Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Dinner with my family!


I want to sit at the kids table!!


Making a big mess and loving it!


Craft time! The kids love our tradition of doing crafts all day!


Thanks giving was great! We had everyone here except one sister and her family. (We missed you T!) We sat down to a great dinner that everyone helps to make. We used the once a year china, which A washed all by hand! And the kids had a great time eating with the goblets and nice napkins. My sister W wanted to have sparkling cider so we toasted to great memories and ate like royalty!!
After dinner while the guys watched football, the moms made crafts with the kids. Oriental trading sells kits for cute crafts that hardly cost any money at all. We let them make them for all their friends christmas presents. They loved it. It was great to spent time with family. I love the holidays!

Skin by Rascal Flatts

Today, I ran across this video and memories came flooding back. When my sister and our family first found out about her cancer all we were worried about was her losing all her hair. It's seems funny now but that was so HUGE. One day she came to my house and showed me this video. We sat and cried. The funny part was she was telling me not to worry and it would be okay. She couldn't stand it when I "lost it" in front of her. I wonder if there will be a day that I don't think about her...

www. youtube.com/watch?v=JhnU9IYTD9c


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhnU9IYTD9c

Can we do this?

I picked this picture because this is how I feel today. Everywhere I turn there is someone that I know and love who is struggling with something. I am a people lover. I feel so much pain for everyone around me. I wish that I could just shut it off sometimes and be numb. I worry for my kids. There is so much to prepare them for in this world. Just like this shark that is waiting to chew them all up into little bits, so is the Adversary! Just waiting to get them. How do we ever make it?! I haven't been blogging lately because I have been reconnected to lots of people from my past and so many are struggling. Blogs are a way to really get into people's lives and feelings. It is so hard to hear all of the sadness. I hope for the best for all of you! I pray for you and I pray for me and my children.

GO BYU!!

I finally get it! I've figured out why men like football! Let me tell you how! I would honestly say that my husband has watched one sport game in our entire married life. And I am pretty sure it is because he didn't have anyone to watch it with. Until now!!! Now that he has our boys to watch with him, he loves it. And I actually love it! It is so cute to see them all jumping up and down when their team scores a basket (I mean a run... I mean ....a touchdown :)) Now, they don't watch every game but they have picked their favorite teams. E loves the Steelers (because he has the whole outfit to wear at the games) C and A love BYU. This fall we went to a BYU game. It was really fun, we all got into it. But after all the hoopla before the game and the first long quarter I was surprised to find out that we could potentially be there for four hours!! Needless to say, I was ready to go. But not the boys, but it worked out, the girls, D and I went to the snowcone shop and we had a good time. Did you know if you buy some ice from the snowcone shop you can add as much "juice" as you want. We tryed all the flavors and mixed all the flavors. It think it was worth the trip!

Bangs!!

Okay! I know what you are thinking... bangs have been in forever! But for me and my "no change" lifestyle, bangs were a big step for me. Thanks to my sister W, who walked me through it and cut them so stylish!!! SO what do you think??? I like the new look. I haven't had bangs for 15 years!

PS Check out Chandler's blog There is a link on mine!

Okay here I am!

I was getting a hard time because there are hardly any pictures of me on this blog. But hey, my family is my life!! So here is one at Newport Beach. I love the Beach!

America the Beautiful!

What??

Okay! SO this post is going to be controversial but oh well, it's my blog so comment as much as you want! I am so annoyed at this election! I do not want to hear anymore about it! And it's not that I am mad at who won or lost. I just can not believe how we as American and Christians get wrapped up in it. It is perfectly normal and almost expected to criticize and critic other people. As far as passing along rumors that you hear that may or may not be true. I just can not stand listening to people on the news analyze and even make fun of these people that are trying to make a difference for our country. Some of the stuff I hear I just want to say, "how do you know that? How do you know what their intentions are? Do you really think that they are trying to hurt our country???" I think the last straw was yesterday, after school my kids came home and I heard them talking. One of them said, " i wouldn't vote for him, he tells lies." Then she went on to tell me what someone had told her at school, which was a lie! It's so hypocritical! Then later that night I was with some 13 year old girls who were talking about the election. One said, "If so and so gets to be president we are all going to die!! He is tricking us like Hitler did. Everyone loved Hitler at first and then he turned on them!!" I am thinking where would she have heard that. Does she even know what Hitler did??
Anyway!!! I am so glad for all the contention is over!! I think it is so sad that we teach our children to not gossip or spread lies but yet we as adults do it every election year! I know those who know me well know that I am guilty of this myself but now I ask the question... Why do we do this?? Let's find the good in others and chose the one that does the most good! I believe that we have a president who will help our country the best that he knows how! God will bless America!!!

Do you REMEMBER.......

Okay raise your hand if you remember this childhood game. The Saturday after Halloween my kids played so good together. I didn't hear them fight all day!! When I went upstairs to check on them I found out what they were doing and it brought back this memory! Remember the CANDY STORE????? After Halloween. you would organize all your candy and barter your brothers and sisters for the GOOD ones!! It was so fun, almost as fun as trick or treating!! My kids thought of it without me even giving them the idea. Check out their stores. Aren't they creative using dollhouses for shelves. Sometimes I wish we could go back to those childhood days just to enjoy them a little more.

Childhood Memories

E's candy store (Isn't he organized)

We have located the Reese's hoarder!!!!

J trying her skills at being a store clerk! Her sign reads "I hate Tootsie Rolls so don't even try to trade"

D has a little candy left to sell! (He either ate it or got swindled out of it:))


C's store is open for business!


Look really close and see what is available in M's store!! (She ate most of it already!)

What is this holiday?

So... does any one else ever think about is strange holiday that we celebrate, year after year? I was thinking about it and I think it is so humorous. Here we are good parents and mothers, monitoring our children's health and well being but one day a year we drive them around to other people's house and encourage them to fill up an entire bag of candy to devour in pretty much one day!!! Does that seem odd to any else!? Then the best is the famous "TRUNK OR TREAT"! Thisway we can fill up an entire bag of candy in half the time and then still have time to go to other people's house to get more. And the funny thing is that I actually catch myself getting competitive. "Hurry! Just go to this house and then run over to this house and I will meet you over there. RUN!! There are more kids coming!" Then after this exhausting excersise, we come home and dump out our (notice I am included) candy to find 5 full bags of candy that I would never let my kids buy!! What are we thinking?! O'well, I guess I will start my no sugar diet after Halloween..I mean Thanksgiving.. Christmas??!!

Trick or Treat!

Charlie Brown

Isn't she a cute witch!!!

The steeler fans!! (Thanks Aunt Heidi)

Sir D (He is not willing to wear a full on costume, just the hat!)