Fa La La

Tis the season to be jolly and joyful. I am so thankful for the Christmas season because it means I get to spend time with my family and friends. We get to see family that comes from far away (like Washington and Utah) and we also get to welcome a new member into our family (From Arizona) The air is filled with candles and Christmas trees. Ornaments and Christmas lights galore. Enjoy the moments...that's my mantra this season.

Give Thanks

Giving thanks has never been a gift of mine. I don't say it often enough and I am sure that the people in my life wish I would say thanks more often. So thanks to my Family and Friends, for being wonderful supportive people that make my life sweeter and enriched for having you in it. Since I have so few pics from Thanksgiving, I will attempt to take many more for Christmas. But let me point out a few shining stars in my life and I am taking this opportunity to give thanks. Thanks to Licorice for chewing up everything he can get his mouth on.
Thanks to Zanna and Aubrey for giving me the opportunity to see Twilight again.
Thanks to Carter and Tyler for reminding me that exploring is fun especially with Grandpa's handy mole-vision flashlights!

Twilight Moves

Zanna and I ventured to see Twilight at the midnight showing this week. Well, not actually together, but in the same theater. She went with her friends and I went with mine, but we both came home together. Something I discovered since this venture, I am getting old. Seriously, seeing a movie at midnight and then being required to take care of children the next day is just cruel. Of course no one got up when I asked them too, I still had to make breakfast and lunches and do a homework check. But looking at the pictures of Zanna, so happy and young, I think I can understand why I wanted a little piece of that. Just for one night.

Fall into hope

Scott and I on my Birthday
My birthday party was a huge success. My family is always so generous with the gifts. Carter especially liked bestowing the tissue paper to my head.

It is with deepest regret that I allow Halloween to pass, but now it's on to the rest of the Holiday Season. Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas seem to mash together at the end of the year. I posted the pic of Scott and I to remind me how it all started. With hope for the future and our lives together. We passed our 17 year anniversay in August and four children later, I still have hope for the future, because my children are the future. My children continue to surprize and amaze me with their gifts and talents. I laugh and cry sometimes in the same day from the events that occur in our home. But I believe that they are already better people than I am and I have hope that they will continue to grow.

Zombies and Ghouls

Scott was a Ghostbuster-Venkman to be exact.
Zanna posing with me. My Halloween costume was a Twilight t-shirt. It said "Bite me". (I thought it was funny)
Carter and Lace with their Halloween take.
Here are the ghouls and zombies that invaded our house on Halloween.
The cutest little Ladybug around, Livvy Lou!

Miss Zanna as Alice in Wonderland.

FYI, as you can see the costume choices were random and not without a little irony. I gave in a little on my sweet Lacey because it was either this, or a ninja.
So Halloween this year is as follows:
Alice in Wonderland-Zanna
Victorian Gentleman-Taylor
Gothic School Girl-Lacey
Knight in Shining Armor-Carter
Halloween is past...sniff, sniff. I had a blast at our annual trunk or treat with the family on Tuesday and double the fun because Halloween fell on a Friday! Our good friends Ang and Livvy (Olivia) went trick or treating with us and then Kari and Jamie stopped by later to play "zombies on the lawn" for the trick or treating stragglers that came after nine. It was a great night and I had an absolute blast and I ate way too much candy. Sadly, my older kids totally ditched us in favor of their friends, after mandatory pictures :) I know I shouldn't be bummed that they prefer friends over us, but I am in denial that they are growing up. Next year I am hosting the party so they want to stay home. Hmm...now if I could just move into a bigger house by then!

Shrinking Ray

Taylor, Carter and I participated in a Mother-Son BBQ at Carter's school recently. Carter and I had a blast playing the games together. Taylor, being in middle school now was too cool for the games and instead "hung out" with a few of his friends(that just happened to be there with their moms and younger siblings). While I was playing with Carter I happened to notice Taylor talking to some girls with his friends. To my surprise he handed his cell phone to one of them and smiled as she typed something into his phone. I was too far away to really get the scoop without causing a scene so instead I bided my time and casually asked him about it later. The funny thing is, since Taylor has started middle school I have noticed that he talks about girls much more than he did in elementary school, but he still didn't really seem interested in them, in that way. So my interrogation, er, I mean questions had to be subtle.
Me: So what were you talking to the girls about?
Him: Stuff
Me: What kind of stuff?
Him: School
Me: Do they go to your school?
Him: No
Me: Why did she take your cell phone and type something?!
Him: Were you watching me?!
Me: Uh, no...I uh just was wondering.
Him: She just gave me a ring tone mom, no big deal
Me:(relieved) oh good.
Him: Mom, you know I talk to girls all the time, right?

Needless to say, I know he talks to girls, I think it was that he seemed to enjoy it a little too much...it was like, gulp, flirting or something! Why can't kids stay 6 years old forever? When they love you and no one else is important? I remember my mom saying that about my youngest brother Joe and now I know what she meant! I think I will borrow something that Scott always says, I am going to invent a shrinking ray and shrink them back down to the age and size where they fit into my arms and I can keep them safe and sound in my own little world forever!

We are Family

We visited The Gathering Place and it was all decorated for Halloween! So of course we had to snap a few pics!
Joe and I checking our navigation system.
Amy and I are pretending to be horses and Joe is feeding me. What? You didn't get that from the picture?
Whirlwind weekend! I spent the weekend with Amy (and Tyler!) and the rest of the fam that went up to take Joe.(For those of you who don't know, Joe is my youngest brother and I think the most like me!) We got to see Amy in a play called "Into the Woods" and she was fabulous! Her voice is ethereal and pure. I wish I could sing like her. She is so talented, I wish it ran in the family!! We crammed so much into the weekend I don't know where to start. We went to the Salt Lake Temple, Amy's play, Conference, cousin's dinner, and squished the mall and Red Lobster in for good measure! Back to Joe-I can't believe it is already time for him to leave. It's smacking me right in the face as I write this...I know that Joe is ready, but I feel so torn. Part of me is so happy and proud of him and part of me is (selfishly) screaming, "Don't Go!" Everytime one of my siblings leaves on a mission I get this feeling that part of me is missing. I am sure that my parents feel it more keenly than I, but it is like an essential part of me is just out of reach and no matter how hard I try, I can't get to it. Joe has made an amazing transformation from boy to man this year and I know that he will be a great missionary. I treasure the family I have been given in this life. Nothing on this earth makes me happier than family. I have been blessed.