Thanksgiving

I love this time of year, it is crisp yet the sun is out, it is a time especially devoted to thinking of our many blessings and showing our gratitude!! We had a great day, we started out by doing a neighborhood turkey trot-we did the family fun run of one mile-the only reason I didn't come in last is because a nice lady that just had a baby two weeks ago decided to run!! I don't love running but I had a great time running with my family, it was a really neat event. After that we came home to get dinner started. JD was a huge help this year and for some reason he loved the turkey neck and sticking his hand down in the empty turkey-what a weirdo!! Sis missed an activity days where they learned how to make homemade rolls so she and I made some together, it was a lot of fun and they turned out great!! We had a delicious dinner and a fun time!!

It Begins

J has a Clark Griswold complex-he even took one of his days off this year specifically to put lights up on the roof. The kids really wanted to get up there with him and at first the rule was they had to stay up on the apex w/a leg on each side but it wasn't long before I heard the pitter-patter of crazy feet running around up there. I was sure we were going to have to make a trip to the ER. As J would say, "that's good parenting right there!" But they got the lights up safe and sound and J has been adding more and more each day, the house looks great!!

Life is too short

This month we were very sad because J's uncle, who we call Tio, passed away prematurely:( He is a wonderful person who was always very gracious and kind to our family. We love him and will miss him greatly. Because of this, our family took a trip to the place where he and J's mom grew up for the memorial. Although it was a very sad and reflective time, it was also very special for our family to be together in a place where J has so many fond memories of growing up with his family. We enjoyed spending time with family, riding the ferry over to the island where the family used to have a cabin on the water, exploring the downtown area, and eating yummy food!! We know that Tio would have been happy that we were spending time together, remembering him in a place that he loved!

Veteran's Day Program

Sis & JD did an AWESOME job in their Veteran's Day Program at school. Of course, I got teary eyed- it was so special, so heart warming to hear these beautiful, innocent children singing songs about our freedom, our country, and those brave men and women who fight to keep that freedom!!

JJ's traps

JJ definitely has a creative mind. Last night he didn't want any bad guys coming in his room so he stayed up to build a trap to catch any that might come his way!!

Halloween!!

This was another great Halloween!! We went to the school carnival-the kids always love that and have a blast!! We also went to the straw maze to pick out pumpkins, carved them, had a fun Halloween themed dinner, and went to our neighborhood trunk or treat after that we did our traditional candy sorting and watched Hocus Pocus!! This year we had a lion (that costume has had a lot of good mileage!!) an army commando, a scary skull guy, a sparkle witch, and Daddy did go to work as a Valedict-pumpkin!!

1st time for chocolate pudding!!

Mommy gave baby Jakey his very 1st choc pudding and let him go at it right as I was leaving to go visiting teaching-you're welcome Daddy!!! He grubbed it down and loved it all over the place!! After he was done he got a nice warm bath and went to bed!! Yummy!!

Trip to Utah

Julie lives right next to my favorite store ever!!!
All the kids got along really well together!!


J had some meetings with BYU down in Provo so I invited myself and my 4 crazy kids to go down w/him and visit with my favorite college roommate and her beautiful family!! They just moved to Utah and I haven't seen her for years, it was tons of fun having our children play together and catching up!! On our way home we stopped at Temple Square-the kids have never been before, I was so proud of them-they were tired, it had been a long weekend but they were troopers as we dragged them all over in such a short time!! We had a ton fun!

School!!

School started again!!! Whoooooooo hoooooooo! Sis is in the 2nd grade, she loves her teacher Mrs. Rydalch!! JD is in 1st grade this year-all day and he loves that he got Sis' teacher from last year-Mrs. B!!! JJ also started preschool with Mrs. Nikki-he's been waiting for his turn to go since his big sister and brother have both gone!! School is going very well and every one is learning lots!!

Yard Work

J's summer projects were plentiful this year!! He wanted to tear the weedy grass at the edge of the road out and replace it with sod as well as dig a hole for our trampoline to be buried. He went to the rental place and was supposed to get a tiller to tear up the weedy section and instead came back with an excavator!!! He had a lot of fun running that thing and we had a lot of help from our great neighbors. The projects took a little while longer than we expected but we finally got them done and they look great!!!

Baby turns 1!!

This little guy has been a bundle of love around here!! He brings smiles to all of our faces, he LOVES his brothers and sister, he loves to eat, he is starting to try and walk and he LOVES his naptime and bedtime-what a good boy!!

JJ turns 5!!

Oh this crazy, crazy boy. Our lives truly wouldn't be complete with him. He can be so sensitive, he is such a good big brother. He loves all the normal "boy" stuff; wrestling, shouting, running, jumping, playing etc. He also loves puzzles, the iPad, and to eat!!

Sissy turned 8!!

We love this girl more than we can say, she is so confident in who she is and where she comes from, she has a testimony, loves the gospel, helps others and loves art and anything about the Titanic!!

Jayden turned 6!!

This is truly the sweetest boy, he's so kind and caring and always thinks of others!!

Baptism

I know its been forever since I've blogged, I really wanted to put in a few highlights from the past few months! In Oct Jocelyn was baptized!! We are so proud of her and her beautiful spirit and testimony!!