Vacation to Lake Tahoe

I have to say that Lake Tahoe was a great getaway for our family. We decided to make it a family tradition to go every December. Granted there was no snow and it has been 14 yrs since they have not had snow by Thanksgiving. The Heavenly mountain made snow so the girls still got to see it. We took a Gondola ride to the summit It was 9100 ft up the views were breathtaking.




We also Did the 3 hour drive around the lake and stopped to eat a Rosie's Cafe were the food was yummy. We also stopped at the many pullouts to take pictures.

Monday was Rosies Birthday we had a special surprise for her. We took her on a carriage ride and the driver let them sit in the front to drive. She said it was the best Birthday ever. She was so cute It actually made me want to cry.

Saying Goodbye to Major.

Birthday Dinner

Outdoor Skating Rink

Hot Chocolate at Nestle's Bakery oh and chocolate chip cookies.

Lake Tahoe Sunset

How To Cook a Turkey By Madison Bouchard

Yesterday Madison Came home from school with a book her kindergarten class made. Each Child had a paragraph. Madison's went like this

I will get my turkey from a cloud. It will be brown. It will weigh 2 pounds. My turkey will cost $1.00. To cook my turkey I will put it in the oven. My turkey will be served with a scarf, a bird, and a nest. My Thanksgiving feast will taste like fruit.

I thought it was cute so I wanted to share it.

Christmas Crafts

Last night I made the furry family members in my family there very own christmas stockings.When I get home from my trip I will make them homemade peanut butter bones. I Just need to find a bone shape cookie cutter.

Holiday Decorating

I finally finished decorating for Christmas. As you can see I love red. And I got to use my new camera to take some pictures. I always put up the tree the day after Thanksgiving but this year I waited till Saturday we were so tired from going christmas shopping at 3 o'clock in the morning. All I wanted to do was rest. So I finished it yesterday it was an all weekend project. Last night Shane and I went on our evening walk and I was not the only one decorating this weekend our whole neighborhood was decorated it was beautiful all it was missing was the snow. But we will see snow this weekend when we go to Lake Tahoe. Since we will be there for Rosies birthday we Booked a lake cruise and then we will be taking her out to eat at a place called Rosies were she will be surprised with a birthday cake. And then she will be going ice skating for the first time at a cool outdoor rink.

Thanksgiving

Now that Turkey Day is done I am thinking about everything I am thankful for.
1. My family
2. A husband who is always there for me, this year we have been through some pretty awful things and it just made us stronger.
3. I am thankful that my mother inlaw "mom" moved right down the street. The girls are thankful for that to. Now if we could just find time to scrapbook together that would be great.
4. I am thankful that my father in law is with us.
5.I am thankful for my new job, well old job I just recently went back to. It gives me more time to be home for the girls and it gives me time to do all my little projects I started and never got to finish. And to start new projects.
6.I am thankful for our wonderful friends, even though they are miles away they are always there. We can not wait till december 27 for Pam and Jay to visit yeah.
7. As I watch shane wrap the girls christmas presents I am thankful that I do not have to do it.


Fried apple pie it was delicious thanks "Throw Down"
with Bobby flay



Our 25 pound turkey it was so good.

Oh Madison

Isn't she Cute? And she knows she is.

My Christmas Wish List.

Today I opened an email that was sent to me from my husband and I thought It was sweet and It brought tears to my eyes. It also made me think of some of my great christmas memories. I remember Always having Christmas eve at my parents house. Both sides of our family would come . My Mother Always made a great dinner And the best christmas cookies I have ever eaten. I have wonderful memories of christmas past. I dont remember the toys we got Or the material things of christmas I remember being with family And nobody can take that from me. My girls christmas Is different than mine was growing up but we make it as memorable as we can. I want them to remember Family not toys and gifts.

I cant believe how fast this year has gone by . It seems like just yesterday It was my daughters birthdays , and yet here they come again . Better yet it seems like just yesterday Rosie took her first step , and Madison was still crawling . They are getting older with every blink of my eye . "Time" is actually the moral of this whole email . Anyone who knows me is aware I am a person who speaks his mind probably more often than I should . I am very rarely at a loss for words . What most people may not know is that I probably watch , and listen even more than I speak ( if thats possible ) .
I have two tales to what I see . One tale that I find very gratifying , and one that I find almost disheartening . Allow me to explain ..................
I have learned many many lessons in life . Some to soon , some to late . I live in a world where I see people complain EVERYDAY about this world we live in ( myself included ) . Now granted the economy isnt quite what we dreamed it would be as kids , and granted we may not all be living the dream job life , but I think this world has changed us in ways that are very frightening . Call it an Arizona observation , call it a selective family observation . The world I remember is christmas eve's at my grandmothers house . Every year the same tree , same lights , same foods , same everything . One might argue a change is good , but I adamantly disagree . Change leaves one thing in my mind ........NO ROOM TO MAKE TRADITIONAL MEMORIES . I am bothered that we are in a world where we all spend the holidays apart . This world we live in can take my patience , it can take my health , it can steal my dreams , and alter my goals , but it CANNOT take my memories !! My memories are something that will be in my heart , and my mind even when I am 80 if I am lucky to be here that long . Things have changed though unfortunately it seems . Since when did any family of mine ever decide to have 3 different Thanksgiving turkeys at 3 different houses ? Since when did we loose sight of visiting my grandmother ( the glue that kept our family together for years ) for the holidays ?
The truth is we live in a crazy crazy world where we dont even know if these holidays will be our last chance to all be together . To whomever reads this letter I would like you to keep this in mind . Last December 25th my family and I spent a wonderful christmas together . It was my dads first christmas in Arizona , it was just a very pleasant christmas in general for all of us . A few short days later ( December 30th ) I was on the side of a highway for 5 hours after taking someones life in a fatal accident . Before the police came I opened my truck door and hugged my two screaming daughters tighter than I ever had before . All I kept thinking was would I spend next christmas with them ?? Would I be home for New Years with them ?? I hugged my wife and told her "everything will be fine" even though I really didnt believe that . You see I was afraid of being charged with manslaughter even though I knew there was nothing I could do . In this world you NEVER know how quickly things can change . Here I was wondering the night before what to do for my youngest daughters birthday the following week . Suddenly one day later there I was wondering if I would even be home to celebrate it .
Soon after Our very close friend Jay was in the hospital hanging on to his life by a thread . I remember talking to Pam thinking " this cant be happening " We literally just saw them weeks before , and all was well . Then with the blink of an eye we almost lost him . We were all too numb to even digest what was happening .
Along with all this we all know someone in this world who has been seriously ill , and/or had some kind of medical issues this year ( My father included ) .
I could give example after example to what I am trying to explain . Instead I ask everyone to think of this one thing ................ Imagine for one second how much different all our lives would be if just one of those examples had taken a turn in a different direction !! This entire year would have been altered in ways we cannot even begin to fathom .
One thing I can say for sure is that this year has probably been one of my most difficult years as far as learning lessons go . It has taught me to look at people in a different manner though . People I am not fond of , became people I could deal with . People I love became people I loved dearly . And friends I dont live near have become people I hate living WITHOUT . This brings me not only to the title of this letter , but also my point in general . While children are making santa there christmas list , and while people are emailing , texting , and chatting with friends and family about what there wants all are for christmas . I have a simple christmas wish lists that wont cost anyone a dime . Here it is ............

Read this letter , take it in your minds , and your hearts . Think about all the people you have already made , or will make a christmas list to. Then ask yourself what life would be like if those people were not a part of your life . Think of all the scares this family has encountered this year alone that could have taken ANY of us out of this years holiday picture . Frankly the thought of it sends chills throughout my body . What I am trying to get at is that presents , gifts , stockings are all great . However , there is one thing that is better than any gift I could find under my christmas tree this year . That "thing" is FAMILY !! I left the word "friends" out for a reason , and that is because in MY world ....MY FRIENDS ARE ALSO A PART OF MY FAMILY !!!!
I also wanted to let everyone know that next year my wife and I ( along with our girls ) intend on coming home for the holidays . I want to spend next christmas eve at my grandmothers house where all my memories began. I hope many of you will find your way back home for that night as well . Family gatherings may not be what they once used to be . And though I am not a kid anymore . I plan on using that week to bring myself back to memories of my younger days ............ Even if only for one night !!

If anything I hope this letter makes all of us go home tonight , and let your special someone know how happy you are to be entering these holidays with them by your side .

Thanks for taking the time to read this ,
Shane

Cleaning up Before the Holidays

So on Sunday I decided to go through the girls room and cleanup and get rid of the Toy's that they never play with, the clothes they never wear which all went to the goodwill .Of course they were upset to see the stuff go.So I told them that you need room for the stuff Santa is going to bring and that made everything better. They also got the cutest Hello Kitty Winter Jackets for the trip to Lake Tahoe that is less than a month away they are so excited to see snow. So Im going to post the pictures of there cleaned up rooms and there new beds they are so cute.

Carrie Underwood and Little Big Town.

So after waiting 3 months the Carrie Underwood concert was friday. Of course I got sick with a sinus infection but I could not pass up going. It was a great concert. I have to say that It was actually better than Kenny Chesney. And Little Big Town Rocks.

Little Slugger

So Yesterday we Took the girls to the park to use there new baseball bat. Madison Is quite the little slugger. She Hit every ball that came to her. She must get it from Shane because I am not very athletic.

The Joys Of Fried Dough

So I was thinking and missing home. I always loved fall the leaves changing the cool crisp air and going to the Red Apple Farm.For there Cider Doughnuts.

I just read in the Rachel Ray Magazine that the Red Apple Farm was one of the best orchards in the United States.

There really is nothing better than a fresh, warm, spicy cider donut dripping with glaze! So If anybody wants to try the recipe I copied it.

Vermont Apple Cider Doughnuts

1 cup apple cider
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp.baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
vegetable oil or shortening -for frying


Boil apple cider in small saucepan until it is reduced to 1/4 cup, 8 to 10 minutes; cool.
Beat sugar with shortening until smooth. Add eggs and mix well, then add buttermilk and reduced cider.
Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in another bowl. Add to liquid ingredients; mix just enough to combine. Transfer doughnuts on lightly floured board and pat to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with 2 1/2- to 3-inch doughnut cutter; reserve doughnut holes and reroll and cut scraps.
Add enough oil or shortening to fill a deep pan 3 inches; heat to 375′F. Fry several doughnuts at a time, turning once or twice, until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove to paper towels with slotted spoon.

GLAZE
2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup apple cider
For glaze, mix confectioners’ sugar and cider.
Dip doughnuts while warm;serve warm.(I didn’t dip, I just drizzled the glaze over them)

So If you decide to make these they are great.

Puffs hair cut

So puff got a hair cut a summer cut. He is much happier but in this picture he is mad he hates the camera. Maybe he is camera shy. I dont know but when you get the camera out he barks like crazy like I said i dont know.

My Favorite Picture

So I Think the reason why this is my favorite picture. Is because we are so happy we are surround by the best friends in the world the kind of friends people wish they had.

Madison's first kiss

Well I guess I got this picture just in time. When he is not out stealing tomato's he is giving little girls big wet smootches.

Take the picture or I am going to push her in

This was taken at the fish hatchery in payson.

How much I love tomato's

Who Knew that a dog would love tomato's. Our dog Puff loves tomato's. He will steal them every chance he gets.

Dad you are the best

I just wanted everyone to know that I have the best dad in the world. And how much I miss him. I also have a pretty awsome step mother. Thank you dad and carol for everything.

Thanks to our good friends

You guys are not just friends you are our family. thank you for always being there.

Our New House

In Febuary we moved into our first home how exciting and how stressful. Since we bought a spec home no one lived in it before so we did some upgrades of our own we put and island in our kitchen. And the best part we have to do the back yard. We have started with the planting of some trees and plants. we have plans for a fire pit and we are getting sod put in. Ill post pictures of the finished yard soon.

Kenny Chesney Concert

For my birthday my wonderful husband got me tickets to my favorite singer Kenny Chesney. That was the best concert I have ever seen. So if anyone ever gets a chance to see him go it is well worth it. Even If you dont like country music. I Never liked country music well I never listened to it before but when the big Y moved in thats what he listened to and it grew on me.

Rosie's Graduation

Rosie Graduated Kindergarten how exciting. First grade here she comes. It was so cool they had a real graduation. We were so proud of her.

Family Camping Trip to Payson

So we decided to go on our first camping trip with the girls. It was exciting and we found out that there is no fires allowed in the summer so camping was not the same as it was when I was a kid. So roasting marshmellows was a challenge over a gas grill.