Happy Halloween!

This year we went trick-or-treating with Princess Leia (aka Lauren), Queen Amidala (aka Tahlor) and Wonder Woman (aka Alison). I had a short amount of time after dinner to get Tahlor's make-up done and out the door to meet up with the neighbors. Granny got Lauren ready and Daddy got Alison ready. One house in the neighborhood went all out on decorating the house with lights that made jack-o-lantern faces which synced up to various songs...sooo cool! And of course, the girls received plenty of candy.

Spring Break 2013

We took a road trip this past spring - a vacation to Oregon! What made it interesting was that we took the car so, the four of us were quite intimate on the 17 hour drive :) Plus, I was nearly 5 months pregnant with Alison! It was a good memory making trip and I am so glad we went.

 Taking a lunch break during the road trip at a cute little rest stop.

Downtown Oregon City at the old elevator!

Downtown Oregon City

Had to show the girls where Gramma Karen worked :)

Went to lunch at Mike's Drive-In and to the park with uncle Russell in Oregon City. The girls had a good time. This was the first time that Lauren met Russell and she just loved him. She got him pushing her on the swing many, many times. She still talks about him and wants to visit with him but doesn't quite understand how far away he is which makes it difficult to see him on a regular basis.

Yes, the girls had a long day and are passed out in bed but I took this picture because Lauren isn't even on her side of the bed and is sharing Tahlor's pillow all snuggled up to her. I thought it was cute and funny.

Tahlor made a new bug friend in Oregon. I wish we had them in Las Vegas.

One day we went to downtown Portland and it was gorgeous! I took the family on a walk in Waterfront Park. I remember Tahlor was running along the cement path in the grass and came upon a patch of mud (something not seen often in Vegas). I am sure she did not even notice it and whoosh there she landed.

While we were in Portland we had to have lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory. It was delicious - wishing they would bring it back to Las Vegas.

A super large, almost adult-sized swing we found in the park near our hotel.

What is a trip to Oregon without heading to the coast and visiting the cheese factory in Tillamook?

The best treat ever - elephant ears! A fried dough sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

These are taken at the beach in Seaside, Oregon.

Another long and exciting day for the girls - love how they are both sleeping in the car (usually it is just Lauren that falls asleep in the car).

Back to School: Third Grade

School is back in session and Tahlor is in the third grade! While Lauren will wait until next year to begin kindergarten, she will continue to go to pre-k to prepare. Tahlor is excited about the upcoming school year and what parent could ask for more!

NAU

Over this past holiday season, we made a quick visit to my alma mater. It was fun to see what was new and what was still the same. I loved showing the girls around the campus, particularly the older part of the campus. I kinda hope that at least one of them goes to NAU for college but I will be happy as long as they both attend and graduate from any college (almost any college).

That's the Way Things Happen on the Polar Express

The girls got to go on a special train ride. A ride to the North Pole on the famous Polar Express. It was a whole lot of fun and the first year that Lauren was not afraid of Santa. In fact, when it was our turn to visit with Santa she ran and jumped into his lap. Santa gave a special bell from his sleigh to each of the children. If you have little ones this is definitely a trip you've gotta take.