Happy Halloween

Okay guys, I'm getting pretty lame about pictures! I never took a picture of all of my kids together for Halloween! I didn't even get a picture of Leighna or Porter. The Babe is on Antelope Island helping with the bison roundup again. It always falls on Halloween. 

Cutest little skeleton ever!  

Ty and I have been talking about him dressing up as Squints from The Sandlot for months. But somehow Halloween arrived, and he went as a football player...again. If you put a pair of glasses on Ty you get Squints!  It's so funny! 

Miss Adelah dressed up as a cow! 

Will and his buddies, So and so, and Samuel. Ha Ha I can't even remember his friend's name... 

Sarah is an Egyptian. Shawna and I decided to go as witches this year. We usually don't dress up, but at the last minute decided too. When we met up, she wasn't dressed up because Shelbie needed her witch's hat for her costume. So I looked like a 5th grader all dressed up for Halloween. UGH!

When I say 5th grader, I mean it literally. I went into Ty's classroom to check him out after the parade, and I was swarmed by 5th graders...all fascinated that I was Ty's mom, and they were taller than me! At least half a dozen of them had to stand next to me and measure and comment about how they were taller! I'm not even sure how to comment anymore...

Wow! Do you know you're short? 

Uh huh.

I'm so much taller than you! 

Uh huh. 

How tall are you??

Tall Enough!!!

 Anyway. I invited Vienna and Brad to come to the trunk-or-treat at the church and they came! They said they had a really good time, so that's good. It's been fun getting to know them. 

Oh ya. Porter. Porter woke up and went to school forgetting that it was Halloween and that he could dress up. He wore a hoody to school because the mornings are pretty brisk these days. He got to school and realized it was Halloween, so, in one of his classes he asked his teacher if he would get in trouble if he ran home and got some powdered sugar to be part of his costume. She kind of laughed and shrugged and said I don't know. So, Porter came home, couldn't find any powdered sugar, found flour instead and filled up a baggie. (Just to be clear, I wasn't home when this happened, so it doesn't have my stamp of approval!) He took the flour in a baggie and then whenever he would pass his friends, he would try to get them to take some. Essentially, he dressed up like a drug dealer!! I wanted to beat the child! I wish he would have gotten in trouble for that!! That kid!!

Here's Sarah's costume all finished! They look so cute! 

My HERO for Today

Jody Rich is a counselor at Hurricane High. He has been since before The Babe and his family moved to La Verkin many moons ago. The Babe and his siblings speak very highly of Mr. Rich. He had the most profound influence on each of them. He knows every kid in the High School by name! When I was a young mom, I was always hoping for a "Jody Rich" to be part of my children's story. A few years ago, he retired and went on a mission with his wife, and I was so sad that my kids wouldn't get to know him. Well, he's back! And he's doing what he does best and loving these kids and making them feel like they are the most important people in the world! I was hoping for someone like Jody Rich, but I got the original! THE JODY RICH!!! I hope he knows that he is making a difference in the lives of these kids! They will never forget!

 And neither will their mother! 

Thanks for loving them Jody! 

[H.E.R.O (Hard Experiences, Relentless Optimism)]

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Happy happy birthday Porter! He is 14 today! He has been such a joy to our family, and we are so happy to have him! I've always had a special connection to Porter, even before he was born. I'm grateful to be his mom. Porter loves to have fun! He also knows how to work hard and is always quick to jump in and help. He loves learning! Especially if its learning new skills. He doesn't love classroom learning so much. He's a good kid. I'm proud of the young man he is becoming. 

He had his friends over tonight for a mystery dinner! It was intense. I've done a lot of mystery dinners, but nothing on this scale before! It felt like I was running a full-on restaurant in my kitchen!  My girls were super stars today! They were so helpful! I couldn't have done any of it without them! 

Ty won his last football game! They were SO excited. It was their only win of the season. I've never seen a team work harder for a win. They did a great job, and he has learned so much this season. I'm glad I gave in and let him play tackle football. He loves this game!

Uncle Tank and Aunt Maddie stopped in today. I felt bad because they got here about 15 minutes before Porter's party started. I was distracted trying to get dinner finished but was able to talk to them a little bit before the teenagers arrived! We sent them all to the park for a few minutes so we could visit a little longer. It was good to see them. We haven't seen them for a long time. Luckily, The Babe was home to talk to them and catch up. I'm glad they got a good visit! 

And last, but certainly not least, I became a new aunt today! Porter gets to share his birthday with this little guy! He doesn't have a name yet, but I'm super excited to have another little nephew to love on! Congratulations Holly and Brett!!!

 

Friday Fun Day

One more update for the week. You might have to scroll down a little so you don't miss anything, I fudged the dates a little so things would be in order.

I spent the morning...early morning... on the boat with The Babe for the Ironman. We got up at 4:30 this morning, had breakfast and a safety meeting at the shop and then headed for the water. School was canceled today because of the Ironman and how hard it is to maneuver through the city. Plus, they needed all the buses to bus the athletes. We watched as 1800 women athletes did the swim portion of their ironman. This one is the world championship 1/2 Ironman. It was a lot of women. I may or may not have fallen asleep for a few minutes while I was supposed to be watching. I couldn't sleep at all last night, actually I think I fell asleep around 3:30 ish. It was pretty quiet, they only had to pull 2 women out of the water. Tomorrow is the men's race. There are like 3800 men! That's crazy! I can't go tomorrow because I have Ty's last game. It's cool to watch these athletes. It also makes a mess out of trying to drive anywhere!! Hurricane and St. George are crazy busy this week. People everywhere! 

Then this evening Adelah's high school orchestra got to do the pre-show for the Southwest Utah Symphony. They did an amazing job! It was so fun to watch and hear them perform!!! The Babe and I went, and it was great! The Southwest Symphony was amazing also. It was their Halloween performance, so they had a lot of songs that were along the theme of death and creepy, I like more pleasant music, personally. But I was pleasantly surprised. They really are amazing! I struggled a little with the last song that lasted 16 minutes, the hard part was that it just sounded like it was on repeat. I think we could have had the whole song in the first 5 minutes! My nephew KJ loves those long songs the best, but I'm not quite there yet! I'm working on it, but it just may not ever happen for me and that's okay! It could just be that I got up at 4:30 this morning!

My mom and dad sent me 5 big boxes of apples, so this next week looks like I have my work cut out for me!

 

Attitude is Everything!

Ty had his awards ceremony for his football team. His coaches took the time to write a few things down about each of the boys and what they contributed to the team. They've never had coaches that do that. It really meant a lot to me as a mother. I hope it meant a lot to Ty as well. Also, some of the boys got a trophy for things that they specifically brought to the team. Ty got a trophy for BEST ATTITUDE!! Here's what his coach had to say...

"Ty, I recognize you for always smiling and for always having such great sportsmanship all the time. Whether we're down by 40 points or we just started you always have great sportsmanship. You have great spirit and confidence at every game and practice. You're one of our smallest players, and I think you're probably one of the hardest hitting and the most confident, so good job!" -Coach Allred

So proud of my Ty Guy! I was so afraid when he started that he was going to get smashed out there, but he can hold his own! I've seen him tackle guys that are twice his size, but he just doesn't give up! One more game for Ty on Saturday morning in Cedar. I hope we don't freeze to death! 

I had to skip out a little early, but it was windy and cold, so I didn't feel too bad about it. I actually don't think they were there much longer after I left. 

Will's new little buddy, Samuel, invited Will and I to join them for their fall fest at their Bible church. I helped Vienna a little bit with a fishing booth they had going on. Brad, Samuel's dad said, "I bet you've never done anything like this before, have you?" I told him, "Oh yes! I know my way around a fishing booth! I have helped at many, many fishing booths!" He was pretty surprised by that. I think we are so much more alike than we are different. I'm excited for him to see that! Samuel's family just moved here at the beginning of the school year from Hawaii. Samuel and Will became friends right off the bat! They are two peas in a pod! 

Which is great, because I'm becoming friends with his mom, Vienna, and his dad, Brad. We have had some fun conversations. His mom is from the Philippines, which is cool, because that is where my Aunt Bonnie, my Aunt Laurie, and my Grandma and Grandpa Bishop served their missions! This was my first time ever going to a different church. I told them I had to write about it, so I could always remember! It was nice of them to invite us. They are going to go to our trunk-or-treat with us on Monday. It has been fun getting to know them! 

Southland Bible Church ✔

 

Fall Carnival

Last night we had a fall carnival for the music students at the High School. They have a trip planned for LA and they are working hard to earn some money to go. Adelah and Leighna both get to go, Leighn for choir and Addie for orchestra. I'm hoping to be a chaperone, but if not, they will have fun without me. I was trying to volunteer and be on their committee to secure my spot, but it was just too much. I'm trying to be okay with not going, because it is just more than I can handle right now. 

Tomorrow night Adelah's orchestra gets to open for the Utah Symphony. I'm so excited to watch her perform. I think this is an amazing opportunity. 

I'm drowning in overwhelm right now. I'm trying to slow down and just do the things that are priorities, but there is always so much to do and just not enough time to get it all done. I can't keep up. Tonight I had a huge reality check of the things that I have been neglecting...ie: my budget, my laundry, (well, my house in general), ministering assignments, homework and so many other things. I just keep dropping the ball with everything. I've got to pull myself together and get a grip! SERIOUSLY! 

I'm okay. Just trying to catch my breath. 

Cute little buttton! I adore this little girl! She's busy right now, but she's so stinking cute! She loves Daisy and Chewy, and she loves the bunnies and the chickens and the kitty, we like to feed them carrots and wheat. She always helps me. I realize I have a small farm happening over here. That's crazy! I love having animals more than I thought I would. 

This little guy, Chewy, is only going to be with us for a few more days. On Tuesday, he's going to his real home. We're going to miss him more than I thought we would. He's pretty hard not to get attached to. He's so fluffy and a fun little puppy. We're hitting the teething and potty-training phase though, and I'm glad I don't have to do that so much. Puppies are so fun, but they are a lot of work!

I have so much more to tell you about this week, but I'm exhausted, it's almost midnight, and I have to get up at 4:45 am to help with the Iron Man tomorrow, so stay tuned for more as soon as I can find a second to squeeze it in! Love Ya!  

A Hunting We Will Go

Porter shot his first deer! 

Pretty amazing for him not having a tag. 

My Uncle Lee Spent Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday with us so he could hunt down here. He didn't go out hunting Sunday, he just came down to be ready for hunting on Monday. He and The Babe saw a lot of deer, and several small bucks. Tuesday, Porter didn't have football practice, so he went out with them, Uncle Lee kindly let Porter take the shot and fill his tag. It was very kind of him, and I had one thrilled, almost 14-year-old on my hands! He got it in 2 shots. It looks like it only has one antler, but the one side has a small hook that scoops down toward his eye. Bentley's dad does European mounts, and he is going to mount it for Port. One happy boy! The Babe helped him learn to gut and skin it and he did most of the work, getting it all cleaned up. We need to get it all processed and in the freezer, and bottles. It was very kind of Uncle Lee, I'm grateful he gave that experience to my son. 

Brings back so many memories hunting with my Grandpa Baker. I miss him when hunting season comes around. After he passed away, I didn't hunt for years because it just wasn't the same without him. I finally did get my blue card and start hunting again as an adult, but I didn't go this year. It's just been too busy this year. And I didn't draw a tag, it helps to have one of those!

 

Embarrassing Moment

 On Monday, I received a text asking me if I could meet with the Stake Presidency and the Stake Relief Society President. I said I could and then wondered for a day and a half about what this meeting could possibly be about. I felt like I was getting called into the principal's office. They didn't give me any explanation. So, I showed up Tuesday night without a clue what I was doing there. I went a few minutes early because you never want to be late to meet with the Stake Presidency. At least I don't! I walked into the waiting room, where the Stake RS President, a couple members of the Stake Presidency, and a lady with her family were sitting. I quietly sat next to the RS President, said hi, and then waited. I only waited for about a minute or so when one of the members of the stake presidency asked, if we were waiting for anyone else or if everyone was there. Sister Hirshi said everyone was present, so he said, then let's move into the stake president's office. Our stake president wasn't there, but his counselors and everyone else moved into the room, so I went with them. It seemed like they had been waiting for me to get there since it was right after my arrival that they asked if everyone was there. I was still extremely curious as to why I was there, it was a very strange group of people. (Not that the people were strange, just that I didn't know how I was needed in this meeting). The counselor asked the RS president if she had anything she wanted to say before they got started, she said, "No, not really, just want to welcome you into the presidency, we're glad to have you." With wide eyes and a sudden realization, I turned to her and said, "I'm not supposed to be in here, am I??" She kindly answered, "It's okay, you can stay." Then the counselor asked, "is there a problem?" I blurted out, "I'm not supposed to be here, I'm so sorry!" They laughed and let me stay as they set apart the new 2nd counselor in the stake RS presidency!! I was mortified!!!! I felt so stupid! When we walked out of that room, my ward members I was supposed to be meeting with were in the waiting room, but they never told who was supposed to be in that meeting or what it was for! Turns out they stake presidency and stake RS pres. meet with the ward RS president, the Bishop, the Elder's quorum president, and the high councilman from our ward just to see how things are going and how they can be more helpful to us. I wish someone would have told me that before I barged in and made a scene in the middle of someone else's moment! AHHH!

My Day in an Egg Shell

I didn't have any rooms to clean today, and it was SO nice! I did some much-needed cleaning in my own kitchen! Sadly, it took many hours to tidy it up how I like it. I cleaned out my fridge, which we won't discuss. I just told The Babe, "I cleaned out the fridge today, so we're back down to condiments and eggs." Which seriously is all that's in my fridge right now, besides the fire cider, which no one will drink, and the sour dough start, which really isn't food. But we do have eggs! Lots of eggs, brown eggs, white eggs, boiled eggs, basket of eggs on the table... which I have decided makes a cute little farmhouse decor! (Don't worry, they're safe. You can leave eggs at room temperature if you don't wash them after they are laid.) 

Cleaning my kitchen makes me want to bake. So baking is what I did. I make a little cheesecake bite thing with phyllo dough. It's pretty tasty. Leighna has been asking me for the paper treat I used to make when they were little. This is what she was talking about. So, I made some today. Then Cynthia, my RS secretary came over to learn how to make caramels. We made 5 batches of caramel! It's going to take a lot of wrapping to get them all wrapped up. But it felt good to do something I love. I love building these new relationships. I'm blessed to know so many good people.

This evening I went with Shawna, over to Karen's and we did our nails. Mine are orange, with a little witch on the ring fingers. So halloweeny! 

We finally got the little white car all fixed up. Well, Jack (Leighna's BF) fixed it in his mechanics class. I tell ya, these boyfriends can come in handy sometimes (wink, wink). Leighna and I ran out to the DMV and got it all registered and it's on the road again. It's been sitting in our driveway for almost 5 years! So, that's nice. She's going to be driving Grandma's car as soon as we can get the title for it. It's in the process, but it's a long process. Especially when we delayed the process way longer than we needed to. But for now, she has some wheels and can herself around. Happy news for me because she has to be to work at 5:00 in the morning. 

Tomorrow we have football games in Mesquite. one at 11:30 am (Nevada Time) and one at 8:15 pm (Nevada Time). Nevada is an hour behind us, so Porter's game won't even start until 9:15 Utah time.  Which means for us a long, long day in Mesquite Nevada! 

P.S. I can't let this day pass without noting that today marks the 19th anniversary of the day we moved into our house! I can't believe it's been 19 years! I love this house and all the blood sweat and tears it took to build it! It will always be so special to me! It's getting a little crowded in here and some days I'm okay with that and somedays I'm not, but that doesn't change the love I have for this home. I always will! 

My 1st Piano Lesson!

Today I had my first piano lesson in 30 years!! I was excited about it, but as I drove over to my lesson, I got super nervous! I don't know why, but I almost chickened out! I'm so glad I didn't. It was one of the most fulfilling things I've done for myself in a really long time! And I used my brain! It felt SO good! I even played a duet with my instructor. I didn't think I would be doing that for a while. It was slow, but I played it, and she made me sound good! :-)

I also turned these little nuggets into delicious salsa verde. If you have any good recipes using salsa verde, send them my way. I'm not sure what to do with it yet. I tried about 4 different recipes because I've never done it before, so I hope I can keep it straight which one I like the best. I did learn that it is definitely better to roast the tomatillos in a cast iron skillet and not just boil or roast them in the oven. It gives them a much better and richer flavor. I got 32 jars out of 2 boxes.

I also bottled some beef bone broth. I've been reading about bone broth and how it's super healthy and can help boost our immune systems and help heal a leaky gut. They say the key to good health is in the gut. So, I'm trying to be more conscientious of mine and give it good healthy stuff. I tried to drink some as a tea, which some people do, I guess, but I couldn't do it. Those bones are just too in my head! Luckily, it's soup season, so putting it in soups and rice and such is going to be a little easier for me to wrap my head around. Who knows, maybe after a while, I'll be one of those bone broth tea drinkers. Either way, I hope my gut can be a little healthier and my immune system boosted going into this winter season. 

I've been cleaning air bnb rooms for the past two weeks, while the main cleaning lady has been on vacation. She gets back today and I'm pretty happy about that. It's a good little side gig, and I'm grateful for the extra income, but it's a lot of work to keep up with that and my kids when I have to clean every day. It's not even that it's hard or anything like that, it's just that it's hard to come home and clean my house and do things I need to here when I've been cleaning over there. And it wears me out! I get tired pretty easily. I wish I had more stamina that way. I've been taking a handful of vitamin D every night and that has surprisingly helped my energy a lot. I'm glad it's helping. 

I also had bunco tonight. I wasn't feeling like I wanted to go because I'm just kinda pooped. I kinda just wanted to sit at home on my couch...ha ha. That never happens! But I'm so glad I decided to go. The ladies I play with are a delight and they really boost my spirits! I had a really fun time and got to laugh, which is so therapeutic! Laughter truly is the best medicine. I feel rejuvenated and so much better. Last night was a little rough. I have been feeling like I'm just not progressing. I look at my life and it seems like I've been doing the same thing for 20 years! I just felt so discouraged and defeated. Today was much better and the piano lesson and the laughter helped boost my spirits a lot! I have a beautiful life that I love. Sometimes it just doesn't look the way I thought it would. And sometimes I just get so caught up in seeing what others are doing that I forget that I am doing good things too. 

My head is ready to hit that pillow! Headed off to bed! Lots of love!

 

Will's Football Team

 Will had his last football game tonight. He got to carry the ball a few times tonight and he did really good, he got really close to making a touchdown. It's a little bitter/sweet. I think these boys learn so much by being on a team and learning to follow directions and how to work as a team. It's fun to watch him play and it gives him something to look forward to, but it will be nice to have a little less run-around for a minute. Will already wants me to sign him up for next season. That might be a long wait! I'm glad that he enjoyed it and wants to play again! 

Business in the Front...Party in the Back

 The Backstory:

A few months ago, Bentley came to our house to hang out with Addie. He proudly proclaimed that he was going to grow his hair into a mullet. The Babe and I voiced our opinions of that fashion faux pas. The Babe was adamantly against it. He almost begged Bentley not to grow his hair into a mullet. He has given him a lot of flak for having a mullet. Needless to say, it's not our hair, so Bentley, bless his heart, is growing his hair into a mullet. 

Last Night: 

It was haircut night. The boys all had hair going wild and something had to be done! Jokingly The Babe said, "maybe I should cut my hair into mullet for Bentley's birthday. Somehow that horrible idea stuck!! It was all fun and games and laughs and giggles, until I buzzed off one side of the Babe's head. As I got that side done, I had the horrible realization that there is no good way out of a mullet. There's no way to blend the edges all nice and neat and there's no way to just let it grow back until it evens out! At that point, though, we were committed. It was either cut the mullet or buzz the entire head! I finished up the other side and stood back to admire my new work of art. I tried to tell The Babe that it didn't look that bad...but what came out of my mouth was a raucous burst of laughter! And once that laughter hit, I couldn't stop! Even today, every time I look at The Babe and his mullet, I burst into uncontrollable laughter! It is possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen! Every time I laugh, he demands that I cut it off tonight as soon as Bentley sees it! I told him tonight was busy. Will had football and I had to do some RS visits. He said he didn't care it was coming off tonight! By the time I returned home from doing my visits, he said, "we can't cut it off tonight, apparently there are some people who HAVE to see it!" I was surprised by that, but hey. one more day might turn into a week or two or three! Hee hee hee. Great laughs for me!!

Business in the front...

PARTY in the back! 

Fall Break

This week we had a much-needed fall break! We went to Gunlock, which sadly for The Babe, was not the much-needed break he was looking for. We love it there. He does too...but he is at work there. We come home refreshed and rejuvenated...he comes home needing a vacation. He was a good sport and let us do all the things! 

Ty loves going out on the water carpet. We had quite a few kids on there at one time. It was a little hard to pull, but Leighna jumped in the kayak and helped me pull it around when we needed to move far. 

We went on a hike and found a cave someone was using as a shelter. I'm sure glad I don't have to live in a cave. It was a cool little place though. Amy was afraid we would find a dead body in there, which made it a little harder to look inside, but we were brave and lucky...no dead body. 

This little lonesome rock was out there all by itself. It seemed a little out of place. But it was cool to see the effects of the erosion taking place. 

The Wolslegers and the Mangelsons went with us out there. We had a really good time. It was a nice break from the hustle. We didn't have school today either and I was determined to get my house in order today...but to no avail. I didn't get a thing done in this house. But I did make dinner for my family so that's a win! Tomorrow it's back to school and work and all the things. 

My counselor, Chrystal is having a birthday on Wednesday. My presidency went out tonight to celebrate her! I have the greatest presidency. The Lord could not have given me better people! I'm so grateful I have been able to rub shoulders with these amazing women! We had a lot of fun. Ate at Durangos and had Cold Stone ice cream after. I'm blessed with great people in my life!

 

Homecoming!

Adelah's last Homecoming...She went with Bentley Holt. They have been dating since they turned 16 but this is their first Homecoming together. 

                                

Leighna's first Homecoming! She went with Jack Campbell. They too have been dating for a while now. 

 

Trust the Process

I'm so grateful Sarah lives in town and can come to my rescue when I'm in charge of anything related to hair. I have mastered the messy bun on myself and that is the extend of my hair skills! Luckily, she is always willing to come to my aide! 

The girls were skeptical when they saw the beginnings of their hair-dos, but we kept telling them to just trust the process! 

A little trust, and pixie dust, and Sarah magic and I have the most beautiful girls in the world! 

It was fun to be able to be there to help with their hair and make-up and dresses! Leighna is miss independent and didn't let me help nearly as much as she should! ha ha!  

These girls have my heart! I love them so dearly. I wish I could freeze them in time. They are growing up way way too fast! I'm grasping for every second I get to spend with them!