Food Storage

I wanted to show off my nice organized pantry it took me almost 2 hours to clean out last night. I found 2 boxes of cake mix that were about to expire so I guess my family will be forced to eat cake for a couple of weeks. I wonder how long my pantry will stay this clean? Anyone willing to place a wager?

And a big thank you to my friend Lucinda for letting me tag along last Friday when she went grocery shopping, Fry's was having a case lot sale and we both did some damage. I think I bought to much tomato sauce/tomato soup, can you have to much of that stuff? I do know you can never have enough cream of chicken soup, I have 30 cans and I'm proud of it!

Scared Silly

Alex's birthday celebration tonight was pretty scary. First, Grandma and Rachel and a few friends came to the house for supper and cake. Then we took the whole party to Rawhide, and into a haunted house called Asylum. Mind you, the six girls with us tonight range from eight to eleven years.
Through practical experiment, we discovered that eight-, nine-, and ten-year-olds can handle no more than two minutes of such a frightful production, swiftly rising to an ear piercing crescendo of screaming, crying, and pleading for an exit. We stayed inside less than five minutes and saw less than half the exhibit before rushing outside to relative peace and safety in the old-west main street.
One of the girls stayed outside with Grandma, to which another girl said afterward, "She's a smart girl."
We walked around Rawhide for a short while, saw an arrest, an execution, and a headless horseman.
After taking everyone home, Alex, Evon and I watched the 1968 version of The Fly with Vincent Price.
I suppose that's what you get if you're birthday falls in October. I'll see what David thinks of that idea Sunday, as we celebrate his thirty-ninth.

Nine Years Ago Today…

After enduring six hours of back labor I gave birth to a 7 lb baby girl. Where has the time gone! Seems like yesterday I was changing diapers and waking up at least three to four times a night, which by the way didn't stop till she was two. I remember on the day she was born she was immediately placed in my arms and for most women they are in awe of this wonderful miracle that has just occurred and it's love at first site (at lease that's what I see in the movies). Me, I was in disbelief that this is what caused me all that pain and I was glad she was out. The love set in a little bit later. Alex has brought so much joy to my life and to those around her. I can't imagine what my life would be like with out her. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEXANDRA ELISE!! Please leave a birthday message for Alex.

P.S. I was so happy you were a girl!

Alex Through The Years

Fall Break

Rachel and Alex had the privilege of going to a horse camp for a week during fall break. Every morning they had to groom the horses, clean the barn, memorize the different parts of the horse and saddle. They even had a 30 minute riding lesson every day and had a daily field trip such as going to a horse show and a horse hospital. The last day they got to go on a 1 hour trail ride. They had a blast.

Jeremy spent his time at the bike park hanging out with friends.

Farewell to Summer

We had a great summer and enjoyed having a pool to share with our friends and family.

Jeremy at the bike park

Are You Happy, Lucinda…?

I finally updated our blog!!!

Piano/Clarinet Lessons

The girls decided to teach each other how to play the other's instrument. Rachel showed Alex how to play the clarinet and how to properly place her fingers. Rachel went over the notes and Alex got so excited she ran up to me and said, "Hey mom, guess what! The notes on the clarinet are the same as the piano! Can you believe it?" I joined in her excitement and said, "Wow, that's great!"

Alex gave Rachel piano lessons and gave her note cards to study and put tape on the keys indicating each note. She taught her about posture and the correct way to use her hands. She made notes in a notebook to let Rachel know the areas she needs to work on and also gave her very positive feedback like, "You are doing awesome." When Rachel would sit at the piano and get ready to play, Alex would say, "Posture," and Rachel would sit up straight. Alex is a little Sabrina in the making. You did a great job Sabrina. Alex misses you!

Rachel is a natural at the piano and she has already taught herself how to play several songs. And yes, I said piano not keyboard — we finally bought a piano!!! Jeremy was uneasy about us getting a piano because it doesn't have a headphone jack like the keyboard and now he has to listen to the piano being played. Last Sunday he asked if we could have a day of NO PIANO!

FHE-Funnies

We had Family Home Evening the other night and Seth talked to the kids about prayer and what kinds of things we should pray for. I decided to share an experience that I just recently had with prayer. I told the kids that I was having bad feelings about someone and that this person was annoying me and I felt bad about these feelings I was having cause I knew they were wrong. I decided to say a prayer and ask Heavenly Father to help take these bad feelings away and twenty minutes later I felt better and by the end of the day I wasn't even thinking about that person. While I'm trying to be spiritual and share my experience during FHE and teach them by example I get these responses: Alex looks at me and says: "Mom, was it me?" No it wasn't you. Rachel: "Was it me?" No it wasn't you. Seth: "Was it me?" No it wasn't you. Seth: "Oh, I know who it was" (Jeremy wasn't here that night but it wasn't him, either! And for anyone reading this right now, NO it wasn't you either!!! Seriously. Especially if you're related or in a Ray ward! It's not you.)