Random

Here is a funny pic Chloe drew during Pictionary. Her word was "warm bed" so she draws me sweating, steam rising from the sheets and the fan blowing full blast. 

She was dead on.

We got our first snow the other day. It wasn't a lot but enough for the kids to be so excited. 

I wish I could say that things were amazing tho. Chloe has been struggling with the weather changes and having to wear more clothes. I have been struggling and have not been in the best mood. TJ hates his job and never really seems happy and the rest of the kids get dumped on so of course they are not happy. Plus I got some more depressing news today (more on that later) along with the news from my friend Kristy that she is moving in the Spring. Did I mention I hate change? To try and get myself out of this funk I gave myself a challenge to read the Book of Mormon before Christmas. Which would be cool cause that would make it 3 times this year but also hopefully bring the Spirit into our home. I'm trying to serve and think of others more because they say when you loose yourself in service you find yourself. 

Hopefully a trip to Arizona for Thanksgiving will throw us all back into happy mode.

Aussie

The weather is finally getting cold and riding our bikes to school has stopped and more layers are worn for running. The trees are naked and its feeling very holiday like. We have one more swim lesson for the kids and I am so impressed by all that they have learned. I also met a friend at swim lessons which I never randomly meet friends outside of being a neighbor or in my ward. She has 3 beautiful blonde little boys with long blonde hair and she has crazy curly blonde hair and she is so cute. She is from Australia and has the best accent ever! I have to stop myself from trying to talk like her when we talk. Turns out she used to live in Albuquerque for a couple of years while her husband worked at UNM. She said they loved it there and thought they would live there forever. You never really meet people who think that. Well I guess you would need to live there to like it but most people don't even ever visit there. She had done the balloon fiesta and loves my hometown! I just thought that was cool. And bonus she is not even a member, you don't find that all too often in Utah.

Homeless

TJ and I have tried to always give something to any homeless people we see pretty much where ever we go. Growing up I had always heard my dad say not to give money to people because they would just use it on alcohol or drugs. My dad was very generous tho and was always willing to give people work to do to earn money. I guess it always just bothered me because we can't really be sure what these people will spend your money on but our only job is to help if we can and hope for the best. The other night when we were walking in downtown Salt Lake we came upon a man and his daughter who was maybe around 4 years old. She was dirty and ragged and was sitting in a wagon eating out of some dirty container. My heart seriously just broke right there. It was cold out and just knowing that they didn't have a place to go home to that night just killed me. Tj and I looked at each other and he pulled out his wallet. All he had was a $50 and he didn't even hesitate to hand it to the man. The man looked at TJ with almost tears in his eyes and gave the most sincere thank you. I really had to hold back my own tears. I am so grateful for my warm home and food on the table and clothes on my back and school for my kids to be educated. SO very blessed!

I went with Chloe on her field trip to the Scera Theater to watch a play. Chloe was pretty excited I was able to go. We sat together on the bus which brought back so many memories it was crazy! Chloe and her friend planned to wear matching shirts that day. Chloe also got to go on a date with dad to the movies to see Big Hero 6. I'm so happy that this past week we took the time to take each child out and give them some quality time. Not only is it so good for them but its so good for me to be with them individually to see their cute personalities (which are so different when they are alone). 

That night the Wakefields asked us to go to the Jazz game with them. Scott gets pretty amazing seats from work, 4th row! And we got to go to the pre game dinner they have upstairs and also during half time we can go to a room where you can eat all kinds of snacks for free. We were high rolling that night! It was so fun, even though the Jazz lost. And before the game some news crew stopped us and filmed us giving a shout out to the Jazz and then they played it during half time on the HUGE big screen. We also took the tracks up there which I had never done before. We left all the kids with Mikey to watch which made me feel like kids were watching kids but Mike is great and I'm sure we will use him again.

Swimming lessons

I put all the girls in swim lessons this fall and it has been so nice to have them all in at the same time and they all LOVE going. Chloe wasn't so happy about it in the first place but after 5 min she was in heaven. They are all doing so well. Tallie's front and back stroke are really good (her teachers words) and the other day she was swimming the lap pool which seems crazy far and all the while doing her side breathing. Maybe I'll have her teach me how to swim one day. she is also now diving and she loves that. Chloe is really getting the hang of breathing with her strokes and she is like a fish. Lexi just loves being in the water and can float herself front and back forever and swim under water pretty far but has yet to show her teacher. At least she is having fun but I would love it if she showed her so then she would be in the right class actually learning stuff she doesn't already know. Its been fun.

November's weather has been so nice. We have hit up the park two days in a row. Love it when we can play outside.

Kasen turns 2!

These past 2 years have really flown by but yet it seems like a world ago when Kasen was born.

Kasen's birthday was kinda emotional for me. I was just feeling so blessed that we both were here to celebrate together. TJ and I were just talking the other night how it was a full two days after kasen was born that I was actually able to hold him for the very first time. Those two days are still so vivid in my mind and very fresh. I longed to hold my sweet baby in my arms yet feeling like death myself and so thankful I had sweet nurses to care and look over him. I just kept thinking about one of my like 50 ICU nurses who I can't even recall her name but it was because of her that I even got to see Kasen as early as I did. She was so moved and sad over my situation and pulled every string she could to get me to him. Babies cannot leave the NICU and no one can visit the ICU or leave. Somehow she did it. She must have spent like an hour just moving and reattaching all of my machines and drips and cords just to be able to make it possible for me to get in a wheelchair and then like 3 nurses to actually get me in it. The world literally stopped when I was able to hold my tiny baby in my arms. It was such a sweet memory that I will never forget and I love my nurse for making it happen. In two years we have had cords, heart monitors, hip checks, heart murmur checks, helmets and so on. But today I have a perfect little boy who is as sweet as can be who loves to cuddle and laugh. He is so easy and happy most of the time. He loves to follow his sisters around, play outside, play with anything trains, balls or cars. He is such a ray of sunshine in our home and I am so blessed he is my son.

He is starting to really talk now and sing songs. And still so easy to carry on my hip since he only weighs 21 lbs.

I love this boy!

Halloween

I have always loved dressing up and I did as often as I could for whatever reason I could growing up. My best friend and I were always being crazy and daring each other to wear the craziest/grossest crap. I often wore ridiculous outfits and shoes and very questionable things to junior high and highschool. So of course I love Halloween for that very reason. But as always my motto has always been "Halloween is not an excuse to dress scandalous or take off your garments". 

This year Chloe and I were Flo the Progressive lady from Tv. For Chloe, after so many compliments and comments of how cute she was or how funny her costume she broke down and cried and wanted to change. She does not like the attention or being called small and cute. I made Lexi a wig so she could be Boo from Monsters Inc but at the last sec she didn't want to wear it in fear that she would get laughed at. Also last min I got Kasen dressed up as the old man from the movie UP (we happened to have the balloons from his birthday) and Tj on his way home had stopped at the scout office and bought some stuff to be the Russle the kid from UP. Great minds think alike for it wasn't planned. I had to throw Tessa's costumes on here because I thought it was so funny! Soul Surfer is my favorite movie!

We were lucky to have Bob and Mona come to our house and hand out candy for us so we could all trick or treat together.

Date nights

The other night I took Tallie to the movies and saw Maleficent. She had wanted to see it so bad but I didn't think the other kids would sleep well if they saw it.

I just might have to say it very well could be on my favorite movie list.

Today Lexi and I (and Kasen our tag along), went to the mall and we rented these drivable animals. She got her own and Kasen and I on the other. We rode around the entire mall and got some sweet looks. It was really fun actually! We then played on the playground there and made wishes in the fountain and had lunch. We then stopped at the park to play with Tessa and Brightyn for her birthday today.

I died from laughing!

It had been such a long time since I have laughed this hard!

My back door neighbor, Scott, gave this wig to me and asked if I could cut it into Clark Kent's hair from superman. I told him I'd give it a whirl and TJ the lucky duck got to be my model.

He was being SO funny and gay with it on and I could not stop laughing while cutting it. I had tears rolling down my face. I pretty much butchered the whole thing but it was such a gross wig that it was the best it could have been. 

Such a funny night!