I remember the day you were borned...

From itty bitty britty to gorgeous 25 y.o., we also got to celebrate my sister's b-day while in Vegas...Too busy partyin' to take many pics.; actually she was sweet enough to spend some of her a.m. driving me to couple stores @ outlet mall (not quite as early as some hard-core shoppers:) but still a lot o' traffic and own creative parking spot). Lunch c/o In n' Out burger=adventure @ drive-thru ordering for 12 people:) then all Shaw girls went to Twilight movie...not sure what all the rage is, but worth it to bond with b-day girl:)-thanks mom for tix! Back to condo for half hour before our next b-day meal:) @ PF Chang's-thanks dad! So, for most part, we all benefitted from her b-day but just wanted to let her know she is loved! 

A Turkey for You & A Turkey for Me:)

I am GRATEFUL for memories with family courtesy of my dad who enabled us all to fly south for winter (@ least for week of it:)) to Las Vegas! My sister Rachel lives there while her husband Mike attends dental school & she gave birth to my second adorable niece on Shaw side o' fam three weeks after Luke arrived:)Pretty mellow day as can be expected! Since we played so hard the previous couple days, we only managed to grocery shop before day of yet even that was quality bonding with my sisters..'Course it helped that mom and dad flew down with entire suitcase of home-baked goodness:)=dozens of rolls, appetizers, even fudge and choc. turtles!! Needless to say, we didn't starve while on vacation:) but I promise the holiday means more to me than just good food... My contribution were 4 desserts so everyone could have something s/he liked:) including blackberry crisp imported from WA.

Still had plenty of time to relax after morning in the kitchen but sadly realized my boys aren't nearly as entertained as I by Thanksgiving Day parade-oh well! They had just as much fun on/under the trampoline, swimming in Nov. or playing @ nearby parks considering 70 degree weather with Annie, their long-lost cousin who they missed after she spent summer @ grandma's house near us. 

Only in Las Vegas would they have cactus lights adjacent to chocolate factory, both of which we thoroughly enjoyed! However, I wouldn't want to be the one to put the lights on:) Did help to get us in mood for holidays...

Tournament of the Kings

Ever since my sister & her fam moved to Vegas, I have wanted to take the boys to the Tournament of Kings in Excalibur during a visit! Thanks to Mike's cool new military discount, we did just that a couple nights before Thanksgiving (I know the ladies out there are disappointed that I didn't choose Thunder from Down Under:) Maybe next time?!)It was very cool from the authentic meal...to the souvenirs that Chris decided they had to bring home to WA:) He disappeared for a minute before the show began & came back with Viking paraphernalia & even a flower headband for Annie!
Luke made sure the liquid refreshment was suitable @ the round table & tried helmet on for size too:)


















We weren't able to take pics during actual jousting, so only snuck a couple beforehand-














Suffice it to say our Russian prince was very gallant:) & the boys were captivated, then wanted to be just like him!

Uffens Home Studio

Thanks Rach for trying out your early Christmas present=studio lights & practicing with your camera on your nephews...Not sure if it was the boys' favorite part of our trip, but I'm grateful to have the results! Here's a sample from our photo shoot-

Of course we had to highlight the youngest Parker boy for upcoming announcement/Christmas card-

I have to say that my nieces are pretty sweet too! 

Go Huskers!

We are excited to announce that our niece Lindsey has a full ride scholarship to play basketball for a D-I school despite the fact that it won't be @ our beloved UW:( We are proud of her talent & it has been fun to see the recruiting process from afar although she committed sooner than we anticipated after Nebraska wined & dined her early in the fall along with entire PAC-10 minus Stanford & a handful of other schools. She had several binders full of letters from interested coaches & really could've taken her pick...Just recently she was featured with cover story in ESPN Rise magazine not to mention always being the last player out of locker room following numerous interviews! We are also teaching our boys that their mascot is the CornHUSKER & not CornSucker as they erringly learned somehow:)As you can see, we got to be there for her short n' sweet signing day @ Kentwood High School (check 'em out during playoffs, which will be much more exciting than the regular season as they are ranked #2 in state & nation!! Go Conks!)Signed Sealed & Delivered:)














My bro & sis-in-law went all out with the Nebraska-themed refreshments...Yes, those are N-shaped ice cubes that my bro in law spent all week preparing for the event from a tiny tray:) How cool are those personalized M&Ms?














Here are her some of her supportive teammates; that's half their charm this year 'cuz they play so well together and share the glory! We're just not used to seeing 'em outta uniform-Here are her cool coaches, Keith & Wendy Hennig:I added this pic of our boys together & another from sr. night as well! Notice I found green spider mums for her, which were perfect 'cuz of the color & her nickname due to aggressive defense:)