Happy Thanksgiving!

Jessi and JoAnn (Mom)

Getting an early start on dinner

Look at all that yummy food!

I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving and got to eat lots of yummy food like we did. Zach and I spent Thanksgiving at my parents this year. My Grandpa Elmer, my cousin Scott and his wife Jamie and my brother Shawn and his kids were all there too. Troy, Larin and Heather headed to the in-laws this year. It was a pretty small crowd compared to most years but it was still a lot of fun.

Heather baking away

Hanna
(our little helper for the day)

Jessi adding the whipping cream
to the pumpkin and banana pies

These are a few of the pies we made
Heather had already taken home 3 of hers

Heather made the pies for Matt's family and I made the pies for us and in my family nothing but homemade start from scratch, grind your own flour, collect the eggs from the chicken, better step foot in my Mom's house (okay so I exaggerate a tad bit but seriously we are all about baking from scratch). We started Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. and finished at 5:30 p.m. but it was well worth it and a lot of fun doing it together. Thank goodness Heather is patient because for all of those who know me I expect perfection and when it doesn't look perfect I get frustrated, I want my pies to look like a picture out of a cook book, silly I know.

I have to brag for just a second here so bare with me for a moment. Last year in October I decided that my Mom's family is awesome cooks and we needed a cook book made so I decided to take on the task. Granted it was about a 3 times bigger task then anticipated and the cook book turned out huge but I LOVE IT and it was well worth the time. My Grandma is an amazing cook and she raised three girls who are all amazing cooks, and now they are passing the tradition down to their daughters. Which by the way includes my sister in-laws.

Ethan's Baptism

Ethan

Ethan and Shawn

Ethan with his Grandparents
Left: Vance and JoAnn
Right: Bardel and Emogene


Harely, Carter, Holli and Mason

  My nephew got baptized today and we got to be there with him. I love this kid so much, he always gives me such big hugs when I see him. Ethan was a little nervous at first but it all went great and there was a awesome spirit there. Shaylynn (Ethan's 10 year old sister) sang a primary song and she did such a amazing job...I don't think there was a dry eye in the room when she was done. I'm so proud of Ethan for his decision and I know Lyndell was smiling down on him today with a proud heart.

Happy Birthday To Me!

Hanna and Jessi making the cake

Hanna using the mixer like a pro

Hanna, Jessi, JT and Libby
(can you tell how I feel about getting older)

Well I turned the big 27 this week : (. It was kind of cute because Hanna helped me make my birthday cake and she kind of thought the presents were either all for her or from her. She was such a good helper, she even helped Zach wrap the presents and then she would bring them upstairs to me and say "here Jessi it's your present, open it" I would ask her if I should wait for Zach and she would just say "no, it's okay it's from me, it's a box."

Husband Tag

Since I got tagged by both Teira and Lacey I thought I'd better do it so here you go all about my hubby Zach : ).

WHAT IS YOUR HUSBAND'S NAME? Zach

HOW LONG HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN MARRIED? 3 years 6 months

HOW LONG DID YOU DATE? 6 months from hello to I do
HOW OLD IS HE? 26

WHO IS TALLER? He is

WHO CAN SING BEST? Him, for sure, I can't sing

WHO IS SMARTER? I am (I feel bad saying it but school comes easy to me)

WHO DOES LAUNDRY? I do but he has done a couple loads over the last 3 years.

WHO PAYS BILLS? I do

WHO SLEEPS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BED? When you are looking at the bed I do

WHO MOWS THE LAWN? We use to switch every other time but this last he did every time but once (score for me)

WHO COOKS DINNER? I do, but he does grill during the summer.

WHO'S THE FIRST TO ADMIT THEY ARE WRONG? I know people won't believe this but it's tied.

WHO KISSED WHO FIRST? He did, he said I was the first girl that ever made him make the first move (what can I say I like them to work for it)

WHO WEARS THE PANTS? : ) okay like it needs to be said ME

Stampin' Up Party

I went to my friend Rachel's Stamp a Stack party on Saturday. It was a lot of fun, I love to do things like this but I'm the type that needs to use other peoples ideas. If you like to do Stampin' Up then you have to check out her blog (it's under Austin & Rachel) to see some of the cute things she's done. I love her mummy cards she did for Halloween, they are way cute.

Babysitting

Mason and Carter
Getting ready to dig into their Micky Mouse pancakes

Carter was so excited for the cookies
he kept checking to see if they were done

Carter and Zach frosting their cookies

Carter putting sprinkles on his cookie

Carter showing off his work of art
(before he eats it)

Mason
Doesn't he have the cutest little face?

My niece Holli and her husband Harley went to Vegas for a few days and Holli asked Zach and I to come to her house and hang out with her boys. Carter and Mason are the best little boys ever, they were so easy to watch. I was very impressed with them, I watch kids all the time so I wasn't too worried but I thought boys, okay loud, crazy a little rowdy, I can handle it. Well not these boys, you tell them it's time for bed and they run to their rooms and get in bed, no crying or anything just straight to bed and good night. We didn't have one temper tantrum or have to get after them at all. Like their parents they love to play sports, they loved to just throw the ball back and forth so of coarse they were Zach's little buddies. Actually Mason I think was a little home sick for his mommy because he was my little cuddle bug, I loved it. Like I said watching these guys was a breeze and then Holli brought me home a cute scarf from Vegas so I feel a little guilty but thank you Holli that was sweet of you to bring me home a present for the easiest babysitting job ever.

While we were there I didn't get a ton of pictures but I did get a couple. The boys love Mickey Mouse Club House and Sponge Bob but I didn't know how to make Sponge Bob pancakes very well so we stuck to Mickey Mouse. Carter and I made sugar cookies together and then Carter and Zach decorated them. Mason had a bit of a cold so he just wanted to watch and cuddle, until it was time to eat them of coarse then he wanted in on the action. It was cute because while we were decorating them Carter asked me if one was for his Mom and one for his Dad. Then on Tuesday he runs into the bedroom and tells me Zach said Mommy be home in 5 hours. I think he missed them, just a little : ).

Lunch With The Girls

Jessi, Heather, Mom (JoAnn) & Hanna

Since Lyndells birthday was this week Mom, Heather, Wendy, Whitney and I decided we need to go to lunch together (Holli is in Vegas with her hubby). So, we headed up to Troy and Wendy's and went out to the Garden (yummy). The five of us ladies have been through alot together and it is nice sometimes to just take a minute and enjoy each other while we still have each other. I love these guys so much and I'm so glad I have them in my life, they are my very best friends and I couldn't ask for better ones. Thanks ladies for the fun day!

SENTIMENTAL NOTE:

For any of you who don't know my sister in-law Lyndell passed away 12-31-07 and it's been a bit of a rough year for well a lot of reasons but that's a big one. On Thursday Heather and I decided to go work out at the gym at 6 a.m. well besides the fact that we decided to do that it was November 6th (Lyndells birthday) so the day wasn't exactly headed down a good road. The weirdest thing though (this actually happens to me all the time) but on my way to Heathers house the song "I'm already there" was on the radio (which was one of Lyndells favorite songs) but then after working out Heather and I started talking about her and what do you know but the song "Live like you were dying" came on (hello he finds out he has cancer and so he sees life differently). My point to all of this is I miss my friend and that maybe she's sending me a sign that she misses me and still thinks about me too. So to one of my very best friends that I miss very much "happy late birthday and I love you."

Jessi and Lyndell
**November 2007**

Before and After

BEFORE

Since we've been married Zach has only had a clean shaven face once. He always has at least a little hair on his chin. The last time Zach has been clean shaven was 2 YEARS AGO! He has had a full beard for about 2 1/2 months and I asked him to please shave the beard off, not everything just not a full beard. Well, Zach decide to go baby faced and this is how it looks.

AFTER