Halloween Video

This is the Halloween video that I was able to finally finish. I originally started this video as a fun project for my mother-in-law. Every year she has a big Halloween party. This party is my very favorite of the year. Most people who come put a great amount of time and effort into their costumes. It's always fun to see what kind of costumes people come up with.

Well after working on this video for quite a while, I was on schedule to have the DVD burned and ready for viewing at the party. Unfortunately my computer did not agree with me. After much hair pulling and cussing, I was forced to go to the party without the video.

After that, I was a woman on a mission. I brought all my material to my in-laws house on Sunday night. They have a much newer and faster computer that I do. I re-created the entire DVD, plus added a few pictures from the recent party. I was finally able to burn the movie to DVD, and it worked in the DVD player! So here it is for everyone to enjoy!

The Pumpkin Patch

Every month Hunter's preschool goes on a field trip. In October they went to the Pumpkin Patch in Vineyard. I drive past in on Geneva Rd all the time, and never knew what a cool place this was. They had everything! From a corn maze, to scare crow, a small spoke alley, play ground, and petting zoo. I was able to go with Hunter and his preschool, along with Debbie and Houston. We had a great time! I was trying to take Hunter's picture, and told him the say "cheese." After I said that, all the kids around, lined up and smiled for the picture! It was so cute. I just started laughing.

This is Hunter with a goat.

Hunter was so excited that we got threw the corn maze. We even found the hidden witch in the middle of the maze.

Hunter as a ghost. Debbie is holding him up so he could reach.

Halloween Cookies

Yes! I actually decided to make sugar cookies the hard way! (By scratch) This is not something that I do very often, because it can be time consuming and really messy. I thought it would be a good activity that Hunter and I could do together.
I really must have been crazy, because I did use black frosting. My fingers ended up purple, when everything was said and done. These are the cookies that Hunter made all by himself. He frosted them, and of course added the sprinkles.

I had to help Hunter with his special black and orange cookie.

Hunter really likes frosting! Especially the black frosting. So we decided to have a little fun with it.

I still had a smile at the end of making cookies. It was fun for Hunter and I to spend some time together. It was especially fun for Jeff to eat all the cookies!!

Houston's Poem

Last Christmas while I was pregnant with my second son, I received a gift. This gift was entrusted to me, until I was able to give it to my unborn child. It was carefully wrapped in brilliant gold wrapping paper. The wrapping job might have been a bit clumsy, but it had been wrapped with love.

I carefully unwrapped the small rectangle gift. Inside there was a small picture frame. But the frame was insignificant compared to what it held inside. As my eyes fell to the surface of the frame, they teared up as I saw what was inside. It was a simple poem. Jeff had written it, for his unborn son. It reads:

I Cannot Wait

Tick Tock! Tick Tock! The time is near.
In a few days you’ll soon be here.
Excitement builds with extreme joy.
Soon I’ll meet my new baby boy.
I cannot wait until we meet.
I cannot wait to tickle your feet
I cannot wait to hold you tight
I cannot wait to stay up all night
I cannot wait to hear you laugh
I cannot wait to teach you math
I cannot wait to dry your tears
I cannot wait to confront your fears
I cannot wait to see your looks
I cannot wait to read you books
I cannot wait to play with my boys
I cannot wait to fix your toys
I cannot wait for you to meet your brother
I cannot wait for you to hug your mother
I cannot wait to be your caddie
I cannot wait to be your DADDY!

Of all the gifts that I received and gave that year, this is the one that stands tall among all others. Because although this gift was not for me, it was still precious and valuable to me. It showed me what a wonderful man my husband was. I had picked someone who would love me with all his heart, but he would be a man who embraced fatherhood. This child had already captured his heart, and he was not even born yet.

Now my son is eight months old. He smiles and laughs. He wiggles and crawls. He is growing and flourishing with the love from his Mama, Brother, and most of all his Daddy!

Happy Houston

Today Houston is 8 months old!!

Here is an update on everything Houston.
*This baby is all over the place. He is ready to run around with his brother. Right now, he is desperately trying to crawl. He doesn't quite have the mechanics down yet, but he is able to move around.
*He is already getting into mischief. So we have to make sure that the floor is baby proof.
*He also holds his own bottle. He has no problem switching from Binky to bottle, when he feels the need.
*He still has his happy demeanor. He smiles all the time. I think he has more friends in church then I do. He will stand on my lap, and just grin at the people behind me.
*He is also trying out different sounds. He will practice the gu, da, bu, and ba sounds over and over again.

*When he is upset he cries like most babies, but then he will start to growl instead of crying.
*He has a total of two teeth.

*Some days, he refuses to lay or sit down. All he wants to do is stand.

*He loves any kind of ball.

*He loves to watch signing time.

*He has one hair at the top of his head that is four inches long. I can't make myself cut it.

*He loves the jumping swing.

*He loves to ride in the running stroller.

*He becomes very upset if he wakes up in a strange place.

*He has to hold a spoon in each hand while he eats.

*He loves anything to do with clapping.

*He is totally a Mama's boy. (Sorry Jeff)

*He will always be my Valentine. (He was born 2/14/08)

He is such a happy, sweet, and peaceful baby. We are so grateful that he is a part of our family!!

Movie Night

On Saturday night, we had Movie Night. Jeff and I decided that a couple of days a month, we would do Movie Night with our family.
We first had to make sure that we were comfortable. So we brought down lots of blankets and pillows.

Then we had to make sure that we had lots of treats. We had mini bags of popcorn, so that everyone could have their very own. Hunter loved this. We also made chocolate chip cookies, and then added ice cream to them, to make yummy ice cream sandwiches.
Next we had to make sure that the lighting was just right. Everybody had their very own glow bracelet. Each a different color. Hunter had green, Jeff orange, Houston Blue, and mine was pink. We also plugged in a pumpkin for effect.
Houston wasn't too interested in the movie, but he did like moving around in the semi darkness to look at things. Of course the pumpkin was the first thing he went after.
After that, he moved to the side of the entertainment center. He was playing there for quite a while. I couldn't figure out what was grabbing his attention for so long. So I went over there and looked. Low and behold, he was playing with his shadow. He loved it!

The night ended like most movie nights. I was awake with Hunter. Jeff and Houston were fast asleep. I guess it was past their bedtimes.

It was a great night. Something that Hunter talked about for a while. It really didn't take that much effort to plan, but I'm so glad that we did. It really helped to bring our family closer, and made some good memories.

Top Lessons I Learned from Being a Mom.

1) Always have super glue on hand. They just don't make toys like they used to.

2) Don't let your son know that you really CAN transform his Transformers.

3)Clean your house at the end of the day. That way it will feel like your house stays clean longer.

4)Always have frozen chicken nuggets in the freezer. They are great if your child needs to eat in the car.

5)Make a weekly schedule for yourself. This way you feel like you actually DID get something accomplished.

6)Always take the time to paint your toe nails.

7)There is no such thing as a kid being too old for a nap.

8)When making cookies with your kids, use the frozen cookies. You don't make a mess, and you don't end up yelling at your kids. You can still eat the cookie dough. You also still make the good memories.

9)Children's medicine bottles are really NOT child proof.

10)Always keep extra diapers and wipes in the car.

11)If your husband dresses your son for church, always check to make sure his socks match.

12)If your husband packs the diaper bag, peek in it, to make sure everything that you really NEED is in it.

13)Don't get mad if your child gets into the flour, and makes a mess all over the kitchen floor. Let him play in it, and take lots of pictures.

14)Make sure you go out alone with your husband at least two or three times a month. You need to be reminded why you decided to marry each other in the first place.

15)Put your spouse first. Your kids will thank you.

16)Don't ever expect to be on time.

17)Some days it is a BIG accomplishment that you were able to get a shower.

18)Take time every day to hug your children, and tell them that you love them.

19)It's okay to let your child scream and cry in his room, while you have your own time out in yours.

20)Talk to your kids like they are smart, because they are.

21)Your kids will do as you do, not as you say.

22)Always take your kids out for a treat, after they get shots.

23)Make sure you tell your kids what good things they do, and not just the bad things they do.

24)Keep sanitizer in the side pocket of your diaper bag.

25)Keep sanitizer in your bathrooms. That way you know that your kids hands are clean.

Soccer Days are Over

I was officially a Soccer Mom this year. Hunter played soccer for the first time. He was really lucky because he got to be on the same team as his cousins Halle and Brighton. Bekah and Jordan were the coaches.

It was great to see all the little 4 and 5 year old play soccer. They were always so happy just to be out there and play. During the games, no score was kept, and there were no official goalies.

Hunter got to be really good at throwing the ball in.

Today was Hunter's last game. He was sad to see it end, but really, really, really, excited to get a medal.
Hunter and Halle are in front of the goal, trying to defend it from the other team.
Hunter and Jeff having such a good time together at the game.
Hunter finally got his soccer medal. He was happy, and wore it for the rest of the day.
This is Hunter's team. He made a lot of new friends, and was so sad to see the season end.

Silly Boy!!

I gave Houston these rings to play with while he was in his swing. I came back a few minutes later, and found rings on his legs and arm. He was having a great time with them. Houston wants to be just like the big boys. He was really happy when Jeff let him wear his Cubs hat.
Houston wanted to get his hat back.

Some Odds and Ends

Jeff wanted to have some more Pictures of his family. So here are some pictures that are pretty recent.
This was another adventure day. We took the kids to Bridal Veil Falls. Hunter just loves Bridal Veil Falls! He was so worried when there was a fire on top. Every day when I was watching the news, he would stop what he was doing, and watch the news for any thing new about the fire. He was so happy to see that it was still there.
Aren't my boys so cute?
This was on my birthday. Jeff got me a big chocolate cake from Costco. If you haven't tried one, you don't know what your missing!!

I just figured out how to work the video camera on our digital camera. So I shot this little movie of Houston, just loving the jumping swing. Sorry if you can't see it very good. I'm new at this!

Our Adventure Day

Every week, my sister's and I try to take our kids out on an adventure. It's a fun way to get out of the house, and let our kids try something new. This week we decided to take the kids up Hobble Creek Canyon. We ended up at Kelly's Grove. It was a great spot to gather leaves, run around, and enjoy being out doors. Houston couldn't get enough of the leaves. He wanted them all! Once he got them, he would try to eat them. Hunter thought that it was the funniest thing in the world. He even tried eating a couple of leaves himself.

I love my boys so much. They are so fun to be around! I am so lucky to be their mom!

I'm so glad that we came up here! I have never seen such brilliant colored leaves. I just feel so grateful to live in a place with such beauty! I love to teach my children to enjoy the out doors, and nature. It's like we are able to get away from the world for a short time. Hunter usually is obsessed with Transformers and anything to do with Transformers, he will talk about them constantly. While we were up here, he never even mentioned them. It really helps you see what is important in life. I feel so much closer to the spirit when I am in nature, playing with my kids.

Here I am!

My friend Erin keeps telling me that I needed to start a blog. So here it is. I think that it will be fun, but it might take a while for me to get the hang of it.