Halloween is just around the corner!

I love Halloween! It might just be my favorite holiday!
















(I would have to do a deeper assessment to see

which one actually ends up on top!) Kids eating way too much junk food, yelling trick or treat, running around in crazy costumes that usually make no sense to anyone but the wearer!

And the excitement before hand is so fun! What are you going to be? Where is that witches hat? Have you seen the vampire cape?
What kind of candy should we pass out?
We also love the movies that we watch in preparation for the big day! Hocus Pocus, All the Batman movies, and The Nightmare Before Christmas (which is my personal favorite!)


After watching Nightmare, Laurel carved this incredible pumpkin, the likeness to Jack is wonderful, and we loved looking at it until yesterday when it had caved in from the mold!
This is such a great time of year, giving just to give, running around with a constant sugar buzz, and pretending that you can be anything that you want! When else can you dress up like an ax murderer and the neighbors say "oh how cute"? It is all in good fun, no political correctness, no worries as to what will the neighbors think when my kid has blood running down his face!
I LOVE HALLOWEEN!

Yay, Tyler is 16 today!

Too big for mom's lap? Never!











How quickly the time has passed since you were just a baby I sang lullabies to, a toddler who chased bubbles, an elementary student practicing your spelling lists and a scrawny guy heading into Junior High. Now you are a sophomore at AMES, a wonderful student and friend and SIXTEEN years old.
You have provided plenty of challenges but the rewards and blessings for the experiences has been so worth it! Tyler, we are so glad that you chose to be our son, so that you could use your compass to help us become better people!
You are truly a sweet 16!

Found: teenage boy, any one interested ...

This teenage boy was found molding on the sofa. Anyone who has any information on what to do with a teenager who is in this state or who would like to lay claim can contact me and with identification and verification, it can be taken home. It does eat a lot, and seems to sleep constantly.. Do not expect it to be very useful as it would appear to have rust on it from lack of movement. It does need to charge on the Nintendo, and this does take time. For more info contact 555-lazy.

7th Grade Math

Math, one of my recently conqured phobias is haunting me at my every turn! My oldest son is in Pre-calculus as 10th grader, and my 9th and 7th grade girls both are doing Pre-algebra. So the older son will ask for help, rarely, but it happens. We can flip back a few pages do some review time for mom and then we are pretty good to go. With the girls, I don't have to review. I am ready when they ask, the problem is they don't ask until they are frustrated and or just wanting me to do it for them. Chloe had a complete meltdown on me, and Laurel refuses to write any of the process down, she just wants to do it in her head. The girls are very good at math, they understand the principles, and are not afraid of it. They just are lazy and don't want to do it. I am very grateful for that!
I am so glad that I went back to school to deal with my own "issues" with math, so I can now recognize what is going on with the kids. Encouraging the kids to study and learn it well now will prepare them for a much more successful higher learning process. In spite of what I know, I can still look at a Jr. high math book and get the willies! 

A Good Orange

Oh, I felt so icky all weekend, the flu is just aweful. I couldn't eat, I ached and the fever was horrible. Could that be why God gave us oranges? One good orange, it made me feel better just to smell it, it was beautiful to look at and it tasted just right.
Thank you God for making oranges! 

Model Citizen

Carter it was so much fun watching you put together you first model car! You picked out the coolest kit, found a paint color you loved, found the right kind of glue with a little help from your dad. You two had such a nice time putting this together, and I loved watching how meticulous you were with your work. The car turned out beatifully, but the real treasure is the memories you and your dad will share of putting this project together with each other. 

GONE!

A very exciting night here! Carter has a few loose teeth in his mouth, and he was bound and determined to get one of them out tonight! He wiggled, wrangled and rocked that tooth until it finally succumbed to his wish that it be gone! After the tooth has been set free, the tradition is to leave it with the "Tooth Fairy Bear" until it can be retrieved by the Tooth Fairy. The money can then be left in its place, as compensation for the pain and suffering incurred by the wiggling, wrangling and rocking of the tooth. Of course this money will then be used to indulge in some treats from our local 7-11. And with Halloween just around the corner, we are not guaranteeing the quality of the teeth that the Tooth Fairy will be retrieving from our home. Of course, I am very proud of Carter, this is the first time he has been able to remove a tooth without some kind of "assistance" from me! I love to pull teeth, and of course the kids all hate it when I want to help, I don't let them prolong the agony long enough! Congratulations Carter, and don't spend all that money on sweets! 

going...

 

Going....

 

What the end of summer looks like

It is coming to be the end of summer here in Utah, the kids are back in school and the air is very crisp. I can always tell when the great change is coming because the flip flops are still on but the hems of the pants get longer the cooler it gets.
I have a hard time with this change. I miss the kids being around and the lazy days of summer turn into the hectic homework filled days of fall. The kids are grumpier, they have more responsibilities, and less time to spend on their interests. The days get darker earlier and morning arrives too soon. It must be time to get our Halloween decorations out, enjoy the season at hand, and remember our last few days in our flip flops.

I LOVE to play Tennis!

Tennis Junkie!
I love to tennis. There is no other way to say it. It is a rocky relationship, with many ups and downs. But in short, I just can't exist without it in my life. I play at least 5 times a week at least an hour and a half each time. Today was 1.5 this morning and 2.5 this evening. I think I might have a problem!
The great thing about tennis is that it touches so many of my needs with one activity! It is a very social thing to do, four people playing doubles, you can visit and giggle and be silly. It is great exercise when you are playing singles, and I really need exercise, (probably more than just tennis--but that is another topic!) You get to hit something hard that comes back for more! It is a very cathartic experience to just crack the ball as hard as you absolutely can! I am usually much nicer to be around after playing because I have left most of my aggression out on the court!
I have gotten to travel for tournaments to fun towns and meet new and interesting people that I otherwise would never have crossed paths with!
I am constantly trying to improve my game, and it makes me crazy, I am a "closet perfectionist" and not being perfect at this is a trial for me! It teaches me patience, and perseverence. Qualities that I definitely need to improve, but then who doesn't!
Anyway, if I am not scrapbooking, on the computer or with my kids, I am likely playing tennis!

A few of us watching the last match finish up 

The team I played on 

3.5 District playoffs 

A quick weekend visit!

This would be Karla, and she always has her camera with her!
My family was lucky enough to have my "sister" Karla and her kids Rawley and Kricket from Oregon come and visit for a day! They drove over Thursday night and got here Friday morning at 8:30.
I wish I had a picture of what it looked like when I went to pick them up! They drove with another family in a "motor home". This deal looked like the Clampett's from the Beverly Hill Billies! It was hilarious! Ten tired looking people piled out of this vehicle! There was stuff everywhere, kids running around and muffin crumbs on everything! At some point during the drive, they had hit a very large rock and it had become lodged in the oil cooler of the engine! They had just come across 700 miles of Southern Oregon and Northern Nevada desert, and if they had broken down at any time along the way, it would have been a disaster! The motor home pulled into the designated meeting place, dripping a little oil, but running. The engine was turned off to unload them into my car, and then it was turned back on, and SPEW! After a few trips to Pep Boys, (which happened to be only a block away), a case of oil and an oil cooler later ($300) the owner of the motor home, Leif had managed to repair it within an hour! Out in the desert, no Pep Boys, no nothing, would have been a big problem! We were so happy that they were watched over on their travels!
I got them to the house, and they had brought us gifts! We love Harry and David's, and they had brought all of our favorites! Moose Munch, Strawberry Sticks, Gummy Clown Fish, Wasabi Trail Mix, Dark chocolate truffles and the best jerky from Gary West! So YUMMY!
Karla is looking for a car, so we went car shopping to a couple of places she wanted to look at. She is so opinionated! I think we probably drove one of everything! Nothing was just right, so we went to the next project, Scrapbooking! We did some show and tell and some idea swapping!
Then while the kids played Karla, Roxanne and I shopped for... Scrapbooking stuff! Yup, it never ends, it begins with Scrapbooking and ends there too! Karla is just starting, and she shopped all the cool local stores, Pebbles, Paper Creations, and we Cleaned Robert's out! At Robert's this weekend they had a 50% coupon, along with their regular 40%! Needless to say, we were there both Friday and Saturday! So many great deals, and she bought some great stuff to get her books going! Karla, I am so excited for you, and can't wait to see what you come up with! You are so talented with everything else, this will be a piece of cake!
I had to let them leave today at 10:00 a.m. ! We only get to see each other a few times a year, so this little unexpected jaunt was so great! I miss them all ready and we will be planning the next great get away! Maybe Thanksgiving there?