Happy Halloween!

Here are the spooks from our house this Halloween! Benjamin is Luke Skywalker. Matthew is a zombie. Lauren is what she calls "random." Jessica is "laundry." Notice the boxer shorts on Jessica's head.

We had a good time at our annual trunk-or-treat at the church last Wednesday night. Our neighbor, Michael was also with us. They are all out getting lot of candy right now. I am enjoying staying at home while Brock is out cruising the neighborhood with them.

Fall Break

Last week was Fall break for the kids. We planned to do a few fun things while they were out of school. We visited a place called the Fruit and Berry Patch. There was a pumpkin patch, a corn maze, animals to feed, and a cute little store that sold apples, fresh preserves, and fresh pies. The property was pretty big and we enjoyed walking around. We went with the Tullis family. They have five beautiful girls. It was a really fun day.

Brock was wicked with the old corn cobbs. He was throwing the corn at all of us. The kids had fun chasing each other through the corn maze while pelting everybody with the corn. Here is a picture of Brock trying to get me.

Our next adventure for the week was to go on a hike. We had really wanted drive up to the Smoky Mountains and hike up to Abrams Falls, however, we got a late start and... it was raining. The rain did not dampen our spirits. We took a shorter drive to the Ijams Nature Center here in Knoxville. We hike on the trails there...in the rain. It was still a lot of fun and I can't wait to go back when it's not raining. We saw two box turtles along the trail, and enjoyed the beauty of the river and the Fall colors.

Lauren Got Her Hair Cut!

Lauren wanted to get her hair cut short so that she would be forced to wear it down everyday. Isn't she cute? I love it when she is happy with how she looks. On the down side, that last few days Lauren's face has been red and irritated. Especially around her eyes and eyelids. When she got up this morning her face was swollen and her eyelids were massively puffy. I feel so bad for her! I don't know what to do. I have had her show me everything she has put on her face over the last few days. It's just crazy. I can't figure out what could have caused this. I hope she is better in the morning. She wants to look all cute going to church with her new hair cut, and her face is all swollen and red! Ahh!

FLASHBACK!

Brock and I met in November of 1991. It really was love from the very first time we met. This first picture was taken in front of my parents home. Brock and I had taken a trip to Farmington, NM so that Brock could meet Mom and Dad. I remember that Brock was so nervous! On our way into town we had to pull over so that Brock could take a few deep breaths and stretch his legs before meeting my parents. Don't we look so '80's in this picture. Me with my big hair and eyebrows. Notice that little thing I used to do with my belt. Brock was always dressed nice and conservatively. My little brothers asked me if Brock ever wore tennis shoes. I thought that was so funny!

We got engaged in April of 1992. It was such a beautiful day! We went to Salt Lake City to attend General Conference. Brock proposed to me near the temple grounds after we had eaten a picnic lunch. He had the ring, was on bended knee, and was very nervous and sweet. We were two of the happiest people on earth.

The last picture was taken on our wedding day outside the Salt Lake City Temple. We look so young and innocent! We had so many hopes, dreams, and expectations of what our life would be. We truly have been blessed. After four children, a few moves, and several jobs, we are still hoping and dreaming. The only difference is that I have a lot of gray hairs, and Brock has nearly gone bald. We have certainly learned and grown over the last 16 years.

Latin Aerobics at YW

Jessica and Lauren had a fun time learning Latin Aerobics at their activity tonight. They have such a great YW president. Monica is fun, honest, and a ray of sunshine. She is so good with all the girls and her love for them is so genuine. Monica dressed for the occassion tonight by raiding her mother's closet. I wish the bottom half of her outfit was showing. The pants were cropped and she was wearing black heels. I just wish I would have seen the Latin dancing!

By the Fence...

The other night we were out running errands and came upon this beautiful property. I love pictures by fences. I took a few shots of the kids. I was so glad that I had my camera in the car. Jessica loves to hide from the camera, so I was especially glad to get this picture of her. While we were taking pictures the horses came right over to us. It was really fun. Too bad Brock and Matthew were at Lacrosse pratice!

Boys in Action!

I'm not very good at taking action photos. It might be because I don't know how to use my camera very well. Anyway, Matthew and Ben love to race and run around everywhere we go. This is my attempt to catch them in action.

Daddy Daughter Moment

It's not often that I get an endearing picture of Brock with one of the kids. I thought this was such a sweet picture of Brock and Lauren. I would love to have a picture like this of me with my dad! I think Lauren will someday treasure this. What a beautiful moment in time! I'm so glad that they let me capture it in this picture.

The Circus

We went to the circus with the scouts last Friday night. It was so much fun! I had never been to a circus before. There were tigers, elephants, and clowns. I couldn't help but feel sorry for the animals though. I think wild animals were meant to live in the jungle and be "wild." They shouldn't be performing in a cage, submitting to a man with a whip! The most exciting event was watching seven crazy guys riding motorcycles in a very small sphere. Here's a picture of the elephants. I wish you could see the zebra outfits that the girls are wearing. Brock wants to get me one.

Mystery Pictures!!!

And another one's gone...

The drama continues as Benjamin loses his baby teeth! Last week he had been in bed for a miserable hour before he finally got up and said, "Mom, please get this tooth out of here!" So I brought him into my bathroom and tried to help him out. I wiggled and tugged and that little tooth just wanted to stay put. Ben was nearly out of his mind. Finally, the tooth was just hanging there and Ben pulled it out himself. That tooth had the longest root I have ever seen on a baby tooth!

Birthday Parties Galore

We have three birthdays in the month of September! Brock and Lauren were born on the 20th, and Benjamin was born on the 23rd. It's so hard to make all of them feel special at the same time. I do my best to give them each individual celebrations.


Lauren invited six friends to sleep over. She had a lot of fun and a lot of frustrations. Lauren said that she would never invite all of them over at the same time again. It was too much for her to manage. It was too much for me to manage too! The girls started doing make-overs at about 1 a.m. and I was getting a little grouchy inside. When I had to tell them all to get in their sleeping bags and go to sleep at 3 a.m. my grouchiness was coming out. I guess I'm not the sleep-over-kind-of-mom. I don't think the girls' ever planned on sleeping! All this in the name of making Lauren happy for her 12th birthday. Lauren finally got her ears pierced! She is counting down the days until she can wear all of the earrings she has been making for the last two years.

Brock is probably the one who gets the short end of the stick at birthday time. I made him his favorite carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. He got a couple of really exciting gifts like shirts and pants. Waa Hoo! He would much rather have some kind of new technical gadget. Some day Brock...

Benjamin requested Chinese stir-fry for dinner and a chocolate cake. He is nuts about star wars! So guess what he got for his birthday---galactic heroes from star wars. He was a very happy six year old.

Benjamin loses his first tooth!

Finally, Ben was able to lose that first tooth! The tooth was barely hanging on to anything for about a week before Ben decided it was time. He stood in front of the mirror, nearly in tears, and just popped it out. He was so surprised! He loves to smile and show everyone his gap. Now his other bottom tooth is loose...