Trunk or Treat 2010

Every year our ward does a “trunk-or-treat.”  Every year it snows!  Okay, not every year.  Of the 8 years I had lived in Wellsville 4 of those years it has been snowing. Please, it’s October!! 

I live among the best people in the world.  I am truly grateful to live and serve with families that I love and am so comfortable raising my children around.   I feel like I have the best church job in the world because I get to provide fun, meaningful activities for the families in my ward.  I didn’t get a lot of photos, Jeff got a few.  So.. for further photos you may  have to stock Kim’s blog!

Many of you remember Taylor last year on Halloween… The Old Man.  I thought it was just a phase and this year we would go back to some classic, cute and trendy costume.  But OH NO…

Last year….  (I love Reagan leaning on the walker)

This year….

A Sumo Wrestler!  And by the looks of this photo she and Brytan should be in the National Geographic magazine!  SO WEIRD!  Taylor and Brytan came up with this idea several months ago and they did not disappoint.  So funny!

Jord opted to be a Witch this year and it was the year of the Witch.  Jordan, Samantha and their friend Olivia all dressed up at witches.   Jordan has the best primary teachers in the world!  I mean it!  They embrace and love these girls and trust me that is no easy task.  There are 11 girls that age and they ALL have big personalities.

Jordan, Samantha, Sister Sorenson and Olivia.

Here are a few other random photos.

Thanks to Jeff for helping out so much.  Also to Kim and Shea for getting my girls ready and helping out so much!  Hold on to your seats… in the next few days we have class parties, school carnivals, trick or treating and a party at Grandmas. 

Happy Birthday Chaser!

Happy Birthday Chase!  I don’t want to start out negative BUT.. It really sucks having Chase so far away.  As most of you know he is a Sophomore at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA.   I have been working very hard on perspective lately. For example, when my girls are fighting about who wants to wear the red bow I try to feel grateful that I have children!  When the house is a disaster and I feel like it is pushing me over the edge..  Grateful I own a home!  Okay, you got it..  So here is how it applies to Chase.  When my heart hurts that he is living so far away I feel grateful Chase has such an incredible opportunity, that he is SO smart and can get an education from such an incredible University.

I truly am grateful for Chase.  He is one of the brightest lights in my life.  He is funny, hard working, friendly and has an incredible sense of humor.  Chase is athletic, persistent and is not afraid of anything.  The younger kids think that Chase is the “coolest ever.” They are right.

Chase loves to snow board and is very talented.  Here he is with his good friend Cade Huskinson.  I love that picture!  Chase also loves to wake board and can do an entire front flip on the water.

Taylor and Chase on our cruise this past summer.

Who knows??  Like I said: Chase is funny!!!

Happy Birthday to Chaser!  Thank you for being such an incredible young man (now I sound like my mom).  Thank you for texting me sometimes just to say Hi and you miss me.  Thank you for being so great to your dad and the rest of the kids.  Thank you for working so hard in school.  Thank you for allowing me to love you and hover even though it probably drives you crazy.  Thank you for making me laugh!  I can’t wait to see you!!

I love you Chase!

Island Park

So.. Most of you who know me know that I prefer a beach to the mountains and a hotel to ANY form of camping.  You all know that I DREAD car rides and usually feel like no amount of beautiful scenery is worth being a referee to children in the car.  Given that one would imagine that the following post would not be so favorable. However…

We went to Island Park and Yellowstone over UEA and it was one of the most beautiful, best experiences ever!  Jeff and I took our 3 youngest children.  We left on Friday and picked up Mitchell and went to visit Jeff’s mom.  Her heath is very poor and often when we visit she is not fully aware we are there.  Not so this weekend!  She had me in stitches!

I love Mitchy in the upper right.  What a sweetheart!  He is such a sweet tender kid.

After that we went to Mitchell’s school fall carnival.  We didn’t get photos but it was a great time.  The kids played games, jumped in a bouncy house and went through a haunted house.

That evening we headed to Island Park.  We stated in a beautiful cabin and I would LOVE to take my entire family there!!  The kids drank hot chocolate every night, sat in the hot tub and we had smores.

On Saturday we went to Old Faithful and West Yellowstone.  I have not been to Old Faithful since I was a kid!  It was incredible!

As you can see from the photos it was a bit chili!  It rained at times but never really significant.  When looking at these photos all I can say is I look like a dork!

We also say geysers and countless animals.  Okay, not countless.  The kids kept a running tally and to be exact we saw:

75 Bison, 9 elk, 1 swan, 1 bald eagle, 1 blue jay, 2 ducks, 1 beaver, 1 fish, 1 vulture, 3 crows, 1 mule deer, 1 moose and 17 geysers.  The moose was the highlight for me but all the animals were amazing!

It was getting dark when we saw the moose so we did not get a good photo of him.  He was incredible!!!  We also spent a couple of hours shopping in West Yellowstone.  Jeff gave each of the kids some money and they bought stuff.  Mitchell bought a new gun, big surprise there!  Taylor bought ANOTHER porcelain doll, again big surprise!  Jordan (who always surprises me) bought a small horse, some magnets and one of those Russian stacking dolls..  That girl has a mind of her own.

On Sunday we went to Johnny Sack’s cabin and Mesa Falls then came home.  Johnny Sack’s cabin is in Island Park and was built by a 4’ 10” man by hand in the 1930’s.  Mesa Falls is a huge, beautiful water fall and one of my favorite places!

As you can see I have photos.   The day before we left Jeff went and got us a new camera.  It was awesome! 

We had a great weekend and I felt so grateful to be so fortunate.  So fortunate to live so close to so many beautiful creations.  So fortunate to provide our kids with such wonderful opportunities.  So fortunate to be blessed with Jeff who is such a great provider, so hard working and so giving.   We were sitting at the bar of the cabin and Mitchy began telling us about a boy who was teasing him.  I teared up when I told the kids that is why they need to be especially good to each other.. in the end we are all each other have!

Fall Conferences & Big Accomplishments

Disclaimer (again):  PLEASE FEEL NO OBLIGATION TO ENDURE MY ULTRA LONG AND PICTURELESS POST!

I have NO camera.  Okay, well I have Taylor’s little cheap-o that aggravates me so much I just leave it the cupboard.  I am looking for a new one so anyone with suggestions..

I did not want to go without a post on school thus far.  We had our fall parent teacher conferences this week.  Both of my girls have been blessed with excellent teachers.  Not just good teachers, but excellent teachers.

Taylor has Rocky Maughan who has won awards on the national level.  He is an great teacher and an ever better example.  Hunter had Mr. Maughan last year and I will often over hear he and Taylor talking about stories he tells or things they have learned.  At SEP conferences Mr. Maughan said Taylor was an “absolute delight.”  I was not worried about her academically because I am anal and know exactly what all of her scores have been.  So.. I was excited to know she is in all the advanced academic groups and doing well.  I was even more thrilled to hear that Mr. Maughan had never heard a mean or negative word out of her mouth.  Not only that, on a few occasions she had confronted kids who were being mean to others.  For me (who is OH SO struggling with the hormones of a pre-teen) those were the best words I could hear.  The most important  trait I have worked to develop in my kids is kindness and good character.  I have not worked to have the best athlete or the best musician or whatever else can seem to cloud everything.  So, this was payday for me.  It may not last so I will take it while I can get it!!

Taylor also had a big accomplishment..  She was selected to be part of an orchestra group called “Ambassadors.”  It’s a group of 5th graders from the entire valley.  She worked and practiced SO hard and she was SO excited!  Congratulations to my sweet Taylor!

Jordan also has SEP conferences.  She too has an excellent teacher, Teri White.  Mrs. White has taught school for 27 years and has the same love for life as Jordan does.  She is also our Stake Primary President and that woman teaches school with the spirit!  I love my weekly volunteer time because she is so dynamic and genuine.  Jordan has really loved first grade.  She is the youngest student in the first grade and is doing really well academically!  We are working hard on some blending sounds, reading and spelling.  Jord is a math whiz and seems to have  a knack! Jordan has a set of twins in her class with significant special needs.  Mrs. White got tears in her eyes when she told me how often Jordan plays with Brady and Bradley.  Jordan had been intimidated by the boys at the beginning of the year but she loves them now.  Mrs. White also said that Jordan was “never a behavior problem” and always so “fun.”  WOW!  We all know Jordan’s intensity and many of us have been told off, shunned or rejected by Jordan.  So, again I was awed at her kindness.  Following our conferences last night I was again full of gratitude to live in such a wonderful place where my children can spend significant amounts of time with such great people!