Jason's Halloween Work Party

This work party was a serious party. Each department of the company took a theme and decorated their entire area according to the theme. There was Mario Brothers, the North Pole, Haunted Houses, the Miner's cave (completely covered with garbage bags and tunnels), a Wii dance fitness tournament, and tons of stuff. I couldn't believe how decked out it was. The kids loved it and especially loved watching their bags grow heavier and heavier.

Almost every employee was dressed up as well. You had everything from Wolverine to Edward Cullen...and everything in between.

My cute little race-car driver and kitty!

First snowfall of the season!

The first snowfall of the season happens a few days before Halloween and my kids are in it! They couldn't wait to get out and make a snowman- but since I didn't go out in that freezing cold weather, there was no snowman this time. But, Beckam discovered how good snow tasted and was quite impressed with it all.

Carving Pumpkins with Aunt Rev!

Treva brought over some pumpkins and carved them with the kids. Then we baked the seeds and ate them all week! YUM!

To bake the seeds we mixed worcestershire sauce, butter, and salt together, poured them on the seeds, and baked them for 1-2 hours. So much tastier than it sounds.

Pumpkin carving eventually turned into bubble splattering- they go hand in hand really when you're 4 and 2 years old.

Wrist Surgery :(

This looks pretty gross, but that's the point. I'm trying to gather as much sympathy as I can!
I hate surgery of any kind no matter what!!! This was the first day I could take the bandages off so it's pretty swollen all the way up my hand and even in my knuckles. Looks like a bad case of arthritis. After 4 weeks though, it looks much better than this. It is only now starting to bend, but I taught pilates with it like this anyway and it worked out. The thing is when you're a mom nothing can stop you from using your hand...surgery or no surgery. You're pretty much forced to get better, so I am.

The day I had surgery, I was being prepped by all the anesthesiologists and IV people and my doctor comes in right before I'm knocked out, smiles at me, draws a picture on my hand, and walks out. "Wait!" I wanted to yell, aren't you going to let me ask my questions or at least tell me something first??? Nope, not a word. Happy cutting!

Grandma Lucille's 90th Birthday Party!!

Brooklyn and Aliah

My cute sisters and their babies. It seems like we all have babies in our arms constantly these days.

My sisters, a long lost cousin we haven't seen in years, and my Aunt Valauna who is my mom's sister. They have lived far away from each other their whole lives and still talk exactly the same!

Yvette, Mom, Me, Treva, Veronica
Love them!!!!

The whole family minus Cameron and his family and Triff and her family. I can't believe how we've grown.

Brooklyn can headstands all over the place, but handstands are a work in progress.
She's working on muscling up those tiny arms :)

Little Brielle

Marcus acting like a gorilla- you have to admit he pulls it off exactly! Wait till you see him in his gorilla Halloween costume!

My Grandma still has another 10 or 11 years on her! Her mom lived to be 103 years old and passed away right before her 104th birthday and longevity seems to be common on her side.

The Backyard

We finally laid down new topsoil and sod to start the beginnings of making our backyard a yard. It has already been so much work...we'll finish next spring!
This is one of many projects we have been working on over the summer. I'm kind of glad winter is coming so we can get a break and figure out what we really want to do with the yard.

Another one of those "look what I came up with Mommy" moments.

Jason's new toy- won at work for reaching a particular quota. I've already seen "Bumblebee" transform into a giant metal figurine at least a dozen times now.

Great Reminders!

I just received an email from my mother in law and thought it was such a good reminder of things that seem to be majorly lacking in our society today. Maybe she was trying to tell me something :), but it also happens to be exactly what I have been thinking a lot about lately and summarizes all the thoughts that have been going through my mind. So I just decided to share it.


*Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.'

* A sharp tongue can cut your own throat.

* If you want your dreams to come true, you must not oversleep.

* Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important.

* The best vitamin for making friends..... B1.

* The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.

* The heaviest thing you can carry is a grudge.

* One thing you can give and still keep....is your word.

* You lie the loudest when you lie to yourself.

* If you lack the courage to start, you have already finished.

* One thing you can't recycle is wasted time.

*Ideas won't work unless ' You' do.

* Your mind is like a parachute...it functions only when open.

* The 10 commandments are not a multiple choice.

* The pursuit of happiness is the chase of a lifetime!
* It is never too late to become what you might have been.

*Life is too short to wake up with regrets.. So love
* The people who treat you right.. Forget about the Ones who don't. Believe everything happens for a Reason.
*If you get a second chance, grab it with both Hands.

* If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life
Would be easy, they just promised it would be Worth it.

* Friends are like balloons; Once you let them go, you might not get them
Back. Sometimes we get so busy with our own Lives and problems that we may not even notice that we've let them fly away.

*Sometimes we are so caught up in who's right and who's wrong that we forget what's right and wrong.. Sometimes we just don't realize what real friendship means until it is too late.