Pumpkins

The finished product...
Apparently we're THOSE people now...the dog has her own pumpkin. It's her 1st Halloween...awwwwww.

The boy's least favorite part of the night...he hates having his hands dirty!
For the first time in years, Ry is satisfied with his pumpkin. He did his name in Chinese...at least that's what he SAYS it is. How would the rest of us know? Ty went with an emoticon again this year, and Grace drew her own little face that Andrew helped carve out. Good times.

Boys and Music

Ryan's piano duet with his teacher...
Both boys singing a Mary Poppins Medley (hence the fake soot on Ry!)
Ty's show choir debut with a rousing "Jekyll and Hyde" medley. (I got in big trouble with Jillian for snapping this picture during the performance...apparently that is a huge faux pas....oh well!) Points if you can see him in the back!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE that all of my kids adore music. They all play an instrument. They all sing. They all have a HUGE assortment of music on their iPods...from Frank Sinatra to Queen to Billy Joel to Bach. From Ella Fitzgerald to Metallica to anything Broadway. It's a beautiful thing. It was the happiest thing for me to see both of my boys on stage next to each other singing and dancing away! My fondest wish is to hear them sing something together...perhaps a duet in Sacrament meeting??? Wouldn't that be delightful!?

Girls Night

Traditionally, the girls do something fun together during the Priesthood Session of Conference...this year we went to Gardner Village, went to dinner, then home to light candles and paint our toe-nails! Good times :)

No Rest For The Wicked?

Clearly, I have not been attending the blog as I should.
Too busy.
I get up at 6. Put laundry in. Start whatever is going to be for dinner. Make the baby's lunch. Make her breakfast. Wake her up. Drink my protein shake on the way to work....get home and hit the ground running...changing laundry... doing my best to listen attentively to the teenagers tell about their day....watching my youngest practice...do homework...finish folding laundry...run to the store...finish and clean up dinner...present family night....jump online to do PTA stuff and get in at least one batch of extraction work....listen to the baby read....crash, hopefully to sleep (thought there is no guarantee there!?), and then it all begins again. I don't think my life is out of balance...except that I just noticed there was no EXERCISE in the above list....just every minute is packed. Add the dumb dog, music calling, time on the cell phone yada yada yada. You get the idea. Not that it's bad. Just BUSY.

Passing Tests

"Congratulations!!

You have passed the College of Education’s Writing Exam. A memo will be sent to your advisor to notify him/her that you have passed. Your proficiency report will be held for one year in the Teacher Education office (EDUC 103). "

Jillian has clearly been too busy blogging about parallel parking to note this latest development in her life :)

Day by day, class by class, test by test...she's on her way!