Housework

"Our house is clean enough to be healthy, and dirty enough to be happy." -Author Unknown

"Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing."
~ Phyllis Diller

I love these. I've had a cold and haven't been keeping up on the housework, when I came across these I just smiled. Geri once said to me, "you can visit me anytime, if you want to see a clean house, give me 6 months notice." Don't know if she was quoting someone else, but it has always stuck with me. As long as our home is clean enough I would rather spend the time with our children, then scrubbing the wood floors to a high gloss shine that will get spilled on anyway. Sometimes a good reminder is needed of what is really important.

Falling Leaves

Nothing says fun like playing in the leaves. Our neighbors have a nice big tree in their yard, but we get ALL the leaves. The kids play in them until they are crushed in to little pieces so we don't have to rake.
Leaf Angels!!!
Everyday for about a week, the kids would go out and rake up a pile and run and jump in it, or throw them in the air and enjoy the great weather.

Happy Halloween

Caden wanted to have a Halloween Party this year, so I was a good Mom and let him. They had pumpkin races.
Dressed each other like mummies, watched a scary movie, Disney's Ichabod Crane, ate witches fingernails, deep fried eyeballs, ghost meat and drank ghost blood.

Just in case you don't recognize them, this is Batman, Jack Sparrow and the Magician.

Makenna, Rhett, Caden and Dean's pumpkins.

I'm an Alice

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Yep-I'm a Twilight reader. Makenna and I were at the midnight release of the book this last August and will go to the midnight showing of the movie. Hope we aren't disappointed.

Jill's Economic Stimulus Package

Because food is so expensive, we've had to rethink what we buy. We've switched to....

Ground turkey is cheaper then beef by almost $0.60 per pound. And it's healthier.

Cooks up just like beef with a lot less fat.
Fruit in the HUGE cans. My family loves to eat fruit, a #10 can runs about $5.00 and you get a lot. I just open it up, put the fruit in Tupperware in the fridge and enjoy the savings.

What have you done? Love to hear the changes you've made to save money.

DaVinci

There was a DaVinci exhibit at the Orem Mall that we went to for a field trip. This was Makenna's favorite exhibit. She was able to tell us some interesting facts about this picture. Did you know there is a bag of gold and a knife in it?
Rhett loves anything mechanical. There were some hands on exhibits that he really enjoyed. We didn't realize how many things DaVinci had invented, or plans he had drawn up that were later used.
Caden loved all the flying displays. Did you know DaVinci invented the parachute?

From Ellis Island to California, with Utah in between

Murray City has a Freedom Field. Every September they put flags up for all those who were killed on September 11. They have now added flags for all the military personnel who have also died. It very moving seeing all these flags in one place.

This year they had an Ellis Island reinactment. We watched a video on Ellis Island and then took the 11 steps that immigrants had to take to get passage into the United States. Some interesting facts: you had to have $20.00 cash with you or you couldn't come into the U.S.

Single women were not permitted, they didn't want unaccompanied woman walking around the streets of New York. You had to be able to read 20 words and have a skill to help you earn money. Then you had to pass a physical and mental exam.

Rhett working on his test.
Yeah, they all passed. They were sworn in as American citizens. They even got a certificate.

After our time at Ellis Island we took in some sights of Salt Lake. This is the Beehive House where Brigham Young lived.

Interesting facts: there are two pieces of artwork in the house that are made from human hair.

#2-everyone who stopped by when Brigham Young lived there would get a lemon drop.

Interesting fact: they didn't fight while taking this picture. No name calling, no pushing, it was AMAZING!! And the crazy homeless man left us alone. (Of course that was after he had swore at us.) Then I was off to California with my Mom to see my Grandma and Adele's new little girl. If you ever have traveled with my Mom you know she LOVES stopping at all the historical markers along the way. She has always wanted to stop here, but has never had the chance. (Donner Pass) I thought she'd leave me here, punishment for my teenage years-hehehe!! I was so scared!!! Intersting fact: the monument is 22 feet in the air, the same height the snow was the year the pioneers were stranded. We stopped in Fresno to see my Grandma Ruby. She's been sick and has been in a care center. We got to visit with her in the evening then came back the next morning for another visit. We even brought her a donut, shhhhh-don't tell. Intersting fact: she had her tonsils removed on her kitchen table when she was a child. My Mom and Grandma. Intersting fact about my Mom-she graduated from San Diego State University with a teaching degree.
Then we drove to San Diego to see Adele and Piper. Isn't Anna such a great big sister. So much love, so little time to inflict it on the new baby. Interesting fact about Anna: she is a daredevil, she loves the water and has no problem with the waves knocking her over. Intersting fact about Piper: she was born on her due date.

Then I flew home. Intersting fact about Jill-she was tired this all took place from a Friday to a Monday.