Easter!

Easter always comes at a busy time of the year for us. Which is especially odd as Easter is always on a different day. Last year it was the week before we moved. This year it came (and went) amidst James' mad dash toward the finish line at school and our first week in our newly formed Greenridge Ward. Things were pretty casual around here - just a small egg hunt - and we enjoyed seeing the sun for a couple days before it got soaked by rain and buried under snow. One year I'm sure we'll actually dye eggs (I have the kits, just not the inclination). For now, here are some pictures of the festivities:

Egg-cellent!

Who Needs a Basket?

The Easter Buddy

Gratuitous Hair Shot

On the Third Day of Christmas I Posted on My Blog

Guitar Hero III

The newest addition to our family. Awwwww! Isn't he cute? I totally love this game. On Tuesday I called Target to see if they had any in stock and they told me no. I found myself there later that day and wandered over to electronics just to check things out. And what did my wondering eyes behold? The last copy of Guitar Hero III sitting on the shelf. Pardon the surfer speak, but I was stoked! I'm guessing that I'm the only mom to buy this game for herself. I went straight home and played it. In fact, I beat the entire game by the next night. So, yeah, maybe it was set on Easy, but that's still pretty cool/pathetic. So now I can work on Medium.


This game was pretty much the only thing I wanted for Christmas. And now, with 10 days left until Christmas, I've already beat the game once. I'm not one of those "buy it, wrap it, and look at it under the tree for two weeks" kind of girls. I lack self discipline. Although after I bought the game, for nearly a minute, I seriously considered selling the game online and getting another copy later. But I really wanted the game and there's something about selling "hot" items for inflated prices that sucks the jolly right out of the season for me.

Now my big question is: How do I get just another guitar so James and I can battle? I've only seen the bundled packages. Maybe we'll have to wait on that one.

So Apparently, I ROCK!

At Thanksgiving, anyway. Although I'm sure this applies to many other aspects of my life as well. First let me apologize for taking so long to get around to this. We've had company and I haven't been on the computer for nearly a week. But now our house is empty and Zoe is watching a movie so here we go.

James' dad and stepmom got to our house late Wednesday night, just after I'd finished preparing the mashed potatoes. On Thursday, I started cooking at nine in the morning and everything went smoothly from there - Sweet potatoes, turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls (not pictured, they were still in the oven and I forgot I was waiting for them to finish), gravy, and stuffing. I did it all! I was a little nervous to try a few new recipes, especially for Thanksgiving classics that I had never really done before. Everything was all ready right at five, table set and everything. I've been planning everything for weeks so I was really happy that everything went according to plan. It's what I live for!


James said that the sweet potatoes were the best things he had ever tasted in his life. So I guess everything turned out pretty well. I totally kicked some Thanksgiving butt and I can't wait to do it again next year! (if we're finished with all of our leftovers by then). Maybe some day I'll be brave enough to attempt the pies - I DO NOT bake. Just as a rule of thumb. Thank you Coldstone! Pumpkin ice cream pie is awesome.


Sorry to neglect Flashback Friday this week, but we were in Salt Lake all day with the family. We hit Ikea (of course) and then met up with cousin Jessie at the Gateway Mall. You can tell Jessie is great with kids because usually Zoe freaks out about facial hair and she didn't even flinch around Jessie. After wasting as much daylight as we could at the mall, we ventured over to Temple Square where the spectacular Christmas lights were on for the first time of the season. It was crowded and cold, to put it mildly, but we had a great time. Zoe was a trooper and put up very graciously with being bundled, unbundled, and hauled in and out of the car and the stroller.











All in all we had a GREAT time. We played tons of Nintendo and watched the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy - the extended version of course. Bill and Kathleen left this morning and Zoe cried for 10 minutes after they were gone. She's never done that before so I guess that means she likes them.We love you and miss you already. Can't wait to do it again!

Halloween Stinks!

Yeah, I said it, what are you going to do about it, huh? Halloween is in no means a favorite holiday in the Gillice home. I'd say we barely tolerate it and put off celebrating it until the last possible moment. Why? I'm not really sure. "Spooky" stuff has never been that spooky to me and I can never think of a feasible costume (one that I have time, money, and skills enough to pull off). I do make sure that Zoe has a costume, that our pumpkins are carved, and that we haven't eaten all the candy for the trick-or-treaters.


It seems that Zoe's costumes are taking on a theme, however. A subtle one yes, but I still see a connection. They all seem to be a throwback to a New Mexico way of life. Last year she was a chili pepper and this year, I present none other than.... Zoe the Skunk! (and yes, the patch on the back says Lil Stinker)

Oh my she was a hit! I'll apologize now for the lack of photos from the ward party, but James was in class and I was too busy wrangling Garth and a cranky skunk to take pictures (I barely got to eat). But we took her trick or treating in the mall and got plenty of pictures there. Now, I don't mean to be vain, but Zoe is the cutest kid and she had the cutest costume. No competition. When Zoe was REALLY little, we thought we were just imagining how adorable she was, but almost everywhere we go, we literally have people stopping to adore her. Mall trick-or-treating was no exception. It was actually just on a much grander scale. Everyone passing out candy, all the other kids, and other (jealous) parents would stop, point, and say something like, "Look at that cute little skunk!" This isn't normal, is it? I don't do this to other children and it didn't really seem to be happening to any other kids I saw. I guess she really is just that dang cute. Even as a skunk. James said it was the little black nose that sealed the deal. Zoe never even rubbed it off!


So, Halloween still stinks, but we still had a pretty good time. Although Zoe is now addicted to candy. She wanted Whoppers for breakfast but I try not to encourage the digestion of malted milk in my house. So then she wanted a Dum Dum, but I told her we'd have to save it for lunch. You know, like we had yesterday for lunch. Mom of the Year sitting right here!