#1 The Gospel

I cannot start this month of focusing on blessings without first mentioning the gospel. I never think of myself as a person with many gifts, but one that I feel I was blessed with is Faith. I never doubt the gospel. I have always known that I am a child of God, that we had a plan presented to us before this life and that our Savior is the center of that plan, I know I will be with my family forever, Heavenly Father loves me and forgives me for my weaknesses, the Book of Mormon is a true book - it is simple, yet is full of answer's to life's questions, we have a living prophet who recieves revelation from God, temples are a little heaven on earth. I am so thankful that Heavenly Father blessed me with this Faith and I don't question these things one bit.

I am especially grateful for the knowledge I have of my Savior and what he went through so that I might live again. I love knowing that I will always have someone to turn to and I never have to feel alone. He knows just how I feel in every aspect of my life.

This has become one of my favorite talks, how can you not have a great love for our Savior after hearing this?

A month of Blessings

November...the month to focus more on what we are thankful for. I felt like last year, around this time, it went way too fast and I know it will again, but I want to make certain that I am already focusing on what is important to me and think about the things I am thankful for. Each day this month I want to post something I am grateful for. Don't feel like you have to read it at all and this is not intended to brag about me...it just seems like a great way for me to write it down.

Happy Halloween

from two bats and a baby chick...

We had a little Pumpkin Carving party with Alisa and Jerry...the boys were thrilled and came up with all kinds of ideas for a pumpkin, the ending results were...Corbin - A bat and a silly face, Taylor - superman and batman, Jerry (doing it for the rest of us) - A bat and a moon

And of course we had to have cider and some doughnuts (fyi - doughnuts...no good :( ... I will be sticking to the other recipe (from Abe and Nicole) which is so delicious!!) On halloween we went to a local grocery store's trunk or treat. There was one worker that was dressed, well scary. Levi was terrified. He would either stop and stare or else just keep walking past slowly staring at him. He didn't know what to think.

The boys thought it was great, though!It was a blast to have MandiJon (as we call them) and the kids over. We have been getting together every Halloween for the last 3 years and having dinner and trick or treating. Have I ever metioned how much I love having my sister and her family live only 15 minutes away! Well, I do!! Jaina is the girl that I claim for my own since I don't have one (but don't worry Mandi, I won't steal her!) Justin asked Jaina what she was dressed up as, she said, "a costume"

The kids got a TON of candy...but what the heck, it's Halloween!
One of our most favorite part of Halloween this year was watching Levi. I can't believe he is only 14 1/2 months old and he totally got the concept down. He walked right up to the door with all the kids, grabbed some candy, then put it in his bag, walked away without even looking at it, then he was ready to go to the next house. By the end of the night, he was dragging that bag behind him, but he would not let go. When we got home, he found our bowl of candy to pass out to other kids, he sat right down, and starting transfering from our bowl to his bag :) :)

Merry, I mean, Happy Halloween

I am so happy! I can handle snowy days once in October and I LOVE them! Levi thought it was great! And yes Dad, we had Christmas music blasting throughout our home today, and a little egg nog...

In the meantime, Happy Halloween from our little pumpkins...

Words

Levi - He has said a word that I never thought would be among the first words. Right now he says: Ma-ma (and this is usually in a high pitch scream when he is asking for something), Da-Da, Ba (ball), Baa-Ball (Basketball), Bo-Ball (Football), Hi (in an adorable peppy voice), and now Dina. He was playing with a Dinosaur and Justin kept hearing him say Dina, Dina, it finally clicked that he was talking about the toy dinosaur. Why do you have to grow up so fast, Levi?

Taylor - I don't know why, but I am always telling the boys that I just want to eat them up (cause they are so adorable). Today Taylor told me that I can't eat him up because he is not food. I told him if he were food, I would just eat him up (only kidding obviously). He told me no, because food does not talk.

Corbin - the other day when I was dropping Corbin off at school he tells me "Bye mom, I'll be good, or I might not..." sigh...

Gotta love these kiddos!

Good Bye...Hello

Good Bye Summer, you were so good to us this year!

Hello Fall!!! I am so excited for this time of year!!! Let the holidays begin! The food is wonderful, the smells are amazing, the crisp air is refreshing, the colors are perfect, the clothes are cozy! I am so happy! Thank you fall for coming!

A little bit random

Ok, it's sometimes so hard for me to post, I have good intentions, I want to post about what's been going on, good ideas I hear about, yummy recipes, how much I LOVE the fall time, but I just don't sit down and do it. Could it be because of these adorable rascals...???