Christmas in CA!!

Christmas vacation was so nice! We were able to stay for almost 2 weeks and felt very refreshed after the break. We had a lot of fun and kept pretty busy. Here are some pictures of the things we did...

Todd in front of his old Mission Viejo house.

(We lived in the same city at the same time when we were babies and our families didn't know each other...small world!!)

We went to Hollywood to see the stars.

This one is for my mom!!

The Lee family! We love them!!

Im a star!!

So is Todd!!

She is my FAVORITE!

Jess, Todd, Karina, & Greg in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater

Here are some pictures from Knott's Berry Farm. We have a family tradition to go every Christmas Eve!

We won the gold in case you are wondering

Todd showing off his amazing basketball skills!!

Lynn and I on the swings. We are the ones with our arms out.

Before takeoff.

The whole family

Mom and Dad treated us to Disneyland for Christmas. It was SO crowded, but SO much fun!!

Jake is in a wheelchair. After all he does have a hip disease. We sorta milked our way to the front of the lines...don't judge.

Lynn with her pirate boyfriend!

Yo-ho yo-ho a pirates life for us.

The Haunted Mansion!

Splash Mountain!

A Bug's Life 3D....freaked me out!!

In front of Sleeping Beauty's castle all lit up for Christmas!

Can't wait to visit again!!

Thanksgiving in Chicago!!

Sorry it has taken me so long to post pictures from Thanksgiving. We had such a fun trip and can't wait to visit again!! Here are a few...

We went to Pinstripes to play Bocce Ball and I wasn't as bad as I thought I would be...

We went to a chicago indoor race track and raced high speed go-karts. So much fun!!

This was Thanksgiving morning at the boys' Turkey Bowl.

Im embarrassed of how I look but it was FREEZING so at the time I didn't care!!

Christmas Family Photo

Zach with the cute nieces and nephews!!

Another family photo...

Our Gingerbread House

It has been so snowy here lately. Finally it is starting to feel like Christmas. And, to boost the Christmas spirit Todd and I made a gingerbread house. If you notice any sloppy parts, they're Todd's. After four hours of putting this house together and listening to my instructions on proper color coding, he just started slopping it on. At one point I just told him he could stop if he wanted. Anyways, we had a fun time putting it together! I love Christmas!!

You can tell the back is not as detailed... i.e. we got tired.

Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays. I know we are. Thanks for sending this kit to us Mom!

Jacob Black

Confession: I am TEAM JACOB.

When I first read Twilight about 2 years ago I was not that impressed. Then I saw the movie and that definitely did not change how I felt. I thought it was a little cheesy and didn't love the line, "You better hold on tight little Spider Monkey". Well I waited until the last minute to read New Moon and told myself I would not watch the movie until I had finished the book, so I read it in 2 days...and loved it. I realized there were better things out there than vampires: werewolves. I liked Eclipse and am currently around page 400 of Breaking Dawn. So far I am still Team Jacob. My mom tells me my feelings for Jacob might change towards the end of the book so I am anxiously reading to find out. I have officially been sucked into the Twilight Saga. Typical, I know. I loved the movie New Moon. Todd liked it too. Can't wait until next summer to see Eclipse!!

I love Taylor Swift

Chef - [shef]

–noun

1. the chief cook, esp. in a restaurant or hotel (or Jessica's tiny kitchen), usually resposible for planning menus, ordering foodstuffs, overseeing food preparation, and supervising the kitchen staff.

Before I got married, my love for cooking only consisted eating that of others. It wasn't until I had my own kitchen that I discovered my passion for cooking. Maybe it is due to the fact that I have so many nice, new kitchen appliances (thank you wedding). Maybe it is because my mom is a great cook. Maybe it is because I like the compliments from my husband. Maybe it is because I know he will eat my experiments. Maybe it is because I know he will lie to me. Whatever it is, it has changed me. I know you all saw my "banana nut bread" - if you could call it that, and now you want to steer clear of my cooking. I understand. I am a work in progress. I have to say I am getting better. My food no longer implodes and do not require a tall glass of water to accompany it. Who knows, one day I might start my own cooking blog that can help new wives like myself. Anyways, here is my latest attempt:

Asian Chicken Stir-Fry

It is so easy and quick, you must try it.

Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Stir-fry in a little oil in a nonstick skillet until cooked through; remove. Add sliced bell peppers and sliced carrots to skillet; stir-fry until crisp-tender. Stir in bottled stir-fry sauce and bring to a simmer. Return chicken to skillet; toss to heat. Serve over rice.

Halloween

For those of you who don't know, Todd and I met last year carving pumpkins in our BYU Family Home Evening group. So naturally I encouraged us to carve some this Halloween!! We invited Kylee and Rodney over to carve them with us. They won the contest for difficultly and speed. Todd and I tried to keep ours simple :) Here are some pictures:

Rodney, Kylee, and Todd

Todd and I

Our pumpkin is on the right...

Here are some pictures of us in our Halloween costumes. We had fun going to a few parties and getting dressed up. I was so happy that Jana came to visit. We had a great time with her and Brad. I can't wait until she moves back in January!

Todd, Jess, Jana, and Brad

The Mad Hatter, Alice in Wonderland, Little Red Riding Hood, and The Big Bad Wolf

JB and I

Us again

The Real MAD Hatter

Braden, Kari, Jess, Todd

I love this one!