Hiking Torrey Pines on New Years Day

What do I miss about San Diego besides my family? The beach. When we went on a family hike of Torrey Pines on New Years Day I realized it even more. It was so beautiful. When we were at a lookout point looking over the ocean I said to my mom, "We're coming here for a month this summer." Okay, I don't know if that will happen, but a girl can dream. Kory, Erika and Zellie came down from Long Beach to spend the day with us as well and that was so much fun seeing Zellie and Gage getting along, hanging out. It was a gorgeous day and after hiking around we went down to the beach. Trevor and Boston collected seashells, Gage built a sand castle and Mallory fell in the water. As soon as she fell in and began to cry, we stripped her down, wrapped her up and headed home. Even though it was a warm day, the water was freezing!

New Years Eve San Diego Style

We flew out to San Diego on the 30th and were lucky enough to spend lots of time with our favorite people - aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. For New Years Eve we partied all night with Tanya and her kids, Jellie, Logan, Cache and my mom and dad. My dad was there in body, but slept for the most part! We all (except for Mallory, Boston and my dad) managed to stay awake until midnight. The kids felt so grown up staying awake that late. We did puzzles, played wii, and ate great food. At midnight, my mom got out all her Torani syrups and the kids made Italian sodas to ring in the new year along with some sparkling cider. It took a few days of laying around after words to make up for the little amount of sleep that we got that night, but worth it!

Seaport Village, San Diego

Christmas

The boys didn't wake up until 8:45 am. It could have been that they had a late night the night before, but I really think it's because we pack them in our room like sardines on Christmas Eve to sleep so that when they get up in the night (which they do), they don't run by their gifts that Santa brought them in the family room. So, it was nice a cozy in that room and that kept us all asleep for a long time. When we went to get Mallory to join in on our fun, we found out that she had quite the night of her own. She was laying in throw up (sorry, no other way to say it) and had slept like that. So, a quick bath and she was ready to join the boys. And, wouldn't you know it...she got a new pair of pjs from her cousin Samantha that were better than the new ones she got the night before and ruined because they were Dora. So, those were quickly put on and she has only taken them off one night since Christmas so that they could get a wash. Don't count how many days that is! Anyway, the boys were very happy with their gifts as well. Santa brought all the kids their own box of sugar cereal which is what he brought me and my brothers and sisters when we were young as well. Trevor got a guitar that he is determined to learn how to play. He also got a Pokemon DS game and a board game, Apples to Apples. Boston was excited about his new Razor scooter, a pogo stick, and Martian Matter. Gage got 3 Leapster games that have kept him so occupied that we are wondering why he didn't get these earlier. And, Mallory did get the Dora jammies along with a Dora snow hat and mittens, a Dora puzzle, a Dora backpack, and a Diego puzzle as well. Do you see a trend? Mom and dad also got the kids a few wii games, so we didn't see the kids come up for air with the wii until Friday. That made for some nice naps for mom and dad. And, considering Zane got the stomach flu Christmas evening, the naps were surly needed.

Christmas Eve

It always starts out with some special breakfast for the birthday boy. This year it was monkey bread which the boys helped me make. Then, we always try to convince Zane to open some of his presents that morning, but it's always a no go. On this Christmas Eve, we went to lunch with Zane's dad, step mom and her sons at The Bristol on Bardstown and it was so nice. Most of all because the kids behaved very well, but the food and company were nice too. Then, we went to dinner at the Mortensons with the Orrs. It was an Italian dinner with lasagna, fettuccine alfredo and bread. Nice food and nice company. We celebrated Zane's birthday with buttermilk pie that we made in to buttermilk crunch sundaes with ice cream, caramel sauce, pie and whip cream. So good and a pretty decent copy of the one at Mark's Feed Store. We got home pretty early and watched Zane's open his presents and the kids their new Christmas pjs. Zane got some In N' Out certificates and a T-shirt that will be put to good use next week in California. He also go a nice jacket from his mom and a ipod accessory that will let him listen to his iphone music from the car stereo. The boys loved their new pjs and I didn't get a picture of girl in her mint green fleece pjs because that little one was ready to sleep even before she opened them. The kids got a special gift from grandma and grandpa Ross that included new Christmas Eve pillow cases and 2 books to go with them - Snowmen at Night and Snowmen at Christmas. They were so excited to get the new pillow cases on their pillows and I really think they helped them fall asleep!

Happy Birthday Zane

Yes, it was yesterday. I think this happened last year as well. It must be hard to have a birthday on Christmas Eve and I am so glad that he isn't as caught up in his birthday as I am about mine. He appreciates our effort and all the effort of friends and family who make it special despite the business of the day. Happy 35th Birthday to the guy that I am extremely grateful to be with. He is smart. He is funny. He is kind. And, he is amazingly patient.

My Favorite Tree

We're still getting real Christmas Trees and I don't know if we will ever change over to the artificial. I love the smell of a pine tree. This year we got ours at Lowes and it my favorite one in many years. It is tall and skinny and a smells wonderful. Of course, we got it the day after Thanksgiving, but I just got around to taking a picture of it.

Celebrating Early

Grandma Betty is leaving on Tuesday to Utah to spend Christmas with Zane's brothers and sisters. So, we celebrated Christmas with her on Sunday. We went to her house and she made a great dinner. She loves to try out new recipes, so we got a little buffet of some new ones and I stuffed my self silly. Plus, I did tell you I got my toffee recipe from her and she makes hers much better. I found a bowl full of it in the fridge! The kids loved what they were given - Dora, Webkinz, and Bakugan - jackpot! Zane's gift is on back order (I can't write what it is in case there is a remote chance *very remote* that he will read this) and I got a new bathrobe - wonderful.

Chatting with Santa

Thanks to our neighbor we have some pictures of Boston and Gage talking to Santa at the ward party. Trevor disappeared when Santa came out and Mallory wanted nothing to do with him. Gage told me that Santa was bringing him a surprise. And, Boston just wanted Webkinz. Santa is getting off easy this year!

English Toffee - you will want to make this, i promise

While living with my in laws our first Christmas here in Kentucky, my mother in law made this wonderful English Toffee. She said she got the recipe from a friend a long time ago and made it every year. Much to my embarrassment, I ate almost all the toffee she had in the downstairs freezer and had to learn to make it myself to repay her the toffee I had stolen. Now, I can only make this at Christmas because I seriously can't stop eating it once it is made. I usually break it up when it is all good and hard and put it in baggies which are twist tied shut and ribboned. So, if I do get to where I want to eat it late at night, I have to undo all the pretty ribbons to get to it and that gets me to at least second guess myself. It hasn't saved me every time though!

English Toffee
1 lb. butter
2 Tbs. white corn syrup
2 Tbs. water
2 cups sugar
1 (12oz.) pkg. semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 lb. sliced almonds
1 large Hershey milk chocolate bar - the huge one

(1) Butter a jelly roll pan and sprinkle with chocolate chips and sliced almonds. Set aside. Melt butter, corn syrup, water, and sugar in a large pot (photos 2 & 3) over medium (slightly medium high) heat. Cook until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Stir and cook until mixture is 280 degrees. When mixture comes to 280 degrees, remove from heat and pour over chocolate chips and almonds. Break up Hershey Bar and lay pieces over toffee (photo 4). Let the chocolate start to melt and then spread with a spatula (photo 5). Let toffee set in the refrigerator (but I put mine in the freezer because I am impatient). Break in to pieces and ENJOY (photo 6)

Marathon Puzzle Day

On Saturday, I came out to the kitchen where Boston's friend Tanner informed me that it was Marathon Puzzle Day. I didn't know what that meant until I turned the corner and saw what was in the hallway. I didn't realize we had that many puzzles and I am told that we had more in the boy's bedroom. Tanner brought over his "scratchy" 500 piece Toy Story puzzle. I found out that meant that it was 3D (all the vertical lines in it made the images change on each piece and made the pieces scratchy). Guess who stayed up until midnight Saturday night working on it? Zane roped me in and we didn't finish it until after church on Sunday. So, it wasn't just Marathon Puzzle Day, it was Marathon Puzzle Weekend for the adults in the house. Thanks Tanner!

So What Did You Do This Thanksgiving Weekend?

I thought it would be a calm Thanksgiving weekend due to our lack of plans and guests for the big day. Parts of it were. Other parts not so much. We got our new counter tops (after a year of pulled apart ones) on Wednesday night and they were here until 10 pm putting them in. Because they cut the hole out for the sink here at the house everything was covered in this light dust which I stayed up until midnight trying to clean up. Well worth any mess and any sleep given up. Things were crazy here Thanksgiving Day and not because we had a house full of house guests. We had a house full of Underwoods - just the usual ones (us and grandma) The boys were a bit at each others' necks and by the time we ate, Gage and Boston were no where to be found. I guess that's the blessing of just having one Thanksgiving guest, there was no pressure to all sit at the table with cute place settings. But, on the other hand, I might invite more friends next year just so that maybe my boys will want to sit at the table with someone other than those they sit with everyday. Zane hit the sales the next day because I am too fear full of crowds to do it! We managed to get our Christmas tree, decorate it, put the lights on the house, and ask a kind doctor to stitch up Mallory's chin. Yes, you read right, Mallory needed to be stitched up again. And, yes, it involved a chair. We are seriously considering going chair less around here. So, we had some crazy moments due to cabin fever, but there were plenty of sweet moments (hearing the uncontrollable laughter come from the boys as they watched "Home Alone 2", decorating the tree, decorating our graham cracker houses).

Anyone Who Has Visited My House In the Last Year Knows What This Is....

A Thanksgiving Miracle.

T and B's Birthday - the celebrations

It gets a bit hard each year to make each of the boys feel special on their birthdays when they are back to back. We either go all out for Trevor's and then lose steam by Boston's or the other way around. This year it was a family party year, so they had to celebrate it with good ol' family (and the Mortensons). On T's birthday (the 18th), Zane woke the boys up really early and took them out to breakfast at the Waffle House before school. Then, I took Gage and Mallory to school to meet T with a Fillet O Fish from McDonalds for lunch. When he came home from school we had rented "Kung Fu Panda" and the boys watched that while I made cinnamon rolls for T to take to cub scouts with him. We let them open one gift each which was a pair of BYU flannel pjs and shirts. Then, on B's birthday we ate cinnamon rolls for breakfast and Zane brought him a hot apple pie from McDonalds at lunch. We took the rest of their gifts to Red Robin where we met the Mortensons and Grandma Betty for dinner. Since I had no milk or eggs in the house that day I couldn't make them a cake, so we let the lovely servers of Red Robin sing to them and bring them ice cream sundaes to celebrate. Flat Stanley (a nephew's school project) came too making a great time all around.
Flat Stanley being smooshed at the Waffle House
Future Cougars - B and T in their BYU pjs
Back of pjs with their names on their shirts
T, Andrew, B, and Sydney at Red Robin
Gage and Kari
Messy faced Mallory
T and his card from grandpa
B and his card from grandpa

Boston and Trevor
Flat Stanley at Red Robin