Happy Halloween!

Cole, Cooper, Noah, Savannah, & Jenna decorating cookies at Julie & Ava's hallowwen party! Thanks for the fun!

Skeleton (aka Noah), Dead Race Car Driver (aka Cole), Minnie Mouse (aka Jenna), & a Dead Cheerleader (aka Rylee)

We had a fun Halloween this year, as usual. The fun all started on Friday: the boys had a halloween party with their primary class while the girls and I went to a family pumpkin carving party at some friends. Then on Saturday night we went to a halloween party at Julie & Ava's (Julie and Ava live in our basement). Julie made witches brew to drink, jack-o-lantern cheeseburgers to eat, and sugar cookies to decorate. Then today the kids had their harvest parties at school, no costumes or parades this year which was nice, less stress. We went "Trunk or Treating" at our church for an hour and then stopped by to trick or treat at my sister Leah's. Then as we do every Halloween, we went to Mike's sister Wendy's for hot dogs and chilli. They kids did some more trick or treating and plenty of eating their candy as well. We got home and all 4 of them crashed! They had 2 late nights in a row. Lastnight we (all 6 of us, Mike finally got home Sunday morning) went to dinner (Olive Garden, our favorite) and a movie. I won tickets to the premeire of Flushed Away (new Dreamworks movie) and we loved it! It was hilliarious! Anyway, we have defintely had a busy few days and I am looking forward to a little bit of a break. Hope everyone had a fun Halloween!

A Day of S's

Today was a day full of S's for me:

Solo parenting; Mike has been out of town for a few days and I miss him and all the help he is to me with the kids and around the house. I guess it helps me appreciate him more when I do the solo thing for a short time. Thanks, Mike!

Scrapbooking; I spent most of the day scrapbooking with my friends which I haven't done for a while and am realizing how much I need to catch up on.

Snacking; it comes with scrapbooking (of course) and solo parenting. I tend to snack a lot when I am by myself in the evenings watching t.v.

Slacking; in the meal prep. department. Jenna & I went to lunch with friends today and I didn't feel like cooking tonight so I picked up something for the kids and I.

favorite Show; LOST!!! If you don't watch it you can't understand the addiction. I can't miss an episode or I would be LOST!

Snow; yes we got our first snow in the valley today. Mostly just some flurries, but snow is snow. I am not ready for the cold yet even though I know it is coming.

Sleep; I guess I should try and get some sleep to round out my day of S's.

What a Weekend!

Well, my parents arrived late Wed. night/early Thurs. morning and my grandparents, aunt Nancy, and Sara and her kids got here on Thurs. night for our wonderful weekend. It was a quick, crazy trip for everyone, but a great time nonetheless. We ate, we laughed, we cried, and we reminiced. We had lots of family meals together, took some family pictures together, and spent an amazing 5 hours at the temple together. We did sealings for my grandparents and many other family members and of course Devin did Brandon's work. There was a very special feeling there and we all felt Brandon's presence. It was incredible! Thanks to all my awesome family for making this weekend so great!

BRANDON

My brother, Brandon, died 1 year ago today. I can't believe it has been a year, I still miss him so much. I think about him at odd times, you know, when little things remind me of him or something we did together. Sometimes I think "Oh, I have to call B and tell him that" and then it sucks because I remember I can't. Going to San Diego last week was wonderful, but wierd and a litte hard. We were there a year ago the same time to spend time with Brandon and say goodbye to him. My grandparents yard is so beautiful and quiet and it was good to be there again and remember B laying there a year ago looking so content and peaceful. I miss his little girl Kaienta a lot too. So do my kids, a ton! I am looking forward to this weekend when my parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins will all be together. We will be doing B's temple work on Saturday, what a wonderful blessing that will be. I have had a crazy, busy morning and the rest of the day looks the same, but a part of me is glad. It is easier for me to deal with "stuff" if I stay busy and keep living my life. I love Brandon and am so lucky to have him for a brother and I miss him, but I know that someday we will be together again. I love my parents and the rest of my siblings too. I am very blessed!

Bonnie Springs?

While were in Las Vegas we decided to go to this little old mining town Sara had heard about. They have a really nice website and it said they have a petting zoo, a melodrama, a restaurant, a train, etc. It was a little cold and rainy, but we decided to go anyway. The drive there was neat, red rock canyon, but we got there and it was weird, that is the only word I can think to describe it. There were hardly any people there and no workers to be found. It was dirty,old, rundown, and strange, but we had a good time. The kids liked seeing and petting the animals and feeding the ducks. Read the sign and you will get a feel of what it was like there. It was an interesting experience but great just to be with Sara, Nate, Mara, & Wyatt.

Cars

So my 3 boys, yes Mike included, are obsessed with cars. Mostly Mustangs, Corvettes, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, etc. The whole trip they would get so excited about cars they saw driving by, parked in a parking lot, or racing by. When we were in Las Vegas we took them to the Auto Collection at the Imperial Palace. They loved it, even Jenna knows which car is what. It was cool to see some old cars, one of a kinds, etc.

Rylee and Shamu

This had to be the best part of our whole vacation! We were on our way into the Shamu show and they asked us if Ry would like to be in the show. She was so excited, as were we. They put her picture up on the big screen, she got to touch Shamu, and feed him fish. It was awesome!!!! Something she will remember for the rest of her life!

Sea World

My favorite day of our vacation was the day we went to Sea World. I grew up going to Sea World as my Grandpa use to work for them and has had something to do with all the aquariums and exhibits there. I was so excited to take Mike and the kids. It has been years since I have been and it has changed a lot. They have rides now and some really neat new exhibits. My favorite was the Wild Arctic and the baluga whales, they are so beautiful. We saw the dolphin (my favorite) and Shamu (more on this next) shows, rode some rides, touched the star fish and sting rays, and loved it all!

Legoland

One day we went to Legoland, which was a lot of fun. The kids are a perfect age right now for this neat little amusement park. Everything is made out of legos which the boys thought was so cool. They even got to buy legos by the pound, like at a candy store. They have replicas of Washington D.C., New York, New Orleans, San Fransico, etc all made out of legos, they were amazing! They have rides and lots of fun stuff to do. The one picture is of Mike and the 3 older kids after they won the fiefighter race. They had 4 "firetrucks" race and then they had to put out a "fire" and race back. They had to pump this thing up and down to get their firetruck to move and then spray water in a hole to put the fire out. They were so excited they won! It was a fun day!

La Jolla

Here are some pictures of us in La Jolla. It was so beautiful there, as always, but great weather and everything. The kids had fun seeing the harbor seals, finding shells, and running from the waves. Mike's old roommate, Jason, lives there and spent the day with us. It was fun to see him again, too.

Family Vacation!!!

Well, it has been awhile since I posted anything because we have been on a much needed and wonderful family vacation. We left last Friday afternoon and drove to Vegas and stayed with Sara and Nate. Then headed to San Diego on Sat. We stayed with my Uncle Donny (my mom's brother) and Aunt Becky and two of my cousins, Colby and Ryan. They live just a few blocks from my grandparents so we were able to spend time with them as well. We went to the beach at La Jolla, Legoland, Sea World, etc. It was nice to spend so much time together as a family since Mike has been so busy with work and we have all been busy with life. On the way back we stayed with Sara and Nate again and were able to spend more time with them. My cousin Matt and Rachel, his fiance, came over for a couple hours so we could meet her and spend some time together. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful family and extended family. Thanks to my aunt and uncle for their hospitality, to Colby for putting up with my kids ;-), Ryan for letting us have his bedroom, Grandma and Grandpa for dinner, tickets, etc, Sara and Nate for letting us stay, etc. Everyone helped us to have a great family vacation!!!

The Boys

A few weeks ago I was shopping and found these shirts at Old Navy. I had to buy them for Cole and Noah because they fit their personalities so perfectly. I don't know how well you can see them in the picture, but Noah's is a picture of an otter floating on his back and says "Just Chillin". Coles's is a picture of a gorilla and says"What are you lookin' at?"
They are getting big aren't they? They are both really enjoying 2nd grade and doing really well. They crack me up!

Rylee Advancing Again

Rylee came home from gymnastics lastnight so excited. She passed another level! She started in January at Level A and within a month was moved to Level B. A few months later they moved her up to Level C and now she will go to Level 3. She loves gymnastics and is doing so well. She can almost do a back flip just standing on the ground. It's a little scary but amazing at the same time! Way to go Ry, keep it up.

Hiking

Yesterday the kids and I went hiking with my sister, Krista; my brother, Griffin; and my sister, Leah and her 2 boys, Taylor and McKay. It was beautiful! The weather was perfect and the leaves are all changing colors. (Jenna said "Mom, the trees are all colory") It is a fun little hike near the Bountiful Temple and there is a creek/stream and lots of shade. There is one point where you cross the creek and we hung out there for awhile so the kids could play. They were having so much fun they didn't want to leave. We finally convinced them to go and we all went to Spanky's, a yummy local sandwich shop, to eat and hang out some more. I am lucky to have siblings who live nearby and to be able to enjoy time together.


Jenna hiking along through the gorgeous "colory" trees!

Jenna needed a little help on the way back.

Cole, Taylor, Noah, Mckay, Rylee, and Jenna

I Won!

Some of you know that I have pretty good luck winning tickets. Usually it's movie premier passes, but I have won Disneyland Passes, The Fixx Tickets, and this week tickets to see Rain. I wasn't totally sure what it was, but I am so glad I won! Mike and I went to see Rain, The Beatles Experience at Capital Theater on Friday night. They were incredible! They have been together for 20 years and played over 4000 shows. They do all Beatles songs and sound sooooo much like them. I read a review saying these guys are better musicians that the Beatles, they said they would have to be to play the Beatles music so well. I don't know about being better than the Beatles, but they were amazing! And since we never got to see the Beatles live, it was really great for Mike and I to experience (almost) what it would have been like. They played their music chronilogically and dressed like the Beatles. It was a fun show! I am glad Mike was able to come with me. He worked everynight this week until 11 or later, and he barely made it home on Friday so we could go. What a great way to relax after a long hard week!