Citrus Orchard

We have a fun u-pick citrus orchard here in Surprise. We went one Saturday and had a blast! They had tons of different kinds of citrus and it was so much fun just walking through the orchards! 

2013 Reads and Reviews

 I didn't read as many books as I usually like to 2013, but hey I was also in school the whole year too!

The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

This novel was pretty good.  The story was engaging and the writing flowed well.  I love getting a glimpse into historical times I don't know too much about.  It was so amazing to me that the Salem witch trials really happened and innocent people were really imprisoned and killed.

The Friday Night Knitting Club (audiobook) by Kathleen Jacobs

I needed an audiobook to listen to while I was driving to work, so I choose this one since it was available and was on the popular list.  It was just ok.  It was long and had some really slow parts.  There was something enjoyable about though, and I was able to listen to it until the end.

The Secret Garden (audiobook) by Francis Hodgen Burnett

I wanted to read or listen to a few classics this year.  I know I had probably read this as a girl or at least seen the movie, but I didn't really remember what happened in the story.  It was absolutely enchanting.  I loved listening to it.  It wasn't too long and it transported me to a different world like any good book should do.  

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

The book was good. It sucked me in and I wanted to keep reading until the end.  It is a love story with some historical fiction and religious fiction mixed in too. I had chosen this book because a lot of people had rated it highly.  For me though it was just good not great.  It lacked some sort of depth... can't really put my finger on what it was missing though.

The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (audiobook)

I know I read this in middle school but couldn't remember very much about it.  It was ok, it is a classic and has an intriguing story line.  Hawthorne was trying to do something different by having the reader know all of the inner thoughts and emotions of the characters.  The amount of detail though causes parts of the book to really drag on, but overall I see why it is considered a classic.

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

I saw this book in the store a few times and decided to give it a try.  It was interesting to read more about Chinese culture and fit into my favorite category of historical fiction.  Overall I enjoyed the book but it did get a little long in the middle with not a lot of action.  In the end it leaves you with a cliff hanger and not really any resolution.

Dreams of Joy by Lisa See

I enjoyed this sequel more than I did Shanghai Girls.  It was set in China and had a little more suspense in it.  Since this is a period of time and culture I'm not familiar with it was really enjoyable to learn more about it.  Like I said the plot in this story had a good amount of suspense which was enjoyable.

Garden of Madness by Tracy L. Higley

This book is set in Babylon during King Nebuchadnezzar's rule and follows the story of his daughter.  Overall it is the perfect setting of a book that interests me, I love learning more about biblical times even if a lot the info comes from theories.  I enjoyed listening to the book and towards the end it got pretty suspenseful.  The author uses very flowery language and I feel tries too hard to describe every detail so that was a downside for me.  

The White Princess by Phillipa Gregory

The book was good, I always love reading different takes on various Tudor histories. There are multiple theories so it is fun to read a person from their perspective when before they might have been portrayed as evil. Overall what I expect from this author good but not great.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLaine (Audiobook)

I listened to the book while driving to and from work. It is the story of Ernest Hemingway's first wife. It read like classic literature in that it focuses heavily on the internal development of the primary characters rather than on a plot. Some parts seemed really long with nothing really happening. I think it was well written, but in the end it left me feeling depressed. 

December Pics

I finally uploaded all of the pics I had on my camera from the beginning of December. Maybe I should get to posting and sharing them ; )

We actually put up our tree in November before Thanksgiving. We were ready for some Christmas in our house, it always makes it feel a little more cozy.

Ethan was pouting while we were putting up our tree because he wanted tinsel on it this year and I told him I was going to put ribbon around it instead.

Our cousins came to visit in early December and we went out to enjoy an ice cream treat!

I actually made time to bake cookies and for snack after school one day we decorated and ate some!

Family Pictures

I just wanted to share the family pics we had done last month. They turned out great! Erika Loveland did an awesome job and now I have new pictures to hang on my wall since our last ones are 1.5 years old. Hope you enjoy!

 

 

October Fun

Wow, October was a very busy month. We managed to squeeze in a few fall activities. Avery and I went on a farm field trip with some preschool friends. We carved pumpkins just before Halloween, and dressed up as a family like we usually do. This year we were Brave, we didn't have the same gusto this year for our costumes so we'll have to see if decide to keep doing big costumes as a family every year.

Josh and Avery helped carve pumpkins and Ethan......

was hiding because he hates to touch anything slimy and doesn't like to help with the pumpkins.

We didn't get as many pics as we should have but here is one from Michael's phone. Michael is King Fergus, I am Queen Elinor, Avery is Merida and the boys are two of suitors who come to marry Merida.

Ethan's 9th Birthday

Our Ethan turned 9 last month....I know he is getting so old. It was his year to have a birthday party with friends, but we couldn't think of too many fun things we could do just at our house. So we decided he could take just a few friends to play laser tag and get pizza for his birthday. It actually worked out really well. Our van was just big enough to load up 4 friends plus his brother. They started out with a prize bag on each of their seats and were all hyped up by the time we got to laser tag. I got an excellent deal once we got there that I wasn't even expecting, so each boy got to play one game of laser tag and then each had credits to play games in the arcade. After they played we ate pizza and cupcakes and then dropped everyone back off.

 

Ethan is a good boy. He still is really smart and does well at school. He is in cub scouts and is taking piano lessons right now. He is really into Lego Chima and his favorite sport is basketball. He is good at doing chores and loves to play outside with his friends in the community.

Dena's Wedding

My younger sister Dena got married at the beginning of this month. Avery was in the wedding as one of her flower girls and talked for days before and after the wedding about being a flower girl. Everyone at the wedding just thought she was a doll and she ate up the attention. She did a pretty good job walking down the aisle and partied the night away on the dance floor after.

 

 

Her basket was left mostly full but she made it all the way down the aisle which is what was important.

I made the boys dress  up too and they looked very handsome until they started running around.

My sister Dena and Tyler dancing.