We are all human!!

Okay so this is kind of a random post about something that has been on my mind and my sisters and I were talking about it yesterday so I wanted to do a post about it. I had a friend of mine last year say that she didn't want to blog anymore since it just made her feel bad about herself and her life. She said that reading everyones blogs about how perfect their life is was depressing for her and made her feel like she was a terrible person. Do you ever feel that way?? That everyone else has the perfect marriage, and the perfect kids, with the perfect house and friends, and they are always have a grip on life? So I wanted to do a post for the girl who is a little discouraged about something in her life. I want you to know that I am so not the perfect mom. I have lost my temper with my kids, and been impatient and said the wrong thing at the wrong time. My house is never clean, as hard as I try there are always messes that seem to never go away. I don't always make perfect home cooked meals. Some days are so crazy that yes I will run to McDonalds and grab some happy meals for dinner, with a rootbeer to top it off. There have been some days that I want to stay in my sweats and just kick back and hang out on the couch, and so I do. And some days I don't even get make-up on. Here are just a few things that make us not perfect. There are so many more I don't need to list them all. But I just wanted you to know that we are happy and life doesn't have to be about looking perfect and having everything that you see others have to be successful. You can find happiness in your imperfections and weaknesses. We are all human and trying to do our best and I think that is enough.

Halloween

Kali this year chose to be a vampiress. She is so in love with the movie Twilight that it has gotten her hooked on vampires. I love how she always has a pose for pictures....

Lexi decided she wanted to be the "water fairy" from the Tinkerbell Movie. It just suits her so well since she is just a little princess and always so girly and sparkly. Lexi is also a huge sugar nut, so Halloween is about the best time of year for her.

We decided to have the twins be "thing 1" and "thing 2" from the Cat in the Hat. They are too silly!!!

Here is the crew!! They are such a cute bunch of kids!!

Trick or treating was a blast this year. We had no idea that the boys were going to love it so much. They were running from house to house, and saying trick or treat when the door was opened. My favorite though was that they would wave and yell "thanks, see ya" to every house. It was such a blast for me to watch and the kids loved every minute of it!

Chalmers Halloween party!!

This year we decied to do our own Chalmers Halloween party for the grandkids, and it was so much fun!! We just kept it really simple and decorated cookies, and did an art project. Corey made a really yummy creamy chicken soup, with homemade bread and homemade rootbeer.

I just love so much that the cousins are all so close and love being together. There are 15 grandkids total and things can get kinda crazy when we try to do stuff together. But we love it and they love it.

So far we have partied through the Halloween season and there is a lot more parting that is going to happen through the week.

I love Halloween!!!!

Lexi's bday party!!

So this year we decided to do a Halloween party for Lexis Birthday. Her birthday is in December and we always have the hardest time putting together a party for her that month, and I also feel like she gets so many presents at Christmas time. So this year we wanted to try something different. And it was fabulous!!

The kids had such a fun time. We decorated pumpkins and ghosts,

Opened presents and had birthday cake.

Then played "pin the mouth on the ghost" and Halloween twister.

The kids had so much fun ,and most importantly Lexi loved it!! We love you little lu!!

Pumpkin Patch

In Lexis Pre-school class every year they do a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch. It is so much fun for the kids. They each get to pick out their own pumpkin, and they have a small corn maze, and two fun different playgrounds and some fun small animals that the kids can pet.

The kids had a fabulous time!!! We look forward to going again next year.

New photos of kids

Cookie Time.

Growing up every Halloween my mom would make these super yummy spiced sugar cookies with us, so it is a tradition that we are passing on down. We made them for FHE tonight and it was kind of a bad idea considering I am dieting and thought I would have no problem turning them down....5 cookies later I realized that I might not be as strong and I thought. Not to mention these are the kind of cookies that there is no way you can eat just one. Opps I gues I will have to step up the excersize program...

Spiced Sugar Cookies

1 c shortening

3 eggs

1 tp nutmeg

2 c sugar

3 tsp water of milk

1/2 tp cloves

3 c flour

1 Tbsp baking powder.

Cream sugar with shortening. Add eggs, water or milk, and spices. Sift together and add dry ingredients. Flour the counter and roll out dough. Cut in shapes. Use a spatula to place on greased cookie sheet. Dust with sugar before baking. You can color the sugar by adding a drop of food coloring and stiring or shaking in a zip lock bag until color is even. Makes great fall cookie because of its spiced flavor. Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes.

Enjoy!!!

Goodnight Sweethearts!!

Here is my little angel Dominic as I lay him down for a nap and give him a kiss and tell him "Goodnight, Mommy loves you"

When I come down to check on the boys to see if they are asleep, this is what I see next....

These little stinkers have learned how to climb out of their cribs. Which has made nap time and bed time very interesting. At least in this picture their diapers are on...add that to the mix. This phase always comes way too soon.

Fall is in the air.....

I absolutely love fall. I think it is my favorite season for so many reasons; I love BYU football, I love the crispness in the air, I love when things are starting to get all cozy for the holidays, I love making all the yummy soups and pumpkin goodies, I love the trees changing colors, But most off all I love the festivities.

Little Lexi got her ears pierced this last week and is loving how pretty she looks.

I had presidency meeting on Saturday morning and came home to this. Daddy had some fun with the kids making pumpkin pancakes. The kids loved it and I could tell that Derek loved getting a little creative also. What a great guy!!

Here are just some pictures of the guys. They are way too much fun!

My latest hobby!!

I have pulled the sewing machine back out and dusted it off. I made a decision when I was pregnant with the twins that I was going to not plan on doing much for myself for the next few years since I knew it would only frustrate me. And the boys have gotten so much easier for me, so I decided I was going to be back some old fun hobbies. And first was sewing. So I made these adorable skirts for the girls, some cute aprons and winter pajamas for the kids. It has been so much fun to start sewing again, and see my kids wearing things that I have made for them.

My angel is 7

I can hardly believe that my little angel turned 7 today. I can honestly say that she has brought so much joy and happiness into my life. I have always called Kali my angel. When she was about 6 months old my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a hard time for our family and especially my mom. Well she was the only grandchild that lived close to my parents and since I was able to be a stay home mom with her I spend a lot of time with my mom as she was struggling through Chemo and sickness, and Kali was the bright spot of every day for me and family. She helped us all get through that hard time and I have always said that the Lord sent her as an angel to our family to help us through a difficult time. She was my little buddy and her and I had such an amazing realationship with each other. She has so much personality and spunk!! And she is so talented and gifted in so many ways. I love her so much and I feel like the years and flying by. It is like one of my favorite songs says, "I wish I could save these moments and put them in a jar, I wish I could stop the world from turning keep things just the way they are." I love her and I love so much that she was able to come into my life and teach me so much about love and patience. I love you little chick and I hope you had a great birthday!!!

Kalis dog birthday party

Kali told me from the beginning that this year she wanted to have a dog birthday party. So we went to work to find some fun ideas for her party.

We got Kali and Lexi all dressed up as puppies

I was so glad that the weather was so nice that we were able to do the party outside.

All the kids got their faces painted, then they adopted a puppy and gave it a name. after that they went and made a dog colar for their new puppy out of beads. Then we had dog races where they had to run like a dog and carry their puppy in their mouth. The kids were giggling through the whole race.

We had a fun bone pinata, which we have found has always been one of our kids favorite things to do for their birthday parties. This year the pinata broke off the string so Derek had all the kids line up on the patio while he opened it and scattered the candy on the lawn, then the kids made a run for it.

Opening presents. Aunt Camie is the one who made her the adorable dog apron. Kali loved it.

Cupcakes, and dogie bingo. The birthday party was a total blast and the kids had so much fun!!

Grandma came and got Kali and Lexi and took them to go and see "Up" for Kalis b-day. The girls loved it!!

On her birthday morning I asked her what her favorite breakfast was and she said "Waffles, with buttermilk syrup, whip cream and rasperries." So we made it happen and of course she got to eat on the "you are special plate" And she had to model her new birthday outfit.

After school we took her to play on the playground and get icecream. So Camie and Corey brought their families and the kids had a blast being together. I think all in all she had a great birthday!!