Fall in New Jersey

Fall is my favorite time of year! I love the weather and the leaves! The East coast has the most colorful falls ever! I love it so much! The kids also love it! Here are some of our pictures playing in the leaves! I can't help but comment on how cute my own kids are!! They are just so cute!

The best of me

So last night I had a dream. It's weird because I never dream or at least I never remember them, and even if I do remember it it's never complete and never makes much sense. Last nights dream was no exception. All I remember is my Dad talking to someone that I know about me and the kids. He said those two are the best of her. So if you love her you will love them. That really got me thinking. Anyone that knows me well knows that Eugene (my Dad, yes I call him Eugene) holds all the answers. When I need advice he gets the first call. So it seems rather fitting to have him in my dream telling me what I already know but making it a little clearer. Xavier and Bella truly are the best of me. Any of the qualities that I have and like about myself they have ten fold. Anything in me that needs improving they have already mastered. I don't know if it is like this for all parents and I don't know if you feel this way forever but I do know that they really are the best of me and I love them for showing me what I can be each and everyday!

Halloween

Xavier and his teacher Ms. Powers

These are twin girls in our ward Abbi and Bailey. They were lobsters in a bucket! they were so stinkin cute. Then during trunk or treat they were laying on these huge platters with grapes and fruit around them and candle light! It looked like they were the main course! Sooo cute!

Holy Halloween! We have been celebrating for the past week and it has been a blast! I am not a huge fan of Halloween but I don't not like it either. This year has been fun because the kids were so into it. We went to 3 different parties and each night Xavier would out line them in his prayers. It was awesome! We went to the ward party, a party put on by the town and finally Xavier's school party. So Xavier was Peter Pan, Bella was Tinkerbell and I was Wendy. I may never dress up again because no one knew who I was! I thought I looked just like Wendy but everyone was having such a hard time figuring it out! Hello I'm with Peter pan and Tinkerbell! Come on! Anyway....... this was our first family attempt at jack-o-lanterns. I carved them all with no help on the gut scooping! Xavier took one look inside and said "I'm going up stairs to play" I don't know where he gets this clean hands business but it has to stop! We'll try again next year! We got way too much candy but had tons of fun so it makes it all worth while!!

Little Chef

Maybe we have been watching a little too much Ratatouille or maybe he just wants to be a little chef. Either way he is so dang cute that it just doesn't matter. Here he is making mac n cheese. So gourmet I know! I'm hoping to get a few more dishes in him before his mission! Although having 2 kids has made me a firm believer that you can fully thrive on cereal and mac n cheese alone!

Apple Picking and Pumpkins too

Xavier in the orchard
Reven. Bella. Xavier. Mason

Jenn and the kids


Me and RiLee

family picture



Bella chowin' down

Me and Joanne on the tractor ride

Brent picking a pumpkin

What a woman!

A family shot in the pumpkin patch. Notice Lexie in the back!

So every year we go apple picking it has been one of our family and friends traditions. We always have so much fun and this year was no exception! The weather was nice and the farm was great! The kids have such a blast picking their own apples and it's just about the only time I can get Xavier to actually eat apples! This was the first year we got pumpkins too and the kids loved picking their very own!

Full Circle Mermaid Moment

So for those of you who know me well, you know I LOVE LOVE LOVE the little mermaid. You know that in high school I had Little Mermaid sheets and posters and dolls. If you know me well you already know all of this. When The Little Mermaid came out (summer of 1989) I was 11 years old and just getting ready to go into the 6th grade. I had just gotten all my new school clothes and yeah I can remember the outfit that I wore to the theater that day! Did I tell you that I LOVED the Little Mermaid? So I guess I never really thought that one day I would have my own kids that would also love The Little Mermaid, even though I should have seen it coming! So every day at the dinner table Bella asks me to sing The Ariel Song. I of course do because I know it word for word and love it. So we have a little dinner show each and every night! So Bella now knows the Ariel song and it tickles me pink. She doesn't sing it very often but I got it on tape and I am so excited for you all to see my own little princess! She is too way cute!! Sorry it is so soft but...... Here is my full circle Mermaid moment.

Camping at the Traylor park

Sarah and Bella cuddle
Rob , Mason and Reven
Happy Campers
Bella and Xavier sleeping soundly
The set up


So we had planned to go camping last weekend but everyone bailed on me. So taking the advice from our dear prophet I decided to enjoy the journey! So I asked my friends the Traylor's if we could camp out in their back yard and use their built in fire pit to roast marshmallows. I mean what's camping with out s'mores?! So we did it and it was so much fun! The Hogges came and roasted marshmallows with us and we did sleep out in the tent all night. The kids were thrilled to sleep in a tent and I knew that's all it would take for them to have fun so mission accomplished! Thanks Traylor's for letting us use your indoor plumbing and your back yard on our "camp out"!!

Tagged

Tagged- the 8's

8 t.v. shows I love to watch:

1. Brothers and Sisters
2. Chuck
3. Heros
4. Criminal minds
5. Numbers
6. The Ex- list
7. Grey's anatomy
8. Law and order SVU

8 Favorite Restaurants:

1. Baja Fresh
2. Chipoltle
3. Virgil's
4. dave and busters
5. california pizza kitchen
6. cheesecake factory
7. red robin
8. Anywhere my friends are

8 Things that happened yesterday:

1. Did Laundry
2. Went to the grocery store
3. Went to RiLee's
4. Had Family home evening
5. Bath night for the kids
6. Talked on the phone a lot
7. Played outside
8. did the never ending pile of dishes

8 things I am looking forward to:

1. Apple Picking
2. Halloween
3. Dinner
4. Thanksgiving
5. An update from my family on the house cleaning project!
6. Bed time for me and the kids
7. chocolate and peanut butter
8. a chance to read my book

8 things I love about fall:

1. Football season
2. cooler weather
3. The changing leaves
4. making soups and chili a couple nights a week
5. Getting toasty in a blanket
6. Thanksgiving dinner
7. Sweatshirts and sweaters
8. hot chocolate

8 things on my wish list:

1. A mini van
2. Plastic surgery
3. No debt
4. a house keeper
5. The cricut
6. a new wardrobe
7. going to the little mermaid on broadway
8. a mini van

8 people I'm tagging:

1. RiLee
2. Jenn
3. Meagan
4. Marci
5. Connie
6. Amber J
7. Tracy
8. Holly

General Conference

Chocolate apostles
Who's who?

Xavier and Bella playing conference bingo.
A not so reverent moment.
Xavier loved the chocolate and the game!

So we have been gearing up for general conference all week long! It started with an FHE lesson on prophets and the first presidency. We made our who's who game and our chocolate apostles. This was to be the first time the kids really watched conference so I was trying to prepare as best I could. They watched each afternoon session and did pretty well for first timers. They loved the chocolate and mathching the picture with each speaker. Bingo was a bit of a bust mostly because they are still too little but it was fun anyway! I am happy because they can name the first presidency and they know several other names but not the faces. I never realized how much these men look alike until I started trying to find ways for the kids to differentiate them! Not easy! Conference for me was amazing! I love President Monson and all the talks he gave! I loved hearing Elder Oaks speak about sacrament meeting and I loved Sister Allred as always! It was a great weekend and I'm so glad that I got to spend it with my kids and help them understand the importance of our beloved prophet! Today as we were praying over breakfast Xavier said "I'm pretending to be the prophet." If that is all he got out of our week of preparation and conference itself, I'm good! Who better to pretend to be then President Monson!

Bella's Big Girl Bed!!

So there I was driving down the street minding my own business and I saw this great toddler bed, so I took it and now Bella has a big girl bed! In Jersey people put the most amazing things to the curb for the garbage men! Many people like to go 'junkin' in the good neighborhoods and they get great stuff! I happen to be one of those people obviously! I will be posting one of my fixer up finds soon! So this is Bella getting ready for her first night of sleep in her toddler bed. She was really excited and wanted to get into bed. Then I snuck in to get a shot of her actually sleeping. They are so cute and way too grown up in their toddler beds!!