VOTE

Today I voted in this historical election. Because of all the presidential hype, I completely forgot until about a week ago, that in Utah we were also voting for Governor. I think I only saw 2 commercials on TV and maybe one billboard for the candidates!
The boys have been very interested (in a little boy way) in the election so since my voting station was at their school, I decided to wait until school was out and have them vote with me. They were very attentive and had opinions. I let them print the ballot and then I cast the final vote. They both thought it was cool and were even given "I voted" stickers.
Oh, while I was there a lady came in wearing a Barack Obama t-shirt. She was told she had to cover up the shirt before she could vote because campaining is not allowed within 150 feet of a polling station. She wasn't really campaigning...just showing her support! Good thing she had a hoodie to cover it up! Isn't that crazy?





Side Note: Guess who ate her first Oreo? It may look like she ate a whole package of them but, no, this is just one! I think she enjoyed every second of it!

Halloween Re-cap

I have to say, Halloween is not my favorite holiday, not even close. In years past, I have dreaded the costume hunting and all the hullaballo. This year was a little different. I asked the boys in September what they wanted to be. Noah wanted to be a pirate, Curtis wasn't sure. As time drew closer I suggested "Indiana Jones" to Curtis and he was all over it. EASY. We had everything we needed for both of their costumes except for a cool hat, which Grandpa Stan provided. I knew I wanted Lucy to be Tinkerbell but couldn't find a costume that I liked. So, I found some cute material, modified a baby dress pattern I already had and spent a few hours at the sewing machine. I had it all finished on Wednesday (except for the wings, which Sam helped me with). I was relatively stress-free!
The week before Halloween, we went to the Pumpkin Patch and picked out perfect pumpkins to sit on our porch. When we got up to pay, they didn't take debit cards (duh!) and I only had a $5 bill. Our pumpkins came to $10. The cute lady next to me in line insisted on paying for our pumpkins but wouldn't take the $5 from me when I offered. So when she wasn't looking, I stuck the money under the door handle in her car. So, cute lady with the 4 adorable blond girls, if you happen to ever see this, THANK YOU! What a generous act of kindness!

So, Halloween morning, I woke up, donned my "Spooky" Halloween tee and got the boys in their costumes and dropped them off at school. They were so excited! At 9:00 I went back to school to help Curtis' class in the Halloween parade (which worked perfectly because Noah's class was right behind us in line). We marched through the school and out on the playground and had a great time. An hour later I went back to school to help at Noah's class party. It was fun..those 1st graders are really cute.
We then came home, carved our pumpkins (finally) and before we knew it, it was time to go Trick-or-Treating. We went to Sam's parents' house and the kids went to a few houses there.

Then we headed to our Trunk-or-Treat and Noah raked in the loot. His bag was ripping from the weight of all his candy! My friend Heather showed up with little Molly and took some darling pictures of Lucy and Molly together. I will post some when she emails them to me.
We then went to our friends', the Bunkers, for a party and hung out there the rest of the evening. We had yummy food and good conversation, the kids were entertained and we had a very enjoyable time. I must say, Lucy was the hit of the party where ever we went that day...she was so happy and looked adorable in her costume.
When we got home that night, Noah said his stomach hurt (I wonder why!?!) and he proved it early the next morning by throwing up in bed! When Sam was putting on clean sheets, he found about 12 candy wrappers stashed next to Noah's bed. Hmmm, couldn't have been all that candy he ate, could it?
So, all in all, we had a great Halloween. I actually really enjoyed it and especially loved seeing how happy and excited the kids were. Maybe I won't dread it so much next year!

Halloween Teasers

Long time, no post

Life has been crazy lately and I haven't really felt like blogging.
For the past week and a half, everyone in my house has taken a turn being sick (some took 2 turns!) and it has not been fun. But I think we are all feeling better and getting back to some semblance of normal life.

We started the month saying goodbye to my sweet sister Amy. She got a new job in Arizona so made the move. I miss having her stop by or calling her to go to lunch or just seeing her weekly. It has been so great having her a few miles away for the past 2 years. My kids miss their Aunt Amy and Sam just worries that she won't have a "Sam" to call upon with car, plumbing or other fix-it problems. Can't wait for Thanksgiving to see you, Aimes!
I have re-discovered my love for sewing. My mom taught me to sew at a young age and I used to sew a lot but since having kids I've only made a few sets of curtains, a few pair of pjs at Christmas and a few other odds and ends. This last week I decided to make Lucy's Halloween costume. She is going to be Tinkerbell. I found some fabulous green silky material on sale so I've been busy working on the costume. Plus, I bought a pattern online for baby shoes. They are adorable! I'm working on my second pair (for Tinkerbell) right now and can't wait to make more.
We had parent/teacher conferences this week and got good reports on both boys. Curtis, of course, still gets distracted easily and has a hard time sitting still but he is doing really well academically. Noah's teacher said he is capable of more than they are doing so is sending home extra work for him each week because she is afraid that he will get bored. I was happy to get good reports!
Well, that's about all I have for now. If you want a good read, check out my sister Suzanne's blog...she and her husband are in China right now and she is posting daily about their trip. It is pretty interesting. I'm hoping to get better about posting and will post some pictures soon!

What I did last night

If the names Joshua, Katee, Twitch, Gev, Chelsie, Comfort, Thayne, Kherington, Will, Jessica, Mark, Courtney, Chelsea mean anything to you, there is no need for explaining why my ears are ringing, my throat is scratchy, my voice deep, and my hand is bruised.(seriously, there is really a bruise)
For those less cultured folks, I'll explain: I went to the So You Think You Can Dance concert last night.
And, yes, my inner teenage girl screamed her guts out.
Two words: For Real.


my favorite dance...this was from the TV show but they did perform it last night

Scrapbook Liquidation/Open House

ATTENTION Wasatch Front Scrapbookers!

I was an owner in an online scrapbook store and we are now liquidating our inventory at amazing discounted prices.

Paper, stickers, rub-ons, ribbon, embellishments, chipboard, storage items, from companies including American Crafts, Daisy D's, Bazzill, Fancy Pants, Scenic Route and more!

EVERYTHING is discounted and you will have a chance to earn FREE products as well!

Perfect time to stock up so drop by and bring your friends!

Friday September 19th 2:00-6:00pm
Saturday September 20th 1:00-5:00pm

If you need directions, leave your email in the comments and I will email directions to you. Thanks!

41 Reasons why I Love Sam

(In no particular order)
1. He loves me!
2. He is the father of my children
3. He loves his children fiercely
4. He is a wealth of useless information (seriously)
5. He finds humor in simple things
6. He is environmentally friendly
7. He loves the great outdoors

8. He works hard to provide for his family
9. He started college in his late 30's to have a better career
10.He is a Jack-of-all-trades
11.He teaches his children the things that are important to him
12.He has a testimony of the restored Gospel
13.He has friends of all ages
14.He is my eternal companion
15.He changes diapers daily and has always changed our babies' first diaper
16.He LOVES babies (especially ours!)

17.He cried when each of our children was born
18.He supports me in everything I do
19.He has hobbies that he loves
20.He will watch a good chick-flick with me, and like it
21.He is a handy man
22.He loves my family
23.He loves Disneyland!

24.He is a worthy priesthood holder
25.He likes my cooking and shows appreciation for it (even my "experiments")
26.He is my children's hero
27.He is a good labor coach
28.He has taken the time to strengthen his relationships with his brothers

29.He likes to talk on the phone
30.He loves the ocean
31.He is very smart
32.He has a photographic memory (see #4)
33.He is always trying to improve
34.He makes me laugh
35.He loves to play with our kids
36.He is young at heart

37.He has become a BYU football fan!
38.He will drop what he's doing to help a family member or friend
39.He has beautiful eyes
40.He calls his parents daily
41.He always tells me he loves me!

Happy Birthday, Sunshine! Thanks for brightening my life!