Silly friends

k guys....it wasn't MY birthday it was ALYSSA's birthday. :) I'm almost a Christmas baby, not a Halloween time baby.

Trick or Treating and a Little Halloween Humor

Our family had such a great time on Halloween! The kids had been looking forward to wearing their costumes for just about forever and were glad to finally be able to put them on. They collected way too much candy! As I was "inspecting" (otherwise called "taste testing") I came across this very creative treat:

It says: " We wish we had better candy to give out, but OBAMA took all the good stuff and gave it to your neighbor. Scary. Happy Halloween!" I didn't expect people to incorporate the election into trick or treating, but they did! On the radio I heard about one home where a woman would only give the kids candy if their parents that were with them promised to vote for Obama. I think that is taking it too far. Many parents refused and walked away. Their kids only missing out on a snack sized bag of M&M's. Stupid lady. Halloween is for kids to have fun, not for you to be a jerk! I really feel like this election has really brought a lot of ugliness out of people. But then again maybe it wasn't too far from the surface to begin with.

We also had a birthday last month! Alyssa turned the BIG 7! Yay Alyssa! She invited a few friends and we headed over to Kangaroo Zoo. They had a great time jumping, sliding and running around. She opted for donuts instead of cake. Works for me....they're cheaper and I love variety! Here's a few pictures from that fun day:

Return of the Slacker

So, I managed to be a total slacker again and it's been forever since I've had a real post. Just as I have done in the past, I am going to say that I will do better and try to update you all a little more often. Life just gets too busy and I barely remember to breathe, let alone blog. Since school started I've been running around like a crazy lady. I thought that my schedule would ease up a little bit since the kids would be gone for a large chunk of the day.....but it's not so. I am still super busy, thus I've had a hard time finding the time to blog.

What's new? Well, I'll tell you. :)

I have been called to teach in the primary of our new ward. I will be teaching the 9 year olds, which until the end of the year will include Ashlyn and Ammon. I've already threatened them that they better be really, really good. I'm glad to have a calling again and for the opportunity to challenge myself. I don't just want to be a teacher, I want to be a good teacher.

We've also made a goal to read the scriptures as a family each night that we are able and since we've started I've realized how much the kids already know. We go through pretty slowly so we can make sure to explain what's going on so they understand. It's fun to see how interested they are in the stories. We've all really enjoyed spending the time together as a family doing something that brings us closer together and will help each of our testimonies to grow. I've noticed that because we are explaining everything so thoroughly that I am getting much more into it than I have before. I think it's also affected me in a different way than ever before because as we read and study, I sit there looking at my family and thinking about how much I really want to be with them forever. I'm still overwhelmed everyday with how much my life has changed and how extremely blessed I am.

I've made a new goal for myself to try making a new recipe each week. My cooking skills seriously need some help. I was raised in a home where not much cooking went on and to this day I still don't know how we survived. Somehow we did though and now I am in some serious need of cooking experience. So far so good though, I actually tried 2 new recipes this week. Pumpin Chocolate Chip Cookies and Cheesy Beefy Casserole from watching Good Things Utah. Both were soooo good.

Next on the list.....IT'S OCTOBER! I absolutely love this month. I love the cool air, pumpkins, crisp leaves and wearing jackets (cause it's about like wearing a blanket all day long......Now if I could just find a wear to wear my pillow too......Then not only would I be totally comfortable, but I could nap anwhere, anytime.....it would be perfect!)

While I was getting ready for the day on Thursday, I had all these little snips of poems going through my head. I kept making them up and eventually decided that they sounded pretty good......good enough to maybe write down. I felt like a school girl sitting here at my computer writing poems but I realized it was a lot of fun! I even suprised myself a bit. I'm not too confident about anything creative that I do, I thought I would read them to Jason and the kids to see what they thought of them. At first I didn't tell them that I wrote them so that they couldn't have a biased opinion or just tell me that they were good as to not hurt my feelings. They all thought they were great, then I told them that I wrote them. The kids thought it was cool and Jason eyes beamed when he realized I had created them. It was a sweet moment. So, now that I feel like they are worthy of sharing, here goes. Hope you like em. :)

Autumn’s Embrace

Chilled wind wisps through swirling leaves,
Lifting them round scraggly trees.
Pumpkins carved to light the night,
Candles beam through windows bright.
Smells of spices fill the air,
Stirring the senses, Fall is here.
~C. Evans


Dinner Directions for Mr. Witch

Dear,
I’m flying through the night tonight,
To give the kids an awful fright,
But here’s a recipe that’s quick and fast,
Make a bunch and it will last.
I’ll be back before you know,
But here it is before I go:

Blood of bat and eye of frog
Shell of snail, tongue of dog
Hair of cat and earthworm goo
Beak of bird and rat tail too.
Scale of snake, claw of chicken
Take it all into the kitchen.
Mix it in a boiling pot,
Stir it till it’s nice and hot.
Then pour it in a pie pan dear,
And serve it up with cold root beer.

Love,
Mrs. B. Witch
~C. Evans

Memories to Hold

Giggles coming from down the hall,
Echos through time against the walls.
Fingerprints long since cleaned,
From windows, walls and everything.
Dollies in boxes awaiting a friend,
Toy engines and trucks not played with again.

Skinned knees and tear drops,
Fairs and parades,
Reading a book or playing a game.
Snuggling together in blankets so warm,
What would they would be like when they were grown?

Kisses and hugs and giggles of joy
Each day loving my girls and my boy.
They were only little for just a short while,
When I think of those days I can’t help but smile.
Now they are grown, the time’s gone so fast,
I love them as much, but hold tight to the past.

~C. Evans

Nie Recovery

My sister told me about the couple who was injured in a plane crash a couple weeks ago. She actually ran with the wife in a relay earlier this year. I found a link to the family's blog on my sister-in-laws website and decided to check up on them to see how they are doing. It completely pulled at my heart strings. I can't imagine going through something so terrible. An entire family's life was changed in an instant. I wish the Nielson family comfort during this time and they will definitely be in our prayers.

School, Camping and Facing My Fears

I can't believe the end of the summer break is here! It seems like the kids just ended the last school year! It was fun but difficult to have them home all summer. Working at home while 4 kids are running circles around you is a little difficult so I am relieved that a new school year has begun. First off.....how the heck is Ashlyn in 4th grade already?! It seems like just yesterday that she was a little girl getting ready to start kindergarten. McKenna is starting kindergarten (officially next Tuesday). She is so excited and seems to really like her teacher. She is completely ready for the change and even though she will be gone part of the day I'm glad that I will still be able to have her to myself a little bit during the day while everyone else is still gone. There's just something about having your youngest start school that pulls at the heartstrings. I am excited for her though and look forward to watching her learn and grow. Ammon is in 3rd grade this year and has enjoyed making new friends. He's had homework every night so far this week which he hasn't been so excited about....especially because the other kids haven't had any yet. Alyssa is entering the 1st grade and has really like it so far. It's been a little bit of an adjustment being there all day but she's seemed to handle it well. Ammon and Alyssa also just started soccer, so I'm sure I'll have some pictures and posts about that coming soon!

Last weekend we went camping at Hyrum Dam Reservior with Jason's family and some friends. It was a lot of fun and the kids had a blast. The not so fun part was that we had a bug infestation. There were millions of some mosquito-like bugs everywhere. Jason came and got me out of the tent to see them flying above the campground. There were so many that they made a buzzing sound. It was DISGUSTING! The mosquitoes were also out in full force and managed to get us all. Which leads me to something else about them.....I swear that this year they have morphed into something really evil. Not only are they everywhere, but I have reacted to them differently. I've had a few that swelled up BIG TIME within just a few minutes. (like a flat disk shape about the size of a silver dollar.) Then, I've also had a few that have left bruises! What they heck?! It used to be that the worst part was just the itching and scratching until there was a scab! But bruises and massive swelling?! In talking to my sister in law and then later to my neice who is a nurse.....I guess they are starting to say that mosquitoes can now carry Lyme Disease. Scary. Needless to say, we will be taking our bug repellent with us everywhere.

Now on to this coming Sunday.........I was asked to speak in church. :( Don't they know how bad I am? jk. I really am not looking forward to talking in front of an entire chapel of people. Hopefully a lot of them will manage to be gone for the Labor Day weekend. That would be great! I think the hardest part is the topic. "How the Light of Christ has Blessed Me and My Family." Maybe for some people this would come easy.....for me.....not so much. So, if any of you have any good ideas, please, please.......let me know. Stories, experiences....anything! Many of you that know me may think that talking would come easy to me since that is about all I do. But talking in front of a group is definitely a fear of mine. What makes it even worse is that they only asked me not Jason. Last time we spoke we did it together. That was much easier. Misery loves company. Well, wish me luck!

Getting settled and making a home

Our new place feels more and more like home everyday. We have really enjoyed meeting all of the wonderful neighbors and watching the kids make new friends. It's great to have the peaceful feeling that we are in the right place and know that we can stay for a long time. It's also been nice to know that we can change whatever we want and make it "ours".

We're still unpacking, though there isn't too much left of that. We mostly just have all the odds and end boxes of things that we can't quite figure what to do with. Maybe another trip to the DI is needed. Even though we had a garage sale and took massive amounts to the DI already, it seems like we still have too much "stuff".

I found a cute couch set on ksl.com for the front room, so we were able to move our other couches downstairs. Until last night we only had one little dumpy couch downstairs for the family room. The previous owners left it for us because they had a really hard time getting it down the stairs. The husband had said that the only way it was getting out was in pieces because he didn't want to deal with the stair issue again. We found out just what he meant when we tried to move our couches down. We ended up taking our front window out, with the help of a neighbor, to get them in and to get the old couch out. It was a pain but I am soooo glad it all worked out. Now both rooms look great! Jason was also finally able to get that big flat pannel tv that he had been lusting over every time we walked in to Costco. (I swear, they put those things right in front of the door so that every man within a 100 mile radius will somehow smell or sense that they are there and come drool over them.) We've enjoyed it though and Jason's excited for all of the football parties we will be having. Bring on the buffalo wings!

Thanks again to everyone that has helped us get moved in! Friends and family are always welcome to come visit! :)

Last Saturday we attended the wedding of our niece, Mercedes. It was beautiful and very well planned out. Ashlyn was a bridesmaid while Alyssa and McKenna were flower girls. They looked so beautiful in their dresses...just like little princesses. Ammon was the ring bearer and looked very handsome in his tux. (though he was a little less than excited at first about the bright pink tie.) It was really great to see another little family starting. Congratulations Mercedes and Jake!

The Big Move

Finally, we're in our house! After many hours packing, cleaning, loading, unloading and pulling our hair out....we are in our new place! For me, moving is one of the hardest and worst things ever but this time it was a means to an end. We hope to stay here for many years to come. (I'm sure my family and friends will appreciate this since they have had to clutter their address books with a bazillion different addresses for me over the years.) We are still in the process of putting things away and it is feeling more and more like home each day. Thanks soooo much to all of you that helped us move! We appreciate it!

I took the kids to their new elementary today to get the paperwork for registering them. We walked around the school and explored a little. They are so excited for the school year to start and to begin making new friends.

We attended our new ward and met about 1/2 of the members. They were all so friendly and made us feel very much at home. It will be nice to get to know all of them more and make our place in the ward and community.

I would post some pictures of our place, but Jason has my camera at work. As soon as I get it back I will update again on what is going on at our place.