A Day in the Life...

Burying ourselves in front of the tombstone... Visiting the Scarecrow Festival.  Our favorites were No Noggin, The Great Pumpkin, Scooby Doo, everything Hotel Transylvania and everything Coco. Visiting Jaker's corn maze, corn piles, haystacks, pumpkin trails, farm animals, and going out to eat at our favorite restaurant Strap Tank. Micah and her new shoes.  She's pretty sure she looks 14 and can run faster in them.  She's a keeper. Dakota is our animal lover.  She begs for a puppy and delights when stray ones find her and she snatches them up.  She has the best hair and eyes in the whole wide world. Copper is adulting at a young age... continuing to bake, sew, and plan her life.  She's my example in a lot of life so I'm glad she's around. A few weeks ago we celebrated my dad's birthday.  He didn't really want anything but us all together.  It doesn't happen often at all (all of us together) but we mostly all mad...

When I was growing up, October was busy; both my paternal grandparents had birthdays in October, plus my dad, myself, Branden, and Shandee.  We had at two birthdays a week all month long.  Fun times.  It's still busy even though my grandparents have passed and it's even busier when I like to celebrate just my own birthday all month long. This year I turn 40 and I love it. It feels the same as every other birthday... but... in anticipation of such a big year I have already gotten myself: clip-on bangs (picture to come later), reading glasses (my paper scriptures are in super tiny print), eye cream (for the wrinkles), and a Dustbuster (for the stairs and to follow Micah around with).   Also on my list are roller blades (to skate with the girls) and a grocery bag holder that can only be found at Ikea.  They all sound like appropriate gifts for turning forty.  Forty things about me, right now: 1.  I love my life. 2.  I could watch reruns ...

1652: Miles driven 60: Rice Krispy treats eaten (30 by Micah) 0:  Days that Tim wore deodorant 4: Hours it takes Copper to get ready for the day 4:  Number of days in a row I had fish tacos 16 Billion:  Number of times Dakota asked, "How many more minutes until we get there?" 11:  The number of times I repeated my anticipated personal mantra on the trip (Personal Mantra: People are more important than problems) 500:  Number of pictures taken by Taryn of the sunset over the ocean 18,000:  Average number of steps taken a day 20,000: Number of tears shed by Dakota about roller coasters and the Sky Tram 4.5:  Average number of hours I slept per night (this took a toll on my happy attitude) 5: Number of times Tim suggested we buy a house on the bay and he become a fisherman Our trip to California was a success!  Four families, 17 people (10 kids), lots of smiles, and lots of miles.  I was worried about the weather, esp...

You gotta hand it to school teachers!  I've grown to really like the twins' teacher Mr. C.  He comes with a bad reputation (I guess depending on who you ask) but boy I disagree.  This guy knows kids and knows their developmental levels, what they like and can't stand, what makes them laugh, what makes them work.  No wonder he lets them eat snacks in class when they're hungry (Micah's favorite part of each day)- he snacks all day long too.  When he empties a half-size Pringles can, he just washes it up and puts gluesticks and scissors in it.  There are Pringles cans all over the classroom.  This absolutely makes me smile.  I can tell he loves teaching, loves life, and loves these kids. He's patient and fun and gives them choices all day long to help them feel empowered and learn more about themselves.  I spent about three hours in his classroom last week putting together some folders.  Part of our conversation: Mr. C:  So, Mrs. Hel...

We took the girls and Taryn to the tennis courts and practiced hitting balls.    Taryn also practiced batting and catching because she's interested in softball. I was the ball chaser and got 13,000 steps in for the day.  Close to a record. Micah has a front loose tooth and she likes to pretend she's a hillbilly... Grandpa took Copper to the father-daughter Activity Days night because Tim couldn't go.  They had fun roasting hot dogs, making s'mores, and playing games. I'm back into a groove at work and fighting hard for a family everybody else wants something different for.  It's an uphill battle and I'm grateful for the gifts I'm given and experiences had.  My good work friend sent me this text after an intense meeting.  It kind of made my day.  It's good to know I'm right-on at work, even though it means home falls through the cracks. Which, by chance, is partly why I've just cried for two days straight! Really, I ...