Fall Pics!!

Practically every year (except maybe last year- things were a bit crazy)- I have made an effort to get some type of Fall pictures of my kids. I love the colors- the leaves- yes I am one who goes out of my way to hear the crunch of the leaves. Anyway this year was no exception- the only problem is we went from 2 kids to try to get a good picture to 4- with two of them having no interest what so ever- well I can't say the others had an interest- but they are easier to bribe or threaten. I will also mention that the trees behind my house turned beautiful colors- it made me so happy each day to look out the windows and see them- I planned to get my kids out there to try for more pics- but.... again.... my plan never went further than a plan. Oh well- next year. So... I will enjoy these this time- I think I got some good ones!!!

Christmas is upon us.....

Our favorite time of year!!! (I often times have songs go through my head when I write titles- are any of you like this- or do you clue in to my songs???) I love this time of year- the holidays. Tyler was saying the other day that he wished it was Christmas- I told him that if it was then we would miss some of the best parts of Christmas- the lights, decor, tree, shopping, treats, etc. So now he is constantly asking me to get out the decor. So... I pose a few ???- how do I make more of Thanksgiving- make it more meaningful? And then... I love to hear what people are getting their kids- I'll be honest and say that one of my downfalls is in trying so hard to have/get everything perfect that I lose perspective of what really matters. But.... I still like to get ideas from others- so... what are you doing for your children/parents/etc?

I must end this by also stating that I do know the gifts are not the true meaning of Christmas and every year I want to try really hard to shift the focus to why we really celebrate Christmas (which I was so sad to hear that Tyler didn't know/or remember)- so... if you have/do things that help you with this- let me know.

I will get something done!!!!

Before

After

I am crazy!! I was getting so tired of thinking of all the things that I wanted/should get done, and not getting anything done.... so one day I decided I would paint the trim on my house. Trim shouldn't be that hard right??? So.. I started, and then I had to finish. I do like the finish product- I painted trim white and shutters/screen door black. And even Jeremy who was less than impressed to start with says it looks good now. It isn't a huge change- just something. Yes it took longer than I thought and it was dumb to start. The boys were so ornery by the time I was done- about 2-3 weeks later. OH well. What do you think?

Inspiring, Humbling,.....

I love to read, listen to, or talk to others about things that inspire me. Inspire me to be better, do better, feel better, or just recognize how truly blessed my life really is (let's be honest- it's not one of my natural abilities- unfortunately). I have a great friend who first told me this story- but I just got this article and it is... read for yourself. http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/10/26/20081026sisters1026a1.html
warning- be prepared with tissues.
Along with that, I wanted to share the 2 blogs that go with the article- that I have heard of anyway... there may be more-
http://nieniedialogues.com/
http://blog.cjanerun.com/

When I have read these or some of the posts, I walk away feeling truly humbled for the beautiful life that I enjoy. Today after reading the article I just couldn't get enough of giving my sweet babies kisses on their chubby cheeks. I love being a mother. It brings me my greatest joy in life, and I am sad that so often I get caught up in how hard it is- instead of just enjoying and appreciating. These sites leave me wanting to take control of the happiness in my life, and embracing all that I have and enjoying it (even as I write this Zach- who has just fallen into a box, and Andrew are screaming at eachother fighting over an empty can- but... I love it.) I am grateful, inspired, and humbled.

Jessie's special day!

We had a beautiful day on Saturday. Jessie was baptized. She has been talking about this for a year, and has been so excited recently. It has been so fun to see. She was the only one in our ward and so we got to plan the whole program. It was so nice. She enjoyed the day very much, and we are so thankful for all the love and support that was given on her behalf. Congratulations Jessie!!

Happy Halloween!!!

Halloween could not come soon enough for Tyler. He has been waiting all month long. He wore his costume quite regularly when he first got it (one day he was out in full ninja gear waving at the passing cars- love that kid). Grandma Oxborrow was here for a week with us and we LOVED it!! We hit the famous pumpkin patch in Logan, carved pumpkins and ended the week with trick or treating with cousins- it was GREAT!!! and the kids looked FABULOUS!!!