Halloween Weekend

What do you do for Halloween? I really enjoy holidays, but this one is down on my list, we always have a good time though and come home with way more candy than we could or should rather eat. The person who loved this weekend the most at our house??? OLIVIA!! She is our current sugar junkie. She will stand at the cupboard and beg for "treats". As soon as she figured out the wearing her pumpkin costume and saying treat, got her a lot of "treats" she was set! And to be honest who could resist her. Hope you all had a great weekend too!

Our Weekend started on Friday with school parties and a trunk or treat and carnival at the school that night.





Saturday morning I went with Brooke to run a race that was done scavenger hunt style. It was a lot of fun, we were a team and won for the teams which was cool. Can you tell what we are?

When I got home from the race, the kids were helping Dad get the yard ready for winter. My kids LOVE to play in the leaves. Also, Madi had learned to climb the tree and do and trick and was very anxious to share it with me.

Saturday afternoon we had a few friends over for Jack-O-Lantern Pizzas and then headed to the ward Carnival and Trunk-or-treat. (one of the reasons this holiday is frustrating for me is I feel I am dressing my kids up a ton of times to go and fight crowds and listen to candy high, screaming children. ok, I know I sound like a scrooge, sorry, but I won't be too sad when the 3 day in a row trunk or treating is over!!) Anyways, the ward carnival had bobbying for apples which both Emma and Taylor tried. Taylor was told if he went to the very bottom of the container he would get the apple. Well he was the only kid to try it that night and although he did not get the apple, he did get soaking wet! Madelyn didn't want to get wet, she said it would mess up her hair, but she had fun having a doughnut eating race.


Joseph and I were Vampires. I dressed up more than I have in years, it was a lot of fun!!

My Dear Friend!

Olivia loves Brooke so much!! Whenever she is around Liv can be found on her lap.

I am going to be self-indulgent for a minute! I want to pay tribute to someone who has become very dear to me! When you live away from home, your friends many times become like family and that is what has happened with me and Brooke. She has become like a sister, the person I call when I need anything!! Thank you Brooke for being such a support system for me here, Sheridan has become home, largely because of you! What a blessing true friends are.

HUGE Thank You!

My mom and Aunt Lori came up to tend our kids while we went to Las Vegas! They were so great. The kids loved every minute with them and have missed them a lot since they left. (Madelyn sobbed and sobbed when they left) They did crafts, played games, had treats, etc. They made homemade freezer jam for me, cooked a fabulous Sunday dinner for us when we came home, and cleaned and mended things as well. Thank you doesn't cut it, but thank you Mom and Lori for making it possible for us to get away together. We loved every minute of your visit and can't wait til you can come again! We love you both!!

Vegas Baby!

In actuality, Joseph and I hate Vegas. Joseph "detests" Vegas, but we had a chance to get away for business and decided to take it and enjoy some alone time together! Lucky for us some wonderful people (to be disclosed in next post)came to our rescue and watched our kids so we could have a 4 day kid free trip! We got to see some old friends, eat great food, see the world from 140 stories up, hit 2 factory outlet malls (I was in heaven), and get a little business done in the process. We went with Joseph's business partner and his wife and had a great time.

Kids Fall Fun!

WOW! When I went back through my camera I realized I never even put first day of school pics on. What a slacker, but there is too much to catch up so we will just move forward. Here is a glimpse of what the kids have been up to the past couple months!

Olivia gets to be the cheer leader for all the things the other kids are doing! She has hit the wonderful age where she is into everything and throws major fits if you try to help. Her new found love it loading and unloading the dish washer. She really is quite a good helper and will put all the silver ware in the drawer for me, even if they are still dirty!
Madelyn is in Preschool now and loves every minute of it. Here is a pic with her class on their first field trip to the Airport.
Emma's Sport of choice is soccer. She is also started After School Orchestra and is learning Up on the House Top on the Violin.
Taylor loved playing Football! He also loves to read!! He can be found in his room reading the latest Rick Riordan book!

Pumpkin Patch

We headed out to the Koltiska Pumpkin Patch for our annual visit. We always have a great time and were blessed with gorgeous weather! Even as I am typing this it is a GORGEOUS 75 degree day. WOW! That is something to be grateful for. We have had awesome fall weather and I am loving every minute of it!

Family Photo Shoot

Well, it was well past due, but something that I think we all dread. I bought clothes for pictures back in April when I was in Utah and have had many failed attempts at getting the pics done. So, bless my sister-in-laws heart, we crammed it in Friday morning before we headed to Bountiful for a wedding, leaving her with our 4 kids all day. She is a SAINT!! As always happens, the wind picked up and we were all freezing. Carly was efficient and wonderful and in a half hour we were done, but due to the wind and the fact she had to keep reminding us to relax and not look like we were freezing, I left the photo shoot without much hope that we got anything worth keeping.

Even though she was watching our four kids all day in addition to her two little ones, and getting ready for a double birthday party that night, she also managed to edit and have our pics ready to view when we got back. Talk about Super Woman!! We viewed them that night around midnight and I was so tired I didn't get overly excited, but upon review again the next morning, I was pleasantly surprised to find that we had gotten some rather nice shots. I guess you can chalk up the blowing hair to a fan like the super models use. So, thanks Carly. You managed to succeed at the impossible, making a family photo shoot happen in a half hour, with no tears, and good results. Maybe you are magic after all!!
Here are the results... What do you all think?

Computer Problems and Summer Catch Up!

I have been having computer and picture problems so we have been very bad at updating here. So, rather than go back, I am going to move forward. I will give a small recap first though. We had a very busy summer, after FL we had friends visit and then headed home for Grandpa's funeral. We were back for a couple weeks and while here had more friends come to stay with us! (we loved every min. of our visitors from IL and CA!!) Then the kids and I headed back to UT to help with wedding prep. We returned for less than 2 weeks before Liv and I again returned to UT. I am so grateful I had the ability to be there for a lot of my sisters wedding preparations. Joseph and the kids joined us and the wedding was wonderful. There were a few glitches, but it ended up turning out beautiful!! Now we are back in school and very glad to be back to structure and routine. Hope you all had a wonderful summer too! http://mommasmusings.shutterfly.com/pictures/31?eid=115

Click here to view these pictures larger

June Catch Up

I got my camera back from FL (after losing it there) so now I can catch you up on our month of June! Today is the first of August, our summer is 2/3 over and it has literally flown by for us. We have been so busy that we may even welcome being "stuck" in Sheridan for a few months when the snow comes. Maybe!! But for now, let me show you (pictures to follow) what we have been up to. A family vacation to Florida was the highlight of our month. We spent the first week and a half finishing up school and preparing to go. The trip was a blast although I don't advice visiting FL in the summer, it is VERY HOT!! When we got back from FL we were thrilled to have some of our friends from Optometry school come to visit. Trent and Brooke, your kids are so big now. We didn't realize how much we have missed you til you came! Thanks for taking the time to stop by and see us! We enjoyed it so much!!
Now for the pics, this is a sampling of our FL trip.

Waiting for our airplane in Denver, CO
First Day at SeaWorld

My computer is having difficulties so more pics will come later!

A Great Man Moves On!

My Grandpa Smith passed away on July 4th in the evening. He left us after visiting all his family that lived locally in the last 24 hours, left us on a Sunday, left us on the 4th of July, and left us while on a walk with his sweetheart! All of these things add up to make it one special departure. Grandpa loved his family more than anything, he honored the Sabbath Day and taught us to do the same, he loved God and his country, and he treated Grandma like a Queen. Truly words cannot express the feelings of respect, admiration, and love I have for my Grandpa. He was and is a great man. Upon contemplating his passing the past few days, I have found myself reflecting on the blessings of the Savior. What a marvelous gift to know that there is life after death. I know Jesus Christ was resurrected and know that we all will be. For that knowledge and the many marvleous gifts that came from amd through Jesus Christ I thank my Heavenly Father!! And that is why I say that a Great Man has moved on. He is now watching over me and my family! I know he is progressing and will be waiting for each of us!!

A picture of my girl cousins and grandpa at his 80th birthday!

Motherhood: An Eternal Partnership with God

Motherhood: An Eternal Partnership with God

To all my dear friends who may like me be struggling with being the mom they want to be... one who is patient and never yells, one who is fun and positive, one who disciplines her children with a soft and kind voice... the above video (click on link) was very hopeful for me! I am blessed to be able to stay home with my children. This has been my dream since I was a child. I have always wanted to be a mom!! But that doesn't mean it is always easy, I am grateful for the reminder that I am doing the work of God by raising these children with Joseph and how ever hard it is, it is WELL WORTH the effort!!

Back from Florida!!

We returned from our family trip to Florida last night and this morning I am so tired! I guess that is the sign that we had a great time, right!! So, before I dive into laundry and all that goes into settling back into life, I thought I would check out what you all have been up to while I have been gone.

We did have a wonderful trip and pics will come soon, but until then, the lesson learned yesterday is this...
If you are going to forget your camera at the house, make sure that your driver's license isn't in the camera bag. It makes it a little hard to board an airplane without it!!

Liv is ONE!!

Last Week of School!

I arrived home Sunday night so I could be here to spend the last week of school with the kids. Emma esp. was missing her fellow girls in the family! I loved the last week of school as a child and still do as an adult. Although I failed to charge my camera so I don't have pictures to show the moments, here is a list of what we did to celebrate!

-Playday at School: Filled with bounce houses, relay races, and dunk tank.
-Last Day Pizza Lunch
-End of School Party: with water balloons, Popsicle, and red rover
-Trip to library for summer reading material and 1st trip to outdoor swimming
pool(even Olivia loved it!)
-Date night for Joseph and I to celebrate our 10 year anniversary (can you believe
it has been 10 years!)
-Ended the week with Olivia's one year birthday (more about it in next post!)

so, Let SUMMER BEGIN!!

Leaving a Legacy

I made a spontaneous trip to Utah this past week. It was unexpected and emotional, and I am so very glad I had the ability to go. My Grandpa Smith fell and had emergency surgery last Monday morning! I don't care how old a person is, when things change it is always hard. After reading a beautiful blog post by my sister-in-law, I began to ponder the word "Legacy." What legacies have been left for me? Am I living up to them? What legacy will I leave for my children and grandchildren? My grandpa has left the most remarkable legacy for me and our family. I don't know two better people than my grandparents. They are the best examples of service, love, gratitude, compassion, and righteousness. I was able to share a few brief moments with Grandpa before I came home that I will never forget. I hope to live true to the legacy he left and leave a similar legacy for my future posterity! What a remarkable gift the relationships we have in this life are!!

I also got to be a part of wedding dress shopping with my sister while I was there! It was so much fun! I am so happy for her. She has chosen a wonderful man to marry and I know they will be very happy! Ash, thanks for sharing the fun with me!! You looked beautiful!!! The circle of life!

In other news, School let out today. We had an end of school party that I forgot to take my camera to, but we had a lot of fun.
-RED ROVER
-OBSTACLE COURSE
-WATER BALLOON FIGHT
-POPSICLE
YEAH SUMMER!! We are so excited to have you here!!

Orchestra Concert!

How would you like to teach this many 1st and 2nd graders how to play the violin?
Although we are not exactly sure how they sounded individually, the group sounded great! At least it looks like they know what they are doing!

Learning to Walk!