Oral Surgery

Due to various things going on in Anna's mouth, she had to have several baby teeth pulled this morning by an Oral Surgeon. Everything went well medically and she handled it very well.

In the waiting room.

How she really felt while waiting.

Recovering-- a little groggy from the IV.

Home on her throne that Derek and the other kids set up for her while she was gone.

Watching The Game

It Says 'Wisconsin' To Me

This is the beginning of the green and gold layered jello that we're making for the Superbowl on Sunday. Beer, brats and cheese curds all say 'Wisconsin' to me, and for some reason so does Jello. Since beer and brats don't fit my tastes and cheese curds aren't available out here (why is that, since CA is the largest dairy producer?), we're making some Packer striped Jello instead. I don't know who'll want to eat lemon and lime Jello, but it'll look festive!

Luke's New Favorite Commercial

As if he had an 'old' favorite, but this is what he aspires to:

The View From My Kitchen Window

With geraniums from the front porch.

PE with Luke

Luke was so excited to be able to start PE in January. He was a little under the age they set, but he was able and willing so they let him in. Basketball might not have been the easiest sport to start with, but he did pretty well.


Running with Leah in the warm up.

Not sure about how to guard the other kid.

Jack attempting a steal.

Part of the 'game' they played.

Dodgeball is next... a family favorite!

The Mighty, Mighty Wind

Topples the Trampoline.


And the tetherball.

I'm not even going to try...

to catch up. I'm just going to try to start posting more faithfully.

You're welcome, Mom. :)


And if you have a problem with that, you can speak to Luke's hand. :)

Using the Passport to DLand

It had been a little while since we've been able to use our passes and we had fun afternoon there last week.

Christmas Train Part 2

This is from a few weeks back and since then he's added a fountain! I think this is the last year I let him start before Thanksgiving. :)

The Impossible

I didn't think it was possible to get all of our ornaments on one tree, but it appears we can do it... and still have some room to spare.

Turkeys, Tarts and Testimonies

Our church had a night of thanksgiving combined with a pie contest for the MEN on Sunday night. I encouraged Derek to take a shot at it for fun and he carefully (and a little slowly) followed the instructions for a Caramel Pecan Apple Pie that I had in my 'try it' pile. Lo and behold the man won first place and a 20-plus pound turkey. Go figure! I guess I can be expecting more help from him in the kitchen...

I Think He Started Too Early

Derek started his train earlier than usual and it has resulted in some amazing new additions to the track. This is some of the progress, but none of these pictures include the newly added waterfall. Complete with pump. More to come!

'The Christmas Train 2010' or 'What Happens When You Marry an Engineer'

Some of you may have had the priviledge to see our Christmas Trains of Years Past. This year Derek got started a little early and we're well on our way to what he thinks will be the coolest one ever. When you start attaching pieces to the structure of your home with screws and nails it really shows your level of commitment! Here's a preview:


Looking across 'The String Bridge' that 'soars' above the stairway.

A look at the perilous turn between the bridges.

The affectionately named 'Cousins Bridge' complete with faux brick painting.

The view from coming up the stairs.

Pumpkin Designs

Jack's. Prizes to the first correct guess on who/what it is. The prize is candy... see the below post!

Anna wanted to color her own.

Luke's. Again, prizes available.

Leah's. Prizes STILL available.