Don't Ever Travel the Sunday After Thanksgiving!

Horrible. It was horrible. The hours and hours of traffic...it brings back the nightmare just talking about it.

Back up for a minute. We decided to take a quick trip to Salt Lake City for Thanksgiving to spend the holiday with the Maxfield side of the family. It was a fun trip, too short as usual and the kids got to make some fun memories with their cousins. We had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner (thanks Jeannine!) and got to play games all night. (I'll post pics of that soon).

Now back to the drive home. We left on Saturday night so we could stay halfway in Vegas area, thinking that would help us beat the traffic. We got in to Vegas around 2 am, had an unrestful sleep for about 6 or so hours. By the time we got packed up, situated and left it was 9:30 am. We did not arrive home until....drumroll...8:30 pm!!!! 11 hours!!! Keep in mind, from that point it should have been a 5 hour trip. Yeah. It was bad. At one point, it took us 2 hours to go 10 miles. It was horrible, as I mentioned already!!!

So, now we're home and recovered and on with life. Luckily, all that remains in time is the good memories of a trip. It was worth it so we could spend the time with family and a few friends, but one thing is for sure - we will NEVER travel that day again!!

We Have Another 2 Year Old!

We celebrated Lexi's 2nd birthday last night. Officially, it's on the 24th, but since that's Thanksgiving day, we thought we'd have a separate celebration. My family came over for dinner, cake and ice cream. The cake was (of course!) Snow White (her favorite). I always have fun experimenting with cakes, and she just couldn't have loved this one more! We had a good time! One thing I was reminded of as I watched her open the gifts is that kids don't need very much to be happy. She would've been perfectly happy if she had stopped after the first gift (which was a pair of Snow White socks my mom got her)! Less is more, less is more, less is more (I chant that to myself constantly). So, as Christmas draws nearer, I'm trying to remember this. Its all about MY self-control because I think it's a blast to go buy them things I know they'll love. But they actually love each thing way less if there is too much. So, I was happy for the reminder last night, just in time for Christmas!

Sunny California

We have continued to have beautiful weather, still hitting the 70's (and sunny) this late in the year. One of the perks of California. So Tucker's been able to take the girls on a few bike rides with our new bike trailer! It was actually a birthday present for him...sort of inadvertantly for him. I figured this would encourage him to use his beloved Trek bike, more often than he has lately, since the girls will also get to benefit from it. And they really do love it. He's trying to determine a safe route to use at night since he's hardly ever home before it gets dark now. Now I just need to decide...do I want to fix my bike so I can join them...or should I just enjoy the peace and quiet I get while they're out?

Class of 1995

Yep, I had my 10 year reunion this past weekend! It was so crazy to see people I haven't seen for 10 years. The highlight was having a seperate lunch with some of my closest girlfriends from High School. The photos I posted are "before" (senior year) and "after" (just yesterday at lunch). It was really fun to catch up on the past 10 years and laugh about old times. At the reunion dinner, the comment my friends and I heard the most was "you look exactly the same!". I had to stop and ask myself if that was a compliment or not because, in my opinion, I look a lot different. I mean, I don't curl my big bangs or wear green eyeliner anymore! But I decided to still take it as a compliment, ha ha.

Bananas

I (like most people, I'm sure) am motivated to make banana bread when my bananas are to the almost-ready-to-throw-out stage. That was the stage they were in today. So I made a big batch of it. Jordyn really loves to help me bake, so I have to be in the mood for an assistant when I bake lately. She does a good job. The bread turned out good and since it was overcast and windy this afternoon, it was the perfect time to bake.

There are a couple of things I do to my banana bread to make it 'my own'. First, I substitute 1/2 of the butter with applesauce. This doesn't change the flavor or texture, but makes it a little healthier. (But beware, if you substitute ALL of the butter, then the texture is a lot stickier). Second, with high demand from my family, I add chocolate chips. Yeah, I know I know, that washes out the health benefits of the applesauce, but it tastes so good! Try it!

Disneyland!

Well, we decided to take a little trip down to Disneyland. It's a 3 1/2 hour drive and most of my relatives live there, so we stayed with my Grandma and went all day Saturday. It was me, Tucker, Jordyn, Lexi, Kristy, Ryan, Carly and Alyson. It's worth the crowds, the heat, the exhaustion and the germs all for the magical experience for the kids! The girls just loved it! They held up really well for such a long day. They loved the characters, most of the rides...but they weren't so fond of Pirates of the Carribbean. This year celebrates the 50th anniversary, and one of the highlights was the new and improved Space Mountain. We had a good time! Now it's time for sleep...whew!

Life, etc.

Sorry, no photo today. Just a few thoughts. Life has just felt so non-stop lately. In fact, I start to wonder if one of my coping mechanisms is to constantly say that to myself...maybe the reality is that life is ALWAYS nonstop!?! No, but seriously, this has been extra crunch-time. I think a lot of it is connected to the business' growth. How could it feel anything BUT non-stop when we've expanded by 100% in a few short months. So because of that, I know that part of the craziness is temporary. We're just ready for some sort of normal schedule with Tucker around a little more. We really are excited for the Holidays though. It's just such a cozy time of year. And seeing it through your kids eyes really gives it a whole new meaning! I feel like decorating for Christmas right now, but I won't allow myself until after Thanksgiving. Only a few more weeks!