Halloween Memories

To get into the spirit of Halloween I thought it would be fun to share some of our previous Halloween memories. Hope you enjoy!

1998

Ten months after we were married, while living at Leavitt's Mortuary. I was about 8 weeks pregnant with Tiny Man. This was the night we had our Halloween Party. Nate had a great time scaring our friends while taking them on a tour of the cemetary and mausoleum! Good Times!

2000

Tiny Man's (16 months old) second Halloween with us. Wasn't he just the cutest tiger ever!

2002

Tiny Man (3) and Ladybug (14 months) on our front porch of our Ogden house.

Nate and I at his WFG work Halloween party. We did a costume contest and did a scavenger hunt among other things. It was a lot of fun.

2003

This year we had a Peter Pan themed Halloween. Ethan Pan, Captain Daddy and Allybell. I was a very pregnant Mommy Darling....sorry no photos....Chub was born less than two weeks later.

2005

This was taken at our Ogden Stake Trunk or Treat. Tiny Man (6) was Dash, Ladybug (4) was again Tinkerbell and Chub (almost 2) was Nemo.

The weeks leading up to Halloween Tiny Man became distressed that he wasn't fast enough to be Dash. So he got the idea to write a letter to Disney to ask for some magic so that on Halloween night he could be as fast as Dash. He was SUPER excited to receive in the mail in time for Trunk or Treating a letter with a little pouch of magic dust to use for the night. After sprinkling some on him he was by far and away the fastest kid around. We sprinkled some on Ladybug but we figured since she didn't know how to actually use her wings she wouldn't be able to fly. All through Trunk or Treating he showed off his letter and his dust covered head. It was a great Halloween!

2006

Nate and Tiny Man at the Marketstar Halloween Party.

At Uncle Travis and Aunt Sarah's house post Trick or Treating. Ladybug (5) as The Twelve Dancing Princesses Princess, Chub (almost 3) as a Crocodile, Tiny Man (7) as Superman.

Grandma Hale (nine months prior to becoming Grandma Hale) as a 60's Hippie. Too Fun!

2007

Julia (almost 2) as a BYU cheerleader, Shaylen (9) as a Witch, Ladybug (6) as a the Island Princess, Garrett (almost 8) as a BYU football player, Sawyer (6) as a cowgirl, Ridge (3) as Spiderman, Chub (almost 4) as a Clone or Storm Trooper (I don't know these things!), Tyler (almost 6) as a BYU football player, Tiny Man (8) as a ninja, Cincess (4 mos) as a Flower Fairy

2008

In front of our current home, Cincess (16 months) as Tinkerbell, Chub (almost 5) as Spiderman, Ladybug (7) as Ariel the Little Mermaid, Tiny Man (9) as Luke Skywalker.

Here's to another Great Halloween!

Congratulations!

Congratulations goes out to my older brother Joe and his cute new fiance Shelley Nelson! They got engaged about a week ago but I was waiting for them to announce to everyone before I posted it on our blog! YAY! They haven't set a date yet but I'll keep you posted!

Encouragement: Gordon B. Hinckley quote

"It isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don't worry. I say that to myself every morning. It all works out in the end. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. He will not forsake us. If we will put our trust in Him, if we will pray to Him, if we will live worthy of His blessings, He will hear our prayers." — Gordon B. Hinckley

Life Is Good

As we sat around the kitchen table this morning Tiny Man said very simply and matter of factly, "Life is good, Dad." Ok, ok technically he meant Life cereal but I'd like to also think that he meant LIFE is good as well. At any rate I think it is!

Lessons I've Learned From the First Week of School

The kids have only been in school five days and I find myself feeling multiple things seemingly all at once. This year is a lttle different than the last. Yes, I still have Cincess home all day. Yes, Chub is only gone to half day Kindergarten. Yes, I only truly get total quiet from around 1:30 p.m. til 2:50 p.m. when the older three are all gone and sis is quietly napping. However, it is different enough that I can TRULY see the changes that are on my horizon, in the short years to come!

#1 IT IS SO NICE! To have structure, peace and quiet for a portion of the day, time to get some things done - or not! Depending on the day.

#2 I MISS THEM! Terribly sometimes! Crazily enough I miss the noise at times. I will admit freely that the last few weeks of summer this year was a challenge for me! I was burnt out and frustrated. It felt like the only communication I was having with my children was the kind I would rather not be having. Yelling to be point blank! This newfound quiet has given me a glimpse of the years to come when I will have no end to quiet moments and will probably be begging them to PLEASE come visit and BRING THE KIDS! It is the glimpse of my kids growing up and leaving that is a heartbreaking realization of things to come and of time marching on. Look at how QUICKLY the last TEN years have gone by! Now I don't even have another ten with Tiny Man before he is gone! The bad thing about the quiet times is that I have a moment to truly reflect. How am I doing as a Mother? How are my children turning out? To tally it all up and see where I sit in the grand scheme of things. Not always pleasant but an important thing to do nonetheless.

#3 I HAVE OTHER THINGS I GET THE PRIVILEGE OF FOCUSING ON. I still remember the first time Tiny Man climbed onto a bus to be gone from me 4 days a week four hours a day. I remember standing out in the middle of Polk Ave. holding Ladybug in my arms trying not to cry as he struggled with his little preschool legs to climb those BIG steps. As the bus pulled away I remember making the conscious decisoin to not cry and fuss and to direct all of my attention to my little girl. It worked like a charm. I worried like all parents do when they have their second, third or whatever child that I would not be able to give my subsequent children the love and attention I was able to give my firstborn. Somehow, you always find the time, the moments. School is a HUGE factor in that for me. Maybe that is why unlike every other Mother this week I was not crying at the bus stop. I actually pretty much went home and did the Dance of Joy with Cincess. I haven't cried on the First Day of School since that first one SEVEN years ago! It doesn't mean that I DON'T have feelings about it. I just decided years ago that I would focus on the ones still at home, holding my hand and looking up at me seeming to say "I am still here, what about me?" It has only been five days of school thus far and I gotta say, Cincess and I are having a BALL! We have swung on the swings twice, gone down the slide , jumped on the Trampoline, read books, etc. It has been great! Chub is seeming to THRIVE already. He gets up in the morning and with hardly any prodding gets ready for the day, eats breakfast and gets his chores done. I know it is mostly so he can have time on the computer with no one else around telling him it's their turn, but I'll take it for as long as it lasts. He has really upped his game in the BIG BROTHER department as well this week. It has been really great to see my two youngest interact with each other without the influence of the older ones.

So, even though EVERY DAY, ALL DAY I am not surrounded by all FOUR of my children. I am reminded by the lessons i've learned from one week of school to enjoy the ones that I am surrounded by and to enjoy the moments I get with all of them. No matter how few and far between the years to come will make them.

I just won't think about the time when THIS little one gets on her first bus and there is no one else looking up at me to focus on. I'm not sure I will ever be ready for that lesson. Even though it comes in one short year!

Until then there will be plenty more of this going on....

Box Elder County Fair 2009

There are so many things that I need to post about it is ridiculous! So, I went with what caught my eye! Check back often because I'm gonna need to post every other day for a week just to catch up! Should be a lot of fun!

Nate and I decided to take the kids to the Box Elder County fair this year. I haven't been to this fair since I was probably in the 7th grade when I tagged along with my dad. It hasn't changed a bit! I LOVE the small town feel of this fair! I literally felt like I was at the fair in Charlotte's Web and that any minute I would run into Charlotte or Wilbur! The best part was that the admission is FREE! How cool is that!?! The kids even got Nate and I to go out on the dance floor and "Dosey-do" with them! We definitely feel a tradition in the making! There is nothing like eating a Cheeseburger, Lemonade and bag of Cotton Candy at the County Fair!

We loved being able to eat dinner with Grandpa Burke and visit him and his puppies in his vacuum booth!

The kids thought the rides were awesome! I would have taken more pictures but my camera battery died! Terrible timing! I did manage to get them coming down the giant slide at break neck speed! Chub declared it the "scariest ride ever" and there is "no way he is ever going to do that again!" He says that every year!

Cincess tried riding a ride this year. She started out all smiles and giggles! Luckily she was the only one on the ride because she started screaming and the worker had to shut it off to let her get off the "Ride of Terror"! Ladybug found this cute little backpack harness for Cincess to wear the other day so we busted it out for the fair. She looked so cute and it was great for letting her "wander" around. The little pocket in the back proved to be quite convenient for her cup!

First Day of School 2009

Well, this bittersweet day is finally here!
Tiny Man is headed off to FIFTH Grade! I can hardly believe my boy is entering his LAST year of Elementary! It is going by way too fast! Ladybug is headed off to THIRD Grade! Too many milestones for her this year too! We are less than two weeks away for her Baptism! You can see here she is trying to smile for me but is freaking out inside because she can see the bus turning onto our street and they aren't at their stop yet! Hilarious!

Here is a picture of them RUNNING as fast as they can up the street to their stop. I just sat there laughing thinking...."Here we go again!"
Chub is headed off to KINDERGARTEN! He just learned how to ride a two wheeler this summer and is just growing by leaps and bounds!
Chub insisted on taking a Triple Chip Zuchinni muffin to his teacher! I can only imagine the condition it will arrive in!

Austin, Chub, Ainge, Hannah, Ryelee and Carson all headed off to Kindergarten! What a Bus Stop crowd we have this year!
They all just stood there staring at the bus! It was hilarious! I finally had to nudge Chub towards it to get them moving! I wish I knew what was going thru their little minds right then!



Looks like it's just you and me kid!