Painting Pumpkins

For family home evening we finally got to paint pumpkins! The kids look forward to this every year and kept asking and asking until we finally got to get out the paint! We paint some and then carve some right before Halloween (hmmmm, I guess we need to get carving huh?). Below are the final products. It's fun to see the kids be creative. This is the first year that Gabby actually drew a face on one of them and Corban wanted one of his to say BYU. It made his dad proud. It will be fun to see how they progress with their pumpkins in the years to come.




Here's a fun note: The pumpkin on the front row on the far right is the pumpkin that was growing under our front porch (see a previous post). We did get it out by tearing off some of the front lattice. It is kind of funky shaped because it was growing on a 2x4 board, but we love how unique it is and are happy that we got it out. The lattice survived, by the way and you would never know that we did anything to it.

Gabby's First Primary Program

Yesterday was our ward's primary program and, being a Sunday, it was Gabby's first year to participate. She has been so excited about singing and has talked about how reverent she will be, etc. Well, she was really, really good. She held relatively still and kept her arms folded through the sacrament and didn't talk to any of the other kids. She had a huge smile on her face the whole time and looked so dang cute!

When there was about 15 minutes left of the program I noticed that we were losing her. She kept a funny smile on her face, but wasn't reacting to my faces from the audience even though she was looking right at me. Then her eyes would close for a bit, then open and then halfway close again and she would teeter in her seat. I could tell that she was totally falling asleep sitting on the front row of her first primary program! Some of the people around us were laughing as they watched her slowly fade. I thought for a bit that she might completely fall out of her seat, but her teacher finally realized what was happening and pulled Gabby into her lap for the last few minutes.

This might not be a big deal for those of you that are parents out there, but when we are talking about Gabby it is a big deal. This is the girl who would not fall asleep anywhere but at home! Most babies will fall asleep in the car while you are driving around, in fact, people take their babies on rides just to get them to go to sleep when other things won't work. This has never been the case with Gabby. Even as a very small baby she wouldn't sleep in the car and very rarely does still. So, to have her be the one in the whole primary falling asleep is so funny! She did a great job though!!

Our tiny baby Gabby, wide awake on the way home from the NICU - May 2004

So You Think You Can Dance Halloween Style

So, I have to thank my sister-in-law, Trish, for finding this. It is perfect for the Halloween season and one of my favorite dances on all the seasons of SYTYCD. Happy Halloween from me and from Wade Robson (the choreographer, for those of you who do not know). Bring on the zombies!!!

Family Fireside Broadcast 1986

I thought this would bring back some memories for our family and friends. We had the opportunity to sing in this Family Choir at the Tabernacle for the Family Broadcast of the church in 1986.

Happy 60th Mom!!

Well, after months of waiting it was finally my mom's 60th birthday yesterday! I say months of waiting because for her very special day all of us kids decided to put together a book for her. We sent out e-mails and letters, we made phone calls and tracked down people on the street to get thoughts and letters about my mom from friends over the years. We did a whole, "This is your life," kind of a thing and had people from her youth and teenage years, through days in Woods Cross, Los Angeles, Farmington, Maryland and Nauvoo. It was quite a feat, but worth every second of it! Each of us kids and our kids all wrote something and/or drew pictures telling her how wonderful she is.

I think the best part was seeing the pictures of her over the years that other people had or ones that we hadn't seen before. The book was well over 100 pages and was nicely bound in leather for her to keep for years. Click here to take a look at her book.

My mom is such a thoughtful and caring woman. She has touched so many people's lives for the better. It was good to see how much people appreciate her, how even years later they still talk about the influence she had on them and their children. She is incredibly optomistic and positive about everything. She oozes goodness and happiness and people can't help but be happy in her presence.

Hopefully she knows how much each one of us loves and appreciates her, but it's nice to hear from others how much she is appreciated! She is in Boston for her birthday and sound like she is having a wonderful time and was thrilled with her gift! I was thrilled to get to work on it for her! She is a joy to have in my life and it is a privilege to be her daughter!

Happy 60th Birthday, Mom! You are still as beautiful as you ever were. I love you.