Thanksgiving Camping

We really enjoy camping so we headed out for Thanksgiving to the SD mountains to place called Cuyamaca Rancho. We got off to a rough start with each of us getting the flu, but we made it up the mountain late Wed. night in the rain where Amanda and Marshal were already were waiting for us.

Thankfully, our prayers were answered and the rain stopped long enough for Chris to set up 2 tents. He is soooo amazing , I had no strength and even though he didn't feel well he was out working. It rained throughout the night and into the morning, but we kept dry and warm.

By mid morning the rain stopped and it was beautiful.

We have grown to really love our dutch ovens while camping. We still did the Thanksgiving dinner, the turkey was done in the dutch oven and took a little over an hour and it was amazing. We had the rest of your traditional thanksgiving dinner.

On Fri. My parents came out with Patrick and Jacob and were able to hang out for the day.

At home we did the thankful tree and Keaton said: i am thankful when mom washes my sheets because then i can make my bed a slide .Sitting around eating our Thanksgiving dinner with Amanda and Marshall we all including Keaton and Xander said things that we are thankful for and the one that came up the most is family. I am so thankful for the fun time I had camping with Amand and Marshal and my little family and that we were able to have even more family come up and join us for the day.Nothing like having fun without the TV.

If you tell Grandpa Nowlin there is a lake, he is sure to bring the fishing poles. Keaton following in his grandpa's footsteps.

Xander was the most dedicated fisherman (besides grandpa Nowlin), he absolutely loved it.

You can't go home with out a catch, well at least for Grandpa Nowlin and he caught an amazing tasting Trout and I don't really like Trout, but it was fresh and good!

So we decided the grandparents needed some time alone with the grandkids fishing and the rest of the gang was trying to get some shut eye.

Trick or Treat

Keaton and Xander went out as Buzz Lightyear and Pooh Bear this year. Some Halloweens I feel I am all prepared and others I am not. Well, this year was the latter, but the boys were happy and they did have costumes. Thanks to Auntie Jenine who lets us borrow the Pooh Bear costume and as for Keaton he was happy just wearing white pjs, aslong as you called them his space suit they didn't need to be the buzz lightyear space suit. They are so happy to please at this age, I love it. The boys scored on the candy(so did Mommy)and we didn't even go very long. We met at a friends house who lives across the street from the Bob Hope house(i know, only in LA). Xander would stick his hand in the candy buckets, I had to refrain him and then he would want me to open up a candy right then and there. He must get that sweet tooth from his Daddy.

Harvest Time...My favorite Time of Year

I love Harvest Time, thanks to another Jewish holiday, Keaton had off of school, so we headed out with some friends to a pumpkin farm. The boys each got to choose a pumpkin, we got to go on a hay ride, cornfield maze, see the farm animals, and the boys favorite was go on the rides.

Tricycle on steroids...Keaton my negotiator scored free tickets using skills. This is how the conversation went.

K:Mom I really want to go on that ride(tricycle on steroids)

M: We are all out of tickets and you already chose the rides you wanted

K: That's okay, I will just ask that guy(a worker running the ride we were currently on) for more tickets

M: I don't think you will get any (i guess i am the pessimist)

K: He's my friend.

So Keaton walks up to the guy and says,"Can I please have some more tickets, I really want to ride those bikes" The man pulled out of his pocket a handful of tickets and Keaton and Xander each got to go on 2 more rides.

During our first ride Keaton would get off of the jumper go and talk to the worker, then get back in and jump some more and then decide and visit the worker again, and it all paid off for Keaton, he got to ride the tricycles on steroids.

Xander says," Look BIG pumkin," then as he tries to lift one because he thinks he is going to take one of these home to carve he says, " HEAVY"

Under the Sea

Thank goodness for the Jewish holidays, Keaton gets a few extra days off of school, so we headed out with some friends and went to the Long Beach Aquarium.

Xander couldn't get enough of the fish and had his face plastered to the window.

Through out the aquarium there were scuba divers, so Keaton would casually go up to an employee and tell them that his Daddy scuba dives and therefore he felt he was good enough to jump in with the scuba divers. Negotiating skills didn't work too well this time. But he has no fear thinking if he ask, he gets.

Don't fall in...that is the trick, atleast with Xander it is, or should I say Don't jump in. They give a statistic that an adult falls in every month and a child every 6 months. Well, it was almost Xander. He just thought he could swim with the sting rays. I have never been fond of the idea of a leash for your child, but sometimes I wish I kept one handy in my purse.

Shark attack... that is what Keaton worries about when Chris goes scuba diving, so in his prayers he says, "Please keep Daddy safe from the sharks" I wonder where he gets that fear from?

Moose Tracks

I married a wonderful husband who helps me in so many ways and as of lately it has been to keep my sanity. He is my Edward if you have read The Twilight Series and is a great Father. No more mushy stuff, but I am very blessed to have him in my life!!!

For his bday I actually made a cake, but since we aren't cake eaters, it was a german chocolate cake, one of the few cakes Chris actually likes. It was a winner in our house because we scarfed it down in a few days, every crumb.

Since Xander has practice from his bday he saw Chris presents and knew just what to do, no waiting to sing the bday song, he was all over Chris presents unwrapping them.

Chris got an ipod for his bday, now I have had mine for almost a year now and still don't know much about it, so being a little selfish I almost didn't want to get Chris one because I knew he would know more about it and shouldn't I already know it all by now. Noooo! I am so prideful!

He is already on top of it, but we have come in to some glitches, that is because he has only had it for about a week. So I think it is time I need some help from my niece Mercedez to help her Auntie who doesn't have the patience or knowledge to sit down and learn things about the ipod.

I need your help Mercedez and Chris might need a little.He is the smart one, or atleast has more patience with the tekky stuff.