Trick or Treat!

Sullivan really gave Nonnie and me a fashion show's worth of poses in her fancy costume. She was so adorable.



Wouldn't you love to give these little darlings lots of candy?


Heading out the door...




This was more fun trick-or-treating than I've ever had.

The loot!

After 2 streets, I was ready to bring Tink home. Her small bag of candy was a very big deal to her, and she immediately began taking inventory on a chair in the kitchen. Then, after the boys got home, she sat down on the floor and made this neat little semi-circle out of her candy. She likes things just-so.





The boys haphazardly dumped their candy in huge piles on the floor. Such BOYS!

Dress Rehearsal

The day before Halloween we made a last-minute decision to buy costumes for trick-or-treating. Will made a Wal-Mart run and came home with 3 military costumes and one Tinkerbell. Our tiny fairy could not have been happier!


Levi was the only Army man who came around for a picture!

Just a little dancing

Will's the best daddy. He adores his boys and cherishes his girl. You can see it when he dances with her.

Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cake

MMMmmmmmm..... I will be making this again! Black coffee required.

A blast from the past...

Mom brought Sulli this necklace (since she's obsessed with any and all forms of jewelry). It was mine - of course, it's a HORSE - and I haven't seen it since I was like 10. Sullivan says "Hoisie, hoisie..." over and over. She loves it.

Reading

Mom was so helpful (I know you're surprised to hear that!), even just being here a few days. We had one day of school during her visit, and she did all of Titus' reading with him. That was great! Then Will wanted a picture of both of us in our glasses. ;) Nerd alert!

Great Aunt Betty

When Mom arrived in San Diego on October 28th, we picked her up at the airport and went straight to her Aunt Betty's house in Carlsbad. When Fauv (Betty's brother) died and his house was being cleaned, Mom and Judy thought his sister would love the beautiful picture of their mother (Lula Maude Hadden) Fauv had hanging in his bedroom. Will and I took it home to CA with us and have been meaning to get it to her! It was great to have Mom here and for all of us to be able to spend some time with Betty (88) and take her to lunch. She is such a sweet and spunky gal!

Pumpkins

Remember those sad little pumpkins from the pumpkin patch? Will carved them up with the kids before Halloween and they loved it.






This was Sulli's first time scooping out pumpkin seeds. I really enjoyed watching her.






I love these cutie-pie boys of mine!!!



We really don't put Grandma to work around here... but she does love to help. If a dish needs to be dried, she jumps up to do it! Here are the finished jack-o-lanterns. ;)

Sweet Moments

Having Grandma live with us is adding so much to our lives and our home. Will and I love the sweet stories she tells from time to time because we love what the boys are learning - not just from her, but from having an older, wiser person in their lives. Titus spent a couple of hours with her the other day, just hanging out. I heard them talking and I heard Grandma telling a made-up story about a family and a watermelon. Anyways, when I went downstairs later, Titus had fallen asleep on her lap as she stroked his hair. She was still telling her story, even though he was sound asleep. These are those moments that the kids will never forget.

Happy birthday, Grandma, from Steve and Julie

Will's Uncle Steve and Aunt Julie sent us all out to dinner for Grandma's birthday. We went to the Vineyard Rose at South Coast Winery - a beautiful restaurant with fabulous food. What a treat! And Grandma seemed so thrilled that we all got to go out because of her. What a wonderful, wonderful gift for her.






The kids were all so great and well-behaved during our amazing dinner. People kept commenting on how nice our kids are. Just look at the little angels. ;) (I'm so glad God answered our prayers.)


Grandma was so cute and smiled a lot. She is so very sweet.




Zane took these pictures of Will and me. It's nice to have a kid old enough to actually take a picture for us once in a while!



Sullivan enjoyed gourmet foods like bananas and Funjuns. Funny girl!



At the end of our perfect dining experience, our waitress brought Grandma a special birthday slice of cheesecake. Of course, G.G. didn't want to eat without us, so we had it boxed up and took it home to eat with ice cream sundaes. What a fun and delicious evening out! Thank you so much, Aunt Steve and Uncle Julie!!! ;) (The boys called them that once, and it stuck.)

Peltzer Farm

Last week I took the boys on a field trip to Peltzer Farm, about five minutes from our house (we LOVE it here!) There were originally 17 kids from our co-op signed up to go, and most of them got sick! So, it turned out to be just us and one other little girl. While we were waiting for Danae and her mom to arrive, the boys posed next to this super-cool motorcycle.





The kids enjoyed the petting zoo... especially Levi! He loved anything that slightly resembled his "Lollie." You'd think he'd never been around farm animals before! (And notice his red crocks - they are so goofy and he NEVER leaves home without them!)


I had to snap this guy... one very ginormous "Lollie."


I thought I'd better take a picture of these "lionhead" rabbits. You know, since Titus is partial to bunnies. ;)


The corn maze was especially fun! The kids LOVED trying to find their way through it.




Included in the farm tour was a "jack-o-lantern-sized" pumpkin. Hmmm.... not so sure this is accurate. The boys each got to pick out a pumpkin from one area where they were all very small. But they didn't seem to care.


The kids!


The boys and their punkins.


I'm missing my little girl here!



Funny faces!

Our Furry Surprise!

Meet Diego! We thought we were getting him in November at 12 weeks, but his family needed to move the pups along sooner, due to some allergy issues. We were totally surprised to learn, today, that he was ready to come home! He is an 8-week old Golden Retriever, and we really, really love him. We hope Jake learns to love him soon too... he's not totally sure yet. :)

So handsome!

About a month ago, I noticed Titus pulling his books very close to his face while reading. So, I took him for an eye exam and he needed glasses, just for reading! He could hardly wait the 2-3 weeks for his glasses to be ready for pick-up, and he is crazy about them (and VERY careful with them)! Isn't he adorable??

Happy 83rd Birthday, Grandma!

To celebrate sweet Grandma's special day, we invited the Alix family to join us. They have known and loved "Grandma Laurel" for years, and we knew she would love to see them! Sean and Mary Kay are two of our favorite people in the world and it was wonderful, as always, to spend the evening with them!



We had a Mexican fiesta for Grandma. I made green chile chicken enchiladas, beans and guacamole, and Mary Kay brought her delicious Mexican lasagna. Of course, I served everything on my hand-painted Talovera from Mexico, which Zane refers to as my "hispanic plates." That doesn't sound quite as fancy, does it?


Bailey was very cute with Sullivan. She was like her little mommy all evening.


All our kiddos get along so well. (Levi is missing because he was in trouble.) Sydney, Bailey and Luke are a joy to have around. As you can see, Sulli is smitten with little Luke. She followed him around much of the evening saying, "Friend," and patting him on the back.


OK... he's back now. ;)



I made an Emeril Lagasse cake we love called, crazily enough, "Gigi's Carrot Cake!" It's so delicous, and Grandma loved it. I didn't have 83 candles, so I just used 3. ;)

Waiting for the party to start...

While we waited for our guests to arrive, I got these adorable pictures of Will and his little girl.




My SILLY, SWEET AND SILLY girl!




Sulli is swaying to Alan Jackson's "I Come to the Garden."

All dressed for G.G.

On Friday morning, the day of Grandma's birthday party, the boys came to school dressed in something they thought was special. I did NOT ask them to, which makes it extra-cute! Titus was the dressiest of them all in his pin-striped suit pants and vest, dress shirt and tie.


Notice Zane's watch: he wears it almost every day because it belonged to his Fauv. He keeps it on his forearm so it doesn't fall off.


Sweet Levi


Such a cute bunch!





OK, I dressed Sulli... she LOVES this skirt. Can you tell she's saying, "CHEEEESE!"?

Let the little children come...

I love these pictures of Sullivan praying at school time one morning. She likes to sit in the middle of the school table where she can really get involved! ;)

At the Schumans' in Portland!

I was already being spoiled my first night in Portland... and my first night ever away from my family. When I got to the airport, an Eagle Town Car was waiting for me with my name on it. I was chauffeured to the OHSU Health and Wellness center where I got to sit in on an Ethics Committee meeting, where Cody presented a case. It was very interesting! Then it was off to the Schumans where we met Mom, Dad and Bruce and got to see the newly decorated Schuman home. It is gorgeous. A perfect start to an unforgettable weekend.


Bruce poked fun at the pig in the kitchen.


Dad enjoyed some wine before dinner.


Here is their lovely dining room, almost ready for dinner! After only breakfast and traveling all day, I don't think I've ever been so hungry.


Cody made Julia Childs' Boeuf Bourguignon for dinner. It was absolutely to die for! Thank you, Sis!


These were my accommodations for the weekend. What a beautiful room... with it's own coffee station. What a treat, to say the least.

Special night out

OK, it was strange at first to be out alone (and I did miss my handsome hubby), but I had a WONDERFUL time... not a care in the world. Can you see it in my eyes??:) The Schumans and Martins went to a lovely Italian restaurant and had our own room. I don't remember the name of it, but the food was so delicious and the chocolate cobbler I had for dessert..... What a fabulous and relaxing evening out.


I really enjoyed talking with Christine, Cody's sister, during dinner and getting to know her better. She's a lot of fun and is such a great mom to her little year-old Justine.


Love these two!


I am so fortunate to have Cody and Christine in my life. What fun and wonderful girls...


Bruce and Cody hold little Justine; isn't she adorable?


Cody's brother Justin has such a sweet and beautiful girlfriend, Miriam. They are a great couple!


I just love my mom and dad so much...


Mom and Suzanne are so cute together; they laugh a LOT.


The Schumans + The Martins = lots and lots of fun! Thank you, Roger and Dad, for the amazing dinner!!!

Party night!

Here is the now famous "Prickly Pear Fauvarita," named after our sweet Fauv. It was a beautiful and delicious version of a margarita... like something I'd never tasted. Yum!


Cody hired this sweet couple to serve food and clean up after the party; I'm telling you, THAT is how to have a great party. We ladies got to enjoy ourselves like everybody else and then sip "Fauvaritas" while the help scrubbed pots late at night. Ahhhh... great thinking, Sis!


I spent about 2 days baking "Tres Leches Coconut Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Buttercream" and they were worth every minute of it. I'm grateful to Cody for finding this perfect recipe people went wild for. The only problem was that 60 cupcakes were not enough...


The Spanish guitarists were so fabulous and added the perfect ambiance for the perfect party. I should mention that in a forecast of rain and gloom, God gave us a beautiful sunny day for our event, and several people dined outside on the patio. The Lord seemed to just pour out His blessing on this whole weekend.





I love the vignettes Bruce and Cody designed and placed around the house so people could learn more about Fauv. What a great touch.


I love Brucie so much! Thank you for having me, brother!


I love my sister Cody too!! Bruce did such a great job picking her. ;)


Mom, Cody and I worked hard cooking for this bash and had such a blast in the kitchen. Cody and I laugh about how perfect we are for each other as "sisters." God makes no mistakes. ;) Mom made her famous Posole (trust me, it's not the tasteless stuff you get at restaurants), I made green chile chicken enchiladas and Cody made awesome guacamole. Then there were beans and all the fixins.... everything was delicious!


Here is Bruce with the Martins, minus Suzanne. They are such a great family!!!


Cody's brother Justin with niece Justine.... so cute!


Dad helped himself to a "Fauvarita!"


Mom, Suzanne and family friend KP





We estimate about 70 friends and family members came to pay tribute to Bruce Eastman and his extraordinary talent. People enjoyed touring the house and reading about each piece. What a wonderful party... and what a blessing to each of us who knew and loved our precious Fauv. Bruce and Cody, thank you for your weeks and weeks of planning and all of the preparation that went into this. Cody, I know Bruce appreciates you as much as I do for wanting to do this; you are so special.

More beautiful art

Here are some more lovely paintings around the Schuman home.


I love the way Bruce and Cody have finished their living room... especially with this amazing painting.


Fauv carved this gorgeous frame for this mirror, which used to be in his and Nonnie's bedroom in Salida.

Getting ready for Portland...

Bruce and Cody are hosting quite a party at their lovely home this weekend (Oct. 3) to view the paintings and celebrate the life of our wonderful grandfather who recently passed away. Bruce Eastman was a brilliant artist of Northern NM and Southern CO scenes, and I thought I would post some of the beautiful work that graces the Powell home, as I am getting ready to leave. I am SO EXCITED to travel by myself to Oregon (thank you, sweet brother and sister) and be a part of this honorary celebration. There will be fabulous New Mexican cuisine, live Spanish guitars, and the love of family and friends! I will have much to post when I return!




These have been gifts from Fauv over the years; they are some of my favorites.





Our most recent additions... how blessed we are!


San Lorenzo De Picuris


This is an altar at a catholic church in Santa Fe or Taos, NM. I especially love the hand-carved and painted frame.




When my grandparents lived in Salida, CO, I remember how warm and inviting their home was (and the aroma coming from the kitchen... nothing compared!). This picture of my Nonnie was taken for the newspaper, doing a story on how she loved to bake cakes and freeze them so they were ready any time family was coming for a visit. It even included some of her special recipes. (You can see where I got my love of baking!) As for this beautiful chest, I used to sit in their living room and just stare at it, I thought it was so beautiful! How does someone create and carve something like this from wood and tile? Fauv was one of a kind! Nonnie told me this would be mine one day, and now it is.


I've always loved my cedar chest. The intricate carvings are so amazing, and I keep special linens from Nonnie in there.

Ready for church

On Sunday, Sullivan loved the dress I picked out, and she seemed to admire the sweet little girl in the mirror.

"I've Moved" photo

We finally ordered cards to send to Grandma's friends, letting them know what her new address is. This picture turned out great!