Credit Card Fraud

I should be writing about the joy of the Holiday season, but I just found out that our credit card has been stolen.....again. Does this happen to anyone else? This is the second time in the past 4 months for us. Our card was used for some online purchases and to top it off our address changed. The credit card company said they received a change of address notification from the post office, so they changed it without calling to verify things with us! If you are a thief you don't have to be too smart since the companies that claim to be secure don't really seem to have good safety measures in place. This has happened to us several times in the past few years. Once with our debit card which was used to buy about $500 worth of stuff at Sears about 1 week before Christmas. Definitely not a good time to have your account tapped into! I have had enough! I rarely shop online and now I will never shop online. What a pain!

Fall Fun!

It's been a busy few weeks. The boys went on a campout and Grandpa and my brother were able to go along and add to the fun! Mike made some delicious dutch oven desserts for everyone and the kids had a fun time shooting the BB gun. We took a trip to the local pumpkin patch for our pumpkins which we didn't carve. We added Mr. Potato head parts to dress them up instead! Julia dressed up as Sleeping Beauty for her Ballet class and the girls did a "Witchy" dance for the parents. So cute! We went to our ward Halloween Carnival and the kids loaded up their bags with prizes, cookies and candy! So much fun! P.S. We are headed up to Idaho this week to go to my nieces Baptism. So excited to see everyone!

Piano Recital

The boy's did a great job at their recital last Sunday. This is Ethan's 2nd year playing and Hyrum has only been playing for 3 months. They both did a great job.

Ballet for Julia

I have been looking forward to this day for years! Julia finally started ballet. She had a great time and it was so fun seeing her and all the other little girls in pink! She calls herself a "ballet girl"!

Oak Glen

We made the annual trip to Oak Glen this week. Loved the apples, cider and especially the apple donuts. Now we are waiting for some fall weather.

Primary

We had our Primary program last Sunday. The kids worked so hard to learn their songs and speaking parts. Ethan even played 'Keep the Commandments" and did such a nice job. He is a brave boy! Julia and the nursery age kids went up to do sign language to "Follow the Prophet". She was very serious about doing her part and worked hard to get it right! The songs are always so touching and sweet. I loved it so much this year. Mike was on duty but he came over with his crew and snuck in the back to watch the kids. So glad he could be there too.

Night Swimming

The kids love this time of year. It is still warm enough for some night swimming when the busy day is done. They had fun jumping off of the wall together and posing for me!

Helping Daddy

10 years old!

I can't believe that 10 years ago we started our family and the days of quiet ended! Ethan has brought us nothing but joy, laugher, pride and happiness since the day he was born. He has always been a people pleaser and so easy to get along with. He is a quick learner and we are so proud of his accomplishments in school, sports and piano. I couldn't ask for a better big brother for Julia and Hyrum. He steps up and is my helper when Dad is away. I have included pictures of his past years in school. It is fun to look back and see how he has grown. I am so lucky to be his Mom! Happy 10th Birthday Ethan. Hope the next 10 are just as great!

Back to School....Again

Another year has begun! Ethan is in 5th grade and Hyrum in 2nd. Time sure flies by and they grow up so fast. Ethan is in soccer, piano and scouts. Hyrum did not want to play soccer this year but we did start him in piano lessons. So far so good! We are looking forward to a fun and busy school year!

The Queen Mary

Mike and I took a mini vacation before the kids were back in school. We went to Long Beach,CA to stay on the Queen Mary. We really enjoyed taking the tour of the ship and all the old fixtures and art deco style of the room was great. But, it is an old ship and the walls are paper thin! We listened to the people next to us talking until after midnight! Mike finally said " Give it a rest already!' Our neighbor replied :" Jeez, I didn't know the walls were so paper thin." Then they kept talking. We went to the front desk, complained and were upgraded to a HUGE suite! It was a funny night! I would definitely recommend visiting the QM for a tour but don't stay the night if you are hoping for a good nights sleep!

Julia's Haircut

I couldn't take the hair in the eyes any longer. About a week ago I gave her bangs. I have to say that I like it on her more than I expected. What I don't like is that she looks more grown up now!

Road Trip

We took a 2 week RV trip with 3 kids and 1 dog through 5 states! It was a blast! I am so happy that we were able to make some great memories together as a family. The 1st day we went to Pismo Beach. Overcast but warm. The park had a playground and lots of other kids to play with. We roasted marshmallows and stayed up late playing games.






Day 2 we set out for the San Miguel Mission. Ethan did a report on it so we wanted to see it. Then up to Petaluma to an amazing KOA. We had a great time here. There were tons of kids and a fun bouncy pillow to play on. The next morning we drove through San Francisco and across the Golden Gate bridge. I about had a panic attack on those tiny streets in such a big RV. Glad Mike drives a firetruck for a living! It was foggy but clear enough that we could see the bridge, the city skyline and Alcatraz.





The Redwoods were amazing! The trees were so beautiful and the park we stayed at was woodsy and very private. The slug we found at our site was almost more amazing than the trees. It was huge and the kids called it a banana slug! We had fun riding bikes and playing at the playground at this park.





We got to Long Beach , WA after passing through Astoria. Astoria is such a cute community with old houses on the hillside. We crossed a really long bridge. The weather in Long Beach required winter coats! We saw a whale skeleton assembled on a boardwalk, went to a lighthouse and played at the beach.The beach on the WA coast is so different from the CA coast. Sea grass, cold weather in July and no seashells to be found. It was fun to get the little cousins all together.






After the reunion we headed to the Tri-Cities to see my Granny and Papa and an Aunt and Uncle there. The kids had fun playing and swimming with cousins. Julia loved these duckies that she fell asleep with! Buddy was happy to be out of the RV and have a yard to hang out in for a few days.


What would a summer vacation be without a stop in Idaho? We stayed right on the Snake River in Homedale, ID. We saw pelicans on the water and found a snake in the bushes near the bathroom! The kids had a ball running through the sprinklers at this RV park! Mike made yummy chicken pot pie in his dutch oven.


Truckee was our last stop before home. Warm weather, swimming at the lake, a trip into town for the street fair and dinner at Burger Me! A restaurant that Guy from Diners, Drive-ins and Dives has visited.