October Trees

All through the month of October, the kids spend most of their time in our neighbor's yard. They have a nice tree in the front with plenty of leaves to play in.

Amy has 2 girls around the same age as my kids. Amy and I actually went to high school together one year!

Her oldest daughter, Ashlynn is in Chase's class at school this year, and Addison is about a year and a half younger than Tyler.

They aren't home half the time my boys go over there with their rakes, but they don't mind.

Camrey never wants to miss out on the fun either! She wants to be where the boys are!

And on this day, The little girl across the street came to play too. Her name is Kayla (she has a pink shirt and is holding a rake with her back turned). Her 20 yr old brother started his own lawn care business and mows our lawn for us some times!

Tyler and the bus.

As I have mentioned before, my little preschooler Tyler rides the bus to school 4 days a week. This has been a great blessing for me. One less trip to the school a day, and it allows Camrey go down for a nap just before Tyler catches the bus. I put her down and 30 min. later walk him to the end of the road!
Now that it is cold outside we sit in the car and wait, but these pictures were taken a month or so ago when it was still warm. He rides his bike to the corner, then he likes to climb in the tree is someones yard (hope they don't mind), and we pretend to play hide and seek.

Our new game is naming the colors and types of cars that drive by while we wait for the bus.

Tyler doesn't like loud noises so he plugs his ears when the bus pull up.

He seems so little on that big bus! Only preschoolers have to be buckled in on a bus!

Halloween (October 31)

What do you do on a snow day when school's are closed... Catch up on blogging while the kids play in the morning!

Camrey's hair was just long enough to pull back into a Tinker Bell pony-tail! I found this costume at Other Mother's for $7!! and the shoes for about $3, (Kmart had them for $10).

I also found a yellow "Belle" dress for $6 and couldn't pass it up! They had Snow White, Cinderella, but I exercised restraint and only bought the two, (she can be Belle next year!) Camrey loves to dress up especially in Belle's dress! She's such a girl.

Tyler, of course, was so excited to see a Mario costume! He wore it every day for about a week after we got it. I finally had to hide it until Halloween, he was starting to wear it out!

Chase wants to be a fireman when he grows up! The first costume we got was a plastic coat with an ax from Walmart, which ripped within a few days. So I returned it and got this one from Kmart. No ax, but it lasted longer.

Chase begged me to carve a pumpkin, so one morning right before we had to leave for school I hollowed one out for him. I had been promising him for days, and there hasn't been any time in the evenings, so I did it before school.

We carved out the face when he got home later that day!

We did a Trunk-or-Treat on Saturday the 30th, and a short Trick or Treat on Sunday to the people on our street and some "home teaching" families. The kids had fun and got plenty of candy!

My Weekend...

Friday; I had to make 24 cupcakes for the school "Monster Mash" Family dance. Tory got off work a little early and got packed up for the scout camp out he was leaving for at 5:00. He watched the kids after school because I volunteered to help decorate the gym for the party. Then when I got home he left. That evening at 6:30 we were all dressed in our costumes: Me- Jessie from Toy Story, Camrey- Tinker Bell, Chase - a fire man, Tyler- Mario. We went to the school and had lots of fun. When I got home at 8:15 I realized we lost a tinker bell slipper, so I got p.j's on the kids and went back to he school... lucky me we found it! So Camrey got to bed at 9:00 instead of the usual 7:30, and the boys in bed at 9:45 instead of 7:45! Camrey woke up at 4:30 starving because she didn't eat her dinner and the boys were up "dark and early" at 6:45! (You put them to bed 2 hours later and they still wake up before the crack of dawn!)

Tyler got the flu bug around 2:00 Saturday just about a half hour before Tory got home. He was throwing up about ever 15 min. I didn't even have time to eat a bowl of cereal before I was running to catch the next wave. So Sat night I slept on our old queen mattress (p.s.... if I haven't mentioned it, we finally got a new mattress for our bed a week ago!) in the living room with Tyler. Lucky for me he was done throwing up by 8:00, Not so lucky... at 4:00 a.m. I started throwing up, then an hour later so did Chase!

So for the next 2 hours I took care of Chase while I my self continued to be sick. Finally at 7:00 I was out of energy and Tory had to take over!

I am so grateful for my husband!!! He totally stepped up and took care of everything. I was in bed literally all day Sunday. Thank goodness today I feel well enough to take care of my kids, (not entirely better, but good enough) and Tory is back to work. He got a flu shot this year, so hopefully he will be spared. And little Camrey had a short flu bug last Wed. or Thurs. so hopefully she won't get it again!

PS. Mc Donald's is by far the most painful thing I have ever thrown up!
With Tyler being sick I didn't get a chance to grocery shop and we were
out of food, and I was starving. So I asked Tory to run to Mc D's and
get me a burger... Had I known what was to come I never would have asked!

Felling Lonely...

I guess I could try journaling for once. I don't usually blog without pictures, but I just finished reading my sister's blog and she always amazes me in the fact she always has something to write about. And another thing... she is really great with words!

So I just got my kids in bed and I recorded the season Premiere of Smallville on my ancient VCR... (yes, you read that correctly) so I could have something to do tonight.

I miss my husband!! He has been working really long hours the last 2 weeks and I feel like we never see him! I know I'm not the only one in the world who has a husband who seems gone all the time, but I'm really missing him right now. He had to leave today at 4:00 for a young men camp out for church! He'll be back tomorrow about 1 hour before I have to leave for the evening!

I feel like I'm being so ungrateful in my sour attitude... At least he has a good job, and can support us and take care of us, and I don't have to work. Him being gone a lot is a small sacrifice to pay when you look at the bigger picture, but that doesn't mean I don't miss him and wish he was here now!

So I guess I better go watch my bad recording of Smallville before I let myself wallow in any more self pity!

The Dinosaur Museum (Sept 4)

Over Labor Day weekend we decided to take a trip to Utah and visit Tory's family. They live in Logan, and his cousin from Virginia, was also getting married that weekend in Southern Salt Lake.

We decided to make a little vacation and take the kids to the Dinosaur Museum in Salt Lake. If you've never been there before it was really awesome!

I didn't have high expectations (looking at big dinosaur Fossils...), But is was so impressed how hands on, and kid friendly it was! Not just a place to "look" but fun things to explore!

The first a favorite was the "Star Room" I didn't mean to cut off Tory's head but it was so dark in there I just had to point and shoot. It was a circular room with fiber optic lights. So walking across the bridge you felt like your were walking into outer space!

There was a little area where the kids can go through this little cave.

So much to see! They had full size T-Rex and Full size Brachiosaurus which took 3 pictures to get the full length shot... it didn't put them on this post though.

Stegosaurus...

This is the foot of the Brachiosaurus.

In this little area there were plastic toy dinosaurs. And wooden cut outs that your are supposed to match with the correct hole with the name of the dinosaur... basically a big puzzle.

In this area you get to learn first hand how "Erosion" really works!


A huge sand and water table where you can build up walls of sand and watch how the constant slow flow of water can change everything.

Chase had fun with it, but Tyler was not interested. Any thing involving water and sand is usually avoided!

The Sharks were thought to be this big in the prehistoric times, but the only thing they have to judge their size off of is teeth because, of course, Sharks don't have any bones to leave behind.

And the last exploration area was digging your own Dinosaur fossils. A large area where kids can brush away the sand to discover the dinosaurs hiding beneath! Again... Chases thing, not Tyler's!

Camrey wanted to dig too but we had a reception to go to and I didn't want her any dirtier that she already was! Next time, we'll bring a change of cloths for the kids!

Tyler's First Day of School (Aug. 31)

Tyler started pre-school this year! His first day was on Tuesday August 31. We had visited his class room a few times so that helped. And we had met his teacher last year when Tyler had speech therapy once a week; so he was as perepared as he would ever be.

When I dropped him off at the school I walked with him to class, and he went right into the class room and started to play, but as soon as I said good buy, he started to cry and came running to the door. The teachers usherd me out the door and reasured me that he would be fine, and they have my phone number incase they need to call me. And ofcourse they were right! No problems. He even sat good during circle time: He would start to get up but then noticed his class members sitting good, then changed his mind and sat back down! For him that is awsome... to notice the social cue's around him has been a challenge, so I was so prowd of him!

My sweet baby was being really good while I've been on the computer this moning, so I went to check and see why she hadn't tried to bug me yet (as she always does when I am on the computer), and she had fallen asleep on her favorite blanket on the floor!

It was so bright outside, I couldn't even tell the shutter on the camera hadn't opened all the way until after I took the viedo; and by then the batterie was dead adn I couldn't take another! But this was a video I took after Tyler got done with his second day of school!

1st Day of School

Today Chase had his first day of 1st grade.


He was really excited to wear his new Star Wars shoes that light up!

Even though it was only a half day, I realized last night that he will need a lunch... so this morning I read the lunch menu to him and he wasn't interested... he wanted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. So being the softy mother I am; I packed grapes, strawberries, carrots, and Cheetos and 2 cookies; then packed the kids in the car, grabbed the P.B. & J. and headed to the grocery store!

We were ALL

out of bread!Hard to make the sandwich with no bread! Since the school time this year changed we had a little more time to get to school: Starting at 9:15 instead of 8:40, but one thing I hadn't planned on was my glasses disappearing! I looked for about 10 min... could not find them. I finally gave up and drove without them. (Not Blind, just Fuzzy edges). I left the kids in the car while I ran into WinCo and grabbed the bread taking only about 3 min! We made to school on time and I made a sandwich in the car, then I walked Chase to the front of the school and sent him on his way!

They Grow up way too fast!!

(He was a little nervous and too shy to talk for the camera.)

My busy weekend...

This is kind of long so if you just want to read the bold you will get the "Cliff's Notes" version:


This weekend was our Ward Camp out which was in Glenn's Ferry, (only about and hour and a half away). So backing up a few days... on Thursday a family in our ward was moving so I offered to watch their 3 kids (age's : 1, 4, & 5) in the morning they came over from 9:00 until almost 12:00 noon. not too bad.


Then I started packing for our camping trip so we could be all ready to go Friday. Around 2:30 Jessica Steelman called me, (she is my visiting teaching companion) to see if we could set some appts. next week, the I remembered that her and I were asked to do a flute duet in church in a week and a half! So I asked her if she was doing anything right now... She was surprisingly free and came right over so we could pick a song and practice. That also meant we needed a piano player, so I called Michelle Falkner, the primary pianist (and my new best friend), and she wasn't busy either. So she came over and we practiced until 5:15.


With my 3 kids, Jessica's 3 kids, and Michelle's 2, I had a full house again. So after everyone left I ordered pizza for dinner! Tory picked it up on his way home from work. But Chase was starving!! and wanted a burger, so I put my kids in the car and ran down the road to McDonald's and got him a burger and chicken nuggets while we waited for dad to bring home the pizza.


Then I had a meeting at 7:00 to be at, so around 7:15 I left, but I stopped at the library on my way to my meeting to get The Princess and the Frog DVD which was on hold for me.


The meeting got over at 10:00, then I went to the grocery store because we needed food for camping tomorrow. I finished shopping and got home about 11:15. Then of course I had to unload the groceries before I got to bed.


My sister Heather came in town also that night form Twin Falls. So Friday morning I got up and showered and got the kids dressed so we could drive out to Eagle (my parent's house) and see my sister and let my boys play with her son for a few hours before we had to leave for camping. I was in Eagle from 9:00-10:30 then left to get home and finish packing before Tory got off work at 12:15!

When Tory got home I had most of the packing done and we were ready to leave at 2:00. I kept Camrey awake so she could sleep the whole way there, and like I predicted she fell asleep as soon as we put her in her car seat. but by the time we got gas and went back home for something we forgot, she woke up before we made it out of Boise and was awake the whole way there!


So with a short nap combined with a noisy camp area until LATE... she was NOT happy that night and didn't go to sleep until 10:30 p.m. Saturday she woke up before the crack of dawn, and fell asleep after breakfast while we were packing up the tent to go home.


We left camping around 12:30, but stopped in town to get some ice cream before heading home. Tyler's fell on the floor which made him up set, so I took him outside knowing the inevitable would soon come... As soon as we made it outside and to the corner of the building he threw up! Then I had to get the store workers to brig out 3 buckets of water to clean up the mess which was now in plain view of any customers wanting to come there (including everyone in our ward who camped with us). Then after the water washed most of it away I got a broom and swept the rest away off the side walk! Like I said members form the ward were asking me if I was working to pay for my ice cream... My reply was "no, have you met my son?"

After we got home around 3:30 I again loaded up my kids and took them out to Eagle so I could see my sister again. We came home at 6:00 because Tory's sister and her family were coming into town form Utah for a wedding this weekend.

Tory had done almost all the unpacking and cleaning by himself while we were gone! The house was so clean and nice when I got back that I didn't have the heart to tell him I wanted to go to the movies with my sister tonight at 9:50... so I waited.

Dave and Angie made it here close to 7:00. We ordered Mexican Food for dinner, then Angie and I left around 8:45 to Kmart for wedding card. It closed at 9:00. Then we had one more stop to do before we got back to my house. By now my sister called Tory and was wondering where I was...

I still hadn't told him about the movie.

We made it back to the house at 9:25 and I told him I was going to the movies, so I quickly got the kids in bed and left at 9:40 to see, Prince of Persia at the dollar movie in 10 min.!! I loved it... thought it was great and I highly recommend it.

To make a very long story short... it was a busy weekend. It was a lot of fun camping with the ward. We have a lot of great friends there. And it was so nice to see Dave and Angie's family again. And any time I get to spend with my sister is always a treat! Can't wait till Eclipse goes to the dollar movie... Still haven't seen it!

Sisters...

Today, Aug 5, is my sister's Birthday. Anna has been my best friend and companion since the day I was born...(up until I married my dear husband, now she is #2... but she is still #1 speed dial on my cell phone.)

I love my sister! I know I don't tell her enough. She is amazing.

We are so different in so many ways it's a miracle we are so close. But I guess 20 years of sharing a room with each other helps.

I'm looking forward to school starting again so we can resume our morning phone calls. Alex is a University Instructor and is home during the summer, but during the school year Anna and I talk on the phone almost every morning.



She is the cutest pregnant girl I've ever seen. She
is due in the next couple weeks and is still so beautiful.

I wish I could put into words what she means to me... I am crying just thinking about what a wonderful sister she has been, (and some of you might say... "Melissa you always cry", which is true,; I have always been more emotional than Anna,) but when she left for her mission I knew that just because she didn't cry like I did, she would still miss me as much as I would miss her.

It was hard having her gone, but I'm glad she was willing to come home a month early for my wedding! That meant a lot to me!

She has a tough road ahead this coming year... Dejah will still be in school only part time and she will have Mycha 3 yrs old, and Logan 14 months, and a new baby at home. But Anna is an amazing mother and I know she can handle it. And Alex is so wonderful, and always a big help to her! I'm so glad they found each other!

Anna, I don't have a way with word on blogs like you do... but I hope you know how much I love you. I hope you have a nice birthday today! Remember, you can call me for anything... I'll always be there for you, just as you have been my entire life! Thanks for being my sister!