Adventures In Sled Land

Denise & Abbie

Yes, that is the jump built right next to the only tree on the hill-

2 Sleds, 2 kids & 1...dog!

We've had the most fun this year sledding! Our new favorite spot is the 3rd hole at the Eburg Golf Course. The kids are beyond the basics and are now into jumps, speed & tricks! The adults have had just as much fun. I had to bail on the day it was 5 below zero- sorry Tate! Here's a quick look-

Christmas Eve

This Christmas Eve was celebrated with Brady's side of the family. We started a new tradition last year of themed dining. This year everyone brought a Italian dish-delicious!! In lieu of gift giving between families, we tackled a pinata, decorated gingerbread men, played games (thanks for the wonderful prizes Meme), and listened to Ryan, Joel & Austin play Christmas music on their guitars.

Christmas Eve Continued...

Breakfast With Santa @ Suncadia

We braved breakfast with 7 "tough" boys

Get me outta here-I don't want any presents!

This year we caught up with Santa just before he headed back to the North Pole with his sleigh full of wishes. We had a wonderful breakfast at Suncadia and a quick visit with the big man in the chair. Tate was on super behavior all morning just in case Santa caught a glance, and Crue was great right up until picture time. He screamed in terror for the third year, which was fine as long as it was caught on camera- Thanks Willards & Moores for braving the treacherous back roads with us-

Wine Tasting

We had good intentions of tasting our way through the Yakima Valley Vineyards, ending up where ever Roxy led us (responsibly of course)- and then WINTER hit! Roxy belongs to our great friends Brad & Shannon & is a 30 something foot RV. With 4 couples we were ready to hit the road however, Roxy & Snoqualmie pass couldn't see eye to eye. Rather than cancelling our weekend the couples headed over late PM on Friday in one vehicle and the wine tasting began...from the comfort our our own home!! We had a wonderful weekend eating in, out to the Tav of course for lunch and even hit a movie. We had some great R&R- let's do it again guys, possibly in the Spring???

Little cheese & his mohawk

Up close & personal @ Seaworld

Poolside at Disneyland Hotel

Goofy's Kitchen for Breakfast

The Rockstars & Their Limo

The week prior to Thanksgiving weekend our family had the amazing experience of visiting the Magic Kingdom...Disney. Brady's parents, siblings and our nieces all vacationed together visiting Sea World, Disneyland and California Adventure. It was a whirlwind trip and we loved every minute of it. We even made it home just in time for a wonderful home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner with my parents.

Turkey Anyone?

Tate's class put a recipe book together with all the traditional Turkey Day fixins' and how they would make them. This is Tate's recipe for making a turkey:

Holiday Dessert Idea

If you like homemade pumpkin pie, you've got to try this. Safeway Select Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream (limited edition)- is absolutely delicious!! It tastes exactly like pie, complete with pieces of graham cracker crusts swirled in. Recipe Idea: Try layering the Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream in a frozen graham cracker pie crust, top with cool whip and freeze. Yum!!

Freedom To Organize

Brady & I are very fortunate to have parents that offer to have the kids on a regular basis so we can get out to have date night, dinner plans with friends or hightail out of town every now and then. For that time I am thankful. This last weekend however was HEAVEN- I was home ALONE! If any of you have had the joy of experiencing a weekend to yourself, you know what I mean. Eat when you want, nap when you want ( 2 1/2 hours), leisurely browse all the departments you don't usually make it to (yes there are a few at Freddy's), and organize, organize, organize. Oh it feels so good! The pantry was the center of my attention for the weekend. Here's how it turned out-

How did it come to this???

Ahh...I love structure!

Slumber Party With The McGowans

All cozy & ready for a story. Notice the little
monkey that bonked his head. Now he gets it!




Tate was so proud of his strength!

Irresistible

Our current theme song "Da na na na na na na na Batman!"

Recap OF Fall 2008

Something about the seasons changing has me scurrying to tye up all loose ends before turning the page. A few things I missed in prior posts: The Lake with the Eyfords, pumpkin patches, wine making, date night with the Bankes, more fun in the leaves, catching up with my dear Puyallup friends, Halloween & oh...a much needed weekend HOME ALONE!!! Thanks Babe! Now that we're caught up, I feel like I can decorate the tree:)

Still Roundin' Down!



Brady turned 33 on October 27th! I had the crazy idea to have a fondue party to celebrate. I had no prior fondue experience, nor did I have a pot. You know how that saying goes right?? After doing some frantic research I was able to come up with 6 pots, several great recipes, & a bit of confidence. It turned out to be an absolute blast & great social event (as opposed to sitting at a stuffy table). The highlight of the night was the cork throwing competition. 2 1/2 hours & several cash transactions later we had a winner. Who would have thought???

Fall Colors

It has become a tradition every year to head down to 10th street for Fall photos. The boys love collecting acorns & chestnuts and running through the crisp leaves. My plan is to eventually compile all the pictures of past seasons for a running collage. It's truly amazing how much they grow in a year!