A Western White Elephant

Ryans company decided to do something different this year for the company Christmas party. Usually we have a nice lunch at Market Street Grill in one of their private rooms and the guys play guitars and sing. This year they decided to have the party up at Bill George's Cabin up Parleys Canyon. It was a beautiful cabin way up on the mountain, infact you couldn't really get there unless you had four wheel drive, although there were a couple brave souls that did it with out. We have the Jeep so it was not a real problem for us. We had a great steak and chicken dinner and you could not ask for better company than this group of people. We are all like family it feels like, and everyone has a fun personality.



The big event for the night was the white elephant gift exchange. Ryan and I knew it would be fun with this group so we wanted to get something really good. We thought and looked everywhere for something with no luck, so the night before we headed out to DI as our last resort. DI did not disappoint. The first thing we found was this knit box that had knitted on it the words "MY STUFF" we thought it was a great one and put it in the cart. Then Ryan found this knit house and we thought that would go great with the knit box so we threw that in the cart as-well. As we kept looking up and down every aisle rummaging throw things we kept finding more and more of these knit houses and kept laughing more and more as we unearthed each one. They seemed to be everywhere in the store, a whole village just scattered about. At the end of our DI adventure we ended up with the knit box, 8 or so knit houses, a set of knit coasters, a big game bag (to hang a deer carcass in)complete with illustrated instructions, a 70's mini crumb vacuum, and a foam sandwich note pad. We knew we had done well when the cashier gave an, "ohhh" when looking at the items in our basket. The best though was when some of the houses did not have price tags on them so she had to call the manager to come price them. They debated on wether or not to charge us 50 cents or 75 cents and then the girl said, "how about 50 cents each?" and the manager replied "No, do two for a dollar." Our trip to DI could not have ended better we had so much fun. After that we went home to decide what to do with all that we had bought.



We decided to package all the none knit items together in one bag as a gift and then decided we would put one knit house in a bag and include a tag that said, "pick me you will not be disappointed, there is more to this gift". We then wrapped the rest of the village along with the box and coasters in a big box that we then wrapped and decided that this would be a mystery box that went along with the knit house in the bag. So whoever ended up with the knit house at the end of the game would also receive the mystery box. It was a hit at the party. Everyone was fighting over this stupid knit house due to the lure of the mystery box. It was hysterical. Brandon ended up winning it and we video taped him opening the mystery box. I was screaming laughing. This game lasted almost three hours and this was the perfect ending to the funniest white elephant gift exchange I have ever participated in. So thank you to the old lady who knitted all those houses and gave them to DI.



The rest of the night up at the cabin we stayed up late playing games and snacking on food and hanging out in our PJs. Jayna loved all the attention and enjoyed playing with Cash, Chips two year old little boy. The guys played music, and Jayna danced as she sat and listened. It was really fun.



The next morning we had a big but quick breakfast since there was a big storm coming in, and we all made it safely off the mountain and down the Canyon.

New Calling

My New calling at church is the second counselor in the Relief Society Presidency. I have only been in for about a month, but I have already made 100 bell ornaments to take to the retirement inn residence, and close to 200 greeting cards to send out to the singles in our ward. I love the sisters I am serving with and am looking forward to serving the sisters in our ward in this capacity. Here are some pictures of the bells I put together.

Thankful Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful thanksgiving in Arizona this year, and were so excited that we got to stay for two weeks. Ryan had a business trip the week after Thanksgiving so he just flew out of Arizona to go to that and then came back and we drove home. It was so nice that I got to stay at my parents while he was gone instead of just being at home alone with the baby. I have a wonderful husband that thinks of those things for me. Jayna did great driving to and from Arizona. We did the late night drive and she slept the whole time. Red did great as-well with a little help from the vet and some magic medicine.

While in Arizona my brother Craig and his wife had an open house that I helped with. It was lots of fun to do, and their house is gorgeous.

We also swam a lot and just plain hung out. Mom and I hit up lots of good sales and even went out on Thanksgiving night to get a screaming deal on a pink flocked Christmas tree and ornaments for Jaynas room.

I cooked the turkey for my third year in a row thanks to a little help from Martha.

Ryan and I also did a big chinese night were we made all of our good dishes. My fortune cookies turned out 100 times better too because my mom had those silicone baking mats that I did not use the first time I tried making them. My mom took us to this huge oriental grocery store to buy all of our ingredients too. This place was so awesome, and had everything a former Taiwan missionary could ask for. Or best find was all the ingredients to make Zhenzhu Drinks. So needless to say we stocked up on things to take home.

Another fun thing that we got to do was go to the Phoenix Zoo to see their Zoo Lights. Jayna liked seeing all the bright fun moving lights. I felt like an abusive parent though, we found the weather to be so warm and nice compared to Utah so I would put Jayna in little short sleeve onesies and light pants. So when I started looking around at Zoo Lights and realized all the other babies were in snow clothes with hats and gloves I was sure everyone was looking at me like, "what a terrible mom, her kid is not even wearing a jacket." It was pretty funny.

So buy the end of the trip we had purchased and gathered so many fun things and Christmas presents from Grandma and Grandpa that we had to borrow their car top carrier. My Dad was nothing but thrilled, he always hated that they would have to use one for trips. So he was delighted to be watching Ryan, put it on our car. I think it was a full circle life moment for him.

I will have to put pictures to this post later. We misplaced our camera for most of the trips so all the pictures I took were on my moms camera.

Puffs

Back at the beginning of November we gave Jayna her first solid treat food in the form of Gerber sweet potato puffs. We video taped her reaction and thought it was pretty funny. It was such a new experience for her to have something like that in her mouth. She was not to sure about the whole thing so she started feeding them to Red instead of eating them. I think Red is more excited about Jayna eating treats then she is.

Birthday Boy!

Ryan turned 28 on Friday, and we had lots of fun on his Birthday. I made him eggs benedict for breakfast and then we headed over to his work for lunch so that I could surprise him with his Birthday present. I had spent the night before secretly decorating his new office for him. It turned out pretty nice. I forgot to take pictures though, so I will have to post those latter. I was going to try and attempt to paint the office as-well, but last minute decided not to. It just would have been to much to deal with in the short time I had. Then latter that night we went to the nickel-cade with Jared and Marshall. It was my first time going and I was not super excited about it because I thought Jayna and I would be bored, but boy was I wrong. We blew through nickels like no tomorrow! Jayna loved all the sounds and lights on all the games, and loved watching the crazy kids running around. I loved playing the games with her strapped in the front pack squealing with delight. We played for about two hours while the boys played their gun games. We racked up so many tickets that we had enough to buy the sparkle baton we had our eyes on. Remember those as a kid? By the time we left she was about to pass-out. She was struggling to keep her eyes open, there was just way to much stimulation. Ryan and I decided that we will take her to the nickel-cade and wear her out for two hours before we go on our drive to Arizona. My favorite though was that there were all these kids at the nickel-cade having their birthdays and I was there with my 28 eight year old husband for his. After we ran out of nickels we went to the Wing Coop, an all wing restaurant. The boys eat about 50 wings there and then we went back to our place for an angel food pudding cake I made.



Ryan with his friends at the nickel-cade. I was laughing so hard when I saw him playing with this random kid.



Friends Marshall and Jared.

I Tried My Luck...

I tried my LUCK at making homemade fortune cookies this week. They turned out pretty good, but I think the consistency of my batter may need some work so that it is not so caky in the center. I also think one of those silicone pads you put in the cookie sheets would help as-well. They were surprisingly easy to assemble, you just have to work fast before they cool. I think they would make a great favor at a wedding or party.





I also stole this cute Thanksgiving card idea from a local scrapbook store. I thought it was adorable so I made them for the sisters I visiting teach. I thought I would share the idea incase any of you need to make your own Thanksgiving cards.

Let It Snow...Let It Snow...Let It Snow

It snowed pretty much all day today which was fun to watch from inside my cozy home. I really wanted Jayna to see the snow and experience it for herself so I brought some in for her. She had fun feeling it and grabbing handfuls of the cold white stuff. Her poor little hands were bright red by the time she was done with it. I am not positive that she is teething yet, but she sure has been grumpy this week. It got me thinking though that snow balls would make a great all natural soother for a teething baby. I wonder if that is what the "cave mommies" used?

Remember To Vote!

Jayna was grumpy today so I needed to find something to keep us occupied until Dad came home from work. With the election on my mind and the desire to fine tune my baking skills this is what we ended up with. We made the cupcakes and frosting from scratch because I did not have any cake mix on hand. It was fun. Ryan got a kick out of them when he got home, and we took them to our neighbors as a little reminder to head out to the polls tomorrow.





So Happy Voting Everyone!

Witches Night Out

Meet our daughter "Spooky Jayna". Every October we attend Witches Night Out at Gardner Village to see the fun costumes, festivities, and cute little shops. Since Grandma found Jayna a cute witch costume for Halloween we decided to dress her up when we went. It was kinda chilly outside and she was really busy looking at all the people walking by so she never gave a big smile. We thought it added to the spooky nature of the pictures though. Ryan thinks they look like those creepy 1800's pictures you see of children were they are all sad looking and serious. Everyone thought the wig was hysterical and she doesn't mind it, she just leaves it on. I was a witch for my first Halloween and since we have the same birthday my mom thought it appropriate that that is what Jayna would be. So here are some pictures of Witches Night Out, carving pumpkins, Ryan's work party, and other Halloween day pictures. Hope everyone had a "spooktacular" Halloween evening. (our internet has not been working great so I will have to post the rest of the pictures later)

7 Months Old and Growing So Fast!

Jayna is 7 months old now and is still growing and changing everyday. She is doing so well. I cannot believe it was 7 months ago that we were worried she would not make it here safely. We feel so lucky and blessed that she has progressed with no growth or development set backs due to being born 3 weeks early. She is a sharp little cookie with tons of personality and we cannot imagine life without her. Friends keep asking us if they can babysit, but we are not sick of her yet. Ryan and I were married for 5 years before having her so we jokingly tell them we had her because we were tired of looking at each other. She is our little "Berry" and we love her. Here are some recent pictures of her.



Jayna is rolling and squirming everywhere! Sometimes she gets herself into some pretty tight corners like under the bed or under the couch.



She is a good little shopper, but sometimes she just can't keep up with the big girls.



After getting ready for church she plays in her highchair with her new little toy tiger Grandma sent her for Halloween.



I always make pumpkin cookies in October and November so we decided to let Jayna have a seasonal treat. I figured it was just like her baby food since it was pure pumpkin. She really liked it too.



Jayna got her first little cold a month ago so I thought I would play a baby einstein movie for her. She only made it through the intro.



Along with pina coladas and getting caught in the rain Jayna loves to play with her dog Red.

My Dad Has Been Leading A Double Life

Apparently my Dad has been leading a double life come to find out. While he is not working as the General Manager of Freightliner Arizona or at home with my Mom and Brother he has been moonlighting as the head coach for the Green Bay Packers and has been keeping it a secret from all of us. While Ryan and I were out to dinner with our friend Jared he asked me if my Dad got mistaken for any one famous. I told him no and he said that he thought my Dad looked like the Green Bay Packers head coach. As he was pulling up a picture on his phone I was trying to think of what courteous response I would give when I looked at the picture and it looked nothing like my Dad. Jared has only seen him twice in somewhat brief circumstances. When he showed me the picture above I just about died and my only response was, "That's my Dad". The funniest thing about all this is that for years when we lived in Granite Bay and Craig played football at Granite Bay High-School my Dad wore the High-School hats and shirts all the time, which look just like the Green Bay logo. It bugged him all the time when he was out and about because people would always think he was a Green Bay fan and would want to talk to him about it, or they would shout out "Go Green Bay" when they would walk by.



I am going to try to find a better picture of my Dad because I know my Mom has to have one of him in his Granite Bay clothes at one of the boys games. So for now this badly photoshopped picture of my parents on vacation will have to do (sorry Mom).



That same night I called home and had Mark look up the same picture on line and he thought it was ridiculous. He told my Dad to come in and "meet himself" and my Dad thought for a quick second that it was himself at a Granite Bay game. So needless to say we have a Halloween costume idea for my Dad this year.

Where Were You?

I had recently moved back home after living in Utah and attending BYU. I was asleep in my bed when my mom woke me up and told me I needed to come watch the news. I remember going into my parents bedroom and laying on their bed to watch the T.V. to see just what was going on. The first tower had already been hit of course and they were showing video of the burning tower. It was unclear to everyone just what had happened. No one both in our house or on the news could figure out if it was an accident or not. At this point no one even knew if it was a small private plane or a large commercial plane. Then it happened, as we were watching the live news on CNN a second plane crashed into the south tower. It was unbelievable. You knew right away that this was not an accident and that something terrible was unfolding right before your eyes. Then the news began reporting about possible other high-jacked planes that may be in the air. The Pentagon was then hit and a plane went down in Pennsylvania. The media seemed to be frantic as they tried to keep up on what was going on. I just remember having that terrible thought and feeling of what next. Then I remembered that Marshall was flying home from his mission. Would his flight be in the air right now? Would he of had a layover in New York if he was coming home from Taiwan? How many flights are in danger? It was not a day that you wanted to have anyone you knew or cared about in the air traveling. I remember calling my friend Kelli that morning. She answered the phone from her sleep and I asked her if she knew what was going on she said "no", and I remember telling her "well you better turn the news on then". I watched the towers collapse, and watched the aftermath for weeks like so many others. It was a scary time. It was my generations Pearl Harbor in a way. Something I will never forget, and was glad I watched not experienced. My heart still goes out to all those effected by that day.

Our Car-Seat Came With A Roller-Coaster

Jayna has so many cute dresses she is starting to fit into, so when it was a little cooler on Sunday I was excited that I could put her in this cute little long sleeve dress. Of course right as I go to take a picture of her she spits up all over herself.



Last minute we switch her cute bow out for this cute as can be hat. Everyone at church loved her hat and she even kept it on for most of church.



After we got home Ryan did this roller-coaster game with her in her car-seat. Her reaction was so funny, almost like she was just going along with it, giving him pretend roller-coaster screams. We thought is was hilarious and had to get it on camera. So now we know that the straps in the car-seat really work, leave it to a Dad to test that one out. I couldn't get the video to post so a picture will have to do.



We did not realize how unhappy Jayna was that we do not subscribe to the Friend until she shredded the Ensign. She always wants to rip stuff apart and finally she did, just to bad it was the Ensign.

Hutchings vs Hurst

No these are not pictures from the U.S. Open, sorry if you thought they were. Ryan and our good friend Jared like to play tennis every once in awhile at our complex so that is what we did on Friday night.





Jayna, Red and I watched them play from the dog park behind the courts. Jayna was not impressed with the boys and got quit board, but Red loved running around and watching them hit the ball. After tennis we all took a dip in the pool minus Red, and had burgers from a little hole in the wall bar Jared knew about (not that he frequents bars or anything). It was a good end to our Full Throttle Friday.

BYU or BUST!

Ryan's brother Devin transfered to the Y this semester from BYU Idaho, so we went down to Provo this Friday to see him. We had fun buying Devin some groceries at our favorite little grocery store Macys that we used to shop at when we lived there.



Jayna was too cool for school cruising around campus with her shades and toys. She wanted all the Freshman at orientation to know she was hot stuff.



While we were in Provo we just had to stop at Jay-Dawgs and get a bite to eat. Sorry if this last sentence is causing anyone cravings. Jayna had fun playing on the blanket while we ate our "dawgs" and savored ever bite.





We also had to get a picture of Ryan next to his scooter sign, which we have been meaning to do forever, but forget every-time we go down there. It is a long story so to make it short I will just explain that this sign was not there until Ryan had a confrontation with the BYU police who pulled him over after chasing him on foot while he was riding his push scooter to school. He considers it his mark on the world and is quit proud of it.

We are excite to have Devin here in Utah with us and hope we get to see him often.

New Meals This Week

I have been on a new recipe kick recently, which Ryan just loves. This week we tried ultimate tuna on a bagel sandwiches and homemade pot-stickers. Both turned out great and made the cut to stay in our rotation of meals. The best was that I was able to freeze a ton of pot-stickers for later.

Jayna Trading Stocks on E-Trade

I know this picture is dark and blurry, but does it remind you of a certain E-Trade commercial? My mom wanted to see Jaynas new high chair over iChat so we set it up like this and she took the picture with her webcam. Jayna loves iChat and just like the E-Trade commercial she has even spit-up all over the keyboard before.