Happy Halloween '13

There were some great deals on Halloween candy this year, like REALLY good deals, so I bought a ton of M&Ms and Snickers to give out. Halloween came and I counted out two bowls of candy, each with 100 pieces so I could see how many trick or treaters we got. I still had bags and bags left.  I thought this would at least get us started.  Annalina had a group of friends going out trick-or-treating and so she took Joseph out with her. Jacob was still off from work so he volunteered to pass out candy. Richard and I had a very relaxed evening! 

Candy, ready to go!  

Oh my goodness, we had SO much candy left over!  I think I will look into canning M&M's.

We had just 87 kids come by, and two of them were my own!  That may sound like a lot, but we had many more last year!

Joseph is the Ninja Turtle and Annalina is a star trek person!  The other two are our cute neighbors.

 My kids are so adorable!  This was their first year going out without Richard and I.  They got a late start, at about 6:45.  I told them they could stay out until 9 if they wanted to.  They were back in less than an hour.  I asked why they came home and they said they were done!  They had enough candy and had a good time and were just ready to be home!  They have done this before when we have taken them out.  They get to a point where they are just finished!  Great kids!

 

We carved our pumpkins the night before Halloween this year. They turned out great, as always!!

Joseph's pumpkin is on the left and Daddy's is on the right.

Annalina's pumpkin is on the ground and mine is on the chair, Richard added the squash and I thought it looked great!

This is Jacob's pumpkin!  Cute!

Going That Way

One day I was feeling particularly stressed out.  I asked Richard if he wanted to take the Jeep out for a short ride. He said sure, where did I want to go. I pointed and said "that way". We took a scenic drive over hills and through valleys and ended up on a mountain.  Relay Ridge to be exact. We got to the top where the radio towers are and it was an amazing view off all sides! For the last year we have wanted so badly to see the Tetons in all their glory, but finding the right angle, or a non cloudy day is tough. Well we did it!  What a fun adventure!  Our short drive ended up taking us about 5 hours. We had to call home around 7 and ask Jacob to feed the kiddos since we were on a mountain!  On the way out of nowhere, we saw a momma moose with her baby. I tried to take a photo, but it was getting too dark and they did not turn out. Pretty cool though!

 

  

 

   

Jeep Journeyings

We had to go to Idaho Falls to get a little shopping done. So we took the littles and headed out, the back way!  We saw some amazing scenery and had a fun time, though we got lost a few times and did some backtracking.  It took us about four hours to get there, but was well worth the journey!

Look at those rough roads!

 

Had to stop at the windmills, there is nothing like that whoosh, whoosh sound as they spin!

 

Richard and the littles, a great looking group with a great looking Jeep!

I love this Jeep, I really, really do!

We came across this odd barn like structure.  There are no doors, only a few small windows. What it is for?

Joseph peaking inside through one of the tiny openings. 

Part of the building had fallen down, but there was still no way inside!

Photos take from the tiny lower windows!  I must figure out what this thing is, out in the middle of nowhere!

Did I mention, I really love this Jeep?  Doesn't she look nice out in the middle of nowhere?

Coyote crossing!

 

Story of Jeep

We have been needing a second vehicle for a while now.  We wanted something that would help us get around in the cold snowy winter here in Rexburg.  Ever since renting the Razor in Utah and exploring the beautiful mountains there I have been starved for nature.  So we decided on a Jeep Rubicon.  Richard researched, scoured all the possible places where a Jeep would be for sale. He found some he loved.  Then they were gone, so the hunt continued.  A Jeep showed up on Craigs list...in Lake Elsinore, CA!!  Yes, my husband was a bit obsessed.  He asked tons of questions, looked at tons of photos and decided this was the Jeep for us.  He was going to take the bus down to Las Vegas, where his long time friend Chris lives and Chris would take him down to pick up his beloved Jeep the next day. (Thank you Chris, this Jeep would not have been possible without you!)

This all happened over the kids Harvest week off from school, so what better fun than for Joseph to go along on the adventure!  We got up EARLY in the morning and I took them to the Salt Lake Express pick up spot at BYU-I.  They rode in a large van to Salt Lake, then hopped onto a HUGE bus for the rest of the trip.  Joseph had a blast with his Dad. They had fun seeing Las Vegas and Chris and his family.  They picked up the Jeep and headed home.  Due to traffic issues going through Vegas(we are so spoiled here in Rexburg not to have to worry about traffic) they didn't make it home until about 5am.  I woke up to a snoring husband and an awesome black jeep in the driveway(just the Jeep was in the driveway)!  Yay!  Its a great little Jeep and we have had many adventures that I will soon share!  Here are some photo highlights from the trip.

Bright and early departure!

Aren't they so cute!!

McDonalds for breakfast in City Creek, Salt Lake

 

Plenty of time for some Temple Square explorations!

They got on the big bus and a scary R-Rated movie was playing, so Joseph plugged his ears and then closed his eyes while Richard got his headphones ready so they could watch a movie on the laptop.  Later they watched I-Robot on the bus screens.

Apparently there were very few people on the big bus to Vegas, so they got to spread out all over the place. Joseph got tired and took a little nap!

Vegas at last, just look at the excitement on his face!  (keep in mind, this is one tired boy)

 

 

Snow cones at Chris's house!  The happiest he has looked yet!

Awww, his first nap in the new(to us) Jeep!

The Traveling DS's

My son is so sweet! He just told me that he really wants a 3DS for Christmas(NOT going to happen) and that just in case he does get one, he is going to wrap up the DS he has now a few days before Christmas and give it to his big sister(hers just broke) if he gets one. It almost makes me want to put in a good word with Santa!

Oh yea, and this is the 8 year old, not the 19 year old, although to Jacob's credit, when he saved up and bought himself a 3DS, he gave his old one to Joseph because Joseph was using an old pink one at the time and Jacob thought that was just wrong! hahaha The old pink one went to Annalina and that is the one that just broke. We are apparently hard on DS's.

Oh Joseph!!

Joseph cracks me up! After weeks of trying to get him to clean his room, he finally did it today. I went to check on him and he was very excited and said, "Mom, when you clean your room you find the coolest stuff!" I asked if he wanted help finishing up and he said no, he was having too much fun on his own! Funny kid! I adore him!

Another funny quote of Joseph's this evening, "Its weird having a clean room. I am so used to hurting my feet when I go in my room..."

HAHAHAHAHA

Weather Pleasure

I think it might have snowed here today, although it is possible it was just hale. Either way I got really excited! Then it stopped and the sun came out and that was fun too. I think I just really like Mother Nature, she really keeps us on our toes!

Free Hugs

Today, in Rexburg, it is "Free Hug Day". A fun group of students from the Paul Mitchell school were there asking people if they wanted a free hug. A lot were turning them down, but I got a group hug like I have never gotten before! I encourage you all to find someone you love and hug them, or find someone who you have no idea who they are and hug them! OK, probably someone you know unless you are with a huge group of girls giving free hugs! Fun day, now off to read two chapters on healthcare insurance! Blah!! I'd rather be hugging strangers!

Adrienne comes to visit!!

Last weekend the parents of Adrienne's fiance came to Rexburg to drop off their daughter at BYU-I, so Adrienne tagged along!  She got here on a Wednesday and stayed until Saturday evening.  It was so good to see her again!  We had a lot of fun with her!   She and I went out to look at married housing and she found an apartment complex she loved!  It is right across from the campus tennis courts.  It is a great location and the apartment layout is really cute.  After looking at a couple other places, she went back and signed a lease for next year.  It will be fun to have them so close! We also chatted a lot about the wedding and scoured the internet for ideas to decorate the stake center gym so it doesn't look like a gym!  One evening Jon's family came to dinner. It was fun to visit with them and get to know them better!  I am so grateful she is marrying into a family with the same values and beliefs as us!  The kids dragged Adrienne outside a few times to play and enjoyed her so much!  They miss her a lot when she isn't here. 
 

 

 

 

My amazing beautiful children!!

 It was hard to send her back to Oregon. Each time she leaves I feel sad, its kind of like losing her all over again!  I know she is getting ready to be married and will have her own life and family, but it is still hard letting go of my children!

Peace in the Storm

 I love the weather here. More thunder and lightning than I have ever experiences before!  It makes me happy. I especially love this photo that was taken by a local resident and shared on Facebook. Beautiful!