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Trimming the tree

Holiday spirit is in full swing in our house. I love decorating for the holidays and it is fun as the boys get older to see them pitch in and enjoy decking the halls (well maybe the walls) of our house!






Dallin and myself taking a break from decorating the tree



Dallin loves decorating the tree and even did the one in his room all by himself!



Even Ryan was getting into the spirit - he was taking the pictures but everyone needs their picture taken right?



Who can forget Carson? After 4 broken glass balls (he thought it was fascinating to watch them dissolve into a million shards on the ground) we were able to show him that the ornaments are much nicer on the tree. He still loves to walk up to the shiney glass balls and I can just see the look in his eye, but he hasn't thrown any more - yet!

Happy Thanksgiving

Dallin's kindergarten class's Thanksgiving Play. Dallin was a minister!

Happy Turkey day to ya'll!!! I have so much to be grateful for! My family - who loves me unconditionally, my friends, our health, our home, etc..... Truly we have so much and I thank Heavenly Father every day!!!

Well - enjoy your day everyone!

Halloween Fun

We love to dress up for Halloween! This year we decided a Star Wars theme was perfect. I never watched one star wars movie (that I can remember) before I got married. I have to admit they are pretty good! Dallin absolutely loves them, much to Ryan's delight.

Ryan is a jedi, Dallin is a padwan learner (a jedi in training), Carson is the cutest Yoda you will ever see, and I am Princess Leia!

Yoda

Cute Jedi!

Aren't they cute?

May the force be with you!

Carson trick-or-treating

So very cute!

The trick or treating group

Pumpkin Carving

We had fun carving our pumkins after our FHE lesson on Monday night. We invited our new friends, Molly and Paul Bates, over and we all had a blast!



Mine ended up being the phantom



Ryan is the master at pumpkin carving and he did the mummy, free hand.



Dallin enjoyed scooping out the pumpkin guts! With the help of his dad he made the alien.



Carson had fun drawing on his pumpkin.



Molly and Paul Bates creating fun pumpkins!



The results!!! The Mummy, by Ryan. The Phantom, by Megan. The Alien, by Dallin and Daddy. The Happy Face, by Molly. The Mickey Mouse ears and hands, by Paul.

Family Pictures

We had our family pictures taken this last weekend and we are thrilled with the results. We had a fun time running around Mission North Park. Dallin especially enjoyed posing and coming up with fun places to take pictures! Check out our flickr page to see all the pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kanzler/sets/72157602776673688/



This might be the Christmas picture!



Tickle time!



Sweethearts


Playing in the leaves!

The Spook Train

A few weeks ago we visited Old Sac and enjoyed the harvest festivities. We even rode the "Spook Train." It was fun to see the boys get so excited because we were riding on a train! Carson kept saying "whoa" and Dallin kept pointing out all the skeletons and other spooky decorations that hung from the ceiling of the train.

On a side note:

I am feeling much better, but still feel pretty drained! I need to exercise (anyone want to be my exercise buddy) and am just waiting for the lingering cough to go away before I try anything! I do have surgery scheduled for the end of January to have my tonsils removed. I am a little nervous (seeing that I have been advised by the doctors that I will need someone to care for the boys for at least 2 weeks). Supposedly the recovery is very painful as an adult and since there is a risk of bleeding I can't lift anything for at least 2 weeks. At this point I will do whatever I have to so that I don't keep getting sick - even if that means surgery!

Well I am getting excited for Trunk or Treat tomorrow and the youth dance. I will post our family halloween pictures soon!

I'm Sick - Again

So - I have strep throat for the 5th time this year! My doctor is referring me to an ENT (ear nose throat) specialist where we will discuss removing these annoying tonsils. A tonsilectomy is not something I am looking forward to, but if it will help me stop getting sick I can endure the 10-20 days of recovery. Aparently the procedure is more painful as an adult and the recovery is twice as long. After having 2 c-sections, a DNC, wisdom teeth pulled, etc... I am sure I can handle the recovery. I just hope my family will be able to endure me being out of commission for a few weeks.

I also have to have the boys tested to see if they are strep throat carriers (meaning they have strep but no symptoms). My doctor thinks that maybe someone in the house is a carrier and keeps infecting me. So far we know it's not Ryan, I have to now go see if the boys have it.

So much fun (she whisper's sarcastically). Oh well - I am just glad Ryan is such a great husband and dad because he is totally picking up the slack. What a great guy!

Dallin's First School Picture

Isn't he cute! I love his picture and just can't believe how big he is!!!! Click on the pictures to make them bigger. The pictures are a little fuzzy due to my scanner being fuzzy, I need to clean the glass! :-)

A great weekend

Dallin is the Shining Star this weekend and this week at school. He got to bring home the class mascot (Ruff the dog and Ruff's baby). Ryan took pictures of Dallin with Ruff and let's just say they had a great time. Dallin enjoyed having Ruff and is excited to share with his friends (in his class) the things he likes to do!

On a side note:

I enjoyed my girls only weekend up at a friend's place in the mountains (Soda Springs). It was a scrapbooking weekend but I wasn't feeling particularly in the mood to scrapbook so I was so excited to bring some books and read!!!! I finished 2 huge books and had a nice time with my girlfriends. I wish my camera was working so I could have (or had someone) take pictures of us having fun, me trying to eat snowflakes falling from the sky, and me sleeping (I got to sleep through a night without being woken up by a little boy)!

So while I was gone, Ryan was being the best daddy ever! He amazes me and I love him so very much! He had mowed the lawns, installed a cable that allows us to use our computer through our tv, installed a new thermostat, cleaned the bathrooms, had dinner ready on Sunday night when I returned, to name but a few! I love him so very much and am grateful that he does so much to help. We have a great partnership, friendship and love!

Okay enough mushy stuff! I have to get started on the laundry....

Sick Kiddos

Why is it that every time Ryan goes out of state/country on a business trip, my kids get sick!!!!!!! It's no joke- every time Ryan has left one of us ends up sick. It's like they reserve it just for that special time. I guess we are sick without him, but I am really getting tired of it!

So Carson has a pretty bad ear infection and a nasty, hacky cough. Dallin has been dealing with allergies that I think has now turned into a cold - he has a pretty bad cough too! To make matters even more, urrr, fun?, they are both sleeping about 3 hours at a time. So I am tired, praying I stay healthy, and trying to manage snotty noses, coughs, lack of appetites, etc..... Oh the joys of being a business trip widow!!!!

I have so much respect for the thousands of wifes and mothers who have husbands over seas fighting in the war. I commend them and hope they are getting the support here from family and friends that they might need.

Okay - I have to put Carson down for a nap. Wish me luck!!!

I love the Fall - minus my allergies

So it is definitly fall and I can't wait to start putting up my harvest/Halloween decorations. Along with the shorter days, cooler temperatures, hectic schedules, etc... comes my seasonal allergies and they make me feel like, well for lack of a better word, poop!!!! In my groogy haze I am trying to start each day on a cheerful note, but all too often it doesn't turn out that way. Some days are better than others but the ones that aren't too good, let's just say I wish I could redo most of them.

One side effect of fall, at least for me, is my own time spent in contemplation. I often treasure the warm afternoons, when all is quiet in the house, and I can sit outside and read, write, think!!!! I can't wait for my special time to reconnect and to evaluate where I'm at and what I can do to be better.

I just love this time of year!

Dallin's First Field Trip

So Dallin, along with Ryan as a chaperone, is off on his first field trip on a school bus!!! He is so excited, in fact he woke up several times during the night claiming he was scarred, something woke him, etc... This morning as we were getting ready he kept singing the song "the wheels on the bus." I can't wait to hear how it went and to see the pictures (which I will post upon his return).

In other news --- the Relief Society Recipe Exchange Group, which I am heading up, met last night! It was so much fun visiting with these women. All different ages, backgrouds, etc... but we have some very great things in common! What a great array of snack foods, interesting conversations (that went everywhere from the 1800's - breast feeding). I am really looking forward to next month's gathering where we will be sharing soup/stew recipes and learning how to make my girlfriends yummy dinner rolls!

Purses

I have a friend named Janalee who I saw walk into church one day with a few darling purses. She told me they were made out of placemats and then showed me how they were made. I am so glad she sharred the how-to's with me. This will hopefully be a nice addition to the Orange Peanut line of homemade treasures! Here are a sample of a few that I have made! If you see something you like contact me at orangepeanut@gmail.com.

~Megan

Bubble Time

While Dallin was happily at school, Carson and I played outside! One of Carson's favorite things to do is blow bubbles (I usually am blowing, but boy does he try hard). You have to be careful when invovled in the fine art of bubble making with my youngest because he loves to hold the bottle of the secret solution (dish soap) and put the lid on and then take it off again. Of course the wand will get stuck inside and the only way to get it out is to dump the bottle upside down! What an adventure! So enjoy the pictures of Carson enjoying the fine art of bubble making!