One INCREDIBLE Halloween

This Halloween ended up being a theme year for us and we all dressed up as one "Incredible" family. The kids loved seeing Charlie and I dressed up with them and we have had a great time the last few days at friend and ward parties all dressed up.

The season started with our pumpkin carving. The kids always sketch out their drawings and then we do our best to transfer them to their pumpkins.

They dig our the guts and then we help them carve away. Morgan did all her own carving this year and she did a great job.
We were able to attend our friends grown-up only Halloween party and it is one of our most favorite times of the year. The costumes ranged from pregnant nuns, Mr. Clean, Simon and Paula, Shrek and Fiona and lots of others. We played games and had a great time visiting.

We had our ward trunk-r-treat this year as well. We went all out and decorated our trunk with lights and spiders and homemade bats and ghosts that the kids made. We also had lots of dry ice to add to the spookiness of it all. Someone in our ward had a "brilliant" idea to shoot off a candy cannon. They said it was full of soft candy but the last time I checked a Starburst heading straight for your face at 20 mph does not feel so soft. It ended with about 20 kids getting hit and screaming and crying. I will be surprised to see if the candy cannon makes an appearance again next year.

It was a great weekend. We had fun with friends and our kids. Now we just need to try and sell all our costumes on ebay and start the hunt for next year!

On a lighter note

One of the best parts about going to Utah is getting to spend time with friends and family that I don't get to see very often. I thank my sweet husband who allowed me to go without children so I could just go and enjoy my time there.

I spent some wonderful time with my family. We had lots of laughs and I enjoyed my time up at my parents very peaceful cabin in the mountains.

My dear friend came and met me at the airport since I had to wait a few hours for my brother and his girlfriend to get there. She brought me yummy soup and ice cream and we had a blast chatting and people watching.

One of the best highlights was getting to see my sisters brand new baby, little Noah. He was just as cute as can be and I was thrilled to snuggle him. I also was able to spend some special time with my sister just driving and going to buy Noah's blessing outfit.

I also spent time with my sisters kids. They are so cute and fun and I can't wait to get all of the kids together in July. They have so much fun together.

I also got to see my cute grandpa and had fun visiting with him.


The last night I was there I went to stay at my friends house. Her family just happened to be having a Halloween party that night and they came up with a great costume idea to go as "sister wives".

We laughed and laughed as we did our poofy hairdos. It will for sure be a night to remember.

I am so glad I was able to spend some special time with my friends and family that I miss each and every day. Hopefully the next time I am there it will be under better circumstances, but I really enjoyed myself and am missing them already!

Celebrating Grandma Jane

I just returned home from a wonderful visit out to Utah to celebrate my grandmother's life.

The day was perfect in every way. The picture above is the view from the cemetery where my grandma was laid to rest. The funeral was beautiful and it was wonderful to see family and extended family.

Here is a picture of all of the brothers and all of the sisters. I don't know that anyone could remember the last time they were all together. It was wonderful to see the support that they gave to one another and to see the love they had for their mother.

My grandma is finally back home with her husband and we all had a special feeling that she was happy to have moved on and is at peace.

I feel so blessed to have been able to say goodbye to my grandma and celebrate the wonderful life that she lived. It once again reminded me that family is really all that matters in the end and it was wonderful to be surrounded by so many people who I love and who love me.

Grandma Jane

My sweet grandma Jane passed away last night unexpectedly. The last few months I have lost both of my grandmothers and it has given me time to reflect on life what is really important. There have been some very sweet peaceful moments where I feel so blessed to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am thankful for the perspective it allows me to have of eternal families. I am grateful for the decision my grandpa and grandma made to be sealed in the temple many years ago.

My grandma was a very special woman. I always said if anyone deserved a first class ticket right to the celestial kingdom it would be her. She had 13 children and raised them all mostly on her own. My grandfather passed away when the youngest child was only 2. My grandma is the picture of strength and energy.

She always had such life in her eyes. You can even see in this picture that sparkle that she had about her. She lived in a very small home with only one bathroom. With 13 kids her home was always filled to the brim but I never once heard her complain. Never once. She was the glue that held the family together and she will be greatly missed.

My grandma gave me my nickname, Snickerdoodle and I will always love her for that. She was there for me on some of my most special days. My baptism and my wedding she was there supporting me. On my baptism day she gave me a beautiful butterfly necklace. I still remember it's shiny golden wings. Each time I see a butterfly necklace I think of her. I think of how at my baptism I was given the beautiful gift of the holy ghost and how with that gift I became transformed as a butterfly does.

I know that the reunion in heaven with her husband and son must have been a joyous one. In the end she was surround by each and every one of her children as she left this life and continued on her journey to the next.

I feel blessed to know that I have yet another special angel watching over my family. Grandma, I love you and I thank you for the amazing woman that you were. Your strength is inspiring and I look forward to seeing your sweet sparkly eyes one day again in the heavens.

24 Times

24 times...that's how many runs it took me to get to my official 5K. I just finished running an entire 5k, no walking, no stopping, no nothing!

The longest I had gone so far was 2.2 miles. Tonight while I was running I was feeling pretty good so I figured I would give it a shot and I did it.!!!!!

If you had told me 8 weeks ago that I would be running a 5k I would have thought you were crazy. I am feeling good for setting a goal and working hard to accomplish it. I am going to stick with my 5k for a few weeks and then ramp my training up to 4 days a week and start working towards a 10k.

Besides my running goal I have also been working at weight loss. Most of it has been through portion control and making better eating decisions. While I find myself hungry quite often I am feeling like physically I am starting to get my body back. After 9 years of having kids I guess it was about time to work on myself a little.

To date I have lost 18 pounds. My minimum goal is to lose at least another 7 pounds and my ideal would be to lose another 17. That may be wishful thinking but I am going to try.

So...tonight I am feeling pretty proud of myself. I just did something I have NEVER done before and never imagined I could. I hope to have another post just like this in a few months telling you I just finished my first 10k!

Where were you 6 years ago?

Six years ago I was about to welcome this little beauty into my life.

Six years ago Abby became a sister.

Six years ago my heart grew even bigger as I instantly fell in love with my little Morgan.
This weekend we celebrated Morgan's 6th birthday but her official special day is today. She picked the events for her party day. We started with breakfast at her favorite spot. They gave her a free Sunday since it was her birthday. And yes....I let her eat ice cream at 8:45 in the morning. Am I a bad mom?

She then wanted to go roller skating with the kids. They played games and won lots of tickets and skated their hearts out.

We came home and had a little party and opened presents. The kids then made a HUGE fort in the family room and got in their p.j.'s and watched a movie and had a sleepover. Morgan and the kids had a great time. The kids loved giving her their presents that they bought for her.

This is what my little Morgan is like at age 6 just in case she ever reads this one day and wonders what she was like.

- She can burp almost as loud as her father, but politely giggles and apologizes each time she does.
- She is competitive. She loves soccer and running and trying new things. She picks up on physical things pretty quickly.

- She loves to sing. I can usually hear her all the way down the hall at church when she is singing in primary.

- She loves to read. I find her most nights in bed after I have told her to go to sleep up reading just like her big sis.

- She hates cleaning. She does well at her Saturday chores (cleaning the toilet and sorting laundry) but she usually finds any excuse to get out of cleaning. She is my first child to hide clothing and toys under her bed to pretend she cleaned.

- EVERY meal she is the last to finish and the only one who forgets to clear her dishes.

- She is girly and loves to wear pretty clothes and have her hair done curly but she is also rough and tumble. She is loud and loves to wrestle and get dirty and be crazy.

She fills our life with joy and energy and I can hardly remember what life was like before she came. I love you Morgan!

Alterations

I have always been a little on the shorter side and when it comes to finding pants a lot of the time they are just a little bit too long. I often find pants that I like but they drag on the ground and with our long winters the thought of trudging around through parking lots filled with slush and snow always makes me put the pants back on the rack.

Recently I found some pants that I liked but once again they were just a bit too long. I thought I would call around to a few places and just find out how much it might cost to have them altered. I did my homework and found a place that only charges $10. Not bad if you ask me. So I threw the pants in the car and decided to give it a shot.

Here is the first pair before:

And after:

Second pair before:

And after:

I was quite happy with the outcome and feel like a grown-up having pants tailored to fit just me. So, if you are at all like me find a good alteration shop and give it a try. I'm glad I did!

Soup

This weekend I made the most delicious soup and I thought I would pass on the recipe. It makes a ton so you can either cut the recipe in half or make the whole batch and freeze it in smaller containers for quick dinners later on. Enjoy!

Olive Garden Pasta E Fagioli

2 lb. Ground beef
1 1/2 cups onion; diced
1 3/4 cups carrots; chopped
1 3/4 cups celery; diced
3 cans diced tomatoes (each can 14.5 oz.)
1 can red kidney beans
1 can great northern beans
88 oz. beef stock (this is a little less than 3-32 oz broth containers)
3 tsp. oregano
2 1/2 tsp. pepper
5 tsp. parsley (freshly chopped)
1 1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce (see note at bottom)
45 oz. Spaghetti sauce
8 oz. small shell macaroni; or pasta of choice

Brown beef and drain off fat. Add onions, celery and tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse beans and then add to the pot. Add beef stock, oregano, pepper, Tabasco, spaghetti sauce, and noodles. Add chopped parsley. Simmer until carrots and celery are tender, about 45 minutes.

****The Tabasco gave a great heat to the soup for adults but if you are making it for a family with small children the spice may be a little too hot. My kids LOVED this soup and only one complained that it was too spicy. When I make it again I will probably only add 1/2 tsp. of Tabasco and see how it works. If I was making it for just adults I would keep the recipe just the same.