Her last childhood Halloween

This is Samantha's last Halloween before she turns 18.  She went out with a bang!  She made such a beautiful gypsy!

We bought the accessories at the Reneissance Fair in Utah last month, which went along perfectly with one of her favorite outfits.

Since it is the last Halloween of her childhood I can't help but be reflectful and grateful.  Her first Halloween was spent in the hospital and even though she didn't realize it, the fact that the doctor's trick-or-treated to each child's room, putting candy in the bags hanging off their door handles, meant so much to me and I'm sure the other parents.

I am thrilled that she has a lifetime of Halloween's ahead of her as an adult.


Life is good.

Halloween Eve

I've always been a very disorganized person (which I am trying to remedy) except for the fun things in life.  Birthday parties, Halloween costumes, etc. - I have always been very prepared for those things months in advanced.  But lately I've been trying to focus on being more practical and organized - like actually putting important papers into files instead of piling them on the dresser, and other things like that.  But then we found ourselves this evening going to Target, the Spirit Halloween store, JoAnnFabrics, and any place else we could think of for white face paint.

  This whole month I thought Luke didn't really care about a costume, but it turns out he does.  He had one thing in particular in mind and today I all of a sudden decided to research it and see if we could make it happen.  Turns out it would have been a very easy costume to put together if we had done it before Halloween Eve.  The stores were so crowded and picked clean!  I can't imagine it being any busier on Christmas Eve.  And everybody was sold out of white face paint.  Luke felt bad that we were going to so much effort and kept thanking us.  I really appreciated that.  But we decided Party City would be out last try.  Reggie dropped us off so he could find parking.  I told Luke to get straight in line while I looked for the face paint.  Luckily, this store actually had some in stock.  I grabbed it and started looking for the end of the line.  It went on forever; up and down isle after isle, twisting around the whole store.  I swear the wait time must have been 2 hours from the end of the line.  There was no way we could do that, so I started calling Luke's name so that we could leave.  To my surprise he was at the very front of the line/the next person to be helped!  I figured he must have cut the line for sure, but I wasn't going to worry about ethics at that point.  I hurried and payed the $2 for the paint and we were out of there.  Reggie came walking in so that he could tell us the wait wouldn't be worth it and was shocked to see us already done.  I gave him a look like "let's get out of here before any angry customers see what happened!"  Luke then told us what happened.  He thought he saw some face paint on an aisle near the register so he decided to grab it before getting in line.  While he was grabbing it an adult told him to "keep moving up".  That's when Luke realized he was in line - in the front of the line - and decided to stay there.  I have to say, I don't blame him and I can't wait to take his picture tomorrow!  And while I am still going to continue in my goal to be more organized, I think I will not feel guilty if that includes the fun things as well.

Halloween Preparations

When we got Great America season passes this year I thought we would not only enjoy using them in the summer but also in the fall as we'd go to the Halloween Haunt.  Well, I'm a little mad at Great America - it happened so many times this summer that once we got there certain parts of the park were closed, or there were new fees on some of our favorite activities,etc. When I tried to complain I was told that I needed to read the fine print on the website, as all the information was there. But anyway, we still had October.  As we were trying to decide which weekend to go I went on the website again where they were advertising/giving a lot more detail on the Halloween Haunt.  That is when I read that it is only open to people ages 13 and over.  Ah!  I can't believe it!  We could have still gone for Snoopy's trick-or-treat fun, but that sounded a little young for Luke.  And Samantha wasn't interested in either activity anyway.  So we didn't go to Great America this October after all.

I tried to get the two of them to go with me to find an authentic pumpkin patch in Half Moon Bay, but neither were interested in that either.   They were perfectly happy with grocery store pumpkins.  I know that was better on our budget, but I'm a little bummed that my kids are outgrowing things.  AGAIN, thank goodness for my little grandaughters, and thank goodness for my job working with little ones.

But, we did find some Halloween fun this October after all.  We have been having some family time watching Halloween type movies, like Pirates, Monster House, Clue, Arsenic & Old Lace, etc.  And everyone enjoyed pumpkin carving tonight.  We are looking forward to our annual "Trunk or Treat" at the church, and I'm sure we will have fun whether Samantha and Luke decide to dress up and go for candy or whether they decide to do the passing out of candy this year.

Luke's Autumn

Luke just finished another season of flag football.  He wouldn't have played if we hadn't kindly urged/pressured him, but he did have a lot of fun.  I especially enjoyed the chance/responsibility to put up a lawn chair and relax while watching his games.

Turning 12 is a pretty big deal in our family.  It means that Luke is officially a teenager because he is now part of the youth program at church, which includes being a boy scout.  They have activities every Tuesday night and some weekends.  It also means that he can now pass the Sacrament (the bread and water) to the congregation each Sunday.  It is refreshing to see these young teenage boys that have grown up together - playing and killing each other from year to year - now all dressed up in white shirts and ties each Sunday, being very reverent as they fulfill this duty.

It has been bitter sweet for me as Luke has grown and advanced to new stages of life, because he is my last.  Sometimes I miss that adorable little boy.  But I also feel the joy of him becoming a young man, and each new stage of his life is full of fun.  Lucky for me he still likes to spend time with his family, including his old Mom.

p.s.  Here is where I will putp ictures of him in his scout uniform, and his Sunday shirt and tie -  hopefully!

Coming home to Addy

It's already a wonderful thing to come home after a day of work or school.  But it's even more fun now with Addy here to greet us.  She is always ready to play, and if we have to rush out the door right after getting home (like for Luke's flag football games) she breaks my heart by crying.  She has established new rules for the house - no one is allowed on the computer without her; even though she has no teeth yet we must share any part of our dinner that is soft enough for her to swallow; blocking her access to the kitchen with safety gates is highly rude and she will find a way in!  We are so glad that she is here!  And her Mom and Dad are okay too!

She is especially interested in pictures of her cousin Audrey.

We thought a slide for her birthday might be the perfect thing to keep her from climbing the safety gate to get into the kitchen

Take your husband to work day, again

As we all know Reggie has been gone a lot on business trips.  He got back home from his last one Wednesday, worked locally yesterday and has today off.  So what would you do with a Friday off?  Volunteer at your wife's school of course!  Reggie offered to spend a few hours in my class today.  I am really looking forward to it!  If you can ever have enough adults in the classroom to have a one to one ration it is wonderful.  HAPPY FRIDAY!

Prophet of the Week #4

Alma, the elder:

The last few weeks we have been studying a prophet from the Book of Mormon named Alma.  And let me just clarify here that we, as Mormons, believe in and study the Bible - Old and New Testament, and The Book of Mormon.  We also believe, as Joseph Smith told a reporter back in his day "all that God has revealed, all that he does now reveal, and we believe that he will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of god."  In other words, we believe in modern day revelation as well, which is why some of our prophets of the week have been "latter day", or from modern times.

 I guess if there was one absolute, most important thing that I would want people to know about me, as a Mormon, is that I believe in the Savior, Jesus Christ, with all my heart. I believe that he is the one and only begotten son of God, that he died for us on the cross, was resurrected as well, and is in Heaven again watching over us all. All of the prophets from all of our scriptures testify of Him.  We do not worship our prophets - we worship God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. We appreciate our prophets, and when we read about them and the things they taught we come even closer to our one and only Savior, Jesus Christ, and our Heavenly Father.

So, back to Alma.  There was once a very wicked king named Noah. (Not Noah from the Bible; that is a different story.)  He took advantage of his people, lived off of them, and lead his people to do all kinds of atrocities.  He made it difficult for anyone to know anything about God and Jesus Christ. A very brave man named Abinidi was called by God to be a prophet and go to King Noah and tell him whats what.  He, of course, testified to the King of Jesus Christ and told him that it was not too late to repent; that he should change his ways and lead his people in righteousness.  Well, King Noah did not listen to Abinidi.  In fact he was very angry with him and sentenced him to death if he would not take back his testimony.

  Abinidi did not take back his testimony and died for it. Little did he know (or maybe as he died he felt comfort because he did know) - that someone was listening to all he had to say.  King Noah had many wicked high priests in his service; one of them was Alma.  Alma believed Abinidi.  Alma repented/changed his life.  He fled from King Noah's service and taught other people about Jesus Christ; taught them the words of Abinidi.  He established Christ's church, taught the people to endure trials without losing their testimonies, and remained a prophet himself for the rest of his days.

For those who get depressed during our foggy summers . . . .

dont' forget about our BEAUTIFUL, warm autumns.  It has been our typical GORGEOUS weather for all of September and October.  Last night we went to the taco bell on the beach for dinner and played while the sun was setting.  This morning we woke to a bright orange moon just as it was disappearing.  If I only had my camera at these moments!  Well, to be continued I guess!

Turning 12

Watch out world!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUKE

                                                         

and finally, the reason for the trip

 Rocio was a beautiful bride; J.T. was as wonderful in person as on Skype; the kids were as cute as ever and very happy (Tzuri was a little sick with a cough, etc. but he was a real trooper and willingly posed for all the pictures).

 Tzuri was very proud of the picture he drew of the temple.  Evani was very proud of his Lego man that got to come along.

 Such kissable cheeks!  Such a precious little girl!

 I had never been in the Salt Lake Temple before this wedding.  It is as beautiful on the inside as the outside, and the peaceful spirit is even stronger.  I feel so blessed to be able to go and be part of this happy day.

Music and the Spoken Word

Last Sunday Samantha, Luke and I went back to Salt Lake City for the day while the rest of the family went to church in Hillary and Andrew's/Mariah's neighborhood.  We were able to attend "Music and the Spoken Word."  It is a weekly, live broadcast of singing by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, with a small symphony and the organ to accompany, and a "sermonette" or two of inspirational words to go along with the theme of the music.  This has been happening each week since 1929, in a building called the "tabernacle" which was built in 1867.  The tabernacle is known for it's organ/pipes and "stellar sound quality".  Here is a great picture of the inside:

We chose to sit upstairs and be as close to the choir as possible - which was almost sitting right next to them!

 It was a wonderful, peaceful experience that I recommend to anyone who goes to Salt Lake City/Temple Square.  And if you can't get to Salt Lake City, you can always catch the broadcast here: www.musicandthespokenword.com/

They always close the broadcast with this beautiful song:

Oh, that baby!

While in Utah we stayed with Hillary, Andrew and Audrey.  Audrey had changed so much already since they left in August, and from what I understand she has started doing some big smiles since we came home.  We miss her so much!

Renaissance Fair

It just so happened that our weekend in Utah was at the same time as the annual "Fog Festival" here at home.  Luckily they were having a renaissance fair near Salt Lake City that we attended.  It rained off and on the whole day, so it wasn't very crowded, but it was a lot of fun.

Luke's Souvenir

we pause this blogging for a short explanation

The only down side of our Utah trip is that Reggie, who made it all possible, was not able to be with us.  He has been flying all over the country for business trips so much in the last couple of years that he was able to use his frequent flyer miles to send all of us to Utah. Unfortunately he couldn't come with us because he was on another trip back east.  Thanks for everything Reggie; we love you!

Oh, those mountains

Samantha, Luke and I flew into Salt Lake City at about 10:30 last Thursday night.  I heard people commenting on how cold it was, and that it had snowed in Park City.  Snow?  That could not be happening, because we were about to get into our rental car, and I cannot drive on snow.  It was raining, and in the upper 30s, but thankfully there was no snow for the whole weekend - except in the mountains.  The beautiful Wasatch mountains were capped with snow.

Sunday afternoon we went to a beautiful place called "Briday Veil Falls".  The whole time I was following my kids up the mountain I kept thinking that we were all crazy.  But the sight was beautiful.

And I decided it was the perfect opportunity to remember my Mormon pioneer ancestors.  When you look at a map and see just how far they walked- through desserts, cutting trails across the mountains - from Illinois to what is now Utah, it is amazing.  I thought a lot about this too as we toured Temple Square - especially in the Church History museum.

I am so proud to come from such people, and so grateful for all they accomplished.

HAPPY OCTOBER!

I have SO MUCH to blog about our trip to Utah.  But for now, I will just use these pictures to say Happy October!  After the wedding, I promised the kids we would stop at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi for some ice cream.  Turned out there was a harvest fair and pumpkin contest going on.  The pumpkins were all moved around with forklifts, and weighed between 750 and 1000 lbs.