Thankful Thursdays

I am thankful for October (though the last two Octobers have sucked a duck in many ways (this one has included swine flu, shingles, and stomach flu all in a 4 week period)). I love fall, the colors, the crisp air, and many fun Halloween traditions.

Here are some fun things from this October.

Alec got out the rake and raked the leaves from our little tree without being asked. He loved doing it and worked hard for about an hour at it. (Then had a melt down when the kids got off the bus and walked through our yard and messed up his pile).

Carving pumpkins! (Notice Alec's spider hat that I bought for 50 cents on clearence a couple of years ago and just found it. He has worn it for 3 days straight).

Witches Hats (made out of fudge striped cookies and hershey kisses). I think Halloween treats are the funnest to make.

The Pumpkin Walk.

We went with Grandma and Grandpa Francis, aunts, uncles, and cousins this year.

This was the best display. All of these vegtables were made of pumpkins and they looked really awesome.

Brynn is Harry Potter

Gavin makes a lovely Cinderella

Alec as Yoda

The cutouts are the kids favorite part of the Pumpkin Walk

Legos + Brett = Awesome...

Brett loves Halloween and he loves Legos. Combine those two things and you get this:

Check out this cool Haunted House that he made. From scratch! He made it up on his own. It even lights up (see below) and has a strobe action.

I keep telling him that he should quit and his job and go build things for Lego. It doesn't pay well enough. But it would be fun!

Too much time on my hands...

Happy Halloween from my little monsters!

Miserable Thursdays

I have shingles. This is the third time in my life that I have had it. They are on my back. It is miserable. The chicken pox virus lays dormant in your body and come back as shingles when you are an adult. They come out on nerve lines and develop into blisters and cause a lot of pain.

The chances of getting shingles before you are 45 is 10%. The chances of getting recurrent shingles is even smaller. And the chances of getting it in the same place on your body is even smaller.

Why can't I have luck with these odds with something cool, like the percentage of the population that are a size 2, or ever winning at bunco, or winning a trip to Disneyland?

So far in my life the great odds have only been applied to bad luck. :)

Life Lessons

So the other day I was in the bathroom doing Brynn's hair and she wanted it a different way than how I was doing it. (It was for pictures so I wasn't going to compromise). She asked me again to do it her way.

All of the sudden Gavin, who was standing there watching us, said, "Oh man she is giving you that look!"

I asked him what he was talking about and he said, "You know that look that girls give you that gets to do what they want." He told me his friend (a girl at school) gives him that look all the time and he gives in.

I died laughing. I can't believe my 9 year old already knows about "the look." Hiliarious!

Frankenstein Brownies

We love Halloween treats at our house.

Piano

Brynn is student of month where she takes pian lessons. Click here. Brynn loves piano and we are very proud of her.

Thankful Thursdays

Last night I was laying by my little boy who was fresh out of a bath, clean and warm in his fuzzy pajamas. Reading bedtime stories. Listening to him grow up right before my very eyes as he picked out and read some 3 letter words. Giggling at the funny parts of the book.

I could hear my husband in the next room reading Harry Potter 4 with our other two kids. It is these moments when everyone is together, warm and safe, happy, and content, that you realize how lucky you are.

I am thankful today for these moments when my love for my family makes my heart want to burst. For these moments that I want to bottle up and save for crazy days. For being reminded how blessed I am.

(This is an oldie, but so cute. All my babies in their jammies snuggled in bed)

Carmel Apples...Yummy!

Thankful Thursdays

I know that I will have comments telling me how weird I am about this, but I really don't care.

Today I am thankful for 50 degree weather and the fact that it finally feels like fall! Love it!