Stone Mountain

The day after Thanksgiving we went to Stone Mountain for their Christmas celebration with the Pistorius family. We saw the Polar Express movie in 4-D, rode the train with Christmas music, played minature golf, saw a musical Christmas production, saw a comedy play of A Christmas Carol, saw a Christmas laser show which was awesome and the girls saw Santa. As fast as the girls are growing I don't think I have many more years of pictures with Santa. I was really happy that Olivia indulged me and let me take her picture this year! We had such a great time and it was a fun way to start the Christmas season. We will definately do it again next year.

Thanksgiving

This was the first Thanksgiving since 1989 that we didn't have Thanksgiving in Idaho with Randy's family. I really missed the traditions we had created in the last 20 years. Maxine's shrimp salad, Angie's chocolate pie, going to Rupert's festival of trees and seeing Santa, Shopping with Angie at 4 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving, going to Jackpot for the buffet (and putting a few nickels in the slots) and being with the family. I was glad my parents were here for our first Thanksgiving away and that our good friends the Pistorius family were with us. We had a great traditional meal and of course some football. It really made me realize how thankful I am for such a great family and also for the opportunity we have being here in Georgia and the friends we are making. We are a blessed family and I am looking forward to making new traditions here.

Hilton Head

For Thanksgiving break since the girls had the whole week off of school and my parents were here we decided to go to Hilton Head SC. Randy's boss has a 3 bedroom condo there and he let us use it. The weather was very cold but we had a great time. We went to the beach every day and just played in the sand. The water was cold but that didn't stop Sophie from trying to swim. We spent a day in Savannah exploring and touring. What a beautiful city. We found a great little place to eat called the Sea Shack. Their fresh sea food was awesome and we ate there a few times. We all loved it. We had such a good time and can't wait to go back. We're hoping this summer when it is a little warmer!

Mulan

In November, Olivia performed with Fayette Coweta Family Theater (FCFT) in the production of Mulan. She loves singing and musical theater and I was so happy she found a theater here in Georgia that she could participate with. She was in the ensemble and had so much fun. She made many new friends and it was just what she needed being new. I was so glad my parents were here visiting and that they got the opportunity to see her perform. She has a beautiful voice and I love to see her on stage doing what she loves. I was very proud of her. Good job Liv!

I'm Baaaack!

O.K. I've learned something about myself. I STINK at blogging! I hate scrapbooking. That is evident when you look at my scrapbooks and Olivia's is done up to two and I'm not sure if Sophie has a picture in hers or not. So why I thought that I would be different with blogging I'm not sure. I really do want to document what is going on in our lives and keep in touch with our family in Utah so I am repenting on my blogging failure and I promise to do better. I am going to spend the next few days updating and posting the last 4 months and hopefully I will stay caught up. I appreciate the patience and hope you enjoy the last 4 months of the Homer Happenings.

Halloween

Halloween was bitter-sweet this year. This was the first time in 13 years I didn't go trick-or-treating with the girls. They both wanted to be with their friends and not mom. Sophie was an indian and went out with her friend Brooke and her family and then had a sleep-over at our house. Olivia was a witch and went with her friends Angelica and Victoria. Both girls had a lot of fun and got a ton of candy. I made our traditional Halloween dinner of chili and homemade rolls. Randy and I had a quiet night at home with horror movies and passing out candy. It was a new experience for us seeing everyone out trick-or-treating in their golf carts. It was a fun night.

My Little Chef

Sophie has become quite a little chef. She would like to bake all day long. She loves to make cookies and homemade rolls. She made a red velvet cake from scratch for Randy on our anniversary. For Halloween I helped with a party for Sophie's class. I was suppose to bring cupcakes for the party. Of course Sophie wanted to make the cupcakes. We spent Thursday night making 3 dozen cupcakes. She worked very hard baking and decorating them. She did it all herself. She did a great job. They were a big hit at the party!