9 Reasons I Love Halloween/October

I love the month of October. So much has gone on, that I haven't been able to blog about everything. But I did figure that I could share some things that I love about Halloween....


1. Dressing your kids up in fun costumes, makeup, and a crazy amount of hairspray. (Reagan is a Rock Star. Jenna is Ariel.)

2. Getting to dress up as an adult and go to parties that don't involve the whole family.

3. Church Halloween Activities. Who doesn't love a bowl of chili, one too many cupcakes, and some Trunk or Treating!



4. Work Halloween Parties (where we saw a lot of people from our Church Activity).




5. Group Violin Lessons -- Halloween Style




6. My Birthday (I don't like getting older but I do like all of the attention).
7. My Dad's Homemade Pumpkin Pie (It is literally the best you will ever try).



8. Pet Costumes. Bear is sporting a spider costume. I love it!



9. Family Visiting. (My Parents came to visit us for Jenna's birthday and my birthday. Who could ask for anything more...)

Happy Halloween Ya'll!

4 Things Tag

4 RANDOM THINGS I LIKE ABOUT MY HUSBAND:
1. He is very funny. He always says or does the silliest things to make me or the kids laugh (even when we are upset).
2. He loves me and I know it. (kind of dumb I guess but I feel his love in everything that he does)
3. He has great legs! ;)
4. He is a very responsible person...where as I am not.

4 JOBS I'VE HAD:
1. Waitress at On The Border (my first job and definitely my worst job. As I often tell Ian, I wasn't meant to serve but be served.) :)
2. Metabolife girl (I worked at a kiosk in the mall for Metabolife)
3. "Fragrance Model" for Cool Water. Fun title but I was a perfume girl. I worked for Cool Water and would go wherever they wanted me to go.
4. Dental Hygienist (this is what I went to school for and worked for about 3 years as a hygienist)

4 MOVIES I'VE WATCHED MORE THAN ONCE:
1. Pride and Prejudice
2. Enchanted
3. Legally Blonde
4. Oklahoma

4 TV SHOWS I WATCH:
1. The Office
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. The Soup
4. SNL

4 PEOPLE WHO EMAIL ME REGULARLY:
1. Ian
2. Jamie
3. My Daddy
4. Anita (my big sis)

4 OF MY FAVORITE FOODS:
1. Pumpkin Pie (must be homemade...preferably my Dad's recipe)
2. Tangelo's
3. Ravioli
4. Crab


4 PLACES I WOULD LIKE TO VISIT:
1. Italy
2. England
3. India
4. New York


4 THINGS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO IN THE COMING YEAR:
1. Spending some quality time with my family (vacations).
2. Redoing our kitchen counter top
3. Paying off my car
4. Furnishing our home a bit more

4 PEOPLE I TAG:
1. Erica
2. Marcie
3. Marty
4. Cindy

Jenna

MY BABY IS 3!!!! I am in shock that my baby is not a baby anymore. Today is Jenna's 3rd birthday. Mama and Papa are visiting and helped out with a little party for her. She has loved her birthday weekend.

Jenna is a sweet little girl. She is very loving and cuddly. She loves to dance and sing. Shockingly, she loves everything princess. :) Jenna is one happy little girl. We are so blessed to have her in our family.

Here I am pregnant with Jenna. Reagan was so excited that Heavenly Father had answered her prayers by giving her a baby sister (she prayed for a girl every night).

Jenna's birth.

Princess Jenna.

Ready for church.

Jenna's 1st birthday was a costume party.
(cheerleading outfit was pre Dallas)

Jenna at her 3rd Birthday Party.
She was one happy princess.

10 Years

The other day, I received an email from my older sister, Anita, about a Breast Cancer Walk that she is participating in this weekend. I hadn't realized that it had been 10 years since our mother has been cancer free. It brought a flood of emotions to me.

My mother had breast cancer twice. The first time, I was in elementary school. I remember being in either 4th or 5th grade and having to go sleep at our friends' house (my mother's best friend with kids our ages). I remember saying goodbye to her as she and my dad dropped us off on their way to the hospital for surgery. I felt scared and sad. I didn't really understand it all but I knew that it was very serious. I have always been very close/attached to my family and just spending the night away from them was hard. Pam, Mom's best friend, did a great job at trying to keep us busy. Despite this, I was sad and scared the whole time.

My mother came home and things went back to normal. To a child, it was as if nothing had ever happened.

As a freshman in college, my mother found out that she had cancer again. All the memories came back to my thoughts. This time it was different. I understood the situation. I understood the possibilities, both good and bad. It truly was scary.

My mom had 2 surgeries the second time around. The first time they thought that they didn't remove all of the cancerous cells. So they had to go in again.

After she came home, I became her nurse (Daddy wasn't quite as gentle). I cleaned her. I changed her bandages. I fed her. Seeing your mother as the one that needs to be cared for is a humbling experience. You become like the parent, wanting to take the pain away from her. And you become the one that tells her not to worry, that her daughters will not go through what she has. That she doesn't have to be sorry about passing that gene on.

Now, here we are 10 years later...

My mother is one of the strongest people I know. I am greatful for her love, her determination, and her example. I know that she is one of the greatest blessings that the Lord has given me. He has blessed our family through her life. Thanks to Him, my children get to love this incredible woman and learn from her, just as I have.

Mommy/Mama, we love you!

2 Down and Hopefully No More!

Reagan got her cast off!

It is a miracle. My eldest child had her 2nd cast, in less than a year, removed. She is limping around (the doctor said for about a month) slowly. But she is getting to where she wants to go....which is nicer than me playing fetch. Reagan is on her way to a fast recovery and we are happy that our poor little girl will soon be running/dancing again.