Girls getting us ready for the Halloween and Fall Season...

Playing with the giant spiders...

Saturday the girls wanted to get out the Halloween decorations... We really don't have a lot of STUFF, but I surely agreed to let them do it, because I really don't care.. (bad attitude) So they went and found the decorations and played the entire day. They are such good helpers and they enjoyed putting it out and going through the mess. They love the house to be decorated, maybe I should try a little harder to be a better mother. Thank you girls for making the house look festive.

Boys will be boys..

A few months ago, a good friend of Stockton's, Josh Anderson moved to St. George. It was awful, but luckily he comes to visit on an occasion and he always makes a point to come hang out with the "guys". Stockton took the Adams' ping pong table out of their garage and played it on the lawn. He thinks he is going to be the next 'white' ping pong champion. This is how he plans to get into the Olympics...what the crap? On Sunday, Lori said he could put the ping pong table in our basement, I thought he was going to pee his pants. He is so excited to play and get really good. So we will see if he can make it to the Olympics.

Family Pictures

I love to get family pictures taken... I know, it is a pain & expensive, but when they are done and you have them...I LOVE IT. Brad grew up in a family of all boys, his poor mother had 1 family picture taken and she died a few years later and that picture is PRICELESS. I remember only having 1 picture taken with my mom, from good old 'Olan Mills' and 1 picture taken with my dad. I am a bit overkill, I admit that. We usually go every other year, but the kids really change and I do feel it is important. I wanted to share some of my favorites.. My kids are getting so big, I can't believe it. Brad and I, well we are getting so old and fat..wow!

LORI LORI...look who's 40!!

About 6 weeks ago, I said to Steve...we need to have a surprise party for Lori's 40th birthday. He agreed and I told him I would do everything, but he needed to invite their families and get her to the party. I think it was the very next day, Lori asked me if I was going to have a party for her... I think that is so funny, she knows me too well. For course I lied and said NO. So I had a creative friend make up the invitations, they were so cute with a skull and crossbones. (thanks you Amy D.) The girls delivered them. On the day of the party, Brad and I ran from Bountiful to Ogden getting things, and poor Brad had to work that night and couldn't even come.. Anyway I was nervous on Steve getting her there... and yeah he messed it up at the last minute. She didn't know anything, until he called her from my house and he said he wasn't feeling comfortable...she knew then but came and was a good sport. Many friends came and we had a lot of fun. Lori has been such a great friend to me for the past 12 years. I am not sure what I would have done without her. She is like the sister I never had. She has gotten me through many, many hard times and trails that I have had. She has the most loving heart and such a sweet person.

She was not going to come over, she sent Steve to get the kids..

Then she got a kick out of herself.

She hates to be the center of attention.

Donna Pratt

Jennifer Malan

Marla and Lucy Call

Amy Campbell

Her running friends.. Heather Johnson

Stacy Strong

Andrea Coleman

Girls Going Back to School...

The girls have been off track for the past 3 weeks. It has been a change from the past few years. Usually we are off when neighbors and lots of friends are off, but this year if a little different. Sara has many friends off, but Grace isn't as lucky. My girls are so different, Sara has lots of friends and she isn't really close friends with anyone. Grace has very small numbers of friends, but she is very close to them and very loyal. They are a mix of me. I have lots of friends and I am close with all of them. Grace has had a hard time off track, she loves to play and hang out with friends, she enjoys being home too, don't get me wrong, but she prefers to be around friends. Sara is a home body. She can watch TV for hours, color, play on the computer and entertain herself very easily. The other day I told her she couldn't watch TV and she needed to go play, she cried and said, "I played yesterday, I don't want to play again today!" What??? I thought I was going to die laughing, usually parents are telling kids to stay home, oh no not me with Sara I have to make her play. So I left for awhile, and I got a phone call from Sara, she was crying, "I have a belly ache, I can't play." I had to get after her, and tell her, she wasn't sick and she was playing. Wow I am one tough mom (Making her play?). We have done a few things while they have been home, but there hasn't been any movies and very little to do to entertain them. We have gone to lunches, we canned salsa, we did manage a trip to Classic Skate, but usually it is non-stop fun NOT this time. Grace has discovered a few new friends, which is good for her to branch out. I enjoy the kids home, no homework, no stress and just spending time together. Now summer is officially over...I have had kids home since April. The girls were off track through May, then Stockton was home for the summer and there was 1 week they were in school together and then the girls were off, so now they are all going to be in school. Whew I can start getting things done in the house and get ready for the holidays and winter.

For Being Labor Day...I Labored!!

Not everyone was excited to go..but they still had fun because of all the friends that went!!
Just starting out...

The beautiful Ogden Valley.

Sara did so well getting up and still smiling, it was the trip down that she had a hard time with..

The Page Boys, the Adams', and the Larsen Kids!

Holy Crap, I had to rest at the top, but I MADE IT!

The kids at the Falls.. its not run off season.

Brad so proud I actually made it.

Brad taking care of everyone.. ok me and Sara.

Lori and I showing off our matching shorts..

Brad had today off, and we tried to think of something fun to do as a family. We went out to breakfast and had scones and sweet rolls. So my bright idea was to go on a hike to Waterfall Canyon in Ogden. We went in the heat of the day, DUH? And I am the MOST out of shape person, who isn't over weight and a non-smoker, you have ever met. I literally didn't think I was going to make it up that hill. Lyndsie and I complained the entire way up, she was hot and I thought I could pass out at any time. Brad is so patient, he was so encouraging and helped me the whole way up. It took us 3 hours. But I DID IT!! The kids all ran up the hill, it was amazing to me. On the way down the hill, I was thrilled, I could do that. Brad once again had to help, but it was Sara this time. She was slipping down the mountain. WHAT A GUY!!

Labor Day Weekend...

Tired from the sleep over, and Emma looks ticked??
Standing in line, just about to get on...oh NO lightening...
Stockton thinks he is a pimp??

Happy, smiley Sara.

Stockton and Brock with his broken arm :(

Look at those cute kids...

Oh how I love summer... and this is the end of summer :( My mom always wants to do something as a family, so I said we should go to Park City and ride the Alpine Slide. So we left at 1:00 PM and we went to eat first... so by the time we got to the slide, we bought the tickets, and stood in line, and we were literally the next group to go up the slide and they shut it down due to lightening... can you believe the luck? So we went to the outlet mall for awhile and came home. What a bummer. But it was fun to go with the Anderson's and my mom, it was better than doing nothing?!?

Harvest time...

We do it out on the deck, it saves a mess inside!!
I blanch the tomatoes and Brad cuts and chops everything else.
The girls are off track and they were the best helpers, not only picking all the veggies, but the day we made the salsa!!

We love doing anything together, even work!

YEAH! Its finished and looks so pretty!!

We have been so good about planting our garden, for the past few years. There was some time we took off, but we are back and going strong in the gardening skills. We decided when we started up, that we were only going to do the things we loved, which is all the things to do salsa!! Then we can also do tomatoes and a few other things. So it is time to HARVEST. We picked all of our garden and then we went to the Garrett's and helped them out and we made salsa, ALL DAY. We had fun but it does take a lot of time. We did 4 batches, but I did leave to go the first Legacy game and Brad burnt 2 batches?!? So we didn't do as well as we should have, but oh well. We love our garden, and it feels so productive when we actually do something with it...