Happy Halloween!

Have you ever seen a cuter Dorothy? Me neither. :-)
Logan and Katie were more into getting pics than Tyler...unfortunately this was taken before Logan's hair was "Wolverined" and Katie had red bows, but it's still adorable!
Here the kiddos are playing out in the leaves after the Halloween party. I love how happy Logan and Tyler are in this picture!
Balloon animals galore...who know you could make a balloon dragon?! The lady wasn't even phased when that's what the boys asked for. Wow. I would have replied, 'how about a nice doggie?' :-)
And here's the fam. James was an awesome sport wearing a crazy disco outfit I picked out for him. He's so much fun! The kids couldn't believe he grew his hair so fast. :-) Here's Tyler happily in his Flash costume, Logan as 'Wolverine' as they come...and my princess Katie as Dorothy. I dug through the old high school box to pull out my cheerleading uniform....go Trojans! :-) Hope your Halloweens are just as happy!

Summer Days...where did you go?!

Happy Anniversary! (Aug)

Amazing Empanadas James made from scratch for our Ward Fiesta...they were AMAZING!! He only cooks once every few years...and this one was a real treat! Unfortunately it took him so long he decided he'd never do it again. :-)
Tyler man with his trophy from Tee-ball. He was the MVP (which is totally not biased, even if I was the coach...) ;-)

He's ready....And an amazing swing!!! :-)
Here's Tyler on a huge rock while 'watching' Logan's game.

Here's Logan doing one of his many amazing tricks...

Right after an awesome hit...look at that swing. You can just feel the power. :-)Rounding the base...
Miss Katie Princess in her 'Heidi' outfit.
Here she is eating a cupcake ever so delicately in her Sunday dress...
This girl is such a delight! I don't know what I'd do without her.
Our soccer stud. Logan certainly takes after James- he scored every game. (His best game he got 5 goals all on his own!)
Here he is playing goalie- you can see the green soccer ball if you look closely by the truck's wheel- he learned so much this season...I think he's chosen soccer as his sport for life.
It looks like a good chance for a collision right here, but right after this he got around her (see the pic above) and scored. We had SO much fun cheering him on.

So this sums up much of July and August...throw in a cross-country trip to California to see my bro Jonny get married to his gorgeous Erin, James getting a new job and finding out we're heading to NC, and lots of fun with family and friends and you've pretty much got an idea as to how the summer disappeared so quickly! :-)

Katie the Domestic Goddess

I don't know about you, but I am pretty much the sweeper of the house. If you have not yet earned this coveted title in your home, my post today will enlighten you as to how you can make it your very own. Today I was able to witness just what an example I have been.

James and I were chatting after dinner and in comes Katie holding the broom almost like a javelin, running pretty much full force, making this kind of growling sound. After a few rounds with the broom up high, she began dropping it down to touch the ground every now and then...and the growling sound never really stopped.

Can I tell you how proud I am?! I mean, here she is following the example of her mom. The javelin approach to sweeping is not one that many people have adapted as their own, but evidently it did not slip by my sweet little domestic goddess. I mean, who really needs to touch the broom to the floor anyway- evidently I've taught my family that all you really need to do is run around quickly so you LOOK busy, make a sweeping swishy sound every now and then so you SOUND very busy, and then growl subtly about all the work your doing...and voila! Everyone deems you the sweeper and decides that your result is as good a job as any...and at least it's better than having to do it yourself. ha ha (And really, WOULD YOU approach a woman with a broom who's growling? I think not.) So! If anyone would like lessons in how to make sweeping your job and your job only, you may request lessons from my little lady.

Need a laugh?

My sis sent me this incredibly hilarious blog about a couple that 'lives' in Pottery Barn catalogs...it's SO funny. If you need a pick me up, click on 'Elaine and Gary' on the right on my sidebar and you're sure to get a chuckle or two.

TMI

Logan: Hey Mom, guess what?
Cari: What?
Logan: This morning when I pooped, it looked like a tree.
(James and Cari laughing hysterically)
Logan: Yeah, the top part was really hard to get out.

To repeat what he said when he was three, "guess we need to buy some apples" so we can avoid any more difficult horticulture-esque bathroom situations. Don't you love kiddos? :-)

Bless You Berenstain Bears

Logan and Tyler begged for a break from school today, so I agreed to a half-hour of TV if they chose a 'learning show.' They decided on Berenstain Bears, which I wouldn't necessarily have agreed to, except that I saw the title of the episode: Too Much TV. Awesome. So, they watch. The music to my ears came at the end of the show when Logan tells me, "this was a really great lesson for Tyler and me." SUCCESS!!! ha ha Bless you, Berenstain Bears. Bless you. :-) Back to school!

Good Morning Sunshine!

I've always said that when I get to heaven I'd love to get a chance to paint the sky. This morning when I got up, I was greeted with this awe-inspiring sight from my back porch. From my very own back porch!! I took one quick look and knew I had to grab my camera. This is a sunrise I will remember forever- it's exactly what I would paint if I could (and if it really is a job in Heaven, I plan to look up the painter when I get there and tell them how much this one meant to me.) The color, the richness, the clouds....if I saw this in a painting I wouldn't think such a sky was even possible. And yet, there it is. I just loved it so much I knew I needed to come out of my blog dormancy and post. :-) Enjoy!