Exhibitionist !

The G.I. Joe action figure at our house has a new mission. I not exactly sure what it is but it requires him to be an exhibitionist. I walked into K.'s room yesterday evening and found his action figure posed buck-naked in the bedroom window. I laughed so hard I had to sit down. (at least it wasn't the four year old posing in the window). I called my husband to come look. We were laughing so hard we could hardly stop. We decided to get a picture. Not sure what K. had in mind but it was good for a laugh. Hopefully G.I. Joe is small enough that not many neighbors or passing cars got a good look. They might wonder about my children?!:) Rest assured readers that G.I. Joe completed whatever mission he was on and is now (fully clothed) resting peacefully in his barracks.

Orchard Day !!!

On the Bus!

Waiting to go to the pumpkin patch!

Picking out the pumpkin!

"This is the perfect pumkin!"

Yesterday K. and I got to take a field trip to our local apple orchard. It was really fun. I think the thing the kids enjoyed the most was the ride down to the pumpkin patch to pick out their very own pumpkin. When we got back on the truck K. held up his pumpkin and said "Mom, this is the perfect pumpkin. They also got to have popcorn and fresh apple cider made there at the orchard. Then the guide took them up to some of the apple trees where they were able to pick their own apple. Afterward we toured the area were they process the apples, including a trip into their giant fridge were the store the harvested apple.The kids had a great time at the orchard and for many of them the had the added bonus of riding on the bus for the very first time.

My Ducks !?!

Don't I look cute in my goggles?!

Hey, Mom, don't worry I have this floaty thing!!!

I've got my goggles and I'm ready to go!

I love the water!!!



The boys are both in swimming lessons. They really love the water. J and K go with their dad every Tuesday and Thursday to take lessons. They have a great time and are learning to swim well. This last summer J had learned to swim well enough that he was invited to join the local kids public swim team. Unfortunately we were gone so much at the first of the summer that this wasn't possible. Maybe next year though. I think he will have a great time. As for K he has gotten good enough that he doesn't have any concerns about jumping in - although he still use a flotation device to keep him from sinking.

Lunch with J!

Tuesday I had the rare opportunity to have lunch with J by himself. It was so fun. The school had a birthday table for all the students who had birthdays in August and September. The parents of these students got to go and have lunch with their child. Del was home that day and he watched K so I got to share lunch with J. We had a very nice time. Can't say school lunch has changed much since I was in elementary school. But the company was great. It is nice to periodically have one on one time with each of my children. I learn some fun and interesting things about what they are doing that they don't always share with the whole family around. It was a great way to spend 30 minutes of my day. (And bonus K got to spend some one on one time with his dad.) =)

Fall is here!

Even though the calander says that the Fall Equinox is still a week a way Mother Nature in our area has another idea. Driving down our street today I noticed the first trees beginning to change to reds and yellows. How exciting. I love Fall. I love the crisp morning temperatures. The bright colored leaves and the beauty of the vibrant fall flowers. I love to hear the the sound of crunching leaves under foot and the call of the geese over head as they migrate south. It makes me very excited for Halloween and Thanksgiving. Next week I get to go on a field trip with K.'s preschool class to our local apple orchard. I can't wait to taste those sweet juicy apples. Fall is such a great time of year.

Birthday!

Today is Del's birthday. I took him out for breakfast since the kids were in school. We had a really nice time - we seldomly get to go anywhere just the two of us. :) After K. got home from preschool he and I baked a cake. K. is my kitchen helper he loves to stir in all the ingredients. Momentarily he will help me make homemade chocolate frosting for the cake - YUMMY!!:). Then I guess the kids and I need to dig out Del's birthday presents - he's as bad as the my two children - he keeps wanting to know when he get's to have his birthday presents. Since he knows what he is getting he has been waiting all day to "play" with his new toy. Then tonight we will have cake and ice cream. Hope you had a great B-day Del.

First Day of Preschool

K.J. and his Teacher

First day of preschool for K.J.

Back to school night for K.J.

It seems like only yesterday that we were bring K. home to be part of our family. He has grown and changed so much. Yesterday he started Preschool. It was both a sad and happy day for me. I am excited that he is up to the challenge of this new stage in his life , but it left me feeling a little sad because he is growing up so fast. He loved his first day of school and he really likes his teacher. I hope he has a great year and learns lots of new things. We are proud of you K and love you very much!

101 Things About Me

I borrowed this blog idea from my friend Janus. (I hope you don't mind Janus =) :) !!!?) Now days there seems to be alot of things that list 101 item. So I am going to add to that list 101 things about me. Hopefully you won't already know them all and find out a few new things! So here goes.

1. I was born Jun. 12, 19--. ( you can guess my age)

2. I was born in Utah.

3. I am a John Wayne fan.

4. I've never been outside the United States.

5. I play the flute.

6. I caught the chicken pox when I was six and had to miss my cousins baptism:(.

7. I fell off a tricycle when I was three years old and had three stitches in my chin.

8. I fell off a fence at four years old and broke my elbow.

9. Our favorite game to play at recess in third grade was marbles.

10. I play the piano.

11. I traveled to Washington D.C. during my senior year of high school.

12. I hate Bees.

13. I hate French Toast.

14. I served my mission in the Illinois, Chicago Mission.

15. I speak Spanish.

16. I met my husband on a blind date.

17. I have lived in four different states. (Utah, Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri.)

18. I hate Spiders.

19. I love chocolate cake with homemade Frosting! YUMMY!

20. I can milk a cow with the help of a milking machine (no hand milking for this girl.)

21. I love to scrapbook.

22. My favorite bedtime story is: "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" by Dr. Suess

23. My favorite classic novel is: "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens

24. My all time favorite book is: "One Hundred One Dalmations" by Dottie Smith - not Disney

25. I am an "I Love Lucy" fan.

26. When I was a teenager I had a cat named Freckles.

27. I love being a mom.

28 I love Hershey's Special Dark candy bars.

29. Christmas is my favorite holiday!!!

30. I once had a mouse sharing my pillow with me! NASTY! :(

31.My favorit place to visit (besides family) is Yellowstone.

32. I got my first pair of glasses when I was in third grade.

33. I was in the hospital for two weeks when I was 8 years old and even got to take and ambulance ride.

34. I LOVE to read.

35. I tought fourth grade for awhile.

36. I have a bachelors degree in Elementary Education from USU.

37. My first real job was a dietary aid in the kitchen at Sunshine Terrace rest home. I like to tell people I was a D.A. :)

38. I dressed up as Darth Vader for a parade in second grade. (Not Princess Lea)

39. I love Snow!

40. My favorite flower is a Rose. (Especially if my husband gives them to me.)

41. My least favorite household chore is cleaning the toilet.

42. I am the oldest of six children ( three sisters and twin brothers.)

43. My first car was a Geo Prism.

44. I had braces as a teenager. HATED that!

45. My first stuffed animal was a blue bunny rabbit that I got when I was six months old.

46. I got my first roller skates when I was six years old.

47. The place outside of the U.S. that I would most like to visit is England.

48. My favorite sport to play is softball.

49. I hate to fly in airplanes - give me good old "tierra firma" any day.

50. I have always wanted a horse.

51. I hated P.E. in Jr. High and High school.

52. I loved to visit my grandfather's farm when I was little.

53. I use to catch garder snakes when I was a kid.

54. I wanted to be a ballet dancer and a police officer when I was growing up - quite the combination.

55. For Christmas the year I was 16 I wanted a TransAm Firebird. My parents got me the matchbox version- not exactly what I had in mind!

56. The original "Stars Wars" debuted when I was seven years old.

57. My first date with my husband was to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights.

58. I like to do 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles.

59. My favorite place to go in the summer as a kid was Bear Lake - still like to go now when I can.

60. I love to visit zoos. I think they're cool.

61. The scariest memory I have as a teenager is being trapped on Bear Lake in a canoe for two hours during a wind storm.

62. My favorite Disney movie is: "Mary Poppins".

63. I know more about football than my Husband.

64. I have no desire to learn to play the organ.

65. My favorite teacher in Jr. High was Mr. Godfrey! Science is Cool!

66. In Jr. High I liked to experiment with how many different ways you can spell Ann Michelle- Then I'd write a different version on my paper each day. My teachers probably wondered why I couldn't spell my own name! :)

67. I had my ears pierced on my mission without telling my parents!Talk about rebellious!(LOL)

68. I was married in the Logan temple to my best friend.

69. I collect dolls and Boyd's bears.

70. My favorite ballet is "The Nutcracker."

71. My husband took me to see "The Phantom of the Opera" for our 5th anniversary.

72. My favorite song is "White Christmas" sung by Bing Crosby.

73. I hate early mornings. :(

74. I got my first kiss after Senior Prom when I was seventeen.

75. My favorite cold cereals are "Life," and "Lucky Charms".

76. The longest time my husband and I have lived in anyong appartment/house since our marriage is 3years and two months.

77. I have never seen the ocean except in pictures.

78. I lived within an hours drive of a ski resort for most of my first 30years of life and I've never been skiing.

79. My sisters are some of my best friends!

80. I wear them to church, for weddings, and funerals. but I hate dresses - I love my T-shirts and Jeans.

81. I am the oldest grandchild on my mom's side of the family and the oldest granddaughter on my dad's side of the family.

82. The thing I miss most about about Utah (besides family) is the mountains - there are places in the Midwest that are incredibly flat.

83. The thing you are most likely to find me doing in my spare time is reading a book.

84. The subject I liked least in school was Math.

85. I have been to the top of the Sears Tower - twice.

86. I got to participate in the Nauvoo Temple open house and dedication.

87. I loved to climb the maple tree in my grandpa's barnyard when I was a kid - even though it made my grandma nervous.

88. I use to catch frogs in my granpa's pastures.

89. I was in band in seventh and eigth grades - but quit in nineth grade because I didn't want to be in Marching Band.

90. Sewing has never been my cup of tea.

91. I once told one my fourth grade students that they sounded like a broken record. He didn't have any idea what I was talking about- now that makes me feel old.

92. I've taken a steamboat ride on both the Missouri and the Mississippi Rivers.

93. In third grade we use to have pet Box Elder Bugs that we would keep in paper boxes in our desks.

94. The only class I ever flunked was trigonometry - like I said before I don't like math.

95. My favorite subject in college was Geology - especially rocks and minerals.

96. I technically had enough credits (just not in the right subjects) for a master's degree when I graduated with my bachelor's degree.

97. I like Mystery novels.

98. I hate to exercise-even though I try to do it regularly.

99. I have a phobia of getting injections (shot/needles of any kind).

100. I can't drive a stick shift - never learned how.

101. I would like to learn to play the violin.

There you have it 101 things about me.

I'm a Lucky Man....

Okay, a funny K. J. moment. Yesterday I was helping K. find a pair of shorts - we weren't sure he had any clean ones. When I located a pair and handed it to him - he grabs the shorts and hugs them to his chest and says "I'm a lucky man!" He is a lucky man. But I am an even luckier mom to have this little guy as my son. We love you K! Keep us laughing. :)

Water Fun

Labor Day Weekend provided some of the very few really hot days we've had this summer (over ninety degrees). I'm not complaining about lack of heat :). But this ment that the boys could enjoy some water fun out in the backyard. They really love to get wet. My husband snapped these pictures of them getting wet. This was before they found the dirt patch and became mud monsters. By the time they were finished they were not only very wet but also very muddy. They had a great time and what a great way to spend a few hours on the last big weekend of the summer. It's a good thing small boys wash well :).