Happy Halloween

Just a quick picture of the kids from tonight. We have Sam as Indiana Jones, Clay as Mutt Williams (aka Henry Jr), Amelia as Little Bo Peep, and Emma as the lamb. I wish I'd taken more time to take pictures because they were all so priceless all night long. We do quite a bit of traveling in the car on Halloween night, making visits. It really is fun and has become somewhat of a tradition to visit Grandpa up at the ranch, Uncle Burton and Aunt Evelyn, and our old neighbors, Mark and Meryl. This year we added a couple of friends(and about 20 miles) to our list and we were happy that we did! Our little lamb and bo peep did not make it home awake, but when we pulled Emma out of her car seat she was surrounded with candy. Amelia caught on pretty quick and was the first one to each door, reaching for all she could to hit that doorbell. Emma was very interested in each thing that was put into her pumpkin. When she got a little can of playdough, she ran to the car, waving it at Nate (who was driving), saying, na-na-na-na-na-na. What a riot. Clay had to show off his missing teeth and his new sword to everyone we stopped at. We had to tell him to stop telling people that Sam couldn't have the candy they were passing out {he's allergic to nuts}, that we would all combine and redistribute so that Sam was taken care of. I think he enjoyed the socializing just as much as the candy. Sam was the first and the loudest to say thank you. He's really a very gracious boy. OK, so you got more than just a picture. I guess I didn't want to lose the feeling of the night. We really had a ton of fun.

New Favorite Quote

Obstacles are what we see when we stop looking at our goals:

• I'm reminded of this when the reasons why get overwhelmed by the reasons why not.
• I'm reminded of this when all I see are the dangers, rather than the multitudes of opportunity.
• I'm reminded of this when I see the drop-off, the rocks, the stumps rather than the smoothness of the trail that my bike's wheels travel so easily along.
• Yep, those obstacles loom large when I look at them but they disappear as soon as I focus on my goal.

Here's to invisible obstacles and larger-than-life goals.

~missy park, founder title nine

Nate's Elk

This spot is reserved for the hunting story told by Nate. All bragging rights reserved.

Witches & A Pumpkin Patch

There's more to that story, but for now, here's one great picture I got today.

New Dress

Looks pretty cute, huh?

Beautiful work, darling purse.

Thank You Grandma!!!

My Man

I don't think that I have ever been tagged before, but it looks like I'm it. Thanks A.

So, you want to know a little about my man Nate? Here goes.

What's your husbands name? Nathan

How long have you been married? 11 1/2 years

How long did you date? 7 months

How old is he? 32 and 11 months

Who eats more sweets? me, hands down.

Who said "I Love You" first? I can't remember. I think we both knew that the feeling was mutual right from the start.

Who is taller? Nathan

Who is a better singer? tough one. we are both just mediocre. Nate has a nice voice, but a little off key

Who is smarter? Not a fair question. Who's the doctor?

Who does the laundry? Me-all of it

Who pays the bills? Me-all of them

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me

Does he snore? not usually

What does he do in his spare time? hunt (in the fall) baseball (in the summer) read (at night)

and family stuff

Who mows the lawn? Me - he trims

What is his favorite candy bar? Reeses peanut butter cups

Who cooks dinner? Me

Who drives? Nate

Who is the first to say they are wrong? neither, we're both pretty stubborn

Who kissed who first? Nate kissed me, but only because I told him it would be ok.

Who asked who out first? Who flew to Ohio and was on the doorstep of the plane when I got home off my mission?

Who wears the pants? Depends

Does he say he loves you every day? I believe so.

I should have done this on a day when he hadn't been gone hunting for 3 days and called to tell me he just shot an elk. There is one thing we don't really see eye to eye. He loves it. I don't.

Nonetheless, I love Nate more and more as we experience life together and work to create a loving, honest, and hard-working family. I admire his faith and his gospel knowledge. I love that he adores me and the kiddos. He's wonderful.

So, My turn to tag. I will tag the Perkins girls...Amy, Laura, Vanessa, and Bonnie...you're it!

Just answer the questions above!

3 Years Old

1

2

3

I can hardly belive that my baby is three. She is so full of personality and charm. She is a mischievious little thing that either wants to be completely left alone, or have every single ounce of my attention. Her giggle is so contagious it will make anyone smile {or laugh}. Although she likes to keep the peace with her siblings, she is not afraid to be contradictory.

She loves:
tink{erbell} {quite fitting, i think}
purses
lipstick
saying prayers
horses
chicken and rice
dolls
swinging and strolling
reading books
pretending
Yukon
her sister
peace
cheese {not ham}
sleeping in my bed

This year for her birthday she wanted a pink vacuum. After a recent visit to the toy aisle in WalMart she decided that she wanted a Little Einstiens computer also. She was always very clear on this, and did not deviate or waver. Once she knew what she wanted, she knew what she wanted. So, when she woke up on her birthday to see three presents wrapped on the living room table, she walked right up to them and the conversation went something like this:

Emma, pointing to each present, said, "this one is a vacuum, this one is a computer, and this one is clothes."

Mom,"You don't know that."

Emma,"Yes I do."

What a girl.

Tinkerbell Cake {of course}

Here is the birthday girl with her pink vacuum, Little Einstiens computer, and clothes (pjs).

The assortment of tinkerbell things is from Grandma & Grandpa. {THANKS}

Love You EmmaNae

PS: Need your input. Which picture do you like best of the Emmagirl? 1,2,or 3?

Do You Have Snow? We Do.

Need I say more?

Twilight and Other Things

I knew this would happen. I had heard from friend after friend that I needed to read these books. Although there is nothing about vampires that "calls" me to a book, I love to read. I hesitated, knowing that once I started a book, I would be pretty much checked-out until I was done. That's how I read books. None of this: read a chapter before bed every night. Let's try: read until midnight or one, until I realize that I will be absolutely useless unless I put the book down and go to sleep. And then I find myself working at double speed so that I can have an extra half hour somewhere to read the book. Two weeks is what it took to get through these four books. Sorry for my absence, but I really loved that reading time. If you want a good romance, these are your books. Gets a little odd during that last novel, but who doesn't love a happy ending filled with assurances of the possiblities of stretching to reach our potential.

But of course, that was not all.

Tomatoes, 2 bushels = 9 quarts of spaghetti sauce, 9 pints of salsa, 3 frozen lasagnas, 6 cups of fresh salsa, 13 servings of cheese BLT's, and then some.

Peaches, 1/2 bushel = 4 quarts of peaches, 1 divine peach cobbler, 12s of bowls of Just Bunches and Peaches

Never a solo job. Every job needs a helper or 3 or 4. Lest you think that I did nothing while they did all the work, I did stay very busy preparing jars for canning, and chopping other vegetables for the recipes. {thank you Dr. Frakes}

Good Spaghetti Sauce

1/2 bushel tomatoes, skin and grind

1 head garlic

3 onions

2 small jalapeno peppers

1/2 C oil

2 tsp oregano

1 1/2 C sugar

1/4 C salt

2 tsp basil

Boil 3 hours uncovered.

Add 2 Tbs parsley

24 oz tomato paste

You can see how much help the kiddos really are. Emma had to be holding my arm so that she could be helping me peel the peaches. {they were too hot for her to touch}

And then there was the weekend visit with the cousins. Nate, Terrick and Darren worked on building a retaining wall to replace our weed hill that goes from our lawn to the driveway. I'll have to take a picture of that. It looks pretty awesome, and will look even better with some bushes, flowers and trees. {spring project} And the kids had a ball playing, and just being cute. On Saturday morning, Clay and Sam started a Rock Stand to sell all the cool rocks that they find in the yard. After a discouraging morning of no takers, I suggested they add kool-aid to their offerings, and they had a couple of dollars {and lots of red mustaches} by the time the day was over.I took some pictures of this beautiful boy, and looked over to see this tinkerbell posing. I love to see the cousins taking care of each other. For more cute pictures about this fun weekend, go here or here.

• Decorating for the fall: on our new amazing rock fireplace. {what I love about my house}

• Cutting hair {trying to anyway} I cut bangs on Mia, but not a good picture yet.
  
• Football, football, football

Sam did a really good job playing this year. He played quarterback and threw for a couple touchdowns, or 1st downs at least. He also ran the ball quite a bit and scored a couple touchdowns that way. He scored two in the game last night. He also caught interceptions. Not to paint an unrealistic picture: he also threw an interception, fumbled the ball, and let most boys past him. But, he is only 9. He loves to play, and that's the important thing. You can see the intensity as he runs. It's pretty fun. He loves anything that requires him to be active.