Welsh Visitors

Our friends from Wales vame to visit: Eileen Silk, Gary Daniels, Jen Hole and Vanessa Daniels.

It was fun to catch up, but not long enough!

Having the four of us together again, brought back fond memories of our time in Swansea!

Being surrounded by Welsh accents made me homesick for Wales!

Gingerbread Houses Extraordinaire

Many of the Lance clan gathered for a gingerbread house marathon!

It wasn't a contest because there was no prize...but the competition was still fierce!

Brainstorming was the first order of business!


Then the creative juices began to flow!

I love the pez pathway and smartie rock wall in front of Logan and Anne's castle!

Justin and Josh created an amazing tower!

Lance and Jordan tackled building Minas Tirith from "Lord of the Rings".

Janae re-created the Oakland temple!
Note the bride and groom on the bridge!

Logan and Anne's castle

Jan built a replica of the Lincoln memorial!

Justin's tower is growing taller!

Notice the intricate walls of Minis Tirith.

More traditional gingerbread houses:

Minas Tirith grows ever more detailed and intricate:

My personal favorite - the Oakland Temple - where Matt and I got married!

The Ocean

The day after Thanksgiving, we drove to Salinas to see Logan and Anne's new home. We are happy to report that they are in a VERY nice place and are all settled in. (Check out their blog for photos.) Then we headed to the beach, even though it was windy and a storm was on its way.

It was gorgeous, even though it was a bit chilly!

It was fun to have the two boys together again!


It was also fun to drag Matt away from work , although he was on the phone a ton to make sure things were going O.K. in Green River.


Stunning scenery - although I wouldn't want to go swimming!

Thanksgiving Day in Gilroy, CA

The weather in Gilroy on Thanksgiving Day was warm and beautiful, so we set the table with china and goblets outside so we could enjoy the sunshine!

We had more than 25 people for dinner, including the local missionaries!

There was lots of good food, good company, and good times had by all!

The men enjoyed some guy time!

Noelle's Handiwork

As many of you may know, years ago we went to live in Wales along with the George Hansen family. A few months ago, Matt returned to Wales with George and Cyndy for a work project. While there, Cyndy purchased a antique blessing gown which she bought for her latest grand-daughter to wear at her blessing. Since Noelle is an expert at these kinds of things, she spent many hours restoring and reinforcing the gown so it would be sturdy enough for a baby to wear. The gown is over 150 years old, so it needed quite bit of work. I posted more photos than I normally would, but I wanted you to see Noelle's excellent work!

Getting dressed is a big proposition for a Victorian baby!

Cyndy used an antique handkerchief to make the hat - it is made in such a way that it can be taken apart to use as a hankie at her wedding someday.

Ready to go!

Proud parents - Nate and Lindy Hansen!

Proud papa!

Sunday Dinner

The day after all the Halloween festivities, we had Sunday dinner at our house.
Aislinn proved she really had learned to walk!

Micheal tried to dive under the table ( actually a dinosaur cave) but misjudged the height and earned a goose-egg for his efforts!

Along with the Kelleys, Noelle and Kao joined us for yummy stew, homemade rolls, apple juice...and pine nuts for "dessert"!