Annual Christmas Tree Hunt

Every year we go to Strawberry Reservoir with my family and cut christmas trees. The men gather wood and build a fire, the women make lunch (well, my sister, Sharon makes lunch - thanks Sharon!), and the kids sled and play in the snow. Tor missed it this year because he was in Norway (again!), so my brother-in-law, Mike, cut a tree for us. Thanks, Mike! It's such a great tradition, and we always have a good time together.

Cameron, Nate, and Mike getting the fire going
My niece, Jennifer, and her baby, Owen My niece, Brittney, and her husband, NateMy sister, Susan, and her daughter, KimMy niece, Heather, her husband, Cameron, and their baby, AidanErik, Holly, and KristofferMike, Sharon (my sister), Owen, Jennifer, Nate, Brittney, Cameron, Heather, and Aidan. What a crew!My nieces and nephew, Megan, Madison, and DallinHeather, Aidan, Jennifer, and Owen. Such great moms, and such cute babies!Koda had a great time with a stick he found. He played with it for hours!My brother, Todd, and his kids, Dallin, Megan, and MadisonErikKristofferSusan, Holly, and SharonOwen, Mike, and my dad, LarryMike, the tree king! The tree on the right is the one he cut for us. Nice!
The finished product - a great Christmas tree!

Happy Halloween!

I hope the kids never get tired of dressing up for Halloween - it's so much fun to pretend to be something you're not (although Erik's hair is so long right now he could be a hippie every day!) and get together with friends for good food and treats . . .

Jack-O-Lanterns

Some of us get pretty silly when it comes to carving pumpkins, others take it very seriously . . .

Pumpkin Patch

The Black Island Farms Pumpkin Patch was the place to pick pumpkins this year. We went with our good friends Brandi, Nate, Emilia and Oliver Lewis, and Avery and Sam Tucker on a beautiful fall day. The kids got lost in the corn maze and bumped around on the tractor ride, and had a great time finding the perfect pumpkins in the patch.

Disneyland and California Adventures

We went to southern California for my nephew's wedding, and spent 2 days at Disneyland and California Adventures. Both parks were decorated for Halloween, and we had a great time running around trying to ride all the rides and see all the fun things to see. We had never been to California Adventures before, and we couldn't get enough of the California Screemin' rollercoaster or the Tower of Terror ride. My sisters and their families were with us, and that made it even more fun!

Balboa

I remember spending time on Balboa Island when I was little, so we had to check it out while in California. We missed the busy summer season, but it was fun to walk around and see the sights.

Soccer Star

Erik is on a competition soccer team (Impact) with three of his good friends, and Tor is one of his coaches. It's a great experience for Erik to become a better soccer player, and he's having a lot fun playing. He's becoming quite the defender, saving many goal attempts by the other teams.