Here's the latest surgery's pictures. They removed the hardware from Rod's arm, taking out the metal stuff and screws. He's recovering great, the best part of which has been not going to work for a whole week! We've basically been partying all week with good food, movies, and family outings to Red Rock National Park and these cool desert demonstration gardens call Springs Preserve. Prepare to be grossed out:

Disney or bust!

Here's a few pics from our trip. We had such a wonderful time! Thanks mom and dad. The kids will be talking about it forever!

The girls looking out the window of the shuttle to Disneyland. Caitlin was clapping her hands exclaiming "Disneyland!" How cute are they?

Is the shuttle here yet?

I think Brett wins the facial expression award.
What a group!

It's a good thing Travis has so many helpers with his slice of cake. I mean, what would he do? sidenote: I DID NOT take any of my brothers cake. (I think it was gone by the time I set my camera down.)

A little Thunder Mountain anyone?

Whittle Halloween

This year we had a Dracula (3rd year in a row..makes it easy on me!), Belle, a skeleton and Superman. I didn't get a picture of Alex, shame on me. Pretty much imagine him with a red cape and there you go. Here's Audrey with her 2 primary friends. After the ward party we went to our friends in Fall River who actually live in a small neigborhood and trick or treated.

Call for pictures

I want to see pictures of the Whittle's on halloween and pictures from Lund!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARRIE!!

Happy Birthday Carrie! You are a great sister, daughter, mother and friend.
You're a great example to all of us of conserving a little more and being more self-reliant... :)
We love you!

Carrie is always happy and in a good mood, and she makes everyone around her happy.
She is a fantastic sewer, and she is a great cook and baker!

Rod's making kinda a strange face... but it's still a cute pic!

Why do you love Carrie?!

Good-bye, Grass!

A few pics of our finished, grass-free yard!!

We're still not quite done: there will eventually be a metal roof supported by the tree trunks, with a deck built between the trunks, over the rock currently there.

Lady banks rose vining on a yard-sale chair. In the spring it will be covered by white roses.

This is the girls garden, currently it has lettuce, carrots and peas sprouting. (courtesy of Rod the builder)


More garden for me (again, courtesy of Rod the builder)! Peas, carrots, lettuce, and onions reside here.

Rod's "piece de resistance": a child's bench with planters built into the sides. I planted succulents in them, it looks awesome. The girls love it- a little bench just for them! Rod built this bench crazy fast- one night if you can believe it!

One of my favorite things about our yard is that all the bark came from our cut-down trees! Eco-friendly and free!!

Lizzie Addams??? Scary.

Happy Halloween

We had a fun halloween! We had a ward trunk-or-treat at the church parking lot, it was a lot of fun. We had a dinner first in the cultural hall, then took the girls through the rows of cars for some serious candy hauling. Lizzie didn't seem to quite understand it at first, she would take candy out of her bag and give it to people who were passing out candy. Didn't take her long to catch on, though. Later Rod and I watched Addams Family for a little Halloween fun. Wednesday eerily reminded us of what Lizzie will be like in 5 years.
Here's a few pictures (not the best quality, we forgot the camera so we only had our phone to take pictures with:)

The girls' pumpkins: yeah right, Rod did these. The girls told him what they wanted and he delivered, in true detail-obessessed fashion. Lizzie wanted a black widow and Caitlin wanted a princess castle....could these girls be any more different?

The fam. My costume was the old standby, the hippie. Everyone kept telling me that I looked like a real hippie. Is that a compliment? Or are they trying to tell me I need to shower more and cut my hair?


The girls assembled their own costumes for the most part. Caitlin is a "wicked, wicked witch", Lizzie is an angel (which is what she was last year, her costume is a little small!). Lizzie actually told me she wanted to be a black widow...I said no way am I making that!

Lots of people knew who Rod was even without his claws! He's been growing his hair out for a few weeks to get more of that Wolverine look! Lots of people remembered last year he was Iron Man, so he's sort of getting a superhero reputation.

What a cute bunny! Of course, she would have been cute as a cockroach....