What Christmas is all about

Linus says it best...

Merry Christmas to all!

I Can Do It With A Smile on My Face

This video taught me an important lesson today. Just like Gabe, I can do it with a smile on my face. Thanks, Gabe!

Well on His Way to Earning His Eagle

Devan (12) loves Boy Scouts!  He worked hard last summer and early fall to earn 8 merit badges and his 2nd and 1st Class Ranks.  Just 16 more merit badges to go plus a huge Eagle project.  Keep it up, Devan!

We had Family Pictures Taken on October 23rd

My good friend, Allison Esplin, took our family pictures this year.  She did an amazing job.  I am excited to share these pictures with you.

Mrs. 101 promotes 101 Things To Do With Meatballs in San Diego

We headed to San Diego for Fall Break, so I could film this fun cooking segment for the Fox station there.

I also had a great time promoting Casa Di Bertacchi Meatballs and signing recipes at Sam's Club in San Diego.

20 Reasons We love Legoland

 

 As you can tell, the Ashcrafts LOVE Legoland.  I thought I would share more pictures with why we like Legoland.

1.  Spencer LOVES Star Wars!!!

2.  Devan LOVES Star Wars and especially Star Wars Legos.

3.  Where else can you find a giant pumpkin made out of Legos?

4.  Family bonding time.

5.  My kids love posing with all the Lego creations there.

6.  So many places to ham it up for pictures!

7.  The best play areas for kids 1-12!

8.  They have the right idea when it comes to cookbooks.  LOL.

9.  You can find Prince Charming there. 

10.  They have Emma's favorite Safari ride there.

11.  What can you do with Legos?

12.  Mini USA is amazing!

13.  We loved all the Halloween decorations there.

14.  Kids can drive without a license. :-)

15.  My kids could HAM it up at Legoland.

16.  It's a great way to see the great cities of the USA in one place.

17.  Even their restroom signs are creative!

18.  You can get people wet there.

19.  You can get wet there!

20.  Where else can you drive a "fire truck" and put out a fire without the heat?

Fall Break was a lot of fun!

Fall Break: Mormon Battalion Visitor Center

 We headed to see the newly remodeled Mormon Battalion Visitor Center in Old Town San Diego.  This is a MUST see if you ever head to San Diego.  Lizzie thought this place was better than Legoland.  We liked it so much that we stopped here again before leaving San Diego to head home.

 Glad we weren't traveling in one of these wagons!

 Our kids loved panning for gold.

 They had Fools Gold mixed in with the rocks for kids to find and take home.

 The interactive film throughout the visitor center brought the whole experience alive for the kids.

 Lizzie as a pioneer

 The kids loved the interactive map showing how far they had marched.

 Emma loved the horses!

 We met up with the Ashtons, a family from Salem, Utah, that we met at our hotel.  Our kids had a great time swimming and playing together at the hotel and on our 2nd visit to the Mormon Battalion.

 Another picture of the Ashtons.  Their son, Jacob (in the plaid sweatshirt), goes to the same high school as our nephews and nieces in Utah.  Small world.

Lizzie got picked both times to dress up!  No wonder she loved this place.

Note:  If you go to see it, sit on the crates when you go into the big room! They are the best seats in the house. 

Fall Break: Trip to San Diego Part 2

One of my favorite parts of heading to California is seeing the beach and the ocean.  I love seeing the excitement in my kids faces as they play in the sand and water.  We spent several hours just playing at the beach on Wednesday.  It was cold for us, but we still had a great time!

Emma (almost 4)

Such a princess!

Liz and Devan race the freezing waves.

Liz (10)

I LOVE this picture of my boys.  Especially the happiness in their faces.

Devan (12)

They couldn't resist building something.

Mom, the photographer

I love seeing my kids working together.  Priceless.