All Hallows Eve

Today was a very low key Halloween for us. Ryan took off early for a bit of bird hunting. Miranda spent the night last night and all day today with her friend Shaun. So that left Parker and I to fend for ourselves. Parker's buddy, Brecken is out of town, so he was a bit bored. I'm sure shopping with mom isn't his ideal thing to do on a day off from school, but we made the best of it. He was a great shopping buddy and a fabulous cart returner. He even came home with a shake from In & Out and a couple "prizes" from the stores we visited. (I'm such a push over)
Parker later joined Miranda and her friends for a bit of Trick or Treating. They all looked great in their costumes (again)It's great that Miranda's friends don't mind younger siblings hanging out with them. They truly are a great bunch of kids.
While the kids were out gathering candy, Ryan and I snuck out for a ride on the Harley and a little Cafe Rio (yummm). I'm sure we missed a few goblins that came to our house while we were away, but since we've been home we've had less than 12 trick or treaters come to our door. Miranda and her friends continued the night watching Young Frankenstein while Parker, Ryan and I watched "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" - what a classic!
So now I have TONS of leftover candy to hide from myself before I eat it all (I forgot about a stash I had before I bought more). Seroiusly, I've been soooo good I can't mess things up now.
Anyhoo, Hope everyone had a fun - I mean - Spooky Halloween!

Hat-itude

Months ago Parker had decided what he wanted to be for Halloween. A "newsie" boy or Gavroche from Le Mes. Well, I was having a difficult time finding the right hat to complete the costume. So he finally settled on being Linus (I've added black stripes to his red shirt now).
Last Saturday while I was at Target picking up the red shirt for Linus, (an hour before the Trunk or Treat) I ran onto the perfect hat that he needed for his other costume. By this time It was too late to get the rest of the costume together for that one, so I stuck with Linus, however, I also picked up the hat just in case he changed his mind before Halloween.
He loved the hat and was thinking about changing, but decided to stick with Linus this year. (His teacher is a HUGE Peanuts fan).
He loved his hat soooo much that he has worn it everyday since I bought it, taking it off only for school.

He's still set on Linus this Halloween, but I can see a Newsie in the works for next year!

Update...

Guess I spoke too soon about not having a project to do in the near future ....
I just got a call from my aunt asking if I could make my yummy chocolate dipped heart cookies for a bridal shower next weekend. Let the planning begin!

A Day like Today...

A day like today makes me realize something...
That I'm extremely grateful for the talents, ambition, and support I've been given.
Sometimes I get involved in so many things and projects that I just don't know how I'll get it all done. Although I truly do enjoy the creative projects in my life, they can also be exhausting. It all comes down to time management and planning. Ryan frequently gives me a hard time for being such a "Polly Planner". Sorry, but I'm not always a "fly by the seat of my pants" type of girl. Seriously, how else can I get the things done that need to be done if I don't plan? I'm sure all moms have some sort of built in planning mode that helps us get things accomplished. Mine just goes into overdrive when I have big projects to complete.
The past couple days were spent making favor boxes for the Stake Bishopric Wives Dinner. I made chocolate popcorn to put inside this cute box. Ryan even punched out the windows and assembled the boxes for me.
Today I had to seriously manage my time to figure out how to get everything in (don't get too bored reading about my day)
7am - Shower and get Parker ready for school
8:30am- Run to school to check on supplies for the fundraiser hot dog dinner
8:45 - Drop off "Letter" labels to Lisha for dinner tonight
9-10:30 am - Sweat away my worries in Gym class (almost cut this out, but felt guilty - dang that exercise high)
11:00 - Stop at Costco on way home from gym and buy flowers for arrangements
11:30 - Grab Cafe Rio for lunch (can't ruin my Tuesday tradition)
12-1:30 - Assemble 6 centerpieces for dinner
2 - 3:30 - Volunteer in Parkers classroom (Tuesday is my scheduled day)
(Arrange for a ride to take Miranda to Choir concert - and give Ryan instructions on when to be there - 6pm - (that's another story)
3:30 - 6 - Load car and set up for Bishopric Wives Dinner
6:30 - 7 - Set up for Card Class (which is at my house)
7 - 9 - Card Class
9 - 11 - Clean up after Card Class and put away platters etc. from Bishopric dinner
Now my body is telling me to SIT DOWN and GO TO BED. Obviously I don't listen very well because I'm blogging instead.
The dinner turned out very well from reports I've heard. It's amazing how everything can come together in the end.
Here's some photo's of the set-up
I'm totally in my element when I get to do projects like this one. I wish I could have been there to help out. Ryan is pretty supportive of me when I'm in my project zone. Other than having fend for yourself type dinners, I don't think my family suffers too much. For now, I have no major projects on my plate until the Super Saturday on Nov. 15th. (Unless I've forgotten something or get a "call" from someone in the ward needing my help). That will be a busy week but after a few days off and a little more planning I'll be ready to go!!!

Oogie Boogie

Did I scare you?
I know you weren't expecting a new post from me but I swear my home computer doesn't like me spending time on my blog. I've tried many times every day to log on, but I finally had to unplug everything and voila! I'm back at it.

Friday night was the Harvest Festival at our school. I have a wonderful Special Events VP, but she still needed help with everything since this was her first time doing this event. After 4 years I've figured out a few tricks of the trade to help the festival go a little smoother. I spent all Thursday and Friday at the school making cotton candy, popcorn, sorting prizes & games, and setting up. My legs and feet are always soooo tired after this event. I usually take 2 days to recover from it.
I always forget to take my camera. I'm so bummed because I was going to take pictures of everything to make it easier for the set up next year (I won't be there you know- he he).
We had over 1000 attend this annual event. It really was a great night.

Saturday was our wards Trunk or Treat. It's been years since they had one so we were super excited. They were also having a pumpkin carving contest so I suggested to Miranda that she have her friends over in the morning and carve pumpkins to enter. I purchased all the pumpkins and supplies they needed, as well as pizza and soda. Once all of them came Ryan and I snuck out to have lunch (and a ride on his bike). I put everything out for them before I left so I expected them to be all finished when we came home.
But, they had other plans and just hung out all afternoon. Ah well, I now have pumpkins to carve later.

The Trunk or Treat was pretty fun. I was able to recycle my costume from last year when I did another wards Trunk or Treat. I dressed up as Ariel and decorated my car as "under the sea". I even had that song playing over and over.
The little girls were once again in awe that Ariel came. I spent half the night chatting with them about Flounder, Sebastian and my daughter Melody. It was fun.
Ryan also had his truck there. ( can't believe I didn't get a photo) We brought our popcorn machine and he handed out popcorn from his truck. Everyone thought we were in competition. Ryan even wore his Pirate costume from a couple years ago. (I forgot to take a photo, how lame am I, so here's one from our party in 2005) In my defense, I couldn't walk! Miranda met up with all her friends at the church. I didn't see them except for when they came by for more candy (Swedish Fish is their favorite)
They're such a great group of kids. They all get along real well and always have a wonderful time together. They are so funny when I'm dropping them off....they each have to give the person that's leaving a hug before they go. So everyone gets out of the car hugs, then piles back in. Too Fun!
Miranda and Parker had great costumes....
Miranda was a gypsy and Parker was Linus (from the Peanuts)
All in all , everyone had a great weekend and the kids are already making plans for Halloween night!

Sorry for the loooong post, but I had to catch up a bit. Hopefully I'll not have any more problems and posts will continue as usual.

Big Boy Bed

Parker is soooo excited. We finally got him a "big boy" bed. (Ok, I guess I shouldn't call it that, but it definitely is bigger and he has grown a bit also) He's had twin beds in his room (from bunkbeds that he and Miranda shared when they were little). He was ready for a change. Miranda got a new full size bed quite a few years ago. We figured the twin beds would work fine for Parker.
He's quite comfortable in his new bed. He has even started making it himself. (If I had known that I would have gotten one years ago).The only thing left to do is paint his room. It's one of the only rooms we haven't painted in the entire house. I just couldn't paint until he decided on his "theme". I swear it kept changing every other month. He's pretty happy with his new set-up and is actually sleeping in his room. (That's another story in itself). Now all he would like is a TV in his room. Hummmm.....we'll have to think about that one.

My picky eater

I think everyone has someone in their house who is a picky eater. No matter how many times you give them a certain food, they just don't like it.
Well, I happen to have one of those picky eaters. (well, now I have 2) Normally they eat EVERYTHING put on their dish, but not this time. I shared some of my Panda Express vegetables and figured he would gobble it up (as he usually does)
But this time, after he had his fill, I looked at what was left and couldn't believe what I found.......
Mushrooms licked clean from all sauce.

I guess Gus doesn't like mushrooms, who knew?!

Wax Museum

Before I post about the museum, I have to say that I've had a bit of blogger trouble the past few days and I could not log in to post. So I'm back and going to play a bit of catch up.

Yesterday was Parker's BIG day as JFK for the wax museum. He woke bright and early, showered and willingly let me gel and style his hair like JFK. (I don't think I've ever used a blow dryer on his hair before).
We arrived at school early so he could get ready for the big event.
The entire classroom was buzzing with President's and First Ladies. There were some excellent costumes. (thanks to Halloween coming up).
Parker chose 3 poses as JFK and they switched every 7 minutes. I was able to go through enough to get a photo of each pose.
The first one I saw was JFK reviewing the Documents for the Peace Corps.


The Next pose was JFK shaking hands with Nixon. (this was Parker's least favorite)
The next one was of JFK and the famous pose of him on a portrait inside the White House
Parker, and the rest of the 5th grade did an excellent job.
Here's a photo of his entire class
The best part of Parker being JFK was that Miranda, who had the same 5th grade teacher, was Jackie Kennedy when she did the wax Museum.
So here's a little peek at the two together....

Hummm.... I'm thinking Halloween costumes!
Wow...talk about a walk down memory lane, that seems like so long ago. Miranda had a great time learning about and posing as Jackie. I missed the pose she did with the famous sunglasses. Miranda wanted to come to Parkers museum and make a "guest appearance" as Jackie.
This is such a fun event for the 5th grade students. Unfortunately this will be the last one I get to go to (sniff, sniff).
I have a couple video snippits of the museum to share. Enjoy!

Strike a pose

All the 5th grade is doing a Wax museum on Friday. Parker's class is doing President's and First Ladies. Parker was assigned John F. Kennedy. Originally he was pretty disappointed that he had him (He wanted Theodore Roosevelt) (And JFK is a Democrat afterall).
After a little light-hearted humor from Miranda and I (we came up with some pretty good poses) he accepted the idea and has written his report, selected his 3 poses and prepared his costume. The only thing left is to practice holding completely still for 15 minutes while everyone walks through the "museum" staring and talking about you.
Parker's first attempt to hold still was not very good. He busted up laughing everytime Miranda and I would come in pretending to view the wax figures. It took quite a few tries before he could hold his pose without smiling or laughing. (The bribe of a scoop of icecream for every 5 minutes he could freeze didn't hurt either).
Gus was even getting into the poses.
I finally had to join in the cause and help him with a pose that he is doing with the kid who is Nixon in his class. This is much harder than it looks and I give all the kids credit for holding still for so long. Parker is a bit nervous about being able to hold still for the entire time. I'm sure he'll do great.
Stay tuned for the big day!

Clev the Dragon

Some people have cats, others have dogs. Some even find snakes and lizards to be adorable and perfect pets. We've decided we're not lizard people. About a year and a half ago we bought a Bearded Dragon Lizard that Parker named Clev. He was so cute and tiny at the time we brought him home. He fit very comfortably on the log inside his cage.
But time has passed and Clev, is no longer tiny, (Still kind of cute though). We didn't hold him a ton, so he is rather skiddish when we try to pick him up.














He is a verocious eater and can down as many crickets as we put into his cage. I caught this amazing talent of his on video one day (I know, I'm crazy). Notice how big he is compared to the first image - that's the same log!


Today, we said goodbye to our reptillian friend. We decided it would be better for Clev if he had a home where he would be held a little more often. Some friends in our ward agreed to take him. They already have a couple leopard gekos so they are already used to the cricket feeding routine. Parker is happy because he can visit Clev every week when he goes to scouts (they are his Webelos leaders).
We'll miss Clev, but I won't miss the weekly stops at the pet store for crickets and finding loose crickets throughout the house. (thank goodness for the bug guy).

Heart Walk

This morning the kids and I were able to participate in an American Heart Association Heart Walk. My cousin, Nicole, is a nurse and they were trying to form a team at the hospital she works at. She was going to join their team but decided to put her own team together.
13 years ago my cousin, Stacie, (Nicole's sister) had a baby boy who was born with a heart defect. At only 10 weeks old, he passed away following a surgery to repair it. Stacie was super excited to put a team together in his honor and we were more than happy to be there for support. I've been registered since June, and never expected the weather to go from 90 to 55 degrees overnight. Waking up this morning, I had a moments hesitation when I looked at the wind and the thermometer outside. BUT we made a commitment and were ready to brave the cold!
Here is a before shot of our team. Stacie's friend made up some adorable T-shirts for our team to wear for the occasion.
We were off to a bit of a slow start with potty breaks and such, but we made it through the entire 3 miles with no complaining from anyone!
(seriously!) ( Well, I was thinking about complaining when I couldn't feel my ears and we were walking uphill with a head on 40mph wind)(ok, maybe it was only 20mph) Parker and Wyatt were setting their own pace because they were too busy chatting instead of keeping up with the group. Mom and Miranda stayed back a bit to keep an eye on them. The rest of the group was scattered throughout the walkers. Each setting their own pace.Dad and I were walking a pretty quick pace and was able to get ahead of everyone on our team. When we approached the finish we thought it would be fun if we all crossed it together...as a team. So, we walked back towards the rest of the team we had passed and told them our plan. (By the time we reached Parker and Wyatt we had nearly added another mile to our walk) We walked back toward the finish with Mom, Miranda, Parker and Wyatt and joined the rest of the team near the finish.
It was super fun to finish together as a team. With the finish sign in view, everyone quickened their pace and cheered as we crossed the finish line!


Following the race, Subway had provided sandwiched for all the participants and Parker and Wyatt still managed to have energy left for the jumpers.



It was so fun to get together for such a great cause. We had a blast despite the cold weather. Everyone's spirits were high and ready to do it again next year!!! Just hope it's a little warmer next year so I don't spend the rest of the day thawing out!

Hog Heaven

So, what do you do when your so tired your eyes burn and can't stay open, but you're waiting for your daughter to come home so can't go to bed yet?
Well, I think I'll post on my blog...
I've been meaning to post for a few days now, but haven't had the time/energy.

Ryan has always loved motorcycles. Growing up, he and his brothers almost always had one. Even when we were first married he owned a dirt bike (I don't think we could afford a full motorcycle). He's always dreamed of owning a Harley Davidson, but has never acted upon this urge.

A few years ago his brother, Eric, bought a simple, used Harley and has since updated to a Road King. He and his wife Lori have been known to take the bike on weekend road trips on a whim.
This, of course, has just fueled the fire for Ryan's desire to own one of his own.

It really didn't come as a big surprise to me when he started showing me photo's of Harleys on Craigs list and the Harley Davidson site. I'm sure just trying to get me used to the idea of him purchasing a bike. He finally zeroed in on one in Arizona that he quite liked. For a few weeks he debated back and forth about going to get it.
He finally broke down and decided to buy the bike. It's a Road King Classic 2004 (I think).
His brother, Eric, drove to AZ early last Saturday to pick it up. (Eric rode his Harley here from Cedar). Not 5 minutes after they arrived home, they took off on the first ride to Fremont Street, where there was some biker party going on. (not sure what they call those).
Since purchasing the bike, he has been super willing to run errands for me just for an excuse to ride it. He's been able to take it to work a couple times this week (thankfully he didn't have to go to court)
I have yet to ride with him because I don't have a helmet yet (NV law). He's already planning to go with Eric and Lori to Laughlin River Run next year. I've warned him that curly hair and helmets do not go together, so I'd have to straighten it to go anywhere. (he doesn't care for my hair to be straight).
He's like a kid in a candy shop and is seeming to really enjoy himself while riding it. But I'm having a hard time seeing myself as a biker babe riding on the back....

What was I thinking?????

Our Stake started a women volleyball program a few weeks ago. I always thought about going, but I either forgot about it, or was otherwise occupied. A friend finally convinced me to go, even though I was COMPLETELY exhausted, I agreed. (again...what was I thinking)
"It'll be great social time" said Ryan
Let me just say that I haven't played Volleyball in, well, um....over 20 years!
I was a but rusty. After a while I did finally get my serve down, and managed to send a few balls over the net (in the right direction). There were some ladies that were very serious about the game, so I don't think they appreciated my humor in the situation.
Was it fun?.... Sure
Will I do it again? Not sure....I'll take it week by week (I'll see if I'm walking tomorrow, or if my black eye swells)
On Tuesday's my body usually takes a beating with 1 1/2 hours at the gym after an hour walk/jog in the morning.
And last night I swam for an hour (2000 yds) at the gym while Miranda was at Broadway class.
Seriously, I'm just plain pooped!

Joy in the Journey

This weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to listen to many words of wisdom, love, encouragement, hope and testimony from the leaders of our church. I'm so grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I know my life has been touched in more ways than I know because of the teachings of the Gospel. I strive everyday to do the things that I know will bring me closer to my eternal goals. I struggle, as many of us do, with the doubts that fill my mind and heart that I'm doing everything I can. But I know that if I just seek, I will gain the help needed to build my Testimony every day.
I'm thankful for my loving family who continue to amaze me with their strength in the truths. Ryan always has wonderful insights to the Book of Mormon that I never think of. He helps me to make an effort to apply them in my own life today.
Miranda is always there with words of wisdom, keeping our family on the right track.
Parker never ceases to amaze me with his knowledge of the Gospel. (I think he'll teach Gospel Doctrine next)
I know that I'm not perfect, but I'm trying.
Every 6 months I get the boost I need to try harder. Listening to the testimonies of the speakers at Conference helps me to know "I CAN DO THIS"
I anxiously awaited to hear the counsel given by our Prophet, Thomas S. Monson. He encouraged us, he encouraged ME, to find JOY in the Journey. To not get so caught up in daily to do lists that we neglect the things that matter most and bring us joy. Wow, I really think he was speaking just to ME!
I feel completely uplifted and strengthened by the teachings from this Conference.
I can do this....We can do this.... I hope to be an greater example to my children of the happiness that can be found when we follow the teachings of the Gospel.
I am thankful for the knowledge that I am a daughter of God and that he knows me and hears my prayers.
I pray we can all find the peace known only through Him. We are divine and we each have a purpose. I know the Gospel to be true and I want everyone to know how happy I am to be a part of it.

Flying by....

Where has this week gone???
The kids were out of school today, so what to do on a 3 day weekend????
A. Go to Disneyland
B. Go to Cedar City
C. Go Camping
D. Stay Home and be productive

Well, I really would like to have done choice A, but, we decided to spend this weekend at home. The kids, in fact, were strongly requesting this option. However, yesterday we surprised them with a trip to Tuachan to see Les Meserables. We left at 3pm and arrived home around 12:30am. Both Parker and Miranda wanted to see it again before it ended in a couple weeks. Ryan actually likes this production, so why not. Especially when you have a 2 for 1 coupon (thanks mom).
This photo was taken with the stage as the background, but I guess it was too dark and the flash only liked my kids (well, who doesn't?)
So except for our little getaway, we're staying home.
Today Ryan and I were both super productive. Ryan cleaned the garage and casita. I cleaned the house (finally) and even filled 2 more bags and a box for DI!(they're gonna love me).
Tomorrow I plan to work on more cleaning/organizing while I watch Conference. It always seems like the Saturday sessions slip past me, so I'm excited to see them tomorrow.
Tomorrow is also National Card Making Day. I hope to get my cleaning finished early so I can make a bunch of cards, both for fun and for the RS card class coming up.
I'm also working on a second blog that I can use to post my crafty stuff. I'll link to it soon once it's ready. Natalie is working on a background for me so it'll be super cute! (love ya Nat!)
Hope everyone enjoys their weekend as much as me!