the best parts

Looks like someone already did a post about the Thanksgiving trip to Washington. I thought I would post a few pictures of my favorite moments during the trip.

This was the Archee McPhee gift grab. We all ended up with some pretty wild stuff. I'm especially pleased about my baby catapult and ameoba valentines.

Eating pupusas at Mickeal's favorite Salvadorean place.

Sprout ball. Similar to war ball, but it's every man for himself.

Thanksgiving in Olympia Wash.

Susan and I with Grandma Anderson, Val, Tuck, Nick and Cris drove to Olympia to spend Thanksgiving with my brother and his family. Mickeal is stationed a few miles away at Fort Lewis and was able to spend a few days with us also. After almost 2100 miles we are back and resting from our quick holiday. Besides being well cared for at Jim's house we went to the Music Experience Museum and Sci Fi Hall of Fame ( Paul Allen, the Microsoft guy, has most of the collections) which is built right below the Space Needle.

First of all, Everyone is OK

This is how the conversation starts on the phone when I call home after something happens. Last week it was an accident with Tucker. He was at a traffic light and the guy behind him didn't stop until he ran into the back of our Pathfinder. Tucker is fine but the Pathfinder was not so lucky. It was smashed in the front also when it was pushed into the vehicle in front of Tucker and that car was pushed into a big Provo City Police truck.




We sure are glad he's OK.

happy halloween

A teddy bear (his own invention, I might add. Pretty impressive, right?), a flower with a butterfly painted face (I know it is hard to tell.....) and a viking. The Artist's costume was too scary to post! As it turns out, the Artist and his band of artist friends came over and hung out all night. I didn't get any pictures of them working on the calaveras, but I should have. They painted my face and then got to work on the skulls sculpted earlier this month. These are the two that I will keep in my future classroom and show to my future students. One of the artists that came over did the very authentic looking designs. These were all done by our Artist and have been on display all month.

come together

**disclaimer** I don't know that we will ever be able to take a serious family picture...although google-ing "awkward family pictures" right before the photo shoot didn't help matters....but it did make it more fun.





I've been begging our traveling Artist to make me some Día de los Muertos skulls for at least a year. We finally got around to it. He did a great job. I can't wait to paint.

classic fun

At one point I'm pretty sure everyone in the room was singing along to Weezer. I think most of my brothers learned how to play guitar from Weezer, so when they all come home and break out the guitars, it isn't just a family reunion, but a Weezer revival.

more guitar

I especially like the part that says, "When you punish a person for dreaming his dream, don't expect him to thank or forgive you." Hail satan (lol).

guess who is home

Rock hounding along Pony express trail

Susan and I went about 100 miles west into the desert for some geode hunting. Half of it was along dirt roads and the old Pony Express Trail Route.
Wild horses and antelope along the way.

new style for school

canoe trip

Our Rocker put away his guitar and skateboard for a week to go on a canoe trip with the scouts. Looks like fun to me, but if you want the real story you will have to ask him!

Walking around

We came across an old building that has been converted to professional offices. The main doors where incredible with these huge door knockers on them.

This archway in this small square has the plaque below on its wall. I think its something about WW2 and the US army 3rd infantry division helping liberate the area. The 3rd ID was also the first conventional unit to enter Baghdad in 2003.

Street Accordian

Susan has always had a soft spot for street performers, we tipped and got a picture.

Enjoying the sites

Began the day going to church and sitting by the missionaries, they didnt translate but all 3 of them where from the states and even 2 from Utah. One was named Moody, brother of a member of the Payson pipeband, Jacob moody ( Val will know).

Saturday and Sunday was an artshow downtown and got Susan next to an old Citron car.

no blackberries for you...

My brothers have been giving my mom a hard time about her cell phone lately. They tease her about her technological inadequacies and keep threatening to get her a jitterbug phone. Then one day when I go home I see a blackberry phone on the counter. The next thing I know it is in the fish tank.

Okay, it isn't actually a real phone. I think someone swiped it from one of those vendor kiosks.

This was a cell phone picture I took during our trip to Idaho. There were "bear-skin" hats next to the more traditional coon-skin hats.

A tourist weekend to Coeur D' Alene Idaho

In Cd'A the city has some new statues of Midge the Moose which is part of childrens book set in town. Val couldn't resist when two little girls before us got on.
We went in the Cataldo Mission near Wallace Idaho, its the oldest standing building in Idaho. i don't know where the oldest non-standing building is.
Me and Mom in front of her childhood home in Coeur d' Alene where her family moved in 1941. The Smalley family had 6 kids in a 3 bedroom house with an outhouse. Now its a 3 bedroom house with 1 bathroom. This is the house that my grandfather dug out the basement by hand ( and horse) after they bought it.

mother's day and more

We decided to do a little Mother's Day surprise a day early! We got together for a surprise lunch and a few small gifts. We were missing half the family, but those of us that are in the state came. Even though my dad isn't home, he wanted to make sure that my mom would get her favorite food, fried chicken, so that is what we ate. I made my mom a little mini book about some moments we have shared (sometimes unknowingly) and we also gave her some new colorful socks. Here are a few pages from the mini book:



I was cracking up when I saw there was a BYU Women's Conference badge with this boy's name on it! What?!? I thought it must be a joke. My brothers are known for making fake passes to sneek into events for free. Nope, this is legit. He signed up to be a volunteer to help facilitate a service project! And don't you love the t-shirt?

This was a poster made by my mom's second grade class. Her school kids really love her, as you can see.