Thanksgiving Time

 This year we made the trek to Idaho.  My family has had some pretty major stuff going on and we thought it would be best if we all came together to show our love and support of each other.  So glad we did because it was fun!

 My little Tatum is so precious.  He is such fun to have around.  I want him to grow slowly.....very slowly.

 I loved this picture of mom.  She made a fabulous feast and it was a beautiful layout.

Why is he so happy doing the dishes?   

I thought Mike and I were going to get a great shot but we got photo bombed by the turd in the background!  We laughed and laughed at this ....so I guess it was a good shot despite the crazed person in the back!

We are short on pictures of this trip because the next day sickness hit!  It started with Tatum and went through all of us, but Mike, in a 24 hour period.  Horrible...yes!  We took off the next day after Tatum had been throwing up and Morgan.  So glad we did.

Shana was kind enough to take us all in and I felt terrible we all got sick at her house!  Love you Shana Jean...thank you again.

Despite this sounding like a bad ending there is a silver lining to this.  In the midst of all of us getting sick Michael stepped up big time!  He cleaned up throw up, got up with kids during the night, made us food, cleaned up around the house.  He was super dad.  I am glad it happened because I really fell more in love with this man!

With adversity there is opportunity for great things!!

Halloween Catch Up!

 We found the prettiest park!  It had the most beautiful colors, and all the leaves were amazing.  Getting down in the leaves and smelling them took me right back to my childhood.  I have such fun memories of racking up leaves and making a huge pile and then jumping out of a tree into it.

 Jake and I went to the park together this day and he helped me bury the kids.  All of them were into it exept Tater.  He was not having it.  Look at his cute little pouty lips!

 I want to learn to take better pictures..but I really love how the leaves are falling in this one.  I LOVE the fall.  It is just the best!

 Here is my little Fiona..she wasn't this for Halloween but I thought it was cute.

 So Carson was a scary skeleton...(I hate that I can't talk them into what I want them to be anymore!) Cole was Psy, the guy that sings Gang um Style...don't ask because I don't know why, and Morgan was of course Princess Bell.

 Here is my little beauty.  Love that little thing.

 Cole here is performing the Gangum style dance thing.....He is such a character!

 Here is my little shy Carson...

 It was so fun to go to Carson's class and watch him interact with all the kids.  He is such a good kid.  He is quite and kids just naturally gravitate towards him.  He makes me happy.

 And Cole is not quite, he is very busy...is that the right adjective?  Here he's in heaven because the teacher put up the song gangum style and so he was able to let loose and just dance with the rest of his class.

 On Halloween we did our ward Trunk or Treat.  Morgan is with her best bud Brinley and Abby.  Abby has babysat our kids since we came..she is such a great girl!

 This is Jake's favorite holiday.  This little pirate had the best Halloween decorations and his lights were by far the best I had seen.

After our Trunk or Treat we came do their house and let them hand out candy. I keep saying this but it is really nice to be close to family again!

 I feel terrible this is the only picture we got of our little monster!  He looked so cute.  The jacket had lots of padding and made him look like a chunky, little, monster.

 I am so up tight about messes and so carving pumpkins is hard for me to do because of the mess...but it was good to see the kids enjoy this.

 Michael hard at work!

 See...messy, messy, messy!

We had a great fall...wish it could last just a little longer!

A Friendly Christmas Party

 This being our 4th year of living here we thought it would be fun to do a little Christmas party.  We used to do this back in Fernley and thought we should start it up here.  (We still miss our Fernley friends VERY MUCH!)  And I am glad we did because we had lots of fun.  Mike and I thought it would be fun to have a little photo shoot of everyone.

 Tracey is so fun to play around with.  Just love her and her family!

 Audra, is the one to thank for this little beauty.  She has been my closest friend since we have moved here.  We have car pooled together, done our little Circle's group for over 3 years, had play dates and countless other things....she will be missed very much!  She is a keeper even if she is moving far away.

 We had such a great group of people. It was fun to hang out and be goofy.  We were able to talk everyone into playing the game mafia with us.  Two couples left early but the rest stayed and played till midnight! I was impressed with our group....they were party animals.

 The idea for the picture taking came from this night.  Mike and I went to the Children's Justice Center fundraiser dinner a few weeks back.  It was a western theme night and we had a good time. Mike especially liked it because he was able to bring his guns.

 I am not sure why Mike is pointing the gun at me like that!  I don't think I like it.

And I'm not quit sure why I think its so funny either.

A Quiet Moment

I'm sitting in front of the fireplace, the house is cleaned and Morgan and Tatum are playing some kind of chase game around the house.  I have 20 minutes before the boys have to be picked up.   I am relishing the down time I have had the last hour to read the headlines of the day and some of my favorite blogs.  I find myself in a pondering mode...

How did I get so lucky to stay home with my kids and raise them?  How is it that Mike and I have such healthy, beautiful, rambunctious children?  How is it that I have this beautiful life?  The answer that always comes is this..... I found Jesus Christ!  He is Real and He did save me!  I know to those who have not experienced a relationship with Him find a declaration like that uncomfortable or even dumb.... I don't care.  I know what I know and I love that I have this knowledge!  Through my relationship with Christ I have all that I have.

So on days when I have a moment to watch the wood burn in the fireplace, and hear my kids running and laughing, knowing they are warm and safe, and knowing that all I have is by His grace...I can't help but smile and feel overwhelming gratitude.

Family Pre Halloween Party

 This is the second year we have gotten together with all the cousins and played for a few days.  We do this to strengthen family relationships and to have FUN!  I can't tell you how much I enjoy being together.

 This year we all meet on a Friday at Thanksgiving Point.  We went to Corn belly's and I think it would have been more fun if there weren't so many people!  Everyone came in on a Friday afternoon and left Sunday afternoon.

 I love this little woman here.  She is a good lady and I am proud to call her my mom.  I love how we can get together and just laugh and laugh.  She is probably one of the funniest people to be silly with.

We were able to sneak away on the second day and go get a pedicure...she had never done one before. By the big smile on her face I think she liked it!  Thanks mom.

 One of the nights us adults went out to dinner.  It was fun to get away from the kids for a minute and just catch up without interruption.

 Uncle Jake had bought Morgan and Bella princess dresses for their birthdays so they were wearing them around.

 This was Saturday and we kicked off the day with a Halloween card game.  You had to act out whatever you drew from the cards.  It was pretty funny and the kids really got a laugh watching the adults act out.

 We got very lucky that the weather was cooperating so we could do all our goofy stuff outside!

 We did have lots of munchies...

 The next activity Jake called "face off".  It is where adults drew kids names and then the adults painted the kids face.  We were trying to see who did the best job.

 The kids got really into this and the adults did some amazing paint jobs!  Such a great activity idea by Jake.

 These kids all play so good together.  I have so much fun when they come.  I know my kids love them and have a blast.

I am so sad this is the only picture  I have of that night!  We did a huge scavenger hunt in the dark again this year.  Jake and I really stepped it up this year compared to last.  Mike pulled the kids and grandparents around on a trailer with the 4-wheeler.  They sat on bales of hay in the trailer (it was small but cute).  We had tikki torches at each station and tried to make it a little scary for them.  I was really concerned about Jake making it too scary.  (He LOVES Halloween and all things scary) But seeing that the kids weren't that scared we may up the game next year.  Everyone, including the adults played a part.  Grandparents stayed with the kids and read the clues, Mike was the driver, Jared was the talking head at one of the stations, and Jake and I were like the grim reapers at each station.

It was such a great time.  I feel that when you try to make family traditions special it strengthens family!  That is the point with all of this. I want our family to know that we all care about each other...... and what better way to do that then by playing, laughing, and spending time together.

This year was a success and I feel our family ties were strengthened.

Left out summer events...

 This was us at a foam fest 5k finish line!  It was awesome.  We got filthy.....and it was lots of fun.  I never thought I would enjoy this kind of thing but it was really great.

 Love this shot.  It would have been much easier to just run the 5k without all the other obstacles to go through. But all that other stuff is what made me want to do it.

Mike and I have been going to a personal trainer gym for 3 months now and I really enjoy it.  I hope we will do lots more of this stuff next summer.

 Here is sweet Elaine.  We were lucky enough to get to have her stay with us for 2 weeks.  She is a good woman.  The kids really enjoyed having Grandma around.

 Here are the sweet, beautiful, little, creatures that Mike and I have brought into this world.  I couldn't be any more proud of my little dirty animals.

 I usually only want to post the cute pictures of my kids, but after reading a dads thoughts on the passing of his son.... said that he is so glad he never erased any pictures.  He said that pictures you thought at the time were not great, over time, become priceless...I don't know why that impacted me, but it did.  I want to remember my kids even when they were being crazy.

Those summer days are gone...now its time to gear up for the cold.