My Favorite Things

I've been tagged thanks to Karla. So here it goes...a few of my favorite things (in no particular order)...

1. William Sonoma Mulling Spiced Cider! Mmmmm... Delicious! Funny thing is, I used to hate cider until a few Christmas' ago. My mother in law made the best cider ever. Of course I tried it out of the goodness of my heart to not hurt her feelings, and it changed my life forever. I now have my own tin of spice and cute little ball infuser to make my own deliciousness at home.

2. Christmas Time. I don't just like Christmas time, I LOVE IT! There is nothing better than driving through the neighborhood and seeing the houses all decorated and lit up with lights. There is just a different feeling everywhere you go. Going to the stores with all the Christmas Decor out warms me to the core. The earlier the stores break out the Christmas merchandise the better! And it brings a smile to my face when I hear those cheerful tunes over and over again on the radio. Which brings me to number 3.

3. 99.9 Christmas music all day long! And yes the day they start playing is the day I start listening. It makes me less stressed when I drive and I like to think Lucas enjoys me singing along as we run our errands. It would be a shame to only listen to it in the car, so yes, I have it playing in my house in the background all day long! Call me crazy, I might be.

4. My little boys. Oh wait, I guess Seth really isn't so little anymore. Lucas and I await his arrival around 5:30 every weekday. It is amazing how much you can love someone. This coming January marks us being together for 10yrs. It is hard to believe we have come so far. Who would have thought a jr high romance would have grown into something so great. Speaking of great reminds me of how grateful I am for my angel of a baby. Lucas is such a blessing in my life. He keeps me laughing all day and it is amazing how he just melts my heart when he wraps his little arms around my neck and buries is head into my shoulder. Oh how I love him!

5. Oh how I love hot dogs! A warm jumbo dog with all the right toppings. I don't really mind what's on it as long as the flavors blend well. Best combo... spicy mustard with sauerkraut (Nick introduced me to sauerkraut while in Utah for Mike and Karla's wedding).

6. Sunday dinners. We trade off every other Sunday between families so everyone gets a little piece of us. It is so fun to just relax and spend time with the families. Who doesn't like a day filled with eating great food, playing games and watching movies. I love spending time with family.

7. Disneyland. Need I say more, it is only the happiest place on earth! Where else can you get frozen lemonade, churros, bagel dog (a glorified hot dog I might add), great hot chocolate in a souvenir mug, and ride Pirates of the Caribbean all in the same place? It's like Heaven on earth...besides the Temple.

8. I guess I'll wrap it with something spiritual. I love going to the Temple. I enjoy walking the grounds, looking at Christmas lights, going to the Visitors Center, doing a session, or going to a sealing. The feeling while inside the Temple cannot be replaced. And may I add they even have a cafeteria! Delicious. We always try to hit it up on the way out after a session.

To all of you who had the opportunity to read my former #9. You were mislead. I'm sorry. Seth thought it would be funny to add his favorite things to my list. If you are curious about his favorite you can see the posted comments. Sorry to all readers!

These are a few of my favorite things!

Bath

ASU vs. UofA Game

Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere

Here is my sweet little man. On Halloween Nick did a photo of Lucas at a nearby pumpkin patch. The pics turned out so cute. Nick did such a good job especially considering it was nap time so he was a little temperamental (Lucas, not Nick). If you want any pics just let me know and I'll send you the link!

Thank Goodness for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving started out with our traditional Turkey Cup (That's Soccer Style of course). Unfortunately I don't remember who won since it came to an abrupt stop when Seth injured his knee again. (Luckily he will be getting surgery on it soon!) But it was fun while it lasted. That afternoon we went to the Banda's house to eat for Shem's first Thanksgiving back. Delicious! Later we went to the Narducci home for, yes, more food and dessert. The Banda family joined us over there to watch the USC vs ASU game.

Lucas is enjoying his Thanksgiving meal served by Grandma Narducci and Aunt Diana while the other boys lounge around watching football.

The Wait is Over!

Shhh Grandpa, don't let them know he is coming! Then I will be the first to greet him!
Shem finally returned from Peru after serving a mission for two years! This was the first time he was able to really see Lucas! It was so fun to have so many family and friends gather at the airport to welcome him home. We all knew Shem was popular, but Channel 3 News found out he was returning so came out there to do a whole story on him! J/K! They were there reporting on holiday traveling and things and decided to do a story on his homecoming. (Still cool).

Safari Animals

To remember his first trip to the Zoo, we had to get a souvenir. His little safari Jeep carries a little giraffe, elephant, tiger, and hippo. They make cute little animal noises when you squeeze them. By the look on his face you would think maybe mom likes them more than he does!

It's a Zoo Out There...

After 10 years of trying to go back to Zoo Lights Karla invited us to go with her and some of her family. Of course upon arrival Lucas and Natalie were sleeping. After walking to the Zebra exibit they both awoke with the lights twinkling in their eyes. Since most of the wild life was sleeping I guess we will have to consider Karla, Natalie, Lee and his kids, and Alisa and her kids, the only wild life out.
Here is our little family sitting outside the giftshop. Oh how I love the Holidays!

Bed Time?

Usually Lucas goes to bed without a fuss. I lay him in his crib, tell him how much we love him, say good night and close the door. I always check back in on him a few minutes later, you know, to make sure he is breathing and things. To my surprise, the other night I walk into a wide eyed Lucas (as if there is any other kind of Lucas) sitting up smirking and laughing. Caught in action! His head was well above the railing and he likes to pull on his bumpers. Needless to say we lowered the crib that night.

Lucas Starts to crawl

I can't believe my little baby is startingg to crawl! With a combination of scooting, crawling, and falling Lucas reaches his destination. My little man, 7 months today, is becoming independent right before my eyes!

Tis the Season!

The holidays are here and I couldn't be happier! I love this time of year! Seth and I found the cutest Santa costume for Lucas. We were just putting it on him for fun, but once we realized how darn cute he looked in it we found our selves at the register with costume in hand!
Papa Narducci helps with Temple lights every year. He gets to go through each strand of lights for his area and test them to make sure they work. So for family night a few of us went down to help him. Lucas loved looking at all the lights and got a sneak preview of the new wise men.

Bonding Time

Seth's dad used to always tell me he needed to have "bonding time" with Seth. He would tell me when Seth got home from his mission we couldn't get married right away because they were going to take all these trips together to have bonding time. That's when I would roll my eyes and say "we'll see about that". Now, having a the cutest little boy around and seeing him spend time with his dad, I see how great bonding time can be. Lucas has a blast with his dad whether his dad is singing the theme to Mission Impossible while making him do acrobatics, having his dad feed him solids for the first time or just lounging in front of the tv hanging out.

1 Year Wiser...

Do you really get wiser every year? We had the family over to our place to celebrate Grandpa Banda's Birthday. I love being a Host!

Halloween Fun

Who would have thought he would like the inside mush of the pumpkin? He loved helping dad carve his pumpkin at the anual Thomas Halloween Party.


Lucas wanted to visit Grandpa Banda at his ward Trunk or Treat. Lucas fit his costumes perfectly in this picture!




We had a great time with Papa Narducci at his work party. Natalie couldn't have been cuter in her peacock costume! I wish I had a picture of her!

Birthday Time

I have a wonderful husband. Thinking we were droppingg off Lucas so we could go to the movies, we arrived at my parents house. Clueless, I unpacked the baby and walked into the house to find family and friends shouting surprise!

Little Helpers

I don't think I could have done it alone. Natalie and Lexi were up to the challenge of helping me open all the presents.

Lucas

Lucas Eats Oatmeal

Lucas's Halloween Costume

Lucas wants to be a Shepherd for Halloween. He decided to put on his Costume to make sure it fits well.

The Little Surfer Dude

He loves the mist of the waves on his face, the feel of the water under his feet, and the success of riding the wave all the way in! He is "Surfer Lucas"

The Happy Little Man

As Dad was trying to get his homework completed, Little Lucas continued to explore his new surroundings. He loves computers and he loves to help Dad with his homework.

Han's Pictures of Superior

We went to go visit the Porter's with Hans and then we drove out to Superior. It was a very nice road trip.





Hans heads back to California.