It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Oh My Goodness! Larry finally took my nudging and outlined the entire house in lights!!!!!!! WOW! It looks wonderful. Thank you, Thank you honey! We sort of changed a few things around this year, but today we spent the entire day putting out the Outside lights, candy canes, lawn lights, Christmas Tree, Peach on Earth sigh, Soldiers, Candles, poinsettias, Candy lights, front porch decorations, Soldiers and Bells. Tomorrow is our day of rest. We'll tackle it all again and hopefully finish up on Monday. I'm pretty tired tonight. When we finish, I will post a photo!

Happy Thanksgiving 2009 50 min 25 Sec

It started off a really beautiful southern California morning, crisp, but bright and beautiful. Best of all, I was with part of my family. Here I'm so glad at just being alive! Pam, Me, Larry, Peter, Kelly, Brian and Savannah did "Martha's Kitchen 5K Run", at 7:30 am I might add!

It is wonderful to be able to exercise with my honey! I'sn't he handsome?

Savannah came along for the 5K walk/run too. We couldn't leave her home!

Showing off our Muscles! We are ready to go

This is me (with Larry right behind me) crossing the finish line. We finished several minutes before the other walkers (Pam and Kelly). We were only beat by the runners, Peter and Brian. Ricky was the designated driver for all of us. He also took these photo's. Got to love Ricky!

After the Run/Walk, we came home and started cooking. Got it all ready and into Crock Pots (9) to keep food warm, it was really a good idea. Pam and I outdid ourselves on food. The older we get the better the food tastes. Turkey, gravey, Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potatoe Crunch, Creamed Spinish, Creamed Corn, Dressing, Rolls and relish trays. Now, I'm full, satisfyed and ready for a nap.

Before I lay down, I want to let everyone know how thankful I am for an Ancestor who celebrated that first Thanksgiving with the Indians, so very long ago. That Ancestor is Frances Cook. We all owe him a very big thanks for all the sacrifices they had to go through. Thank goodness they didn't have computers, or maybe we wouldn't be here now!

Oh, the agony and ecstacy of it all

Today, I had to go back in for another epidural in my spine. I feel sorry for Larry as he has to take me to all these Dr. appointments. On the good side, Larry and I got back our 'yearly physical' stats and all our everything tested either is in normal range or went down! Our colesterol is in the GREAT zone for bothe of us. Even my iron levels were in the normal range! and I have lost 2 dress sizes, I'm into my size 10 clothes again! I haven't seen 135 since, well for a long time. I feel wonderful, better than I have since being a tom girl in grade school.

Kids, eat your hearts out, dad and I may outlive you yet! We are spending your inheritance as fast as we can!

Remembering

Today, I was starting to put up Christmas Decorations. I love Christmas and it could be all year as far as I'm concerned. I found an ornament with Brian's 1st Visit with Santa Clause, he was 9 months old, and it seems like just yesterday. I don't know why mom's always remember the 1st kids big moments better than the following kids. They were all special to me and I remember little things each of them did really well.

Like the time Lisa was about 3, and under my foot in the kitchen. I was scrambling around until Larry got home, and he liked dinner right away, anyway, I wasn't paying attention to her because she was playing so well. Then, just as we started to sit down to dinner, I walked back into the kitchen and saw BUGS crawling all over the place!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I about DIED! I screamed and ran for the broom and dustpan, I just couldn't imagine how so many sow bugs got into my kitchen so fast! As I started sweeping them up and taking them outside, I hear a whale of a cry "NOOOOOO! Mommy, they are my babies, don't hurt them, please don't hurt them, I was just putting them all to bed in the drawer, that is my little house for them". Please don't hurt them, mommy, please don't!" I think I traumatized her that day.

Then, there was Mark. Who for no good reason, would not talk! He wouldn't even say momma or please or anything, he just jabbered in his own language and thought everyone else could understand him too. The only one who even pretended (or maybe she did) to understand him was Lisa, so Mark used to talk to Lisa and then she would relay the message to me, because she could talk really well. By the time he was 5 he did start to talk a little bit, but was always the BIG DUMB SILENT type, if you know what I mean. We never knew what he was thinking because he wouldn't communicate it to anyone. Then I told Mark to dice up an onion (he is 5), so I sat him down at the table and he proceded to cut the onion. I went back to cooking. The next thing I know, there he is with GOGGLES on his face, over his eyes, so the onion wouldn't burn his eyes. What a smart idea, why didn't I ever think of that? Needeless to say, he is still really smart and now a nerd of the 1st degree.

So I do remember all my kids and some of the little things they did, just not all the firsts they did. But, Brian I still remember. Does that make me a bad mommy?

It's UGLY

What I mean by that is that I'm having a terrible time with 'change'. I don't mean getting older either!

For some stupid reason, the city decided we needed a 'new' entrance into Eagle Hills from Lambert and Sunflower, SO THEY CUT DOWN ALL THE TREES EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's UGLY and I can see all the way up into Carbon Canyon now! UGH!

To top that off, they closed down the Desseret book store that served Orange County! No explanation, just closed it down. NOW WHERE DO THEY EXPECT WE WILL GET OUR LDS SUPPLIES? Probably off the internet - but I WANT to see what I'm buying before I give up my hard earned money. Is that too much to ask???