Am I the only person alive that likes Halloween??? All I hear is grumble,grumble I have to dress up grumble,grumble what will the kids be? If I hear one more person say "I hate Halloween" I might scream. Why is this holiday still around if everyone hates it??? As I just told Whitney the key to it is to not care what you look like and have fun with it. The crazier the better. The more you get into it the funner you will have. Let loose and have fun. It is the one day of the year that you get to go crazy, look silly and get all dressed up. Just give in and have fun.





Now there is someone who knows how to dress up. I guess after 15 years of living with me he figures he doesn't have a choice.

Last Saturday Landon made his first TOUCHDOWN!!!! Then he ran another one and another one. Yes 3 touchdowns in one game! Give that boy the ball. It was so much fun.
I can't say they were perfect, the first hand off he dropped the ball and it bounced back up into his hands and then he ran it in. The last touchdown was a punt return that went over his head, he went back picked it up and made a long run for a touchdown.
It was his game. He also made an interception and had about 8 great kickoffs.
I happened to get this great picture of him running in his second touchdown.

A few weeks ago I went to my niece and nephews birthday party and got a couch as a party favor. Then last Sunday I went back to that same sisters house for my dad's birthday party and came home with a bag full of clothes. Most with the tag still attached. What can I say I know where to party. :)
Yet again Trent and Lorilee have been kind enough to give us their hand me downs. I know, most people complain about hand me downs but I love them. I think half of my house is decorated with furniture they were giving away. Lets think... I have the dresser in our master and the armour(sp?) in Whitney's room, dresser in Teegan's bedroom and I can't forget our kitchen table. Yeah pretty much half my house. Isn't it usually the other way around the little sister gets all the big sister's stuff?
I love my new couch. In fact there are so many places we could have put it. I am thankful for a sister and brother in law who are so generous. It is not unusual at all for them to give nice things away. Just ask their cleaning lady :). In all seriousness I appreciate their generosity. They are a good example to me. For some reason when it comes time to part with things (especially furniture) I tend to hold onto it. I just move it on down to our "holding area" (that's what Lor calls my basement) but if we don't really need it why not pass it on to someone who does?

This past 6 months I have been reading The Work and the Glory series. I have learned so much from them about our church history and have formed a deep love for the saints and pioneers. What amazing men and women they were. I have to say I don't know if I could have done it. Oh who am I kidding there is no way I could have done it. When the mobs broke into my house with their pistols drawn would I have stood strong for my religion or gone weak and given in? What a great example these men and women were. There is much to be learned from them. This year the Sunday school lessons are on the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Saints. It has been great to read during the week and then go to church on Sunday and discuss what I had just read the last week. It has made the experience all the better.
One of the best parts about reading this series is the opportunity to learn more about our prophet Joseph Smith and his wife Emma. I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet who restored the scriptures so I can read them today and for that I am very grateful. Through out the book I gained a love for Emma. She had to be such a strong lady. She shared her husband with the world. He was gone from her and the family so often. How it must have felt to have your husband in jail wondering if you will see him again. She lost child after child to death. Would I have kept the faith after loosing that many children?
This morning I attended a Relief Society breakfast were a young lady sang a beautiful song written about Emma. Here are the words:

EMMA
Never had an ordinary day
Never lived your life in an ordinary way
For everything you loved you paid a price
But you couldn't let the world see you cry.

Never had a moment of peace.
Never felt the sunlight when the worries set you free.
Every time your life turned a page it seemed like your heart might break.

With the world on your shoulder
When the nights had grown colder
You seemed to weather every storm with a queen's grace
When you lost your husband
When you buried your children
I'm sure the angles stood in reverence as you prayed
How much can one heart take?

Never had a day to call your own
When so many needed your warm heart as a home
Whispering a mother's lullaby, as you sat alone by the fire

And I'm sure your heart breaks, when some people still say,
somewhere down the line you lost your faith.
How much can one heart take?
How much can one heart take?

I thought this song was so well written. She was so much to so many people. Always taking in sick and the poor, caring for the needy. She was a true saint.

I have not posted much about the little guy but Teegan scored a touchdown at his game this Thursday. He is giving flag football a try this season and seems to like it. He runs around out there with a big grin on his face.

This weekend our Prophet asked us to do nice things for others. Today I learned the father of one of our ward members passed away. 5 years ago when I first moved into the ward I was called to the assistant camp director. This gentleman (who happened to be living with his daughter at the time) was the only priesthood leader who volunteered to drive up to camp, help us take down all the tents, get everything cleaned up and deal with 50 tired girls. He even talked me through driving down my trailer that I had just realized had no one else but me to bring it down. Lets just say I was a nervous wreck. He was our night in shinning armor. He didn't have a granddaughter up with us and he really didn't even know me but he was willing to help. Even though it was a small act it made a HUGE difference to my camp director and I and for some reason has been something I have never forgotten.
Don't forget that our little "somethings" can be big "somethings" to others.

I came across this picture and had to laugh. If I had ask the artist to draw a picture of the things I enjoy she could not have come any closer.

~The cake in her hand, for some reason in the middle of all the craziness I bake. Who can go a week without a batch of cookies or a yummy cake.
~The book on her head represent my new teaching job.
~The camera around her shoulder, photography has always been a love of mine.
~The shopping bag, you all know shopping is my #1 hobby. :)
~The chandelier, I love home decor. Love, love, love it. I can look at home decor magazines, blogs and TV shows all day long. I want to be a designer when I grow up.
~The skateboard, I am on the run most of the time.
~And the best part, she is trying to juggle everything at the same time.
Notice she is in flip flops.
I love her!

I really enjoy General Conference. It means listening to uplifting messages from our church leaders and Prophet, staying in our pajamas all afternoon, relaxing with our families, taking a minute to think about how we can improve our lives, and best of all feeling the spirit teach you the thing you need to hear.

I guess I posted these kind of backwards. Go to the bottom of the pictures to find out where they came from.

My beautiful girl!
I remember taking these like it was yesterday. Where does time go?