i heart autumn

today i got an itch to decorate the house for HaLloWeEn.

so i got out all of my painted gourds,


filled my apothecary jars with candy,

and hung my little banners.

it was so beautiful outside today. all the colors on the mountain were so bright. the clouds hovered all day long and kept the air crisp and cool. it was the kind of day where i wanted to stay tucked away in my bed all day long. but of course i couldn't so after volunteering in jack's class, i went home and waited for my max to come home from preschool. together we made banana bread and i lit my pumpkin spice candle. the house had such a wonderful smell... it made me smile. before i knew it it was time to go pick up the twins from school. then we went to the park to capture the colors of the mountains but these don't do them justice. they were much more vibrant in real life.
oh well.

jack being funny and grace and paige "freezing"
(it wasn't THAT cold).

jack being silly again...
and gracie pretending like she is having fun

then gracie got too cold so we left. when we got home, i could smell our neighbor's fire in their fireplace. it was heavenly. i am so in love with this weather. it makes me so happy.
the day went on and was very busy and hectic. that's our life right now...
wouldn't change a thing!

looking forward to conference weekend

yesterday the kids received this lovely booklet as they left primary. if you have little ones, i highly recommend you print a copy for them. my favorite page is the one where they get to color the ties. how fun is that? tonight we went through the many activities in the book and discussed how wonderful it is that we get to listen to our beloved prophet and other church leaders this weekend. all three are VERY excited to fill out their books and do the various activities. i'm VERY excited and looking forward to being spiritually fed! hooray for conference weekend!

tar

"the amazing race" starts tonight.



allow me to explain the reasoning
behind my love for this show.

1. it's a show about traveling around the world... it highlights the diversity and the beauty of the earth, cultures, and people.
2. i enjoy watching the interaction between the teams (couples). it's interesting to me to see relationships under stress. some relationships blossom and some crumble. i think we see each others true colors when we are under stress and out of our comfort zones. this season's couples all seem pretty great! it should be fun.
3. i also like to watch the interaction between the different teams. i.e. the "old people" interacting with the "gay couple", or the two brothers that think a certain girl is hot ...etc. there's always a mean guy or a bratty girl and it's fascinating to see how people react, and if they let it affect their game or not.. and if it's in a positive or negative way.
4. the competition on this show is very intense. everything about this race is VERY challenging, not only physically, but emotionally and psychologically. a lot of the time, it's not about the money(one million smackers). it's about individuals challenging themselves and wanting to have a once in a lifetime experience with a loved one. when it all comes down to it, the winners at the finish line are just as excited that they won and did their best and "endured to the end", if you will, and the money is a great bonus for their hard work and perseverance. i can't imagine the feelings/emotions of that moment. it sounds cheesy, but i liken it to how it may feel like at the end of this life. i love the competition and different attitudes of the teams.
5. i love this show because it gives me something to look forward to. it's pretty much the only show clay and i watch together on a regular basis so it's kind of our sad excuse for an hour of alone time at home where we sit down together and laugh and chat about everything that's going on. sooo fun.
6. i always make a yummy gooey treat to eat while we watch it. what's a good time without refreshments? tonight it's jumbo milk chocolate chip cookies with lots of coconut.

may the best team win!

p.s. i was trying to post every night but didn't last night. sorry. i know you are all (all 6 or 7 of you) so crushed! when i thought of it today i was kinda bummed out. i was going to see how long i could go without missing a night... oh well. after reading a chapter of jack's pirate book, i fell asleep in his bed. i slept from 9-8 this morning! sweet!

bribery & bookmarks

last night we went to a wonderful little orchard and got our family pictures taken. megan was amazing!(moondoggie, she posted a preview already! YAY!) i'm so excited to see how they all turned out! can't wait. anyway, clay and i had discussed earlier that we would bribe our three rambunctious kiddies and tell them if they were good and did what megan asked, they could each pick out a book at barns and noble. they behaved beautifully.... so we went to the book store and they each picked out a book. jack a "transformers" book. grace an "amelia bedelia" book(my suggestion, love that amelia!). and max a "curious george" book. while we were in line, gracie was ooooing and aaaahing over the selection of bookmarks. who buys bookmarks? i told her we will make some. as a girl i always made my own bookmarks. it's fun, right?! so tonight clay took the boys out and gracie and i stayed in and made bookmarks. i even sacrificed some of my ultimate vintage wool yarn for the love of reading and fancy bookmarks! we made one for jack, max, and some friends too. jack LOOOOVED his so much and has been carrying it around all evening, telling me what books he wants to read and how he can use his new bookmark!

mommy and gracie date!

a few day's before school started, gracie and i went up to salt lake for a little mother daughter date! we had such a wonderful time! i LOOOVED giving her my full attention... the entire time! she was in heaven! first we got our nails done, then gracie got her hair curled and we did some shopping at the mall (finishing up her school shopping). we went to red iguana for the BEST mexican food, leatherby's, and then off to anniversary inn for the night. we stayed in the "swiss family robinson" room. it was so fun and gracie adored it, BIG time! she still talks about how we slept in a tree house. it was a blast to see her delight. we spent the night watching "barbie and the nutcracker" and eating cheesecake until we both zonked out! we were so dang tired. then we woke up and took a bath in the huge water fall bath tub and made a stop at my favorite children's store "children's hour" on the way home. so fun! i love making special memories with my kiddies. one on one time is priceless!

red iguana-

leatherby's-



our room-

summer time part I

i thought i'd play catch up tonight!

anderson camping trip '09














thanks to my family for making it happen. i'm not a huge camping fan but this was really very perfect! 3 days and 2 nights of fun filled activities and tons of yummy food. best camping trip in my book!

thanks for the pics jen! :)

j. crew

i just got my j crew catalog in the mail today. i love when it's catalog mail day. catalogs are like little gifts just for me and it gives me an excuse to sit down on the couch in the middle of the day and drool over fabulous things that i know deep down i'll never get around to purchasing. somehow it satisfies me to just peek. i can't justify buying them so i'll blog about them!

i give to you...
my j. crew favorites
(of the current catalog)

darling belt that would go with just about everything and make even the grungiest shirt sassy and cute.

cute headband eh? i think i might be able to construct a look-a-like. hmmm...


love the color of this coat! i would never let a winter's day get me down if i strutted my stuff in this and took the gloom head on?

i love this color too, but i like the construction more. sophisticated yet feminine. perfect!

LOOOVE this entire ensemble! what kind of pose is this though?!

love. every. last. tinsey. detail. about this outfit. if i had it i wouldn't even get ready for the day (like it looks like this model did). what would be the point! the clothes are really THAT fabulous!

cute cardi. ugly pants.

cute!

i might just have to grab this t while it lasts. (again, what's with this pose? "back off photographer or i'll smack you with my shimmering silver clutch i'm being forced hold... even though my other hand is crammed in this skin tight pocket.")

jack's new found passion

wednessday, september 16th, 2009
after school in the parking lot
jack- mom! i'm going to be in a race tomorrow!
me- really?
jack- ya, and i'm going to win and get a trophy(reaching for the little green flyer in his back pack)
me- awesome. you are so fast!

thursday, september 17th, 2009
after school in the parking lot
jack- mom! today's the race!
me- ok!
jack- we have to find my fast running shoes.
me- ok!
grace- i hope jack wins! he is sooo fast!
me- he sure is!

so, thursday evening we all headed down to the byu track for the fun run. i didn't know much about this race and i found out it was a mile race. i was beginning to hope he could finish the race... it seemed like a long way to run for him! i couldn't believe how many people came to this thing! every elementary in provo was invited. but nothing intimidated him, he was very excited and couldn't wait for his race!












he came in 20th place out of all the first graders and 4th place out of the boys in his school! he had such a blast and couldn't stop smiling! i was so proud of my little man. he can't wait for the next race and now he wants to run all the time. we told him for fhe tonight we could go down to the track and practice. we ran a bunch of races, all five of us! it was super fun!




stretching/ posing/ goofing off

striking a pose, again!

still posing, max trying to stretch

ready, set, go!

crazy boys

a good night... i love my little runners.

my return and some music

hello! it's been a loooong time since i've posted! wow. i've been thinking about what a blogger slacker i've been and at the same time thinking about all of the things i want to be able to remember about this time in my life.... so i'm setting a goal. i really want to start posting everyday. even if it's super random thoughts or lame activities we did that day, i don't want to forget how wonderful life can be if i can just sit and reflect for a few minutes. it's really good for my soul, and the kids like coming here and looking at pictures, and so on. so my dear family and friends. there you have it. fair warning.

today's random post is about some of the music i've been listening to recently. music is a big part of my life and easily effects my mood. i'm good at listening non stop to a few songs and wearing them out. these are just a few that i'm loving this past week or so.


sweet disposition is one that i love to listen to in the car with the windows down (perfect weather) really loud. the drums make me happy and the lyrics are pretty cool. i also like that it has an 80's outfield sound to it.

fireflies is SWEET! clay and i love it cause it reminds us of jack. he's into bugs, planets, and staying up late just hanging out with us so it totally fits! jack loves that it's "his" song. it makes him feel special. he loves just sitting here and watching the video too. awesome.

quelqu'um m'a dit- is the most lovely song EVER! i love everything about it. 1. it's in french- the most romantic and beautiful language. 2. carla bruni's voice is angelic. 3. carla bruni is gorgeous. 4. when i first heard (obsessed over) it and didn't know what it was about, i was praying that the lyrics were sweet and wholesome. i found out it's a love song and i love the words as much as the music (sigh). 5. it's the most delightful "drive the kids to school song" somehow it sets the perfect tone for the day and puts all of us in a good mood. 6. the kiddies love it as much as i do. 7. it's from the movie "500 days of summer" so it reminds me of a movie i love. 8. it makes me grateful i have such a wonderful husband who loves me. 9. i love the dramatic guitar (this youtube recording isn't the best, but i liked the video). 10. it makes me happy when i (try to) sing along with it. i feel cool that i know how to a sing french! :)

i hope this music makes you as happy as it makes me. enjoy.