Thanksgivin' Fun

This year was James' family's year to have us for Thanksgiving.  We ended up going down to Taylorsville {Just outside of Salt Lake City} Utah to Grandma EE's {yes, that is what we call her, and sometimes just EE}. We went down there for several reasons; Staci {sis-in-law} was going to Utah to be with her In-laws and we wanted to get everyone together and also, James' other grandma lives in Salt Lake also, so we were able to visit her.  As we arrived, James made a grand entrance wearing this crazy roasted turkey hat {yes, I said ROASTED TURKEY HAT} I bought him {it was like 15 bucks! I told him he had to wear it every Thanksgiving for the rest of his life} you better believe its not just a hat that sits there, It plays music and kicks its drumstick legs.  Very interesting.  Because we are going to spend Christmas in Vegas this year, his parents brought our christmas presents to us and had us open them there.  We got a kitchen aid {OH MY GOSH, I'M SO EXCITED TO USE IT!} and also a camera {already been using it, I LOVE it}.  Later that night was BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING.  This was only my 2nd year participating in this annual fiasco of shopping, but it was yet another successful event.  Natalie {James' sister} and I drove over to a Walmart, kinda in the middle of nowhere, thinking it wouldn't be very populated.  BOY, were we wrong.  There was nowhere to park, then once inside, it was nearly impossible to move around.  And then when 10 :00 hit, it was utter chaos!  Luckily, we were meeting Staci and her in-laws, and Staci was standing right next to a register.  Of course, we cut in line and checked out with her.  It was awesome.  Then we made a quick stop at Old Navy to get my husband some much needed t-shirts, and then we were done and ready to go home at 12:30.  Mission Accomplished.
On Friday I went out with the girls to Gardner Village and met up with their family friend's, the Larsens.  I just loved that place, I wanted to buy everything, but didn't end up getting anything.  Afterwards, James, Jay (Jason, James' Bro) and I went out in search of a QuiznosSubs, {man it was delicious and I'm so sad that Rexburg no longer has one... :( }.  On our way home, we stopped in at an ARMY/NAVY store, which James had driven by ALL THE TIME as a boy and has NEVER gone in.  It was interesting to say the least. Of course It wouldn't be a trip to EE's without going to LEATHERBY'S...twice.  We finished off the weekend by going to see the lights at temple square.  I have never seen the Salt Lake Temple at Christmas time before and it was soooo Beautiful! We then hopped in the car and drove home.  We {and our stomach's} are now ready for Christmas.  

Yup, here it is

Mom and Dad Rock

Nat and baby Bry Guy

What the boys like to call; EE's OutPost

Jason in Awe

This is my favorite Pic

Me and the Hubbs

1 year down...forever to go

One year ago today I married my bestest friend! We have had such a wonderful time together and the last 12 months have just flown by! Because our anniversary is on a Sunday this year, we went out yesterday evening.  When i first came home, there was a beautiful rose waiting for me on the table.  We then went out to your favorite restaurant, Da Pineapple Grill, and had sushi {it was delicious, except part of mine had a really really fishy after-taste.  I know I know, sushi is fish, but it doesn't usually taste like it was just caught}.  Then we went to the cheap theatre and watched Warrior, and it was FANTASTIC! We both came out pumped up and ready to fight...don't worry we didn't. It had been a long week, so I crashed when we got home, but not James.  I discovered this morning that he had stayed up til the wee hours of the morning making a video for me.  I LOVED it, it was so sweet and thoughtful of him.  Overall, it was a great first anniversary!  I love you James Rock!

THE Restaurant

James' Meal

Yup, He's mine

Made the waitress take our picture

All Hallows' Eve

Aka Halloween!  For some reason, this year, i've REALLY gotten into the holiday spirit.  I'm super excited for the next few months and the fun they will bring.  This is my 1ST Halloween with my hubby and i've been ecstatic to decorate our home.  It's not much but it's somethin! I did a few crafts in order to save on money {Halloween decorations can be pricey!} We didn't dress up this year {we didn't go anywhere that required costumes, I KNOW we are a little bit lame} But we enjoyed spending several evenings together celebrating.  At the beginning of this month we went to a "haunted house" in IF called Dr. Slaughter's and it was interesting.  We spent 45 mins. in line with nothing but {i joke not} middle school kids who were cursing/making out with their boyfriend/girlfriend {who are these people! I promise mom, i was not like that in middle school} Then the next weekend we went to the "Haunted mill" which legitimately scared me! It's this creepy old mill that then turned into a haunted attraction.  There were spots where we didn't know if we were going the right way because it was PITCH black and some of those dark parts, you had to crawl.  I didn't like the fact that James couldn't always fit right next to me, so i was exposed to the scary monsters/ghouls that seem to always come straight for ME! {I don't get it. Shouldn't they know that since i screamed at the sight of them, that i probably screamed at the sight of the other creatures, and the rest of my party deserved to be scared too!?} Anyways, then the other night, we went and got our pumpkins and carved them while watching Charlie Brown and The Great Pumpkin.  Honestly, I can't recall the last time i carved pumpkins and it was a little bit of an interesting experience as far as how my pumpkin turned out {it's a lot harder than it looks} But it was still way fun.  James had been waiting all month to try out the new design he found for a pumpkin and so here it is...

Ideas from pinterest.com: Made chalkboard paint, found rocks and wrote on them

Homemade modgepodge

Before Surgery 

Can't forget it's eggnog season, starting with pumpkin spice eggnog

It's hard to tell but it's the grim reaper, not as awesome as i had hoped

James' pumpkin with a snarl

In action

Pumpkin got his hand

Finished product, i think James' ankle biter pumpkin really ads a little something

Surfin' USA...

For our first vaca this summer we were invited down to California to hit up Newport Beach with my dad and step mom.  We flew down to Las Vegas first [Holy Hot!] and spent some time with my mom and hangin out poolside [fabulous].  Well come to find out, my parental units have been renting an apartment right on the beach since LAST FALL [hellooooo, why is this the first i'm hearing of it?! Come to think of it, they had been going down to So Cal more often than usual, but still!] So I do plan on taking advantage of this again with mi familia hopefully in the near future.  It was such a blast being on the beach and just being able to walk/ride bikes everywhere, swim in the cold ocean water and just relax.  But as all great vacations, it came to an end too soon.  We drove back to Vegas in a packed car, just to get home and get back in the car and drive out to Lake Mead and make a last minute boating/tubing trip.  I'm not sure James really understood what my "lake up-bringing" was really like.  It was so hot, that we didn't even take towels, because 5 mins. after you got out, you were completely dry.  When the boat is moving its like a blow-dryer right to the face.  We made it home safely and just in time for me to put a few hours in at work! [oh yay...back to work...]

Look at these DONUTS!

Matthew, Mason, Dalton and James

Mason and his modeling face

Look at all of those surfers!

He was being cute and trying to warm me up, but it wasn't happening, the water was way to chilly!

For some reason, he kinda reminds me of James Bond

Trying to catch some sea critters. We ended up with 3 little crabs, 2 hermit crabs and a star fish, which I made the little boys put back. I won't be having any star fishies dying on my watch.

My cutie surfer dude!

shredin'

I was sort of a pansie and had to wear this top to keep me warm.

Sister from the same Mister

Ok I'm officially guilty of putting my blog on the back burner.  But I'm making a pledge with all of you as my witness that I from this point on, will not let such a long time pass me by without writing in the blog.  Well the other weekend my dad and step mom and my older sister [along with my adorable nieces] came up to Idaho and it tuned into a Crowley Clan Gathering.  It was fun and a little crazy.  For the rest of the weekend my sister and kids stayed with James and I [talk about a packed apartment] but it was all so fun.  We decided on Sunday after church to take these city girls out into "the wilderness" [word choice, compliments of Kimber] and we drove up to Mesa Falls.  The girls wanted to see wild animals, instead we went into a little lodge just above the falls into an animal skins room.  There were tons of furs from bears and wolves and weasels of every kind and the list just goes on and on.  The little girls were worried that the small animals had been killed, we just told them, "they died of old age".  But the water falls were BEAUTIFUL.  Well on Monday evening we took Paige and the girls to the airport to go home, but they had a two hour delay.  So while an hour into the new Harry Potter movie, we got the phone call that Presli [the youngest] had fallen and was now in the ER because she needed stitches.  So after a long night in the ER, missing their flight, having to stay 4 more days in Rexburg, they FINALLY made it home.

Mommies

Today is one of the greatest "Holidays" I guess you could call it.  It is a day that we are given to reflect our thoughts and feelings and love for those who we call our mothers.  Words can't always describe what we feel for those special women in our lives but we can try.  This blog post is dedicated to the ladies who have influenced our lives in so many ways...

We will let James go first...

Dear Mom,

In chapter 26 of Alma it states, "I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God."  Just as Alma boasts of his God so will I boast of my mother.  One only needs to look up attributes of Christ to find attributes of you. I'm sure you wondered what kind of impact you would leave on my life when I was just a tiny guy.  I am here to tell you that not only have you left a major impact in my life, but you continue to do so on a daily basis.  I have been so blessed to be raised by a woman like you that has been willing to set such a wonderful example for me regardless of my ups, downs, age, and maturity. I know that I am who I am because of your love and care.  Thank you for teaching me from a young age the importance of eternal principles. Just as I tried to be the missionary you wanted or hoped for me to be, I continue to try and be the student, husband, and son you would want or hope I would be.  I want you to know how I much I do love and appreciate you.  With all the thanks and gratitude I can possibly muster I say THANK YOU.  Thank you for continuing to set the bar high for me to follow.  Thank you for your continual support and love. You are always in my heart.  I love you, and hope that you have a wonderful Mother's Day.  

Love, Yamo   

My turn...

Dear Da Gungy (you know who you are),

I'm having a hard time deciding what I should say first.  I'm sure I will say this like 50 times throughout this message but I love you mom.  Today in church, a young lady shared with us that only mothers have a greater understanding of what christ went through as he sacrificed so much for us.  You sacrificed physically {because i was a BIG baby}and mentally in order to bring me here to this earth and you have continued to sacrifice so much on my behalf.  You have always put me first.  I want to thank you for making the choices you had to make in order to literally move me away from things that were harmful to me.  You are my greatest friend.  I know that my Heavenly Father sent me to an angel.  I want to thank you for always being there for me to talk to and always willing to help me out when I am in need.  You always call me "steel velvet", but I hope you realize that I get it from you.  One of my favorite things in this world is to make you laugh, especially the silent laugh, where you are laughing so hard that you can't hear anything...yet {you know which one i'm talking about}.  Mom, I am so blessed to have you.  I am so blessed to be sealed to you.  I miss you everyday and can't wait to see you and hug you.  Thank you for your undying support and love for me.  I promise I will always make you proud.  I love you mommy.

love,

Shayrol 

Dear Pamma,

I hope you didn't think I'd forgotten about you...because that is impossible.  After all, you are my bonus mom.  Not many people have the blessing of two moms...I think Heavenly Father knew I was gonna need as many as I could get! I first off want to thank you for accepting all of us.  It couldn't have been easy to become a parent of four within only seconds of saying "I do".  But thank you for doing it.  And thank you for always being so accepting of us and my mom.  It was brave of you to allow a 14 year old,wild in her ways, into your home while already having a busy toddler like Mason.  I apologize for making life a little more difficult those couple of years, but I also want to thank you for loving me anyways.  Thank you for teaching me all that you could and for still teaching me today.  I feel like I have an advantage as a future mother having been around Mason and Dalton when they were young.  Thank you for the sacrifices you've made for me and all of my siblings.  You are a great mother and a great friend.  I can always count on you telling me how it is. Thank you for being a parent when it could have been so much easier trying to just be my friend.  Because you are both.  Thank you again.  I love you.  Happy Mother's Day!

Love,

Sierra 

We also want to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all of the other mothers in our family! Our sisters Paige, Kortney, Natalie and Staci! We love you dearly!

Da Bears...Bears, Da Bears...Bears

♫ Home Home on the Range, where the Deer and the Elk like to play!!!! ♫ Alright alright, i'll spare you.  Well this last weekend, in our last attempt to make the break off from school last, we joined up with the Starnes Clan (James' sister Stacie, and our nephews; Dallin, Parker and Landon) at the legendary... (doo doo doo doo)"Bear World"! And despite my previous judgements, meaning the ones I made driving past on the freeway and seeing ZERO animals, it was awesome!  The first part consisted of some deer, elk, turkeys and mountain goats.  Then, we entered the BEAR ZONE where 2 grizzlies and about a dozen black bears reside! It was all great and dandy and all but the best part was yet to come, the baby bears! After parking we were able to go see 3 little bear cubs playing around in their own little habitat area, and after a couple of goes on the "Carny Bear Rides" and a quick trip  to the petting zoo (yes, we pet goats and deer! I'm really excited abou this!) we got to PET the adorable baby bears! Now i can mark this off my bucket list. All in all we had a smashing good time!  

And now for the moment you've all been waiting for, the pictures:

I was stoked to PET a deer

James is trying to bug the goat

J trying to make the car SLAM into the ground some more

Aren't the just so cute!?

Gosh i just want to take on home

Honey, can i please have one?

some of the big guys

The rare white elk along with the average joe elk

look at the hunk with his mouth full, all i can say is...ATTRACTIVE!