dough girl

Today I hosted a bread making demonstration with some friends from the neighborhood. This cold weather (and I mean, we're getting into the 50's here) makes me want to bake bread everyday! Some people are afraid of homemade bread--thinking it's too complicated or pioneerish, but it's not! Hear me out.. it's really not hard. Today we did bread bowls, homemade soup and cinnamon rolls in under two hours. This is the only picture I took of the event... These rolls were so sticky and gooey after they were baked. delish!

And we had the perfect guest for dinner tonight........ Rachel (my brother's wife) had a work conference in Vegas and Tim (my little bro) decided to tag along. It was so much fun to see them! The boys were literally on top of them the entire time they were here! We LOVE visitors!

I need your address

CHRISTMAS CARDS
are going out this week (I hope)
so if you want a card from our family,
please email your address to
janetleeshumway at gmail dot com.

and enjoy the Holiday tunes I just posted

I love, love, love Christmas Music--
I have so many memories of my sisters and I SCREAMING
every time George Micheal's Last Christmas came on the radio--
or singing N'Sync Kiss me at Midnight at the top of my lungs with college roommates.

What are your favorite Christmas songs that I must have on my list?
Please don't suggest Feliz Navidad...
I used to love that song until one early morning shopping,
I was jammin' to Feliz when I hit a cat with my car and killed it.
It might be a fun song, but I don't like it anymore :)

It's beginning to feel a lot like CHRISTMAS!!

When it comes to Holidays, I have always been a little over the top. I love any excuse to celebrate, decorate or party... but I am way beyond excited for Christmas this year. Seriously-- I could not even sleep last night! I am like a little girl. What is the deal here? I think having kids who share in the excitement makes a huge difference for me. Everything this year has been more enjoyable because they are squealing about it. But I really need to get a handle on this. I have a whole month still. Actually, only 28 more days.. I know this because we made a paper chain countdown. We have an activity written on each link.. and my boys are waking up WAY to early to take off the next link.

If you want to do your own, here are a few things we put on ours.. Cut out paper snowflakes, make sugar cookies, visit someone who is lonely, make a new ornament for the tree, go caroling, send a homemade Christmas card to a loved one, make gingerbread houses, etc. I tried to put them in somewhat of an order so that appropriate ones fall on Sunday or FHE.... usually we start this at the beginning of Dec, but we just couldn't WAIT this year!!

Today's activity was to do a Christmas puzzle... the only one I had was 1000 pieces. Ben and Luke were up for the challenge and they stuck with me until the end! It took us literally 5 hours to do! We watched Polar Express, Home Alone and Rudolf (the old CBS version.) I cannot believe we finished it! We danced around when we put in the final pieces. And poor Zack wasn't allowed to come near us until it was completed. We started when he went down for a nap, but after he woke up, I had to lock him in the high chair. and I wouldn't let him out until we finished! Is that abuse or what? I think he forgave me when we let him DESTROY it in the end. Aaron got home from work to find the house a wreck, Zack crying and no food on the table. Luckily we have leftovers from Turkey day. All in all, it was a good day!

Christmas is already here!!

Before our visitors left, we put up our Christmas decor.
It's been a while since we've had our own tree!

After decorating, we headed downtown to watch the water show @ the Bellagio.
We also toured their Conservatory with beautiful flowers and gianormous pumpkins.


Brett and KT are the cutest, most fun couple to be around. I LOVE that they are so much in LOVE! And I feel lucky to have such a HOT sis in law.. my husband only has one brother and he only has one wife.. what are the chances she'd end up being fabulous? Thanks for coming to visit.. we are LOVING the PLANET Earth series you bought us!

Presents!!

I found the "Christmas Morning" pictures.
Aaron's parents went ALL OUT (as usual) and spoiled us all. They always give more than we deserve!

Thanks Grandmother and Grandfather! You are so thoughtful and wonderful!

red rock

I know, I know.. we are always posting pictures of red rock. But it's one of our fav places to go... and this time we brought family. Brett, Kate and the Grandparents came along and we had a great time hiking. Brandy got a little freaked out about the boys running around... cause it can be a little scary... but we all made it out in one piece. Here are a few pictures of our rendezvous.

our family
the boys
the girls
and a few more...

Also a 40 second video of Zack licking the dirt off rocks...

I forgot to add our WATER BALLOON LAUNCHING pictures. Grandparents sure know the right toys to keep their grandsons happy....

MAMMA MIA!

Friday night we got a sitter for the kids and went out on the town!! The parents treated us to front and center seats at Mamma Mia @ the Mandalay Bay. It was SUCH a good time. The songs were great (all ABBA).. I was rocking out.. it was all I could do from jumping out of my seat and dancing on stage. Really, who can resist men in spandex? "Anyone have any laundry?"-- that was for KT...

I ♥ my in-laws! We always have so much fun together! Can't wait to see everyone in December!

Happy Thanksgiving!

A few decorations we made before the big day.

The family enjoying our meal... Grandmother at the kids table!

This was my third year NOT eating my dad's delicious turkey.. and finally it turned out okay. Definitely not as good, but I am working on it.

Benihana's

Ben surprised Luke and I with an indoor picnic. He made tiny pb&j's, pretzels, crackers and three different drinks. He was so happy for us to see his masterpiece and told us, "You can eat as much as you want.. I can always make more." I love my Ben.

my little transformers

We just spent the last hour laughing our guts out! Thanks Staci, for the link. If your kids are into transformers like mine are, check this out. not only do your kids transform, but they move and talk... so cool. Or as my boys put it.. "This is so so awesome!"
Ben as Megatron

Luke as Optimus Prime

Zack as BumbleBee

Silly Zack as Blackout

Thanksgiving FHE

for our family home evening lesson we made a thankful wall... and listed all of our blessings.
My boys loved this "game" and couldn't stop naming off things..
I had to draw the line at the trampoline and Transformers.

Back to REALITY...

Oh man! Our month vacation is over.. and our money is spent, so Aaron finally decided to start working. Today is his first day at the new firm. We'll have to report later on how that goes! The kids and I are also getting back to work! We haven't had an official homeschool lesson in weeks-- although we've had plenty of time in the car to discuss random topics. Here are a few of my favorite conversations from the car... (not all necessarily from this trip.)
___________________________________

Mom: How do you spell TACO?

Ben: T-A-L-K-O
___________________________________

20 Questions:

Ben: I'm thinking of a bird.

Luke: Is it nocturnal?

Ben: No.

Me: So, it's NOT an owl. Okay, let me think.. (then I attempt to name every bird I can think of. And I was going deep.)

Ben: Mom, I just don't think you are going to guess this one.

Me: Fine, I am not playing.

Luke: (Continuing on with the game) Does it live in North America?

Ben: Nope, it lives in our favorite continent.

Luke: Africa?

Ben: Yes.

Luke: I think I know! Is it a masked weaver bird?

Ben: You got it! How did you guess so quickly?

Me: How did you guess that EVER?

Ben: See, mom. I told you you probably wouldn't get it.

Me: That's FO SURE.
___________________________________


Zack: Train, Train! Train! Train!

Everyone: We see the train already, kid!
___________________________________

Aaron: Pomona, CA... this is where I was born!

Luke: I wish I was born in California.

Me: Do you know where you were born?

Ben and Luke unanimously: Provo, UT (as if I asked a dumb question)

Ben: How do babies eat inside the mom's tummy?

Me: From an umbilical cord. Its connected from the mommy to the baby's belly button.

Luke: Cool.

Ben: Mom, I have a question.

Me: I was afraid of that. (because I could see him in the back, really concentrating on something.)

Ben: Did Adam, the first prophet, have a belly button?

Me: Wow. I will have to get back to you on that one. What do YOU think?

Ben: Well, it depends on if Heavenly Father does, since he was made in God's image.

Me: Amen, brother!

Our California Adventure..

WARNING: this is one LONG post...

We arrived on Friday, Nov 9th. We checked into the resort and were thrilled about the staying there. We thought about canceling our plans because there was so much to do at the resort.. but we fit it in (somehow) and were still able to relax on our off days...

Saturday, Nov 15
THE ZOO
It was so much fun to hang out with Brett and Kate. The Zoo is humongous, but Brett led the way and we never had to walk uphill. It was great!


Our favorite things was the Komodo Dragon and the Panda exhibit.

After the zoo, Brett and kt came back to Escondido with us. We swam in the pool for a minute, but mainly stayed in the hot tub. (no, Luke isn't drowning. He is just being silly.)

While changing in the dressing rooms, Luke was being sneaky and hid. I seriously couldn't find him. We heard him giggling and finally found him scrunched in a tiny locker.. Zack thought it was really funny, but I did not.

Sunday, Nov 16
The Temple and Dinner at the Gathrights
Aaron was mad at me for not packing Church clothes... but this was vacation! Who wants to go to church? I know, my husband is righteous and I am not. Anyway, we had a lesson in our room and listened to a conference session on the computer (but actually ended up taking a much needed nap during it.) After we woke up, we had a fancy mac and cheese meal.. I asked Ben to set the table and he surprised us by setting the patio table. A video clip of dinner is on our Home Videos Blog. After lunch, we headed to the San Diego Temple. It was SO BEAUTIFUL and BRIGHT. We took pictures, but they didn't turn out because I have a cheapo camera. But we had so much fun on the temple grounds- the boys (including Aaron) were being so silly.

After the temple we went to visit our friends, the Gathrights. Aaron and Graton (better known as Sparky) were good friends in Texas.. and have kept in touch over the years. We love them and had such a great visit (not to mention a delicious home cooked meal.)
Sparky, Valerie, Alyssa (6 months), Luke, Janet, Zack, Aaron and Audrey (4)...Picture taken by Ben.

Monday, Nov 11th
SEA WORLD
We met the Jefferys at Seaworld (my sister, Debbie, her husband, Brent and their three daughters.. Lilly (3), Anna (almost 2) and Sara (2 months). They also brought their nanny, Louisa. She is from Brazil and they sponsor her to go to school, learn English (and hopefully meet a great Mormon guy.) She is 32 and such a doll. Does anyone know a single, handsome man who would like to date a sweet Brazilian girl? Louisa was so much fun to have around because she was so excited about everything! Debbie and I were also a little overzealous about the whole trip! We were probably crazy for taking the trip with so many little ones, but it was SO much fun.. Here are my favorites from Sea World.

We got DRENCHED at the dolphin show. It was definitely one of the highlights of the day. Right after we got soaked, Luke turned to me and said, "Mom.. I didn't ever tell you that I wanted to get wet." I laughed so hard.. I guess I need to ask permission next time.

We LOVED the dolphins and star fish. It's so amazing to be able to be so close!

The kids were SO happy!! It's well worth the exhaustion to see these faces light up.

Luke and Anna are little pals. They really love each other. They are the only cousins without blue eyes, so they stick together. This blanket is Anna's second half- she doesn't go anywhere without it!

Right before these pictures were taken, Luke said to me, "Every time I see a flower, I want to pick it and give it to Anna." He loves to tease her and make her laugh.

Tuesday, Nov. 13
Deb and Brent stayed with us at the Lawrence Welk Resort. Only Debbie could appreciate it with me (because our Mom is such a big fan of his show..) We stayed home and relaxed all day. Aaron and Brent went golfing and Debbie and I attempted to take the kids fishing at the resort. It was a nightmare!! Imagine 6 kids age 6 and under.. fighting over the fishing polls and getting the lines tangled up. The bait wouldn't stay on the hooks and Zack and Sara were crying the whole time. The pictures didn't turn out as frustrating as the experience was...

When I returned the poles to the front desk of the resort, the guy working there took one look at the tangled fishing wire and said, "Holy Crap!" I just laughed and told him to have a good time untangling it.. cause I had a van full of crying kids.

Ben had to read all the rules of the fishing pond and made SURE we followed them. So typical of him..

Yes, this is Luke peeing in the bushes.. I don't know if it's legal or not, so don't tell anyone!

At least we were able to relax a little that night in the hot tub! Even little Sara liked it.

Wednesday, Nov. 14
DISNEYLAND

All the characters were out and about.. and it was TOTALLY decked out for Christmas!

Me and my princes. Aaron tells them exciting bedtime adventures of "Prince Ben, Prince Luke and Price Zack." They love these stories and felt very comfortable wearing their crowns.

This was Ben and Lilly all day! They are such cute cousins. And little Z waiting in lines..

Ben was NOT interested in the princesses, whatsoever.. but he finally agreed to give Snow White "the rock."

1) Our family in stripes.. seriously not planned. The boys had matching shirts and Aaron and I just ended up wearing stripes too. This was taken inside the Haunted Mansion. Zack wasn't a fan.. In fact, that night he woke up with nightmares (so did Anna.) We felt so bad for scaring our babies!
2) Walking out of the park. We were the last people there and we were SO exhausted. Zack was pantless and he was mad about sharing his stroller with Luke. We finally made it to the car and got a good nights rest (aside from Z's nightmares, of course.)

Thursday Nov 15th
THE BEACH
We slept in, ate a big breakfast and headed to Oceanside. It was such a great way to end the week.

The boys loved it and didn't want to leave.. we ate hamburgers and watched the sun go down.
It was such a beautiful day and the sunset was absolutely breathtaking.

When I told Luke it was time to get in the car, he said, "MOM! That just wasn't long enough!" I pointed out that it was dark and we needed to get back.. he said, "Well, I don't want to stay later, I just wish we would have gotten here earlier." He's always been such a good communicator! He just cracks me up.


On the way home, we stopped at Target. We were just coming from the beach, so I had the most random outfit on.. I grabbed Aaron's jacket because I was so cold-- and this is what I looked like. Aaron insisted on taking a picture because I was totally white trash. Don't ask me why I am posting it... Anyway, at Target the boys spotted their favorite Transformer toys and just HAD to get them. We asked them if they wanted to get the toys or go to Disneyland again (we had 2 day tickets and planned on going Friday..) They both immediately said, "The Toys!" So we bought them and sold our Disney tickets. We were all happy. They have been playing with them non-stop (Aaron included.)

Friday Nov 16th
The DRiVE Home
We played a few games at the rec center (for the 20th time) and packed up. I was able to do all our wash before leaving and LOVED packing our suitcases with clean clothes! The drive home wasn't so pleasant... we got rear ended by a nice little Asian man. He had a big dog in his car distracting him and he just didn't stop fast enough. We didn't notice any damage, so we sent him on his way. Then, while driving on the freeway behind a pickup truck (filled with music equipment) a huge glass drumcase flew out of the back and shattered right in front of our van. Aaron reacted so well and luckily we didn't wreck It was really scary and the truck had no idea what happened. Then about an hour later, the tread on one of our tires blew off. It hit our gas pipe and broke the lid off (as well as ripping off the cover) and it cracked our bumper.. bummer. We had to stop and get a new tire and the only place open (in Baker, CA) was a little shack. The mechanics were totally smoking weed and one of them proudly pranced around in a correctional academy t-shirt. Somehow they put on a new tire and we were on our way.. Not the best end to a great vacation, but we'll survive..

If you made it this far through the post, congratulations. Now you can enjoy the rest of the pictures that I just couldn't post. A slide show will just have to do........