Christmas in Crazy Town

21 Andersons in 1 house!

Luckily the weather was very mild and we were able to get out of the house as often as we wanted.

We visited the dairy farm where Stephen worked as a young boy, the kids loved it!

Brooks kept asking if we could go back and see the cows.
We took this picture right after the boys finished climbing that extremely tall stack of hay to our left, and hoisted all the kids up there too.

Christmas morning, Santa came!

After Christmas service, so glad I got to be a part of the choir, it really made my day!

Iconic picture taking spot in Idaho Falls.

handsome fellas.

So the plane ride home was turning out to be the plane ride from H.E.L.L.....there was nothing I could do to get Zoey to stop screaming. I had her asleep 4 different times but she was so uncomfortable (her ears must have really been hurting) she just wouldn't keep her eyes closed, or her mouth. So after attempting all I could do to get her to sleep I gave up and let her climb around the very last row we had taken all for ourselves and had a photo shoot- it was making her smile and she sounds so cute when she says "cheeeeese".

enjoying her in flight snack and beverage

pretending to be asleep on top of my feet

This was her all time favorite spot during the flight

Brooks was so tired when we got to Dallas (about 11:30pm) he hitched a ride on Dad's bag so he wouldn't have to walk. Smart little guy.

I'm excited for a simple, quiet, private Christmas next year (hopefully in a land far far away).

So much to be THANKFUL for.

I am so thankful for my adorable, energetic, obnoxious, loving little family.

I am SO THANKFUL for this HOT guy that goes to work everyday for us, who puts up with me getting a little more CraZy everyday, and who loves me enough to dance with me!

These two are the BEST and I'm so thankful to be their daughter.

I'm thankful for my BEAUTIFUL SISTER who is such a good example to me and has such a loving heart.

I'm so thankful for TIME we get to spend together.

Ryan and Courtland were truly missed.

I'm thankful that my little guy and my mom are seriously BEST BUDS.

I'm so thankful for my FEISTY little Zoey monster and her adorable kisses and her outward love towards her big brother.

I'm thankful for my Brooksy who is so very smart and loves to learn, and who always thinks of his little sister and NEVER wants her to be left out.

I'm SO thankful for these two and all their hard work while they were here.

They helped to

1. prime and paint the vaulted entry and upstairs hallway

2. install a new dishwasher

3. install a new kitchen sink and faucet

4. replace two bathroom faucets

5. replace a toilet seat cover

5. change out light-bulbs all over the place

6. fix the garage door openers

7. install a new microwave

8. install a new oven (which required moving an existing cabinet)

9. repair the jetted tub

Not much of a vacation but they did get to eat at Pei Wei and In-n-Out (their favorite places) while they were here. I can't be more grateful for my hard-working self-less family.

And I'm SO THANKFUL that I was able to have a successful Thanksgiving dinner at MY house. The menu was all fresh ingredients, nothing from a can (except the cranberry sauce).

I'm so thankful that my family puts up with me. I love you!!

GAquarium and Halloween

Stephen had to work in Atlanta so we all tagged along.

This is at the Georgia Aquarium, Brooks and Zoey LOVED it!!

Brooks and Zoey with uncle Cody.

Zoey and Cody, Brooks and Gramma.

Hay-ride and Corn-maze, apparently it's haunted as you can see there is a ghost sitting on my face.

Happy Halloween!

from Zoey and Elmo.

Knock knock....

we suprised our friends the Harris family.

enjoying some trick-or-treat splendor.

They didn't last long, only about 4 houses, but we learned some great tips for next year.....

1. go to a neighborhood with sidewalks!

2. bring a wagon!

Hope you had a Happy Halloween.

October

I Love October!

There is so much to do, and the weather is perrrrrfect.

We recieved a new swing set from grams and gramps P, and Zoey really wanted to help put it together. She was actually pretty helpful, I love it when kids reach the stage of understanding commands and actually want to do it!

On our way to the fair, we rode the "train".

On our way to fried heaven....

I forgot to take pictures of all the amazing fried foods we ate so I'll just list them for you:

-Fried Hot-Dog (aka corn-dog)

- Fried Buffalo Chicken, wrapped in a flap-jack and breaded with spices

-Fried banana, wrapped in a tortilla and smothered with deliciousness

-Fried chicken flautas

-Fried Pizza (seriously....not my favorite)

-Fried potatoes (aka french fries)

-and an Ice-cream cone (unfortunately NOT fried)

Feeding all the crazy weird animals at the petting zoo.

Again, not loving my new camera.

Riding the least puke-provoking ride we could find.

Cruising around looking for more food to eat, YUM!

So fun to walk around together and eat to our hearts content, thanks babe!

At the pumpkin patch with friends.....

Hay ride.

They had TONS of character cut-outs for the kids to see.

Backyardigans!!

And a few different bounce houses for the kids to play on.

This one was a giant pumpkin, they were loving it!

Once again attempting to get TWO smiling faces to look AT the camera, I have yet to capture it but I'll never stop trying!