Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving was with my side of the family this year. It was lovely! There was a huge group of us and therefore, tons of food and laughter.

It was so big my mom moved it to the clubhouse. She set up a buffet with marvelous warmers and lovely tables. Everything was so tasty!

My favorite part was that she did "5 Kernels of Corn." We all had five opportunities to say the things for which we were grateful. It went quickly and was WONDERFUL!

The kids were being good and I knew how tired my Mom was from all the prep, so I did dishes. My wonderful hubby joined me and we got them all done for her.

How thankful I am for my family - small and large!

Checked Off

It's been on the "To Do List" since we moved into the house and we finally got it done this weekend. Yes, that is over 4 years, but we were a bit terrified of this job. We hung my grandmother's chandelier in the entryway. My parents were over to celebrate Laura's spelling bee win, and we just jumped on getting it done.

It took hours, and would've taken a lot longer without help and directions from my folks. But, it was definitely worth the effort!

I love the result! The sparkle, the heritage, and the glam just make me smile every time I walk past.

Driving Mama

As my kids get busier, I find that I am spending a lot of my life in the car. Between preschool, ballet, and Music Makers, Sara has something daily. Laura now has 3 lessons in addition to school. I hate for my kids to wait for me, so I end up spending a lot of time waiting in the car.

Fortunately, I have some darling faces to watch. I have learned that they are happy waiting as long as they have a movie to watch and water to drink. Phew!

The crazy construction is making the driving a little more difficult. Seriously, look at this road sign graveyard! Soon it will be done and driving will be much more pleasant, right?!

Laura Wins the Spelling Bee

Laura won her class spelling bee on 11/11/11. We printed out the 2012 spelling list and began to study. We were told that her school does all grades together for the bee - yes, that's 1st through 8th all together. At that time we decided to only study the first half (easy half) of the words and just hope she could make it through a few rounds. She studied hard and really got those 228 down.

(Learning procedures and waiting her turn)

When we arrived at the bee today we were excited to learn that at the last minute they divided the grades. Laura competed with the 1st - 3rd graders. She made it through nearly 20 rounds and ended up winning the whole thing!

(Spelling her first word)

Laura was proud of herself and so were her grandmas, mommy, and daddy who watched her! She learned that studying and going slowly can really pay off. YAY, Laura!! Congratulations!!

(The last kid standing, and enjoying her victory)

**Thank you Deb for watching Eliza, Grandmas for coming to watch, and Toby for taking Sara early!

Weekend Fun!

We had the most wonderful weekend! It began on Friday when we had cousins come over to hang out with us while my nephew and niece went to a temple sealing. The best part of the day was making cupcakes together!

On Saturday morning, Jason and I took the MOST AMAZING photography class. I went from an utter novice (what is an f-stop?) to feeling like I may be worthy of owning my nice camera. Best $75 ever! Thank you, Tyler!!

That afternoon, Steph and I took the big kids to see "Disney On Ice". It was an amazing time - a huge bucket of popcorn, friends, costumes, music, and "cool" skating. The kids walked away begging for it to become an annual tradition. I think they are right and it shall become such.

Sunday night brought my nephew's Eagle Court of Honor. I love seeing what wonderful people my nephews and nieces are growing up to be. I am blessed with amazing family! Congratulations, Joseph!!

Sara's First Day of Ballet

Sara worked super hard and didn't cry at preschool for an entire month. Therefore, she earned ballet lessons. She LOVED them!

I think ballet lessons are going to be a highlight of the week for her!

Home Decor Progress

Jason and I got the mirrors hung in the living room - okay, we did it a while ago, but am just getting to blogging about it. I took ya'lls advice and hung them with these picture hanging strips. I love them!! The room looks done now, but I have a few more things I want to do. (Is anything ever really done in the house?)

I recently repainted all the baseboards upstairs and my goodness it feels so much cleaner. Doing that painting motivated me to actually do something about the stencil that has been sitting in my basement since May. The green looks great, but I still want more. I took all my measurements and sat down to iron out the layout. I finally think I got it - not too much and not too little. What do you think?

Will I get to the stencil soon, probably not. Outdoor fall work will take precedence. But, it feels good to finally know what I'm doing.

How I Became a Pirate

Last night, Jason took the big girls to see "How I Became a Pirate" with Larry and Creed. It is a musical play based on a great book for kids. The girls had an amazing time watching the play and eating treats!

They are now obsessed with kilts and the phrase "dot arrgh."

Dress Self

Sometimes I just have to let go. So, today I let the little girls dress themselves from head to toe! I even did their hair as requested. If you see us at the grocery store today, you have my permission to laugh!

Ghosts

I don't particularly enjoy carving pumpkins.  And last year, I learned that my children don't particularly enjoy it either.  They like the end result, but the process is miserable.  So, when I saw this project in my FamilyFun magazine, I decided we would make ghosts instead of pumpkins.  My folks and I started saving milk jugs and I loved how they turned out.

I made a template of shapes that we cut out, placed and designed our ghosts. 

Each girl designed their own ghost. (2 for the big girls.)  I traced the shapes and they colored them in.  The girls really enjoyed the project; no one gagged and everyone was able to complete the project on their own.

Deb's husband was studying so she joined us for the evening!  Our family will be doing this again next year!

Halloween 2011

Halloween day was BEAUTIFUL! The weather was wonderful and the girls adorable. I sent each of the big girls off to school in costume.

I was able to help in Laura's classroom for her party thanks to some serious rushing by my parents! It was a frustrating experience to help, but Laura loved having me there and I loved seeing her at school. THANK YOU, Mom and Dad!

Sara's wig, like her costume was much too big for her. I couldn't figure out how to adjust the wig and it frustrated her at school that morning. So, for nighttime, we sprayed her hair. I can just see how happy and excited they are to trick or treat. They had a wonderful night!

Family Brew

My family watched me do so much prep for the witches brew. They just had to have a party for them too! So, they each made their own blood cups, decorated leftover cupcakes, and ate from cauldrons. It was great fun!