It's Spook-tacular!!

Kelsey and Hailey were the decorators extrodinaire this year and they did a really great job!  I love Halloween.  It's such a fun holiday and the colors remind me of my high school colors (go black and orange!)  I just wish the weather would cooperate and feel more like fall.  We are headed for another heat wave into Conference Weekend - 105 degrees.  Great------------no family bike rides for us this weekend.  :(

Kohler did great on his game last night.  He is playing defensive tackle and really likes that position.  All 4 of his friends have had an injury this season (either broken arm, sprained ankle, or neck strains) and so far he's been lucky!  Hailey is feeling better today--no fever which is great!  Now she can go to school so I can attend my lunch with the BYU guy and Tom today.  Plus, I just am so glad she is smiling more today! Kelsey looked absolutely beautiful as she walked out the door today.  She always kisses my cheek and says, "I love you Mom!"  Spencer is way happy because today is "Lego Day" for him after school.  He and his dad built a sweet lego car last night and he is excited to show his friends.  Life is good and I am happy!

Notice Hailey STILL is wearing her karate headband.  She is going on 8 days straight of wearing that to school.
If she was my first child, I'd be dying!  But, now - who cares?  She loves it so I'm OK with it!!

These are solar ghosts and they light up at night.  Pretty cool!

Wednesday - half day!

Tom catching a few "zzz's" during his lunch break. 
He rarely does this!  Rider was loving the belly rub!

Kelsey and her best bud, Hailey, after going
to Jumpstreet.  Remember, me saying that half-days
were a license to party????

Spencer giving mom a big hello hug after getting home from 
"Shadow a Student Day" with Kelsey. 

Hailey, trying to smile with a 101 degree fever.  I had to
take her to Tom's office so I could go be with Kelsey at school.

 All in all, it turned out to be a great day--better than I thought.  I don't like it when my kids are sick because I feel so bad that they are suffering.  But, in a way, I like it when they are sick, because they are more cuddly and I still CRAVE that from my little ones! 

Tom and Spencer trying to make a lego car - homework for his
after school Lego Class!

Spence LOVES this kind of homework!

 Tomorrow is Thursday - one of my favorite days!  I can't go to the temple though, because it is closed for two weeks due to maintenance.  That makes me sad---but I am going to lunch with the Dean of Admissions from BYU so that should be interesting!

My sweet baby - hot with a fever and trying to sleep it off. 
I just love to watch my kids sleep--there is something so
sweet about it--their faces look angelic!

Monday Blues

For some reason, I am usually feeling the blues on Monday.  I think it's because during the weekend my house is lively with kids coming and going, my husband is home, I eat yummy things, and life is great.  Then Monday comes around and it's back to school, back to quiet, and back to the DIET.  That is a recipe for the blues if you ask me!  So, after reading my scriptures and having a heart to heart prayer thanking my Father in Heaven for ALL that He has so generously given me, I felt better.  Why did I wait until 3 p.m. to do that?  I should have done that sooner and had a better morning. 

Anyway, Tom had a great weekend up in Utah and I had a crazy weekend with the kids.  But it all worked out and we are all facing another busy week together.  Today for cub scouts I am working with the Spencer and the boys on getting their kickball belt loop.  That should be really fun in 104 degree weather!  Kohler plays football up in Paradise Valley tomorrow night and there is a half day tomorrow.  FYI - I don't like half days at all.  For some reason my kids feel like that is a day to party and have friends over and not do anything productive.  It drives me nuts!

Even though Tom gave an awesome Family Night lesson on
faith, Hailey just couldn't stay awake.  She stayed there
for the next 3 hours until we remembered to put her to bed.

Ah . . . Kohler . . . putting off his homework to work on a Rich Dad
Poor Dad Computer Game.  Get your homework done!!!!

Smells like Autumn

I absolutely LOVE candles!  When there is a sale at Bath and Body Works, I get my year's supply of scents and I burn them all year long.  I really love the spicy scents because they remind me of holiday times.  So, even though it is going to be 105 degrees AGAIN today, I'm going to burn my Spiced Cider candle to help me pretend like it's fall.  I'm just longing to see the fall colors up in Utah.  I miss that so much!!

Tom is up at BYU this weekend enjoying the Alumni Conference.  He and I are the presidents of the Phoenix BYU Alumni Chapter.  It's a fun job (volunteer job :) but it is taking a lot of our time.  It's really hard to juggle 4 kids, a business, church callings, and volunteer jobs.  We like being busy, especially for good causes, but Tom and I may be re-thinking where we want to spend a lot of our time--especially while our kids are still home with us.  :)  Anyway, the kids had so many activities going on this weekend that I couldn't make it up to Utah with him.  I miss him terribly . . .

I am really looking forward to the Relief Society General Broadcast tonight.  I always love hearing the beautiful music and listening to our leaders.  They inspire me.  Tonight I think I will work more on my 2009 photo album and think about whether or not I should start a vegetarian diet on Monday.  I need to lose some weight---but that is not very fun to think about.  So, I'll just think about seeing Tom on Sunday morning--that's more fun!  The kids have their primary sacrament meeting program this Sunday.  Good times!!!

Tom playing "bear" with the kids.  They don't know how
lucky they are to have a dad like him!!

Night at the D'Backs

Kelsey had her very first performance on the "Company Team" of Higher Ground Dance Studio last night at the Arizona Diamondbacks MLB Team.  It was awesome!  She looked so beautiful--even in her team sweats she rocked the house!   Kelsey said she felt like an ice skater at the Olympics getting ready to perform with her hair and make-up done and walking around in fancy sweats! 

It really was a great night - they opened the roof of the stadium so we could just feel the cooler (ha - in the 80's) night air.  We had amazing third row seats and could see everything perfectly.  I don't think I can do the nosebleed seats after sitting in the comfy and spacious third row seats!  (thanks Dr. Fish for the tix!)







She waiting on the sidelines to come on---first time
to be seen on the big JUMBO TRON Screen!



There is Kelsey in the center back.



These are nights you don't forget as a parent.  Watching your beautiful daughter (on the inside and out!) walk onto a Major League Baseball Field and have an opportunity like that is really incredible.  I remember when I was in High School and our marching band performed at the San Francisco Giants field.  That was really cool--I still can smell the fog! ha! 

Happy Friday to Everyone!!!

I love Thursdays!

Wanna know why I love Thursdays?  Because Tom has Fridays off so it seems like the start of my weekend when he comes home Thursday night.  You know that feeling you get on Christmas morning when you just can't wait to see what Santa brought?  That is how I feel every night before Tom comes home.  I just can't wait to see him!  He makes me SO happy and life is just better when he is around.  Everything is better when he is around.  (I am still super crazy about him too!)

That dimple still makes makes my heart race--even after 18 years!  Oh yea . .

 Kohler had a football game last night and they won.  Go Campo Verde!  He got to play in quite a few turnovers too and that made him really happy.  He didn't get home until after 10 p.m. and he was wiped out.  So, I played the "nice mom" this morning and when I saw him drag himself out for scripture reading at 6:15 a.m. WITHOUT complaning---I let him go back to bed (after scriptures! :) and sleep for a few more hours.  He was so happy and gave me the biggest hug when I woke him up.  That was all he needed to catch up. 

He's #57 - like Heinz 57 Sauce!  Great block, Kohler!

Kelsey was SO awesome to play Candyland with her sister after school.

Spencer does this crazy thing when he practices the piano--he twists
and cracks his back.  It sounds like "Ode to Rice Krispies" -
snap, crackle, pop!







Happy Day, My Chandeliers are FINALLY hung!

Today is a GREAT day because the chandeliers that have been gracing Tom's office forever---are FINALLY hung.  They add so much light to the room and it just looks great.  I am SMILING right now! 



Pretty much how Rider looks ALL day.



"I-YA!"  She says it's not HI-YA but I-YA! 
She also broke a board at her preschool demonstration!  Wow Hailey!



My baby - growing up WAY too fast . . .

Last night Spencer had a pack meeting and I went because I'm his wolf den leader now.  It was a lot of fun.  He earned several belt loops and a swimming pin.  Spence loves the awards!  He is trying to beat his big brother, Kohler, and earn more than he did!  HA~ Kelsey is doing great - she had her clogging class last night and is really getting good!  Her hair is getting really long and is SO beautiful!  Kohler has a football game tonight in Maricopa.  He is really liking it and it's fun to watch him play.  Guys just look cute in football uniforms, don't they?  I'll post some pictures tomorrow----stay tuned!

Great Weekend!



This was a great weekend!  Tom took Kohler, Spencer, and Hailey to the Ward Campout.  I really wanted to go (sure, I'll go camp for ONE night!) but Kelsey had an early morning rehearsal the next morning so we both decided to stay home.  It was rough but you know . . . someone had to do it!  Kelsey and I, in our sadness, did what we could to make the best of it---we did a little shopping, ate at a great Mexican Restaurant, then went home and watched, "Confessions of a Shopaholic."  It was a total GNO (Girl's Night Out) and WE LOVED IT!  Kelsey is a doll and I love hanging out with her. 

Spencer and his friend Zach getting into the campout games!

Spence - looking pretty tough at the campout.

We played Candyland while Tom took the teenagers to a fireside.

Spencer finished his paper mache globe project!

Take time to smell the ROSES!

Here's the family at the Buchart Gardens in Victoria, B.C. 

Back in August we took the kids on a vacation to Portland and Canada.  We visited OHSU and saw the apartment where we lived for 6 years. Of course, we had to stop at Lee Farms and buy some marionberry jam and visit the Rose Gardens and the Portland Zoo.  We loved living here!  You know, we almost canceled this trip because the kids had so much going on with football practices and back to school nights.  But as soon as we got there, Tom and I were so grateful that we followed through with our plans and took time to SLOW down and just enjoy being together with NO distractions.  It was a trip we will never forget!

Of course, we HAD to stop in Forks, Washington and get a glimpse of "Twilight" life!

Kelsey and Hailey taking in a good whiff!









This was my all-time favorite rose!



My Hailey Girl at the beach in the Olympic National Forest

The Chamberlain Totem!

My boys giving everyone a free "gun show!"

Me? A Blogger? No way . . .

Today is the day . . . I thought never in a million years would I become a blogger.  That was for people with WAY too much time on their hands and after all . . .what is the purpose?  Who is going to read it?  Well, with my short-sighted vision and excuses galore I pushed the thought right out of my mind.  But I have an idea----I want to do more.  I especially want my parents and Tom's parents to be able to connect with our family on a daily basis and see (through photos) how their grandchildren are doing.   

 I am a pretty good journal writer.  I don't write every week but I have quite a few volumes on my shelf that I have filled over the years.  But I wonder?   Do they reveal the true ME or is it mostly a travel log?  Have no fear----this blog is NOT going to be "all about me." More importantly,  what I do want to accomplish is a way of using the technology that is at my fingertips to share the everyday miracles and joys I see happening around me.  Some days the events won't be joyful or miraculous but nonetheless, it is MY life---and I LOVE IT!  So here we go . . .