YEAH!!! I love the holday season!!! :D

So we said GOODBYE to Georgia at the end of September and, on our way to California to visit my family, we stopped in Dallas, TX and Mesa, AZ to visit Alan's sisters. First we saw Alan's younger sister, Stephanie, in Dallas TX. She has two beautiful boys and a sweet & loving man! :D We went to the Texas State Fair and had a blast! We took a picture in front of a nice looking train and I got a 10 min massage and we had alligator (yes, alligator) and fried butter (yes, fried butter) and saw tons of animals. It really was a fun time!! :D

It took us two days to reach Mesa, AZ with the two little ones, but spent almost a week with Alan's older sister, Kristina, and her family. They lived in Provo area with us until 2007 so we used to always hang out. We have missed them!!! We mostly hung out at home with them while the kids ran around in their backyard (a novelty for us), but one day we went to a park and walked around the lake. Then the kids played on the playground and had a blast. Christian and his cousin, Ethan, were stuck like glue to each other the whole time we were there...it was VERY precious. :D

Our mutual friends, the McCally's, stayed 2 nights while we were there and it was good to see them and their two beautiful children, too! :D One day they all decided to roll around in the dirt pile in Kristina's backyard. It was hilarious! HA! We had a very fun time...it was hard to leave!

The night before we left we went to see my mission president and his family...Only he and his wife and youngest daughter are at home now. It was so good to see them and get an update on all my fellow ex-missionaries! Miles LOVED playing with President Calton...He knows he's his third grandpa. :D

We're at my parents' house in Modest, CA right now. We went to a pumpkin patch that had a large area with pumpkins, a big pond with huge fish, a playground, and an area with animals like ostriches and horses and pigs. :) It was fun!! Alan left soon thereafter to go to Provo to finish some research he didn't get done during the school year. I'm so glad he graduated in April!! Now we're in limbo between graduation and trying to get into medical school in 2010...we're currently waiting to see if someone wants to interview him! In the meantime we're going to move up to Washington (this week) and Alan will get a job. Summer sales wasn't too great for us... :S


The week before Halloween our church put on a Trunk or Treat. Christian was a fireman and Miles a (VERY CUTE) teddy bear. My sister and her family were here visiting from Reno so we all went together. It was fun!! Christian got a lot of candy (respectively), but I accidentally sent it home with my sister. HA! Oh well, he got plenty more on Halloween. :D

We have had a lot of fun at my parents'. :D Christian is buds with his silly cousin Maren. She CRACKS me up! HA!! A character and a half, and she plays so well with my little man. He's going to miss her when we leave this week. :( I am REALLY, REALLY going to miss my family! :(

The other day Christian was playing out back and a springy thingy flicked him hard and made a deep hole in his cheek. I yelled, "Jennifer! Jennifer!"...I'm so glad she was there!! :) She went with me to the urgent care and helped take care of Miles while Christian got stitches. It would've been so much worse without her! :) I feel bad for my poor little man, but he has been soooo brave, even at the doctor's! He cried for a while after it happened, but then at the doctor's and since he hasn't cried at all! I'm so proud of him. :) I hate it, but I figure it has to happen to every parent, right? Well he is just so proud of his "itches". HA! :) He always makes me smile. :D