Fall Festivities

So here is the big long catch up! Feel free to just browse the pics its a LONG BEAST to read!!!October kicked off with the most important day of the year...

My 27th Bday! One year older and wiser too...Happy Birthday to.......ME
Am-DAWG and I went to St George for our last BIG yard saleing trip of the season and then went to RED ROBIN (sing the song with me) with Jenise!



Then Bj's fam came over for cake (root beer cake yummy yummy) and presents!And as you all know I get SO excited about presents! Here I am in a moment of bliss....
Later in October Amber Jenise and I went to Krumpets (a great decorating store) for a Witches night out costume contest! I made all the capes and we got all decked out hoping to win the 50 dollar gift certificate! I think we looked spectacularly spooky! Unfortunately out of the 3 Hocus Pocus sisters only Jenise own! But we are so proud of her for representing!
Mom and Abby came to visit for Jenises Bday and Halloween
We got J up on the saddle at Texas Road House for the Big 2-5!

Gramzie and J teasing Spenc at the restaurant and Spencer hating EVERY minute of it! :)

A rare picture of me and the hottie who calls me his wife! What.A.STUD!

We had or first snow at the end of October! And it was good thing because Spencer had been begging and praying for snow since August!They got all bundled up and just soaked it in!

Until... Coop got a little too much to soak in.... luckily Spencer was there to give a "feel better hug" so they could get back to enjoying the snow!


Halloween arrived along with lots of family to dress up with! Sommer and Chris came down from Rexburg. Chris was Max from "Where the wild things are" and Sommer joined the witch sisters! Mom and Abby came from Mexico and we all went trick or treating in St George!

The stars of the night we my 3 scary Halloween boys! Spencer was a Skeleton (made my MOI) Cooper was a bat and Grahamy was a black widow spider(made my me too!) Oh and we cant forget my knight in green armor.... BJ was Frankenstein!November kicked off with our last craft fair! We all drove up to Gunnison Utah, a small town where Allison grew up! IT WAS A BLAST! We all had a great time just us girls! To top off a great time we all made more then we ever had! SO YEA!!!!
We had a small booth so we had to crawl under the table to get in and out! It made for a lot of laughing!!!
We celebrated a big birthday in November, Kristys 50th! She didn't want a big to-do so we all surprised her and took her to her favorite place.... IN AND OUT!
And our most recent event was Thanksgiving! We had it early again this year but it was great! It was over and Mindy's house and she did a beautiful job of decorating!I was on the kids table decor! I made a place-mat to color and a cute crayon envelope and napkin ring! The kids had a great time coloring! I cant forget the SWEET turkey hats the boys made for the big day! They looked so FESTIVE, is that the word?There were lots and lots of people who joined us!
BJ, Cadie, Lance, Kristy, Brent, Bristie, Matt and MOI
Matts Brothers Girlfriend, Matts Brother, Matts Mom, Matts Dad, Aunt Liz and Uncle Jess! Whew I am so sorry I don't remember Matt's families names!!
We all brought different things for dinner, and Brock made a fried turkey!
It was a great holiday!
SO wow that was A LOT! I am committing that I am NOT going to fall THAT behind again! And I am going to get some pictures up of all the crafts I have been working on! It has been SO much fun to try and do a homemade Christmas! All the craft blogs have been so helpful! I am addicted to stalking them and finding all the GREAT EASY ideas!

LOST......

Well its been forever since I posted! I have a few excuses so sit down cause here we go...

1. I lost my camera and whats a post without pictures

2. Life has been a little all over the place and I didn't want to post all about how crummy I was feeling!

3. I have been working on my homemade Christmas projects EVERY spare moment!

But I have picked myself up found my camera and decided to take a few minutes to get back on MY journal! SO get ready cause I am going to dump a whole lot of pictures from the last 2 months!

Just for as a little teaser here are my 3 little boys all clean a happy

Graham just started having a bath with the big boys and he LOVES it! Soak in the smiles cause it takes a small miracle and a tub full of toys to get them all blissfully happy at once!!!

Spencer's First Talk

Spencer had his first talk on Sunday! It was on the Family Proclamation, and he nailed it! We made him a picture talk and then practiced all week. I was a little worried he would get too nervous once he got up there... but he wasn't nervous and remembered everything! I AM SO PROUD of my big boy! I cant believe he is so big already! I cant wait for his next 1st!

I have so much to update from last week...I am working on!!

My Cleaning Dilemma

Keeping my house clean and finding the balance between NAZI clean and filthy dirty is so hard for me! I feel like I am either running around after the kids to pick up each toy and getting grouchy about it or in a defiant "I'm not cleaning cause it never stays clean anyway" kind of bad attitude!

It seems like it stems from the idea that if my house is clean I am a good mom and wife and doing my job and if its dirty then I am a terrible mom and need to be embarrassed

WHY

do we lie to ourselves and PUSH AND PUSH to keep up this image that houses are never used or played in and are ALWAYS picked up?

I AM TIRED OF BEING STRESSED AND EMBARRASSED

MY WORTH IS NOT DETERMINED BY HOW MESSY OR CLEAN MY HOUSE IS!

I am not going to give up and never clean but I am DONE feeling like it has to be picked up and 100% show room ready for visitors and family!

WE LIVE HERE, toys get played with food gets eaten, pillows get swung around, laundry gets cleaned (or not cleaned:), beds get slept in!

I AM STILL A GOOD MOM IF MY HOUSE ISN'T SPOTLESS!!!

I refuse to play into this perfect woman perfect house image! SO I PROMISE to NEVER come into your house and think, hmm she hasn't cleaned today! or hmm at least I vacuum before people come over! I PROMISE to come into your house and look at YOU and spend my energy being a friend and not comparing who vacuumed most recently or who wipes their counters most often!

WILL YOU DO THE SAME FOR ME?

Silly Songs and Wrestlers!

Spencer has been learning some great new songs at Preschool so I thought I would share them! It is so exciting to watch him start growing up and learning all on his own!

(Just in case it hard to understand him.... the 1st song is about herman the worman and he eats a banana and the 2nd song is about monkeys teasing a dinosaur who sneaks up on them and chomps them out of their tree!!!)

Amber and I are getting ready for our next craft fair so we got together and were getting a few things ready! The kids started having a wrestling match! Spencer would pick the next wrestler charge them a blanket and then they would go for it in the wrestling ring! IT WAS SO FUNNY!

I am watching out for some opportunities to catch Coop and Graham "LIVE" as well so stay tuned!

Spencer's First Primary Program

Spencer had his first Primary Program last Sunday! When we got his part we were both so excited! We would practice all the time! He would set up chairs and give each of us a spot and them have us take turns holding the "microphone" and saying our own part! He was just so excited!

Well when the day arrived and we walked into the chapel he decided he DID NOT want to sit up in the front! It took LOTS AND LOTS of pleading and about 20 minutes to convince him it would be fun and to be excited not nervous!

Once he got up there he did GREAT! He stood and sat when he was supposed to and said his part really well! My husband did NOT want me to video him but... I snuck this little video of his part! The Sunbeams each said something our parents do to help our family and Spencer's part was

"Our Moms Clean Up"

So drum roll please....

And there it is! Next year I will be more sneaky and take a few more videos!

My Moment of Clarity

The past few weeks have been rough on me! I have just felt a little down and out, and I dont know why!!? I have been so grumpy and edgy! I feel myself go from 1 to angry over small things and I wonder why? I have been feeling constantly overwhelmed and upset and it makes me sad!

I snap at the boys and scare myself! I can see how I react in their faces and then I just want to be different! I know I DONT want the be that kind of Mom! I want to respond quietly and sweetly I want to brush of the everyday messes and just be able to relax and play with them... but for some reason lately I cant!!! And my heart slows down and I just ache because I DONT WANT TO BE THIS GIRL!

Today was another bad day, the kids made too many messes and fought too much and at nap time they just screamed and beat on each other! The first time I went in I threatened them with no more juice and raised my voice!

As I sat down I remembered a blog Amber recommended I read for a little pick me up and this sweet girl I dont even know softened my heart and helped me hear what the spirit was trying to tell me!

At that moment the boys started crying and I could tell someone hurt someone else! I went in softly and asked Spencer to come sit next to me and Cooper (who was the victim THIS time) I told him I wanted to be a better mommy and told him I needed Heavenly Fathers help! So we said a prayer together!

Cooper wiggled and I cried and asked Heavenly Father to help me answer with tenderness instead of harshness to laugh and play instead of correct and scold! I asked for extra strength to think before I respond so we could be a happier family!

When I closed the prayer and opened my wet eyes I saw my two beautiful boys and felt such clarity and peace! I knew that if I just took some time to ask for the extra help I needed I COULD be more of the kind of MOM I want to be and my BEAUTIFUL boys DESERVE! I dont have to wonder how, I KNOW that I can get all the extra strength I need if I only turn to my Brother and ASK!

So in the moments of frustration that are SURE to come (before I even finish this post, I'm sure!!) I am going to try and just ask for help as I approach a intense situation! And hopefully my kinder attitude will rub off on them!! AND if not well I'll know where to turn....

So thank you to Amber and this sweet girl who opened her heart and testimony; you were the instruments in His hands to show me that He knows me and is ready to help me!!

The BEST and WORST

Lately it seems our life is one of the two extremes, GREAT or TERRIBLE! Here is a little glimpse

Last week the kids and I decided to run to Walmart...and it turned into THE most eventful and awful trip I have ever had at the store!

Spencer and Cooper were fighting (that wasn't a shock) so I took Spencer out of the cart and he held onto the side of the cart! For some reason (I wish I knew) Cooper PUSHED Spencer off the cart and his toes were run over by the cart! So he started screaming and Cooper started crying! I soothed Spencer and put him back in the cart he went on to smack Cooper so hard in the face that his nose started bleeding! All the while these little old Polygamist moms were STARING me down! Spencer was screaming his toe was broken Cooper was balling and bleeding! It was beyond a ruff shopping trip it was a full out disaster!!!!!!!!!!!

SO I LEFT

Got the kids in the car, I pick up Graham and he had peeded out! ALL OVER ME! Now all 3 kids are crying and I feel like running into a hole and dying!! After we got home and calmed down we ate some watermelon and stayed inside so we didn't have any more public bloody battles!! At the end of that terrible day when we went to bed I prayed that we could ALL have a better day tomorrow!

Well that weekend my prayer was answered; we went to St George and on Saturday I had a WONDERFUL day! I was able to go yard saleing (my favorite thing!!!) BJ went hiking with his friend and then that evening we all got together and played on the trampoline! There weren't any rules or fighting or hurt feelings just fun... TOGETHER! It was just what we all needed!

The boys had SO much fun with BJ!

Graham didn't love it as much as we did! He was really startled!

Spencer LOVED jumping the higher and harder the better!! I know I looks like a dork but I was lovin it! I forgot how fun it was, it made me feel like a kid again!

Cooper DIDN'T want to jump with out someone there to hold his hand! So when he got nervous he would sit on the side and wait till we calmed down!

We snapped a family picture, it was the best night!

12 Loaves

SO today I finally found a Low Fat Zucchini Bread Recipe! I don't know about any of you but I LOVE LOVE LOVE zucchini bread but its SO fatty! SO here it is a low fat alternative that is REALLY REALLY GOOD! Its so good I made 12 loaves to give away to friends!

Low Fat Zucchini Bread

· 1 cup whole wheat flour

· 1 cup all-purpose flour

· 2/3 cup sugar

· 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

· 1/2 tsp baking soda

· 1/2 tsp salt

· 1/2 tsp nutmeg

· 1 cup grated zucchini (tightly packed)

· 1/4 cup canola oil

· 1 egg, lightly beaten

· 1 egg white

· 1 tsp vanilla

· 1 tbsp lemon zest (or more if you like lemon, I DO)

1/4 cup plain non-fat yogurt, drained

Preparation: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 8x4-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.Gently spoon flour into measuring cups (do not pack). Add flour to a large bowl, followed by the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Stir well with a wire whisk.In another bowl, combine the zucchini, oil, egg and egg white, vanilla, lemon zest and yogurt.Add zucchini mixture to flour mix, combining until just moist. Pour into loaf pan and bake for 55 minutes to an hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Yield: 2 loaves 12 servings each Per Serving: Calories 194, Total Fat 5.2g, Fiber 1.7g, (for all you other Weight Wathchers out there:)

So I doubled it and made 4 loaves each time! It was really easy and I just love it! Its not as sweet as the usual kind but the lemon adds a little zest! OOOoooh I need to go have one more piece!

I was so proud of myself after I finished my last 4 that I turned up my She Daisy and just twirled and danced around my living room while the kids were sleeping! And I haven't done that since I was 16! It felt so care free!!! I think I need to start dancing around just for fun again! Why not??

(I dont know why its doing the white boxes around the recipe...sorry!)

Memories

This weekend I went to two different parades and at each one I had a very strong memory hit me that just stopped me in my tracks!

At the first parade there was a group of Vietnam Veterans who walked while holding flags all done up in their uniforms! All I could think about was my Grandpa King who was a Vietnam Veteran but died of lung cancer when I was a teenager! All I could see was him holding that flag waving at me and smiling! Oh how I wish he was there!

I have a select few memories of him. One of my favorites is visiting him in his small home in Corning California when I was little. I must have been under 10. I remember rocking back and forth in his lap while he relaxed in his very comfy and worn recliner! I remember the next morning waking up early to him cooking green pancakes. They tasted so good, i can remember feeling so happy talking and laughing with him while he flipped more and more of his famous green pancakes!

I remember all 3 of us kids going to the fire station where he worked. I remember being so impressed and amazed that MY grandpa was a fire fighter! I remember my excitement when he took us, just us, out for a ride in the fire truck! I felt so privileged to be there with him! And in such a shiny big fire truck of course!

I remember him visiting us in Minnesota when I was just barley a young women. He pulled up in his camper with his co-pilot puppy! I remember walking outside to the driveway and climbing into his little camper and just enjoying him being at our house!

My very most favorite thing about Grandpa was his cards! He NEVER EVER forgot me! Right on schedule 2 weeks before my birthday or any major holiday he would send me a card! It wasn't fancy or filled with money all that mattered to me was that HE REMEMBERED ME! After he died I am sad to say it didn't change my life much! I didn't even really notice a difference until my birthday came around and NO card arrived! I know he still remembers me now! His cards don't arrive in the mail anymore but he shows he remembers me by touching me at a busy parade! And saying I am still here, I still care about you and I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN please don't forget me!

I WONT FORGET YOU GRANDPA! I LOVE YOU!

The Zesty Lemon Premier

Well the day has come and gone and our booth at Peach Days went well! Am I glad its over? YES Am I exhausted? Yes! Do I think we will do it again? FOR SURE! We (Amber, Allison Sommer and I) are going to do a few things differently!We had a bit of a set back on Friday night because after we closed there was a thunder storm and the ADORABLE sign we made was ruined and the table clothes were soaked! But we rolled with it and had a much better day on Saturday!

So I am going to start the tour around the booth!

Allison made all the jewelry and a few of the purses! Amber made all the adult aprons and kids aprons! We got the wood crates from Ambers parents store and spray painted a few of them to go with our Zesty Lemon theme! We also used a few canvas crates for stacking and dimension! But in the future we want to come up with some more professional ways to display our products! ANY IDEAS?

I made the onesies and SOmmer made the blocks! Her blocks were so unique because she hand paints them and put these really modern watermarks on them! They turned out SO great!

I made flower headbands, little boy ties and pumpkins for decoration for fall! Yo u can see one of the cute adult aprons amber made and a couple of the smaller handbags Allison made!

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Amber made a bunch of I-Spy bags, she made them so different from the others but having the window on the front be a fun shape that made up the theme of the treasures inside! You can see my trick or treat bags and the large purses I made!

We wanted out booth to be like a boutique where things werent lined up in rows but more of a eclectic set up! If you have ANY ideas or suggestions we would love them!

Before the fair started a took a few pics of the the things I made so here are a few close ups!

Flower headbands (there were lots more colors and choices but here is a little sample!)

Solid headbands in a skinny size and a wider size

Little boy ties! I made a large and small size! I made them because I can never find cute ties for less then 10-15 dollars!

Trick or Treat bags!

My very time consuming purses! I learned a lot from these! Like how to do pleats and how to gather and mostly how to pick and re-sew when I mess up!!

These are the little decor pumpkins I made! In the picture they don't have the stems yet, oops!

And finally I made these onesies!

So there it is, all the blood sweat and tears that went into our first craft booth! PLEASE PLEASE leave some suggestions! I need some opinions from friends who haven't been up until 12 or 1 every night staring at my stuff!

Growing Boys

We had a week and the kids didn't slow down one bit! Graham started army crawling even faster this week and even pulled himself up (on my VERY dusty shelf, don't mind that!:)

The garden has taken off! We have harvested a million zucchini, about a dozen tomatoes, a LOT of broccoli, one pepper, 2 dozen or so strawberries, bowls and bowls of lettuce!

We had a few things not work out like the yellow squash, the cucumber, the watermelon and the peas! But for our first year I am super proud of it! Spencer is VERY excited about his "veggie tales" sunflowers! He reminds me he needs to check on them every day! Once they became taller then him he couldn't stop talking about it!

Brylie and Ryker are back in town for a few weeks and so all the cousins have been playing together AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE! This was labor day weekend BJ was cleaning off the trampoline and they all got in on the action! Later that weekend I went out and jumped with them and then we all played duck duck goose! It was a blast! Cooper and Ryker would run every time even when it wasn't their turn! It was darling! They all love being around each other!

Spencer started riding his bike without training wheels, on the first day of trying!! He is still working on starting and stopping by himself but he is sure on his way!

1st Day Preschool....and all ready to go!

So the day has finally arrived! Spencer was up and ready and could wait to get out the door! Unfortunately Beej had to work but my Grandad and Jenise spent the night so they could see Spencer off! He was so excited to go and insisted on wearing his tennis shoes because he said "Big kids only wear tennis shoes to school NOT sandals!" I just laughed at his awareness of school fashions!!!!

(BJ took him to school on Tuesday and Spencer brought his first homework assignment in his "All about me board")

I had planned a fun breakfast but all he wanted was a bowl of cereal and to be on his way! Dad came with me to drop him off! He wasn't the least bit timid he just went right in signed in dropped his stuff in his cubby and went started checking everything out! As we walked out I said goodbye and told him I would be back to get him and very VERY casually he said "ok bye mom!" I am so proud of him for being so curious and ready to learn!

Funny thing happened when I left to go get him, my BATTERY was dead! I left 30 minutes early so I could go get a few ingredients for a Disney themed lunch and oops the car was dead! I panicked but a very friendly neighbor gave me (and Coop and Graham) a ride! I was late picking him up but he didn't even notice! First one there last one to leave! Just what he wanted!! I am sure good at stressing FOR the kids when they DON'T even notice a problem! :) Another lesson I can learn from my kids!

I want to say THANK YOU THANK YOU to my parents who made it possible for Spencer to go to preschool this year! We really wanted to send him but with BJ still looking for a new job we weren't able to afford it! So a very heartfelt THANK YOU again from all of us! I cant wait to see how much Spencer grows from this year in school!