Releasing Turtles

Tiffany perfectly timed our Sunday sunset walk to coordinate with the
turtle release. The local college sponsors a program to relacate
turtle nests to a safe location and then allows guests to help release
the baby turtles each evening. It was incredible to hold those little
ones in our hands and see them take the first of many steps towards
the beginning of a lifeteime of adventures.

Grocery Shopping

I have to admit, I was a smidge horrified at our shopping experience.
All that Meat sitting around. . .

However, there is a beauty to grocery shopping without children. We
bought all sorts of goodness. . . fresh tortillas, avacados, and lots
and lots of LIMES.

Fajitas!!

Mexico Day 1

After unpacking and walking along the beach, we headed across the
street to get Fajitas. Yum!!! The guacamole in the spoon was a extra
fun treat and my veggie fajitas were delicious topped with fresh pico,
guacamole, beans, and rice.

Oh Mexico. . .

I love the James Taylor song, "Oh Mexico, never really been, but I'd
sure like to go. . . Ohhhh Mexico."

I spent the last week with five girlfriends in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico.

Day 1: 11 PM drive to airport. 12:55 AM red eye. De-ice the plane
in Anchorage for an hour. Barely make my connection in Portland.
Stop in San Diego. Arrive in Puerto Vallarta. Make my way through
immigration and customs then wait, and wait, and wait. 18 hours from
the time I left my home in Alaska, I meet up with my girlfriends and
the fun begins.

This is what awaited us in Neuvo Vallarta. . .

Boy Howdy

We had our ultrasound today and it's a . . . 

[wait for it. . . wait for it. .. ]

a baby!  We didn't find out the gender, which means you, our friends and family, get to wait too.  Isn't it great to be friends with the Bacons?   The baby looked to have all 10 fingers and toes and appears  very much like a Bacon (surprise, surprise) nose and all.  

As if we didn't already have long list of reason to look forward to summer. . . here's one more.  Only 130-ish more days to go.  

Christmas Break

Yesterday Hyrum sighed, "We had a good Christmas Break, didn't we?"

Oh, we did, we did!!!  

I about wore myself silly the past 18 days.  We took the boys hiking, and sledding, and swimming, and tubing, and rock climbing/bounce house/minature golfing, and then swimming and back to the bounce house/minature golf place.  We watched movies and played games (jacks (in addition to Dungeons and Dragons) was the big game this break) and colored a thousand pictures and drew comics.  We did something out of the house and active almost every day.  We invited people over and then invited more.  We even splurged and went to McDonalds one day and Coldstone (thanks to a gift card) another day.*  We took down the Christmas tree and kept up the outdoor lights.  

When I asked Christian and Tanner what their favorite thing we did during the break they replied without hesitation, "Movies and candy."  At this point I could barely keep my eyes open and I thought, "Really? After all that work and effort we put into entertaining, it was the movies and the candy?" 

I would have listed:  sleeping in.  outdoor adventures.  naps.  christmas treats.  sleeping in.  cooking delicious dinners.  naps.  being routine free.  Take away all that sleeping and I guess I'm not much different than my boys.  Regardless of our Christmas break preferences, I think the Bacons all had a good time. 

*we were lucky to eat, breath, and play with the Speaks family during all these adventures.    

Christmas Traditions

It took a little scheduling miracle, but we were able to take the
family to Palmer for the Nativity Display. The kids LOVED the eye spy
this year and it kept them entertained for about an hour. I quickly
discovered that Talmage was the wrong age for a Nativity Display and
we found a seat and listened to the high school Jazz Band.

A few other Christmas Traditions we've tried to keep going this break:
Tubing, Swimming, lots of Dodgeball, Gingerbread Houses, Movies, and
Games. Still on the docket: Family puzzle, sugar cookies, and
delivering warm Bread to our friends and neighbors.

Bacon Loot

Pictorial documentation that are kids are spoiled. . . rotten.  

We celebrated Christmas this year on Friday, the 23rd.  It was a great day.  The kids were up around 7AM and we mosied up stairs just a few minutes later.  Hyrum oohed and aahed over every gift. . . he's fully on board with every bit of Christmas magic.   Warner was quickly absorbed into imaginary play.  Tanner was there for the candy and gobbled up his stocking contents in record time.  Sam guessed every gifts contents. . . the rattle of Legos are a pretty dead giveaway.   Christian was thrilled the most with the gift that cost the least (99 cent Wii basketball game).  Talmage slept through it all.  

We took a mandatory breakfast break and enjoyed Monkey Bread and OJ.  

The rest of the day was filled with instant entertainment.  Toys, games, reading, and eating.  We didn't want to ignore the great weather and took the kids on base that afternoon for tubing and came home to warm chili and donuts.  Yum!!!

Lots of this

Last night it rained and rained and rained; and then it snowed and snowed and snowed; so we shoveled and shoveled and shoveled.  8 inches of snow on top of slush on top of ice and they canceled school today.  Both freeway entrances had multiple car pile ups which meant no work.  So today we've just enjoyed a spontaneous stay-at-home day.  It has been wonderful.  The kids, after doing their jobs, are now enjoying some game time with Eric.  I'm thinking soup and homemade rolls for lunch followed by some sledding and hot chocolate.  Ahhh. . . I love stay-at-home days.

guess who

Guess who found and managed to squirt your shaving cream ALL OVER himself and the entire bathroom?  Yup.  You're right.  Please pray that he is still alive when you come home.  While I was cleaning up the mess he sent his first FAX.  How can I keep up?  Please remind me how much I adored and loved him just a few weeks ago.  Where did that darling little boy go?

Gobble Gobble Gobble

We had a great Thanksgiving.  G&G Bacon, Fishers, Holts, and Speaks all came.  10 adults.  15 kids.  I made Roast, Gravy, Stuffing, Salad, & Sweet Potatoes.   Eric successfully tried his hand at stuffed mushrooms and Christine whipped up some delicious rolls and pomegranate salad.  Everyone else brought the rest. . . the ham, potatoes, pies, jello, gluten-free rolls and dessert, and veggies.  I just love Thanksgiving.  The cooking in the kitchen together.  The smells.  The crowded house with good friends everywhere.  The kids sledding the yard.  What a great holiday.  The fun started at 2 and we ended the evening at 11 PM with 17 Miracles.  

Here's a video clip of Talmage half-heartedly singing I Heard Mr. Turkey.  I lost him after about ten seconds . . . 

Fwd: Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

Our family LOVES to have Christmas early . . . but we've never had it quite this early before.  With Grandma and Grandpa in town, it was fun to have a little Christmas celebration so the boys could open their gifts in from of their Grandparents.  Whether it is December 25th or November 25th the excitement and happiness are the same.

lunch time lifesaver

School lunch here costs $3.15 for the scariest assortment of processed food you've ever seen.  Times that by 4 kids and it would be $252 a month for school lunch.  I remind myself of that when on those tired mornings, I find myself making lunches again.   On Fridays I make bread for the institute, and recently I've been staying in the kitchen a little bit longer and prepping for a week or two of school lunches.  Pizza Rolls & Empanada Rolls are my lunch time lifesavers.  This week I'm going to try cheese and ham and see how that works.  It is wonderful to just run out to the freezer in the morning, pull out a zip lock back with eight slices of "roll" in it, thaw, and shove a slice or two into their plastic ziplock compartment containers.  

Mean Old Witch

Along with Dan, Dan the Funny Old Man & I Heard Mr. Turkey Say, I remember singing this song with my Mom growing up.  I'm sure it was one from her preschool collection.  I taught it to the kids at our church music group, and Talmage LOVED it.  I particularly love how BIG he opens he mouth to say Hat, Cat, and Out.  Of course, his favorite part is the Boo at the end, but it often times comes early a time or two.  

Over the River

Well not quite over the river. . . but definitely over the woods and ocean.  We were thrilled that Grandma and Grandpa Bacon came and spent the long Thanksgiving weekend with us.   We were able to celebrate C&T's birthday, Thanksgiving, an early Christmas, C&T ordination, and just lots and lots of much needed down time.