Halloween 2011

Halloween this year was not a shortage of parties, candy, and FUN! Austin was Captain America this year and Carson, a "scary" dinosaur (you can't tell him he was cute, he wanted to be scary). We had the church Trunk-or-Treat, always a good time and also the same weekend a Halloween party with friends. The kids had fun dressing up like mummies, hitting a pinata, eating creepy treats, and playing with friends. Halloween night was a little chilly this year, but that didn't stop the boys from running as fast as they could from house to house. I swear Austin was like 5 houses ahead of us! Even Tucker dressed up as a "sheriff" (sans hat because he kept taking it off)--the kids got a huge kick out of that!

I have to say that Halloween is one of my favorite holidays of the year but I'm a little candied and costumed-out! After 4 parties and too much candy, I'm ready to move on!

Serious addiction.

For those of you that are on Pinterest, you will know what I'm talking about here. For those that haven't been sucked into it yet, STAY AWAY, VERY FAR AWAY! Especially if you want to continue getting things done like laundry, cooking, taking care of kids, etc. I'm totally kidding. Well, sort of.

I was introduced to Pinterest about a month or two ago, and I immediately fell in love. What I love about it is the convenience of having ONE place to put all of your ideas (which saves major time). (For those who are still unfamiliar with what it is, it's a virtual pinboard.) Instead of scouring the internet for recipes, crafts, decor and style ideas, good books to read, or even just a good laugh, you have it right there in one place. Not only that, but you have things recommended by your very OWN friends (Facebook friends you follow). Let me tell you, I have gotten some awesome recipes off of Pinterest! And for someone totally "uncrafty", there are some crafts that I actually want to do (and eek--maybe can pull it off too?!).

On the BAD side of it (besides the fact that it burns up some serious midnight oil), it also makes you want MORE stuff. Because of Pinterest, I actually want to completely redecorate my home (and my wardrobe!). I don't like that. I need to be happy with what I have now. But it's fun to dream, and so with that note, DREAM ON Pinners!!! ;)

Bringing back the 80's

Can you guess who I was?!

Cyndi Lauper with Slash of course!

Wayne and Garth (the Johnsons) and a vampire with a vampire slayer (the Bawdens)

Bella, some punk rockers, and I'm not sure what the other couple was?

Best costume--the Smurfs (the Spells)!!

A witch, Marie Osmond, and a vampire

Super Lauren and Cyndi Lauper

Andre Kirlenko, Slash, and Joe Dirt

Such great Halloween decor

The Osmonds (the Jensons)

Don't we look great?!

Our team for the "Clue" scavenger hunt

The victim was Professor Plum!

"Planking" at a cementary (who knew what planking was?!)

So, our friends, the Lennbergs and the Tuttles hosted an adults-only Halloween party where you were REQUIRED to dress up and the party included dinner, dessert, and the best part, a ROAD RALLY! On the road rally, we were split into teams of 4 or 6 and given clues or riddles (from the game "Clue") where we had to figure out where the clues led to and then what the clue was (victim, suspect, location, time of day, etc). We got paired up with the Martins (also not locals), so we were a little lost on one of the clues which was a Plaza (we thought it was downtown and it turned out to be in Meridian). Nevertheless, we had a total blast driving around town, running everywhere, and getting funny looks from people!

Then winners ended up beating us by like an hour! OUCH! But their team was all locals, so they really knew where they were going! The bonus was to take your best picture "Perched" or "Planked". At first, we had no idea what that meant until we asked someone. It turns out that perched is squatted down like a bird and planked is laying face down. Totally random but I guess it's quite the phenomonen lately!

The best part of the whole night was getting dressed up though. I ended up being Cyndi Lauper and Eric was Slash. I thought we looked pretty good and true to character! We even got to drive one of Eric's patients' convertible corevette for the night! So fun!

Pumpkin patch

We went to the pumpkin patch with Carson's preschool the other day. It was a little crazy with a gazillion preschoolers/toddlers there, but fun! Of course, all Carson cared about was the hay ride around the pumpkin patch. He was pretty much over the whole thing after that!

Smarty Pants

This is what Austin wrote for Parent-Teacher conferences (in a paper titled, "What Will the Teacher Say at Conferences?):

1. I am a good kick ball playr.

2. He luvs free choice!

3. I am a reedr.

4. I am a good spellr.

5. I am good at pasing awt paprs.

6. I need to work on spases.

7. I like onle reses and that is all!

8. I do not like enething els isept math and specials.

I love that kid! Hey, at least he's being honest! I am proud of how well he is doing in 1st grade so far. He always gets the "Challenge spelling lists" each week and scores 10/10. He is super good at math, and he is reading nearly 100 words/minute at a SECOND GRADE level. His teacher, Mrs. Carruthers was very complimentary about Austin at Conference--she told me that he is definitley a leader and always uses manners (yeah for that!). She also said that he does better when he is challenged (duh), and seems to be drawn toward math and science. He has friends in the class, but he always makes sure not to exclude anyone. I have to admit, I became a little teary-eyed when she was telling me this because I realized what a good kid he really is. I think people often mistaken Austin's intelligence and ability to lead for "high energy" or "ADHD" and "bossiness". But I am grateful that his teachers are able to see that it goes beyond that and that Austin is really a bright kid who cares for others.

It amazes me how quickly they grow up when they enter school-hood. In just a couple of months of school, Austin has already surpassed a lot of our expectations and I can't even imagine where he will be by the end of the school year! Oh, I had to share this too...One morning, Austin left this note on our pillows! How sweet is that?! Definitely a keeper...

Swim lessons

I finally bit the bullet and signed my kids up for swim lessons. Meaning, I'm NOT the one teaching them anymore. It's not that they didn't do great with me, it was just hard to be consistent. I guess I lacked the self-discipline to do lessons with them everyday. And my motivation is for Austin to be on the swim team next summer. And he wants to! So, I figured doing swim lessons through the year will help prepare him better come next summer. With Caron I just wanted him to swim UNDER the water. He loves the water, don't get me wrong, he is just more timid about doing it himself! I figured having someone else teach him with peers around will help give him the push he needs.

I was right, they are BOTH doing remarkably well. Austin can now swim 25 yards doing big arms and side breathing and only stopping a couple of times (pretty soon not at all). His stroke looks really good! His backstroke is coming along too. Soon he will be learning elementary backstroke and then breaststroke. He is such a natural in the water and a FISH! Always has been though...Carson will now go under water by himself, without someone forcing him too--diving for rings and jumping in. He's not "swimming" yet, but I predict in the next month or two, he will be. So proud of these two!

Big sign of relief...

This week I had my 3 month scans and received good results. I will continue to be in stable remission. What a blessing and answer to our prayers. I think deep in my heart I knew it would be good news, but there's always a tiny part of me that doubts, or has to prepare for the worst.

I know from experience that it doesn't matter how good you feel, this beast called melanoma can always come back and bite you again. In fact, it often does in a sneaky, unpredictable manner. I know that my risk of recurrence is extremely high the next 3 years, especially this first year. BUT, I can't dwell on the "what ifs", and I just need to live my life as stress-free as I can (if that's even possible) and be grateful for where I am at today...in 3 month increments.

Life is good to me right now. There are many days in a row that I don't even think of cancer. I don't feel like a "cancer patient", and I don't let my thoughts wonder there...Those days are such a tender mercy from God, to let me live my life to the fullest and enjoy being a mom and wife right now. What a blessing!

Quick SLC trip

I couldn't wait until Nov to meet my new niece, Gwen, so I found a ride down to SLC (sans hubbie and kids) to see my sister and her new baby and changed my departure flight to SF from SLC instead of Boise (for my 3 month scans/doctor appt). It also ended up being the weekend my cousin, Megan, was getting married so I attended their wedding as well. On top of that, my grandpa died a week prior, so the funeral was on the same day as the wedding (hence why my parents and other sister weren't at wedding), which was a bummer because I wanted to go to that too.

I fell in love with Gwennie upon holding her for the first time and couldn't believe how tiny she is! My kids were practically double that size! She is such a GOOD baby though--loves to be held and cuddled, easy to fall asleep (she likes the binky so far), and just as precious as can be. I wish I could double her so I could take one home! ;) My sister and her husband are already amazing parents--calm, loving, and devoted to giving her the best life. I am so proud and happy for them. They couldn't ask for a better child or blessing in their lives!

My cousin's wedding was beautiful and you couldn't ask for more amazing weather or for a better time of year to get married in the mountains. The Fall leaves were prime, the air was crisp but not too cold, and it was just breathtaking up there. It was fun to see almost all of my cousins too, everyone is so grown up! I loved being able to spend time with my Grandma as well...

Sunday afternoon in between watching/listening to General Conference, we drove up the canyon to Silver Leak Lake to take Gwen on her first outdoor outing. Not like she saw any of it, but it was fun to get outdoors and enjoy the nature and this time of year. I love Fall!!

My cute cousins, Kylie and Corey (the bride's siblings)

Corey walked Megan down the aisle

" I do"

My aunts, Alicia and Cindy

So in love...

Check out their kicks!

My cousin, April and I

My Grandma and I

Silver Leak Lake near Brighton Ski Resort

My sister is a momma!

Sweet Gwennie, all bundled up

The fall scenery here was breathtaking.

Gwennie's first outdoor outing!

Can you say gorgeous?!