Gobble, Gobble 2011

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for and there is no better way to spend the day than with family and friends. We started out the beautiful day with a snowshoe. It made us feel a little better about the big meal we would be eating later. Later in the afternoon, we headed over to Uncle Jim and Aunt Robin's for wonderful company and the big feast.

Emma helped me make the green bean casserole.

This is Emma's placemat she made at school.

Mmmmm...the pies

sweet potato souffles

poor bird

Emma, probably engaged in some deep conversation.

wild rice stuffing and, of course, mashed potatoes

3-mushroom stuffing

our contribution: green bean casserole

having a conversation with Great Grandma Abbie

having fun with Dawn

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, too.

Bag Girl, Breakfast Girl

Is liking bags and cold cereal hereditary?

She's An Outdoors Girl!

Emma loves to be outside, even in the snow and cold.

This is Emma's shovel for now. We'll get her a bigger one soon. We do get a lot of snow and we need all the help we can get to shovel our decks.

Halloween 2011

It was a"moo"sing to watch Emma this Halloween. Not only did she look as cute as a bug's ear in her cow costume, but it was her first time trick-or-treating. Even though we didn't let her have any of the candy, she still enjoyed herself.

We didn't get many of her face, but she still looks pretty cute.

trick-or-treating with Kyler

sharing her candy with Grandpa

Zion National Park

Last week was our Fall Break so we had Thursday and Friday off from school. We packed up the car and made the 5-hour trip south to Zion National Park. It was bea-uuuuu-ti-ful! The weather could not have been better, either--sunny and 80 degrees. Even though we took a lot of pictures, they just don't do it justice. What a spectacular place!

On our way to the hotel, we stopped and did a 1-mile hike at the north entrance of Zion National Park.

There were mule deer all over.

The Narrows hike...

feeling the wet (weeping) rock...

Only a part of the hike was on land. We crossed the Virgin River about 5 times before it got too deep for us.

This was where the hike got a little too deep. We watched a few people go ahead and it was above their waists.

After crossing the river a few times, your legs were so cold you really couldn't feel much anymore.

Andy and Emma crossing the river.

The colors were so vibrant!

Yay! Josh and Dawn made the trip with us (even after 6 days in a car driving down from Alaska).

Emma likes to take pictures.

This is what 2 bike rides and 2 hikes in one day will do to a little girl.

Finding the Perfect Pumpkin

Yesterday, we went to a pumpkin patch to find the perfect pumpkins. Not only was it Emma's first time to a pumpkin patch, but it was Andy's, too. I think Andy now knows why I refuse to buy my pumpkin from a box at the grocery store.