Halloween

I totally get that I am really late posting.  I seem to have an aversion to the computer lately.  It might have to do with being called to the school board of my children's school.  And because I am the newest member, I get the privilege of taking over the secretarial duty of taking notes.  I am awful at taking notes.  Dare I use the "H" word?!  Lets just say it isn't going well.

Anyways Halloween came and went without a single decoration gracing our home.  The children, especially the Dude was very unhappy with me.  I get it!  Although it is one of my favorite holidays to decorate, I had zero desire to do anything and so I did nothing.  Mr. Finn even had to buy the candy.  Costumes were up to the children as I mentioned earlier, I was a huge flake.

 Miss Boo decided at the absolute last moment that she wanted to be a salsa dancer.  Thanks to a friend for painting her face after school.  Miss Boo has her own flair and I loved her costume.  Her attitude was spicy to match.

 Mr. Finn always loves a good picture of him, so this is gratuitous. HA!

 And the Dude...

He will be a source of amusement forever.  He wanted to be an old fashioned ghost.  I did go to the thrift store to pick up a white sheet.  Not a completely lame mom.

But when he found this Blues Brothers mask, he knew that this was to make him the coolest ghost around.  Btw...he has no clue who the Blues Brothers are, but he liked the look.

 He totally made me laugh.  Such a cool kid.

 Ti was super cold this night after having hot weather for weeks.  The Dude and I bailed to pass out candy at home shortly after this picture.  We don't enjoy the cold at all.

 We even took Palmer with us in costume of course which didn't make it through the night.  It now resides in the trash, but he was remarkably well behaved.

I enjoy this cooler weather.  Well, er...cold weather, as long as it stays cold.  What is killing me is the days of 70 degrees followed by 19 degrees.

Hay Kittens!

 I love this time of the year.  Although our Fall was very short and had many days of 80 degree weather, we were able to enjoy a few of them.

The children are growing up so much.  We come to this pumpkin patch every year to play with the cats.  This year they had two mazes for the kids.  They loved jumping on the top of the hay maze versus going through it.  As you can see by the Dude's body language, he is irritated with someone.  He is a total "fister" when he is angry

 As I said, it's really all about the kittens.  The children fall in love immediately.  Because it is so cold, the kittens love to be held and warmed up.  They almost always instantly fall asleep.

One of these days I am going to pull all the above photos for the past years and put them side by side to see how the children change.  The sign has not.  It is weathering along with them.

 I love this time with the kids.  Everything is so peaceful.

 The next three photos tell a story about Miss Boo.

 She is falling in love...

 She is determined to have one and is preparing to call her Dad.

She is heartbroken that the answer was no.

She was so sad.  She had found this sweet kitten that was so cuddly.  Unfortunately our Cat isn't so cuddly and Miss Boo really needs that kind of attention.  Oh well, maybe one day we will go and come home with a new kitten.

Happy Fall Y'all!

Trying to Transition back

Shannon challenged me to get back to blogging.  I have wanted to, but haven't been able to find my inner blogger voice.  I have been reading a lot of them but haven't had much to say, so here goes.

Thanks Shannon!

Top Ten Thoughts While Transitioning

1. Favorite memory from June
Can I say I don't remember that month, because I don't.  Not so much!
2. Favorite memory from July
Nyoka and the kids came to visit for a week and then the Jacksons came for a day and then Cherra for a couple hours.  This happened back to back.
3. Favorite memory from August
Painting the rocking chairs turquoise blue. (Mr. Finn was not as excited.  He says they go with nothing.  My point exactly.)  And I decided to cut my hair off and dye it Chocolate Cherry. Figured if I couldn't lose the weight, I could fix the hair.

4. Best thing you ate over Summer vacation
Red velvet cheesecake
5. Something you wish you did, but never got around to
Swim more with the kids.
6. Favorite song right now
Spirit in the Sky.  Hasn't changed much since the 80's for me.  Could listen to it at any given moment and it would make me move.
7. Favorite fall fashion item
Grey mid thigh sweater.  Goes with everything.
8. Favorite thing to do with your family in the fall
Pick out pumpkins at the patch and play with the new kittens that roam free there.
9. What you can't wait to cook/ eat this fall
Hot Cocoa with baguette bread every morning.  Makes me happy.
10. A goal you have for this school year
Have the kids be more self reliant.  i.e.: make own lunches, etc.

Eight is Great

 This amazing little boy got baptized on April 12th.  It was short and sweet, covering all the points and in the end he was baptized and confirmed by his Dad.  His biggest fear is that he would have to do it twice and it happened, just like his Dad 42 years ago.

His Grandpa gave the opening prayer and his Uncle Homer gave the talk.  I love how he used examples from his mission in Korea and he talked solely to the Dude.

 This little boy brings so much laughter and life to our home.  He made the choice to be baptized and am grateful for his obedient heart.

We love him so much and are happy to be his parents.

Miss Boo is TEN YEARS OLD

Because this April was a very special one.  Not just because or Miss Boo's birthday on the 16th, but because her brother was baptized April 5th.  Because of this fact, she got to spend her birthday with her grandparents from Arizona.

We went to Adam-ondi-ahman and Jamesport for the day. It was really cold and we couldn't spend long but it is always nice to visit.  We went to Jamesport which is an Amish town.  The kids were disappointed we couldn't ride a buggy.  Funny kids.

My Dad is funny and has the funniest shirts.  The irony is, they totally say what he is thinking.  Or doing! Love my Dad.

She is growing up so fast.  So smart, quite funny, sweet to others (outside her family) kind, generous, enthusiastic about her hobbies (painting, piano) and has the most beautiful face.  She is a joy in our home.  She also was put on this earth to teach us patience.  We are very grateful for her.

This is the meal she wanted for her birthday.  A pretty predictable child when it comes to food.

Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.  Who doesn't love that.

I hope she wished for the moon.  I love my Boo!

It's great to be eight

 My sweet little baby boy turned eight today.  How in heavens name did that happen?  This boy has brought so much joy to our home.  He is deeply happy.  We are so grateful for him and his generosity and kindness.

We celebrated his birthday yesterday because he wanted to have friends at his party and we don't do that on Sunday.  He was very specific about his party and all the things we did.  From a scavenger hunt to these cube Rabbids.  He is infatuated with these Rabbids and the video games.

 I am so glad he had fun.  His best friend is the little red head.  We adore her. Such a fun group for his birthday.

 As I said… totally adore this girl!  Those Rabbids were the Dude's idea.  I had to laminate them and make it so they could decorate their own.  I love that kid!

He's eight.

He's eight.

 Ain't he GREAT!

 I love this boy so much.  So happy to be his Mom.  My only wish for him is that he keeps his optimism and good sense of humor as he grows into manhood.  He is such a wonderful boy!

December in Victoria

 The first week of December the children and I headed off to Canada for a visit to the Grandmas.  It has been five years since the children have been in the North.  For the Dude, it was kind of like his first trip as he couldn't remember much.  He was only 2 1/2 when we went last.

 I was wondering how they would react to family they didn't really know.  I didn't have to worry much.  Family is family and I loved to watched the interchange.

You never know what you will find in Victoria.  My last trip it was men in kilts for the Highland Games, this year...

 This fabulous carriage in the parking garage of the grandmas condo complex.

 They enjoyed a lot of time with their Great Grandma.  She is pretty amazing.  She suffered a heart attack in January and was home in three days.  She is one tough cookie.

This is my Aunt Lois and the children's grandmother. She has no idea how valued she is in our lives.  One of my best friends and the kindest person I know.  We love her so much.

 One of the highlights of this trip was going down to the docks and feeding the seals.  Miss Boo got the hang of it, but a seagull tried to get the fish from the Dude and almost took off his finger.  He spent the rest of the time avoiding all animals. We went to a fish market close to the docks for some fish scraps, but it was a high end fish place and they didn't have any, but the gentleman was kind and gave us about $30 worth of free fish so the kids could have a good experience.  I love the generosity he showed.

 I love, love these two kids!

On Monday, miss Boo stayed home with great grandma and the rest of us went out to shop in old downtown.  The Dude had me cracking up most of the time.

 Fat Cranky Bear, he was dubbed by the Dude!

 My friend Sandy came up and spent the day with us.  So much fun!

 Christmas time in Victoria is amazing!

 It was a delightful time.  One of my favorite places to spend time is with my family.

And for it being a first flight alone with both the kids, it wasn't too shabby.  So glad Mr. Finn let us go.

For once in my life...

It's been two weeks since the "incident" and I am disappointed.

Really, I am.

Wasn't I supposed to be different, feel different somehow from going through such a life changing event?

I feel the same.  The same old ME.

That is disappointing.

And then I had this thought while talking to an old friend.  We can have life changing events, but it takes work for those events to truly change us.  Nothing of value is easy or given without much sacrifice and work.  Not too mention desire and need.

Where does that leave me?  Disappointed.  I wanted something easy.

I do see some changes.  I don't like loud, angry voices anymore and that includes mine.  It feels wrong!  I can't figure out how to impart this to Miss Boo.  She likes to yell.  Too much and many times I rise to it because I get frustrated.

I want that idea of a peaceful home where n'er is spoken an unkind word.  I believe it is doable, even necessary.  If we are to prepare our homes to be a refuge, I believe it is essential.  Life is daily becoming a challenge. The world is making the lines blurry for many in it.  I see the daily assaults against the family, against freedom, against honesty and integrity.

I pray that I am up to the challenge as I believe the attack on what we believe will become harder than we can ever imagine.

I love my family.  I want to be with them for eternity.  Given that, change must happen.

I don't believe our Heavenly Father is going to accept mediocrity when it comes down to it.  It's time to allow the change...