Thanksgiving and the Hoover Dam

We spent our second married thanksgiving without family this past weekend. Our first was when we went on our cruise on our honeymoon... Anyway, we invited up some old friends and they accepted. We were very happy! Martin, Susy and Tanner Ferreira joined us up in Vegas on Wednesday night.

On Thursday morning Martin got started on the turkey and we spent most of the day talking about this and that. We were hoping to be able to take Kira and Tanner to the park but it rained all day. Anyway, around 3 Jacob started on the potatoes, I started the green bean casserole and the sweet potatoes and by 5:30 we sat down to eat. It wasn't until I was listing all of my favorite Thanksgiving foods that I remembered that I forgot to make the stuffing...(my second favorite) Oh well... there is always next year.

On Friday we decided to venture out and explore more of the Las Vegas area. We started at the Ethel M chocolate factory which was a little disappointing as the workers were off until Tuesday so all we got to see what the empty kitchens where the chocolate is made... but it was free and they give you free samples at the end... Tanner managed to get two ... must be those cute puppy dog eyes...

Then it was off to Hoover Dam... a place Jacob loves. He says they have the most beautiful bathrooms of anywhere he has ever been.. a weird compliment I know but it was what kind of inspired us to do an art deco theme for our reception. There is a lot of history that goes with the Hoover Dam. It was built during the depression so it has a definite 30 /40 ish feel to it. Anyway, we took the Power Plant tour which took us way down into the mountains to see a lot of mechanical stuff I don't understand but here are some pictures.....


Martin and Tanner taking in the miracle that is the Hoover Dam


A Diagram of the Hoover Dam


The big turbines that create the power... 52% of which goes to Los Angeles... Damn Californians


One of many Native American symbols spread throughout the Dam


One of the tunnels you walk through.


A picture of people driving over the Dam from Arizona



We just want to thank Martin and Susy for coming up and spending their Thanksgiving with us. We had a great time and we hope you did too!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

I just wanted to take a minute to express my Thanks to our Heavenly Father who has blessed us with so much!

* I'm thankful to belong to the church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints and all that the gospel has taught me about why we are here and our goal here on earth.

*We have been blessed with a great family - both here and abroad who pray for us, love us and support us... We do the same for you!

* I'm thankful for an eternal marriage and all the blessings that have come with that - especially Kira who I know can be mine forever if we strive to do those things that are right.

*I'm thankful for our new apartment - I keep thinking that I could never have spent a whole rainy day with Kira in the old one.

* I'm thankful for Jacob's job that has made it able to me to stay home with Kira and not miss one day with her! So much can happen in a day!

*I'm thankful for good friends who have loved me, taught me, laughed and cried with me, and have always just told me how it is... because after all - you know that's what I really need from time to time.

*I'm thankful for scrapbooking (hehe) because it helps me escape when I need to get away.

I know I'm forgetting about 100 things that I'm thankful for but I just wanted to take a minute and express how I feel and end with two quotes from one of my favorite people

"Thank You" is a wonderful phrase. Use it. it will add stature to your soul. Never let a day go by without saying thank you to someone for something - and especially to your Heavenly Father.
- Marjorie Pay Hinkley-

"Appreciation unexpressed is not appeciation"
-Marjorie Pay Hinkley-

Four Years

I always like to think of our Anniversary as a double one. Not only did we get married 4 years ago today but it was this time of the year 7 years ago that we started dating and 10 years ago around Halloween that we met for the first time. So maybe it's more of a triple anniversary. Anyway, we're not planning on doing much this year just going out for dinner without Kira (thanks Shelly for babysitting) But I wanted to take a moment to Thank all the people in our lives that have shown us how important marriage is :


My great grandma and grandpa (Dede and Ah - middle and left) who were married right after WWII and were married over 53 years)


Jacob's grandparents who have been married around 55 years
(Sorry for the bad shot... it was all I could find)


My grandparents.. with their parents. (Dad's side) Married over 55 years


My grandparents on my mother's side - married 45 years


Jacob's parents - married 35 years


My parents - married 30 years

Here are pictures of our special day... 4 years ago:






Jacob and I both want to express to our families how Thankful we are for them and their dedication to each other. I know it hasn't been easy for any of the couples above but their dedication and love for each other is a wonderful testiment of what marriage can be. We haven't always had an easy time of things either but it is by their examples that we perservere and "endure to the end" because there is happiness and good times along the way and your examples are testimony to that ... so again, to those who are both here on earth and those who are watching down over us everyday we say THANK YOU!

(Missing is Jacob's other Grandma who I could not find a picture of)

Park Day with Daddy

So the past couple of weekends Jacob hasn't had to work so he's been taking Kira with him on Saturday mornings to do things together. I think it's really good for all three of us, I get a break, Jacob and Kira get to spend time together and Jacob doesn't feel so nervous about being out alone with Kira.
He's taken her to Home Depot with him... last weekend they went to the new Harley Davidson Opening where she almost talked him into buying her a pink leather jacket (if only I was kidding).
Anyway, here are some great pictures Jacob got of Kira at the Park a few weekends ago.



Here she is playing with the chimes




This is Kira really really happy!!!


Kira folding her arms... it's her new trick

The Pumpkin Patch

While In California, Kira and I visited the pumpkin patch with some family friends, Krista Foster and Kandi Scattalon along with Kandi's girls!
There was lots to do but Kira is still too little (in age not in size) to do a lot but had a wonderful time just walking around somewhere that wasn't home...
So here are some pictures... Thanks Krista and Kandi

Pumpkins or Potatos

Some of you may know what Kira has picked up a few nicknames in her short 14 months here on earth. Two of which I will talk about in this post.... When she was about 6 weeks old I was taking her to go get her pictures taken. You know a picture in her blessing outfits, and as it happened to be October I dressed her up in an outfit I had picked up before she was born, it was a Winnie the Pooh onesie with pumpkins on it...

... as I was putting her in her carseat to go.. I said to her something like, "Ok Miss Pumpkin Face... let's go" and she smiled at me! It was one of those you knew it wasn't gas smiles and the name kind of stuck. We still call her pumpkin face sometimes (much to grandpa Alans chagrin) so when it came time to pick out a costume for Halloween I decided a pumpkin would be great! I'm thinking that by next year she will know who/what she will want to dress up as so I grabbed the opportunity and found a cute stuffed pumpkin that Grandma Jetta fixed up for me. We had Trunk or Treat on Thursday and these are the only pictures that we got of her in her costume (other nickname coming up....)




Then she decided to Punky (other nickname) and hulk-hoganed her way out of the pumpkin and spent most of the night like this....

So since Jacob had dressed up as a farmer... he started to call her his little potato....

Anyway, that was pretty much our Halloween, no trick or treaters which means I have about 2 pounds of candy here we shouldn't be eating and Kira stayed home with us because she really is still too young to know what it's all about.
I guess we'll have to wait until next year!