Partying with the Evans

The month of December continues right along and the partying does also. On the 21st the Evans Family gathered at a church in Gilbert to have their annual Christmas Party. What a good idea that was to have it at a church where there was plenty of room and a place for the children to run and have fun. Of course, we had "Flora Specials" which by the way were not as good as last year! We did have a wonderful time with visiting, eating, and enjoying entertainment from the different families.

Scott, Jeanine, and Ned having a visit

Enjoying the chips and salsa

Reddin getting some liquid refreshment

Checking out the "Flora Specials"

Enjoying the eats

Part of the Evans' Grandchildren

The Salmon grandchildren entertaining the group

The Evans Grandchildren performing their number

Fun and Parties

Wow! What a busy season this has been! I am still just as busy. I will do the month of December in segments since I'm so far behind. On December 14th we had our annual Hatch Christmas Party at the home of my nephew, Gyle and his lovely wife Debbie. What a fun time we had. Debbie had rented a horse and carriage to take us around the neighborhood to look at the lights. We had good food and good visiting and the traditional exchanging of gifts. This year we deviated from the normal sub sandwich to soup and salads with dessert. It was very good and I think everyone enjoyed the fare. We missed all of the family who could not be with us.

Carriage ride

Trevor, Reddin with Kayda, Karen, Chris with Sage, Vanessa, Carrie, Aubrey

Who knows?

That evening Stephanie and Collin flew in from New York and Travis followed on the 17th which just happened to be our anniversary. Wayne and I have been married for 33 years. It is hard to believe that so much time has gone by. We truely enjoyed the visits from the New York Evans!

Isn't he the cutest!

Collin and Auntie Aubs

Enjoying family

Happy Birthday to Abby

Well, this cute little thing did make it to her third birthday. There was some doubt with some of the antics she pulled last summer i.e. the roof, wandering the neighborhood by herself. Abby aka Abbadoozer, Babbity Rabbit, Babs, Babby, Abs, Babbit, Abba-dabba had us all over for chili and corn bread. What a fun time we had! We all love Abby!

Say Cheese!

Abby sharing her suckers from Aunt Katie

Opening the presents

Happy Birthday toAbby. Liam is next!

Festivities

Our fun started when Payton had her #4 Birthday Party for the family on the day after her birthday. Isn't she a pretty princess?

Happy Birthday Payton!

Everyone gathered at the Evan's to have a great time.

Getting ready to eat some yummy pasta, garlic bread and salad.

I wonder what that could be--not cereal, I hope!

We all had a good time celebrating with Payton. It got us ready for Thanksgiving and all the traditions that go along with it. Thanksgiving Day starts out with the annual Turkey Trot, which has grown very large. It is a good place to see people you know and enjoy some good Valley of the Sun weather.

Gathering for the race.

Liam has his big grump on.

Here comes the turkey!

The runners.

The two milers!

Discussing the race.

The Neus family.

Kayda checking out Adele.

After the race we have always had breakfast with the extended Evan's family at the park. That tradition has become outdated but some of the Wayne Evans Family gathered at the Neus home to enjoy omelets and muffins. Just what we needed to get ready for the turkey dinner to come.

Marcus and Megan invited us along with the Bradshaw Family to their house for the Thanksgiving Feast. And what a feast it was with all the fixings to have a wonderfully scrumptous dinner complete with homemade cranberry sauce and green jello. You couldn't ask for a better time with good food and company. Thanks Marcus and Megan! That was great! No leftovers to call my name from the refrigerator and other places.

That evening everyone congregated at our house for rolls and turkey (I had to have one for flautas), strawberry and pretzel jello, and dessert that didn't get eaten. Thanks to Karen everyone had a good time making oreo and candy corn turkeys. Great idea!

Gettin instructions for the construction of the birds.

Neil and Trevor are proud of their turkeys.

As is Ruthie

Payton's turned out well.

Kayda enjoying crasins and Grandma is enjoying the babies.

Neil and Payton looking for Waldo!

Matthew doesn't look like he enjoyed his dinner.

Adele is getting so big and grown up.

It Must Be the Season!

The day after Thanksgiving and the Christmas songs can commence playing. I can dig out my Christmas socks. I could wear my Christmas sweaters, but it is WAY too warm. And I can start on my annual Christmas Pajama pants frenzy. Every year I vow that I am going to start this project early but it just doesn't happen. I guess that is part of the tradition to start the day after Thanksgiving and resist the urge to participate in the "Black Friday" madness.

I Got Tagged and here are 50 Things About Me!

1. I love working at the Temple and would love to go somewhere fun on a mission to serve in a Temple or maybe even a church history site.
2. I am not organized and wish I was.
3. I love wrestling-not the hokey TV wrestling--but the real kind.
4. It was hard for me to watch my sons wrestle, especially the one who spent most of his time 10 pounds lighter than the weight class he was in.
5. I was a crazy lady when I did watch my sons wrestle.
6. I miss going to high school sports events to watch my children.
7. I am usually mild mannered but sometime my alter ego gets loose and I yell things that I wish I hadn't after the fact.
8. I LOVE baseball and think catchers are really HOT!
9. I am an Olympics nut and would watch it 24/7 if I could.
10. My idea of a perfect vacation is to go somewhere restful and read most of the time.
11. I love to go to Disneyland, especially with family.
12. I would love to live on the beach.
13. I am afraid of heights and absolutely hated going to the Grand Canyon with my children.
14. I would love to have slender nice feet so I could wear knock-out shoes.
15. I love LOVE fabric and love to go to fabric stores and just look and feel.
16. I am vain about my fingernails and sorely miss the acrylics!
17. I am a sap for a good romantic movie or book.
18. I love to read especially historical fiction.
19. I admit that I am a "Twilight" saga fan and I like Edward over Jacob. I also admit that I'm a Harry Potter fan and have read them all twice.
20. I love reality shows on TV but not all of them.
21. I would love to be able to draw and paint.
22. I love the French language.
23. I have always wanted to travel to Japan and Australia, but after being in England and Scotland I would love to go back there.
24. I don't have a phobia about riding elevators, however I do worry a bit about getting stuck on one. I used to have a fear of having the door close on me until I realized that it would just open up again.
25. I am very particular about my pencils--I will not write with a dull one and I prefer long ones over short little stubby things.
26. I was an orchestra geek for one year when my high school orchestra needed another body to play the cello (and that is pretty much what I was).
27. I love pickled beets and fried okra!
28. I have been called a "Salsa Snob" when I go without salsa when all that is available is Pace.
29. At one time I wanted to become an interior designer, until I found I had no talent in that area.
30. I tend to be a perfectionist at times.
31. I would love to go white water rafting if I didn't have to camp out.
32. I love the music of the "Big Band" era.
33. I am an official "sweetaholic". Give me any kind of sweet stuff to eat and I'm in heaven. When people say a dessert is so rich and they can't eat it I just look at them like they are from another planet.
34. I am not one who likes the limelight--let me be in the background and I'm happy as a clam.
(How can clams be happy, they get eaten?)
35. I hate to exercise.
36. I love finding a really good bargin.
37. I don't like to have my face covered up.
38. I was a pommie in high school--I know that one is a shocker!
39. At my 40 year class reunion I didn't recognize most of the people there including an old boyfriend.
40. I love to eat green apples (the unripe kind of green) with salt on them.
41. I am very picky about eating corn on the cob -- it has to be very young and tender (I hate getting corn kernals stuck in my teeth).
42. I hate being wrong or being told I made a mistake.
43. I hate saying I'm sorry.
44. I would like to be able to sing.
45. I would like to be better at cleaning my house and keeping it in order.
46. I wish I was better at seeing needs and then meeting them.
47. I wish I was not such a big procrastinator.
48. I would like to do a Cookie Day with my grandchildren before Christmas some time.
49. I wish I liked getting up early.
50. I worry about being a funny old lady who forgets what her name is.

This was really hard to do and now I tag Aubrey and anyone else who reads my blog and has a desire to do some in depth thinking about themselves.

Happy Halloweekend!

What a weekend we had! It all started on Friday when Wayne and I went to the Employment Center to say good-bye to Scott Farmer, who has been over the employment centers in the southwest. He is a great guy, lots of fun and down to earth, and will be missed. He is going to be the recorder at the Mesa Temple. He has a tender spot in my heart because he is my nephew's brother-in-law and calls me "Aunt Paula".

When we got home from the Center Carrie and her little rugrats were here. Carrie and Brendon ended up going out to eat with some friends and we had Sawyer, Abby, and Matty. Matty went to sleep so we left him with the aunt and uncle and we took Sawyer and Abby across the street to eat soup with the neighborhood. Of course Abby was more interested in going potty in a new bathroom and playing on the toys out front than eating her soup and Sawyer was more interested in the rolls than the soup (she had three). Thanks Pam for the fun and good food.
Halloween was the next day and did we have fun. I had pumpkin bread bowls, chicken tortilla soup, and Megan made a really yummy potato soup. This year I added "Mummy Dogs" to the menu.

Here is Waldo eating Chicken Tortilla Soup.

And for dessert we had Spider Cookies

Everyone had a good time and the costumes were great!

We found Waldo!

And a very sad Witch!

Abby cleans up pretty good--what a cute Cinderella!

And this is the "Boy Who Lived"

Here is Chubby Bunny

Liam McQueen

May the Force be with you!

Such a great witch!

Here are the witches together and Where's Waldo?

Imagine Payton being a princess--such a lovely Sleeping Beauty!

Kayda loved the candy!

Auntie Aubs trying out the car!

Harry Potter having some dinner!

Working off the soup and bread bowls!

It was fun being together and having Travis, Callie, Carter, and Luke over also! We also celebrated Matthew's first birthday. My how different he is this year than last. We are so proud of the progress he has made. Happy Birthday little man!

And the fun weekend just kept going. The next day Adele finally was blessed. She is officially Paula Adele Evans. Am I so excited to have a grandbaby named after me. I just did not think that would happen--after all what goes with Paula as a middle name. Marcus and Megan surprised me and put it first. Thank you and what a sweet little thing she is.

Mom and Adele

Dad and Adele

The gang who was there minus Carrie.

Isn't Adele so sweet?

The men and Adele

We all gathered at the M & M's house and had a wonderful time visiting. Later that evening the extended Evans Family got together to break the fast. It was a great weekend but boy am I tired!