Hazel sings Christmas carols

For your viewing enjoyment, a video of Hazel singing Christmas songs! (She gets better toward the end.)

Yesterday on our way to the children's museum we had to stop and take pictures with these festive displays!

This is Bryce's favorite present this year. A custom-made pair of flannel pajamas made by yours-truly. Doesn't he look cute?

Merry Christmas to you!

It's that time of year...

When Hazel sheds A TON!


In accordance with the changing of the seasons, Hazel's internal alarm clock goes off and says' "it's time for all of your hair to fall out!"


A few weeks ago there were just a few strands here and there, you'd barely know we had a 70 lb. lab. This week, she walks through the kitchen and I have to sweep. She gets up from a the carpet and it looks like a squirrel perished there.


She's still the best dog in the world and I love her lots, but my vacuum and I are worn out!

Happy Christmas Break!

I'm so excited, I feel just like a kid getting out of school for Christmas...oh wait (I basically am!) There has not been a single year of my life I have been more happy about getting out of school for two weeks than I am this year, not even in high school or college.

I can't wait to sleep in, do some sewing projects, finally finish painting my upstairs and spend time with Bryce. This will be the first time I am not with my family for Christmas, and even though I'm definitely sad about it I'm also excited for a relaxed holiday here in Indianapolis and to have our first Christmas with justour little family.

Bryce finished his semester last Friday and has been livin' it up all week long. Let me re-phrase that; He's been diligently waking up early to drive me to work, then coming home and checking things off my honey-do list. Thanks Lovey!

What are you doing for Christmas break? Are you as excited as I am?

I ought to get up off my couch and do something productive like shower, put away laundry or finish something on the two mile to-do list. But is is so much more cozy to sit here with my dogs browsing blogs, internet window shopping, planning vacations to warm places and finding recipes for amazing meals I don't have time to make.

My job has kept me in a constant state of anxiety and hyper nervous activity for the last few months and I haven't just vegged for a long while. So this morning I'm JUST SITTING. I think I deserve it.

Jena ate a little lamb

Tonight some friends invited us over for dinner. Lamb was on the menu.

Now, lamb happens to be just about my favorite food, but it is especially tasty when it is home-grown, like this one was.

YUMMY!

Goodbye October, hello cold!

We love Halloween, so October is basically the best month of the year. Unfortunately our camera is just about the worst one ever made, so I don't take many good pictures. Sorry.

We started off the month apple picking out at Anderson orchard.

Round 1 of pumpkin carving with our friends the Nehrings

Mine

Bryce's

Bryce and Lindsey carving away

We had homemade donuts with the Jones family.

We carved a second round of pumpkins with our friends the Brooks, and made you typical pumpkin sugar cookies.

You know Bryce loves his dog.

Do you see the resemblance?

We saved our milk cartons for two months to make these cute front porch ghosts. I think it's going to become a tradition.

We went to Hanna Haunted Acres on a very wet night.

This is what a haunted hay ride during a downpour looks like. All of the haunted attractions are a lot more fun when you have to squelch through 4 inches of mud the whole time!

We had Halloween themed food

We had fall break

And the highlight...

Our 2nd annual Halloween party with our dental school friends.

Everyone is so creative. There were great costumes

Juno and Bleeker
Pillsbury dough baby

Me being and emo creepster

Bryce looking way too good as an emo boyA scarecrow and a crow

A ninja turtle and swine flu

Pippi long stocking, the other turtle, and my personal favorite, the pregnant 50's housewife (her husband was dressed as the milkman!)


The show stoppers, batman and joker. Jenna worked on those batman abs for months

And of course it's not a Halloween party without Halloween treats!

Purple People Eater Punch

Vampire Apples

and a cheese Mummy

Goodbye October, I miss you already!

Temple

The best part of living in Indiana is by far the wonderful friends we've made. Yesterday we drove down to the Louisville Temple to witness the sealing of some of our good friends, the Turners. They are amazing people, and it has has been so neat to watch the whole family prepare for this day. Congratulations Steve, Courtney, Addy, Chase and Gavin. You set such an incredible example of righteousness, sacrifice and love. We love you guys and we're so glad you're in our life!




The Ward Family

Addy

Sleeping in secrets?

Anybody have any secrets about how to sleep in? I am so irritated with my body's inability to remain dormant after 6:30, even on a dark and snuggly fall Sunday morning when I don't have church until 1pm. I know lots of people do it. Please, help me sleep in!

Do I know you?

It's the weirdest thing...for the last 2 weeks or so, there has been a strange man wandering in and out of my house at the oddest hours.

I hear him walking around early in the morning before I get up for work. I am vaguely aware of him coming into my room at night when I've already gone to bed. Last week he was clutching a set of fake teeth. This week when I've past him on the stairs a time or two I have heard him muttering something about the musculo-skeletal system.

He's very tall, handsome, usually dressed in blue scrubs and somewhat familiar...but a stranger none-the-less.

A few pictures from this summer

Saloon photo in Deadwood, South Dakota

Mount Rushmore with the Fortners

Bryce and his brothers

Labor Day weekend in Chicago
White Sox Jelly Belly Factory Wisconsin Cheese

Firts Day of School teaching 4th grade

Bryce baptising our friend Cameiron

My mom's visit

Bryce got really lonely when I was gone so much during the play!

In the last couple months

Here's some serious updating. But no pictures because I don't like how long my camera takes to upload.

At the end of July I got hired as a 3rd grade teacher. My mom came for a too short visit and we had fun doing girl stuff and setting up my classroom. She went home and My principal decided to make me a 4th grade teacher,3 days before the school year started. So that gave me a lot to do. I'm still catching up and school started 5 weeks ago.

I was also in a play with a community theatre here in Indy. I played the role of Caroline Bingley in Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice. It was fabulous! I met so many amazing people who became really good friends. That's what happens when you spend 5 hours together 5 nights a week! The sets and costumes were amazing. Thanks to all my sweet friends who came and supported me. I can't wait to be in another play.

We had our ward primary program at the end of August. How sweet it was to see all those precious little kids talking about their families and their love for the Savior. But I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say I am relieved it's over. I need a vacation from my calling. Is that bad?

Somewhere in there we had our 3rd anniversary, but we kind of missed it because of our hectic schedules. So, for Labor Day weekend Bryce and I took a three-day trip to Chicago as an anniversary trip. We went to the temple, the Botanic Garden, the Zoo, a White Sox game, the Mag Mile, and Ikea. And you can't go to Chicago without also driving up to the Jelly Belly Factory in Wisconsin. And everybody knows you can't go to Wisconsin without getting some Cheese!!! You know how I love cheese. Got to relax a lot, it was a great trip!

Bryce is pluggin along with his second year. They sure do keep these boys busy. It's so cute when he gets excited about weird medical stuff.

Wow that was a lot. If you read this far...than you have too much spare time and you should come clean my house!

Do you really wanna know?

Oops, I let almost two months slip by without posting. Plenty has happened but I don't have time to tell you about it all now, except this one little thing.

Do you wanna know what happened at work today? Really?

One of my students POOPED on the floor. On purpose. Yeah.

Theft

Um...somebody stole my newspaper today.

It was there at 8:52 when I left to go running, and it was gone at 10:07 when I got back.

I shouldn't be terribly upset, it's only a newspaper that I hardly even skim. However, I am deeply attached to doing the crossword puzzle.

I only get the paper Thursday and Sunday and I look forward to those days with anticipation so that I can spend a stimulating hour or two solving the day's riddles. Today, someone has deprived me of that joy. That's just rude! What's next, my mail?

I suspect my next door neighbors. I think they might be mad that sometimes my dogs poop in their yard. (I ALWAYS make sure Bryce picks it up, though.)

Maybe on Sunday I will hold a stakeout and watch from the upstairs window to see if I can catch the thief. If somebody steals my Sunday coupon insert...ooh, their will be trouble!

Now I am going to have to be productive for the next hour without that crossword!

On the road again

We're in Omaha visiting 5 of the cutest kids in the world.

This is the first year I've been away from Spokane for this particular holiday. I miss my family, the flag cake and I forgot to bring my patriotic flip flops. However, balloon swords fights with our niece and nephews are a blast.

(I'm making a pirate face)

Next week we will be in exotic South Dakota for a week of Fortner Family fun! I'm looking forward to seeing Mt. Rushmore again, exploring the Black Hills, hot springs, bonding with Bryce's siblings and lots of relaxation.


Happy Fourth everyone. God bless America!