2015 three hundred thirty-four

Tonight for FHE we had an excursion for Cade's 13th Birthday!

I made up this mall scavenger hunt personalized in Seattle Seahawks colors for the cutest thirteen-year-old around.

Cade’S  13^th Birthday Scavenger HunT!    @Spokane Valley Mall

You have 30 min. to find as many things on this list as you can.  Take pictures of the items with at least one person from your team in them to earn extra points.  Most Importantly-Be creative, have FUN & think about how much you love Cade Mike!!  Our newest teenager!  Woo Hoo!

1.         Getting a sample

2.         Laying on a bench

3.         Something that smells good!

4.         Something blue Cade would wear from Hollister 

5.         A mannequin wearing blue!

6.         A train for Buggy Buggy Choo Choo

7.         mall cop

8.         An item with “Spokane” on it

9.         Standing near a decorated Christmas tree

10.       A longboard

11.       Christmas lights

12.       Something warm

13.       Wearing a Seahawks Jersey!

Team ______________________      Points_________________________

·         5 pts. per picture, 1 bonus pt. per person in the photo,     5 bonus pts. for the first group back

 

Team Brade (Bree/Cade)

These two were perfect for each other and very thorough! 

Mick and Callahan were the speediest!  Nice pose, Cal!  
We have some work to do before our next family pictures!  ha ha ha!

Abs and I must not have stopped giggling the whole time we were doing the scavenger hunt! 
If you check out our pictures, you'll understand why.

I need to get the other pictures from Mick and Cade's phones because they were the best!!

2015 three hundred thirty-three

See that Santa hat right there?  It rarely left her head for the entire Christmas season last year and it looks like we are starting it again in 2015.  Bree is such a holiday, party, celebration girl & this just makes me smile so much.  She even wears that thing to bed every single night.

2015 three hundred thirty-two

The stockings were hung...

Our traditional decorate-the-house day is complete with only one small mishap.  Our tree is too tall for the ceilings in this house so we only used the bottom two sections and "shaped" it to look halfway like a tree.  Abby was the main "tree shaper" & I think she succeeded!

2015 three hundred thirty-one

We headed back to town this morning and did some Black Friday window shopping this afternoon/evening.  It was nice to have the chance to check out the mall close to our house.  Of course we all worked up quite the appetite after shopping, so thank goodness for food courts where everyone in the fam can go to a different place for dinner.

2015 three hundred thirty

Before dinner this afternoon, we had a blast playing Capture the Flag
in the pear orchard behind Ruston and Noelle's home.

Look Close!  There's some sneaky little hiders in there!

It was a bright one!

Bree, Cal, Ruby

I can't believe our 3 families are this big now! 

and YES, I repeat, it's a bright one-

A few of these guys couldn't even open their eyes!

 We met Riley (when he was still single) &  Ruston/Noelle in 2001 in Ogden, Utah when they were all in college at Weber State.  Then, Riley and Mick managed an office and sold alarm systems for Firstline Security in Detroit, Michigan during the summer of 2003.  Ruston & Noelle were living in Ohio at the same time while he was going to dental school so they came to visit & we had many more adventures.  There's never a dull moment with these guys around and we love them to death! 

Mick, me, Ruston, Noelle, Leesa, Riley

2015 three hundred twenty-nine

Abby's seminary class made their room match the outdoors with all of these handmade snowflakes.  
It made her so happy & does look quite festive!

 We left this afternoon for a Thanksgiving with the Edwards families in Wenatchee, WA (about 3 hours away).  
It should be a super reunion.

2015 three hundred twenty-eight

A snowy surprise this morning had everyone so excited & a little unprepared!  We have coats-but that is about all!  Nothing like scrambling to buy boots & gloves on the first day it snows.

Bree & Cal quickly whipped up this miniature snowman while they were waiting for the bus.

They didn't seem to mind being cold & wet with all of the magical snow!

Making ginormous snowballs for their fort

  Holy Cow!  They mean business with that thing.

2015 three hundred twenty-seven

Tonight we were feelin' the need to send a return dub smash to the Thomsons.  Too Legit Too Legit to Quit-hey hey!

We had a lot of laughs and appreciated Grandma Margaret being a good sport and filming us.

2015 three hundred twenty-six

We were up for a little adventure to beautiful Coeur d' Alene, Idaho after church today

Super fun park right on the beach of the lake

There's my Abs.  Still smiling.  So amazing.  Love her.

We even witnessed a gorgeous sunset over the lake to end our Sunday.

It was so pretty.

2015 three hundred twenty-five

Our first fire!  Warm and Cozy!

2015 three hundred twenty-four

Bree and Cal almost didn't believe me when I said they got to go to school today!

They were ready.

Callahan Weaver & Breelyn Margaret

1st Grade & 3rd Grade

Ponderosa

Jasper is getting lots of love while Grandma and Grandpa are here!

2015 three hundred twenty-three

And finally...the day has arrived

First Day of School Pictures for the Bigs

(Spokane Version)

Abigail-Freshman

heading into the seminary building for RELEASED TIME SEMINARY at Central Valley

Cade-7th Grade
Evergreen

The littles had another play day since their school was cancelled again!

2015 three hundred twenty-two

School was cancelled today because of the storm.  
There are so many trees down across roads, no power, etc. 
The kids had lots of fun exploring the area around our house.

We zipped over to Albertson's for some groceries this evening and everyone got a chance to ride with Grandpa in the cart.  He tweaked his back so bad from all this moving.  We feel terrible.  He has been to the chiropractor twice already & is a trooper.

2015 three hundred twenty-one

Time to rise and shine!

Abby loves the view out her window.

It took some doing, but the trailer is in the shop!  

There is just no AC unit on top currently for those hot summer nights.

Curt, Mom & Dad Tomany & the kids have been VERY helpful.  The littles needed to take turns with the popular jobs like using the dollie.  

The weather this morning was beautiful & we were so grateful. 

However, by the early afternoon, a record-breaking, severe windstorm screamed through town for hours and hours.  It blew roofs off (we lost at least twenty or so shingles) downed gigantic pine trees & power poles everywhere you could see, & trampolines & sheds were flying through the air like feathers.  It was out of this world!  The news told everyone to stay in!!  The airport shut down meaning my brother had to stay another night.  Power went out all over Spokane, & the surrounding area, not to come on for three or four days-up to three weeks in some places! 

Now for the large TENDER MERCY-our house, and both of our next door neighbors, never lost power for even one second.  It really was a miracle saving us so much stress.

We were so happy we all ventured out to the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner (it was one of the only places still open, plus it's one of our favorites) to celebrate hard work on moving in day #2 & Mike and Margaret's Anniversary.

Cal had us all laughing tonight with his straw contraption that actually functioned!

2015 three hundred twenty

We're on our way!!!!

Curt left earlier than us since he went all the way to Missoula Sunday to stay at his son Robbie's house.  He sent us pictures updating his locations, that exciting moment when he arrived in Washington & finally, making it to the house.

Here it is!  A new life on Cloverdale Ct.

Curt decided rather than explore Spokane waiting for us to arrive,
 he would just proceed to "start" unloading.

 He got a little carried away

And before we even got there he had unloaded the majority of our stuff all. by. himself!  Yes, all by himself.  I know he's in excellent shape and all, but seriously?

The previous owners of the house had it in such perfect condition down to the sparkling cider.  So thoughtful.  We didn't have to worry about making that frantic store run for TP, hand soap, paper towels, etc. either as they had some ready in every bathroom and at each sink.

The rest of us on the road had a reallllly long day with countless stops because pulling heavy loads=ridiculously bad gas mileage.  Mick's parents were with us and brought their trailer since we do have that snazzy shop out back that will be a nice home for it, along with the fact that we are in such gorgeous country that we should be able to actually use it up here!

We arrived without any problems and the sweet Jensen family came to help us (at almost 9 pm on a school night) with the last few heavy items left before Curt collapsed.  We all managed to find a mattress to sleep on, but we are beat & have a LOT of work to do.

2015 three hundred nineteen

And just like that we are in Utah with everything we own in moving vans.  Breezers and Brookies had to coordinate for church, or course!  It is impossible to imagine life without both of these girls in it.

Being the serious and professional photographers that we are, 
Anny and I gave them strict posing instructions (ha ha)

 picture #1 no teeth showing

picture #2 smile with teeth

pictures #3-5 skip off into the distance

I think they nailed them all.

They look so happy-go-lucky in the skipping ones.

 Tonight we headed up to Brigham City for a great dinner with Mick's family.  It is always so wonderful getting together with all of the Tomanys.  

Remember my finger smash from a while ago?  Well, by the time dinner was over I had had enough.  The pain level was still making me crazy and I just knew it wasn't getting better and that despite what Mick and the Drs. who looked at it said, giving it time was not the right way to treat this thing.  So...I got on the internet and started searching intently for a diagnosis.  After some major digging, I finally found the answer!  I had a subungual hematoma or a collection of blood between the nail bed and fingernail which causes excruciating pain and must be drained for relief.  I was so happy I knew what was wrong and so desperate to be on with my life that I actually let Mick drill a hole through my fingernail!  

 You can see from the picture on the top left the bump right below where my nail bed starts where all that blood was just sitting there collecting away.  After a few minutes were spent numbing my finger with ice, & with Mick's parents & sisters there for assistance and moral support, Mick drilled and drilled, I screamed a few times & eventually blood started coming out of my nail and relief was on the way.  Everything I had been doing previously-especially wearing the splint-was making things so much worse and cutting off my circulation there!  Anyways, long story, but it had to be remembered & in only one short year I should have a normal looking pointer finger again since the nail will most definitely come off & have to regrow again!  The human body is just so amazing.  Right down to the way it heals after an injury.

2015 three hundred eighteen

Ready or Not, It's Moving Day

Hiring Triple 7 Movers and flying my brother, Curt, down to help left us with room to spare in the vans!  Miracle!

The Ewell Family is like no other.  We LOVE LOVE LOVE them.

Abs, Kaylee, Cade, Cal, Alan, Andrea, Bree, & Phillip

Oh man, Abby's eyes.  (mine looked the same) We just said goodbye to the Thomsons & now the Ewells.  
("I think I can I think I can I think I can...")

It's time  

Thank you, Nevada, for two and a half of the greatest years of our lives surrounded by the best friends we could ever ask for.  

We have been changed for good.