This is Halloween

I love me some Halloween! We had a little pumpkin carving party on Tues. and it was great fun! We blasted some "Nightmare Before Christmas" and displayed our best knife skills. We also discovered, in our attempt to find the perfect pumpkins, the Winco in all it's money saving glory. That night, we also got our first snow for the year. It was cold but beautiful and the smell of the wet grass, candles in pumpkins and FALL was intoxicating.

Mckinley made a beautiful brightly markered pumpkin.

Mimi, Papa, Britty and Brayden were able to share in the festivities.

Mark- joined Mc in just "drawing" on his pumpkin and decided to place it so lovingly in the back of the pack because it was the "reject" pumpkin.

All lit up...my favorite part of Halloween!

Retraction- Princess style

In my previous post, I had mentioned that Mckinley seemed disinterested in all things Princess. That WAS until Miss Kate, graciously gifted her with a box of Disney Princess Dress ups. At first, she was mainly interested in the rings, "pearl" necklace and bracelets but then she discovered the dresses. Since Monday, we have had the Aurora/Sleeping Beauty dress and crown as the daily staple. She LOVES it. Just glad that I was able to catch Mckinley discovering her "inner princess" with the camera.

One year older and wiser too....

10:22 AM and you made your entrance into the world. I should have known that being six (Yes, SIX!!) days late, this would set the pace for the stubborn, strong willed little girl that was entering our lives. You were an angel- a stork bitten, blond angel and all ours. What a blessing you are and we are so thankful you chose us to raise you and be with you on your journey.

Some things we love about you right now-


1) You love go-gurts!


2) No princesses or dollies at this house. You are all about "dine-saurs" and "dagons".


3) You love bath time and to "schwim". Your little nakey bum is so edible!!


4) "Shoes on", "shoes off"- a pretty good indicator of if we are staying or going.


5) You love to be outside!


6) You are learning to "snuggle"- every now and then we (daddy more often) get a few minutes before bed time.


7) You can count to 10- "seben" is my personal favorite.


8) You are the master of unscrewing, uncapping and opening anything.


9) You love "pretties" and to put on lip gloss and chapstick.


10) You are so empathetic and compassionate to others.


WE LOVE YOU! Happy 2nd Birthday, Mickey Doo!

You call me a WITCH as if it's a bad thing

Living in Utah definitely has it perks and I can now add one more to the list-- WITCHAPALOOZA!! We had an excellent time @ Gardner Village for a ladies night- myself, my mother, Bree, Heidi, and Kelly. We met together Saturday afternoon to embellish our own hats- feather boas, glitter, ribbons and bows, and then met @ 5:30 to visit with other witches and bask in the Halloween decor @ all the fabulous little shops. The show commenced @ 7:00- food, singing and a great show! The theme was "Ghosts of Withes Past" (cleverly adapted from "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past"). It was great! We had so much fun singing along, dancing and just enjoying each other's company. I can't wait to go next year and now that we know there are people that go WAY beyond black clothes and green face paint, I will be on the look out for a sweet dress and witch shoes for next year.

Until next year ladies-" i'll get you my pretties!"

My mother and my sister and I.

The Witches!

Just a little patience

I guess I started this post below last week...never posted it. I think I got too busy or Mckinley threw her lunch on the floor or something. She has become quite challenging (no need for "I told you so's") but it seems like sometimes that EVERYONE makes a comment about how "active" our child is. She tests my patience pretty much everyday and I sometimes wonder how in the world can I handle working from home (40 hours a week), handling a toddler who needs constant attention or she is coloring on the wall( herself, the couch, the dog), and then eventually, having another child at home.

**I started today with a goal of not using the word "no" to Mckinley. That goal got chucked out the window at 9:34 AM, as she dumped crushed up goldfish crackers all over my new leather ottoman. My patience has been super thin lately and I am really not sure why. Yes, she is a toddler--the phrase "Terrible Twos" is all too familiar but it is funny, I pray for patience and to be a better Mother and it seems like the Lord sends those tantrums and screaming fits as a "test".

I went and listened to Stephanie Nielson (nieniedialogues.blogspot.com) @ BYU last night. First off, that is one kooky place. Nerdy kids all over sporting their BYU blue- I hope the Aggs beat them! :) Second, I went with my sister-in-law, Marianne (who bless her heart is the Young Women's President) and a bunch of 16 year olds texting and rambling about Taylor Swift...wow was that agonizing ( is that what I have to look forward to?!?!?). Anyway, Stephanie was amazing. What an inspirational spirit. She just radiates- now, for reals, I am not just "drinking the Kool-aid" and on this kick....I have followed her blog for a long time and think she is really a great example of patience and the kind of mother I want to be.

Here it is 10:15- still have a few hours left to work, Mark was a dear and has mopped the floor and dusted the furniture...I have to give that man mad props too. He is super receptive to my Mt. Saint Helens breaking points. He comes home from a 12 hour day, takes Mc without complaint and let's me do my thing. I am sure I am not the easiest to live with most days but he really is my match and is able to talk me off the ledge.

Anyway- there you have it. A not so fluffy post and kind of a glimpse into the craziness of my life. So next time you see me, take a look at the cuticles- They are a pretty good judge of my stress level and right now, they resemble something close to ground beef.