Nursery

Allen just LOVES his nursery class at church! Today he checked with me 87 times during sacrament meeting to see if it was time to go there yet.

I have served in a nursery calling at church before and regrettably I treated the calling as over-glorified babysitting. Fortunately, Allen's teachers do not.

Here is what he brought home from class today.

It's a little basket with a mini-loaf of bread and some fish!

Adorable.

Allen met me in the hall at church, proudly clutching his basket, and exclaimed, "Mommy, Jesus broke the bread and fed the people!"

At home he broke the bread and fed his brother.

That you, dear nursery leaders, for magnifying your callings and teaching the gospel so poignantly to my little man. Your object lesson was brilliant and your efforts very appreciated.

Here is our lovely Seattle Temple (and our mini-van).

I can do it!

As I was putting the boys down for nap today Allen kindly reminded me of his growing independence.

While he went to the bathroom (by himself), I pulled out his toothbrush and toothpaste for the normal routine (he has horrible teeth so we have to brush them often).

"I can do it by myself Mommy!" he declared.

Okay.

With a reminder for him to be polite, I quickly set the tooth brush and paste on the counter and waited for him to load his brush.

He then came to the counter, put his toothbrush back in its holder, the paste back in its drawer, and gave me a look I'm still trying to figure out. Accusatory? Annoyed?

Then he proceeded to take his toothbrush back out of the holder, the paste back out of the drawer, and load it on.

After another pointed glance in my direction, he began to brush his own teeth.

I was expecting this sort of thing...

however, not for another 10-years!

Where is my sweet baby? Who is this sometimes-sassy-boy? And where does he get it from? (No one answer this! He gets it from me, I know. Natures revenge for my teenage years.) Oy!

It's pouring buckets outside. The fireplace and my new book are calling my name.

I think I'll relax and savor this afternoon. It's the magical time of day when both boys sleep at once.

Gotta run, my minutes are ticking away!

"Come fly with me..."

Bradley's friend, Doug from Belfair, took us flying on Tuesday! It was a gorgeous day and SOOO much fun! Thanks Doug!

Allen, Bradley, Doug.

Doug's plane.
Would you believe it's 50 years old? It is! I was shocked. It was so nice inside and flew solidly (I'm not sure what other word to use...but it felt very safe).

Brad has talked about being a pilot forever! This was a dream come true for him. Now he's wishing for his own license. (A few more years please honey).

The Pacific Northwest is gorgeous! We had such a sunny day to fly around sight seeing.

Over the Olympic Peninsula.

I was surprised how close to the ground we were able to fly. It was awesome to look down and clearly see houses, cars, and people!

Allen was glued to the window most of the time. He LOVED flying and wanted to go back up at each stop we made. We started in Belfair, flew to Tacoma to pick up a few things, then to Puyallup for lunch, and back to Belfair!

Allen tried on this cute little jacket in Tacoma.

The Tacoma Narrows Bridge with Mt. Rainier in the background. Sooo Northwest, so beautiful!

Brad even got to fly!

He did rather well too! (I only got a little nauseous. Haha.)

Allen fell asleep on my lap toward the end--exhausted from all the excitement.

The runway in Belfair.

Allen, post-flight.
His expression pretty much sums up our whole experience.
Thanks Doug, for such a wonderful day!

And thank you Auntie Jenny for watching Brigham!--and for being his godmother perchance we'd crashed.

bumper treat

On Saturday we attended our ward's Trunk or Treat activity. It was a lot of fun, especially for the kiddies!

Our little chicken was willing to "Bawk bawk!" for anyone who would give him candy!

Little brother followed suit and made out pretty well too. We'll have to teach him that tigers don't "bawk."

Daddy, the king, and Brig.

Allen, raiding the cauldron!

Our cute neighbors!!! They went as The Maurader's Map, Professor Mcgonagall, Harry Potter, Hermione, and Ron Weasley. So fun!

Just look at Harry! Such a little stud.


And,

This is what happens when you're sitting at a red light and the person behind you thinks the light has turned green.

My poor husband came home severely irritated and slightly whiplashed. Thankfully, his trusty bumper took most of the damage.
And,
thankfully, he's a chiropractor--so we can handle the whiplash!

happy halloween

Parties!

Lately, we have been to A LOT of parties!
Birthdays, weddings, and even a prom!

Brad & Wendy's (Alanna's sister) Birthday Dinner

Brad got to use the "You Are Special" plate. I want one of those.

Do you see the resemblance?


Bradley's Birthday Party (our house)


Brad's new toy helicopter! Do you think he likes it?

He LOVES it!!!
So do all the little boys...and all the men. I just don't like it when he flies it over my head while I'm reading. It crashes a lot.

Here is Brig helping make Daddy's birthday breakfast. He's quite the little chef and ALWAYS wants to help!


Marcus's Birthday Party (Nephew)

His humorous Mother decided to go for the old trick candles. Poor little guy got winded fast.

They made up for it with a new bike! Ahh...nothing is cuter than a little boy getting his first bike.

The pinata.

Allen's favorite part of any party! He'll probably have one at his parties till he's 15. Or 30.

Noah!
I just slipped this one in because he's so stinkin' adorable...

...like my baby.


Ashley's Wedding

Our friend, Ashley, got married and at the reception the groom had some competition! Allen followed her around like a puppy and asked her repeatedly to dance. It was cute for a little bit but I finally had to intervene so she could work the crowd. The tearful little boy had to be torn away from her.

Brigham, on the other hand, only had eyes for Mommy and wanted to dance all night.

Seriously, he LOVED dancing!



The Prom

Jenny's in-laws held a prom at their home! Fun right?
A total blast!!! It was awesome to get dressed up and dance all night.
The decorations, food, music, company--were all stellar!

Jenny & Sterling.


My hot date!

All dolled up!
Sterling's sister even made us all corsages and boutonnières.
It was over-the-top! So much fun!


(My) Dad's 50th Birthday Costume Party


Dad went as a hippie and my step-mom as a doctor.
Everyone looked awesome!

Brad went as a King and I was a peasant.

James & Wendy.

Uncle Mike & Aunt Sharon.

Aunt Rhonda & Uncle Tom.

Aunt Karen & Uncle Marty.

Aunt Michelle and Uncle Steve.

Brigham went as Tigger.

And Allen went as a Chicken.
(I got both their costumes on craigslist for 10$ each...I'm proud of that!)

The Chocolate Cake!
I made this beast for my Dad.
4-layers of ghirardelli-goodness.
It was delish!

...And this is what my kitchen looked like after. :)

Dad LOVED it! Yay!

And then he surprised Mom by having it all arranged to renew their wedding vows.
Instant tears!

The happy couple!


Casey's Senior Photos (Alanna's Brother)

Click HERE to see the rest.
This is the first time I've ever taken anyone's photos for anything.
I think they turned out pretty good. Go vote for your favorite by leaving a comment on the photo. Maybe he'll choose the one with the most votes!


Other than all this partying...
We've been enjoying the Fall and staying indoors. It's been rainy a lot so we've had to think of new activities.

Life is fun and full of blessings. We count them everyday. You are probably one of them so thanks for stopping by our blog!

Ocean Shores

It's October. Yes it is. But yesterday the beach came calling, and we obliged.

So, while we should have been baking something delicious with pumpkin and nutmeg, we visited the ocean instead...










Click HERE for more photos. (Because you know I took hundreds!)

NieNie on Oprah

The oh-so inspirational Stephanie Nielson is taking her turn on the couch today.

I wouldn't miss it.

She's been inspiring me on her blog, www.nieniedialogues.blogspot.com, for over a year.
Her stories and posts remind me to slow down, savor life, and to recognize the simple things I might otherwise take for granted.

I love her blog. I love her story. Watch today, and you'll see why.

I think it's possible...

that I have the cutest boys on the planet.

Seriously, little models.


This afternoon we soaked it up on our patio. Animal crackers, smiles, swings, kisses, photos.

You know...cherishing the moment.


Sometimes I miss my babies being babies. I feel like they're growing up in warp-speed. Have you ever missed someone before they're gone?

I have. I do.

P.S. My nephews are adorable little models too.
It must run in the family.

Exhibit A: Noah

Surprise!

You know what makes a GREAT surprise birthday party?
When the birthday girl is actually SURPRISED!

Last weekend my siblings (in-law) got together and pulled off surprise 50th birthday party for my MIL, Karrie. She had NO idea! It was remarkably magnificent--and possibly even awesome, because of the confection masterpiece (aka--the cake!) created by Jenny.

Here she is with her chef-d'œuvre!
Six cakes!--one for every decade of the birthday girl's life.

I know you want a closer look. So here they are, decade by decade...

Even Anziano Franklin made a special appearance all the way from Italy!


HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA KARRIE!!!