Happy Halloween...

Halloween was another success. 6 bags of candy later I can ensure my rear will be a little larger by the end of the week. :)

Carving...

We finally got around to carving our pumpkins. I dreaded it a little this year because we had a total of 8 and the kids wanted to carve all of them. It went pretty smoothly though. I hate messes and I tried super hard to enjoy it and not focus on the grime. Scroll down and you will see Christian's pumpkin is sick with the flu. yuck.

Halee insisted we bake the pumpkin seeds. A little butter and salt and yum...they were so good.

I love our family traditions.

Cops and robbers...

So several months back my friend's Tammy and Alexis and I decided to do a runaway pumpkin half marathon. Tammy decided last minute that we would indeed be dressing up. Lex decided against it but try as I might, Tammy was determined. And as usual she did a great job coming up with ideas. So I ended up being the "cop" and her the Robber. She had on her back the saying "run like you stole something." It was pretty fantastic.

The run itself was full of rain. We arrived at 8:30am and were basically drenched long before the race even began at 9am. That was discouraging I must admit because I was so darn cold.

Once we started our bodies heated up and we kept a good pace of 9 minute miles or lower. The miles flew by and having Tammy there to keep me motivated helped tremendously. Alexis sped ahead of us and that helped motivate us too. Just having her in our sights until mile 11 kept us at a good pace. Eventually the speedy Gonzales was gone. I am proud of her though. She did excellent. And she trained hard.

Tammy and I have been running but not training as we should. But luckily our bodies have not forgotten the running skills we have acquired and we averaged a 8:52 pace. Better than we planned for. I must say though, when I finished i felt lightheaded and thought I might pass out. Never had that happen before. The rain got to me I think.

All in all it was a great time, and happy to have another run under my belt.

Dancing queen...

Grace started ballet this year and is doing such a beautiful job. Normally parents can't come watch but once every few months they let us come get a sneak peek. I loved every minute of it. Grace totally seemed in her element. I hope she will always love dance, because it really does suit her.

My little Mowgli...

A friend of mine passed along her daughter's snow boots to Scarlett. Is it snowing? No. But Scarlett insists on wearing them anywhere and everywhere we go. Scarlett has skinny legs.  But when she wears the big clod hopper boots, she becomes even skinnier. She makes me laugh and smile.

Blood and guts and a little cellulite too...

We had our annual Halloween game night with several of our friends over the weekend. This year Chris and I decided to get a little gory. Originally I was going to be the patient, and he the Doctor. The kids suggested it would be much more fun to have Chris be an evil Doctor and I the victim. He played the part well. Me? I think I look a little too cheerful for a bloody victim. I need to work on my acting skills.

Once upon a time I had this vision of Mark dressed as Richard Simmons. (I loved watching him as a kid.) I suggested it to my friend Tammy and she said she didn't think he would agree to do it. But in the end, he went for it. I had no idea how well he would play the part. Tammy is amazing at recreating people and adds her own personal touches. She made the best aerobic gooroo ever. Don't you love the added cellulite? I never would have thought of that.

 In my opinion, it takes a real man to dress like Richard Simmons. Good job Mark.

 You didn't know there were actually three victims with this costume? I actually stabbed Chris and Tammy several times over the course of 4 hours. It's hard to take note to stand back when you have a knife sticking out of your head.

Again, I must say....I love Halloween. One of most favorite Holidays ever.

I'm a bad girl...

I did something bad...I did something very bad. I did something I swore I would never do. I ran in the dark. Alone. I run in the dark all the time. But alone? Never.

The news leaked to my family when I called my sister huffing and puffing while running asking her to stay on the phone with me to keep me from getting too freaked out. She was a great comfort as she described to me that a young woman was kidnapped less than 60 miles from where I live. Thanks for that bit of news.

In my family (brother sisters, mom and dad) we are not humans. We are bees and when something happens that shouldn't, we buzz.

Thankfully the queen bee's (mom and dad) and all the working bees told me like it was and I am vowing to never run in the dark alone, again.

I love my bee family. They are pretty darn special.

Music to our ears...

When the kids are away at school it gets very quiet. Yes, I have a three year old...but she doesn't make a whole lot of noise.

You know the kids are home when you can hear music. Halee didn't always love playing the piano but this past year she has loved it. She will sit and learn new hymns on a daily basis. She has been taking over 5 years now and it's a talent she cherishes. I can hear that in her playing.

If you were to ask me what I would miss the most about this sweet girl when she grows up and goes to college or has her own family, I would say her lovely music.

Rock climbing...

I can't believe I have a Boy Scout. Am I really that old??

I must say, Austin has some pretty incredible scout leaders. They put so much effort into these boys learning new things, and exploring new adventures.

It's always terrific when teachers and leaders are there to help shape your child.

Hope...

"We don't have to live like this." I will never forget those words spoken by Governer Romney during last nights debate. It gives hope, and that's what we all need a little of right now.
                                    

The great pumpkin...

You can't tell me that there's a funner time of year than this. And yes, I know that funner isn't a word, but it's fun to say, so I say it.

I loaded up Miss Scarlett today and headed to purchase some pumpkins. I went a little crazy this time, and ended up with 13 pumpkins in my cart.

I love Fall. I love the colors. I love the smells. I love Halloween and the spooky stuff that comes with it.

Happy Fall.

No fear...

Connor's football team has done excellent this year. They are currently undefeated and going to the playoffs in another week.

I am so glad I let Connor talk me into letting him play. He has found his niche. His scrappiness has helped him get out there and tackle kids, big or small. His coaches have told us a few times that they like him on their team because he has no fear. He isn't afraid of getting knocked down....or knocking other kids down.

He would love to run the ball, but he has to pay his dues first. In another year or so that dream may come true.

I'm so proud of him for trying something new...and not letting fear of the unknown get in the way.

We love you #18.

Keep on...

Sometimes parenting can be very discouraging. Some days I feel I have tried my very hardest to teach the kids things that will help shape them into outstanding adults. Sometimes, many times, I feel I have failed miserably.

Once in a while though, something will happen in our home to remind me to keep on trying. Keep on teaching. Keep on loving.

This happened a few days ago when I came into the kitchen and Halee and Austin were having an argument. I asked what was going on and they explained that they were fighting over who was going to get the latest Mormon ad found in the LDS church magazine, The New Era.

I smiled and said.....Duke it out....and I walked out of the room with a smile on my face.

Proud to be an American...

Last night after watching the Presidential debate, I walked away feeling proud to be a Republican. But, I gotta tell ya...even if I were a democrat I wouldn't be voting for Obama. The way he responded to questions last night made me fear for what will happen to America if he gets re elected.

I live in the most Liberal city in Oregon and normally there's fire and excitement amongst the democrats, but I have yet to see that this time around. One or two yard signs, a scarce amount of bumper stickers. I think America is ready for a change. Let's hope I'm right.

Today I will be sporting my favorite pin in honor of the fact that Mr. President needs to go bye bye.

My sweet girl...

Once in a while I take a picture and think it's so precious that I want to squeeze it to death. And when I saw this one? Yep, I pretty much wanted to squeeze the life out of it.

It made me grateful to be a mom to this sweet, sweet child. She may have some spunk and be sassy at times...but she has a side I absolutely would never trade.

I love her. Plain and simple.

Field trips...

With most of my kids I have never been able to help out with their school functions very much. I always had either babies at home or pregnant with no energy. This is Grace's 1st year of school and I have made an effort to attend almost all of her field trips. I have been on 4 so far, and it's been so rewarding being with her during that time. Plus, Scarlett absolutely loves going too.

I talked Chris into going with us to the latest one. We all went to Omsi, and the girls had such a great time. Especially having dad there. It meant so much to Grace.

Here are the girls with their favorite playmate. These girls are always together. Their friend Iliana is 4 yrs. old which makes her perfect for Grace and Scarlett because she's right in the middle of their ages.

Good things come to those who wait...and work...

Once upon a time, I came to the very real realization that the only way to get my children to exercise was to bribe them. In April of this year I gave them a choice. If they ran with me three days a week...every single week...I would take them for an overnighter to Portland. Eat at Olive Garden (they do love their Olive Garden) swim at the hotel pool, and stay up late watching movies in the hotel. They jumped at the chance.

I have to say, I am so proud of how diligent and determined they were. Halee is still running with me three days a week. In fact she did 5 miles with me today. Who knew that she would go from barely being able to breathe to running strong and getting faster.

I loved being with them this weekend. Sometimes (as a mother of 6) you need time with just a few of your kids. Getting to know them and hearing their voices was so much fun.

I love you my little goal setters. You are the awesomest.

Getting ready to go into pasta shock...

We stayed up late watching Walk The Line, and Wheel of Fortune. Don't we look like a happy bunch?