O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree...

We went on our 2nd annual Christmas tree hunt the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We go to Christmas Tree Meadows with a group of friends a cut down our tree. Last year we were worried because the trees always look small out in the meadow, then you bring them into your house and they end up being HUGE. So we were very careful not to cut one down that was too tall. Our end result was hilarious! For those of you who remember our Whoville/Charlie Brown tree last year you will be impressed this year! Last year our tree was almost 6 feet tall and it was VERY skinny with lots and lots of space in between each branch. It also had a slight tipping forward issue! This year we were a little braver, and WOAH! It look smaller out in the mountains than when we got it into our driveway ready to bring in the house. This year we are proud to show you our 16 foot tree! It is a little taller than we thought it was going to be! We had to put two strands of lights on the top before we even brought it in the house. I think all together there are 1200 lights on the tree. So if you want your house to glow from your family Chirstmas tree, just join us next year, we promise it will be entertaining!

Finally, We Found the Camera!

Well, we were in a bit of a panic for a few weeks because we couldn't find our camera. Finally, we found it! So we can update our blog. We'll hurry and catch you up. Halloween came and went and so did Thanksgiving. We didn't take many pictures, because the camera was hiding from us in a very safe spot! We survived it all and we are looking forward to a great Holiday season!

Fall Fun At Wheeler Farm

Last week we decided to get in the spirit of fall and go to Wheeler Farm. It was great fun. We picked pumpkins from the pumpkin patch, painted our pumpkins, decorated cupcakes to look like spiders, watched the blacksmith make a horseshoe, made scarecrows, fed the ducks and of course hung out with our cousins Ashton and Bentley. We had so much fun that when we were done at the farm, we went to Bentley's house for some pizza. We are now offically excited for Halloween!

The Challenge Of A Scarecrow

So seriously, how hard can it be to put together a scarecrow? Well let me tell you it's trickier than you think! Alicia, Jessie and I thought it would be a piece of cake. It was actually hilarious. We tried to follow the not so very detailed directions and we did our very best. This is what we came up with. Actually they looked pretty good. We were very proud, until we got to the car when they sort of fell apart. Now they are all put together and you can see them on display in our front yards.

Our New Friends

I am sure you are all aware of the moose, deer, snakes, squirrels and voles we have had visit and live in our yard. Well, we now have three more little friends to add to that list. The Rasch's would like to introduce you to "Dale". He and his friends Chip and Lucy are new residents in our rocks. I have been informed that Chip and Dale have the yellow chest and Lucy has white, because she is the girl. It's kind of amazing that we got a picture of Dale, these darling little chipmunks are the fastest things you have ever seen! They are so busy collecting food for the winter they have to be exhausted. They work all day long. We are hoping they are just going through a growing spurt and not collecting lots of food for a long winter!

Lake Powell Getaway

Just a couple of weeks ago we decided to run away to Lake Powell for the weekend. We went with Big G and Grandma Nancy. It was so fun. We caught lizards, hung out in tubes and floaties and camped in a cave. Thank goodness we didn't see any snakes or mice! It was a great trip.

Camping At Yuba 2006

This year for our annual Hansen camp out we went to Yuba. The great thing about that lake is the water is so warm. Not to mention the MUD! Actually, the beaches are nice because they are sand and not rocks. We the Rasch's had a wonderful experience camping in a tent. Just know that Jaxon has never slept in a tent and Jessica has slept in one but doesn't remember it. We loved it but sure missed that Minnie Winnie! It was such a great trip, Jaden learned how to wake board with the help of our amazing Uncle Josh. Jessica learned how to waterski with the help of her amazing dad.






We also were introduced to "surfing" behind the boat. Everyone had so much fun. We had a fabulous time and can't wait for next year!

Life's A Beach!

We LOVE the beach. Sometimes we even wish that we could live there! Our very favortie thing that we did on our trip to California was visit the beach. In fact, we didn't spend enough time there. We think we should have spent our whole week playing in the ocean and making sand castles. Jaden is the boogie boarding master! He was lucky that our cousin Abbey is a master as well. They spent almost the entire two days we were at the beach on a boogie board. Jessie liked trying to run from the water as it washed up. She also enjoyed the sand. At one point we couldn't find her and she was just buried in it. The kids thought that was so funny that they decided to bury Big G. What a great sport he was! Can you imagine all the sand that got in his eyes with all the helpers trying to bury him? Jaxon really liked the sand. He loved digging and digging. He did finally get comfortable getting his feet wet. Ty surfed for his first time ever. He did a great job. I think he got up on his third try. Yahoo! As for me...well, I love the sun so I enjoyed laying out and taking all the pictures.

Rise and Shine, It's Disneyland Time!

Just imagine 8 adults and 9 kids piling into cars at 6:45am to make sure we get to Disneyland when it opens. Wow, we were a happy bunch! We had a one hour car ride to the happiest place on Earth, but really I think all the kids fell back to sleep. We arrived at 8:00am and began our adventure! We loved the rides all the characters. Ty and I quickly figured out that our kids didn't really know who Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy are. (Actually that was kind of funny!) So we were very glad to run into Tarzan, Cinderella and especially Buzz Lightyear. They know all about them! We had a fun filled day from waiting in lines to riding some fast rollercoasters. I think Space Mountain and Splash Mountain were the favorites. We couldn't believe how fast the day went. The kids can't wait to go back!

Watch Out Sea World... Here Come The Rasch's!

We just got back from a fabulous family vacation in San Diego with all the Rasch's. We had a blast with our Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and especially Big G and Grandma Nancy! We played at Sea World for an entire day. Our cousin Dan was picked to be a helper in the Dolphin Show. That was exciting. As you can imagine he had a huge cheering section! And Grammie, well she was such a good sport. She sat in the "WET ZONE" with all the kids for every single show. The funny part was, she was always the wettest!

It's My Birthday...Shout Hooray!

Okay, so it's my birthday month and I've been singing the birthday song all month long! I think my family is tired of shouting hooray! They have been great to put up with me! I had a great day with breakfast in bed, presents and a special birthday lunch with "the girls". Just when I think I'm spoiled, Ty brought home dinner and then took me shopping. It was awesome!

Pioneer Day Fun

We had a great Pioneer Day. We attended a small carnival with Grandma Jo and Grandpa Ric and all the Aunts, Uncles and Cousins that go along with them! It was hot but we loved the car show, magic show and that amazing balloon art! One of our favorite parts was the strong breeze that blew threw our hair as the Air Med Helicopter landed. It was great on the 100 degree day! The kids liked seeing the helicopter up close, since it is the one that our cousin Ashton got an unexpected ride on. We were so glad Ashton was there with us to see the helicopter! We also enjoyed seeing the Apache Helicopter.




Our 24th of July BBQ was fabulous. After dinner we had a gymnastics show on the front lawn. Cartwheels, head and hand stand contests and tons of somersaults and dive rolls! As you can see we had a blast!





Of course our night ended with an incredible fireworks show! Special thanks to Grandpa Ric for all his fun fountains and spinners. Not to mention, the sparklers and pops that kept us entertained for hours!




We decided that after our fun day we are pretty lucky to have such a great family! We love you all!