No tricks, just treats!

Well, for the last few years the Halloween Scrooge inside me gets smaller and smaller.  I still don't agree with decorating your yard to look like a graveyard or having the crap scared out of you at a haunted house.  But the fun costume, kids, and candy part is so much fun!

My costume ideas this year were inspired by how my kids actually look and act.  (I hope I don't say the same thing for the years where they're scary.)

Audrey was Fancy Nancy.  For any one who hasn't read the Fancy Nancy books, here's a brief description.  Nancy is probably about 8 or so.  She is ALWAYS dressed 'fancy' and she loves to talk 'fancy.'  The books are adorable!

 This is Nancy's posh party dress.  It's my favorite one that she wears and it became my inspiration.  The reason I chose Fancy Nancy for Audrey is because she loves the books, she loves to be fancy, and she has crazy-curly hair!!

I chose Pebbles from the Flinstones for Kennedy.
 

I think Kennedy looks a little bit like Pebbles, she's kind of a wild one and she refuses to wear shoes!

Happy Halloween!!

The girls had a blast trick-or-treating, partly due to the beautiful weather.  Audrey was sweet to make sure she got Kennedy a piece of candy since Kennedy was too shy to get close to anyone.  Kennedy was anxious to dive into the candy so I thought she'd be ready to go home at any time but she cried when we got home so she must have understood what was happening all along.  When we got home we watched 'It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" while we wound down and the girls each got 2 pieces of candy.  It was fantastic!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wait, how old ARE you?

Oftentimes, I'm talking to someone and they stop and say, "Wait, how old ARE you?"  When I tell them they usually say I look like 22 or 23.  I know it's supposed to be a compliment so I don't feel too badly about it.  But I'm glad I'm not 23.  I'm so excited to finally be able to say, "I'm 30!"  It's here! The big one!  The birthday I've been told is so hard.

Before I move on into the next decade I'd like to share 20 things from my 20s.  Before you roll your eyes at me, let me preface by saying I am not going to brag about accomplishments (which are many I'm sure). They're things that affected me and even changed me.

In my 20s I...

1.  I moved 5 times but stayed in Utah County the whole time and I've come to love it. 

2.  I started working at Sears.  I really think I owe a lot of my self confidence to my management and Human Resource positions there.  It's been good for me.

3.  I welcomed a few more books to my favorite books list...The Secret Life of Bees. The Twilight series.  Prodigal Summer.  In 5th grade my teacher suggested I lay off the Sweet Valley High and maybe read deeper books.  I started reading classics and stuck to that until my 20s.  I still read classics and I still read fluff but I've tried to also read lots from this century and there are some beauties.

4.  I cut my hair really short once because I always said I'd do that when I was 25.  Turns out I just can't do my hair whether it's long or short.

5.  I went through a few callings in the church but I think Young Women Secretary is a permanent suggestion on my church records.  I love being around the Young Women.  I'm always reminded that I'm a daughter of God.

6.  I visited 14 new states bringing the total to 20.  This country is so amazing.  In every city and every state the people there take such pride.   

7.  I added a few new wonderful friends to my list of already the most wonderful friends in the world.  A couple of them are a lot older than me and I really appreciate their examples.

8.  I went from 4 (one in-law) siblings and my parents to 10 siblings with the new parents in-law and they've all turned out to be wonderful!  What are the odds?

9.  I also added 7 nieces and 2 nephews to my family.  We have had so much fun with new talent, new personalities, new love and happiness.

10.  Ryan's extended family is really amazing.  Having them as my family has been such a blessing.  I am down to 1 living grandma and to have Ryan's 4 grandparents alive has helped to fill that role a bit.  I wish the others of mine were still here to see my kids.

11.  I became a mom.  The day Audrey was born changed my life forever.  I can never go back.  I will never look at the world the same way.  I have learned so much from her about love, forgiveness and happiness.

12.  I wondered how I could split all that love I had for Audrey in two until I had Kennedy and learned there's no splitting at all.  Love that wasn't there before came along brand new, just as strong. 

13. I developed a seizure disorder.  It came with a CATscan, three MRIs, 3 EEGs, 1 EKG, one spinal tap, one sleep disorder specialist, a neurologist and probably a lifetime prescription.  I look at the word "disorder" in a new light.   I don't feel like I should have that kind of label.  The hardest part has been the unknown.  It's hard to be scared of your own brain. 

14.  I have found that there are many ways to be busy.  I thought going to school full-time was busy.  Then going to school and working full-time.  Then working and a baby.  Now I work, have two kids, and Ryan and I both have pretty demanding callings.  I look at the people around me with older kids and I wonder if I can handle it.  But I have learned that regardless of how busy you are, it is all about priorities and taking it day by day.

15.  I have hoped and prayed that I would eventually grow out of my bad skin.  I haven't.  I probably won't. 

16.  I used to think that the pressures of being a teenager were rough.  Dressing right, having the right clothes, listening to the right music etc.  But it is nothing compared to the pressure of being a perfect mom.  Confession: my kids are not perfect.  I read the magazines, I compare to other kids, I push and pull and try and cry but they just aren't perfect.  I do think mine are the most beautiful in the world though!  Also, I'm not crafty enough or resourceful enough.  I don't have three months of food storage for my family.  I can cook alright but not great.  I don't do charity work in my free time.  The good news is that I have lots of room to get better!

17.  I have developed an addiction to online shopping.  I rarely pay for shipping and I don't have to drag the kids around.  Win, win!

18.  The last couple of years I've come to actually enjoy yard work.  There's something really satisfying in pulling out weeds.  It's wonderful to plant and then watch and tend what you've planted and enjoy!

19.  In my 20s I've lived with sports.  People tell me all the time that I'm a good sport to support my husband's obsession but I really don't mind.  Baseball on t.v. is probably my favorite and then BYU football live is second.  I can carry on a fairly good conversation with any guy about just about anything sports.  When things are bad, I start to wish Ryan would give it all up.  But then I remember that his passion for the things he loves is something I love the most about him.  Which leads me to number 20.....

 20.  I married Ryan.  It was the best decision I ever made.  He's helped me understand and respect myself just as I am.  I don't pretend with him.  I trust him.  When I am not sure what I need or I don't want to say out loud what I need, he usually knows.  The girls adore him.  He's a wonderful dad!

While I don't want to re-live my 20s (they were hard), I do wish I could re-visit them.  I could just be there to watch some of the happiest moments of my life.  What a great decade!  I can't wait to see what my 30s will bring!

In my 30s I will...any guesses or suggestions?

ROAD TRIP!!

A few months ago, my brother-in-law decided to go to medical school in Lebanon, Oregon.  As soon as the decision was made, Ryan's brain was hard at work planning a road trip for our family.  He loves it and is really good at it!

 First stop was Shoshone Falls in Twin Falls, Idaho.  I had zero expectations going in and the falls were actually amazing.  Definitely worth the detour.

 On the drive out there the girls were both really good.  There was a small bookstore in our backseat but it was worth it.

 Ryan's trips are never complete without a sporting event.  This time it was BYU at Oregon State.

Ryan's brother Devin, SJ, and Megan

 I knew Kennedy was tired at the game when she wouldn't let me move her from my shoulder, but part- way through I could tell she was also running a fever.  Audrey took this picture of her.  After that, Kennedy was pretty sick.  The fever lasted three days and it came with a nasty cold.  I've never heard a little one snore like she was snoring.  At church on Sunday we had to take her out, not because of her usual craziness, but because she was snoring so loudly.  Poor girl!

Sunday afternoon we drove out to Newport Beach.  It was terribly windy and really cold.  But Audrey was really looking forward to it.  She wanted to collect sea shells.

 Audrey loved it!

 Monday we drove to the Columbia River Gorge to see waterfalls.  About 8 years ago, Ryan and I did some hiking there and it was one of our favorite trips ever.  This time we had kids so we only saw one waterfall.  Multnomah Falls is the second highest waterfall in the U.S.

 We hiked a while up the mountain but we weren't on the path that lead to multiple waterfalls.  Our path would have lead us to the top of Multnomah but we didn't get to the top.

 This is a scary bear we saw in her cave!!!!

 After the hike we went to some outlets and the girls rode this little merry-go-round at least 5 times.

 The drive home wasn't as easy as the one going out because of how badly Kennedy was feeling and how hard it was for her to sleep. 

But check out the smile on her face!  That's barbecue sauce on her face.  This girl loves her sauce!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a great time together as a family.  Audrey was such an angel the entire time.  I couldn't have asked for better from her.  Everything she did was with so much enthusiasm, it made even the smallest things exciting!

High on the Mountain Top

Ryan told me one day that our stake had a few tickets to the Payson Temple groundbreaking and that our stake president had offered the stake presidency first 'dibs.'  My hopes were up.  Then he told me that he said no.  We would have to be there at 8 and we couldn't take kids so he thought it would be too hard.  I made him feel bad by saying I really wanted to go and that we may never have another chance.  So he went back to the stake president and got the tickets.

October 8th rolls around and it turned out to be freezing!  It was hard to maintain the enthusiasm when you lose all feeling in your extremities.  I would not have been a good pioneer.

  

At first we assumed this would be our view of the groundbreaking.

The mountains are actually much taller than this!

 The prayer was said and included a plea for a reprieve from the rain.  It stopped.

The program included some wonderful speakers who all grew up in this area.  The songs were both written by Payson people; "Sweet is the Work" and "High on the Mountain Top".  Elder Dallin H. Oaks grew up in Payson and he said the dedicatory prayer.  It was wonderful.  I hope we're still here to help with the open house and dedication.  My memories of the Bountiful temple opening are still fresh in my mind (sadly, they were quite cold as well) and I cherish that opportunity.

Brown Eyed Girl

When Audrey was a baby I thought she had the most beautiful eyes.  Plus, I was so shocked that they were blue I just couldn't get over it.  Here's a reminder of Audrey around 5 months old.

Her skin wasn't actually this white.  She's a little washed out.

 Along comes Kennedy.  She has dark, deep brown eyes. 

 I may be remembering wrong but I think Kennedy gets more comments and compliments than Audrey did! 

 Some fun updates on Kennedy:  She's quite wary of people outside our family.  She stares long and hard at anyone looking at her.  She won't talk on cue for people even though she knows about 20 words.  I already mentioned her love of reading.  She also loves to have songs sung to her.  She wants to do everything like Audrey.  She and Audrey play really well together (most of the time).  She likes to dress up and act silly.  Her favorite is definitely shoes.  She eats her big sister under the table and often joins me on my chair to eat some of my food.  Her imperfections include unhappily riding in the car, throwing fits while grocery shopping, ability to make huge messes in a short amount of time and not holding still during church.  She just reminded me of another one...playing with electronics.

She is so sweet and angelic and we love our little brown- eyed girl!

The fruits, er vegetables, of our labor

***Warning***

This post will be lame for everyone but me.  Sorry, I'm just so proud.

We decided to grow a garden this year.  We planted carrots, peas, beans and cucumber seeds.  I told Ryan that if we ate just one thing out of it, I would consider it a success.  Apparently, I underestimated Spanish Fork soil because we can barely keep up with the reaping!

 Our favorite was probably peas because we could eat it fresh and ready right out of the pods.

 The girls loved it so much!  As soon as we walked outside Kennedy would say, "peas!!"

I was able to freeze a lot of the beans and we were still eating them up until last week even though they haven't been growing for a few weeks now.

I think we've had about 10 cucumbers so far.  They're still growing.

The carrots are a bit odd looking because you're supposed thin them out and we just let them go.  Oh well.  Lesson learned.

We also planted maybe a few too many flowers.  They exploded!

Next year we'll have a bigger garden with more things and we'll do something with the backyard.  We had such a good time doing it all together as a family.  

Part-time/Full-time

It's been one year since I gave up my full-time job at Sears as the Human Resources Manager.

I am still working there part-time and doing basically the same things, but I have less time to do them.  I owe the whole experience of full-time work peace-of-mind to some wonderful parents, (including in-laws).  My mom would drive to Draper from Bountiful at 6:30 in the morning-whether rain or snow or sleet-to pick up Audrey and take her to her house for 9 hours, then drive back to Draper in rush hour traffic and have dinner with me and Ryan EVERY SINGLE MONDAY FOR OVER 2 YEARS!  I don't think she knows how much it meant to me or how much I feel I owe her.  

From my point of view there is no such thing as part-time mom so I don't feel like I'm now a full-time mom but I do now spend most of my time at home with the girls.  I don't feel less stressed and I don't feel like a better mom, but I do feel like I'm more respected by other moms, which is sad.  Also, I've become a better cook.  Soon I think I need to add another motherly talent like sewing.  We'll see.  I know my mom is ready for me to learn so she doesn't have to be my on-call seamstress.   And this change couldn't have come at a better time because in January Ryan was called as the Stake Executive Secretary.  So with me in the Young Women presidency and his calling, we are only ever home together as a family on Monday nights some Saturdays and most Sunday nights.  

Anyway, before I cleaned out my own things out of the office I now share, I had to take a picture of the wall that served as my inspiration for three years. 

When I moved into my office this was a motivational poster about imagination.  I would rather see the face of my beautiful baby girl every day so I stuck a couple of pictures in the corners.  But she grew so I added more pictures.  Well, she never stopped growing so the poster is full.  When people would come into my office they'd say, "How many kids do you have?"  I'd say, "Just one.  I just have lots of pictures of her."  

There is another poster on the back wall that had a few pictures of Kennedy before I officially stepped down, but it's not as impressive.

Thank you to everyone who helped and supported me in this.  Thank you to Ryan for being willing and, more importantly, able to spend so much time alone with Audrey.  You're a great dad!  And thanks to Audrey for being such an amazing, easy-going little girl.    

Summer Funnin'

Now that our summer is drawing to a close...

I can't believe it!  I guess it's time I shared what we've been up to for the last few months.

In May we visited the BYU museum when they featured the amazing work of Carl Bloch.  I don't think I could really describe what I felt there.  But I do know that I left with a new perspective on some of the events we hear so often in the Savior's life.  What would it have been like to pick up the nails that were covered in His precious blood?  The paintings put you right there.

Kennedy trying to fall off the wall at the museum

Audrey was really reverent inside

 

Kennedy developed an OBSESSION with books.  I have to say I am both thrilled and bugged.  I have always felt like the best gift I could give my kids would be a love of reading.  So I love that they are both so excited about going to the library (one of the first places I wanted to be able to drive to myself at 16).  I love that the minute we get home Audrey doesn't want to eat lunch or play or anything until we've read every single one of the books we checked out.  I love that they both run to my bed to read bedtime stories each night.  But the situation with Kennedy isn't always as exciting.  For one thing, the books she reads are usually less than 20 words so I have them memorized.  Also, she'll want to read it over and over again.  Then it doesn't matter if I just got out of the shower or I'm eating or cleaning--she scoots back into my lap and it's reading time.  Okay, I mostly love it!

Audrey had a dance recital in June.  It was her first big one on stage with makeup.  She was really excited.  Her costume is a cowgirl and this is her "guns" move.

For our 9 year anniversary Ryan and I went with the girls to the pool.  Romantic, right?

There's a really great splash park close to us that we don't visit enough.

 

Salina carnival for the 4th of July and Spanish Fork carnival for the 24th.

 

Lots of visits to lots of parks.

To sum up: we've not been anywhere or done anything exciting or out of the ordinary.  But there have been lots of smiles, laughing, playing, learning and growing and I can't imagine anything better.