Ward Halloween Party

I know that from my lack of posting that it looked like we skipped Halloween this year, but we didn't. I am only just now getting to writing about it. I think we had a good Halloween. The highlight was FOR SURE the Ward Halloween Party. We live in an awesome ward and they go all out for this event. There is a family in our ward who has tons of property with horses and the works. They let the party be held there and it is so much fun. They open all their horse stalls and in each one is a different carnival game for the kids. They also have horse rides, chili contest, cake walk, face painting, eating contests, free popcorn and cotton candy. There are even Navajo tacos/scones and drinks for dinner. All of this is provided by the ward...everything is free.
Here we are in our costumes. All the girls are witches, Jack is a power ranger, Max is spider man, and Paul is a ...um...a photographer...that's what he told the kids. Party pooper!
Jack was a natural on the horse. He ended up being a cowboy for the actual Halloween trick or treating after this adventure!
The three orange and black witches!
Here is Max on the horse. He loved this.
Nora should have been a monkey. She would not stop climbing on everything! She loved the horses so much and spent the majority of her time on these gates. It's hard to tell in these pictures just how tiny she is, but it looked hilarious. She can climb ANYTHING! It was so fun to see her have such a ball at this party. I will admit that I thought she was going to make the party hard, but she made me smile the whole time. She really did have a great time.
One more shot of her peering over the gate at the horses. She wasn't afraid AT ALL!! I was a little as you can see from my outstretched hand.
She is just such a sweetheart I could eat her up!!!

Crazy Good Saturday

It all started out like a normal day, up while it's still dark, making lunches, going over spelling words, breakfast, and a rush to drop the kids off to school. I was excited for the evening because Ella and I were going to the Hannah Montana Concert featuring The Jonas Brothers. She had been working on some goals (not easy ones) and she had done SO GOOD so we rewarded her with the concert. So, back to the normal day...

It was an early release day, so the morning kindergarten got out after an hour and a half...useless!! So, once we picked them up at 10:00am my friends Lena, Erika and I decided to head to the children's museum. The kids had a great time but were starving by noon. We decided to try a not so kid friendly place because we wanted good food! We headed about a block away to one of those hole-in-the-wall places that is packed because it's good. After we made quite the scene with our combined 9 kids under the age of 5, we sat down and waited for our food.

Here is where it gets interesting. I see a lady walk into the restaurant.

First thought: "she looks really familiar."

Second thought: "she looks like Brittany Spears assistant."

Third thought: "I am so embarrassed I know what her assistant looks like."

I have to qualify this thought. Of the few talents that I posess, one of them is that I am highly observant of people... such as relationships, interactions, body language etc. I'm not so observant of things... such as how a house is decorated, what someone was wearing, etc.

Fourth thought: "it can't be her."

So, she orders and goes to sit down at a table with a HUGE DUDE! He looks exactly like all the bodyguard types you see with celebrities.

Fifth thought: "it has to be her."

With this new development I turn to my friend Erika and tell her my thoughts. She laughs and probably thinks I'm crazy for even knowing who this lady "might" be. As luck would have it the subject approaches our table and asks if she can borrow a chair. I seize the opportunity to do a little investigating and this is how the conversation went.

Me: "Is there a reason you look so familiar?"

Her: "I have a really familiar face."

Me: "Is that what you tell people?"

Her: (smiling...pausing...pursing lips...looking upward) "my name is Felicia." (then gives me a knowing smile){this is a photo I found on Google images}

Me: "I know exactly who you are. Is SHE in town?" (meaning Brittany)

Felicia: "I actually don't work with her anymore." (I'm thinking..smart) She proceeds, "I work with a group called The Jonas Brothers."

Me: "REALLY?!" "I am going to the concert tonight with my daughter. She is so excited."

Felicia: (with a huge smile and extremely friendly voice) "how many are in your group?"

Me: "We are going with my SIL and her two daughters, so a total of 5."

Felicia: "What is your name?"

Me: (I state my full legal name)

Felicia: "I am going to put 5 passes at will call for you to attend a meet and greet with the Jonas Brothers before the concert."

Me: "Are you serious? That would be SO GREAT!"

Felicia: "Try to be there by 5:00 so you can get in at 5:30pm."

Me: "NO PROBLEM!! THANK YOU SO SO MUCH!!"

Felicia: "Here is my card. Call me if you have ANY problems. My cell phone is on it and I will come up and meet you to take you down."

Me: "THANK YOU SO MUCH. Seriously you have made our day."

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?! I was SO glad that I said something! I was really proud of my self. I couldn't wait to call Natalie (my SIL) and tell her we were going to see these guys...

Let me just say that they are ADORABLE! I am not a celebrity watcher and don't get star struck. I didn't this time either, but I was TOTALLY impressed with how cute and gracious these guys were. It was crazy as there was a line of about 100 people and they were late and we were rushing through. Ella wasn't sure of what to make of the madness and I was trying to get a decent picture. Of course I didn't, but here are a few of the ones I did get!The girls (Ella, Ashley, and Lauren) and I waiting to meet the Jonas Brothers!! Sharpies are ready! Ashley got them each to sign her cast. Cousin Ashley knew what to do!That's Felicia in the far right of this picture. She was so incredibly nice. I'm going to have to send her something...since I have her card with all her info. Ya, were tight.

The one smiling at the camera is Kevin and even though in my opinion he is not the hottest brother, he sure was the best with the kids. He really looked at each of them in the eye, asked them their name and thanked them for coming. He seemed really sincere.
Can you see why I thought the guy to the far right was a celebrity bodyguard? He was the one at the restaurant.Thanks to Natalie for the best shot of the group. It was a little thrill that I hope the girls will always remember.
Here is adorable Ella posing in front of the Miley Van. I want to travel in one of those!
Paul was SO excited for Ella. It was so cute and he wanted a picture of the two of them before we left. What a cute Dad!!

Ella and Miley! Okay, so it's a cardboard cutout of Miley, but how cute is that?

Our sad attempt at taking a picture of ourselves!

This is how Ella stood for the majority of the concert. I think she seriously thought Miley was going to see the poster. It was very sweet.

Just a couple random concert pictures. Boy am I glad they have that big screen up there!

I was going to do a whole post about...

Sometimes I will randomly take pictures with the thought of a post in my head. I have had so many of these the last couple of months that have never made it to the blog. So, I've decided to do a quick roundup so that I feel like there is one more thing I can check off my list! Here it goes:

This is the position I found Nora in a couple of weeks ago as she was watching this...

High School Musical 2. She is OBSESSED! It cracks me up because she was never interested in the TV at all. So, I now know what to do if I need 10 minutes of time to not be watching her every second. Does that mean I am using the TV as a babysitter? I will admit YES! I promise I only get about 10-15 minutes out of it, but sometimes that is all I need to load/unload the dishwasher without her "helping", or to make a phone call etc. I'm sure you understand.
This is the table I set for Halloween morning. I was feeling bad that I didn't do all sorts of fun parties and things for my kids, but Paul and I had decided that breakfast of a holiday would always be a celebration. Thanks to Grandma Mary for the darling plates and place mats. I found the chair covers at Target, and the cute centerpiece items I moved from my holiday table pictured here...
A friend helped me put this together and I LOVE IT! Paul is not a big fan of too much decor so I thought the idea of a holiday table in the entry way was a good compromise.
What is up with this? I have seen so much of this lately. No, it's not Halloween in this picture. I actually took this while on a field trip to a farm with Jack's class of which I will post about later. I saw a boy with a similar style while with Ella on her field trip to the Wildlife World Zoo. All I can think is that kids have become more of an accessory to parents these days. I think it's more about the parents need for attention than anything. In order to not offend the masses I will qualify that I don't put the "faux-hawk" in the same category as this, as it can be actually quite adorable if not done too over the top! Okay, I better stop typing right now before some of you decide to hate me...but wait...it's my blog and I can say what I want right?
While outside in the front yard one day I looked at the tree and thought..."oh, we have a nest." So, as I sauntered over and looked up into the tree I saw that it wasn't quite the nest I expected!
Yes, this was ALL BEES!! My cousin was there and told me that if you leave them alone that they usually leave on their own within 48 hours. I called the exterminators just in case and they told me the same thing. It ended up being more like four or five days, but all of the sudden they were gone! To be honest it didn't make me very nervous, and I stood there and watched them for a few minutes each day. I am glad that they are gone though.
Sorry for those of you with a weak stomach, but yes, this is my hair on the wall of my shower. I don't know what is going on with me. I always lose a lot of hair starting about 3 months after having my babies, but then it stops after about a year. This might have to do with the fact that I had always been pregnant again at that point. So, now that Nora is almost 20 months old and the shedding has not let up at all...I am a little nervous! I paste it on the wall in an attempt to save the drains and then clean it up after the shower. Anyone have any ideas/advice?
This is a picture of all the yummy goodness that Sally brought me on her brief visit a couple of weeks ago. It was a great sampling of some of her Trader Joe's favorites! Thanks again Sally.
I should do this more. My kids LOVE to "help", and I'm not very good at relaxing and letting them. This was one of those days that I did, and I'm so happy for it.
These are the fun little goodies that Grandma Mary sent for Halloween. The kids loved it. Thanks GrandMary!!
Nora seriously LOVES shoes, and here are her new ones! Okay, so they were new two months ago, but I explained how I was behind. She was so proud of these and wanted them on all the time. She owns these and two pair of crocs. I love the mary jane crocs, but every Sunday I realize that she might need to expand her shoe wardrobe to include something more appropriate.
Last but not least, this is the scorpion we found in the house! You may think I was freaking out, but to be honest, they don't really scare me anymore. NO, our house is not full of scorpions, but I have seen a handful outside our house since we moved here last year. After finding the first two I seriously had a hard time picking up anything that had been on the ground out there, or anything that they could have crawled in. I've gotten over that, and now I just crush them and throw them away. I may actually try to get the black light out and go scorpion hunting one of these nights. It will either freak me out by how many I find, or it will make me feel better knowing that I've killed a good number of them. I'll post on it if I do.

I hope I didn't just scare off any potential visitors because I REALLY WANT YOU TO COME!!

RELIEF!

This may sound funny, but words cannot describe the relief I feel when looking at this!

These are pictures of two of my file drawers COMPLETELY ORGANIZED! I finished this afternoon and can hardly contain my joy!! Nothing quite makes me as happy as being organized. I seriously fantasize about having every closet, drawer, and shelf in my house being in order. I would love to hire a professional organizer to help me, but wonder if it would really be worth it.

So, I may be able to crawl out of this slump now. I know that feeling out of order and behind on things is what really gets me down. There is a reason we have D&C 88: 119:

"Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order , a house of God."

Tuesday Tell All - Movie Madness

YES! I did not skip the TTA this week! I have listed way too many movies here, and they are in no particular order. I really like movies and these are several that I could watch over and over again. Sorry about all the big spaces in between. I still have not mastered the layout in blogger!

I love the original of this movie, but after seeing this version I don't think I could ever go back. Johnny Depp is genius, and the writing is so witty. The colors and art direction are very eye pleasing, and I love how over the top all the characters are.








Who doesn't love Chris Farley? Okay, he can get old, but this show is a perfect balance in my opinion. There are SO many good one liners that I use often. If you haven't see it and need a good laugh, this is a winner! Maybe I should watch it because I'm still in the land of needing a good laugh.













I would need way too much time to tell all the reasons I love this show. It might possibly be my favorite. Hard to say that because it is in a category all it's own. The writing/humor is unmatched and I absolutely LOVE every character. The music rocks and I listen the the soundtrack often.













Okay, so the BBC/A&E version is the best, but who can watch 6 hours of this very often? I think this is a fabulous version and again the music is to die for. I've been watching/listening to this too much lately and has not helped me get out of my funk!












I must admit that I get a little perturbed when I hear of someone who has never seen this show. I know it annoys native Austrians, but it is an absolute classic and I could watch it over and over again. I'm so glad my kids prefer musicals because they are my favorites.













I am not ashamed to admit that I LOVE this movie. I love the colors, music (of course) and the tragedy. Okay I don't love that the tragedy happened, I just love how it makes me think.















This is one that I'm not sure many people of my generation are familiar with, but is SO WORTH THE RENTAL!!! My mom is a big fan of old/classic movies and I grew up watching this over and over. I SO WISH I lived in that era. I love the fashion and music, etc. Another Julie Andrews classic.












I just realized that I uploaded a movie poster in a different language! If your not sure what movie this is it's Back to the Future! Yes, it's a big Hollywood blockbuster, but who doesn't know almost EVERY line from this one. It was groundbreaking at the time and I still love it.












I know this doesn't seem like a typical movie "favorite", but it is one I never get sick of seeing. The power of this movie is so moving, and again the music is superb. If all men of the world today had an ounce of the courage and conviction of William Wallace, the world would be light years ahead. I'm not a fan of gratuitous violence in movies, but I will defend the necessity of the violence in this one. I don't necessarily like to watch violence, but just as disturbing things in some books are key, so I feel is this.









This is the single best sports movie ever. Enough said.

















Besides the obvious eye candy, this movie is so COOL I could die. The mood it sets with the music, characters, and subtlety is great. I watch this one often. In my humble opinion 12 and 13 aren't as good, but I like them too.

There are so many others I could mention, but my basic requirements are smart/witty writing, believable and/or flawed characters, and a great soundtrack. I look forward to see what everyone else's favorites are. Happy Tuesday!

Happy Birthday Paul!

36 Reasons I Love Paul

1. his smile

2. the way he gets down and wrestles with the kids

3. how he encouraged me to get my Masters even though we had two kids (three at the end)and were poor

4. he likes "chick flicks"

5. he tells me I'm a great mom often

6. he is a detail person

7. he is getting A LOT better about not being late

8. the red hair gene he brought to our family

9. he is really athletic

10. he hates being away from our family for more than a couple of days

11. his hands...and legs...and butt

12. he isn't into video games

13. how the only thing that really matters to him is our success as a family

14. really good dad

15. somehow still finds me attractive after 4 kids and 12 years...and tells me often

16. seems really proud of me

17. great provider

18. doesn't like me to run in the dark (can be annoying, but is SO sweet)

19. he was an AWESOME missionary

20. puts up with my lack of talent in the culinary arts

21. he is a great cleaner

22. would do all his work for free if he could (has a hard time not giving everyone a discount - good thing he has partners to answer to)

23. goes out of his way to help total strangers

24. he has a sweet tooth

25. works harder than most people I know

26. how close he was to his grandpa

27. he has a testimony of the gospel

28. he never makes me feel bad for spending money (I'm not a spender), and actually encourages me often to get things for myself

29. he lies about his age (I think it's so funny)

30. he has great hair

31. how he is going gray

32. he's handy

33. really good at his job (he would never say, but have heard it several times throughout the year of his training from other doctors, nurses, assistants, and patients)

34. he likes to run with me

35. he loves my family

36. he is truly a good person through and through