Getting Ready for Christmas

With the early snowfall (and record breaking for the month of November) I have been in the Christmas spirit for quite sometime now. I couldn't wait until the weekend after Thanksgiving so I felt okay about getting our tree. I know it was early, but I wanted to enjoy the beauty and fragrance for as long as possible:) So the Saturday following Thanksgiving we ventured out into a blizzard to find our tree.  The snow was so crazy that we could barely even see the tree we purchased....covered in snow. The overall shape was perfect, so we packed it in the truck and headed home. After a few hours of allowing the snow to melt, we brought it inside and had a little decorating party. We had sooo much fun! Kason especially had a great time since he is my detail oriented little guy. He took his time making sure every ornament was perfectly placed (according to him, my opinion was of course different). Kohen was content tossing a few ornaments here and there and managing to break more Christmas balls than he actually placed on the tree. I let the boys decorate, and I spent my time taking pictures trying to capture their joy and smiles. Love this time of year!!!

That Monday, only 3 days after getting our tree, I noticed it started looking dry and faded. I had been very diligent about watering it so I am convinced we got a dud for a tree. So much for fragrance and beauty all month long!! Next year, I will try to have a bit more patience and wait an extra week or so before getting it and will also not buy a tree so covered in snow that I cant see it. Lesson learned:) Still looks good from afar, I just need to get some evergreen scented candles and all will be well!

So Much to be Thankful For!!

We had a great Thanksgiving this year! The snow on the ground made the day feel so festive. I have to admit that I have been listening to Christmas music all week long. My usual rule is to wait until after Thanksgiving, but I couldn't resist:) Nick is already annoyed with it...looks like it will be a very long month for him.

With the Thanksgiving holiday comes thoughts and focus on the things in life which we a grateful for. The list can get rather long, as there are so many things...both big and small to be thankful for. At the very top of my list is my family, both my little immediate one, as well as extended. I feel like I have the best fam in the world!  (although I am sure most people feel the same) We spent this Thanksgiving with the Kenworthy side of the family, and everyone was able to be there...including Brady and Whit and adorable baby Boden, and uncle Blake. They all traveled so long and far to be here! The trip which usually takes around 7 hours, took them 14 due to the weather. What troopers!! I am so glad they braved the elements to be able to be here. Kason and Kohen absolutely LOVE their uncles and Whitney, and think Boden is pretty awesome. I now have approval to have another baby:)

Festivites began on Wednesday when the adults all went to see Harry Potter (my brothers are obsessed) I cant remember the last time we all went to a movie together! Good times! Turkey day consisted of a family photo session that lasted mabye 3 minutes long...we. nearly froze to death, but did manage to get a good shot of everyone (see below) Dinner was at the Max restaurant, which was a new thing for us...usually we are traditional all the way, but couldnt resist a great opportunity to be with extended family. Food was yummy, and best of all....no clean up! Only complaint was zero leftovers for a TG midnight snack:) We plan on doing our own little thanksgiving dinner on sunday, so we will get our fill then. The day ended up at Kileys where we played games, ate yummy pie and the kids got their annual Christmas gift from Grandma Lori of Christmas jammies and books. This inspired photo session #2 which was quite interesting....trying to get 6 kids all looking at the camera at the same time was next to impossible...but we got it:) Before going home the boys got their first experience playing rockband...they loved it and are hooked!

The boys and the cousins "Rockin"

Now...time to begin the preparations for Christmas!

Halloween....May the Force be with you...

This year Halloween was a bit crazy for us. The holiday took place only 3 days after moving so we felt a bit discombobulated to say the least. We did manage to find lots of play time and even had some family over to celebrate and go trick-or-treating. It actually turned out to be quite a relaxing evening, and the kids had a blast with their cousins and LOVED being in their costumes. Kason has a had a slight obsession with Star Wars over the past few months, which gave him the bright idea to be Annakin Skywalker. Kohen played into the theme and was the cutest Yoda in the world. We had quite a few lightsaber duels at our house that day!! Here are some pics of the fun....

Kasons mask I know is a little creepy....

Not to mention the creep-o in the back. That would be Nick and his sense of humor:)

Much better....love this handsome face!

The Jedi Master:)

Jedi Brothers

The boys and their cousins....the trick-or-treating gang

Another shot of Nicks 'costume' since the background in the first one is so dark. Gotta love him!!

My favorite thing about Halloween is that it marks the beginning of the Holiday Season. Here we go...I LOVE this time of year!! Looking forward to all of the fun festivities headed our way these next couple months!!

SFR-Take 2

Due to the overwhelming number of great pictures from the reunion, I decided to make a few collages to document as many as possible. It took me a little longer to get them done, but love the way they turned out. We really did have a great time!!

This is where most afternoons were spent....relaxing on the beach.

We spent as much time as possible on the boats. Unfortunately we had to deal with some fierce wind while we were there, which made wakeboarding and 'leisure' boat rides hard to come by. The wind did, however provide for some memorable moments; Including the ladies boat ride of oreos and craziness and a rescue mission for a capsized canoe. Goodtimes!

On of the afternoons, a big group of us hiked up to the natural rock water slides. The hike was longer than any of us anticpated, but was definitely worth it each step. It would have been a lot easier to not have to carry the kids up the mountain though. The slides were great, quite something to see.

Once there, everyone suited up in a garbage bag to assist with the 'sliding'. I documented Blake and his full bodysuit which allowed him to slide head first. Craziness. Another 'something to remember' is that Kohens and mine's near death experience (slight exaggeration here). Somehow, I got going SO fast during our turn.... probably because I was using my arms to hold Kohen on my lap instead of using my hands as 'brakes'  like I should have been. Whatever the reason, we FLEW down the slide so fast that we got turned around and upside down so I spent most of my ride sliding backwards on my back using my elbows as brakes and trying desperately to keep Kohens head away from the rock underneath us. Luckily it was short and fast and was over as quickly as it began.  Kohen however was terrified. And not surprisingly did not want to go down again. I went again so I did have a positve experience and the second time was much better:)

Group Campfires

Already looking forward to the next reunion!........

Sanders Family Reunion 2010- Take 1

Here it is. The post that is nearly 2 months tardy. In my defense, I was waiting until all pictues were in my possession before I posted. But now I am overwhelmed with how many great pictures we got. So bear with me while a post a massive amount of pictures. The ones in this post were taken by Sarah G, a photograper friend of the family. She came up and spent a day at our camp, capturing some great moments. I am going to post the pictures I took with my camera seperately . We had so much fun!

Kohen Body Surfing

Our own private beach...blissfully beautiful!!

Daddy and Kason-such handsome boys!!!




Kohen, looking rather serious:)

 



Best Buds!! Kora and Kason



 

The Kenworthy Clan

The entire Sanders Clan

(Well, almost....a few people were missing)

More to come. Stay tuned......





The Pintler boys start Pre-School!

I cant belive Kason is old enough to go to preschool. He is getting so big and so grown up. Nick and I are so proud of the little man he is becoming. He is so smart and eager to learn. We went out on a limb and decided to also enroll Kohen into. He isnt technically preschool age yet, but he is ready for some structure and we knew Kason would adjust more easily if he had the comfort of having his little brother tag along.

Their first week went very well. Kason is loving it. Kohen tries to love it, but really misses his mommy, which of course makes it difficult for me. He is quite an attached little guy, partly becuase I still baby him. This is a good thing for him and for me, he is ready to become a big boy!!

Here are the photo highlights from their first day

Love this picture! This will be blown up and framed!

Back in Action!!

Phhew!! What an amazing and fun filled summer we had this year. So many events, camping trips, birthdays, holidays, reunions,  pool time at grandmas and extra work days for me. How we managed to squeeze everything in still amazes me.  I cant believe its been over two months since my last post! I had a lack of 'spare time' this summer partly becuase I took on a job at Gozzer Ranch this year teaching their Pilates classes and private sessions. What a great place to 'work'! I got to take a boat shuttle across Cda lake and had a driver take me to the fitness facitly there where I met some great people and did what I love to do....teach:) I knew it would be an amazing opportunity for me to teach there, and I am so glad I did it....but it did really kick my behind adding two extra days to my work week. I worked Mon-Thursday all summer, and even though I was done by 1230 most days, it still was a lot to take on. It definitely gave me new found respect for moms who work full time. I am still debating whether or not I will teach at Gozzer next year....absoulutely loved it, but I sure did miss my boys!!

We did manage to spend lots and lots of family time together, and made up for my absence every weekend. Nick and I added up that we spent over 20 days camping this summer. A record for this little fam, one I dont know if we will ever beat!! We discovered that we really do love to camp. I enjoy the prep work of organizing and list making and Nick and the boys LOVE to be outside playing with dirt, sticks and campfires. And of course, we all love the lake and boat. Recipe for fun:) As predicted I wasnt able to post on all of the many events that took place, so I am playing 'catch up' and doing a few belated posts on our summer highlights.

This fall I know is going to be just as eventful, as we are looking into the idea of moving.....a word I seriously DID NOT want to enter my vocabulary for years. But we finding ourselves at a crossroads, to buy this house or not.....When we moved in  I swore I could live here forever. I love this house. The problem is lack of space outside. Our yard is nearly non-exisitent, and we are finding out how important outside space is to us....so we will see. To be continued....

My boys playing ball

Both boys have been showing quite an interest in sports lately. Kason is dying to learn to play baseball. He is the type of kid who wants to just know how to play, but doesn't want to go through the learning process. Nick thankfully has a lot of patience and really enjoys teaching him to play. We will definitely be putting him in team sports next season. He is so ready. Then there's Ko, who was born ready. He wont be far behind!! Here are some pics I took a few weeks ago of the backyard fun.

This one above of Kohen is my favorite....look at that form. He's a natural!!

Also....stay tuned for a post from our last camping trip to Roosevelt. I am waiting for some great pictures captured in Shellys camera. We had a great time, but are only now feeling recovered....camping is so much work, as I have said before. I think I am cured for the season!! With the exception of the reunion of course:)

Camping Priest Lake

Round 1

Well, we did it....we survived the first camping trip of the year. And it actually turned out to be one of the most relaxing camping trips since having kids!! Just as expected, the boys were in heaven. Surrounded by dirt and bugs, the beach and bike trails....they were thouroughly entertained. Only a few minor meltdowns, mainly due to lack of sleep. No naps, late bedtime, early wake time is  just a recipe for disaster....so I was honestly expecting more meltdowns than actually occurred.

We arrived late last Friday afternoon. Just enough time to set up camp, make (throw together) dinner, clean up, have a campfire and mallos, and then get ready for bed. The boys actually went to bed pretty good. We put Kohen in a pak n play which he is technically too big for. He is in a crib at home still, so I wanted to keep him contained. He climbed out of the thing the second I set him in there, which is when I panicked thinking we were going to have to play the 'in and out game' for 2 hours. Thankfully, after the second climb out, he stayed in there like a good little boy. Then the next night he didnt even attempt it! Dodged a bullet there....I want to keep Kohen in the crib for as long as possible!! Kason started climbing out well before the age of two which made for some rough times! Dont want to deal with that again please!!

 Here is our camp....once we were settled in

The next morning began rather early...6am. Could have been worse, so I wasnt complaining:) We had breakfast and then went exploring for firewood in our jammies

We then got our swim clothes on and headed to the beach.... The boys favorite place to be. They LOVE playing in the sand and water. Their favorite 'game' is playing with their toy trucks and boats and pretending to launch them or tie them up.

 

We then got the real boat launched spent the early afternoon on the boat where the boys took a mini nap and Nick and I enjoyed a peaceful and relaxing boat ride....for almost 30 mins!!  Since the boys were sleeping we decided to cruise up the lake to Lionhead to get a closer look at where we will be having our family reunion later this summer. The ride there was awesome. The boys woke up about half way there and we had a picnik along the way. The ride there was calm, nice and easy. After checking out Lionhead, we headed back to our camp. That is when the wind decided to pick up....and the waves began....I felt like I was in the ocean. It was the most horrible boat ride I have ever experienced. Each time we hit a wave, it felt as if the boat was going to break in half! Not to mention the water that was consistently spraying over the bow of the boat drenching poor Nick. And it was not warm....sun  was of course behind a cloud. We were freezing (forgot our sweatshirts!) hunkered down under towels for the longest 30 mins ever!! So, needless to say we then took the boat out of the water and went and spent more time on the beach. We learned that boating on Priest Lake IS NOT FUN if it is windy!! Yikes!!

Nicks parents joined us for the late afternoon and for dinner which was great. The boys were so excited to see them and we all had such a great time relaxing together and watching the boys play. It made us so excited for our camping trip with the Pintler Family next weekend. It has been years since thePintler family has camped together, and they used to do it all the time!! So we are all extremely excited!

After dinner we went on a little family hike that was so much fun! Its so funny to me because I absolutely LOVED the hike....and I used to hate when my parents tried to take us kids on one. What was I thinking....hiking is awesome!!! I want to do more of it, for sure.

Sunday was spent relaxing and packing up camp followed by another boat ride attempt. Again, the morning was calm and peaceful, and we got to take advantage of our own little private beach.

After lunch the wind picked up,the waves started, and the boys began to fade....so we called it a weekend and headed home. What a great trip, we are so excited to do more camping, we had a blast! I love being away from the daily life and just spending peaceful days with my little family. Life is so simple when you are camping....it was actually great not having access to our phones!!

Next weekend we are headed to Lake Roosevelt, and the forecast is GREAT. Expecting temps in the 90s, its about time!