Happy Halloween 2016

It's been one of those years for us.....a good year but the struggles and challenges were with us every step of the way.  I kind of feel like Dory from Finding Nemo.........our motto has become "Just Keep Swimming!"

So I found it only fitting to have that be our theme for Halloween costumes this year.

We are a cute family that much is for sure!

I love these wild kids of mine. 

They often run my life and I struggle to find a balance and a place for me to be me.  But at the same time they are the best part of my life!  I love them so much!

Ella Jane watched the movie "Dory" and loved it!  She sat quietly the entire time the movie was playing in the theater.  So you can imagine her excitement to be Dory.  She is also very fond of getting candy so she was looking forward to the night she got to wear her costume and actually get candy!

Kiersten is such a good sport.  She even said, "Mom I love that we dress up in a theme as a family for Halloween!"  It does help that we always wear out costumes to Grammy Cluff's birthday/Halloween party.  Although this year our costumes got used a ton.  Even before we used them.  The kids all wore them during homecoming week, then the senior class borrowed them for their fair parade float, and then EAC had a Mr. EAC contest and all the fish costumes got used at that.  So I guess it's good that this was our theme this year.  I always like to have our costumes get lots of use and this year that did for sure.

Grant was very excited to get to be Nemo and have his dad be Marlin!

I didn't plan the costumes very well this year because I stuck myself in the extremely HOT wetsuit!!! Not a good idea when its 95 degrees outside for Halloween.  But I was trying to use up some stuff we already had and the kids all wanted to be different characters.

I sure love these boys!

I love this first born of mine!

Happy Halloween!

These Two....

.....are so fun together!

Hunter and Brody are the best of friends!

Tonight was the Junior High Halloween dance.  I love that they wanted to dress up in theme.  Hunter is a snorkeler and Brody is a shark.  When I dropped them off at the dance I noticed hardly any of the boys were dressed up but lots of the girls were.  I was happy that my boys have school spirit and wanted to dress up.  Sure makes your school experience so much more fun I think.  

Plus the girls really dig it so I'm not sure why more boys don't dress up.  

Hunter and Brody totally get it!

Love these two!

I am Awaiting Good News.

Just tonight I finished the application process for graduate school.  Statement of Purpose written, edited and rewritten.  Letter of Intent written, edited and rewritten.  Whew!  Those were my last two things needed and they are DONE!  Yeah.....feeling good!  Everything is submitted now I wait and see if I get in.  Fingers crossed!

I am hopeful that I will get in to the Master of Arts in Professional Counseling program at Liberty University Online.  It is a University out of Virginia but most of the classes are offered online.  There will be 3 separate week long intensives through out the program that will require me to actually go to the campus in Virginia.

I am nervous, excited, hopeful, and a little scared.  Just a slew of emotions as I await the news.  Say a prayer that I get accepted!!!

OH CRAP!

Literally it was crap!

It's no secret that Ella's favorite thing to do is pretend to be a puppy.  She does it all day long!  It is generally very cute and funny.  Tonight she came in from playing in the backyard.  She was naked and super excited!

She was shouting, ""Mommy I poop outside like a puppy!"  Like it was some big accomplishment.  I ask her to show me where and this is what find.

Yep indeed she did poop and pee outside just like a puppy!  HAHAHAHA!

She is going to kill me when she gets older and sees this in our family book but I had to post it!  Ella was so excited that I couldn't be mad but we did have a little talk about not pooping and peeing outside again.

It was pretty funny this time.  It won't be so funny if it becomes a habit.  Can you imagine her at the park.....dropping her pants and pooping.  LOL!

My Favorite Sunday of the Year

The primary program is my most favorite Sunday of the year!  This was the first time in several years that I haven't been a part of the program either as a teacher or as the primary chorister.  It felt a little strange to not be up there on the stage with my primary kiddos!

Logan and Mr. Grant rocked their program!

Logan memorized Genesis 1:26-27 and said it perfectly.  Grant told his favorite scripture story about the 2,000 stripling warriors.  It was about 5 sentences and he said them perfectly!  I was so proud of them.  I just love this Sunday because nothing bring the spirit faster than primary children sharing their testimonies through beautiful songs!  Our ward does a great job of finding really powerful songs to add to the program.

I cried like 6 times during the program.  I just love these primary kids and the spirit was strong.  Kiersten even leaned over to me and said, "Wow, the primary kids singing really brings the spirit!"  So true!

It was a beautiful sacrament meeting!

Kiersten & Alec Judd

I just have to say Kiersten is making this "having a teenager thing" so easy!  She is such a good girl!  She is amazing in so many ways!

She has so many good friends.  Alec Judd being one of them! 

 We like this kid and his entire family!

Even though Kiersten is a great kid just looking at this picture makes me sad.  I am not ready for her to grow up.  And I am defiantly not ready for her to date!!!  Less than a year........both of us are counting down, but for different reasons.  HAHAHA!

Do I Have an 8th Grade Girl in Volleyball?

Ummm no I do not.  But I am mom, or adopted mom, to most of the cheerleading group pictured right here.

This boys are awesome!!!

I gave half of them a ride to the Thatcher Middle School gym to go support their classmates in the championship game against Thatcher.

The girls ended up getting second.  But winning against every team but one all season is nothing to hang your heads about.  Way to go girls we are so proud of you!!

Can you just imagine how fun these boys are going to be when they are in high school?  They know the value of school spirit already!!  Love them!

And I guess when you are the captain of the cheer squad that means you throw a party for the volleyball players?!?  Not sure how this happened but we did end up having all the volleyball players over that night for treats, a movie (which they talked the whole way through), and some games of laser tag!

This 8th grade class is awesome!

Oh Man

This morning as I was doing Ella's hair this morning she tells me,

 "Please be soft Mommy!"

I told her I would......man she has a tender head!

When I was finished she told me, "You did a great job!"

It just made me laugh.  This little lady keeps me on my toes for sure.   She is bringing so much spunk and fun to my life and our family!

So glad for once I "did a great job!"

Love AZ

I love Arizona!

Even though I never imagined I wouldn't get the opportunity to live in another state, I am grateful this is the state I get to spend my time living in.

The sunsets are amazing!

Love AZ

I love Arizona!

Even though I never imagined I wouldn't get the opportunity to live in another state, I am grateful this is the state I get to spend my time living in.

The sunsets are amazing!

Grammies Halloween Party

It's that time of year again and Grammie threw another great Halloween/Her Own Birthday Party!!

Dressed up as Finding Nemo theme this year.

What a cute family Melissa and Chris have!  Don't they look awesome in their Star Wars costumes!

Love Mani and Spencer as a Hunter and his Doe!  Can't believe they will be moving to Reno soon.  I will miss my visits with Mani so much!  I sure love her!

Can you believe we were granted the privilege of having Kim Kardashian and Kanye West at Grammies party.  And Kim brought along her surgeons and everything....hahaha.

We all died laughing seeing Brian as a black man.  He played the part well........and of course Tif makes the perfect Kim.  But Tif is way prettier than Kim is!

Clown circus theme party!

So funny that on the year when "the clowns" are terrorizing the U.S., mom picks to be clowns.  It was pretty funny coincident.  

So glad Grandma B was able to come down.  It is always wonderful to get to see her and visit with her.  She is a woman I admire so much and every time I talk to her it just makes me lover her more and more.  She is the perfect grandma in my eyes!

What AMAZING grandparents my kids get to have!!!

These two really set the bar high for what grandparents should be like.

Kristen is so sweet and she always has extra kids in tote!

Instead of a haunted house, this year Christi hired a magician to come.  

He did a fabulous job!  This is Grant getting to help with a magic trick.

All the kids with the magician.

Amy's family looked cool as stick people!

It was funny when they would dance in the dark.

Always got to have a picture with Grammie and Grampie!

Here are the two Players and their Mario characters.  Love it!

The kids love the games at Grammies party.  Hunter was so excited to get to help run a game this year.  After the party he said, "That was so awesome.  I actually feel like I helped out grammie tonight!"

Love this sister-in-law of mine.  She is so amazing.........she works, she does such fun and creative things with her kids, she supports her husband in all his hobbies, she is always there to give a listening ear or a word of advice.  So blessed to have her in my life!

And this little guy is just a heart breaker!!!

Oh how I love this little Maverick!

See this is proof we have a fun mom!!!!

It was a fun, fun party!

Kaely and I had a great time blowing up the balloons for the kids!  Good times!

What kind of person buys everyone else a gift for their own birthday party you might ask?!?  Well an amazing one that's who.  And I am lucky enough to get to call her Mom!

She is a great mother in law!

Happy birthday Mom!!!

Last Beach Day

It was a chilly overcast day but that did not stop us from enjoying the beach!

I sure love this family of mine!

Our boys could careless that the water was freezing and that the sun wasn't even out to warm you up. They spent hours boogie boarding and then riding their scooters up and down the boardwalk.  I was cold just watching them out in the water.  I might have spent my day relaxing with a sweat shirt on....hehehe.

Ella got buried and was pretty happy about it!

A guy walking by gave the boy each a sand dollar.  Stacy said she had never seen sand dollars on Pacific Beach.

Ella loved collecting seashells!!!

That night Justin and I got the kids settled at the condo and then went out the dinner and stopped for dessert at a place called "CREAM."

You pick cookies and then pick you ice cream....

Then add a topping like almonds and enjoy!  Yummy!!  It was seriously so good!  I cookies were perfectly cooked.  It was a fun way to end the trip.  Stacy was tired and needed to get started cleaning up their condo so it was just Justin and I.  Kind of nice to go on a short little date while on a family trip.  The trip was really fun and were are so grateful that the Harmon's invited us to join them!