Lichty's Nuts

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-04T09:46:00.000-07:00

Babies first Halloween and yes it is no coincidence that Easton is dressed up in the costume of his mothers favorite animal.

I guess I should have gotten myself a mama cow outfit like our friend Debbie...it woulda made more sense than Dorthy...but didn't Dorthy live on a farm?!

2011-10-25T11:59:00.000-07:00

Every year my parents rent a beach house in Carmel for the whole family to congregate and spend a week together. Its something we look forward to every year. This week the house was almost maxed out as their were two new residents...baby Easton and Hazen.

Of course the weather is always perfect and there is lots of beach time.

This year we drove over to Santa Cruz to see the Mystery Spot, which we had never been to but now highly recommend. Its a trip!!

Of course there was lots of play time...

and lots of sleepy time.

Family photos on the beach.

We started a new tradition to have a bonfire on the beach our last night in Carmel. A little wood, some smores ingredients and we were good to go!

Another great year!

Easton's First Haircut

2011-10-16T16:35:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has met Easton or seen photos of him knows that he was blessed with an abundance of hair. So at only 3 months he was already in need of a haircut as the hair over his ears was venturing closer and closer to his earlobes. So my very own hairstylists to the stars, mom and dad, busted out the scissors and trimmed him up!

he was even adorned with a hair drape for the occasion.

Quite the pile of hair to be trimmed off a 3 month old, but well overdue.

2011-09-29T14:12:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends we scored some free tickets to a UC Davis football game. It was a perfect night and baby was a serious champ!! We took our seats and naturally people were screaming and yelling, lol, not at us but at the players. Easton was like "um, no thanks get me out of here!!!"...but then a few more minutes went by, we stuck it out and he was like, "whateves, I can handle this". He didn't flinch or even budge at any of the screaming, music or yelling the rest of the night.

One minute hes awake......

the next minute he's asleep

Go Aggies!!!!

Sacramento Temple

2011-09-19T15:10:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day in Sacramento and we decided to visit the Sacramento Temple with little Easton. Its his first trip to the temple outside of the womb.

Always a hungry little monkey

2011-09-13T16:17:00.000-07:00

Labor Day weekend was Gold Rush Days in Old Sacramento. More than 200 tons of dirt was dumped onto the streets transforming Sacramento's historic district into a svene straight out of the 1850's. Hundreds of costumed performers took on the roles of celebrities, personalities and just plain folks, bringing history to life while bluegrass pickers and old-timey musicians performed on several stages, evoking the vivid tunes of the times.

I was sweating just looking at all of the actors in wool pants and coats and full length shirts and skirts...no thanks!

baby missed the whole thing....such a sleepy boy.

The Evolution of "Un-Swaddling"

2011-08-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

Easton , whether he knows it or not, loves to be swaddled. It's actually the only way he is able to eat and sleep without having his hands sabotage his every move. So we swaddle his little butt up in an extremely large muslin blanket that holds both of his arms tightly to his sides and makes him into a perfect little burrito. Below is the evolution of Easton being Un-Swaddled as he is reunited with his freedom.

Look who I caught smiling!!

2011-08-08T11:23:00.000-07:00

Can You Say Tired!

2011-08-03T20:16:00.000-07:00

So tough being an almost 2 month old.You know your tired when you can sleep an extra few hours with your pacifier, which has fallen out of your mouth, stuck to your lips.

Fourth of July

2011-07-11T14:52:00.000-07:00

A little feasting and fireworks show in Lodi this year for the Fourth of July.

Baby Easton's first fourth of July!

Ben brought out a ladder to shoot off all of our illegal fireworks before the big show started at the lake.

Amazingly enough Easton and Hazen slept through both firework shows

Both babies are in no way lacking for attention or love

Clean as a Whistle!

2011-06-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

Easton loooves his bath time

Sleepy Time

2011-06-24T10:09:00.001-07:00

Eastons favorite way to fall asleep

Guess Whos Here!

2011-06-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

Easton Eyring Lichty

June 7, 2011

6 lbs 15 oz

19.5 "

Master Ben

2011-05-23T11:59:00.000-07:00

Master Ben, formally know as Ben, just graduated with his Masters in Urban Land Development. His family couldn't be prouder of all of his hard work and dedication in completing this degree as he also tended to so many other obligations in his life.

You can see how excited my dad was during the ceremony. Either that or he was saying a little personal prayer that it would end.

A proud momma

another proud momma

And a proud mother and father in law

Congrats Master Ben!!!!

2011-05-17T15:26:00.000-07:00

Mothers Day and my mothers birthday happened to fall on the same day this year. Ben and I thought what better way to celebrate the combo of these two holidays than to immortalize my mom with tattoos!

Lol, of course these were amateur tattoos done with a ball point pen but it was priceless to see my parents faces when we both rolled up our sleeves to present our gift...and even funnier when my nieces thought that we had actually gotten tattoos!

Squeeze Inn...if you can

2011-05-03T16:19:00.000-07:00

Some of you might already be familiar with the Sacramento local Squeeze Inn restaurant from either it being featured on the local news, the Food Networks Diners Drive-Ins and Dives or just from shear experience of eating there. If you are looking to have your mind blown then this is the right place for you! Their burgers are unlike anything you will ever taste, smothered, literally, in a bubbling cheese "Skirt", Their famous "Squeeze With Cheese" burger is a 1/3 pound of beef with almost as much cheese, all on a fresh bun, and all the fixings. I had never been there so Ben and I decided to check out their new location in Sacramento. You wont believe it from the pictures but I actually ordered the SMALL burger!!!

Ben and I enjoyed every bite...the baby however, not so much :( I'll have to try back again once I've popped this little one out.

Easters!

2011-04-25T14:36:00.000-07:00

Easter at mom and dads this year included a visit from Josh and Maria all the way from Utah.

The three pregnant ladies

Of course their was plenty of Easter egg huntin...

and the traditional bocce ball tournament games

April 18th- 32 Years the Younger

2011-04-19T06:39:00.000-07:00

April 18th

32 Years old

My husband, my best friend, my eternal companion, the love of my life and my birthday boy!

31 weeks

2011-04-18T11:47:00.000-07:00

So excited to be pregnant with my big sis! Her last and our first and we are both having boys!!!! Just six weeks apart...they have to be best friends whether they like it or not, no options!

Ben's Career as a Model

2011-04-11T09:05:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year the young men and women of our ward took a field trip to the Crocker Art Museum on free museum day. There was a portion of the museum set up with easels and drawing materials for individuals to try their hand at drawing. The model that was being drawn took a little break and Ben was asked to step in. Below are two of the completed sketches of "Model Ben"

This looks like a hard core Spanish version of Ben to me.

Babymoon

2011-03-21T16:05:00.000-07:00

I wish I could say that the reason we have been MIA on the blog is because we have been vacationing in Hawaii for the past 6 months...but that would be a gross exaggeration. In reality we were only in Hawaii for one week as a little vacation before baby Lichty comes and I have no good excuse for the blog neglection. But! No good time like the present to start back up right?!

We stayed in Wakiki but spent most of our time traversing the entire island. I dont think there is an inch we didnt see! Strangely enough Hawaii felt much like another country especially with the undecernable pigeon language that we spent much of our time deciphering. We did manage to survive as well as see all of the local attractions and sample most of the local cuisine. Being pregnant did make things a little bit more entertaining. Most of the time my two priorities were: where the bathroom was and when my next meal would be. Funny enough Hawaii doesn't have many public restrooms and when we would happen across one it either didnt have any toilet paper or a stall door. We learned quickly to bring napkins with us and take advantage of wadding in the ocean for a little release.

Here is a little peek at some of the things we did and saw while in Hawaii:
Our first day in Hawaii we got off the plane, checked into our hotel room, freshened up, drove to North Shore to meet one of Bens old highschool friends who was able to score us rediculously reduced priced tickets to the Polynesian Cultural Center for a night show and Luau. At this point we had been up since 4am California time and didnt get back to our hotel until around 1:30am California time. Long long day but worth every second. Not to mention, we got lei'd!!

The boys diggin our dinner (the raosting pig) out of the pit.

Pearl Harbor USS Arizona Memorial

On Sunday we attended church with some of Ben's old highschool friends then had a picnic at BYU Hawaii before touring the Temple.

Ben in front of Duke

Beach time all the time!

Hike to Maunawili Falls

Dole Plantation pinnapple fields.

Hunama Bay

Iolani Palace

Delicious must haves!.......

Aoki's Shave Ice (we preferred Hawaiian style piled high on vanilla ice cream)

Shrimp scampi for the famous Giovanni's road side shrimp truck.

Hula Pie from Dukes in Waikiki

A few things we saw everywhere in Hawaii:

Meth addiction posters

Trash everywhere...in particular, mattresses

Chickens were everywhere we went!!! Literally; streets, parks, beaches, houses etc. Surprisingly, never once did we ever see one dead on the road.

Ambulances were as common as tourists were. Must of heard an ambulance on average every ten minutes of the day. Maybe it's all those meth addicts!

And just like that the trip was over and we set sail back to California to pouring rain and tornado winds.

California's North Coast - Trailer Camping

2010-09-17T13:54:00.000-07:00

This summer we took a vacation to California's northern coast to escape the heat, see the redwoods, and enjoy luxurious camping in my Dad's travel trailer.

Fort Bragg was our first stop and we camped at MacKerricher State Park.

Then we visited 'Glass Beach' which was an old landfill/dump where people dumped their trash, and years later, the trash has turned to cool stuff.

Mendocino was our next stop, though we didn't spend the night here, we spent several hours walking around the little town, and enjoying the farmer's market and quaintness, this house was one of Whits favorites. The lighthouse was just outside Mendocino, at sundown.

Crescent City was our next stop, but we had a long and exhausting drive from Mendocino to get there! Highway 1 is beautiful, but super curvy, and with the trailer towing behind us, the drive got a little stressful...but it was worth it! Some stops along the way were Ferndale, Eureka, Arcata, Trinidad, and Klamath to name a few...

Redwoods...Klamath, Ca was on the way, and this awesome display of Paul Bunyan and Babe was one of our many pit stops along the way. The statue had a speaker in it, with a guy talking to all the spectators. He was offering Paul Bunyan facts and answering questions from the kids, it was pretty funny.

Crescent City

Patrick's Point

Agate Beach

Six Flags

2010-09-07T20:16:00.000-07:00

Off to Six Flags we went together for the first time. It had been years and years since my last theme park experience and though my memories told me I loved roller coasters I wasn't sure that it was still very accurate. We tested the waters with a ride that I'm sure we were over the height and weight limit for but none the less I passed with flying colors so we progressed to Medusa. (lets set aside the fact that I consumed an entire In and Out meal 25 minutes before buckling myself in). After Medusa I was a little unsure of what my stomach was telling me but I took a breath and tried another one. Nope nope nope...no more rides for me. If the second roller coaster hadn't ended when it did, the poor girl in front of me would have been covered in an animal style burger with special sauce. Has anyones else's stomach taken a turn for the weak? Needless to say we spent the rest of our time at six flags admiring all the animal shows.

Ever since I finished the book Modoc ( an incredible book about an elephant...I highly recommend it!) I have been obsessed with elephants...and rightfully so, they are amazing creatures. We happen to be at the right place at the right time and were privy to a private viewing of an elephant receiving her bath before the show.

Then to make things even better, after the show, I was able to feed the elephant and pet her!!!!!!! Cloud nine!

Next off to the lion show...

And topped the day off with a little killer whale action

We Got Frayed

2010-09-01T08:18:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love the Fray!

This summer we had a chance to see them play at Ironstone Vineyards in Murphy's....AMAZING!!! Beautiful night sitting out on a grassy knoll with my incredible husband, who found the tickets, being serenaded by an amazing band. What more could you ask for?

Whitney's Painting Update

2010-08-07T14:35:00.000-07:00

Whitney has turned out three marvelous works of art in the last few weeks! Check them out and let us know what you think!

Hound Dog

Great Dane

Hippo

Wall Collage

Whitney has been working on other arts and crafts lately, but I will save those for another post. For now check out her amazing oil paintings, fondly referred to by me as the compound collection. :)

Happy Birthday Ken, aka Ren

2010-08-07T13:08:00.000-07:00

Our birthday boy is an amazing person, so I thought I would take a moment to recognize his awesomeness! Ken owns and operates a successful business where he has cut and styled hair for many years. He not only does hair, but he provides a unique environment of creativity and comfort to his clients and co-workers who become dear friends to the Adamska family. He is always painting and redecorating the shop to keep the atmosphere exciting, and he is great at it, the shop always looks and feels incredible! Ken is kind, sincere, gentle, genuine, soft spoken, and dedicated. Those who know him truly love him. He loves to smile and laugh, and he loves his family more than anything in the world. He is blessed with a special gift to love others, seemingly unconditionally. I have never met anyone who has met Ken and doesn't have something nice to say about him. I met him about six years, and have had the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time with him. Whitney and I even lived with Ken and Sherrill for a few months while we transitioned from our bay area residence to Sacramento. The more I learned about Ken and his life and love, the more amazed I am. He is inspirational to me and I look to him as an extraordinary role model, and an example of how to live life. I love him, and hope to be more like him. Happy Birthday Ken!

Our Family Patriarch

In the yard

Making us laugh in the car

Showing the kids his crazy face! No one believed him that he had a crazy face:)

So loving...

Doing the dishes

What a GREAT guy! We love you!

Getaway to the Bay

2010-06-23T08:07:00.000-07:00

Hausin around the Bay on Saturday afternoon.

Dancin around the streets of Walnut Creek like real OG's and....

panhandling.

Next stop...a stroll through St. Mary's College in the hills of beautiful and essspensive Moraga

Ben found the Soda Lounge

Happy Valley Hiking

2010-06-23T07:53:00.000-07:00

Done with school...!!!!....Hiking Happy Valley Trail and cleanin up the environment celebration!

Sly Park Reservoir

Deck Demolition

2010-06-02T17:55:00.000-07:00

Whitney's Painting Talent

2010-05-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

One of Whitney's many talents is painting, and she is really good with oil based paint. Whitney painted a lot before we were married, and about a year and a half ago, Whitney got motivated to get back into it, her and I spent an afternoon painting, mine was not good, but her cow was beautiful. Last weekend, I was away on a Scout campout, and she spent Saturday painting. She was inspired by a book she read called Modoc.

Modoc May 2010

Faithful Lichty blog followers may remember this painting from Whitney

November 2008

The Compound Collection

Birthday Bash for the Birthday Boy!

2010-04-26T08:23:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Benny Boys 31st birthday last weekend, hes graduated to the big leaguers now!

Food and fun...a staple at our family gatherings

Porter really hates Gammies chicken...he's workin on his 4th thigh at this point.

Kenzie and I made up a birthday cheer for the Birthday boy with a little gun slinging back up from the twins.

It was so warm out, it was perfect for the water guns!! Strategic move by Kenzie.

Ben caught a naked little ninja along the way!!

Happy Happy Birthday!!! Nope thats not smoke, thats powdered sugar blowing off the cake. What you don't see is little Porter sitting directly on the opposite side blinking his eyes and catching his breath as he was dusted with powdered sugar.

Sadly, the best family shot we got out of all 10!!!

2010-04-20T07:24:00.000-07:00

This year we had Easter in Lodi at Mom & Dad's house. The young Campbell's, the old Campbell's and the Seeds all came down to partay.

Mom and Dads flowers we in full bloom

Before it started dumping buckets of rain, we decided it would be a good time to start he egg hunt!

Ben told the kids that he hid an egg under the beater somewhere...they searched forever and finally gave up...it was hiding in the wheel well. :)

With bags full, everyone headed back in.

This year my parents asked every family to make a Easter hat out of whatever they wanted...and we had a hat contest and voted with top secret ballots.

Here are all the contestants.

My personal favorites were mom and dad's, but hey opted out of the contest, to remain partial judges. And the winner is...........

Kenna......hmmmmm, something doesn't add up! 4 Campbell kids, 2 Campbell adults, 6 votes....yup, makes sense.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!!!!

9 and Counting

2010-04-20T07:08:00.000-07:00

In February we celebrated McKenzies 9th Birthday!

We couldn't find a party hat so a beachy cowgirl hat had to suffice.

Mom made her DELICIOUS heath bar ice cream cake...I'm telling you people this is the bestest!

Who's the sneaky girl in the background tryin to blow our Kenzies candles?!

Porter was stoked about the cake!

Party's over...time to go home!

El Dorado Trail Bike Ride - Missouri Flat to Smith Flat/Hwy 50

2010-04-12T15:19:00.000-07:00

The Old Weber Creek Train Bridge

Highway 49 views at Weber Creek

Last Friday was a nice day for a bike ride, so my Dad and I went up the El Dorado Trail in Placerville.

A Tribute to a Great Man

2010-03-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

Friday, 3/19/2010, was the funeral of Ed Axtel. I have spent the last week or so thinking of Ed often and all the good he did. Ed was my neighbor for my entire childhood. My parents bought a piece of property from Ed in 1975 and built the house I grew up in. Ed was kind, loving and helpful. One of my earliest memories I have is walking down the street in front of Ed's house with my shoe laces untied. Ed pointed out to me that my shoes were untied, and I explained to him innocently that I did not know how to tie them. Ed promptly took the opportunity to teach me how to tie them, and I never forgot. When my brothers and I were small children we would often have lunch with Ed on his back deck. We would eat with him and he would talk to us and make us feel loved. He was a great friend and neighbor. Joel, Ed's grandson gave a talk at the funeral and spoke of Ed's honor. Ed always did the right thing, the right way. I remember a scripture in Mosiah 5:15 that makes me think of Ed:

"Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all."

Ed was steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works. I will forever remember Ed for this. Ed is a great example to me and all those who knew him.

I love you Ed and will miss you. Thank you for the example you set.

Whirlwind Valentines

2010-03-02T07:07:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Valentines Day with the Morti's on Saturday of Valentines Weekend and had an ambitious list of to-do's spanning Sacramento, the Bay, the Valley and back.

First stop Tower Cafe for their "Famous French Toast"...literally!!! If anyone reading this lives in a 40 mile radius of Sacramento then it's worth the trip for this unordinary extraordinary french toast!! I don't even know if that makes sense, but I don't even care cause thats how good it is!!

Still unconfirmed but I'm pretty sure Ben and I were fighting off a serious case of the swine flu, so we washed our famous french toast down with a few shots of everything below.

And hence the picture to follow...

When we woke up we were in Walnut Creek at the famous little chocolate shop Aimme used to work at, Leonidas...mmmmm

no time to waist...must keep to the schedule! No time for potty breaks...ok maybe one behind the dumpster.

Next up the base of the beautiful Mt Diablo, Round Valley. A little jaunt, a few pics and some petting of the horses.

Then off to the old project that Ben worked on while employed with Shea Homes. We took a tour of the massive, expensive, gorgeous...must i go on...homes.

Can you imagine sitting in this humongous over sized captain chair to eat dinner.

I hope they didnt have any cameras in these homes

Over to our favorite family ranch in Brentwood to visit all of our farm animals.

And yes I found my cow...and yes again that is my happy I found a cow face!

Famished we went to a great little Greek resteraunt in Stockton for some flaming cheese and other goodies.

And the fun didn't stop there! We used our time well in Stockton and hit some thrift stores and cruised down Wilson Way (those familiar with Stockton will understand why we would have included Wilson Way as one of our tourist spots to show the Morti's). On the way back to Sacramento we stopped off in Lodi at the parentals house to meet their new kitty Schmitty! Then finally home! From what Ben and I remember through the fog of drugs it was an awesome day. And then Ben and I died when we got home...well at least it felt like it!

Free Museum Day

2010-02-26T08:13:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month it was free museum day in Sacramento. We have lived 2 minutes from Sutters Fort for over a year now and it took a free day to finally get us over there. A few hurtles...it was raining and everyone in the greater Sacramento Northern California felt like the whole world also new it was free museum day! Ahhh! Consequently we only made it to a few.

Ben getting ready to blow the canon

This little cramped but cozy home was actually really appealing to me...strange?

How bout this for a bow and arrow set...notice the orifice the arrows are coming out of!

We could have listened to these old men all day long...so much knowledge to give!

Stop #2

Happy Anniversary - 5 years!!

2010-02-19T08:41:00.000-08:00

Married on February 19, 2005 at the Oakland Temple...

Since then we have had a lot of great times!

Costa Rica, Mexico, Alaska, Florida, not to mention countless excursions all over California, and trips to Utah.

We have lived in Martinez, Brentwood, Lodi, and two different places in Sacramento.

Whitney graduated from UC Davis in 2006 and I went back to school at Sac State in 2009.

Here we are in 2010, its been a great 5 year journey so far, and I can't wait for the memories to come!

I love you Whit!

New Years Round #2

2010-01-28T08:16:00.000-08:00

Every New Years my family has a crab feast, every one was gone so New Years came a little late for the Adamska, Campbell, Lichty clans this year.

When we exited the freeway for my parents house we saw this sign in the near distance and for a brief second we thought that my parents (it wouldn't surprise me) had made a sign advertising our New Years crab feed, well that was until we saw the name Bob.....and the words: cocktails, wine, the phone numbers...pretty much everything except the words CRAB FEED!

Sweet anticipation

Dad ordered some special bread for our special celebration

even for the ninos

And the star of the show!!!! Platters and platters of this!

Face of a satisfied customer!

Happy New Years...again!

New Years in Utah

2010-01-11T06:48:00.000-08:00

Give me everything in excess!!!!!.... food, sleep, movies, fun...perfect description of said trip!

Of course we chased it all down with a few trips to the temple.

Ooh La La!

Jon trying to scale the walls of Temple Square... 10 steps to your left, make a right and your in!

Walking back to the car...thud!..."what was that?" Turn around to see jon had lost the battle with a patch of ice. Surprisingly the only fall of the trip.

Ice ice ice, something we aren't to familiar with in Sacramento. These cycles were like daggers...notice the one heading straight for Aimee's head! I guess I wasn't a very good friend..."ya Aimee thats great...a little to the left, a few feet up, yup thats a great picture, now hold it!"

Loved this wood furniture store in Park City...does the boss to to the right come with!?!

We saw lots and lots of wildlife while we were in Utah...a cow...

Moose...

And bears!

The best find of all...dun dun dun...we were walking around FREEZING our butts off, that is until Jon found a heated bench...yes a HEATED bench. Boooyah! It wasn't a large bench and as you can see we are all fighting for every inch! AMAZING!!

Have you ever seen a grown man sleeping straight up with his legs crossed? Well now you have.

Movie #31...FYI dont ever see The Box

New Years!!!...3...2...1...KISS!!

"This is the Place"

Baby snowman

Bridal Veil Falls

Dinner with fam and old friends

Provo Temple

Random face shots!

And a 10 hour ride home

Christmas 09

2010-01-06T07:57:00.001-08:00

Christmas at the Adamska's...a new year, a new tree! Batter up....a large branch spray painted red, intertwined inside an old ladder and adorned with red and green Christmas balls!!! I love it!! My parents creativity never ceases to amaze me!

Porter got his first buzz cut

My favorite present to each other: The Yearly Christmas Talent Show

(And yes we video tape it every year!)

First up: Mom with a tribute to the late Michael Jackson, doing a rendition of weird Al Yancovic's "Beat it". A little twisted, but she definitely stole the show!!

Ben imitating a kid on YouTube imitated the Kurt Russell speech from the movie Miracle

Kenzie with a little song and dance

The twins singing a billion Chritmas songs...lol! Give these two a little attention and it's hard to get em off the stage. :)

The unexpected Porter song

Whitney with a rendition of Mary Had a Little Lamb on harmonica

Mom and dad with a funny baseball story

Dad being dad

Kenna & Scott reenacting an SNL skit

Ben & Whit breakin it down in honor of a Flight of the Conchords skit

The End

Now lets eat!!

2010-01-04T20:47:00.000-08:00

Our yearly holiday cookie decorating party! Woohooo!!!

Filling the piping bags with the ninos...

They can barely wait!...

Finally, time to decorate

Proud artiiiiiist!

The face of a very content Porter who has consumed his weight in sugar

Poooped adults enjoying the show

Success!

Sacramento Christmas Tree Hopping

2009-12-14T07:29:00.000-08:00

We took a two tree Christmas tree tour of Sacramento. First up...Old Sac

Almost got it, one more try!

State Capitol Christmas tree

Yup there really is a tree behind us

Reno or Bust

2009-12-07T18:36:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we drove up to Reno to watch our sister in-law Jen Campbell walk at her graduation!

Ben catching a little Zzzzzz's before the ceremony began.

The after party at Boomerang Pizza

Jen: What kind of pizza did you order?

Spencer: Uhhh...combination and Chuck's special

Jen: Its my party and you got me crap i don't like!!!

Jen's not a big fan of Mushrooms or olives (note to self).

One of those had to be there hilarious moments!!!

On our way back to California we stopped by Sheel's an outdoor sporting store on crack!! They had an indoor Ferris Wheel, yes people a Ferris Wheel inside the store!! Of course we took a ride!

Didn't think i was very scared of heights until the first go around.

I love the taxidermy and the taxidermy loves me.

Great trip, loved seeing the fam...Congrats Jen!!!!

Christmas Comes Early in Placerville

2009-12-02T08:43:00.001-08:00

We piled the troops in the car and headed to Placerville to meet the Seeds for dinner and a stroll through the freshly festivated (ya i know, not a real word...but it sounds pretty) downtown.

Ahh Momma K and son, so sweet!

The Morti's

We even found Santa...he's a little early this year

Next up...diggin for gold in the old mine shaft nestled away in the local coffee shop

No thats not the camera out of focus thats just how muggy and damp it is in there

Back to Kathy and Bob's for some delicious hot cocoa and scrumptious apple pie!!!!

This pick scares me!! doesnt it look like my other eye would be to the right? ewww, creepy Whitney! I found a new side job, the circus!

Thanksgiving 09

2009-11-30T08:09:00.000-08:00

This year for Thanksgiving we had mom and dad all to ourselves! Love spending time with these guys...they are hilarious!!

We decided to see what all the fuss was about with New Moon and had lots of car fun on the way.

oooh so close...anticipation is building!

Waiting...waiting...

None of us have read any of the books but I think we all enjoyed it! Movie success!

Halloween 09' Holla!!

2009-11-02T08:07:00.000-08:00

Halloween started off sweet and tame at a ward Halloween party. No real mystery what we both are.

I found a mini me!

...and a mechanic

And for his solo shots....my very own cowboy, Ben Lichty.

Then we blew that popsicle stand and went DANCIN!!!! Hollllllla!!!!!

I think there might be a little pole dancin in this mans future!

Carmel, CA

2009-10-13T07:34:00.000-07:00

Back to the beach house this year in beautiful Carmel. Compliments of the most generous parents on earth!

Yes, Ben does look a little funny in this picture only because of my botch job of an attempt to photo shop him into the picture. (He already left to go back home for school when this pic was taken)

Beach time

Porter was spent! Playin in the sand is hard work!

The boys built a sand castle

And then we all destroyed it by taking a picture.

Mom jumped in the crazy freezing water

The ninos wanted me to put make-up on them one morning. After putting mascara on, Lydia had an itch in her eye...ooops

On our way to the Monterey Bay Aquarium

petting pool

This guy cracks me up

Girls day out on the town

Every time we got into an elevator we tried to get a family shot. These were the two most successful of the 16 times.

The End...vacations are never long enough!

Birthday Birthday, Comin to Earth Day, Pink and Wrinkled and Small!

2009-10-02T06:38:00.000-07:00

Happy 29th Birthday to me!

My favorite little midgets!

My favorite little family!

A & W

2009-09-30T07:32:00.001-07:00

Aimee Mortimer and I practicaly share the exact same birthday. We were born 1 day apart........plus 5 years. Good for her bad for me. Next year I'll be in the 3's and she will still have 5 years left in the 2's!!!

We decided to do a dessert swap for our birthday presents. Such a great idea I think we will implement it monthly instead of yearly!

Your jealous I know it!

Make a wish!

And this lovely picture is us doing our birthday dance!

Happy Birthday Whitney

2009-09-27T21:35:00.001-07:00

Today is Whitney's 29th birthday. She is more beautiful now than ever! Whitney always seems to take my breath away. Not simply her outer beauty, but her amazing smile that reflects her inner beauty and love for life. She makes me smile with my whole heart. I love when she laughs. I love to see her with our wonderful nieces and nephew. She gives them 100% of her genuine interest. She loves them so completely. Whitney has the ability to make those around her feel better about themselves and better about life in general. Whitney makes the world a better place. I love you Whit and I feel so lucky to be married to you. Happy Birthday, you mean the world to me!

Ben

Georgia's Birthday/Baptism

2009-09-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a special day for Georgia! Birthday and baptism all in one day!

her very own candy lei

Happy Birthday Baptism Georgia!

River Cats Playoffs

2009-09-21T07:37:00.000-07:00

Walking to the game...I promise we really got there, although we have no pictures to prove it.

33rd and Counting

2009-09-15T18:12:00.001-07:00

Happy 33rd Birthday Honey Bee!

I love this smile and this girl!!!!

Mom got into the birthday/Rambo action?!?!?

ice cream and cake and cake

ice cream and cake do the ice cream and cake

ice cream and cake do the ice cream and cake....

(FYI if you dont now this song you're lame!)

Of course Porter loved him some cake!

Our 2 attempts at family pictures ( who knew Lydi was such a nose picker)

More Meat!!

2009-09-08T20:05:00.001-07:00

For Labor Day weekend we went up to Placerville with the Morti's for a little R&R while Ben's mom and step dad were out of town.

Did I say weekend of R&R, Hah!! More like a frickin meatfest!!

We started the weekend off strong with a trip to Apple Hill.

A little cider tasting

Jonathon standing next to Jonathan Apples

Now you see Ben...

Now you don't

A late night ping pong tournament at Vito's

Amy feelin good off of the Grenadine night cap

Really what more can I say that the picture isn't already.

Two Blue Steals and one Magnum

Ben and Jon con gun and bat wearing luchador masks, yes, @ a Walmart. You stay classy Placerville!

Downtown Placerville

Still climbin the walls.

Best Labor Day ever!!!! Love those Morti's!!

Free Goats!!

2009-08-28T08:15:00.001-07:00

We were out of the state for 7 days and these are the only pictures we have to document our trip. Yup pretty much sums it up!!

Temple Extravaganza

2009-07-23T20:07:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we drove down to San Diego to attend the wedding of one of Ben's mission companions. We had three days, 20 hours of driving and a lot to cram in.

San Diego Temple

Mission San Diego de Acala

Robert Faulkner, Ben's last companion in Chile

Robert and Heather Faulkner

Balboa Park....amazing!!!

On our drive home Saturday night we decided to try and hit every temple we could within reason....first up...

Newport Beach Temple

(around 10:30pm)

L.A. Temple

(around 12:30am and my favorite one!!!)

sleeping and still driving...around 7:00am

Fresno Temple

(around 9am...yup still drivin!!!)

One wedding and 4 new temples in three days. Longest three days of my life!! Best three days of my life!!

Big Boy

2009-07-13T07:55:00.000-07:00

Porter turned 2!!

Happy Sad

2009-07-13T07:40:00.001-07:00

A sad day for the March of Dimes...and for Ash & I!!

Au Revoir Michelle we will miss you!!!

Beverwy Daweese por vida!!!!!

4th of July Celebration

2009-07-10T15:22:00.000-07:00

We spent the 4th in Lodi with the fam

On the menu for the day were some good homemade, fatty blue cheese stuffed burgers (Kenna's tongue is kinda scary long!?!)
And the biggest brats you have ever seen in your life that my parents picked up at a local meat market. Holy BIG!!!!
Just the boys hangin. Don't you wish we could all just sit around in our diapers and crocks on a hot day?

A little Boccie Ball tournament

Oh wait....this was a close one! Better get out the measuring stick!! And the winner is.........!!!

Sarah!! The pose of a true champion.

And for dessert...butterscotch peanut popcorn. Holy sweet!!

And root bear floats to wash it down with

Sparklers before the big fireworks show

Tucker Wedding

2009-07-05T19:10:00.000-07:00

We spent a weekend in Colorado for Ben's cousins wedding. What a beautiful state!! We arrived a few days early and where able to explore the Boulder scene.
The day before the wedding the groom and bride bought everyone passes to a water park. Just as everyone was about to head out, a HUGE HUGE lightening, thunder storm rolled into town in a matter of minutes. Definitely not used to that kind of summer weather. We all huddled up in towels under the gazebo waiting for it to pass.

Found a great little raging creek by the farmers market

Up at Estes National Park

Saturday night at the wedding
Robert & Oriana Tucker
Lichty Fam
Ok now lets be honest....when I saw this bridesmaid one and only one thing came to mind!!!! Whats the first thing that comes to mind when you see this tattoo!!!?!?!?!? Yup, exactly, transformers baby!!!
Ben teaching Tanner the sophisticated way to drink...pinkie up!!

Lastly we were able to stop by the Denver Temple on our way home.

2009-07-01T18:47:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago we had the Campbell girls over for the weekend

We had a picnic at Land Park before going to the zoo. The girls know when they eat at our house that there "yummy food" to veggie ratio must be equal. Sarah had one more little itty bitty carrot to go before it was zoo time.
She fought it hardcore

Like a warrior

Just one more bite...you can do it!

That is the face of victory (She still hasn't swallowed the last piece)

Finally, zoo time!

On the merry-go-round

the perfect spider

conked out!

Later that night the girls wanted to see the Sacramento State Capitol

And then they collapsed in exhaustion back at home...oh did I say they collapsed, I meant WE collapsed!!

Summertime & the Livin is Easy

2009-06-24T07:40:00.000-07:00

Summer is here and so are front row seats at the River Cats

What the What!!?!?!? That my friends is the Dinger Dog, large and in charge!

Lovin this stadium with the back drop of Sac Town

The Dirty South

2009-06-19T16:57:00.000-07:00

Josh and Maria were kind enough to invite us to come on a vacation with them to Florida. The dirty south baby!! And now I finally know why they must call it the dirty south...cause its so freakin humid you ALWAYS feel dirty!!!!

Our timeshare

Our beach

We even managed to find a kitty kitty

The second day we were in in Florida we decided to drive to the Orlando Temple to meet up with a family Josh met while on his mission. We ran into a storm of love bugs on the way there...ewwwww

While in Orlando we stopped by Universal

Took a boat ride

Sunday we went to the local ward and stopped by a few of the attractions while in town.

The beach

Lighthouse #1

We utilized the resort BBQ's...yummy brauts and chicken shishkababs!

Joshy found the most perfect Birds of Paradise! One of the perks of living in a humid environment is the beautiful tropical foliage.

We enjoyed some good night walks on the beach

Whats a night on the beach without a head lamp, eh?!

Beach time

We also visited a wild life sanctuary.

Just about the closest i ever want to be to a skunk again in my entire life

Scary

Poor guy got saved after he was run over

We found a special tree with a hottie standing next to it

Our day trip to Miami/South Beach

The boys decided to become crab catchers and ventured out on the rocks to capture them with their bare hands and a hotel towel...

And then the waves came

Night walk #2

Lighthouse #2 we found on our way to Fort Lauderdale to catch our flight home.

The End

2009-06-12T07:52:00.000-07:00

For those of you that don't already know, I began working for the March of Dimes at the start of this year. Last month we field tripped it over to the state capital to lobby two bills and plead to have others taken off the retention list. Can I just say that we have the most beautiful capital ever!! At the end of the day we were allowed onto the senate floor to take pictures. Way cooler than it sounds! We felt pretty dang legit!

Conquering Lake Natomas!!

2009-06-11T07:20:00.001-07:00

Conquering Lake Natomas with the Mortimer's and the Cooley's!

Beautiful day, beautiful people

Crazy tree jumpers

cute husband

going for a little dip

oooo chily!

done and done

Lichty's & the Morti's

2009-06-09T18:32:00.000-07:00

Ever meet some peeps and you instantly feel like kindred spirits, bosom buddies, blood sister/brothers??!?! Well we did! Love those Mortimer's!! We even kinda look alike! Ya maybe not.

Nope that's not gona work...

Ok ya, thats better

We went on a road trip to San Fran a few weeks ago to taste the sweet delicacies of the local farmers market...mmmmm tangelos!

The boys fell in love with a car...a $400,000 car...dream on!

After Frisco we stopped in Orinda and Ben created a beautiful impression of Italy out of oil and vinegar! I know impressive and never to be duplicated!

The End

Double Whamy!

2009-05-15T06:47:00.000-07:00

Aint she beautiful!!! My mother is the most extraoridary woman, shes all mine, and I'm not sharin!!

Every year we get the chance to celebrate my mothers birthday and Mothers Day all in one since they fall within two days of eachother.

It was right around the time Porters pants came off and he started walking around with gammies purse that we decided to go for a walk around Lodi Lake.

Will ya take a look at those sexy legs!!

Sarah was an awfuly nice sister to offer to push Lydia and Porter in the wagon

While at the Lake we found a little stadium to take a breather. Lydia took the reigns as stage manager ...And before we knew all the couples were dancin together

Time to go back home. Until next time...

Happy Birthday Benny Boo Boo

2009-04-27T08:13:00.001-07:00

For Ben's 30th Birthday I decided to throw him a surprise party. Big shout out to all those who I delegated sneaky responsibilities to!!

This is part of what was waiting for Ben on the other side of the door.

Surprise!!!!!!!

Hugs for everyone!

Good grub, good folks, good day
Where did all the soda go?

Time for cake and cookies...

And presents

The Campbell clan was very creative with their gifts this year. One snake...

Gold money glasses with a necklace to match...

And one colorful macaw...

Oh and don't forget the gun and the cane!

I'ts hard to believe I am married to such an old man!?!?!?!?!

Twins Turn 5!

2009-04-21T08:15:00.000-07:00

I cant believe it, but the Sarah and Lydia turned 5 this month! How does that happen!?!?!? We celebrated with both sides of the family at a beautiful park in Lodi.

Each girl was able to choose her favorite birthday cake...spoiled

Of course there were presents. It's traditional for Ben and I to give our nieces and nephews gift bouquets on their 5th birthday.

Food and fun!

I love my Lydia! We had a rolling contest down the hill....she won... but there was a false start!!!!

Papa bought the girls some crazy bubbles which they couldn't put down!

And then, as if planned, a man covered in bird poop came strolling up to the party with two of the most beautiful macaws we had ever seen!! Definitely an extra birthday bonus for the girls.

We all took turns on the swings

At one point I was sure Sarah was going to go flying off...no fear!

The original three

I don't ever recommend trying this torture contraption at the playground!

Even Porter went for a ride

Every great party must end.

Big 30!

2009-04-20T07:23:00.000-07:00

Happy 30th Birthday Benny Boo Boo!

Mr. Beardsly

2009-03-20T07:21:00.000-07:00

Introducing Mr. Beardsly!!

Put a little hair on his face and now hes a tough guy!

2009-03-09T18:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Ben and I were eating baby carrots. Right before he popped one in his mouth he gave a little chuckle. This is what he found.

For those who are imaginationally challanged it's a smiley face. Ben wasnt sure if I had specially cut out a face on his carrot as a little culinary surprise. Unfortunately that was not the case which makes it even funnier. I think someone in the carrot factory carved that smily face out just for someone to find, and I feel pretty lucky to have a husband who examines every morsel of food before he inhales, if not, we would not have been able to enjoy it. Did we eat it you ask? No way! I'm thinkin we will try to sell it on ebay like all those crazies who think they found the image of the Virgin Mary in a wad of gum, etc...
This is Bens rendition of the smily face

Amgen Tour of California

2009-02-24T08:18:00.000-08:00

On Valentines Day we went to the Amgen Race right in downtown Sacramento. It was cold and drizzly but worth it. There were mobs of people but we planted ourselves right at the finish line. Granted we had no idea who half of the cyclists were who sped past us, but it was exciting nonetheless!

And of course good ol’ boy Lancey-pants was there as well as Levi Leipheimer (who won this years tour of California for the third year in a row).

Here they both are on their stationary bikes trying to cool down while mobs of peops, including us, are screaming and taking pictures.

Happy Valentines Day to us!

Candy Lei

2009-02-17T06:52:00.000-08:00

When McKenzie’s mother was baptized, a zillion years ago, their were two Hawaiian sister missionaries serving in our ward. After her baptism they gave her a candy lei…..of which I was ridiculously jealous of and still have been going on 20 years now. I decided to make Kenzie her own Hawaiian lei (on crack), and start a family tradition!

Now theres a reaction!

In case you wanted to make a candy lei, here’s how I did it!!

1. Gather all your candy and decorations for the lei

2. Lay out a long piece of saran wrap and intersperse your candy, leaving a small space in between each.

3. Fold one side of the saran over the candy, followed by the other side.

4. Take your ribbon or tie of choice and tie a knot in between each piece of candy to secure it tightly within the saran.

5. Add any other embelishments you desire. I added flowers, yarn, bendy wire, suckers, etc.

And voila! A candy lei!

Kenzie's Baptism

2009-02-16T19:32:00.000-08:00

Last Friday our first niece was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It was such a special evening and one I know McKenzie will never forget.

Beautiful and glowing!!

After the baptism we all gorged ourselves on the ice cream bar that the Campbell’s provided for our dining pleasure!

Sammy is hard core Por Vida

Are You Puzzled?

2009-02-11T08:05:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness, a new addiction has begun…and for $1!!! I was paroozing the isles of our local Dollar Tree and noticed they were selling 500 piece puzzles. They were no 10,000 piece puzzles but for a dollar they sold me! Normally I would assign puzzling to ages 5 and below or 75 and above, but I was gonna give it the old 28 yr old try!!

So every night while Ben hunkers down to do his homework I set up shop next to him and start puzzling. It’s great cheap fun!

Does any one else puzzle??

Here is my completed masterpiece!

Whitney Lichty

2009-02-09T00:28:00.000-08:00

I love my wife. She is beautiful, funny and does a lot of good for the world around her.
She smiles and it changes peoples day, makes them happier, their life brightens through her presence. I like a lot of things about Whitney, and that's one of them.

Guess Who's Back? Lichty's Back

2009-01-28T08:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a big day in the Lichty house. I sent my little Benny boy off to his first day of grad school. I am one proud wifey!!