A Rigby Christmas

I just thought I would post some pictures of our Christmas adventures. I love Christmas! We had a great time this year in Ojai!

A friend of mine came over and we went to town making chocolates. We determined that you can dip pretty much anything in chocolate and it becomes a great treat! This is a peak at some of the finished products:



This is Kelsie's new favorite look. She is constantly making an "O" face whenever she gets excited. There was some serious excitement Christmas morning!



Our cutie patootie with Grandma. She really was an angel all morning.:



Tyson, the Tool Man, Rigby! There's just something about a boy and his tools!


This year was the first year that Ty really got into the whole Santa thing. I loved it. He was practically in tears when the doughnut store was closed...what would we leave out for Santa? He couldn't wait to go to sleep Christmas Eve so that Santa could come. He woke up Christmas morning singing, "It's morning. It's morning." We were amazed, though, with all that excitement, he waited very patiently for everyone to get ready to see what Santa had brought and was on his best behavior the entire day. I'm sad it is all over, but relieved that the rush of the preparations are finally over! Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

The Perfect Christmas Card...Attempted

What a nice Christmas Card picture, right? Yeah right! Here's the story of how it came to be...

We had a TERRIBLE time getting a good picture for our Christmas card this year. Don't think I procrastinated and I deserve this...I didn't. Our first attempt was over Thanksgiving weekend. We went to the beach in Ventura to get a "Rub it in Your Face, We're at the Beach and You're in Snow" picture. I guess I was punished for my cruel intentions. This is the best we got...the sun was not cooperating:

So...we tried again a couple of days later. We figured, we're already dressed up for church, let's just snap a cute picture outside. Yeah right?! Tyson was in a foul mood and wouldn't smile no matter what we threatend. Go figure?! Here's our best shot from that episode:

Okay... so fast forward a couple of weeks. Yes, we are getting close to Christmas, we need a picture. One more attempt at the beach picture. Little did we know we were going to have some of the coldest weather I have experienced since moving to California. That didn't stop us though. We all bundled up and headed to Pismo. We tried several locations, ending on the Pier since we could at least get the wind blowing our hair out of our faces there. As much as the birds were cooperating, we couldn't get something worth sending out to everyone we know. This is as close as we got:

The next morning was Sunday so we tried the before-church-picture again. We couldn't get anybody to take the picture for us though, so we attempted the timed picture. It would have worked too, but I didn't get the camera high enough so the angle makes us look like giants. No dice!

I decide I will give it one more try and that is it. We only had a week before Christmas by this time. We had a ward Christmas party Saturday night, so we got all dolled up once again (notice I didn't make the effort to choose new outfits each time) and recruited a friend from the ward to snap a few pictures by the Christmas tree. I'm not saying it's is the perfect picture (Kelsie has the cutest smile that we couldn't get her to share with us in any of the pictures that night), but as you can see, it is the best choice. It didn't really matter what the pictures looked like after the 5th attempt...I was using them no matter what. So, I hope you all appreciate the effort that went into the cards you received in the mail...even though they may have been a little late! If there are no pictures in next year's cards, you now know why!

A Better Way to Waste Your Time

For those of you who spend WAY too much time on the computer (I know you do it...don't try to deny it!), I have some good news for you. Now, you can help a good cause with all those mindless searches you do on the internet! Feel a little better about all that time you are wasting. I read about this in Oprah's magazine (No, I do not subscribe...Mama Rigby always has them lying around the house, and I need something to help pass the time while ESPN reigns supreme!)

Anyway, it is called Good Search. Basically, you choose what organization you want to support, enter it in one time, then each time you search from this website, your organization earns money. What could be better? You can add churches, schools or whatever non-profit you want. A lot of them are already set up in their system, but you can add new ones too. Just add it to your favorites and use it instead of Google. It is powered by Yahoo! so you get the same search results. Happy Searching!

Just a story...

We were riding in the car today and I thought it would be good to practice opposites. I would say a word and then Tyson would tell me what the opposite of that word was. When we got to "In" he got really excited and said, "That one's a restaurant...In-N-Out." What a clever little boy. I thought it was pretty funny so I thought I would share. Sometimes that boy has a one track mind!

Wobbly Steps

Just like her big brother, Kelsie started taking her first steps right around her first birthday. I tried over and over again to get a good clip of her walking and this is the best I could do. Sorry its a little dark. She's cute whether she is walking or not! (I apologize for Tyson's crying in the background.)

Birthday Cakes

I know you have all been waiting for this. My friend, Becky, just sent me pictures of the cakes she did for Ty and Kelsie's birthdays. Aren't they cute? She does a great job. Thanks Becky!

I FINALLY Did It!

All right. For all of you who have been losing sleep over this whole anaphylactic reaction thing...you can rest easier now. The EpiPen has been purchased and now resides in my purse. You can thank our friend, Jeff, for helping me see the light. He pointed out that I would be held accountable if I were to die from this and I could have prevented it. He also pointed out how dumb it sounded to say I wouldn't stick myself no matter what. He said, "So you're going to be sitting there, unable to breath and thinking, "I would rather leave my children motherless than stick a needle into my leg." He made a good point. There were also some threats involved but I won't go into that. Anyway, I bought it. I have it. I will live!

Parent's Prom

Okay...so it wasn't quite prom, but we did have a great time. Our Stake had a formal dance last night for the adults. It was a blast. We dusted off our dancing shoes and cut a rug all night long (okay...until 10!) I was a little nervous that I might rip something on my dress (it has been ten years and two kids since I wore it) but it held on for me. It took a few minutes for Dal to get his groove on, but once he did, there was no stopping him. He wowed everyone with his signature moves and grace on the dance floor. Really, it was fun. And on top of it all, I get to go back tonight to chaperone the youth dance. Fun times!

Birthday Bash

Tyson really wanted to have a Halloween Birthday Party. However, we weren't able to find a good day for it until after Halloween. That didn't stop us! In fact, it was great because I got to do all my shopping for it the day after Halloween. Besides, 4-year-olds don't understand the concept of a holiday ending.

Kelsie got a few good hits on the ghost pinata, but just couldn't break it

Tyson was not happy that he didn't break the pinata himself. We tried to explain that everybody needed a turn and then he could try it again, but it didn't make him feel any better. Actually, none of the kids were able to even put a dent in the thing...we had to help them out with a few strategically placed cuts. I think we needed a harder bat...that just didn't seem like a good idea though.

My friend, Becky did an amazing job decorating the cakes. I was supposed to help, but she did such good work that I left it pretty much up to her. I did, however, bake the cakes and make the fillings. They were yummy! Tyson had a spooky skeleton cake...he put the eyes on himself. Becky took better pictures of the cakes, so I will get those from her and post them later so you can all be impressed.

Kelsie had a cute pumpkin patch cake. She thought it was pretty funny to grab for the candle while we sang "Happy Birthday" to her. Tyson was pretty excited to help her blow out her candle too. Taking after her brother, she didn't make a mess or even eat much of the cake, so there are no great pictures from that.

What cute kids we have! It was fun to have a few friends over to celebrate with us. Sorry everyone couldn't make it. Maybe next year!

Halloween Preparations

Dal and Ty took care of the pumpkin carving this year. Unfortunately, I was on the phone with Verizon the entire time, so I didn't get to participate. They did a great job though!

Tyson and I decided to make sugar cookies for the Trunk-or-Treat. Candy is so boring! Tyson was great at cutting out cookie shapes and putting the frosting on the pumpkins. His favorite part was making eyes out of M&Ms on the ghost cookies!

We had the cutest little fireman and fairy at the party. Tyson had a great time playing all the games at the church and hanging out with his friends. Kelsie couldn't have cared less about that part. She was in second heaven, though, when some of my friends gave her lollipops for each hand. One even unwrapped it so she could eat it (Thanks Tara!). It didn't take her long before she ate through the other wrapper and was going back and forth, licking one and then the other. It was the classic, sugar-filled Halloween!

We're Back!!!!!

For those of you who have tried to contact us in the last little while...I apologize. As Dallan likes to say, we have been off grid. We had some troubles (the biggest understatement I have ever made) with our DSL. It did not work for almost 10 days. Because we have Vonage now, that means that our phone could not work as well. The greatest lesson we learned from this whole experience is...NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH VERIZON!!! They were awful terrible. I cannot say enough bad things about our experience with them. I won't bore you all with the details, though. We are back now and it feels great. A lot has happened in those 10 days, so I have some blogging to get caught up with. I apologize for the mass posts about to happen. Oh yeah...since I had no internet and no phone...I had a lot more time to work out...watch out Jen and Staci, I'm bacl in the UE contest!

Avila Barn

We took a trip to the Avila Barn the other day for Tyson's "Preschool." We got to go for a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch, play in a hay maze and see lots of animals and vegetables. We went with Tyson's best friend, Blake. They had a blast. My favorite part of this all is that it was a gorgeous day...we wore shorts at the end of October. I love it here!

Good Eats!

I was reminded this week of what good eaters I have. Okay...so Tyson is hit and miss, but when it comes to anything on a stick (or bone) he is all over that. We had ribs this week and he went to town on them. There was not a scrap of anything on those bones when he was through with them. I think Dal was feeling a little threatened with the number of ribs Ty ate...he is used to getting it all to himself!

Kelsie is an all around good eater. There are not very many things she won't eat. We tried her out on spaghetti yesterday and she LOVED it. Every time she finally got a noodle in her mouth, she would laugh and look so proud. Then she would slurp it until it was all gone. She loved how the end of each noodle made a sound when she slurped it up. It was the funniest thing ever. What a cutie!

Four is Fun!

Happy Birthday Tyson!

Tyson turned 4 years old today. He is "Super-Duper Excited" about his birthday! We started out with Mickey Mouse and T-shaped pancakes...he poured his own syrup of course. Then we continued on the fun by cleaning and organizing his room. Don't laugh...he actually really likes to do that kind of stuff because we do it all together! We made a table cloth for his Halloween birthday party (to be held next week) together...his job was helping to clip the fabric and guide it on the other side of the sewing machine. We make a good team!

I asked him what he wanted for lunch, crossing my fingers, but not even trying to sway his decision. Like the Mama's Boy that he is, he chose In-N-Out! We had a great time pigging out on burgers and fries at one of our favorite places.

We then took a trip to the Dollar Tree to get the annual birthday balloon...a birthday wouldn't be a birthday without one. We walked down every isle, trying to choose just one special toy. It was pretty funny because each thing he chose, he would say, "I am sure this is the one. I don't need to look for any other things. Let's go buy the balloon." Then a few seconds later, we would pass something even better and he would trade in his "best" toy for an even better one. Gotta love the dollar stores!

It was then on to the park for some serious birthday sliding and swinging. What a great birthday. We are planning pizza and one of Tyson's movies for later, when Dal gets home. I love Tyson's birthday. I love how excited he gets and fun it is to do whatever we want in the name of the birthday! I can't believe it has been four years since he was born. Here's a stroll down "Birthday Memory Lane:"

The Original Birth Day

1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

3rd Birthday

The Fruits of Our Labors

When you spend an entire day (10 am to 10 pm) working on something, you gotta show it to people. Yesterday was AppleSauce Making Day! I can't say it is my favorite day of the year, but it feels great when it is all over and we love eating it the rest of the year. We got 40-something quarts this year! It was a family effort. Tyson was a great help. He was in charge of washing apples (after I washed them), handing me apples to cut and turning the crank on the sauce making machine. His favorite thing, though, was the magnet stick that helps you pick up the lids out of the hot water. He liked to pick up the lid rings and see how far he could carry them before they fell off. Kelsie helped the most when she took naps. She did not appreciate being ignored all day long. Dal helped too, when he got home from work. His job was to take Kelsie and pick up some Thai food for dinner. OK...he helped pick apples and make the sauce too, but the food was what I was most grateful for. I'm glad it is all over, but it is a little fun...I guess.

Happy Birthday Stanley Marie!

It's that time of year again...the most revered day of all the days...October 5th! Happy Birthday Stan! I wish I had older, funnier pictures to show of you, but I searched high and low and came up a little short.

In honor of you...here are a few memories I have.

I remember when we used to stay up all night Christmas Eve, playing Eights Are Up (which has to be one of the most boring games known to mankind!). One year we made the deck of cards so big, there was no possible way either of us was going to win.

I remember when you told me that the Publishers Clearing House was right down the street from us and that I would probably have a better chance of winning the sweepstakes if I hand delivered it. I was dressed and out on the sidewalk before anybody told me the truth!

I remember trying to help you learn Doctrine and Covenants 4 in Spanish before you went on your mission. I don't remember a word of it, but it was good times reciting it over and over and over again.

I remember when you used to hide in the back of the van when Mom and Dad were going somewhere. Along those lines, I also remember Dad chasing you clear up to the top of the hill one day...I'm sure you probably deserved it!

I remember when we used to meet at the CougarEat for lunchbunch. You were wasting away to nothing so I am sure you weren't actually eating much while we were there but it was always fun to chat.I remember when you, Jen and Grandma would sing, "Stop, in the Name of Love" with your own dance and everything.

I remember when the Jazz were in the playoffs and you were cheering for the Lakers. Grandma put signe up all around the house showing were Laker fans had to sit (outside!).We have had some good times over the years. I hope this year is just as fun. Happy Birthday!

Nielsen Visit

We have had a great week with a visit from Jen, Dave, Robby and Kayli. We started by meeting up at Disneyland Thursday morning. Tyson and Robby were so happy to see each other. It has been a whole 2 months! We had a blast at the "Happiest Place on Earth" all day long.

Ty was scared of pretty much all the rides...he didn't like noise or going into things...both requirements of 99% of the rides there. We were able to find a good time on the Dumbo ride and the Tea Cups. I think I almost scarred him by making him go on Pirates. He pulled his hat over his eyes and went into a comatose state until we got off the ride. We tried this rocket ride, but ended up having to get off before they started the ride. We picked the absolute perfect day for Disneyland. It was warm, but not too hot and there were no lines on any of the rides (except Dumbo of course). We didn't even have to use our Fast Passes. Jen and I ran through the Indiana Jones and Space Mountain lines. Jen and Dave went on Space Mountain too and even took Robby on the Mattahorn without a wait (Tyson declined that option). The only ride we weren't able to go on that we wanted to was the new Finding Nemo ride. The line for that one was about an hour all day long. Tyson didn't want to go on it anyway though, so no big loss there. We called it a night after the parade and headed the block back to our hotel (nice work, Dave!) The boys, of course, caught their second wind, but it didn't take too long before they were out cold.

The next morning, we decided to head over to California Adventure. Again, a perfect day. It was overcast and there was nobody there. We sent Jen and Dave on the Tower of Terror with no clue what they were about to do. It was so good, Jen went again with me as soon as she got back. We also all got to go on Scream, the big roller coaster there. We did catch a few rides for the kids too. Tyson warmed up a little bit because most of the rides were outside and not as noisy. They loved the Bugs Life area. We had to pull him onto a little train that couldn't have gone more than 5 miles an hour. The highlight of the whole ride was when a watermelon squirted you. Wahoo! He hated it! After watching Robby and Dave ride the bumper cars, he told me, "Mom, I think I can do that!" And we did. I think that was when he realized he could do more than he thought. The rest of the day was GREAT! He even wanted to go on the water rapid ride. I nixed that one...he wasn't tall enough anyway. We got to see Lightning McQueen and Mator and even got kisses from Minnie Mouse. We watched a parade with everyone from Toy Story and got to talk with Crush from Finding Nemo. Tyson thought that was the best but he was a little upset that he didn't get to ask him a question and tell him his name.

Anyway...I know you love every detail of the adventure, but I think I have gone on long enough. Oh yeah...Kelsie loved it too. She liked the Carousel the best. I had to keep her from licking the pole the entire ride, though. She thought it was a great game!

Saturday was the day Jen and Dave went to see Wicked in LA so we hung out there for the day and then headed back to Ojai. The Thrifting was great on Monday and Jen cleaned out the stores. I even let her buy some dang cute shirts I found...what a good sister I am!

We've been living it up and loving it the last few days in Santa Maria. We spent Tuesday at Pismo and watched Dal surf after work and then Wednsday at Oso Flaco. Ty and Robby loved playing in the water. Kelsie loved crawling around, eating sand and anything else she could find in the sand.

They are heading out this morning. Tyson will be so sad that Robby isn't here to play with him anymore. Good Company, Good Food, Good Times. It has been a great week!