Thanksgiving 2009

Thanksgiving this year was a little hectic only because we literally finished fixing the house (still had carpet to do but that wouldn't happen until December) about three days before! The rush to get the house ready for Thanksgiving dinner was on!

This year Charlie's parents were coming to Vegas to spend Thanksgiving with us. We were hoping Robin and Cindy and there families would be able to join us but they unfortunately weren't able to make it. We missed having them!

We started cooking early in the morning. We decided that we needed to cook three turkeys, oh yeah and we definitely needed a ham from Honeybaked Hams (my favorite!). Yes we were a little out of our minds and would have leftovers for days to come but hey isn't that one of the best parts about Thanksgiving dinner, leftovers!

My mom came down to the house early so we could make her famous homemade rolls. It just isn't Thanksgiving without these rolls! This year we all pitched in to help her, including Kadence.
I told her she wasn't really baking unless she had flour all over her and flicked a little bit (okay a lot) all over her face to make it look like she was working really hard.Charlie cooked a turkey on the BBQ Grill and we borrowed Joe's (a friend from work) Infrared Turkey Fryer to cook another turkey. It does not use oil and makes one heck of a yummy turkey! The third turkey was cooked the traditional way in my sister's oven. The kids ate olive's off of their fingertips, because that's what kids do on Thanksgiving.And then it was time to eat, the table was set and we were ready to chow down.
It turned out to be a wonderful Thanksgiving and we were very thankful to spend the day with our loved ones in our newly put back together home! We had a lot to be thankful for this year, a new baby boy to add to our family, good jobs in these hard times, and a roof over our head when so many in this town were losing theirs. Today my cup runneth over...

Red Rock Canyon and Ribs!

While my brother Rick was in town I decided to take the afternoon off and take my family on a tour of Red Rock Canyon. I had never been and figured it would be fun to all pile in the Excursion and wander out there. Charlie had to work and I left the kiddos at the Babysitters because we were going to hit Red Rock Hotel and Casino after our trip through the Canyon. Myself along with my parents, Rick and my sister and her hubby all piled into the Excursion (this is why I love my gas guzzler!) and headed west. It was a very hot and bright day! We stopped at the lookout and I made everyone get out of the car, because that's what tourists do. We snapped a couple pics, loaded back into the car and off we went.

We headed to Red Rock Casino where we all put a couple of bucks in the slots. I ended up winning about $5.00, but it didn't matter we had an absolute blast playing the Deal or No Deal slot machine. I kept getting bonuses and had to pick the briefcases. I had my whole family behind me cheering me on just like I was on the show. I forgot to mention that it was a penny slot so I absolutely refused to take the bankers deals and went for the gusto every time. On our way out of the casino we all got a whiff of the BBQ restaurant. WOW! Usually I can't smell too well but this was not the case with this joint. I am telling you I still smelled that scrumptous scent for days after. I think the smell lingered with all of us because after making it back to our side of town we decided to go to Lucille's BBQ at the District for dinner. Yummmmy!

No Rough Housing in the House!

Sunday we went up to my mom's to spend some time with my sister Laurie before her and Ken left back to Montana. We had a great visit and missed them a ton before they even left. It is so hard being so far away from some of our family members. We so look forward to their visits and our visits to them.

Dad put together a fantastic meal as always, BBQ ribs and chicken and all the trimmings! Soon after eating Laurie and Ken headed out to the Airport. We hung out at my parent's a little longer and the kids (Charlie included) had one to many M&M's out of the candy dish. The sugar rush in all of them made for some fun entertainment for the rest of us. Charlie, Cole and Kadence had quite the wrestling match. Once I thought Cole and Kadee actually had their dad down for the count he would bounce back up! It was hilarious... Kadee and Daddy exhausted after their WWF match in Grandma's living room!

Happy Birthday Uncle Pete!

For my sister's husband's (Pete) birthday we all went to one of our favorite restaurants...Garduno's in the Palms. Pete and my sis Julie

Garduno's is actually a transplant from Albuquerque and is a favorite there also. It's the only place in town where we can get traditional New Mexico food with best of all...lots of green chile! Oh how I crave it! My favorite is stuffed sopapillas...two sopapillas stuffed with beef and chicken and then covered with melted cheese and lots of green chile...YUMMY! But the absolute best thing about Gardunos is the coconut margarita...it really tastes like a Pina Colada but they put it in a huge margarita glass and circle the rim of the glass with honey and coconut. It is simply to die for. Shame on me for not taking a picture of one to post. Guess I will have to go back again and get another!

My sister Laurie and her boyfriend Ken were in town so they got to join us. It was a great dinner.Laurie and Ken

The whole bunch of us anxiously awaiting our food!

Poor mom just had shoulder surgery, but boy is she able to hang with the best of them!

My handsome man...I love the fact that he's such a good boy and I can actually take him out without too much fussing. He is decked out in his cool blue Baby Crocs...too cute!

Easter Sunday 2009

Easter morning started out with the kids, Charlie included, coming downstairs to find their Easter baskets the Easter Bunny left for them. Lots of candy and some fun toys including a Lite Brite! Charlie was pleased to get a basket full of fishing goodies! The kids played all morning with their toys and watched Beverly Hills Chihuahau which was left in Kadee's basket.
Later that afternoon Grandpa and Grandma Syrros, Aunt Julie, Uncle Pete, Cody, Dani and Vic all came over for Easter dinner. Before we sat down to dinner the kids searched for Easter eggs in the front yard.
Cole was hilarious, he would run right by the real eggs and wanted nothing to do with them! He was only interested in finding the plastic eggs because he knew they had candy in them! Kadence looked for the bigger plastic eggs because she knew those ones had $$$ in them. My how fast kids learn! The hunt was very successful, we found all eggs without having to leave any out for strangers to find!
After the egg hunt it was time to eat! My parents spoiled us rotten with Honeybaked ham (one of my favorites), turkey, homemaded rolls, bridal salad and my sister made scalloped potatoes. It was delicious. And of course, there is nothing like finishing up a great family meal than with a slice of mom's homemade chocolate cream pie or lemon meringue pie. It really was delicious!
Happy Easter!

My 34th Birthday!

On March 6, I turned 34 years old! I had a wonderful birthday. My parents came and picked up Kadence and came back with the most beautiful flowers, a bouquet of Stargazer Lillies. These are my favorite flowers and I couldn't remember having any since my wedding in 2000. It was such a wonderful surprise!

Charlie's parents came in for the weekend and we had a wonderful visit. On Friday night our old neighbors who we miss very much, Peter and Dolly stopped by to bring me some beautiful flowers. We enjoyed some yummy pizza (which we typically have every Friday night) and had a good time catching up.
On Saturday night we decided to celebrate my b-day. Barb Neilson brought a delicious brisket from Abq and we cooked it up along with lots of other delicious food. My parents, Julie, Pete and the kids also came over to celebrate. It was a wonderful night topped off with a Dulce De Leche Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory that my parents brought, it was DELICIOUS!