Florida Vacation

My sister Jennett had the fabulous idea of getting all of us sisters together in Florida (where we grew up) for a little vacation, husbands and kids not invited! Since some of us keep having babies (Jenny and I) the timing was a little tricky. But the stars aligned and it was finally possible to have our "Silly Sister Vacation." We stayed at a timeshare in Cocoa Beach that is jointly owned by some of the sisters. Here is the view from our balcony window. We all revelled in the sound of the ocean and crashing of the waves. We lounged on the beach, at the pool and in the hot tub. It was wonderful :)

My Sisters (the self portraits)

Jennett: our hostesss, resident beach bum and lovely chauffeur.


Judy: always packs enough jewelry, chocolate and Diet Coke to share.




Jean: turn the music up, look its a pic of my cute puppy from my boyfriend.

Jeri: I have to get up early tomorrow because my flight is at 11am, Settlers of Catan Pro.

Myself: the bookworm, I'm on vacation!

Jenny: I need to eat something, salsa making extraordinaire.

Julie: I'll cook the best meal and make jalapeno poppers from scratch and sleep on the couch because I'll be up all night texting.

Halloween

Halloween is one of our favorite holidays. And this year it was so warm. That got mom really excited about going to Florida.

Here's BriAnna, we put curlers in her hair the night before so she would be a cute little devil!
Lyndsay was a little bunny, complete with a cotton tail!

Josie thought her bee costume rocked. She justed laughed and laughed wearing it!

Emily the Elephant thought her costume's padding was silly!

Here's the crowd ready to go trick-or-treating. Cousin Ashley is a little too goulish for Josie's comfort and a better pic of all of them was impossible.

Overall, Halloween was a smashing success. A great excuse to make your neighbors hand over their chocolate!

Pumpkin Carving!

We grew these lovely pumpkins in our own backyard. Though one was still slightly green, the carving commenced.

A couple of cheery faces. Emily, she's only three, doesn't like being scared.

Mom, Dad and the big girls got right to work...

...while Josie busied herself unloading the diaper bag, including all the wipes!


Of course, Jo couldn't miss out on all the fun. People are getting there hands dirty here, so she wasn't afraid to plunge her little hands right in at the first opportunity. You know she's excited about that ;)

Primary Program 2008

Today was the Primary Program. Everyone did really well. Lyndsay spoke on how her family helps her learn to live the gospel. BriAnna spoke on preparing now to go to the temple. The theme this year has been "I am a Child of God." All of the children received a little picture of themselves and a clip for a stand. Here are the girls pictures.

Both of the girls put on their shy smiles for the camera.

This Year's Canning Season

Look at these beautiful pears. I almost didn't want to hide them away with the food. But at some point, I needed to reclaim the counter space. I also bottled peaches, apple pie filling, applesauce, jams, chili, tomato sauce and chicken chunks.

Josie is always so helpful in rotating the food. It doesn't sit too long in any one place.

Preschool Partying

Emily is in at-home preschool with four other little girls (sorry boys get your own). Mom only has to host every five weeks. Yay! Look at these beauties. What a handful! Emily is the one in the center. (This episode was brought to you by the letter "E.")