It's not even Halloween yet!

It's not even Halloween yet, and my kids already have a ton of candy! They've been to 2 parties so far and we still have actual trick or treating to do! At least they are getting good use of their costumes. The first party they went to was my parent's Trunk or Treat. I didn't get to go because I had to work, but Jerry took them and they had a blast. Tricia and her kids were there as well as my parents and Jerry's sister and brother in law. So they had a lot of family around. Jerry said that Jackson noticed every costume and loved picking out Darth Vadar, Jedis, Spiderman (the "good" and the "bad" ones), and any other superhero he could find. I guess my dad was wearing some crazy hair and Briana didn't even want to go near him.

The next party they had was Jerry's Dad's family night. They had booths set up like a "cake walk", Donut on a string, Monster basketball, and bouncer. Briana was in the bouncer basically the whole time. I had to beg her to sit down and eat some pizza. Jackson found his "brothers". (other Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) And he and his cousin, Collin, were inseparable the entire night. It was really cute. They had so much fun there. They can't wait to go trick or treating. Yea more candy! : )

(This bottom picture is Jerry's Brother, Micah)

(Isn't this the coolest costume ever!)

CHS 10 Year Reunion! Can you believe it?

Yes, it was Jerry and I's 10 Year Reunion this past weekend! I still can't get over that we have been out of high school for 10 years! So, I debated forever whether or not to go. Then my friend Matt came into Chili's a couple of weeks ago and asked if I was going and I said I wasn't sure. He wasn't sure either. You see, the tickets were almost $100 a ticket and since there are 2 of us going, that is a pretty expensive night. And I wasn't even sure if anyone of my old friends were going to be there. So I went on a quest to figure out who was going. I finally got in touch with my old friend Nina, who I haven't talked to in almost 10 years. She told me she just found out she could go and another friend of ours, Elana was going too. So that decided it for me. I knew I would regret it if I didn't go. So I bought our tickets like 3 days in advance. On Saturday, a couple of our classmates put together a picnic so that we could spend time and see each other's families. That was nice to see people in a nice relaxed atmosphere. Jackson and Briana spent most of the time throwing rocks and other stuff into the irrigation. And of course, Briana sat in the water! I'm glad we went to the picnic because several people were not going to the dinner that night. Anyways, then we dropped off our kids at Jerry's mom, and headed over to the actual reunion at Rustler's Rooste. We had a section on the patio that over looked the entire city. The lights were beautiful. (I am so mad at myself for not taking more pics, I'm so sorry) When we got there, not many people were there yet. Jerry found an old friend and we felt kind of bad for him, because none of his friends showed up that night. It was kind of sad. Anyways, I met up with Nina and Elana. It was so great to see them. We were almost inseparable in High School. We did miss a part of our "fantastic four". Our friend Kim didn't make it! : ( But in the end, it was a very nice evening. I did learn a couple of things from going to this reunion. The first thing was, "Some things never change!" Even after all these years, most people stayed in their own little groups. There was the "drama/music" group, the "jocks/cheerleaders" group, etc, etc. I don't know what exactly my group was, but we did kind of stick together! Another thing I learned is that I am happy with my life and the decisions I've made! Anyways, I'm so glad I went. I was very glad to see all my old friends. And I do plan to keep in touch with them. Go Chandler Wolves! C-Town forever! Nina Denny and I(above)

Elana(Alpert) Ephraim, Nina Denny and I (below)

Disneyland 2007

Chris' Cross Country Meet

So I have never understood why people would choose to just run. Like around a track or just out for a jog, etc. I absolutely hate running. Always have. But I know alot of people like to do it, I just don't get it. Anyways, my brother, Chris, is on the Cross Country team at Higley High and I finally made it to one of his meets. My parents keep telling me how good he is doing, but the meets are so short that I haven't made it to one yet. But I finally had a day off and found out about the meet in time to go with my kids. It was right outside the Phoenix Zoo around the picnic areas, so I thought my kids would have fun exploring around there anyways. So we got there early and the boys were running after the girls, so we had some time to kill. There was a little pond with ducks and geese, so we went over to watch them and my kids loved throwing rocks into the pond. We were sad that we didn't have anything to feed the ducks with. All my mom had was some raisins and I was a little worried that the ducks were going to choke or something! But don't worry, no animals were harmed during our little adventure! : )

So finally the race was going to start. In cross country, they have this crazy course that they run up and down hills, along a canal, down some streets, on dirt and gravel, etc, so you can only watch the runners at bits in pieces. It's not like they are on a track that you can watch all the time. So there was one spot up on a little hill that the runners would run right by and we could kind of watch them most of the way. So we cheered all the Higley runners on as they past by and especially Chris. And then we head to another spot to cheer them on again, and then head to the finish line to once again cheer them on and encourage them. Chris ended up getting one of his best times ever! (it's because I was there) : ) But I was truly amazed at the endurance and perserverance of the runners. It was a hot day and the course was not easy. There were kids with scrapes on there knees and legs from falling down on the rough terrain. I gotta hand it to them. I was very impressed and so proud of my brother. Way to go, Chris!

A Family Night Cut Short!!!

Well, on every first sunday of the month we get together with Jerry's Mom's family for family night. This one was extra special because Jerry's sister, Katrina, was visiting from Washington. We have a wonderful time being together as a family, catching up on everyone's lives, have a yummy dinner and usually play a couple of games. Well, this sunday was no exception. We had just finished delicious German dinner(including saurkraut and red cabbage) (which I am still getting used to) : ) and were outside playing with a giant frisbee trying to tag people jumping on the trampoline. After playing for a while, Jerry's sister, Bronti, got the frisbee and when she threw it, she threw it about 5 feet and crumpled to the ground in pain. At first, we thought she just tripped or was being dramatic about a really bad throw, but when she didn't get up and we realized she was crying, we knew something was wrong. When she stepped to throw, her knee dislocated or popped out of its socket and wouldn't go back in. This has happened before in April. So we knew what had happened basically as soon as she went down. She was in so much pain. She wouldn't let anyone even touch her. So we had to call 911. Rural/Metro Fire Department came to the rescue with both a fire truck and an ambulance. Needless to say, my kids were in awe of the fire truck and ambulance with their sirens and flashing lights. But also a little afraid, because they knew they were here for Bronti.

So they had to give Bronti some morphine, before she would even allow them to touch her. After a couple of minutes, the drugs definitely helped her and she even tried to lift up her other leg. So they quickly put her on the stretcher and took her to the hospital, where they set it back in place.
I didn't get an up close and personal picture of the injured knee, but needless to say it was pretty gross. It definitely put a damper on our night. After she left, we just filed in to the house, ate dessert (we had to : ) ), and then left. The sad thing about this is that we are supposed to be heading to Disneyland this week! They got the okay from the doctor to go, but it definitely won't be as fun in the wheelchair. (At least we get to go to the front of the line now!) Bronti will be in a cast for a while and on crutches. And rehab. Poor thing. She's a trooper and I know she will be up and going in no time. What a night!

Sweet Nap Time

Don't you just love nap time? I sure do! I can finally get some stuff done uninterrupted! Well, today we dropped Jerry off at the airport, so the kids were very excited about seeing all the airplanes and the hustle and bustle of the airport in general. So when we got home, they were definitely ready to take a nap. And since Jerry wasn't home, we all climbed into my bed and took a nap. After they had fallen asleep I came back in our room to get something and look how I found Jackson and Briana!

How cute is that! I don't know how they ended up like that, but I had to get a picture of them. Aren't all kids so sweet and innocent when they are asleep? They are my little angels! Good Night! Sleep Tight!

Jackson's Very First Primary Program

You know we are all so excited about the Primary Program. There is always those one or two kids that keep waving at their parents, or singing too loud in the microphone, and other kids goofing off in the background. But you are amazed at how most of them are extremely good and sing their little hearts out and say their parts so well. Well, last sunday was Jackson's very first primary program, and I was so excited for him. We took him to the practice the day before and he did so well and was so excited to say his little part with his primary class. They also were doing a song in sign language and Jax was trying so hard to do the motions. So I was so proud of him and invited my parents and Jerry's mom to come. They came and when it was time for the kids to go up, guess what he does! He gets all scared and doesn't want to go up there. I was so sad, of course he was more nervous now that the entire chapel was filled up. So basically I dragged him up there and he sat in a little corner where I could barely see the top of his head. He didn't stand up one time for any of the songs or his class's part. What a bummer! The program was still amazing and the sign language song still gave me the chills, but it wasn't what I had imagined. Things never turn out how you want them to, right? Anyways, he still amazes me everyday and I am truly proud of the boy that he is. (even if he didn't stand up and do the sign language for me!) I'll just have to wait til next year! A mom can dream can't she?