BFF

My girls truly are best friends. They drive each other crazy but, one couldn't live without the other. Sometimes I wonder how Emma went almost four years of her life without Erin (she had Josh, but a big brother does nothing the same as a little sister). Tonight, they were screaming and crying and kicking and fighting the entire way home from tumbling, but this is how their night ended... (as do many of their nights)...

The Wise Man Built His House Upon a Gingerbread Cookie

I don't always do the "coolest" things for Family Home Evening, but this week I was trying for some brownie points. I got the kids a Gingerbread House Kit at Sam's Club. Thought it would be fun and you can't beat $9 for a whole night of entertainment and "quality" time together. Ha ha. From the moment the box was open, it was fighting and arguing and pushing and grabbing. . . need I go on? So, two or three days later, when the kids started asking if they could eat the darn thing, I didn't stop them. Figured it was no big loss if they wanted to destroy it. But, my kids don't know how to simply take a piece of candy off and eat it. They take the knife and start "carving" away. Then, they decide it would be amusing to "collect" the crumbs it makes in cups. How many cups does it take to hold an entire Gingerbread House? Jer called the whole incident "gross." I'm not sure what to call it.

a WEEKEND full of THANKS

Our Thanksgiving weekend was great from start to finish. I'm not quite sure where to begin with this post.

Before getting into the events of the weekend, I want to tell all of my family how grateful I am for you. All of you. This is hard for me to put into words, but I have thought a lot in the last week about my late sweet sister-in-law Staci. I am going to try and do this without crying, because sadness is no longer what I feel. For those who may not know, Staci died two years ago last Friday after fighting cancer. While I miss her terribly, I have learned and continue to learn from her example and her experience. I was reading through some of my e-mails from her just a few weeks before she passed. It was hard to get together towards the end so we communicated daily through e-mail. In one note, she asked my opinion on FHE ideas as far as teaching the Plan of Salvation to her 2 and 4 year old boys. In another, she laughs at her sweet boys and their growing testimonies - "I'm glad Heavenly Father made McDonald's for us, Mom." And, in one she tells me of her progress - "I have been getting myself bathed and dressed, and even walked from the chair in the living room to the bathroom (about 25 feet).." But, most of all, she wrote of everything that she was thankful for. I watched her in awe for almost a year. She was so amazing. Always upbeat and always fighting. So, at this time of year, it is hard for me not to think of her great example. I have been moaning for the last week over a root canal that I have to have done next week and I often lose patience with my children... but at the end of the day, I am grateful for what I have. I am grateful for my family and for my friends. I am grateful for relationships that grow and develop over time. But, mostly, I am grateful for Jesus Christ and His Atonement. I am forever thankful for His sacrifice for me.

Now that my eyes are full of water, I want to share with you our wonderful Thanksgiving. We had Thanksgiving Dinner at Joel and Jamie's this year. I have talked in the past about her creativity, but her Thanksgiving table put the rest of us to shame. It was beautiful. Too cute to eat at. And, the kids were all thrilled to be eating at the table with the adults. I think I ended up with more pictures of the tables than I did of the people.

from left to right: Atley, Emma, Alexa, Kailee, Erin, Josh, Cambree
(the only grandchild missing is Gauge and he is at the end in the highchair)

A taste of the decor.

Erin and Cari

Emma and Atley

The Host and Hostess (joel and jame)

After dinner was over and the kids had had some time to play, we loaded up our H3 (that's a Hummer just in case you weren't sure) and headed for St. George. Josh played in the Dixie Invitational with his soccer team and the first game was Friday morning. So, to save our van a thousand miles or so, we rented a car to take down. We had requested a Jeep, but when they hand you the key to a 2009 H3, what are you to do? It was fun to watch people stare. We felt cool. A little immature, but cool none the less.

Upon arriving in St. George, we realized the address we had for our condo didn't have the building number or condo number. So, we made it just fine (with a little help from VZNavigator) to the complex, but from there had no idea where to go. Thank heaven for our Blackberry's. Between the two of us, Jer and I found the e-mail with the phone number and called to get our exact address. Finally, at about 8:30p.m. we unloaded the car. At this point, the kids were starving and about to eat each other (I assumed hunger was the reason for their behavior). So, our next goal was to find something to eat. I am totally making this sound like Jer and I are completely clueless around St. George. But, keep in mind, it was dark, we had a car full of feisty children, and it was a holiday so no one was open. Rewind, Del Taco was open. And, Wal Mart. Del Taco had a line of about 15 cars and no parking to go in. So, to the Wal Mart Deli we go. Hmm. Only to find NO food. Gone. Cleaned out. So, to the freezer section (which always makes kids happy. Why is that?). Eventually, we made it back to the condo, ate, broke my tooth (thus the root canal coming up), slept and arose early for soccer.

Josh played in three soccer games between Friday and Saturday. It didn't go as well as we had hoped so they didn't advance to the finals. Needless to say, he loved playing and it was great for the team. Jer loves coaching, I love stressing about off sides and saves, and the girls love giggling behind the sidelines. It helps when it's 65 degrees outside. It was great soccer weather. I hoped a little that I would get a sunburn. That didn't happen, but it sure felt good to let the sun shine on my face.



I think this is what I look like from Emma's view.

Team USA

While in St. George, we spent as much time as we could with my cute grandma. She would laugh at me if she knew I called her cute, but she is. While the adults were visiting, the kids were in the other room going through the toys. Grandma kept saying "Is there anything in there you'd like to take home with you?" She was set on the kids having something from her toy box. Josh kept telling her that if he took something with him then it wouldn't be there next time for him to play with. She insisted that it wouldn't be there next time even if he wasn't the one to take it. That night, we got back to the condo and Erin came in with her goodies from grandma. She said, "Mom, you be the kid and I will be Grandma Helen, K? Now, what do you want? Is there something in my toy box that you would want?" It was so stinkin' cute! I am so glad my kids have a relationship with my grandparents and Jer's. That is something I never had - living great grandparents. We took Grandma to Chuck-a-rama (a senior citizen favorite as well as Josh's). I snapped some classic pictures of my girls intently listening to grandma talk (or vice versa). I love watching them together. Emma is such a lovey little girl and Grandma was soaking it all in. Unfortunately, Grandpa Helen (his name is actually Bob, but Erin calls him Grandpa Helen and I find that too cute to pass up), was asleep when we went over to the care center to visit. Grandma kept saying "he can sleep any time but he can't see the grandkids any time." But, he was out. So, hopefully we will make it down again to see him before his days are up. I know they are few, but I am hoping that's not the last impression my kids have of him. He was rather peaceful in his sleep.

And, lastly (since this post seems like it's never going to end), we took the kids around St. George to show them some of my favorite things from when I was little. We showed them Grandma and Grandpa Helen's (LOL) old house and we drove through Snow Canyon and played at the Sand Dunes. The kids wanted an entire day there. I can't believe how different St. George is. I showed them where Angie (Taylor) Sumsion and I used to camp over Easter. We tried to climb the red rocks but, between my afraid of heights child and all the signs that say "stay on paved pathway" we were outa luck there. That was always a favorite of mine.. climbing, discovering, exploring.

Erin was singing "Lead me, guide me, walk beside me.." because she wanted to be the leader. I think she was looking for "follow the leader" but this one worked just as well.

What an awesome weekend. And to think I didn't do one ounce of shopping. Wow. I deserve a big pat on the back for that. :) To end this post, I wanted to share this ray of sunshine with you. I love my kids! (I can say that - they're all asleep). I am so grateful for them and all that they teach me. And, I am SO thankful for Jer and all that he does to make sure our little family has all we need and want. He is such an awesome dad and my best friend. I feel so blessed to have them all for eternity.

THE BEST EPISODE IN SURVIVOR HISTORY!!!

OH! I am still laughing! Right out loud! OK, so before I go off on RANDY, I should warn you all that I am a nerd (like you didn't know that). I am a SURVIVOR NERD. I love Survivor. My weeks revolve around Thursday night. They have for A LOT of years now. If it ever gets canceled, I will go insane. I do have a couple of seasons on DVD, but it's not as fun when you know the end result. Anyway, now that you understand how obsessed I am...

What a night! There are definitely lame nights with Survivor. Lame as in.. event less. Not much drama. That was not tonight. I don't want to spoil it for anyone that may have tevo'd it, so I won't say too much. But, in the past, there have been fake immunity idols. Not like this, tho. And never used against RANDY! Wah ah ah ah ah! See ya! "LOSER" as noted by Sugar. Love ya, Sugar. I really do. And, if you're reading this (not likely, I know, but I can talk to you anyway. I talk to myself, why not to characters on reality t.v?) LOVED THE COOKIE STUNT. Wow. I have never known a pin up model before, but this one is cool.

Anyway.. tah tah for now. I hope I survive the next week until it is on again.

Whose Child is This?

So, this is my three year old! Stinkin' cute. Need I say anything else? :) Erin and Emma love my pom poms (Jer does, too, but that's another story). I have threatened them with their lives not to hurt my pom poms. They are (I am going to age myself here) nearly seventeen years old! Ouch! So I am a little protective of my pom poms.

The other day, Erin came in and asked me to put them on her (she does this several times a day. It makes me laugh that I have to "put them on." The handles are hidden in the center and it takes real skill to find them and get your hands in there to hold on). So, while I am helping her find the handles..

Erin: "Mom, are these Mom pom poms or kid pom poms?"

Me: "They are Mom pom poms."

Erin: "Well, then why don't you ever soos (use) them? I never see you cheer for anything."

Me: "I know. I haven't used them for a long time. I guess there is nothing to cheer for anymore."

Erin: "Then I will soos them and you can be the teacher. Teach me some cheers."

Oh man. Next thing you know she is going to ask me to put on my uniform. Not happenin'. So, since her name seems to be the only thing that a three year old can spell, I taught her this little cheer. She is a crack up. This is a typical event for the two of us when the other kids are at school. And, I can never figure out why I didn't get anything done during the day. If we aren't cheering, we are dancing, cooking, buying, singing.. etc. Her entire day is pretend. Oh to be three again!

p.s. make sure you pause the music below before you push play on the video.

I am a coupon clipper!

I don't know how well you can see these receipts and there was no way I could show the whole 25 feet of them, but hopefully you get the point.

Coupon shopping has become a "hobby" of mine. I never thought I could learn how people would get $100 worth of grocery's for next to nothing. And, I especially never thought I would have the patience for it. But, after attending a Grocery Smarts class and several months of practice, I think I might be getting the hang of it.

Last week, I sent Jer with my list and a stack of coupons. He went and did our "normal" shopping with what I had given him. Albertson's had a deal going. For every $30 you spent on "participating items" you got $15 off your next visit. And, throughout the month of October, for every $250 spent, you got a 5% off coupon to use in November. So, with that said, yesterday's shopping experience was insane!

At Albertson's I got the following:
2 bags of Nestle Chocolate Chips
1 box of Albertson's real butter
6 jars of Skippy peanut butter
1 bottle Apple Juice
1 Danon Frusion Smoothy
4 pacs TicTacs
total before tax and coupons: $38.34
total after preferred savings card: $24.85
total after tax, ps, and coupons: $ 1.43 (this is what I actually paid!)

At Smith's I got the following:
1 Betty Crocker Cake Mix
1 box GM Fiber One Cereal
4 cans Carnation Evaporated Milk
6 cans Eagle Sweetened Condensed Milk
24 pack of Arrowhead water bottles
1 box Eggo Waffles
total before tax and coupons: $30.98
total after fresh values card: $28.46
total after tax, fv, and coupons: $8.48 (this is what I actually paid!)

So, between the two stores, my total savings was: $59.41 (86%). Keep in mind, this was a shopping trip specifically for "stock up items." I wouldn't normally go buy 6 jars of peanut butter. But, by combining sales prices with coupons, it is a great chance to build up your food storage. I am super excited about how our food storage is coming along. I started saving coupons in April, and it is starting to really pay off.

If you are wanting to learn how to save and stock up at the same time, I will be having Katie come teach the class this month. In the meantime, check out http://www.grocerysmarts.com/. The passport is: g84ckp. Some people are familiar with Pinching your pennies. Grocery Smarts is very similar and in fact, has a link now to Pinching your pennies.

Anywho- if this was completely boring for you, I apologize. But, I get excited every time I have a trip to the store like this. We are finally "shopping" from our storage rather than running to the store every time we run out of something!

Catching up

I think I went five or six days without a camera. My digital camera that I got in May for our Disneyland trip decided to take an early retirement. So frustrating. Not even six months and it was done. I have had my Canon Rebel G 35mm for about ten years and I am still loving it. So, what is wrong with these little digitals? Is it user error? In the last four years I have had 4 different cameras. Granted, they are only 100+ bucks and they do get a little roughed up by my kids, but shouldn't they last longer than that?

Anyway, my sweet husband has done it again.. he forked out the money for yet another camera. I am a freak when I don't have a working camera at hand. There's another question for you all - am I the only mom out there that can't stand to go four days without taking pictures? I feel a little obsessive after this little escapade. I don't think I realized how much I depend on the dumb thing. I thought my cell phone was my favorite "gadget." Now I am wondering.

So, between that and my month of October being my busiest month of the year (so far) I have a lot of catching up to do. I am going to do one huge post. Hopefully I don't bore you to death.

First of all, I love October. I love autumn. I don't think I did when I was young, but each year I enjoy it more. This year was especially nice because of the mild weather. I love decorating for Halloween and I love seeking out the best costumes for the kids. (side note: Can I tell you how irritating it is to me that our elementary school declared October 31 "Official no costume day." What is that about? That is one of the best things about Halloween. Nope - not this year. My kids had to wear orange and black to "scare off drugs." Lame). So, I crafted my guts out this month without even realizing it. I have never had a ton of Halloween decor so I guess I felt a need to change that. Of course I involved Jer and the kids as much as possible. I had the kids make Trick or Treat bags:

And we carved pumpkins as a family:

And, I tried out my new toy (the Cricut):

And, since I made so many trips to Wood Connection while planning our Super Saturday, I had to make this little ditty:

And, lastly, I was tired of looking at "bloom" in my window, so I replaced it with "fall":

I also had a couple of Pigtails and Petals parties so I was making bows and headbands like a crazy woman. Yes, my fingers are bleeding after this last month. I have had lots of requests for Christmas bows and headbands, too, so if you need any, you'd better lemme know 'cause I can only twist and glue so fast. :)

As for our October 31st, it was very busy but very fun! I helped with Emma's class party at school in the morning, registered the van in the afternoon, took pictures with the Grandma's, and then went Trick-or-Treating that night. Josh didn't want to go out this year. I think by the time he had had his picture taken 500 times, he was checked out. He stayed home and handed out candy. Surprisingly, he was even okay with it when the girls came home with loads of junk. Emma got tired early. We had only gone to a few houses and I think her shoes were hurting her feet. So then she started in with the "I'm hungry." And, "I'm not going to anymore houses." Erin, on the other hand, was LOVING it! She was having so much fun that even after two hours she was still running from door to door. She wanted to take Emma home so that I could take her out until she was "finished." I think this is the first year she went without a stroller. She felt so big!

(the damage)

(Hanah, Collin, Noah, Cameron, Erin, Josh, Emma)

Eddie Munster? No. A vampire.

The Ice Queen? No. The Snow Princess.

Tinkerbell. An especially cute Tink.

On to more exciting things: SOCCER. Can I tell you how much we love soccer? Okay, so you already knew that. But, it's so much more fun when it's your child playing and they actually win! Josh's team is so fun! He is playing on a U10 Comp team for USA and is loving it. The first part of the season was tough. The kids were still learning to play together (a lot of them are new to the team) and they were used to rec ball. We played 9 games this season (plus the 4 in the Presidents Cup) and won 5 out of the 9. We finished with 4 straight wins. Since so many of us have become addicted to the game, whether it be the parents on the sideline, or the boys scoring, we decided to continue on. The boys are playing in the Dixie Invitational over Thanksgiving weekend in St. George and then will play (hopefully) Futsal during the winter months to stay in shape. This cute picture of the boys was just after their second win of the day last Saturday. Look at those smiles!

Jackson, Josh, Chase, Tyler, Ryan, Noah, Mike, Skyler, Ryan, Spencer

Goodness! Did I cover everything? That was like a Fireman Chad post except that there's no pictures of Disneyland! Hopefully I won't let a month go without posting next time.

P.S. Our fence is fixed. Took longer than I had hoped, but it's done.