BIRTHDAY BOY!

IT IS 8:00 IN THE MORNING AND I AM LISTENING TO SPENCER AND MAX SCREAMING AND LAUGHING UPSTAIRS AS THEY PLAY FOOTBALL ON THE WII. MAX STARTS SCHOOL IN AN HOUR. I AM JUST GLAD SPENCER IS HOME BECAUSE HE WAS SUPPOSED TO WAKE UP AT 4:30 TO DRIVE TO TWIN FALLS FOR A SURGERY (A NORMAL OCCURANCE FOR HIM). HIS PARTNER, MIKE OFFERED TO GO...THANKS MIKE! IT IS SPENCER'S 32ND BIRTHDAY TODAY AND I DON'T KNOW HOW I GOT SO LUCKY TO HAVE SUCH A GENUINELY 'GOOD MAN' IN MY LIFE. HE IS FUNNY, LOVING, DRIVEN, FOCUSED, WITTY, SMART, HARD WORKING, GENEROUS, PASSIONATE, THOUGHTFUL AND GENUINE. I LOVE HIM AND THE LIFE WE HAVE TOGETHER. OUR KIDS ARE PRETTY LUCKY, TOO. TO SAY HE IS A GREAT DAD JUST DOESN'T CUT IT. HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO A GUY THAT TRULY DESERVES A LITTLE PAMPERING! WE ARE GOING TO TAKE THE GIRLS TO HIS FAVORITE BREAKFAST SPOT DOWNTOWN AND THEN (HOPEFULLY HE'LL GO SOMEWHERE SO I CAN PUT HIS GIFTS TOGETHER) TONIGHT IS FOOTBALL PRACTICE AND THEN EVERYONE IS COMING OVER FOR A TROPHY CEREMONY AND PIZZA AND CAKE! WHEW....SHOULD BE A GOOD DAY!

Halloween Already?!?!

Halloween came and went and we never even carved our pumpkins. Are we pathetic or what?! Life just needs to sllllooooowwww down. Our Halloween was pretty fun and crazy with a big group of trick or treaters. We had the Pillings, the Clarks(minus Sic and baby Sorelle :(, the Crossley's, and Nana. We got a surprise visit from Bumblebee, I mean Brett and Todd and Diana which was fun to see them. We went around the neighborhood for a bit and then crashed back at our house. The kids are still young enough that it's more fun for them to pass out the candy at our door.....we don't stay out trick or treating too long. These kiddos had a blast and it was fun to be surrounded with so many that we love. Happy Halloween!

Yes, we have a dog...a big dog....no, a huge dog. He was dressed up as a football player.

I'm still having nightmares from Nikki dressed up as a red neck rodeo queen....scary

here is our sweet neighbors Bruce and Diane who always give our kids a little something during Halloween and Christmas. One year they brought the kids some mini pumpkins and paint. This year it was little bags full of coloring books, toys, light up pens, and treats. They are great!

Max and Brett....can you tell how 'surprised' Max was?

Nana took good care of Madison all night

Max's first grade teacher Mrs. Love lives right around the corner from us, so we had to go to her house!

Never thought I'd see the day..................

Madison got tired of walking, so Nana took her back to our house to get a stroller, but Madison insisted on riding her bike.....

BFF----Whitney and Madison.....don't they look like such angels in this picture......quite deceiving........they are cute little buddies

Madison hamming it up!

Max and his two buddies down the street Isaac and Cooper

Lastly, I'll share a funny kid conversation I had with Madison the day after Halloween. I found a big pile of empty wrappers on the living room floor. Madi saw me look at it and I said, "Madi....did you eat all of that?" She then said, "No, I didn't eat the wrappers!" She was right, clever little thing!

Fall Traditions

We have a little tradition of going to this great corn maze every year. The first year we went, we did the big corn maze and got horribly lost and the place was about to close and we could not find our way out. The workers had to help us.....it started out fun and exciting, but by the end the kids were miserable and Madison was just a baby. Now, we've learned to do the 'shortened' corn maze and it was just as fun! Here is a look at our festivities..... the kids plus Max Pilling put on some dress ups they had by the ponies so they could be 'real authentic'....Max Nead was the sheriff. I like Madi's hand placement

Madison and I by her pony.....I can't remember her pony's name....see, I wait a few weeks to post and I forget everything!

Sheriff Max

Notice the 'big kid' in the back

Madi loved this

the kids waiting for the pig races to start

I tried to get an action shot of the cute little piggies, but they were too darn fast!

Family Time

A few weeks ago, we were lucky enough to have a little visit from Grandma and Grandpa. The kids were soooo excited for them to come. Now that my brother Todd and his family live here, too, Grandma and Grandpa get to see two families in one trip! We met up with them at Adrien's football game over at Eagle High School and it was like a dream sitting at his game with Todd and Diana and my parents. Todd and Diana have lived in Florida for the last 7 years, so, it is still weird to think that we live in the same town! With my parents living in California, we don't get to see them as much as we'd like, either. So, it was just so great to be doing something so 'everyday' with all of them. Sometimes I am jealous of people who have a lot of family that lives near each other and all the fun stuff they get to do together. It has been really great to have Todd and Diana closer to us! I'm glad all the kids will be able to know each other better and it's nice to only drive 10 minutes to get to their house instead of a long plane ride. So, we did Adrien's game, went to the girls ballet class, went out to lunch at Bardonay finally (mom has wanted to go there for a long time), froze our buns off at Max's football game and had Sunday dinner together. We had a milestone occur on Sunday night with everyone over at our house for dinner-----we were all sitting around playing cards and Madison came walking into the kitchen with a mischeivious look on her face. I asked her, "what have you been doing, Madison?" BIG GASP....."YOU CUT YOUR HAIR?!?!" As I walked over to survey the damage, I started laughing so hard I about wet my pants. For the last little while, I've quietly thought to myself..."ya know, my kids have never cut their own hair....I'm sure someday it'll happen". Well, this was my 'someday'. The damage was done. Now she looks like she has sort of a sideways mullet. I can still put it all up, though so, I don't want to cut it all short to even it out because I don't think I'd be able to put it up and out of her face. Anyways, it was an event to say the least. We found up in her room a pile of Madison's blonde hair and a pile of dolly's blonde hair. Cute. But, now the hair is not so cute. It's a good thing it grows back!

we had yummy soup in bread bowls from Great Harvest....aren't these too cute to eat?

Vanessa, Diana and Grandma.....cute as ever....

the girls giving me a cute pose in their Sunday clothes....I really need to remember to get Macey some tights now that it's not summertime anymore....I keep forgetting until Sunday morning

notice the hair.....or lack thereof

ouch.....I can't believe it took this girl so long just to get hair and in the blink of an eye, or the clasp of some scissors it's gone.....

Madison's hair and her doll's hair.......can't we just glue it back on?

SHOPCATION/GIRLS WEEKEND

Yes, I had a FABULOUS time with my mom, sister, and sis-in-law, Kayleen! We missed Amy and Diana.....hopefully next time, we'll be a complete bunch! I flew in Thursday night and Friday we were up and adam for our day of SHOPPING!!!! And shopping we did....well, after Josh made us some scrumptious omlets....thanks, Josh! We definitely shopped till we dropped in San Francisco and the weather was delightful! I got some really cute boots and some other great finds....I haven't shopped like that in a long time. You know, the kind of shopping where you finally sit down and think "man, shopping is exhausting!" The next day was Time Out For Women which is basically a conference for women put on by Deserst Book. I am now a HUGE fan of Hillary Weeks who has an AMAZING voice and is hillariously funny. I also really enjoyed the talk given by Chris Belcher who has an amazing spirit and sense of humor even though she is now blind from having cancer in both retinas. I haven't laughed that hard in a while....she was good! One of the best quotes I came away with though was this given by Kim Nelson....he said we, as women, we should ask ourselves this everyday....."If you saw a mother treating her daughter the way YOU treat yourself---what kind of mother would you think she was?" Basically, we need to not be so hard on ourselves and love ourselves more. I agree. It was a fun, fulfilling, refreshing weekend and I will never forget it! Spencer also learned some lessons while I was away.....he said he couldn't believe how he 'couldn't get anything done' and how 'every second someone needs something' and how he 'could never do this every single day'.....amen, honey! I should go in a 'time out' more often!!!!!

Time Out

I am leaving tommorrow to go to California for Time Out for Women with my mom, sister, and sis in law. My kids keep telling people and asking me why I'm going in "time out". I got a kick out of that. These are just some cute shots my friend, Michelle, took of my kiddos....that was a fun morning. I knew my kids would only last about 15 minutes taking pictures and she managed to get some good ones......I'm gonna miss these little buggers while I'm gone........in my 'time out'.

First day of First Grade and Preschool!!!!

My pictures always load backwards in order! Monday was Max's 1st day as a 1st grader and today was Macey's 1st day of her 2nd year of preschool with Miss Janet. Can I just say that sending Max off to 1st grade was waaaayyy harder than Kindergarten and I thought kindergarten was hard! I feel like I'm sending my little man off to work all day! It is strange to think he won't be with me every day for lunch like he has been for the last 7 years! I don't usually buy those little jello pudding snacks, but I thought it'd be a fun little 'treat' for his first week of school. As I was packing his first lunch it hit me....what if he eats the pudding first or what if he only eats the pudding and throws the rest of his lunch away? So, I asked him what he was going to eat first and in true Max politically correct fashion he said with a smile, "Mom, of course, I'm going to eat my sandwhich first and the pudding last". Who knows, though?! I am realizing how little by little I am losing control of him and I won't be there now for many decision making times for him. I know I'm over reacting, but it's just weird to think that he'll now be spending more of his waking hours away from me than with me! Can't we just stop time? I really don't worry much about Max, though. He is a good kid. He makes friends easily and I am proud of who he is becoming.
Now, on to Miss Macey. Here is the difference between boys and girls. Max did not have one new thing on for school, nor did he care. In fact, he's been wearing the same army shorts to school all three days this week so far. (I've got to get some laundry done) Macey, however, really wanted to go pick out a new outfit for the first day of school. So, off we went and she saw this cute plaid dress on a manaquin and loved it, wanted to try it on in the dressing room, and just had to have it for the first day of school. Then, as she tried on other clothes, she said, 'and this is what I'll wear the 2nd day, and this is what I'll wear the 3rd day....' Seriously, I did not coax these thoughts into her....she just started. I guess it's so funny to me because I remember doing the same exact thing. I'd pick my favorite outfit for the first day of school and then I'd pick out outfits for the subsequent days after that. And her little clone, I mean, Madi wanted the same dress and wanted so bad to go to school with Macey. She seriously copies everything Macey does.....a common thing for little sisters. Macey is so good to Madi though and doesn't mind the 'copying' stuff....yet. They both had great first days of school and I'm sure it won't take me long for the sad, sentimental stuff to wear off and for the enjoyment of a little more freedom to kick in! I'm sure we've got a great year ahead of us!!!

THIS IS MADISON TRYING SO HARD TO POSE JUST LIKE MACEY

MAX RODE THE BUS THE FIRST DAY AND I FOLLOWED IN MY CAR TO MAKE SURE HE FOUND HIS CLASSROOM (I know, I know....I won't go when he's in 2nd grade) HIM AND MAX PILLING DIDN'T KNOW I WAS FOLLOWING THEM AND I THOUGHT IT WAS CUTE THAT MAX JUST HAD TO SHOW MAX P. HIS NEW LUNCHBOX FOR SCHOOL. I DID FEEL LIKE I WAS STALKING HIM, BUT OH WELL!!!

MAX NEAD AND MAX PILLING (as we refer to them) BEING SILLY AT THE BUS STOP