Christmas

Grandma Alert!!! Here are some video clips from the significant things that happened this Christmas. As I watched this I feel so blessed and thankful for my kids and the magic that they bring to Christmas. Isaac's Kindergarten had their annual Christmas Tea where they pass out punch and cookies to the parents and then treat us to some very cute Christmas songs... I included just a few of those in the video... too cute.

Also, we had a small miracle on Christmas Eve when we suddenly got some pretty good snow flurries...Isaac yelled "Somebody slap me! I think I'm dreaming!" The kids were able to gather up a few handfuls of snow off of the trampoline... and were very excited and thankful for their early Christmas gift.

Christmas Eve was comical. My friend Allison and her daughter Madison came over because her husband was working. She graciously played Mary and Madison played the angel in the nativity... or rather the Christmas Eve comedy hour. I hope she'll forgive me for posting a little portion of it.

Christmas morning was so classic! Mason's reaction to his gifts was priceless and hilarious! I'm so glad we captured it on video so we can embarrass him later on in life.

Shane was also home from Wednesday until Sunday, which was wonderful! We just played with the kids all weekend... building legos, a marble rollercoaster, playing chess and wii... basically doing nothing. Perfect.

Pikachu update

After paying $17 dollars for shipping.. Pikachu still hasn't arrived, and I don't think he's going to. If you're wondering what I'm talking about-- see previous post. I'm writing a scathing letter to Ebay about how my son nearly thought he was on the Medium list because of their low-class vendors that charge for 2 day shipping and never sent me the product.

Thankfully we had ourselves a Christmas miracle. It was Christmas Eve and I still didn't know what I was going to do about the Pikachu that hadn't arrived. We took the boys to see "Alvin and the Chipmunks" and on the way out of the Mall we walked by an Arcade. Front and center we spotted it... the Claw Machine with a Pikachu staring straight at us. We looked at each other and devised a plan...Shane told me to take the kids to the car and he pretended like he needed to go to the restroom.

We waited for a while... I wondered how long it was going to take him to win that thing. Thankfully he was smart enough to ask the kid working there if he could buy it from him.

" Look, this is the ONLY thing my son has asked for, for Christmas. Can you PLEASE let me buy it?" He begged. He pleaded. And the kid gave into him. Only he wouldn't let Shane buy it because the manager wasn't there and he wasn't sure how much it cost, and just handed it to him. "Tell your kid have a Merry Christmas." I guess we need to go back when the manager is there and pay for the stolen Pikachu.

The boys were getting worried. "Maybe Dad's really sick!"

Finally he came out with the Pikachu stuffed under his jacket.

Isaac has been sleeping with Pikachu every night since. He finally believes he's made it from the MEDIUM list to the GOOD list. :)

The 100th post

I just realized that this is my 100th post. I'm not sure I have much to say that is worthy of a 100th post ... but here goes.

I've been a little jaded this week by the whole Christmas craziness. I started out strong... and then lost a little of the Christmas spirit as I'm getting down to the wire with my shopping, and started forgetting the simplest of tasks... like laundry. I think the boys had to dig a few pair of pants out of the laundry pile this week... apparently they have grown out of nearly every pair that I bought them at the beginning of the school year... 3 months ago. Shane has been working unimaginable hours and every weekend since the day after Thanksgiving. So it has been up to me to get the shopping done.

Because I have been on my own so much, for so long, I have also been really homesick for the snowy mountains of Utah. I miss the temple lights, and the feeling that I always got as a child as I ascended the spiral ramp in the visitor center to see the large statue of the Christus. I'm sad that my children have never seen this, or the lights (at least not that they can remember)... and hoping that someday they will. To me, this is the epitome of Christmas celebrations. I am homesick... after 8 and a half years of being away.

Thankfully, I have my kids to lighten my spirits.

Earlier on in the week Isaac said to me, "Mom, I think I'm on the MEDIUM list."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Well, I'm kind of naughty... and last year I really wanted a Pokemon play set and I got a skate board. I really appreciated it ( no kidding he said "appreciated"), but it wasn't what I wanted."

"Well, maybe Santa didn't have a clue that you wanted a pokemon set?" (What the heck is that anyway? ) "Well what do you really want this year?"

"A Pikachu stuffed animal. I tried to win one in one of those claw machines, but I couldn't"

"Let me tell you a secret Isaac, No one EVER on the face of the earth has ever won anything out of the stuffed animal machine."

Later that night... I shopped Ebay for the first time. Ebay is an experience. Do you know that people are selling McDonalds happy meal toys on Ebay? My goodness, people will buy anything, and Ebay proves it. There I was choking down my $3.99 bid and praying that no one else was looking for this random, pointless toy for Christmas... but I was determined not to let my little guy down. Finally the day came and I won the bid. Yipee (insert sarcasam here)

I checked out and found out how the vendors really make their money. 17 dollars for shipping... What the heck!? I was tempted to go try my luck with the claw machine... which I might end up doing on Christmas Eve if the thing doesn't show up by Thursday. I can just picture it now... some desperate lady, shoving quarters down the claw machine for hours in the hope that she can get her son the toy he is dreaming of. He better really love this thing. I can't have my poor little Isaac thinking he's on the medium list.

In another Christmas related incident. After some tears of coercion from Mason ... I went to the boy's school Christmas parties this week. Nightmare. Trying to wrangle a two year old girl who really needed a nap... while attempting to help with crafts, and pass out the snacks and cupcakes... does not put me in the Christmas spirit. I had to laugh, hardly any of the kids ate a bite of their food. They had just eaten lunch and here we were shoving even more food in their faces. One of the kids said, "if I have to eat another thing I'm going to puke!"

It was fun to learn what these kids wanted for Christmas. quite a few of them were asking for iPhones. I just laughed. Good grief, what ever happened to wanting a doll, a basketball, a bike? I just wish these kids weren't in such a hurry to grow up and be strapped to a phone. Take it easy kids! Have fun! Enjoy life a little!

After running around to three different classrooms I was packing up to go and Jackson's teacher caught me in the hall.

"I have a funny story for you." She said. "Oh no, what did they say this time" I thought.

--Earlier in the day they had been making gingerbread houses as a reward for passing off their times tables. I donated a huge bag of m&m's for the project earlier in the week. After they were finished, Mason was circling the table of left-over goodies. Ms. Langford came over to clean up the treats when Mason says, "My MOM said to tell you that SHE REALLY wants the left overs."

At that moment I died of laughter...Yes... I want all of the frosting that has had a 40 different licked knives in it, and all of the m&m's that have been shuffled around by germ-infested hands. I chuckled when I opened Mason's back pack and there was a zip loc bag full of cootie- encrusted M&M's.

And Today...

Getting the crew ready for church plus all of the lesson preparations gets harder and harder. Today we got all packed up the car, I put all of the accessories for my Christmas lesson in the back and we took off... church is about a 15 minute drive away and when we got there Mason yelled from the back seat "Isaac doesn't have his shoes!!"I wasn't sure which would be more embarrassing, walking into church with a shoe-less child, or being late. I sat there silent... sigh, turned around and drove home to get his shoes. When it was time for my lesson the video and lesson plan that I had built up in my mind to be an amazing experience for the girls didn't work out. The dvd player didn't work, and I was a little frazzled the rest of the lesson.

On a lighter note... on my way out of church I heard many rave reviews of Isaac's closing prayer in primary. Apparently he prayed that the "army men and army women would be safe in Iraq" and that "the bad guys will read their scriptures and turn into good guys". Love that kid, even if he is as scatterbrained as I am.

Thank you Isaac, for helping me to remember that there are those who won't have their loved ones this Christmas at all, for one reason or another. I'm feeling especially thankful for those families who's husbands, wifes, fathers, sisters or brothers won't be home for Christmas because of their deployment. Thank you for your unimaginable sacrifices. Because of you, I have the freedom to shop for my children in relative safety and peace. Because of you I can worship how, where and what I may. Because of you I can live in a warm home with food on the table. Thank you. I can't say it enough.

Thank you Isaac, for reminding me of the Savior, and his unconditional love for each of us... no matter how imperfect we are... even if we are lacking in Christmas sprit, late for church every week, and forget our shoes. He doesn't care, He just wants our hearts to be turned towards Him.

I heard a quote yesterday from a wonderful woman... Marjorie Hinkley...that has become my new mantra for life:

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with grass stains on my shoes from mowing Sister Schenk's lawn. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor's children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."

To me.... That exemplifies the spirit of Christ-mas.

I hope you all have a peaceful and happy Christmas.

Jingle Bun Run 2009

It's that time of year again... time to run off those calories in the Jingle Bun Run (it's sponsered by Schlotzky's... therefore the "Bun" replaces the "Bell") That... and there is a lot of jingle or jiggle, in the buns this time of year. I love this race. It's short 5K, it's local, fairly small and Santa Claus makes his grand appearance.

Also, Jackson wanted to run it with me this year, I couldn't convince Mason he wanted to do it. Not sure why an 8 year old would want to stay home in a nice warm house and play video games when he could be outside freezing his little bottom off, running until he's sick to his stomach... I'll tell you why, Mason is no dummy.

As my friend Allison said when we got to the race and saw many runners in shorts and short sleeves in 40 degree weather, she explained to her friend, "runners are just wierd". I'm sure I fit into the wierd category not so much the runner category, but that statement is sooo true. I also wish I would have taken some pictures of the great elf costumes some people were wearing... which make the race all the more fun... but again, wierd.

Jackson did great... we ran part walked part. Allison and I tried to warn him... "Don't take off too fast at the start, or you'll really regret it later on"... so what did he do? Took off like a bullet for the first half mile.... the rest of the race he was quite uncomfortable.. but I guess it's a good lesson to learn early in your running life. There was also a about a half mile of mud that was a pea gravel path until the rain soaked it the night before... we had to trudge through it which REALLY bogged down our shoes. Jackson was exhausted, but he didn't give up and did a great job! I'm so proud of him!

Jackson and I, after the race... He looks way impressed with Santa, don't you think?! And... my hands were a little full after rading the snack stand (the best part about running a race, hands down).


Me and my running pal Allison... love her!



The picture below just makes me laugh... my hat hair for one... and the poor unsuspecting lady behind me bending over to tie her shoes... It really makes me wonder how many people have accidently captured me in some unflattering moments in the back ground of their pictures.



Great job on your first 5K Jackson! I'm proud of you!

Bella Boo turned TWO!!!

Somehow we managed to have a little birthday gathering for Bella's second birthday. I know everyone says this, and it's a total cliche but... I just can't believe how quickly this happened. Here she was just yesterday...

Anyway, we were blessed to have some great friends over to share the celebration. Even Tinker Bell made an appearance. Nothing says love -- and your mom is clueless when it comes to cake decorating -- like a store bought cake and lots of balloons.

I love this picture of Allison and Bella... she was so cuddly-- I guess she could just feel the love.

Bella loved being the center of attention and had a great time opening her gifts...

Such a great group of friends... didn't get pictures of all of them, but they are so easy going and fun to be around.

We gave her a little keyboard--not sure who has enjoyed it more, the boys, or Bella.

In-the-Spirit-of-Thanksgiving

In-the-Spirit-of-Thanksgiving

Wizard Wand Slap-- and other sabbath day boredom busters

Yesterday I slept in until 8, made an egg souffle for breakfast, and put dinner in the crock pot.... I then prettied-up all the kids to go to church... which, is no small task when the hubby isn't home. Lots of running around putting together belts, socks, shoes, ties, hair bows... etc. Usually this part of the day is accompanied by lots of nagging, grrr's, whining, tantrums and an occasional curse word under the breath. But I was determined to keep it cool.

We drove to church playing " I spy" the whole way there. I was so pleased with myself for being on time for the 3rd time in a row, and that my children and I were smiling and happy on the way there.

Anyway, my mythical land of perfection was shattered when we pulled up to the church-- I thought I had just entered the Twilight Zone. There wasn't a single car in the parking lot, except for mine. Did I miss the memo or what? I was baffled. I called a friend to find out what was going on-- "Stake Conference" she said. (which is a big regional church meeting held in Killeen) How did I not know this? It wasn't on my teaching schedule, and since I had missed the previous week didn't get the reminder. The boys burst out in a cheer when I gave them the news... bless their hearts, ya can't blame em. Anyway, since we had 1:00 church we had already missed the whole thing... I was disappointed.

We drove home and I told the boys there would be no T.V. or video games... which is more of a punishment for me, than anyone. "This is going to be a long one" I thought.

I was excited to put Bella down for a nap and read a little. I picked up my book, "The Undaunted"-- which is a great read, if you like church history. The boys went up stairs and got out their weapons, nerf guns, wands, swords... etc. Before I knew it, a full blown war was raging around me... which makes it very difficult to read when you have the microscopic attention span that I do.

Mason nailed me with a nerf dart-- it had a suction cup, and stuck right in the middle of my forehead . I fell over on the couch trying to play along...the boys laughed hysterically, and continued to shoot me with darts. This is what happens when you are the mother of three boys. You are not a human being, you are a punching bag, a dart board, a trampoline, an object for target practice.

But enough was enough, I wanted to read and enjoy my day of rest a little.

"Take it outside, or find something different to do. " I said, a little annoyed.

Issac-- the king of bad ideas : "Hey I know, lets play Wizard Wand Slap!"

I put an end to that game very quickly... if you use the name of the game literally, you'll know why it didn't last long. Then they all sat on the couch dejected. I was determined to make them bored, hoping that would incite some creativity. You know, the thing kids used to use for entertainment before, Disney channel, the Wii, the ipods...etc.

Next they were shooting a Tinker Bell mylar balloon that was stuck to the ceiling trying to get it caught in the ceiling fan that was spinning around.... this activity lasted about an hour in which no reading was accomplished.

I then taught them how to play "Mary had a little Lamb" on the little key board that we got for Isabella's birthday. We can't yet afford a piano, or lessons, so I thought I could teach them the names of the keys and a few basics.

Mason and Jackson really got into it and were playing "Mary had a little Lamb" over, and over, and over, and over again. It seemed like a good idea at the time. But I felt like my head was going to explode.

"Go upstairs--PLEASE ! " I said, ever so kindly.

It was quiet for a while, and soon I heard fits of laughter coming from upstairs. I kept reading for another 30 minutes, convincing myself that I didn't EVEN want to know what they were doing. Finally I gave in and went upstairs to check.

They were having the "World Championships of Fan Flying". A game which consists of climbing on the bunk bed and putting your designated action figure on the ceiling fan to see who's Bionicle, spiderman, or clone trooper could hang on the longest before flying off. Jackson came out not just the winner, but the "World Champion" and "world record holder" of fan flying. As a mother I couldn't be more proud... I think I'll get a bumper sticker that says,

"My child is the world champion fan flyer!"

Finally, dinner time. Crock pots are the best, I just scooped up dinner for everyone and we ate. It was quiet for the first time all day... Mason and Jackson did the dishes, to my amazement, without me prodding them the whole time. We cleaned up the house which by this point looked like... footage from hurricane Katrina.

Still wasn't bed time so we played Apples to Apples.

Said prayers and went to bed...

So much for the day of rest.

Daddys girl

My poor baby girl has had a horrible bought with croup, thankfully she is on the upswing. She got so bad we had to give her breathing treatments day and night. Shane was the only one who could get her to sit still through the process...which meant he also had to watch "Tinker Bell". Although he won't admit it... he was totally into that show.

Bella's got him wrapped around her finger.

This is Halloween...

We had a fun Halloween night, although I had my doubts. I wasn't looking forward to it. Halloween isn't my favorite... talk about the entitlement mentality... dressing up your kids to go begging for candy, so that you can eat all the good stuff before they get their grubby paws on it!? What is this world coming to? If you want some candy, work for it!!! (Just Joking : ) )

Shane was working and I don't love getting the kids all ready and going trick or treating by myself. Thankfully our friend Kristy invited us over for some brisket and bbq chicken and trick- or-treating afterwards, and we ended up having a great time.

Here are the kiddos, I told them I wasn't buying costumes this year (due to budgetary cutbacks in the Lewis household), and this is what we ended up with. Mason already had a skeleton shirt and I just cut some contact paper out in the shape of bones and stuck them onto his pants and hip bones on his shirt. Jackson wore the same Jedi costume from last year and for added flair we cut down Shane's jedi robe to fit. Isaac... first wanted to be a Nija, then Indiana Jones, and the list goes on and on. Finally he decided on a pirate, and when he saw Mason's face paint he insisted that he should be a "skeleton" pirate. What a crazy kid. Bella looked adorable as a bunny, another free costume ...

In this picture she even has the teeth for it!

She was so hilarious trick or treating she would get out of the stroller and run full speed up to the door (which looked hilarious in a bunny costume) pushing every unsuspecting trick or treater out of the way.

Favorite quote of the night:

"Get out of the way! Here comes a rabid bunny!" -- Jeff Wild

Playing in the yard

Here is the whole crew... the children of the S&W surgery residency class of 2011. This is a horrible picture... Shannon the photographer is cringing right now.

And here are the ladies who gave them life...

I can't say enough about these wonderful women. They have helped me so much through the past 3 1/2 years. It's hard to think about moving on in only another year and a half. With people like these in your life, the hard times pass quickly.

From left to right--

Stacy-- completely fearless and will try absolutely anything, and truly lives life to the fullest. She's the mother of 4, always taking them on an adventure, she's an artist, entrepreneur, an athlete and a caring friend. So fun to be around.

Me-- You know too much already

Allison-- Has a great sense of humor and always makes me laugh! She's thoughtful and genuine and makes everyone around her feel comfortable. Mother of an adorable little girl, full-time veterinarian and runner! I tell everyone she's my smartest friend... but all of my friends are smart, so that's saying a lot!

Kristy-- Incredibly thoughtful and organized! Oh my, this girl puts me to shame. She's always planning the parties and gatherings, and takes it upon herself to schedule meals for the new mothers in the residency program. When you have 2 boys like Kristy, you also have to have great sense of humor and she does.

Happy Halloween! Now for some Turkey!

When it rains... and other stuff.

It's been raining, a lot. I'm not complaining because, we really needed it. But, because it doesn't rain very often, the heavy rains of the last few weeks have revealed an issue with our roof...

First the ceiling looked like this:

Shane climbed up on the roof and calked around the chimney to fix the problem, then patched the damage on the ceiling... a few weeks later when the rains started again it bubbled up, and exploded. Now it looks like this ...Time to bring in the professionals?

On the bright side, I found this note sitting on the stairs ... the boys are always good for a laugh.

Maybe "like" and "wedgey" need to be on his next spelling test?

I'm a terrible Halloween Mom ... and have very little enthusiasm for the holiday. In an attempt to be on par with my kids excitement and trying to make some memories, we did a few crafts.

Here is Isaac with his "Funkin" (must be pronounced with care). Why, oh why, couldn't I have invented these!? They are awesome, all of the carving fun with non of the goo.

In another insane attempt to be enthusiastic about the holiday, for the first time,the boys and I dipped some carmel apples and rolled them in Oreos. Oh my, that was messy!!

Lets face it, they're hideous (we need A LOT of practice)... but they were delicious.

To capture more of the holiday magic we spent saturday at a pumpkin farm (it's more like a Christmas tree farm, with some pumpkins) with my friend Allison and her little girl Madison --

Here they are... Isabella, Allison and Madison... love this picture

The activities included...

Jumping, rolling and wrestling in the hay:

King of the Hay!

Here's Shane, the biggest kid of all, wrestling with the boys in the hay, and only rolled over a few unsuspecting toddlers.

Isabella and Madison LOVED the hay

Taking a choo choo train ride pulled by a riding lawnmower. The funniest part about this was was watching Shane count all the heads and marveling over how much these farmers were raking in. Now he's determined to get our riding lawn mower hook up some jerry-rigged riding cars and solicit the neighbor kids for a choo choo train ride $2.00 a pop... You could just see the wheels in his head turning...

Isaac and Isabella were all smiles while riding on some very depressed-looking ponies:

And for $2.00 we had the opportunity of being shoved through a gate into a seriously over- crowded and tiny cage, to feed a bunch of ravenous attack- goats... and step in all of the excrement. EEEWW.. Hand sanitizer here we come!

Jackson was so freaked out by the aggressive goats that he only lasted about a minute before he handed me the food.

At least I got a cute picture of Isabella...

Here's Allison , just trying to keep the goats away from little Madison who got knocked over a few times. Even Allison who is a veterinarian, wasn't overly thrilled by the whole goat thing.

A great day with good friends.

Blogging Dilema

A friend of mine blogged about blogging recently and it really got me thinking about my motives...

Sometimes I get really bored of my blog. I started it because we have lived away from our families for 8 years and have made friends along the way that have all moved on. I thought it was an easy way to keep in touch with them. Since then, it has evolved into something else... For me, blogging is cheaper than therapy. It helps me to see the bright side of a dark situation, and it keeps me company while Shane is in the trenches. Writing changes my perspective and brings to life, the adventure it is to be raising kids, while trying to strike a balance. More importantly, blogging gives me an opportunity to laugh at myself. To me, blogging is discovering how I really feel about things, despite what I might tell people in person.

For example, It seems like every time a friend or family member calls, the typical conversation goes like this:

"So what's going on?"

"Oh, same old, same old... you know, mom stuff "

But I realize now that lame answer is soooo far off, for all of us. Every day brings something new, some new challenge or hurdle, whether it's just us trying to decide how to best spend our time, working toward a goal, breaking up a fight, fixing something that's broken, wether its a plumbing problem or a kid... or just trudging through the changing emotions of the day.

I also love reading blogs of my friends, some who I haven't seen for over a decade. I feel a genuine connection with them, realizing that we are all more alike than different, and... they just make me smile.

Recently, I realized how narcissistic our society is becoming with the advent of reality T.V. shows and that tragically, certain families that have been falling apart because of it. How quickly something that starts out innocently, as a way to document your life can become a three ring circus...

So I want to clarify what my blog is not... It's not an attempt to gain attention or make money. I don't want to expose my kids to criticism or to the public. They are precious to me, so recently I've been a little nervous about the whole family blog, and wonder if I should take it private. The only reason I haven't done it so far is because it seems like a huge pain! I'm not under the delusion that a bunch of random people are following my blog, but the thought scares me.

So what's your opinion... should I take the blog private?

I scream, you scream, we all scream....

Why is it that kids look so cute eating icecream? Look at those blue eyes and crooked hat. Just adorable.

Even with an icecream mustache he's stinkin cute.

On the other hand... this is how I look eating icecream... Isn't it sweet of my mom to capture this very flattering moment mid-lick?

Here's Jackson wondering where it all went so quickly.

And Mason, not wasting any time...

Of course, the best part of eating icream is pretending like you are one of the Jonas Brothers... and rockin' out with your microphone.

Code Brown

Yesterday I had an experience... I had heard other moms speak of this experience before and wondered what was wrong with them or their kids. I have since learned the hard way, to never, ever judge another parent, because someday that person will be you!!

Isabella woke up from her nap and I heard her screaming, usually she wakes up relatively happy so I wasn't sure what was up. When I went in I saw why... a code brown I like to call it... all over the crib. She had taken her diaper off and put her hands in places they should not have been... then touched them to other places. I looked at her in shock, she looked right at me and said, "sgusting"... her favorite word.

Right at that moment my friend rang the doorbell to pick up her son's jacket that he had left the night before. I quickly wiped up Isabella... while my friend was standing there waiting for me to answer.

"Sorry, to keep you waiting," I explained, "I'm in the middle of a little crisis" I had to explain why my daughter was standing next to me with no pants or diaper on... that looks like some serious red-neck parenting, right there.

That's okay she said," I'm having a little crisis of my own" ... she explained that her son had just thrown up at parent teacher conferences. She had to strip him down and walk out of the school passing many parents who I'm sure gave some pretty judgmental looks as they saw a woman carrying her toddler in nothing but a diaper, through the school. Then he threw up in the car on the way to my house. Poor baby looked miserable.

I grabbed her some wipes and a towel to clean him up... I felt bad for myself, but even worse for her.

Later that night... Isaac and Isabella were in the bath when he screams... MOM!!! I didn't even have to hear the rest. I knew... code brown in the bathtub.

Parenting is tough, one day you think you know all about good parenting and your house is working like a well oiled machine, and the next, your daughter code browns twice in one day. Don't judge, or you'll be next.

The Latest...

Things have been CRAZY the last few weeks. I'll try to update you without totally boring you...

Looks like we already lost Shane... oh well.

The month of September has been one of celebrations, stress, and new and exciting experiences.

Mason and Jackson started cub scouts and love it! Thanks to their amazing den leader... as you can tell from this picture, she's got her work cut out for her. But seriously, aren't cub scouts the cutest?

--The young men and young women worked all summer on a production which they performed for a ward activity. They all did an AMAZING job, and discovered hidden talents that none of us knew they had. Several kids would have been nominated for an academy award if it wasn't such a low budget production... amazing, the sets you can make with cardboard, tin foil and garbage sacks.

Our awesome directors Katie, Tricia, and Lori worked tirelessly to give the kids a chance to shine, and they did! Here are some of the pictures.

I also made the mistake of mentioning to Katie a while back that I was once, in my previous life, a clogger (no wooden shoes, or plungers involved:) She thought it was a good idea for me to use some of those clogging skills in a hoe-down for the production. It had been so many years, about 15 or so since I had put on my shoes and kicked up my heels that I wasn't sure it was such a great idea, but decided to take a chance anyway.

I had to order some clogging shoes online, and once I got them in the mail and put them on... like magic my toes started tapping away, amazing how the body can remember how to do those things you haven't done for 15 years, even though the jiggle factor had increased somewhat. I went on the back patio and started to practice while my boys looked through the window and wondered if they would need to commit me to a mental institution. It turned out to be a fun experience and I think the ward was a little surprised to see me move that fast since I can't ever seem to make it to church on time.

In other news....

Shane and I flew out to Utah for Shane's mother's 60th Birthday surprise party. I left on Thursday night to stay in Dallas for a Friday morning flight. Having worked a 30 hour shift and done an appendectomy that morning, Shane raced up to Dallas, to catch a flight. I was so relieved when he called and said he had made it on the plane safely. We got to spend the afternoon with my parents and they watched Bella while we went to the party.

It was such a joy to be able to be with her and our family on this special night. We met at the restaurant overlooking the Salt Lake temple and had an amazing dinner while each of us took turns reading our favorite memories and thoughts about her ... after the tears started flowing she said, "I'm not dying! I'm just turning 60!" We all laughed, and are thankful that we will get to spend many, many, many more years with this amazing lady. Love you Julie!

NOVA SCOTIA

We got home on Saturday night from Utah and on Wednesday Shane and I traveled to Halifax for a Pediatric Surgery conference where he was presenting. We were so excited because we haven't gone on a trip together for about 10 years. Even though we would only be there for 3 days and much of it was for business, I was excited. At the same time I was VERY nervous about leaving the kids. However, when I picked up my sister from the airport, I felt so much better. If you need someone who can keep a cool head in a crisis, she's the woman ! Both Isaac and Isabella got sick while we were gone, so I was thankful she was there! She is awesome. Thanks Trish!!

I picked up Shane at 3:30 a.m. from the hospital-- he had worked another 24 hour shift and was running on fumes but we had to catch our 6:00 plane in Austin. So we had no choice. After a small setback at the airport and frustration running high, we got onto the plane, and then two others.

Finally we made it to Nova Scotia where we soon learned that our suitcase with all of our clothes in it... had hitched a ride to Ontario. Too tired to care and on the verge of being comatose, we went to our hotel admiring the amazing fall colors and beauty while hearing all about the government in Pakistan from our very friendly and hard to understand Pakistani cab driver. We ordered room service for dinner and fell asleep at 6:00, exciting so far?!!!

The next day we didn't get our luggage as promised and although I took a shower, couldn't wash my hair without a hair dryer and flat iron to tame it. So I put on my clothes from the day before which I'm sure were smelling a bit like airplane funk... and made the best of things. Poor Shane went to the first round of conference presentations in a t-shirt and jeans. And if you know Shane, you'll understand how hard this was for him to do. By the end of the day we got our luggage and a much needed change of clothes.

I know it's hard to get overly excited about someone else's vacation. So I'll try to keep the pictures and captions to a minimum...

Shane with his poster presentation... he also had a power point presentation where he did a great job saying lots of big fancy words.

View of Halifax from the Citadel

Shane trying on the Scottish Brigade garb, minus the kilt ... a perfect fit!!

Shane in the Citadel fortress... what a great smile he has.

Me and a really cool, old brick wall.

Imagine our luck!! As we were traveling to the Titanic cemetery we passed a group commemorating world Ostomy day! Who knew there was a day set aside just to spread awareness of Ostomys? Shane and Dr. Little couldn't contain their excitment and had to join in the fun... If you don't know what an ostomy is, consider yourself lucky.

This sign says it all.

Pictures from Peggys Cove... a sleepy little fishing town with a gorgeous landscape and lighthouse. The highlight of the trip.

Dr. Little and his cute wife Rebekah