Happy Holidays

Thanksgiving.....Italian Style

Have you ever seen chicken parmesan this gigantic? Well, leave it to Christian. The man is a master in the kitchen. We felt like doing things a little different this year, so he prepared an Italian feast.

The Peacock's came to our house this year. It was the first time since before Brandt left that we were all together. So it was nice to spend time together and not have to make a meal that takes all day.

On our menu this year:

Chicken Parmesan
Fettuccini Alfredo
Garlic Bread
Three Green Salad
Cooked Vegetables
Brownie Fudge Desert
Butterscotch Pumpkin Cream Pie

The left overs are so good, and we're still eating them!

I am Not Totally Worthless

Christian made a wonderful Italian inspired Thanksgiving feast, but I made the deserts! Check these bad boys out. I will be posting the recipes shortly.

Desert really isn't this funny or shocking (in Cali's case). It was at this moment that Brandt put Carter in a Rubbermaid container and flew him around the house on his "magic carpet". Needless to say, this went on for quite some time.


Chocolate brownie fudge cake


Butterscotch pumpkin cream pie

Giving Thanks

Thankful for a very photogenic (even with food in her mouth she still looks great), silly and wonderful sister.


Thankful for a silly yet compassionate brother-in-law.

Giving More Thanks

Thankful for Carter's smile. Even though a lot of times it means he's done something very naughty.


Thankful for Cali's sweetness, she is such a good helper and a very attentive sister.


Thankful for Christian's willingness to work so hard for our family. Not to mention, cook up storm!


Thankful for an ultra talented sister, and super clever brother.


Thankful for a phone talking sister....at least 4-5 times a day, and her adorable husband who puts up with our frequent conversations.

Thanksgiving Morning

Suffice it to say that Cali's Indian head dress (from her preschool program) got it's fair share of wear. And quite a few extra staples.

Preschool Program

A holiday just wouldn't be complete without a preschool program. Cali's teacher, Miss Teresa, is the best teacher. The kids made Indian vests, necklaces and head dresses. They learned several Thanksgiving songs, and preformed them for the parents on Wed. morning before their party and feast.

Carter really wanted to be part of the program. He stood at the end by the last preschool student and pretended to sing the songs. Afterwards, he really wanted to stand by Cali and her friends and get in on the action.

What Team? Wildcats! What Team? Wildcats! Get Your Head in the Game!

Oh my, we're still dancing and singing and ice skating! On Saturday (November 17th) we went down town to the Energy Solutions Arena (formerly the Delta Center) to see High School Musical on Ice. It was pretty much the crowning moment in Cali's young life....thus far. She was dancing and singing the whole time. It was pretty much amazing. These kids (youngish adults) can really get down on the ice skates. There were back flips and spins and lots of twirling around. They did the entire "Get Your Head in the Game" dance routine with basketballs and all on ice skates.

Calee and Cali acting cool at High School Musical.


Check out Troy and Gabriella.

Dustin's First Trip to the Temple

On Saturday Christian's brother Dustin went through the temple for the first time. We all met at Manti (the best temple ever) and had a wonderful day together.

The whole family (minus Brittany, she's on a mission in Sweden)
From left to right: Nykelle, Carson, Vicki, Dustin, Me, Christian, Carter, Cali, Melissa, Devin, Carl


My boys


Vicki, Dustin, and Carl. Look out ladies of Minnesota, here he comes!

Manti Temple

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

1 Corinthians 3:16

Brian Fellow's Safari Planet...That's Crazy!

Brian Fellow (Tracy Morgan) was one of my favorite characters on Saturday Night Live. Every time I see Carter go crazy for animals I think about the intro to the sketch.

Brian Fellow is not an accredited zoologist, nor does he hold an advanced degree in any of the environmental sciences. He is simply an enthusiastic young man with a sixth grade education and an abiding love for all of God's creatures.

Carter may not have a sixth grade education...yet, but he does have an abiding love for all God's creatures. This is my mom and dad's neighbor's dog. He ran over to their house and promptly got on his hands and knees so he could get in the dog's face. When it was time to go, he picked him up and said, "Come on goggie, let's go." He was very sad when he had to face the facts that not only was that dog not coming home with us, but there is a very real chance that he may never get a dog.

You see, I am the opposite of Brian Fellows. You could say that I have an abiding dislike for all of God's creatures. Well, maybe that's a bit of an overstatement, but I really do not have any natural affection for animals.

Thoroughly Modern Millie

On Thursday night we went to see Emery High School's production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. My dad is the drama director (this was his 125th play), my sister Bethany was the choreographer, and my sister Dory was the lead role of Millie. She is a fantastic actress and a great singer. The show is a really cute story about a small town girl who runs off to New York to seek a new life. She meets many interesting characters a long the way, and hilarity ensues. It's full of jazzy dancing and a lot of great music. It was fun to see her preform and to spend time with family and friends.

It Time to Party.....Some More

On Thursday we had yet another birthday party for Carter. This time in Castle Dale at the Peacock's house. My mom made some birthday cakes....have I mentioned that Carter loves cake! He also got some more Lightening McQueen loot, including a car that says, "Hey! Watch the paint." Which is very fitting seeing as how that might be Christian's favorite phrase.


Carter's two great loves. Cake and M&M's, he picked most of them off and ate them after he opened his presents.


Here he is enjoying the picking.


More loot, and "help" from sissy.

We Didn't Even Get to Say Good Bye

Note: This is not my actual car, just one that looks exactly like it

Many of you know that I love my Mazda. I bought it the last semester I was in college (August 2001) and I have driven it ever since. It is black with gray leather and a Bose stereo system, just to name a few reasons why I love it. We've driven it to California, all over Utah, Cali and I used to cruise in it when she was a baby, and as of late we were using it as a commuter car to and from work. That's when we noticed that it was acting a little strange. It was shifting hard, and would lose power if you went below 40 mph (if you know how Christian drives, this really wasn't a problem for him). So we took it into the Mazda shop and received the news. It wasn't good. The electrical system needed to be rewired, and it was only running on 5 of it's 6 cylinders.

We made the decision to sell it to CarMax and try to get a little cash out of what was left of the value. So last night I had the wonderful task of sitting at CarMax for several hours while they appraised it. One of the technicians walked me out to the car and asked me if there was anything of value in the car. "Like what?" I replied. "Like cell phones or a lap top." said the technician. "Nope, nothing but my memories." He sort of gave me a courtesy laugh, but I was serious. How do you place "value" on something that may not be worth much to someone else?

So after the appraiser provided us with an offer, Christian had to sign some papers. We took the money and our memories and left. We walked out into the parking lot to get into our Pilot, and I noticed that the Mazda was already gone. Destin for some auto auction. We didn't even get to say good bye.

Something to Think About

"Life gives to all the choice. You can satisfy yourself with mediocrity if you wish. You can be common, ordinary, dull, colorless; or you can channel your life so that it will be clean, vibrant, progressive, useful, colorful, rich. You can soil your record, defile your soul, trample underfoot virtue, honor and goodness, and this forfeit an exaltation in the kingdom of God. Or you can be righteous, commanding the respect and admiration of your associates in all walks of life, and enjoying the love of the Lord.

Your destiny is in your hands and your all-important decisions are your own to make. "
(The Miracle of Forgiveness 1969 p. 235)

A Happy Birthday Shout Out to Natalie

My friend Natalie turned the big 3-0 this week. Many of you know (or stalk) her fabulous blog 100percentcottam.com. She and I met in college at the University of Utah, where we shared many wonderful adventures.

I got busy running around this week and I neglected to wish her happy birthday. So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATALIE! I hope you have a wonderful week of partying. This girl knows how to party, and she always does things up right. She is a talented on so many levels, and is very kind to everyone. I am so glad she is my friend.

Bee Mooonie

We went to the Bee Movie last night for Carter's birthday, and I must say it was really cute. Carter was so excited, and remarkably enough, he sat through the whole movie. It was a birthday miracle. All the way to the theater he screamed....BEE MOONIE.....BEE MOONIE. All the way home he screamed AGAIN...AGAIN. We may have to see it again, anything that holds Carter's attention for an hour and 45 minutes is money well spent.

Card Club

Due to Carter's birthday extravaganza, I am going to be missing card club tonight. I am going to drop my cards off at Stacey's this afternoon, but before I do, I thought I'd post some pictures of what I've been working on.

To Be Continued

As I mentioned before, we like to have as many birthday parties as possible. Which is really easy to do when you consider that Cali and Carter are the ONLY grand kids on either side of our family! So we partied with the Pollastro's last night. Christian, Cali and I are taking Carter to the Bee Movie and for ice cream tonight. Next Thursday we have a party with the Peacock's. So this birthday is.....to be continued!

Ripping it Up

It's nice to have a helpful sissy when it comes to opening presents.


We had kind of a theme going.

Christian and His Mini-Me

These two boys really get along well. They look like twins and they have a lot of the same mannerisms. Christian is quite a bit more mellow than Carter, but they still act a lot a like.

As Carter Would Say, "It Time to Party"

Happy Birthday to Carter!

His birthday is November 10th, but we have to have as many parties as possible. So we started last night. Christian's parents (Carl and Vicki), his brother (Dustin), his sister (Melissa) and her husband (Devin) came over for dinner. Christian made manicotti and spaghetti carbonara, we ate and ate. After dinner we opened presents. My friend and neighbor Adrienne, and her daughter Calee came over to wish Carter a happy birthday. Then we had some cake. I made him a Lightening McQueen and a Tow Mater cake.


Carter's two loves: Cars and Cake


I know they're not the most professional pieces of work ever. But I do have a dream of becoming a professional cake decorator......some day.....maybe.





He kept saying, "Are they coming?" Which I think meant that he thought he could drive them around.