since i didn't have enough going on

with a move in a week from today, we decided to throw jaden a surprise birthday party tomorrow. the kids will already have been fed pizza at the primary program rehearsal so then we're going to kidnap a few of them and turn them into pirates...
rumor has it, there's some buried treasure somewhere around these parts so we're going to make em' find it:
then we'll feed em' some cake and send em' home w/ their booty!

a few more of the a-dults:

jaime, i was a witch

micah as mr. darcy/joseph smith

we went to a costume party, too where i was a witch and micah was my broom.

but remember, no camera.

look. we got a new camera

so now i have some pictures to show you:

HALLOWEEN 2009

batman for trunk or treat
























skateboarder, who chose to watch the costume parade this year.

































this is jack. from the nightmare before christmas. he won 1st place at micah's office pumpkin carving contest. the dilapidated look just gave it more character i guess. and yes there were other contenders, good ones, too i hear. it was even anonymous. our jack 0 lanterns didn't fair too well this year.














this is how they looked after 2 days. the other one is beckam's wolf, which was super cool but you'd never know if from this view would you? too bad we didn't get our new camera until after carving night!!

Trick or Treating

shadow ice wolf ninja.

guess who?

alfalfa, petey and froggy

asher was such a social little trick or treater. he wanted to stay and visit w/ everyone. i imagine he thought it quite rude to take candy from these people and then just leave!! he also wanted to eat each piece of candy as it was given to him. i'm sure he thought he'd died and gone to heaven. he even kissed each ghost that lined the walkway to one house going back to some just in case he missed them. he was so cute.
of course the other boys had a blast, too and their hard work trick or treating literally paid off. they were very selective in how much candy they ate so as not to decrease the weight of their buckets!! they were rewarded $15 each by a local dentist who offered $5 for every pound of candy!!

so one of my bestest besties ever, jenny has just launched an educational video game rental company providing monthly rental plans for 8 leapfrog and VTech game systems. her company works very similarly to Netflix and Gamefly. you rent the games, play them all you want for as long as you want and then return them.

read an article about them here. and go check out her website. then rent some games!!

if you didn't make it to monterey to visit us,

you should have! cause now it's too late (unless you're melissa white who pre-booked w/ us for the photo shoot she's coming to do for us on nov. 5). we're moving back to bakersfield in 29 days...by choice. yes. and it will be a great opportunity for our family so we're excited. and my kids can hardly wait to be close to their cousins. after i told beckam's preschool teacher, i said, "yeah, he's sad to leave." to which he replied, "NO, I'M NOT!! I'M SO EXCITED!!" well then, there you have it.

mondays are my least favorite

but it was a productive day: boys bedding changed, their room picked up (x10), a good long phone conversation w/ a bestie, 3 loads of laundry folded and put away, linen closet organized (again), towel drawer in kitchen organized, 3 more loads of laundry washed, two bathrooms cleaned, dishwasher unloaded, reloaded, big dishes washed, games played w/ boys, ninja-moves demonstration watched, homework done.

i like having monday as my workday because it makes the rest of my week a little easier (and cleaner) but it's also the reason monday is my least favorite day of the week. and the reason cooking on monday night is a challenge. the last thing i want to do is make a big mess that will have to be cleaned up (okay so a lot of nights feel like this but i usually do it anyway).

but tonight called for in-n-out. except that on our way to in-n-out we saw denny's. well micah saw denny's and we all agreed on that instead. because when is that last time we've eaten at denny's? and you can get breakfast for dinner!

so there we were. micah and i and three wild banshees seated in our booth. and the first set of silverware fell under the table. then a second and a third. and you know what it's like having a 2 year old out to eat. they want to sit by dad, no mom, no the high chair, not the high chair, so they have to go out w/ dad, now they're back and he wants the salt, to taste the salt, then the waiter shows up but the two year old steps on a big brother's finger so he's back in the high chair whether he likes it or not. but he doesn't like it so he's crying....and there's the waiter. still waiting. ever so patiently (thankfully). and i know that all 3 sets of eyes in the restaurant are on us: that family at the back of the restaurant.

then the 4 year old has to go potty so i take them all for a little diversion, flashing a quick smile as i pass the other 3 patrons. when i return, we have the place to ourselves (not surprising). micah asked if the man talked to me on his way out. i said, "no. why?" and micah said, "because he talked to me." this sweet older man came over not to impart his words of wisdom, not to criticize but to express a job well done for our diligence. for not dismissing or ignoring the misbehavior but trying to correct and teach. micah responded by saying it didn't feel very productive. the man assured him that there are rough nights but sticking w/ it is what matters. he left by saying we just needed to hear that tonight. and boy was he right! how nice it felt to hear a heartfelt expression of confidence rather than feeling a silent harsh judgment. i love that man and want to remember to be like him!

this incident reminded me of Elder Bednars talk from general conference. here are some excerpts:

....Sometimes Sister Bednar and I wondered if our efforts to do these spiritually essential things were worthwhile. Now and then verses of scripture were read amid outbursts such as “He’s touching me!” “Make him stop looking at me!” “Mom, he’s breathing my air!” Sincere prayers occasionally were interrupted with giggling and poking. And with active, rambunctious boys, family home evening lessons did not always produce high levels of edification. At times Sister Bednar and I were exasperated because the righteous habits we worked so hard to foster did not seem to yield immediately the spiritual results we wanted and expected.
....Sister Bednar and I thought helping our sons understand the content of a particular lesson or a specific scripture was the ultimate outcome. But such a result does not occur each time we study or pray or learn together. The consistency of our intent and work was perhaps the greatest lesson—a lesson we did not fully appreciate at the time.
....Each family prayer, each episode of family scripture study, and each family home evening is a brushstroke on the canvas of our souls. No one event may appear to be very impressive or memorable. But just as the yellow and gold and brown strokes of paint complement each other and produce an impressive masterpiece, so our consistency in doing seemingly small things can lead to significant spiritual results. “Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (D&C 64:33). Consistency is a key principle as we lay the foundation of a great work in our individual lives and as we become more diligent and concerned in our own homes.

i love elder bednar, too! and i also want to remember that sometimes you can see productivity like on mondays and it looks great. but a lot of times you can't see it and it's still there. that's really important and i must remember that especially!

our coastal cowboy.

in memory of the curls:

these pics arrived in my inbox today and made me so happy. they reminded me of our fabulous trip to nebraska (where they were taken). the boots you see above were found a the local thriftstore for $4 along w/ a matching pair for asher for the same price.

we stayed at ft. robinson, (see link) an old military fort with a lot of history. it was beautiful and there were so many fun things to do. we took a hayride up to the buttes for a chuck wagon breakfast where the boys mountain climbed to their hearts content, we went horseback riding, and watched a rodeo where afterward the boys were invited to lie down on cowhide while holding on to a rope for dear life as they were drug behind a horse around the arena!

which is how i nearly ended up shortly before this picture below was taken. ms. maggie mae (nilsson) raced passed me yelling, "yah, yah" in my horse's ear who promptly heeded her command and took off in a dead run. i managed to stop him, one foot out of the stirrup just seconds before we disappeared into the tree you see. this is me giving her a friendly shove. punk.
we spent three days at ft. robinson w/ all 5 of micah's siblings, each of their spouses and their 8 hildren in a three story house. there were 10 kids sleeping on the 3rd floor in bunk beds and all of the couples had their own room. so. much. fun! there were lots of cousins and extended family in the neighboring homes, too.

one night we all sat out on the porch and reveled in the magic of the most incredible lightening and thunder storm (and were glad that brian wasn't electrocuted by the live wire that was knocked down by a fallen tree).

we then headed up through the black hills of south dakota and custer state park to mt. rushmore. the drive was unbelievable. think wild buffalo grazing right along side of the road and big horn sheep literally running along side our car!! a tour through wind cave national park, the mammoth site and bear country usa were among other highlights of the trip!!

thank you kippy for getting us all there!! it was such a memorable experience!!