a good topic since Nick is out of town this week!

The Man in my Life

What's your husband's name? Nicholas Owen Winward
How long have you been married? 7 years and 6 months
How long did you date? Since September 1997 before his mission and a year "on and off" after, since September 1997.
How old is he? 29
Who eats more sweets? Good question, depends on the day!
Who said "I Love You" first? He did on the comfy chair in my parents family room and I agreed right away.
Who is taller? Nick
Who is smarter? Depends on the subject and who you ask, but I would say Nick!
Who does the laundry? It is a group effort!
Who pays the bills? Mostly Nick.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do now, but it depends on which side is closest to the door.
Does he snore? Only if he has a cold.
What does he do in his spare time? What spare time? He plays with the boys and watches movies with me!
Who mows the lawn? What lawn?
What is his favorite candy bar? Snickers
Who cooks dinner? Me.
Who drives? Nick
Who is the first to say they are wrong? Nick.
Who kissed who first? I was mutual, standing outside his truck after going to the State Fair (our second date).
Who asked who out first? Nick asked me!
Who wears the pants? We both do, sometimes I wear a dress or skirt.
Does he say he loves you every day? Of course, always!


I tag Heather, Erin, Tawna, and Abby (the last 4 people to comment on my blog - thanks!)

Grandma and Aunt Maryann visit (part 3)

Maryann (my little sister) joined us on Thursday morning. We planned on walking the canal, but it was pouring rain. So we decided to go to Olive Garden instead.

Grandma coming wouldn't be complete without gifts. I love this picture with the boys hands out.
They each got a magnet game. Jaren got a cool light up pen. And Aunt Maryann got them Pez Batman, Joker, and reindeer dispensers.

On the way home from picking Nick up from work Maryann and Owen were so hungry that they dug into Jaren's bread stash!

Girls Night Out! Was so fun. We went to PF Changs and ate way too much. We also played some fun games while we were waiting for our food!

Our 2 days in D.C. is next. . .

Grandma Visit (part 2)

The second day of my Mom was here just the adults went to Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty. It was so wonderful, we did the audio tours and got to go into the Statues pedestal
(so worth it).

Ellis Island was especially meaningful to us. My great, great grandma came through here and was detained for 2 weeks on her way to America. Her name is Johanna Adelaar, she is the 11th one down.

It was fun looking her name up and finding it on the wall. It made our whole tour more real thinking that one of our ancestors actually experienced it!

The statue great! It was fun to have a different view and learn more of the events surrounding how it came to be.

Thanks Bronwyn for watching my boys! You are the best!
Day three still to come. . .

Grandma Visits (part 1)

Grandma Faler came for a visit this past week! We had a great time playing, having fun and seeing different sights in the area!

Grandma bought cookies to make with the boys.

They had a great time and loved watching them cook.

These are Christmas glasses that show different shapes (snowman, snowflake, or santa) when you look at lights. We got them for Christmas last year. The boys loved looking at the oven lights!

On the way to the library we stopped and played in the leaves.

I remember meeting my mom in Boise when I was going in College. We were driving through a neighborhood and she asked my Grandpa to pull over. She and I got out and walked down the sidewalk kicking leaves. We both still love to do it!

More on our fun week to come. . .

Play Date!

We had some friends over to play yesterday. The boys had a great time playing Star Wars. They even got all dressed in our star wars shirts!

Where are the boys?

There they are!

Super hero dress ups!

Playing Star Wars (what is buzz lightyear doing)!