Gingerbread Mania

Alright, I hear you. It is a little late for any more Christmas blogs, but oh well. I am really busy so, here it is. We were lucky enough to have Traci and Rob come over and share their highly creative brains. We made a gingerbread mansion, not just a house. The kids had a lot of fun. I also want to let you know that Emmanuel was busy with school work, and told us this was for little kids. so, soon I will find something interesting enough for him to join in. I really hope it happens soon. I am feeling bad he is missing from all my latest blogs. We used all kinds of things from around the house, so it was pretty inexpensive. I must say, it was a lot of fun. We used things like cocoa puffs, grits, and some of Rob's awesome royal icing. We hope to keep this up every year. It was sure something to see.

Glendale Glitters 2008

Christmas 2008- We really enjoyed some family time this year with Traci and Rob. We made our first trip to Glendale Glitters, a local outdoor light festival. I wasn't sure what to expect, but once I saw the sign for funnel cakes and caramel apples, I knew we would have a good time. There was the longest line ever for Santa, so we made a beeline for the food. I know- it's a real surprise. Next we went on a real hayride to a living nativity. It was really nice for all of us to be reminded why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. There was caroling on the hayride, and hot apple cider for all. The weather here was a little cool, but sooo pleasant. I am used to seeing the lights in Salt Lake where it is downright frigid, so this was a nice change. We wrapped up the night with a super fun ride on the spinning bear. Because, really, what is better than loading up your kids with treats and then spinning them around in a giant bear with Aunt Traci???? All in all, it was a great time. We are hoping to make this a new tradition. We are also hoping that we can drag Emmanuel out with us next time to this decidedly "uncool" happening. Merry Christmas. Next up: our gingerbread mansion...

Our trip to Ghana- part I

Only a few meltdowns from this cutie pie.

Our first glimpse of Ghana from the air.

We are so close.

Notice the sun peaking through the window.

Over 24 hours since we left home and we are still on the plane!!!

Movies in the headrests really saved us on the flights

Athena felt so grown up with her eyemask.

It was a long flight with lots of sleeping.

We were all excited to be on the plane.

We have over 700 pictures from our amazing trip to Ghana in West Africa. So, I will attack it in parts. Here goes: I was smart enough to keep a journal of our daily events. I hope you can experience a little of the grand adventure we had over there. Day one was full with just the plane rides there. Athena had been on a plane before, but it was Avi's first time. At just three years old, I was a little worried that it would be rough. But the ride there was pretty drama free. It really helped that British Airways has a TV in every seat back with TV and endless movies... Someone was thinking of our family. Our first flight into London was 10 hours, and then 6 hours more to Accra. Our flight into Ghana was delayed due to the fact that President George Dubya arrived 3 hours before us. What a weird coincidence. It took us over 24 hours to get there. I must say that I am amazed that Avi only struggled in Heathrow. I think seeing the wide open space in the concord really showed him what he had been missing for over 12 hours. He settled down by the time we arrived in Accra. It was after eleven o'clock at night when we arrived. Man, was the heat and humidity oppressive. I am used to heat, living in Arizona requires some tolerance. I am just not used to 100% humidity. It was hard on all of us, and took some getting used to. So, day one and a half is finished. Next up: day two and beyond!

Athena's Soccer

This fall we signed Athena up for soccer. She and Avi have really come to love this sport ever since our trip to Ghana. It also helps that their big brother, Emmanuel is a great soccer player. She had a lot of fun playing every Saturday morning. And we had fun watching her. She always seemed to have the biggest cheering section of any kid there. Imagine that, with our ginourmous family.

Athena (Principessa) is 7!!!

Can you believe Athena is getting on in years? She is now 7, going on 15. We had a small gathering (which seems large in our house) of family and one friend. Megan is Athena's BFF from across the street. We kicked off the night with a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday. We tucked into some cake and ice cream while Athena opened presents. She was quite the happy kid, as she relishes attention these days. It has been much too long since we had a houseful of family here. It was nice, and I must give mad props to Fred for cleaning like a mad man. We finished off the night with some cards. It was a lot of good ol' fashioned fun. I know Athena would have rather gone to Chuck E. Cheese, but I was glad to have a nice night with the fam. I think Chuck E. Cheese is a synonym for "obnoxious kids running wild." I am planning on tackling the trip to Ghana soon. It will be quite a challenge to blog, since I have over 700 pictures to choose from. Hey, it was a once in a lifetime trip. Anywho, I'll catch ya later. Love to all!!