The snow is finally here.

This is my poor, sick little buddy, wishing he was across the street sleigh riding with all the other kids.

I'm back...

...and not because I suddenly have a bunch of free time (my list is a mile long), but because I decided I was going to do two things today, for sure. #1. Make a post, and #2. Go for a run. Because I ran first you all get to read about something I thought about a lot during my run, but first I am going to update you on a few things we have been doing lately.

We went to a Gingerbread Bake Off. It was so fun and there were so many amazing creations. I did not know which one to share, but because I am feeling nostalgic today I picked "Candy Land." Doesn't it just bring back so many childhood memories? It does for me!

Damon got a haircut. He and Lori decided to see whose hair stood up the longest, before his was all cut short. I think she won.

We went to a fun Variety Show at the Institute. The reason for this picture (it's a milk fountain) is that my mom and I were just talking about some peoples heath concerns over chocolate fountains. I had just stated my opinion on the matter ("I think it is mostly young kids that double dip, that may worry people."). This is the moment my child, complete with fresh brownie crumbs all over his lips, dumps all the milk from his cup, which he has been drinking out of and re-filling for the past several min., back into the fountain. There was a good 3 or 4 gallons in there. We grabbed our treats and got the heck out of there. I hope nobody I know saw! So I guess if my theory is accurate, it is people like me who let their kids play in the fountains, who are probably causing all the problems. Opps!

This was a fun day. Damon loves the way I moved the furniture to make room for our tree. It creates a perfect little spot for his "cave," as he puts it (ya know a blanket "hut.") I finally joined him in "the cave" to read a book by flashlight. It was so fun. I felt like a kid again and for a few min. forgot about all my little stresses. I highly recommend it.

Now on to my run. I do a lot of thinking while running, and usually it is a lot more interesting and important than what consumed my thoughts today, but, even though I have already gone on and on, I will share it anyway.

Ya know when you see those products out there that claim to fight, both wrinkles and acne? And ya know how they get made fun of ("30 Rock," anyone)? Well, it seems that I am finding myself one of those people. I am 26 years old. Don't I get a few years when I can be free from both? It doesn't look like it. Does anybody else have this problem. Console me. And if you can't relate I still want a comment. It should read something such as "Sorry about your luck," "Hahaha," or I will even accept "Good luck with that." Let me know!

Thanksgiving!

Our celebrating started on Wed. when we went to the "Forgotten Carols." It was such a good way to bring in the holiday spirit.


Damon got a little restless near the end, but I think he had a good time. He insisted on sitting in the chair with the same number as his ticket. That meant that when I made him move closer to me (in an attempt to keep him quiet a few min. longer) we all had to search for our tickets and then find the one that had his number.


Thursday we had dinner at our house, which I think is great. My fridge gets filled with all the leftovers.


After our food settled we ran across the street to play football. It was such a nice day!

We had to end our day with a game of Monopoly. This was Damon as photographer, so it has that "looking up at everyone" charm, which only someone short can accomplish. At least we are centered.

My last November post. I am so grateful for my wonderful family and friends. Every one of them means so much to me, and I have something special to love in each of them. I am so blessed to be surrounded by those I love and be able to keep in touch with those who aren't so close.

These Boys!

Finally, the party we have been waiting for since our pretty invitation arrived on a silver tray, way back in September.

So much time and effort was put into this party, and we had a great time!

We got cute gift bags full of all things Twilight (my favorite is an "Overcast in Forks" umbrella), followed by food, nail painting, limos, a charity auction, The Movie, more food.... It was lots of fun. Of 250 guests, Tyler was one of about 5 guys. I am still not exactly sure why he wanted to come, especially since he likes to make fun of all my favorite parts of the books. But I think it is funny that...

...the same day Damon attended an "all girls"(save him) birthday party. I just don't know about these boys.

Today I am grateful for...

*This amazing thing we like to call "The Internet" - This week our dish was not working on T.V. Night (Thursday), and we were so glad we could at least crowd around the computer and stay caught up on all of our favorite shows. Just one of so so many reasons I love my computer! But, staying in touch with everyone far away is number one for sure!

Can you believe...

I went on a run, wearing shorts and a T-shirt, today! OUTSIDE!
I don't recall moving to a super sunny climate, and I think it's Nov., but one step outside and I'm not so sure!

So, today I am grateful for the nice weather, but also a little freaked out!

Insideout and Backwards...

...was the theme of a party Lori and I attended last week.

It was really funny to see what everyone came up with. This was our take.

BTW: Jeans are so funny inside out, and very comfortable (I think it is the lack of seams). The front pockets are out of control. The tops were not so comfortable, especially the jacket.

Today I am so grateful for MY BOYS, Tyler and Damon! They are so sweet to me. I am so lucky to be able to spend time with them each day.

Confession....

... I am currently listening to Josh Groban belt out Christmas tunes, and thought I would share this cute pic of Damon last Christmas.



The season always passes me by too quickly, so this year I am getting an early jump on things (wish I was so good about my Christmas shopping.) This isn't to say I am forgetting about Thanksgiving. I am very excited and started planning a menu just today (before I put the Christmas C.D. in). What kinds of things do you have to have for Thanksgiving Dinner?

Today I am grateful for...

*Tyler giving me this C.D. last year, and

*Joshy's lovely voice.

Who's Ready...?

Christmas is so close already. The sights and sounds are all over and I really thought by now I would have more done.




















I had a little nudge last week when Lori asked me to go with her to a Christmas Gift craft night. The Christmas treats were so yummy and we got a bunch of really cute, and inexpensive gift
ideas.























This bag was one of the items that was really fun to make, and so easy. I thought I'd share the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 fabric placemat
2 yds. of ribbon
bow (or any cute embellishment)

Directions:
Sew on the ribbon and bow, stitch up the sides, and add a little notch in the inside to create a flat bottom. So easy!

It would be a perfect scripture bag. If I had a daughter she would have one in every color.

Know any other cute gift ideas? Let me know!


What am I grateful for at this moment?

-my sewing machine
-the phone call I just had with my cute sis!
-seeing my mom today
-dinner with Lori and Ryan last night
-preparing for the holidays
-chocolate

Voting, Fuel, and An Orange!

I don't want to get too political, but I would like to say that I have always taken pride in my ability to vote. I am disturbed by the fact that yesterday brought out record numbers of voters. It makes me sad that it takes crisis for people to decided to do something.









Good Example: Why is it, that it takes gas to jump above $4.00 a gallon for people to finally decide we need to look at alternate fuels? Things like this really upset me. Why can't we all just want to be our best, and do our best all the time?









Now, because I always find comfort in listing things I am grateful for, and because of the fun holiday we have coming up, I want to dedicate all of my November posts to something I am grateful for at that moment! They may be deep and meaningful, or small and simple. Whatever strikes me, I guess.

Today: Oranges!

Story: A couple weeks ago Damon really wanted an orange. I decided to pay the 60 cents and get one. We were not impressed. Now suddenly the days are shorter, the weather is colder, and I can buy a whole bag of delicious oranges for $3.50. The thing I am really grateful for today is that we can get fresh fruit, and any food for that matter, up here in the icy, cold mountains any time of the year. We do still need to be aware of the seasonal items, like oranges, but when they aren't available something else always is. Lucky!

Lots of Fun on Halloween!

............................................................"Yabba Dabba Dooooo!"...................................................................

......................................................................"I am Ninja!"............................................................................

Local Twilight Footage

We are so excited about a party we are attending for the upcoming "Twilight" movie. Here is a story a local news station did on the event. Don't ask what is going on with my eyes. Tyler says it's fine, but I think he is just trying to make me feel better. What's done is done, and interviews on T.V. are hard!

Beautiful Weekend!

Damon was pretty sad when he had to miss his last three soccor games, two of them because of bad weather. So, we were so excited that the day of his last game was so nice. He had lots of fun playing soccor and when I asked him what he liked most he said, " All the running around!" Hmmm! I wonder, when he has to choose between cross country and soccor, what he will do?




Also this weekend, Lori's friend had a Halloween party.


This was Damon's favorite place, right by all the food and candy! Tyler and I needed to leave for a few min. and Damon really wanted to stay. You can guess why! He was nervous around a few of the scary costumes, but it must have been worth it to eat all the candy he could sneak.

While we were gone he learned to "bob-for-apples".

He decided to use the stem! I thought that was a pretty smart idea for a five year old! He is very logical. I missed the actual competition, but I guess he did pretty well against all the twenty-somethings. I don't think they knew his trick!

Also while we were gone he really "worked it" on the dance floor! We left a shy little guy by the food bar and came back to a wild one. I think he got a lot of encouragement from all the single girls!

What we're up to...

It is hunting season yet again. Not my favorite time of the year! I have my many complaints, especially now that Tyler makes me go, but there are a few things I do enjoy. The sweet clothes, and spending time in the beautiful outdoors. Okay the first one is on the con's list, but I really did enjoy spending time breathing in the fresh mountain air. I'm just glad I didn't have to shoot anything.
Now on to better news, this is my cute niece, Ellie. She will be spending 4 days a week with Damon and I. We are having lots of fun with her.
Damon likes to show me what a big helper he can be. He really enjoys helping Ellie play. He is very cute with her, and is learning to be patient with babies.

Turn that frown, upside down!

After a short summer, and approximately 2 days of fall...

...this is what we had to deal with this weekend. Damon was much more excited than I was expecting. The first thing he said was, "Will you turn me into an Eskimo?" So I did! He played outside in the snow all day.

On the brighter side Damon has been much more interested in something I love to do, especially when it is cold outside. Curl up with a good book! Now that Damon has started school he has been much more interested in trying to read, by himself. I couldn't be happier. I love that he is making a good habit while he is young, and it is really cute to watch. Also this weekend, he was pretty sad when Terk popped one of his balls. But, he quickly turned that frown upside down, by turning that ball into his new "Thinking Cap." He wore it all day whenever he picked up a book. It was pretty funny!

Fun Fall Weekend!

We had my family visiting this weekend and had lots of fun enjoying the season, and listening to Conference. It was so nice to hear some positive words. Especially since there is so much stress and negativity everywhere you turn.
We were able to see Taylor's final football game. It was so fun to watch him play and really nice that most of the games where here in town. We got to see a lot of them.

We also enjoyed some of the Halloween Items while shopping. It is always a little strange when Halloween meats Politics, isn't it? Maybe it is just me! Funny though.

Damon and I picked a safer route.

Fun and Games!

We love playing games! Damon has been really into them lately. Here are a few pictures from just the last couple of days. We also frequently play Life, Monopoly Jr., Uno Attack, and Memeory.
Does anybody remember Splat? This is a second-hand game from a long time ago. All it needed was some new Play-Doh and some Dice. We also had to make a slight variation since the cards are missing. No problem, we got it figured out, and have lots of fun! Who doesn't love making little bugs out of Play-Doh and then smashing each other with a big hand that says "Splat"?

"Cootie," another classic from my childhood. They made a few updates, but it is still the same old game. And, this one is still on the shelfs.

Any other fun games that can be enjoyed by kids as well as their parents? Let us know!

Crazy Hair Night!

Lori and I are in a group of girls who meet once a month to play games. We had a crazy hair theme last night at our house and Damon really wanted to be involved. He wanted lots of big spikes all over and I think his hair turned out the best in the end. It was a lot of fun!

Family Home Evening Activity

GUITAR HERO!

Damon is actually really good! He doesn't get that from his momma!

Spiderman Does Yoga?

At our house he does.

A couple of weeks ago Damon asked for a Poweraid. I reminded him they were for after working out. So, he ran to his room, put on his Spiderman suit (which is getting very ragged), and told me he would be downstairs on my mat. When I checked on him a few min. later this is what I found. I only wish I had gotten some more good pictures before he saw me.

Damon was so cute doing his yoga. I just love that he rolled out the mat, found some poses, and tried them out all by himself!

I know fall is coming.

The pear tree is about to fall over from the weight of all the fruit and,

Damon had his first soccor practice today.

I love this time of year!

Back to School Night

On Monday we had "Back to School Night" for Family Home Evening. We were excited to have family show up and share the night with us. Damon and Devon helped make pizza and then we talked about our theme for the new school year: "Be Your Best!" I will be continuing to remind Tyler and Damon of our theme throughout the year and hopefully they will also remind me.

Sending Damon to School

Can Damon really be old enough to go to Kindergarten? He was pretty excited that first day.
Can you guess what his favorite color is? Yep, BLUE!

I dropped him off the first day. I knew I wouldn't want to leave, so after class started, I hovered outside the door for a few min., fighting back tears. It was fun to watch him interact with the other kids, and I felt like I had composed myself. Then his teacher asked who was nervous about coming to school. She called on Damon to tell her why. He said, "I didn't want to leave my mom." That did it. I had to find the nearest exit as quickly as I could. I stumbled, through my tears, to the car and had a good cry. Then I wondered why I had planned on running errands after I dropped him off. However, I wasn't about to let my puffy eyes keep me from getting things done, so off I went.
Thank goodness for big sunglasses to hide behind.

Tuesday was the day to put him on the bus.

I was able to handle things a little better. A new exciting adventure for Damon. He was, again, very excited.

Doesn't that bus look way too big and Damon way too small? Maybe it's just me!