I love this man!

Can you see why I love this big hunk of love? For a chemist, he sure has a lot of personality! This was Mike after his last MUDDY football game. (I have yet to get his TORN shirt clean.) This was the first game I missed and from the sounds of it, Mike played really well. (Though he may be trying to impress me- as if the torn shirt wasn't enough!) His intramural team has made it to the championships!

Halloween

Colton was playing the part of a football player tonight at a party when he kept raiding the snack table. Those Dorito's sure are good!
Ready to GO! He hardly let that football out of his hands all night! He'll make a great running back!
Lydia was supposed to be a dog, but like all indecisive children, this afternoon she decided she wanted to be a princess. I guess she was Cinderella putting on her lost slipper.
Please excuse these pictures that are all out of order. Colton enjoyed carving a pumpkin and standing on the table. I think standing on the table was the best part for him.
Getting ready to hit those houses! Note who is wearing the dog costume.
Snarfing a cupcake from the cake walk. Colton is in the middle of the circle doing the same thing. I think my children like pastries.
Cupcakes Lydia and I made for the party we went to. The sort of fun, and easy treat I can handle. (spider webs if you can't tell.)
The result of a fun filled night. Lydia's bag on the left, Colton's bag on the right. We all have our priorities.
Carving the pumpkin.
A Pirate Party at school. They even dug up treasure in the playground sand. It was so cute!

Thank you Mama

A little gratitude goes a long way. The last two nights, Lydia has thanked me profusely for dinner. "Thank you Mama." She says repeatedly. I'm amazed at how happy it makes me to hear those three words coming out of her mouth. Never before has she noticed that night after night a meal is placed before her. Never before has it been acknowledged that I took the time to plan her meal. This is the payoff of being a Mom. Seeing your child grow and learn and become aware. I'm sure that when Lydia says thank you her gratitude is the result of a pleasant taste in her mouth and a full belly, but to me it means thank you for staying up all night to feed me when I was a baby. Thank you for giving me comfort when I have fallen down. Thank you for taking me fun places, getting the stains out of my clothes, cleaning up my spills and answering my incessant question of 'why?' Well Lydia, thank YOU for letting me be your mom.

I love autumn

The trees are turning colors and I LOVE IT! Mike was kind enough to act as chauffeur on a photo shoot where I got this picture as well as the last one. I love leaves crunching under my feet and watching them fall quietly to the ground
Along with leaves come those fun fall activities. We made bats out of black construction paper and hung them in the window. (Very exciting for a 3 year old.) Today we picked out a pumpkin and Monday we raked leaves for a widow across the street. Growing up in Idaho, I did not rake too many leaves. We raked the leaves from just one big old tree and it took us an hour. The pile was almost to my shoulders and about 10 feet long. When I took Lydia to school the next morning, the grass was covered again! I guess we will be back, but I think we are all excited about that because it felt so good to do some service.

A quick trip

As many of you know, I was in Idaho last week for my Grandma's funeral. Though my parents feel bad because they were busy with funeral arrangements and potato harvest, I had a wonderful time coming home. Mike had to stay in Indiana in order to finish some things up at school. The kids were great on the plane and excited to see their Grandma and Grandpa "playdough" The kids liked seeing Grandpa at work. What is cooler than driving tractors, motorbikes and big trucks around?
It was fun to see the potato harvest again. Nothing brings back memories like the smell of a dirt cellar.
This is a totally random picture. Colton loves this hat and always wants to wear it when we go out.
Swinging in the backyard at Grandma's. The kids will sure be excited when they can swing on the swingset Grandpa has made for them.
Oops, forgot to rotate this picture. Colton is in the rabbit cage. I had opened up the cage to give the rabbit the core of my apple, but Colton wanted to see the rabbit up close, and then that apple looked pretty good too, so he took a bite and then gave it back.
My brothers laying flowers on my Grandma's casket.
My siblings at the funeral.
Now I know these are not flattering pictures, but while I was home several people mistook me for my 9 years younger than me sister. We took these pictures one late night and I must say, we do look alike, even in our too tired I feel goofy state.

After our time in Idaho, we went down to Provo to see Mike's sister. Here are all the kids together enjoying popsicles.

We went to this fun place with all these trampolines all connected together. Afterward the kids were all very tired.

Not Enough

Today started as a "Not Enough" day. One of those days where everything you do, reflected in your own eyes, is not enough. I put on a shirt. One of my favorite ones. Granted, I wore this shirt in high school, which was 6 years ago. Reflected in my own eyes I saw baby chub and love handles. I vacuumed the floor. Reflected in my own eyes I saw carpet stains. I swept the kitchen. In my own eyes I saw the need to mop. After taking all this self inflicted abuse, I finally realized Satan was at work. I went upstairs and opened one of my favorite "power inspiring' books. 'No Doubt About It' by Sherri Dew. A few pages later, as I looked at that blue shirt hanging in my closet, I no longer saw baby chub. I saw a shirt that though loved, is old. In 6 years and 2 child births my body has changed. Of course my shirt isn't going to fit like it did when I was 18. I came downstairs and my carpet looked clean. Though I have not been in my kitchen yet, I'm not going to mop it today. Today, it looks "good enough" and today, I am good enough. I am a Daughter of God. I am raising children of God. I am cultivating talents and serving others. I am doing what I need to be doing in order to return Home. Today Satan will not have me, only the Holy Ghost. I much prefer what is reflected in my eyes when He is my mirror.

Me

The decorations for our last enrichment. (I was in charge.) It went really well and obviously had a back to school theme. We called it our "Show and Tell" night. We had displays that the sisters put together about themselves and a program with talents. I gave my mother's day speech.
Lydia's 5th day of school picture. (Since I didn't get a first day picture)
Now that Lydia is riding a bike with training wheels, Colton has taken over the tricyle and he LOVES it!
Star Trek was played at an outdoor ampitheater for the students, so we went and it was so much fun! I love doing things like that. Lydia happened to be awake when we left, so we took her. She fell asleep about halfway through.
Over Labor day we went to Ohio. Mike's sister's watched the kids so we could drive up to Kirtland. I love the spirit there. I came away feeling so fortified. I think I would have loved living in that time period and Mike says the same. To work with your hands and not have to deal with all the media. A much simpler life.
Colton wasn't too excited about his tractor ride.
Papa set up a special dinner for Mama's birthday. It was so much fun to sneak around and get everything ready. Mike's little sister might not say so though. She got in trouble for not helping Mama when she was working on getting things ready for Mama's date!
Best Buddies.

This last picture is for the photography blog I follow. The topic this week is 'Machine' I took this one because I feel like a dish washing machine. Every day . . . they never end. But, I have two hands that work, I have food that gets plates dirty.

The theme for last week was 'Me' At first, I thought of taking a picture of my dishes. ha ha. Well, I did get a picture of the dishes, but then I thought to myself, I am so much more than a dishwasher. I didn't want to just take a picture of my kids. (I have lots of those pictures.) Anyway, I took a picture of my hand, but it didn't turn out very well. My hands do all those things that make me 'me' I have my wedding ring, my painted fingernail (courtesy of Lydia.) Well, since my photo didn't turn out well, I thought I would post a poem I wrote this week. I enjoy writing, but I haven't done it in a long time. It's one of those things that makes me 'me.'

My son in my arms soon will not be.
First 5, then 12 and then 23.
The years of toiling and serving and sweat
Will end though I'm not ready yet.
Their innocence will slowly be lost like a dream
and with it my joy like milk from the cream
What will I do when my children move on?
Will my sense of fulfillment then be gone?
They are my life, my joy, who I am.
I, just a sheep, with my little lamb.

~Some of you have asked what photography blog I follow. It is missiontwentyfour.blogspot.com