Fabulous Fall!

Turns out the fall has been just as busy as the summer, so we're doing another summary! It all started with the first day of school for Adam and Matthew. Adam started 4th grade and Matthew is in 1st!

About a week later Nathan had his first day of preschool! He was so excited to go to school and be big like his brothers! He gets to go with lots of friends, which has been really fun too!

Another first for Nathan this fall was being on his first soccer team! We had all three boys in soccer, which was pretty crazy, especially on Saturdays trying to get everyone to their games!

We had a very fun visitor - Nana! My mom came and saved me while Brian was gone for 2 weeks to Asia. It was so great to have her - we went shopping in Leavenworth, got almost all my baby shopping done, played lots of games, and had a blast with the boys!

She even got to come with Nathan on his field trip to the pumpkin patch - this is the tractor ride!

This year for Adam's 'Night of the Notables' Adam was Harry Houdini! He got to learn all about him, make a timeline, autobiography, portrait, and for his extra activities he built a lego model of Houdini on stage and a power point quiz presentation - and he loved every minute!

We found a very fun Pumpkin Patch this year - the boys loved the giant slide, corn maze, bouncy house, big tricycles, the cow train, and especially the corn room (hours of fun)!

Boys and pumpkin guts - oh the joy!

They do end up with cute/scary pumpkins in the end!

We headed down to Boise for Halloween this year to spend it with the Ashtons! The boys were beyond excited to get to see their cousins and had a blast trunk-or-treating, too!

On the way home we got to stop at the Cooks and visit for a bit with Brian's grandparents. The boys favorite part is getting measured on their growth board and tracking how tall they are now!

In November Brian and Matthew got to take a very special trip to visit Brian's parents who are serving a mission in Chile! Matthew was so excited that it was his turn to take a trip with Dad, but a little nervous too about going to a country where they didn't speak English! He got comfortable with it all pretty quick and jumped right in to enjoy every minute!

Matthew loved getting to ride a horse for the first time! He got to ride twice while in Chile and it was a true highlight for him.

Future Elder Wengreen with current Elder Wengreen

Matthew had a very hard time saying goodbye to his Grammy and Grandpa! He loved his time with them - they went to the zoo, a Chilean birthday party, all around their area, met lots of great people, and made lots of wonderful memories!

We keep hearing about this hard winter we are going to have, and it's started with a bang! We got several inches of snow and school was cancelled for two days. The boys had a blast and loved that Brian couldn't get to work and played with them on his lunch hours!

For Thanksgiving we got to have the Mitchells and Anna come share the day with us! We started it with the kids making 'apple turkeys' - a tradition from when I was a kid that I've never outgrown! The kids love it!

Just two weeks till the baby, I was surprised at how fun it was to be up and cooking! I love making the rolls and the pies the best - I still haven't had to touch a turkey thanks to Amy!

Brian got to carve the bird while I sang my Thanksgiving day song!

The kids loved having their cousins here! Nothing like spending the holidays with family!

It really was a fabulous fall and we are looking forward to a wonderful winter with our new little guy! We are all so beyond excited - we just can't wait to have him here!

Summer Summary!

Well, now that school is back in session I've decided to give up on my plans to do a post about all of the summer activities individually and I'll just sum it up in one, so here it goes...

Camping at Lake Easton -
The weekend after school got out we took the boys for our first family camp out in our tent trailer. We had a great time, but we forgot the key to the tent trailer! We were able to get in and just prop up the door, but we've remembered the keys every since!

After breaking camp we went to Wenatchee to visit Brian's grandparents! It was good to see them again and the boys loved hiking Castlerock - the mountain behind their house.

Berry Picking -

This summer we picked our own strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries this year! The boys had a great time picking them and I had fun making jam, pie, sauces, and other yummy concoctions with them!

Lake Wilderness -

Another favorite this summer was going to Lake Wilderness - it's about 10 minutes from our house and it's got a great sandy beach that the boys love! This pic is Nathan making his own 'Wipeout' course! His favorite show is 'Wipeout' and he loves to make his own courses!

Family Reunion in Utah -

We got to go to Utah for Nana's birthday! We got to celebrate her birthday with a large family reunion at a park and then then next day we went up to Park City for several days. The kids decorated pillowcases and signed each others. They also did lots of swimming in the pool, one day we got to go boating on Jordanelle and play at the beach, they played at the park, did some fun crafts, and mostly just had a blast being together!

80th Birthday Party for Grandma Ginos -

We headed to Portland to celebrate with Grandma Ginos for her 80th birthday! It was fun to see so many of Brian's extended family and we had a fun weekend with the Mitchells! We ended up leaving Adam in Portland for a week with his cousins and we brought Josh (whose Matthew's age) home with us for the week!

Matthew, Josh, and Nathan at the Space Needle! We went to the Children's Museum, the movies, the parks, the water park, and ended the week meeting up with the Mitchells camping at Mount Rainer!

Camping at Rainier was fun, but on Saturday it was so foggy that we couldn't see 10 feet in front of us at the lodge - no mountain views at all!

After the lodge we went on a fun hike to see a part of the national park that is on an island so the trees are huge because they haven't had the forest fires reach them. It was a fun hike and the boys loved crossing the bridge - while most held on tight and carefully walked across Brian helped the boys learn the joys of making it sway and bounce!

Boating with the Hartmans -

The men decided that the best time to catch the smooth water for skiing was early morning, so they took the older boys with them camping and then hit the smooth water in the morning. The mom's and toddlers met up with them in time for lunch to enjoy the rest of the day together! The only problem was the weather - it was a bit chilly, but that didn't stop us from having a great time! The boys loved the tube and Adam even tried skiing!

This is the ski run that led to the cracked rib, which caused Brian to miss the triathlon he had been training for all summer. He was really bummed, but was able to do a shorter triathlon later on, so it wasn't too terrible!

To the zoo -

The boys had a great time going to the zoo with their friends toward the end of the summer. We hadn't gone last summer, so it was Nathan's first time since he was 1 1/2. It was really fun to see him get so excited about the different animals!

Labor Day Weekend -

We decided it'd be fun to take a longer camping trip over Labor Day weekend, which we've never done before. The longest we'd been camping was overnight, so this was completely new to us. Brian had his heart set on Lake Chelan. We stayed in an RV park, which wasn't my favorite (I love a camp fire and mountain setting for camping), but it ended up being really fun for a longer stay. Our first day was the only really warm day (about 90) so we hit the water slides! Well, the boys did - I got to watch, and read my book, which was really nice too!

Being in the apple capitol of the world (according to anyone from Wenatchee) we decided to make our own apple cider! The boys were nervous they wouldn't like it, but they were super excited to make it. They each got a turn cranking the wheel and turning the press - they just needed their expert grandparents to show them how it's done! It turned out really good!

That day we also went to the lake and played in the sand, went swimming, and played at the park. The weather wasn't super cooperative (mid-70's) so they didn't last too long. They really wanted to go bowling, so we did that and since I can't bowl (being 6 months pregnant) I got to sit and listen to the beginning of the BYU game on my phone! Brian was super jealous! We went to dinner after and Brian and I each had an ear bud in one ear - true fans! Good thing they won!

Without a fire we had a couple of BBQ meals at camp. This one was on Sunday evening - we had a great day Sunday! Brian has some friends that live nearby so we went to church with them, had a great drive up the coast of the lake, and then went to his friends for peach pie and homemade ice cream! We ended the day with a nice steak BBQ dinner and games with the boys!

We taught the older boys how to play Settlers and they're actually getting quite good! It's been fun being able to play games we really enjoy too! Nathan's too young, so he got to play his favorite game (Monkey Ball) on the ipad in his own little area. He loved it!

On the way home we left the tent trailer in Wenatchee for the winter at Brian's parents house and then had a nice lunch with his grandparents. It was great to spend time with them again!

It was a great summer overall with many fun adventures! The boys loved being together all day every day and even though the weather wasn't great most of the summer, we had a great time!

Scotland revisited!

Brian and I went straight from one castle to another! The day after we got home from Disneyland we got on a plane to Scotland! Brian had a business trip there and originally it was just going to be him, but the company decided to let me come along on them! We couldn't pass it up and we were both excited to go back!


We landed in Edinburgh about an hour before church so we made it there just in time to go to our old ward Sacrament meeting! It was so great to see so many friends and remember the good times we had there. It brought back many great memories and we were able to catch up with some of our close friends the next night as well.

My first day back I did the hop-on/hop-off tourist bus all over the city so I could go back and see some of my favorite sites. I also checked out a few that I never dared go to with all the kids! A highlight was touring the Britiania - the Queens yacht that they have retired. It was very interesting and I was glad I never tried taking the kids! A very full fun day! On Tuesday I met up with Norma for lunch - she's a close friend that lived near us and our boys went to George Watsons together. We had a lovely time visiting and went to the school to pick up Fraser, see how grown up all of Adam's friends are, and see some of the other moms!

That night Brian and I got to have an anniversary dinner at one of our favorite restaurants - la Bruchetta! It is such yummy Italian that it is almost like being there! We had a great evening!

On my last day in Scotland I took a highland tour. As much as I loved the city when we lived there, I loved getting out to the highlands and the countryside! It is just breathtaking and the pictures don't do it any justice! I was on a mini-bus from about 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and got to go up to Loch Ness through Pitlochery, over to Glen Coe, and back through Sterling! It was a wonderful tour and even though it was a lot of time on a bus it was SO worth it to see all the landscapes of Scotland! It was a wonderful day!

My return trip was the sour part of the trip! We were delayed in Edinburgh the next morning and made it to Paris just in time for them to close the doors on our flight home. I had a terrible time getting a flight home - I was originally to get in at 11:00 a.m., but ended up getting in at midnight! It wouldn't have been so bad, but my babysitter was flying out at 1:00 p.m. that day! I called Brian and he had to arrange it all while I was in the air. Thanks to some wonderful friends it all worked out and the Curtis family took our kids in various shifts! It was a rough end to a wonderful trip, but if anything had to go wrong I'll take what I got - the rest was perfect!

Disneyland!

In the beginning of June we took a trip to one of the happiest places on earth! The boys were beyond excited. They earned the trip by filling a container with marbles, which made the weeks leading up to the trip wonderful for us - they jumped to every opportunity to help!

Nathan loved the parades and waved at all the characters. He is such a little dancer that he loved dancing to the music in the streets!

Adam and Matthew's favorite rides were Space Mountain, California Screamin, Toy Story Mania, Indiana Jones, and the Matterhorn! They loved it all though and had so much fun just being together!

Another highlight for Adam and Matt was seeing Jack - their friend that used to live near us. They've really missed him and had a great time spending an afternoon together!

Nathan's favorites were Peter Pan, the Matterhorn, Buzz Lightyear, and the Mickey Carousel! He was smiling almost the entire time! He loved the characters - especially Buzz!

It was a wonderful trip! It was so fun seeing the boys rediscover the magic of Disneyland! Brian always teases me that I love it more than they do, which may be true! I love watching their faces light up as they see the characters they love and go on the rides that thrill them! Considering that Nathan still says (two months later) in every prayer "Thankful for Disneyland!" I think it left a lasting impression!

Grandpa Ginos' birthday!

For Memorial Day weekend we went to Wenatchee for the night to see Brian's grandparents and to celebrate Grandpa Ginos' birthday! It was great to see them again! The boys loved hiking up to 'Castlerock' with Brian and grandpa!

They love getting their hugs from GiGi! She is so good to them and they love going to their house to visit!

GiGi got Grandpa a Wii - the boys were SO excited about it and more than anxious to teach grandpa all about how to use it! I think they're jealous!

Grandma insisted that we put all 82 candles on Grandpa's cake! After the smoke detector went off Grandpa was able to blow them all out, with the boys help! It was a wonderful visit and the boys let us know that they want to go back soon!

Girls Weekend!!!

I love going to Women's Conference with my mom and sister! It is one of my favorite weekends of the year on the years I am able to go. Two days full of uplifting talks and having my spiritual bucket filled. It's always inspiring to see SO many women there just wanting the same things that I want and trying to be filled so we can get back to work! The best is that I get to be with my mom and Caryn for several days of uninterrupted fun!

This year we got the crochet kits - fun to do while listening to the talks. The humanitarian service project night is also another highlight of the conference!

We also got to have our cousins retreat the same weekend (since it was our turn to plan it)! It was great to get together with our cousins and second cousins on my mom's side at the Garff ranch. We had a great weekend playing games, chatting, sharing favorite book ideas, tying quilts for the moms, doing yoga with Michelle, and shopping in Park City! This is my 'Aunt' Kathy with her prized bunco white elephant gift (that I brought) - it sings and waves - a true treasure!

Good time and great memories!

Adam's Birthday!

Adam's birthday is April 23rd and since he was turning 9 and we have friend parties on the even years we got to have a family party day for Adam! We started it off with presents and cinnamon rolls! Adam thinks of his birthday as a national holiday and just enjoys every minute! After school he wanted to build his new Lego sets and then head to Pizza Hut for dinner. We then went to play glow golf! We all had a great time!

Adam's other request was that we could have Blizzards as the ice cream with his cake. He wanted a soccer ball cake, so I got to learn how to make a cake in a bowl! It was a super fun night!

Adam is just an incredible kid - he is such a happy young man and he is always trying to do his best and do what's right. He is a very social person and loves to be with people and play sports with his friends - his favorites right now are soccer and football! He loves to learn and tries to figure things out that he doesn't know or understand. We feel very luck to have him as a part of our family!