"Explorer of the Month"

Eli has been waiting anxiously for this moment, as his teacher hinted he would be "chosen" sometime soon. The "Explorer of the Month" at Reedom Elementary displays outstanding behavior academically and socially. Each teacher chooses 1 student from their class to be recognized for that month. Eli has been a terrific student all throughout his 3 1/2 years of schooling, but his previous school in Idaho didn't have this type of recognition program, thus the great anticipation he has felt for this achievement. Along with the "prestigious" award, he was also recognized for PERFECT ATTENDANCE, A+ HONOR ROLL, and 3 ACCELERATED READER RIBBONS! Way to go Eli!!!

"Very First Cheesecake"

Ever since my friend, Melissa, made a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake at a Christmas party with our Meridian friends 2 Christmases ago, I have been craving the yummy taste when I am thinking of a dessert I want to make. I got a set of 3 springform pans for Christmas from my boys and I have absolutely been dying to make the cheesecake. I hadn't been able to get the recipe from Melissa, so I finally turned to the trusted old "google" for the coveted recipe. I don't think this was the exact same as hers, but it was pretty delectable and I was excited that it actually turned out so well for my first attempt. I topped it with a ganache that made it more chocolatey for us chocolate lovers at our house. The kids liked it because it looked so good and it was "dessert". I was feeling triumphant and thinking, "hmm, this will be a great new surprise for their birthday cake, they will love it and I will be the best Mom they ever knew". As they continued to eat their rich, succulent slice, they began slowing down and seeming like they weren't going to finish. In the meantime, I was slowing to savor each bite. As I finished before them, they finally came to confess that they actually don't love cheesecake!?WHAT!?....Oh, bummer! I guess next time I'll be making it for myself. I'll do a mini size, and I'll have to give some to the neighbors......Cheesecake, anyone??

Thanks for the Snow!

Snow in Vegas!! So, they say the last time this type of storm came to town was back in 1979. Who remembers that one?? Well, the storm on Wednesday was really exciting because the boys were out of school for PT conferences, so they got to go out in the backyard and get right to business building their "Mini Snowmen".

We were glad to have it feel more like being "home" for Christmas (miss those Utah storms, although Boise had gotten some good ones last year too). It had been much colder than Chandy thought it should be in Las Vegas, so we were glad to have the snow to make the cold worth it. The snow finally was accumulating at about 4 p.m., so after Eli's piano lesson we went to the park to ".

Easton made a great snow angel!

Braxton liked getting Mom with snowballs after he saw his brothers bombing Dad.

The great thing about "Mini Snowmen" is they can be kept in the freezer for future use. I just laughed when I openend the freezer and saw them perched inside.

"Aquarium"

We went to the Silverton Casino and saw the aquarium which is a 117,000 gallon artificial reef. It is home to over 4,000 tropical fish from all over the world, 3 species of stingrays and 3 species of sharks. The aquarium is a beautifully designed octagonal shape with viewing on all sides. The front viewing window is an impressive convex window that extends 25’ X 12' (info from Silverton Casino website).

The boys couldn't believe all the fish. Mom and Dad couldn't believe all the "smoke" from the casino... Ugh!!

A diver gets in the aquarium and feeds the stingrays a few times a day. He has a microphone and he talks to the audience from inside the tank as he's feeding the stingrays. It was pretty exciting. It made Mom a little nervous to watch them open their mouths and suck the food in.

"Viva Las Vegas"

We went to see the "water show" at the Bellagio while Eli and Easton were off track in October. Easton was thrilled with the performance. Eli thought is was "so cool". Braxton, on the other hand, was not impressed with the loud music and the "spray mist" at the end of the show. Here is what he had to say....

Three Little Char-"actors"

"Braxton, the Knight" is ready for battle. When we went to "Party City" to get the boys' costumes, Braxton didn't find a costume, but he chose to get the sword in his hand. We weren't sure if he would be a knight or Peter Pan. I was a little concerned I was going to have to pull out the sewing machine and try to whip something out for him that may not fit quite right (ie. my experience last year with Eli's Jedi cloak, that ended up being Easton's size). Anyway, we were at our local Vegas Wal-Mart and the boys went down the costume aisle. There it was, a miniature knight costume just perfect for Braxton. I was off the hook with my sewing machine for a minute. I did have to make alterations to the aforementioned Jedi cloak that Easton wears. It wasn't satisfactory for his present Jedi needs.

Jengo Fett "Easton" was so excited to find this costume. I had him try it on at the store, luckily they were accomodated with fitting rooms. Easton is very particular about how things fit and feel against his body. He was happy and comfortable, even though the mask fits quite flat against his face, smashing his nose a bit. Needless to say, it was a smooth costume apparel purchase.

Harry Potter became Eli's "obsession" over the summer. He began reading the first book and decided he wanted to finish all 7 of them in 30 days. He realized it was much easier to read the books listening to the disks and following along in the book. He got through the first 3 in just a few weeks, spending all day in his room at least 2 times (Easton didn't like him choosing Harry Potter over their "brother playtime" just to read). Eli really enjoys the storyline and it doesn't seem to scare him or bother him (is that weird), but Mom and Dad had to put a damper on the read-a-thon at book 5. We told him he can read it when he's 10, and he has to read it on his own, and we will read it with him. We think he's still a bit young to handle the final ones on his own, but he is passionate about the books. We'll see how it goes without the disks.....

BTW, my innovative husband made Harry's wand, along with wands for Braxton and Easton (Ron and Hermoine?). I think his experience building Eli's pinewood derby car gave him a new love for working with wood and making something "cool" out of a block, or in this case, a dowel. What a guy! They sure have a great dad!

"It's so hard, to say goodbye, to Yesterday-eee"

We want to pay tribute to our friends in Idaho who we are missing dearly. Michelle and Lisa were so thoughtful in planning a little

send-off party before we moved. We have some great memories of rubbing shoulders with all of

our wonderful friends during our time in Meridian. We were truly blessed to be in such a great area with such fun people to associate with during the past 5 years. We look forward to a reunion one day and visits when you are in Vegas.