Shamless Snapshot Showoff

Giving your bushes a haircut

I thought this was so funny I took a picture. I am glad I happened to have my camera in the car with me.



They gave their hedge a mohawk!

The Soup's On

Because the air has a chill to it I've been in the mood for soup. I haven't made soup for years, I think, because it's always been too hot to let a pot boil for an extended period of time indoors.

Soups I've made so far:

Cream of Potato Soup
Corn Chowder
Pea Soup
Chili
Jambalaya
Saurkraut (which is really just soup-ish)

The really good thing about this is that my kids have loved all of the soups. They actually eat them and haven't complained! Most of my recipes just come out of my "Better Homes and Garden's New Cookbook" and they are yummy!

Family Pictures

So the family picture currently on our wall, although cute, is way outdated. In it we only have two children and the youngest was six months old. For the record we have three, and our youngest is currently eleven monthds old. So it's been 2 1/2 years. So I asked my SIL to take some pictures of us to update our wall. We went out on Saturday to find a beautiful cloudless day. This means there is a little too much sun, and we were in danger of squinty eyes. So we did the best we could with the little bit of shade there was.


These are the best two we got. I've ordered them from Costco and soon we will be all set!

Balloon Glowdeo

One of Gordon's co-workers gave us two tickets to the Balloon Fiesta. So we got to go again! We went to the night show and we loved that too. We sat on a blanket in the middle of the field and watched as they filled the balloons around us. Then as the sun went down they would count down and all the balloonists would turn on the gas at once and the effect was beautiful. Later we had a wonderful fireworks show.

Balloon Fiesta!

Wow! This was really cool to see. We got up at five in the morning and took breakfast with us to eat there. We basically milled around and watched the hundreds of balloons around us. Just an awesome sight. We found a used balloon for sale, only $6000, wouldn't that be a great hobby?

A Preview

I know they are just little dots, but those are hot air balloons. The Balloon Fiesta is the biggest celebration I think Albuquerque puts on. We are going tomorrow morning, we'll be on the field walking in between the ballons and watching them lift off. Imagine seeing hundreds of balloons all around you! We're really looking forward to it. So after tomorrow, I should have some much better (at least closer) pictures of the balloons.

You've Had a Birthday! Shout Hooray!

I'm a little late posting but we did celebrate a birthday last month. My baby Eve is three!
Here's a little jog down memory lane.


Eve, seconds old.


Our new family


Eve, One year old


Eve, two years old

We partied with some new friends who graciously let us throw the party at their house with their dishes.
Eve with her new sunglasses, that she loves.

Eve's princess cake

Enjoying the cake.

I love my Eve, even though her three-year-old antics drive me crazy every day. She has such an infectious smile and the best hugs. I'm so glad she's part of our family.

Petroglyph National Monument

We're exploring our new surroundings. This area is just on the other side of town, maybe 25 minutes from our house. It's also only $2 per vehicle to get in, and a little hike to see the petroglyphs.



A Millipede I found, we were really excited to see such a big bug the first time, then, I think we found 10+ more during our short visit there.

New Mexico State Fair

I'd never been to the State Fair before. I remember my class going for a field trip once in elementarty school. I don't remember the reason, but I wasn't able to go. We waited until "Dollar day" and took our family to the state fair. My SIL and nieces came with us too, and it was an adventure! Keeping track of five little girls in the crowds of people is not an easy feat, even with three adults! We managed to not lose anyone and had a little fun while we were there.


The girls on a tractor


Eva, the little farmer!


Eve milking a cow!




We actually took our whole group on this Ferris Wheel! All eight of us in one booth!

Hold on tight!


All in all it was pretty fun, I think next time I'll bring more snacks of our own along, and maybe arrive earlier, there was so much more to see.

Happy October!

We have stuff! Too much of it, but it's exciting never-the-less. We rented a house and have been camping out in it for a week and a half waiting for our things to follow us. They finally came last Thursday and it was beyond nice to sleep on a mattress. We had been on an air mattress while we waited.

Things I have a new appreciation for:
metal forks- mixing batter or even eggs with a flexible plastic fork is tough work.
desks- using the computer while it was set up on the floor has given me a backache!
piles of toys- our girls really longed for a new variety of toys very quickly, we had only brought along the favorites.

Now the unpacking has begun, we started small and so far have the master closet and bathroom totally unpacked. I'm hoping today that I'll finish both of the girl's rooms and my bedroom.

I'll post pictures when it's precentable.