Thanksgiving Weekend and More

Wow, I really suck at blogging. I am never sitting at this iMac anymore, and when I do it is normally to pay a bill or read some sort of random article. Plus, I really hate that there isn't not a good way to blog on this stupid machine. I really need to find a program like Window's Live Writer. Oh well.

Thanksgiving weekend was awesome! Kyla, Rob and Taryn joined us from Oak Harbor, WA as well as Louie's parents for a great weekend. The highlight was definitely the Friday festivities of parade, lighting, and big big fireworks! Couldn't have ask for a more perfect evening for it all. I didn't partake in much of the Black Friday shopping like I used to do. There did not seem to be as many "steals" out there...or maybe it has to do with the fact that there isn't any money to be spent. That always puts a bah-humbug to everything.

It snowed 2-3 inches today, on a different, more current note. I have decided that I really like the snow when it is fresh and beautiful. I do not care for the fact that we live on a corner lot and I have twice the amount of sidewalks to shovel. Thank god we aren't getting the 8 feet of snow like we did last year. I would have the muscles after that winter for sure. It is a nice break from the 2, 5, 8 degrees we have been having. This feels like a heat wave!

Last weekend we did our annual Christmas cookie making over at Matt and Casey's house. I am sad to say that I forgot to bring a camera with me...sad day. Oh well. The twins were very cute and lovable. We only made and decorated two batches of the sugar cookies this year. I have another two batches of dough in my refridge and I am just trying to get the motivation to cook and decorate those. It is sooo much work.

Tomorrow I am heading over to the Truscotts house for the annual Apple Strudel making. Wow...what a lot of traditions over the holidays. It is nice.

I am just getting over another head cold. They suck.

As far the house goes...we got crown molding up, I finally got the mantel done, and we have put up the big 52" tv as well as the receiver and surround sound in the living room, to match our couches we put in a couple weeks ago. I think we are a little antsy to get our living room in order. We have already watched Harry Potter 5 and 6 on Blu Ray with our speakers and sitting on our couches. It is nice to report and Louie, Bentley and I can all sprawl out on our sectional and we don't even touch each other. It is very comfy. Now if we can only get a floor in. haha. I think the goal is to try for superbowl. We will see.

This upcoming weekend we celebrate Christmas in Libby Montana with Louie's parents. I am really looking forward to that! I can't believe Christmas in only 1.5 weeks away. Whoa.

Bella and Lilah

So it has been a LOOOONG time since I have spent any quality time with my two favorite twins! I got the chance to spend all day Tuesday with them. They are almost 9 months old now and just about crawling. What a BIG difference from being with them from newborn to 4 months old, and now five months later. I can't believe how much they are growing! They are eating baby food now and only nap twice a day, instead of almost all day. They are such a joy to be around. More pictures can be found on Facebook. These are just my favorites.

Freshies

This weekend was eventful! Friday night Louie and I went to the Banff Film Festival in Spokane. It was amazing, as always...and inspiring to get out into the outdoors! We woke up on Saturday to go to NEW MOON (Twilight series). The movie was WAY better than the first movie. Then we went to the Verizon and AT&T stores and ended up with one white Iphone and one Black Iphone (My Christmas present and Louie's birthday present). So, my phone number has changed.

Sunday we woke up to a winter wonderland with around 2-3 inches on the ground. We took a walk, went over to Matt and Caseys for Sunday breakfast and then I headed to the Broadway Production of the Lion King in Spokane with my friend Alan. It was sooooo good!

It is getting closer to Thanksgiving. Wow is it really winter already?

A Moment with Bentley

 

And this morning…we went on a walk and found a surprise…

 

This morning we had the first snow fall.  Man…really…winter already?

And He's Off

Just now, my dad came over with his truck, camper, and car. He is on his way to the sunny south for 7 months. His dream is becoming a reality...getting away from the snow and joining the other snowbirds in California/Arizona. Lets just say, Bentley and I will thoroughly miss him...especially Bentley. It has become a routine were dad comes every morning to pick up Bentley for the day while I am at work. He comes at 8 am every morning, walking in the same direction. Bentley knows this is coming, and wakes me up to let him outside. Sometimes at 6 am, and sometimes not till right at 8 am. Bentley sits on the front porch, sometimes for hours, and just watches in the direction dad always comes. I am afraid that tomorrow morning is going to come as a shock for him, when dad does not come around that corner at 8 am. We will have some adjustments to make. Good Luck Dad!

Weekend In Leavenworth

This past weekend I went with the Cocks Family to Leavenworth for the Fall Leaf Festival. It is a tradition that this family has been doing for over 20 years. I had the privilege of going two years ago, and again this year. As always...it is a blast! There was lots of laughing, parade watching, wine tasting, shopping and hanging out. It was a nice weekend get away. Most of the pictures I took was on a little walk around the Leavenworth Park. I got really into these bamboo shoots that were a yellowish green color and just kept trying to get a good picture of how cool they really looked in real life. Also, I saw the first leaves turn color...fall really is coming...even though we had 85 degree weather all weekend! All the others have all the crazy goofy people pictures...I will have to steal copies from them.



Then as a surprise...and some lies from Louie...I found, when I came home, that more dry wall and the hall closet door was put in. He wasn't just a couch potato all weekend like he had me led on the believe. His parents had come in for the weekend and helped him with the house. This is what is now looks like.

What was Before Is No Longer

This past weekend, Louie's parents were in town, yet again to help us with the house. They also had an excuse to visit because of a concert in Spokane they went to see on Saturday evening. Lots was accomplished this weekend...the biggest is that the furnace is back up and running! Which is good because the new thermostat reads 54 degrees this morning. brrr. We also got the home theater outlets to have a new breaker and power to them. Also...I came up with a new idea. The running joke is that I am not allowed to watch the DIY network anymore. I come up with new grand ideas and the old projects just seem to get bigger and bigger. With this new imac though...i decided it needed a new home sweet home. I found this on their website...

http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-build-an-office-under-the-stairs/index.html

so the project began to build a office under the stairs. It should be pretty cool. I guess while Louie was demolishing...he cut right into the water line for upstairs and water went everywhere. Lydia and I were sad we missed that one. (we were out shopping). So this is what is new with the house...

Also it was my dad's birthday this weekend. We celebrated by going out to Azteca for dinner and had icecream in mom and erin's new house. It was fun. Mom and Erin moved into their new house this weekend...so we now have them three blocks away. Watch out...the Dvoraceks are all within a 7 block radius!

New Addition to the Family

Do I need to say anything else? Can we say Happiness?

Thank you Louie! :) Now picture editing will be so much

sweeter!

Fleming Family Video

Back in August, I got the priviledge of taking pictures of the Fleming Family on their farm in Reardan, WA. Louie came with me...and I stuck him with a video camera. I love the idea of making a short film of the photoshoot (an idea I stole from Tara Whitney). So...after many trails and tribulations, of broken down computers, and dvd burners not working, and internet crashing...I think I have finally been able to burn it and upload it. Here's hoping! The quality of the short film is grainy because I had to shrink the file way down to upload it on the internet. I have the final pictures and copies of this video in the mail to the family. I hope they like it.

Hiawatha Trail

Saturday the Louie’s, Lydia, Alan and I went onto the Hiawatha Trail.  It happened to be the only crappy day for the whole week!  We left at 9 am and headed onto the trail.  If you don’t know about the Hiawatha Trail…it is almost 15 miles downhill!  There are like 9 tunnels and 9 train bridges you go into and over.  The longest tunnel is 1.7 miles long…pitch black and mad fun!  We get to go through that one twice! 

Going into the tunnel…picture taken inside the tunnel…we couldn’t see anything!

These chipmunks were very plump…getting ready for winter!  They were also very friendly!

This is the crew…and also if you didn’t have a fender on your bike…you got mud all over!

It was a great time and a perfect Idaho thing to do in the summer!

As far as the house remodel.  We got a wall knocked out and the living room wired for a 7.1 home theater system.  I didn’t get pictures of this…but Louie did.

More...

More Pics from the Fleming Family Photoshoot...I have lots and lots...took over 200 shots...It's hard to choose the best ones..so I will just keep posting...Also I had to use a different way to post the pictures since my programs aren't on this one...so the pictures might not be as good of quality of as big. Oh well...at least you get to see some more.

Also have pictures to share from the weekend...but that will just have to be another day.

Fleming Family Sneak Peak

I really early sneaky peaky...i really decreased the quality of picture...so some might appear blurry, but they are not...except for the jumping one...that one really is blurring...couldn't get it right.