Halloween 2007

We had a happy Halloween this year. It was almost as exciting as Christmas getting to trick-or-treat in our own neighborhood full of kids, meeting our neighbors, and the weather was wonderful! John laughed when I asked him if we should take a picture of our first trick-or-treaters EVER; I was joking, but it was all very exciting for me! Josie finally got the hang of walking up to the door, she would put her basket down to knock, and then she would say "treat" and try to eat them as fast as she got them. I think she got extra goodies for being so cute because her basket was just as full as the other kids' and she didn't go up to all the doors like they did. It was great to have street lights and more kids than I've ever seen outside. We even found one of Johnny's classmates that lives down our street so he's a little more motivated to learn to ride his bike so he can ride down to play with his friend. Today at school Johnny had a field trip to Thanksgiving Point, Maggie had a parade and party, and Josie and I made cookies. For dinner, courtesy of Papa Murphey's, we had a jack-o-lantern pizza and orange chocolate chip cookies, it was a Halloween to remember and we'll look forward for many more to come!

Pumpkin Carving 2007

We have a tradition in John's family to spend the Monday before Halloween eating soup and rolls and then carving pumpkins together. We end up with a lot of great food and a lot of great looking pumpkins! We are so glad to be back in Utah because we missed all the family traditions and holidays with everyone last year. We missed everyone that wasn't there, we're excited to see everyone at Christmas!

Halloween Countdown ...

For Halloween this year Johnny wanted to be Optimus Prime, but the costume was $30 and I didn't want to spend that much, nor did I know at the time who Optimus Prime was (transformer), so I told him I'd pay him $8 to be a Star Wars Jedi and use his costume from last year. Easy deal, he'll do anything for money. Maggie wanted to be a cheerleader and I pondered the best way to make that happen. I looked at patterns to sew a costume, looked at all the lame cheerleader costumes in the store, and came up short in both areas. Thankfully, Grandma Livingstone saved the day. She is an amazing sewer and just whipped her costume right up and it turned out perfect! My mom bought Josie the cutest piggie costume that she just loves. Josie loved piggies and it couldn't have been more cute, she makes her little piggie sound when I show it to her.

It seems like the week or so before Halloween there are always all kinds of different activities going on where the kids get to dress up in their costumes and lots of candy is involved. The first activity was a party that my parents' ward in Idaho had. It was a lot of fun and the kids had a great time, played lots of fun games and were pleased to have Grandma & Grandpa take them and show them off a bit!









We always have a fun time in Idaho. The kids played outside ALL day and didn't mind the cold at all! We spent lots of time with my brother and his wife which was really great and my Dad always makes my favorites to eat! We're looking forward to spending more time there for the holidays!

What Happens in Vegas ....

We had such a fun weekend spent in Las Vegas. We stayed one night on the strip at the Treasure Island Hotel. We shopped a lot and we ate at the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. We spent the next couple of days with Reecy and Eric and we had a lot of fun together. The boys had a great time golfing together, we did some crafts and some shopping while they golfed. The night before we left we ate at the Rio buffet, it was amazing. We got our money's worth for all the food we ate! We had a great time visiting Eric and Reecy, their house is so nice and I'm so impressed with they way they've jumped in to life in Vegas. They have done some really fun things, made great friends, learned their way around, and I think they're having a really great time. We're glad that they're there so we can go visit. Blake was so cute, we had great conversations with him, it's hard to believe that he's only two years old! Thanks to Mom Livingstone for watching our kids for us, it was great to not worry one second for them. In fact they were sad that we weren't gone for longer!

I looked out the window and what did I see?

I feel so grateful for choosing to move into the house that we did, especially when after only being here for about a month I started seeing tractors and workers outside our kitchen window, adjacent to our property line behind our house. So here are pictures of the almost finished product. I am really looking forward to it getting finished, hopefully before it snows and gets too cold to use it. They still need to sod and fill the play area with woodchips and who knows what else they'll do. But we're grateful to be able to walk a few steps out of our house and be able to play at the park and ride bikes along the paved path. I also love that my kitchen area is filled with big windows so I can see right to the park! Come and play!!

Scarecrow Festival

We had such a fun week with Tyra visiting us all week while my parents were able to vacation in Cancun. We did so many fun activities together and on Friday we were able to go to the annual Scarecrow Festival held in Lehi. It was such a fun time! The kids had a great time and it really felt like Fall. There were many great activities, lots of games, fun things to see, bounce houses, a botique, and great food. We're looking forward to attending again next year!

Wii having some fun!

We bought a new game for our Nintendo Wii this weekend called Carnival. The kids had a great time playing it, and it looked so fun that Josie wanted to join in the fun too!

I've been TAGGED!

So my wonderful friend, Mauri, tagged me! I usually skip these things over and never respond, but I enjoy reading everyone else's so I figured I'd be a good sport.

What I was doing ten years ago: Ten years ago I was a just getting the swing of good ol’ Ricks College (Now BYU-I) … am I old? I had met my future husband because we were in the same ward and FHE group, yes the program works! And I was loving everything about life in Rexburg, except my job in the Cafeteria’s kitchen. It was a great time of life and I was extremely happy with the path my life was on.

What I was doing five years ago: Five years ago John had just started his first year in BYU’s Clinical Psychology program. We were currently living in a little 4-plex near BYU and we lived around the corner from our bro. and sis.-in-law, Micki & Spencer. We made some of the greatest friends we ever knew while living there in that little apartment. Johnny was almost two years old and I was 6 ½ months into my stressful pregnancy with Maggie. She had her cord wrapped so tightly around her neck that they were worried about her oxygen supply, so I spent weekly visits to the hospital for tests to make sure she was alive and doing okay. The end of Sept. also brought with it an exciting time because at the beginning of October my brother was coming home from serving his mission in Africa and we had missed him greatly!

One Year Ago: One year ago we were living in Tucson, Arizona, which now seems just like a memory. The kids were in swimming lessons and it was still 100 degrees outside. We were making lots of friends from our ward and Maggie and Johnny were both going to school and involved in other activities that kept us busy. We were also looking forward to a trip to Disneyland that we took the beginning of October. I was very homesick and we were spending our vacation with my parents, so I, like the kids, was counting down the days! I was also working one night a week at the Gap in the mall and really enjoyed my time there and made a couple of really good friends and enjoying the discount.

Yesterday: Yesterday was Monday and I was thrown quickly back into the swing of things from the weekend! I woke up at a little before 6 a.m. to work out, got Johnny ready for school so he could walk out the door by 7:30, showered and got Maggie ready to walk out the door by 9:15. After dropping her off at school I ran some errands, picked her back up, vacuumed the car, went home to get ready for Mom Livingstone to come play with Maggie and Josie while I went and read to Johnny’s first grade class. Got home from the school, took Maggie to play over at a friend’s house and then worked on laundry, cleaning catch-up from the morning, put together an FHE lesson, and made dinner. Sounds like a lot, but at night I usually crash!

5 snacks I enjoy: I enjoy all snacks, but mostly I don’t eat snacks, I eat treats. Treats include anything I really shouldn’t be eating-- such as: I can down a whole bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos in one sitting, I love most any food combination that includes chocolate and peanut butter, Diet Coke (couldn’t live without it), Krispy Kreme, and cheesecake from A.J.’s, my favorite “treat” place in Tucson ( I have yet to find anything to replace it with).

Five things I would do if I had $100 Million: If I had $100 Million I would pay off student loans, build my dream house, go on luxurious vacations, take an amazing shopping spree including new cars, save for the kids’ college & retirement, and share with friends and family.

Five places I would love to run away to: Right now I would love to run away to anywhere that doesn’t include doing dishes, laundry, making meals, carpooling, and kids (love ‘em, but need a break). So, there are 5 things I’d love to run away from and I’d go pretty much anywhere where there is sun, sand, and a beach!

Five TV shows I like: The Office, Grey’s Anatomy, 24, Lost, & right now I’m ashamed to admit, Dancing with the Stars.

Five things I hate doing: I hate doing laundry, making dinner, straightening my hair when it’s too long, migraines, & working when I’d rather be home with my family.

Five biggest joys of the moment: Josie’s “babbling”, having my back in good shape, Halloween treats in the stores, fall season in Utah County (Provo), & my good, beautiful kids.

I now have to tag five (or so) people: Melissa Peterson, Allison Harris, Kendra Anderson, Honey Hunt, Charisse Allen, & Lexie Matson.

She loves to twirl!

I still refer to Josie as "the baby" to the kids, or "my baby" to other people-- but I'm quickly realizing she's not a baby anymore! She loves music and loves to dance! One of her favorite things is the 12 Dancing Princesses dance mat that Maggie got for Christmas last year from her Grandma Peterson. Josie knows how to drag it out onto the floor, make sure it doesn't have any wrinkles, and turn on the music. She twirls and sings and dances around it-- it is so fun to watch! So here is my baby not being a baby anymore, but growing up into 110% girl!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Star of the Week

Johnny is the star of the week in his class at school. We got to decorate this fun poster for him and today I got to go read one of his favorite stories to his class. We read: Purple, Green, and Yellow by Robert Munsch. It is one of our favorites, we laugh every time we read it and his class loved it too! We love Johnny and he is a star every day in our house!

Primary Program Sunday

Last year the kids missed their primary program because we were on vacation at Disneyland-- the kids quickly forgot what they were missing!

This year was really exciting and we were lucky to have Grandma Livingstone come to church with us to see them. Josie was especially excited to have someone else to sit by during Sacrament Meeting. Our new ward is so big, both Johnny and Maggie have split classes, where in our ward in Tucson last year they had many combined classes! We got some cute pictures of the kids before church on Sunday, it's too bad that a camera wouldn't have been appropriate for the program, the kids were wonderful!

Friday Fall Fun at Micki's

We are so glad to be back in Utah and especially so glad to be living so close to Micki and Spencer, who are our dearest friends and we're just so lucky that they're also family. On Friday night Micki was feeling "fall-ish" and so after dinner and playing at their park we went back to their house and made and decorated sugar cookies for fall and ate baby carmel apples. It was so much fun and such a yummy treat! We got some fun pictures of the kids helping.

Maggie had to wear a special apron of Micki's so she could look just like her!




Josie ended up falling off of the kitchen chair and knew right where to go for the sympathy she needed!

First day of Preschool .... again!

Poor Maggie, with her birthday being in December she is in a primary class ahead of most the little girls her age, and she ends up going to preschool twice! Not that it makes her sad, she loves preschool and was looking forward to going again. She's in a really nice class held at our local recreation center. It is a great school and I think it will prepare her more for Kindergarten than being in someone's home. She also started her pee wee cheerleading class a couple of weeks ago. I will have to get video of that, pictures wouldn't quite do justice. Maggie's dream in life is to be a cheerleader... I know, aim high! We haven't had the heart to crush those dreams with reality yet, so she's practicing now for her future. It seems like she instantly went from 4 yrs. old to 12 yrs. old with the whole cheerleading thing and her obsession with High School Musical. Where did my 4 yr. old go??

Webkinz ...

If you haven't heard of Webkinz yet, then you are really out of the loop! Webkinz are little stuffed animals that each come with it's own online code that you enter into the computer and then you have your own virtual pet that has a whole world online for you to create for it. They have fun and easy games you play to earn Webkinz bucks, and with those bucks you buy rooms, furniture, food, games, toys, gardens, appliances, books, etc... the list is never ending! Aunt Tyra was the first we knew to get one, and the kids were instantly delighted finding their two favorite things combined: stuffed animals and computer games! Grandma Livingstone then brought one back from Canada and she gave the kids her log in information so they could take care of her pet. They were in heaven! Little did they know that Grandma had also brought back an animal for each of her grandkids. It wasn't long before she saw all the fun they were having with her little puppy online that she couldn't hold back any longer and all the kids got their new animals. Needless to say, I'm so glad that Josie got one too because I too would feel left out. Along with the kids I have spent my fair share of time online playing with Josie's webkin, named Flower. A must-have for any of your little ones, and I might add, you may get addicted yourself!

Finally, new furniture ...

So, I felt like I needed to explain myself every time we had someone new over that came to sit on our old couches, "they can't be cleaned with water because it takes the color off, and on some spots I'd rather have the color off, but they don't clean AT ALL!" I felt afraid that I'd see someone stand up after sitting on them with the spots actaully transferring to their behinds from the furniture. Anyway, with some of the drama we've had with our house, one of the issues was soiled carpet from the previous occupant of the home's dog. We had the whole upstairs recarpeted, but the carpet choice the owner's of the home made was very disappointing, and looked especially worse with the furniture we had. It was like the neutral walls, floor boards, tile, and furniture were too many neutrals and didn't all jive. Long story short ... we finally invested in some nicer furniture that should wear well with little ones living with it. It makes a huge difference in how the carpet looks, and of course, if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!

Lawn Mowing Pro!

These pictures are mostly for my Dad who will be so proud of me for mowing a lawn for the first time in my life! I really wanted to buy a self-propelled mower so that John wouldn't be the only one that could mow the lawn on top of all his other obligations, and I was really excited to be able to do it. Week after week there would be a landscaping team showing up and mowing our grass for us. This week they came again and before they mowed the grass they checked their books and realized they weren't supposed to be taking care of our yard anymore, so I finally got my chance! We are on a corner lot and we have a lot of grass to care for, and I'm excited for the opportunities of making our yard better and maybe planting some flowers and really learning how to care for a yard. So, Dad, here's to your investment in our lawn really paying off!

And now we have a 1st Grader ...

Johnny started school on Tuesday, he is now in 1st grade. It seems like school just got out, we've had such a busy summer moving from Tucson to Utah, finding a place to live, and all the vacations we've taken. He was ready for school to start and he's really excited to make new friends. He's got a great teacher and a few kids from primary in his class. He's also had his first bus experience, which was a little nerve racking the first day, but today things went a little more smoothly. His bus comes at 7:22 a.m., so he's up bright and early, as are the rest of us! We're glad that he enjoys going to school, and he just looks so grown up getting off the bus!

Family Reunion at "the Farm"

The first weekend in August is always dedicated to a reunion on my Mom's side of the family, always held at my Grandpa's Farm in Ashton. This year was very sentimental for me as we've been doing this for so many years and I have so many special memories of times we've spent there. It is especially wonderful to see many of my Mom's ten siblings and their families, I love them all so much! I also love that my kids enjoy their time at the Farm. They love jumping on the trampoline, swinging on the swingset and catching grasshoppers in jars. This year we hooked up a projecter outside and watched Astronaut Farmer on the side of the shed and a weekend at the Farm is never complete until you get an old-fashioned milkshake from City Drug. My Grandpa is the best dutch oven cook and we enjoy our food cooked outside by him. He also loves giving kids hay rides behind his big tractor and we enjoy the stories he tells of his childhood growing up in Ashton. Like John, he was raised with 6 sisters and I love hearing him tell his stories about his family. The Farm is such a peaceful place to visit and we made so many good memories this year and hope that there will be many more years to come!

Lagoon 2007

Instead of unpacking the day after we moved into our house, we decided to spend the day at Lagoon with my Mom & Dad and Mike & Melissa before they went back to Chicago. We had such a great time, Maggie said it was her 2nd favorite, her 1st of course being Disneyland. The kids were very brave and tried out most of the rides without knowing what they were getting themselves into, but found that they liked most of what they tried. Maggie prefers the carousel, Johnny loves the roller coasters land prefers the exciting rides more than Maggie, and poor Josie just watched in jealousy as the kids played. It was a fun day and the kids are already looking forward to going again next summer and every time we pass Lagoon on the freeway they just want to stop "on the way" to wherever we're going!