Happy Birthday Mom!

On November 10th my mom celebrated her 62nd  birthday!  

If you ask me, I think she's a pretty young looking chic for 62!  I have very vivid memories of her turning 40.  Lordy Lordy Marolyn is 40!  That's  what was printed on a shirt that someone gave her at the school she taught at.  I remember thinking that 40 was so old!  Now that I myself am getting closer to 40, I now think otherwise.  My mom is anything but old!

 

One day this last week while Bradon was home from school he snapped all sorts of pictures with my camera while I was trying to take a nap.  This is one of them.  

The middle picture within this picture is one of my mom and I in New York City just outside of the Today Show.  The picture in the far left corner is my mom receiving her Doctorate degree from ASU.  These are two pictures of my mom that I treasure and display.  

My mom is the perfect example to me that you can do anything you set your mind to.  You can become anything you want to.  You just have to make up your mind, go for it,  and never give up!  She has accomplished so many things in her short 62 years of life.  She has always gone over and above, giving everything 110%.  Weather it is writing letters to you while you serve a mission, continuing her education, serving in a church calling, whatever it is, she always gives it her all!  If I could turn out to be half the person my mom is, I'll be happy!  Every now and then I do things just like my mom.  And I think, "Oh my gosh I'm turning into my mother!"  This is a good thing!  I love you mom!  I couldn't have asked for a better example, friend and mother. 

Happy Birthday! 

That a boy!

Our fun loving energetic boy is still fun, 

and he is still loving, but not quite as energetic!  

If you ask him he'll tell you that he takes "Good boy pills"! 

 

We absolutely love our little Bradon.  He has struggled in school for a while now and it has really bothered him.  He wants more than anything to become a better reader.  We have known that he is a very active boy but we have always chalked it up to "just being a boy"!  At parent teacher conferences this last month we decided that it was time to see if there was more to his energy than "just being a boy"!  We took him into the pediatrician after filling out a questionnaire and having his teacher at school fill out a separate questionnaire.  The Doctor looked the questionnaires over and then sat with us for an extended length of time asking questions and just talking with us.  Over and over again he reassured Bradon that he was a good kid and that he hasn't done anything wrong.  After the appointment we went to the pharmacy to get his new "good boy pills".  The first few days of taking them was a bit rocky to say the least, but ever since then, Bradon is a different kid.  He can sit still now!  Not only can he sit still, but he can sit still QUIETLY!  He can concentrate on a task long enough to get it done.  At night time he sleeps better and longer.    It's like this amazing transformation has taken place and it has changed the dynamics of our whole family.  Our whole family is calmer now.  I talked with his teacher today and she said that it's like night and day with Bradon.  She couldn't be happier!  I hope that this will help him with school so that he can succeed like he wants to.  Bradon is a good kid and we couldn't be more thrilled with our NEW fun loving more calm Bradon!

Enrichment night

I was asked to teach a class on cake decorating at our last enrichment night.  So I showed them all the steps in putting the picture of your choice on your cake.  We did a cute little turkey since Thanksgiving is on it's way!

So you copy your picture onto paper and blow it up to the appropriate size.  Then cut around the picture and place it on the cake and outline it with a toothpick.  Then continue cutting away at the picture until you have transfered all the lines in the picture onto your cake.  Then using black frosting, outline your picture with a circle tip.  I like to use tip #4.

Then using a star tip (I prefer #14) star the cake with the appropriate colors.  It's a lot like coloring!

And then TaDa, a cute little turkey!

It's the turkey that we stitched at last years enrichment class.  You can see my stitched turkey in the back there.  Cute huh?  

Anyways it turned out pretty cute and it was quite fun teaching everyone how to create their own little master piece.  I think that we all have little hidden talents that we are unaware of until we just give it a try.  I hope that a few of the ladies in my ward discover their hidden talents as cake decorators or at least gain a greater appreciation for the art of cake decoration!

End of the year party!

GREAT YEAR 

AMERICAN FORK CAVEMEN!  

Last week we went to Carsten's football team's end of the year party.  I somehow sorta somewhat became in charge of the party in a weird sort of way.  Apparently when a coach emails everyone asking for suggestions about where the team party should be, what he is really asking is, who wants to be in charge of the team party!  So we had it at the JCW's in Lehi.  All the families ordered themselves dinner and then the coach passed out some little awards for all the players.  One of the moms on the team had these cool mahogany footballs engraved with each one of the boys signature on them as a gift for the two main coaches.  I decorated a cake for the occasion.  So we all had cake and called it a night!  

The kids all had a good time however it turns out that Carsten was pretty disappointed that they didn't pass out trophies.  After the party Carsten started questioning us about trophies and we realized that he really was hoping to receive one.  We told him that he was right, he does deserve a trophy and we would make sure to get him one.  He has reminded us about it everyday since.  " Have you gotten my trophy yet?"  "Did you get me a trophy today?"  "Where do you get trophies anyways?"  Someday son, someday, you WILL become the proud owner of a trophy of your very own!

WAY TO GO CARSTEN!

Rip Roaring Post Halloween Party!

On the night of November 1st we hosted a 

post halloween party just for kids! 

Let me explain... When the kids came home from school on October 30th and saw our basement all decked out ready for a party the kids went goofy!  They were so excited about the transformation of the basement that they just couldn't help but to think that it would be a really good idea to have a party of their own down there.  David and I looked at each other and said, "What the heck, it's all ready decorated, lets do it!"  So the morning of November 1st we whipped up some invitations on the computer and took them around to a few of the neighbors homes.  We raced off to Bradon's football game and then when we came home we had all but an hour to quickly get everything ready for a party!   We had music playing which led to a bit of a dance party, pizza and root beer floats to eat, games to play and fun to be had by all 32 kids in attendance!  Yes you read that right...32 kids!  Are we a bit crazy? Probably!  But the kids all REALLY did have a good time and it REALLY wasn't all that hard.  And now the most important part of the whole thing...

We ARE the cool house on the block!

Here are some wild and crazy pictures 

taken at the party.

At the end of the party we did our best at attempting to get a group picture.  What a bunch of cute kids!

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME!

The Lone Peak Knights faced the Lone Peak Knights 

in a battle for 1st place!

Trowbridge (Bradon's last years coach) -vs- Hancock.

And Bradon's team takes 2nd!

This is a picture of Bradon getting his 2nd place metal in the award ceremony right after the game.  David's cousin's Ryan and Joe Slade were in the booth making the announcements.  Good thing because he almost called Bradon Brandon.  Had he not known us, Bradon probably would have been Brandon.

I love these pictures.  This is Bradon checking out his 2nd place metal.

And then Bradon watching as the other team got their 1st place metals.  He was a little disappointed!

Talan wasn't disappointed!  He was loving being down on the field!

I love this picture too!  Listening to the coach give the team a pep talk letting them know how proud of them he is.

Team picture!

Proud Mom and Dad!  David helped with coaching quite a bit this year so he was down on the field for the game.

There's a smile!

And little sis helping to carry the helmet!

What a cute girl!

Halloween Night!

Halloween was a lot of fun!  We went trick or treating, passed out 120 full size candy bars, went to a neighbors homemade donut and hot cocoa party, went to Jay and Vicky's house for our traditional meet and greet, and then went home and crashed.  The weather couldn't have been better, not to cold ... not to hot, it was just right!

Ethan was a quidditch player.  He had his Grandma Adair sew him this costume.  He emailed her with very specific instructions and she pulled through beautifully!  He was thrilled!

Bradon was also a quidditch player however somehow on halloween night he became a quidditch/football player.  He was very proud of his made up character!  This year Bradon trick or treated with his friends and used a laundry bag.  He had high hopes of filling it I guess!

Carsten went as an American Fork Caveman football player.  He was going to go as a bloody skeleton type guy however it sprung a leak halloween morning and blood got everywhere.  He quickly had to come up with something else to be.  He threw on his football uniform, a little makeup under the eyes and he was happy as a clam.  I was happy too because I took back the bloody skeleton costume and got my money back!

By the time halloween rolled around Reagan decided to be a "REAL MEAN WITCH!"  She went trick or treating minus the witches hat though because she was afraid that it would blow away!  Smart thinking Reagan!

Talan was the cutest little bug ever!  He wore the same Bumble Bee costume that Ethan and Bradon wore when they were babies.  It was very important to Ethan that Talan was a Bumble Bee this year.  And a cute Bumble Bee he was!

David snapped this picture as we were walking back to the truck.  I don't know what we were all looking at.  It must have been something good because it had all of our attention.  Look at Bradon being so COOL!  And yes... once a pumpkin, always a pumpkin!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Primary Teacher Halloween Party!

Every year we have a primary teacher appreciation party for the primary teachers and their spouses.  This is the second year we have done a Halloween party.  This year we had it in our unfinished basement.  David and I cleaned the basement out, set up tables and chairs, decorated and even set up the stereo system.  

It turned out to be lots of fun!  

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Everyone came dressed in costumes.  We ate dinner, had a costume contest, played games and just had a good time!  

Here are a few pictures of some of the costumes.