Halloween Extravaganza!

We had such a great time for Halloween this year.  I'm a little late, but I finally got all my pictures!  Can anyone tell what my apron says????

It's About Time!

Wow! I have totally slacked off in the blog department.  I think that is mostly due to having so much to say and no time to say it.  Well, I'm afraid I'll again have to sum it up.

AUGUST:  Vacation!!!  We went to Oregon (finally) for a freaking fantastic time.  We saw a whale outside our room every day but one--the day we were gone all day.  We also saw the world's largest sea lion cave, 2 light houses, and watched a man glass blowing.  The beach was cold and the water was FREEZING!  We loved every minute--except maybe the long drive and the boat.

Whale from our room!

View from our room!

More AUGUST:  I slipped away for a girl's weekend to St. George!  Then I ended the month with a fabulous birthday--in which I got that camera I hinted for.  :)

SEPTEMBER:  School started!  September ended.  (That was fast!)

OCTOBER:  Halfway over and I don't know where it even started.  We did manage to squeeze in some family photo time.  I posted my favorites on the left side of this blog.  I hope we get some great Halloween photos to include soon!

July in a Blur.

July was filled with outings--Library activities, Park excursions, Dick's program for kids, etc.  Most pictures were taken with my sisters' cameras (I need a camera I can stick in my purse--hint hint, Spencer) so I only got a couple from my phone camera (not a great camera).

Here are the kids watermelon-bowling.

Perhaps one of the most disturbing events of July was Ellsworth.

That's right.  Zander's cousin bribed him with candy so she could dress him up like this.

And then came August...

I Love Birthdays!

My sweet baby turned 2 on the 13th of this month!  I can't believe he's growing so quickly.  I was just talking to him today as if he could understand everything I was saying, and then he responded--that's right, he CAN understand everything (or almost) that I'm saying!

Anyway, for his birthday he enjoyed his favorite meal--spaghetti.






Then for his cake he got gingerbread--since that's the first thing he helped to cook (at 1 week old).

And for his birthday my little chef got some
pots/pans with a little food mixed in from his best friend Payton.

He got blocks on wheels from the Pedersens, Bubbles from The Grandparents (along with money for savings), a baby pterodactyl and smurf DVD from his parents, but the best present of all came a couple days later...

...the chef's new kitchen!

What an awesome birthday!  Happy Birthday my Sy.

An AMAZING Family

Last Saturday my family (parents, siblings, etc.) pulled out all the stops to raise money for an amazing family in need.  I felt so blessed to be a part of this adventure.  I was also sincerely humbled by those neighbors in my own ward, and a long all-but-lost friend, that came to help me help others.  This was perhaps the first of many opportunities for the People Helping the People to bring about a magnificent feat.  We had a goal we thought would be tough to reach and ended up doubling it!  I especially enjoyed my children learning how blessings can come to those who are willing to help others.

Thanks to everyone who supported us in this.

To the family we helped, WE LOVE YOU!