Halloween at California Adventure

Our little Bumble Bee!
Grandma Marlene came up to join us!Family pic

Brook, Chad, Bethany, and Alexa

Madison and Alexa giving hugs

Uncle Jim and Aunt Sherry

Grandpa Richard, Madison, Jeff, and Alexa riding the ladybug rideThe daddy's with their daughters

Grandma Sue and Grandpa Richard with their grandchildren

Killer's and U2

Killer's concert
On Sept. 19th, we went to see the Killer's perform at Mandalay Bay. Tyler looked for tickets on Craigslist a few days before the concert, and found some for $25. Jeff and Bethany went to the concert with us. They were awesome in concert! Brandon Flowers is an amazing performer! If you have a chance, you should go see them perform!
If you look closely, you can see them all, but none of my pics turned out very well! I need a new camera!I
U2
In October, our friend Wayne called to say that he had extra tickets to U2 in Vegas. They drove down, and we met up at the concert. It was an AMAZING concert! In my opinion, U2 is the greatest performing band of all time! To add to the experience, Black Eyed Peas opened for U2, and they were awesome. I have always liked BEP's music. I had a blast dancing to U2 and BEP's!

Amanda and Wayne

U2's elaborate stage setup! None of my pics turned out, but oh-well! Again, I need a new, better camera!

Lake Powell Sept. 09

September 2009 was the beginning of our annual Lake Powell trip! We had a huge group of people go, and we had the best time. All in attendance: Tyler, Nicole, Madison, Trevor, James, Christy, Wayne, Andrea, Liz, Amanda, Zach, Andrea, Anistyn, Cambrie, Jesse, Nick, Mindy, Cael, McKenzie, Bodi, Linda, Dave, Nick's parents (can't recall their names at the moment), Garrett, Nicole, and a few others that I did not know very well. Anyway, it was an awesome trip, and we are so glad that so many attended. We can't wait for next year!
Trevor on his jet ski!

All the crap that we fit on just our boat, plus 9 people!!

Wayne decided it would be funny to wear these speedo shorts, so I decided to feature him on my blog in them!

James boarding

Wayne

Trevor

Christy

Andrea

Amanda (Wayne's girlfriend)

Liz

Tyler

Trevor and MadisonNicole

This is a good part of the group, but not everyone!

Until next year....

Lake Tahoe

Hammond family trip to Lake Tahoe! We went back in August, and we had a blast! Tyler's parents rented an amazing cabin in Tahoe. Sue and Chad playing in the Lake!

Tyler and Trevor on the boat cruise. The lake is beautiful!

Tyler thought it would be funny to put on my sweatshirt. So, I made him pose for a picture, and he hammed it up!!

Tyler, Brook, Bethany, and Sue shaking there groove thing on the ship! We were pretty much the only ones dancing, and we sure made an impression on the rest of the guests!!

Jeff and Bethany dancing to a slow song. Bethany is about 5 months preggers in this pic, and they are having a BOY! They are going to name him Xander!

Richard and Sue sharing a sweet moment!

Aunt Brook and Madison playing outdoors. They decided that the reindeer needed some decorations to complete his look!

Madison and Lexa hand and hand walking around the yard! I think this pic is so cute!

Grandma with her two grand-daughters!

Grandma and Madison playing hide-and-go-seek!

Brook and Madison exploring!

Chad and Madison hanging in the jacuzzi.Grandpa and Madison sharing the i-pod at the airport!

Steve and Kalina came to visit!

Back in August, Tyler's buddy Steve and his wife Kalina came to visit us. Here are a few fun pics from our fun filled weekend! BTW, Madison totally thinks that Kalina is a princess, and referred to her as such all weekend! It all stems from seeing her on her wedding day in her pretty princess wedding dress. I think it is adorable that she thinks all brides are princesses.
Tyler and Steve doing a little cliff diving!

Madison pretending to drive the boat.

Madison with Princess Kalina

Madison dancing around at the District!

Madison in her cute dance uniform w/ Kalina. They were dancing together.

Madison and Kalina reading together while Steve watches TV intently.

We had a fun weekend with Steve and Kalina, and hope they come back someday!

Madison's grateful for...

Madison is feeling a little sick this morning, so I kept her home from pre-school. I called to let her teacher know that she would not be there this morning, and she said she would save her projects so she could do them later. She told me that she is planning to have them make a thankful tree, and that Madison made a list with her on Tuesday of things that she is thankful for. So, after I got off the phone with Miss Tammy, I asked Madison what she was thankful for, and she just started listing. I grabbed a pen and paper and started writing it all down.

This is her list:
I'm grateful for...
my family
my friends
my mom and dad
my cousins
my aunts and uncles (she proceeded to name them all)
my grandma and grandpa, and my other grandma and grandpa
school
airplanes
helicopters
bus
shows (TV)
my feet and toes
my face
my shoulders
my tummy
my hair
things that are right
pictures
plants, flowers, and palm trees
food like rice, carrots, apples, chicken, and steak
drinks like milk, juice, and water
the farm and all the animals
fishes and doggies (we go to the pet store regularly)
my Christmas tree
the doctor
my house
my toys
cups, plates
projects
dress up
car seats and buckles
letters so I can write
fingers so I can wiggle them
chairs
books
Heavenly Father, Joseph Sniff (Smith), and Jesus
refrigerator
my neck
my sick go away (trying to say, good health)
spaghetti
mac and cheese
the whole world
Disneyland
Princesses
eyes so I can see
nose so I can smell
ears so I can hear
mouth so I can talk and eat
my teeth
my body so can be healthy and strong

Then she said, "that's it!" Wow, I was so impressed with her list. She was on a role, and I didn't have to help her think up anything that she was grateful for. She came up with this whole list all on her own. Madison is so smart and funny, and I'm so grateful that I get to be her mom! She is such a great example to me. Now I need to start working on my list!

P.S. we are headed to San Diego next week for Thanksgiving with my family. I am excited! I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving!!

PRO-CRAS-TI-NA-TION

I am so behind on posts, that now I am just ignoring and nelecting my blog. I really do want to post, but then I think about how long it is going to take to go through all my pictures and organize them into neat little posts...ugh! So, my goal this week is to post at least 2 adventures a day! Wow, and I really do have a lot to post!

Look for...in the coming days...posts like...
*Laguna Beach w/ the Starleys
*Lake Powell w/ the whole gang
*The Killer's concert
*Disneyland part ONE
*Disneyland part TWO
*Parker (Lake Havasu)
*U2 concert
*A full week of Halloween
*Last boating adventure of 2009
*Birthday, Baby shower, and a baptism

Phew! Ok, so not that any of you really care, but I thought this post might motivate me! I love that blogging helps me keep a journal of all our adventures...now all I have to do is STOP PROCRASTINATING!!

Stand A Little Taller

I just wanted to share a little scripture and quote from the book Stand A Little Taller, written by President Gordon B. Hinkley (a prophet of the LDS church). I was reading through this book tonight, and I came across a page entitled, INDIVIDUAL EXCELLENCE.

Remember the worth of the souls is great in the sight of God.
-Doctrine and Covenants 18:10

President Hinkley gave his interpretation of this scripture with the following words:
"You can be excellent in every way. You can be first class. There is no need for you to be a scrub. Respect yourself. Do not feel sorry for yourself. Do not dwell on unkind things others may say about you. Polish and refine whatever talents the Lord has given you. Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, with great strong purpose in your heart. Love life and look for its opportunities, and forever and always be loyal to the church."

I love what President Hinkley wrote about going forward with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face. True happiness comes from within! :)

Sunset in Parker AZ

PARKER SUNSET!

Last week we ventured to Parker, AZ near Lake Havasu with our friends Andrea and Zach. I just wanted to share this cool pic. I will post more pics of our trip soon! I got some fun pics of Tyler and Zach catching some serious air!