House Update #1

We are building a house.

We have been ready for two months with our floor plans, but our builder is swamped and said it would be a couple months before he could start on ours.

Last week they poured foundation.

The framers are coming on Tuesday.

Hooray!

Scriptures.

Kyson loves the scriptures. 

Before naps and bedtime I usually let him pick three books to read. The scriptures are always one of them. Sometimes when we are short on time I tell him he can only have one. He always picks the scriptures.

His favorite scripture stories are Ammon, Nehor/Gideon, Captain Moroni and Nephi/Laman. They all are stories where fighting and killing is involved. But I tell myself that he is getting the spiritual lesson behind the violence:)

The other day I went to check on him during his nap and I found him like this.

He sure is a sweet good boy.

Halloween

We went down to my family's for my Mom's Halloween party.

Kyson loved it.

We came up with really original costumes. Clark and I were nurses and James was a sick patient.

Kyson wanted to be a pirate again...his costume from last year still fit. So we went with it!

Nathan and Brigham

Miss America and her body guards

Aubrey...the librarian.

Old McDonald and his animals.

Kyson decided he liked Eden's costume better, so she was nice enough to share it with him all night.

This one is from Halloween night. He decided he wanted to be a witch pirate. We went to a couple friends out where we live, and then went in and trick-or-treated in Don and Angie's neighborhood. Kyson thought it was so fun to run from house to house...and couldn't believe that everyone was giving him candy.

Halloween Preparations

 Like I said. Clark's busy. Really busy.

So the kids and I got the pumpkins all gutted out, then called Clark in for the carve. We did a simple 10 minute carve and the boys loved it. 

Kyson helped with the small knife.

James ate the pumpkin that was being discarded:)

Ty. Aubs. Lala.

My parents went out of town a couple weeks ago. So, they gave Ty the keys to the car and sent my three youngest siblings to spend the weekend with us.

We LOVED it!!!!!

We did some yard work. Watched a fun movie, played games, made Maxi skirts and headbands, Ty helped Clark with Christmas lights...and the girls watched James and Kyson so I could go and do a session at the temple! It was so fun having them here!

Meet Jim.

My parents gave Clark 'The Man From Snowy River' for his birthday. It's Clark's favorite movie.

We watched it with Kyson one night. And he's been OBSESSED with it ever since. He asks me at least 68 times each day if I will get down on the floor and be his horse. I try to do it a couple times each day...but finally Clark rigged up the piano bench for his horsey. 

It has been over a month since we watched the movie, and Kyson still calls me Jessica. He calls James spur. He wants us to call him Jim.

It's pretty cute...and it won't last forever...so I answer to Jessica whole-heartedly. And I call him Jim most of the time:)

And in case you are wondering...we forgot the Jim calls Jessica's father a 'Bas....' in the movie. We were hoping he wouldn't catch on to it. He only heard it once. But a couple days ago I heard him saying..."you bas....you bas...you bas...." We had a nice little talk about how that was a very bad word, and that we don't say that word. 

I also told him that if I ever heard him saying that word again I would take away all of his 'Jim' play stuff and we couldn't ever play horsey again.

He hasn't said it since.

yep. we felt like the worst parents ever. he's still in nursery.

Family Pictures

Thanks Angie for taking these pictures!

Happy Birthday James and Clark.

James turned one on October 5th.

Clark turned thirty on October 7th.

Took one bite of the cupcake. Saw the bowl of kidney beans on the counter. Dropped the cupcake. Started grunting and grabbing for beans. He's an easy boy to please.

Geneology...and October.

To say we've been crazy lately is a huge understatement.

We have never been this crazy in our entire lives. It's not a good crazy. It's a 'I hope we can survive the month of November and stay sane' kind of crazy.

Clark is a full time nursing student.

He works two days in the ICU as a CNA.

He has monthly window washing clients.

He hangs Christmas lights...that people don't want up before Halloween...but want up by the day after Thanksgiving.

He is in the Elder's Quorum Presidency.

I work one day a week.

I have YW every Wednesday night...and have YW in Excellence, lessons, etc.

We have two wonderful, but very busy sons.

Roy and Brenda get home in 3 days.

We have been moving all our stuff downstairs...and moving a little of Roy and Brenda's stuff upstairs to make room for us downstairs.

I have been cleaning...and attempting to winterize the yard by myself.

We are building a house and trying to decide on floor plans, colors, upgrades, etc.

So...we will be very thankful when our CRAZY November is over.

BUT...last week in Sunday school we had a lesson on genealogy and I thought it was GREAT. The teacher talked about how important it was to document our history as well as learn about our families history. 

She said "we don't expect anyone to do everything...but we expect everyone to do something." The week before we taught our YW how to do indexing...and I have been trying to do a little of that. I also keep a journal and keep this blog to record our history. 

So I thought I'd take a break today and do a little blog catch up. My contribution to our geneology.

Clark and James are from the same mold. Clark walks around the house like this...with floss hanging out of his mouth. I always tell him it's gross. In fact, it's the only thing he does that grosses me out! The other day he was doing it and James started whining and pointing to it. So, Clark gave him a piece of floss...and James did the same thing!!!! Gross!

Finished canning with the last of the tomatoes.

One morning I hadn't made breakfast yet...and came out to find the boys eating marshmallows. Awesome.

Bad pictures from my phone...but one of my best friends from high school got married in October. Jessie, Kati and I have been BEST friends since 3rd grade...and I love her to death. She married a great guy...who happens to be from Sweeden. So she moved to Sweeden and seems very happy!

Some of my favorite girls in the world. Jessica Turner, Berkely Kershiznik, and Kati Barlow.

Adventure. Education. 

Me and three girls from my ward have been doing a preschool for these boys. They love it...and all love guns. So we did a bear hung for the letter 'B.'

Writing emails to Uncle Bubba.

We got to have a sleep over with Mckenna, Ava, Jacob, Hazel and Lydia while Don and Angie were in Hawaii. Kyson loved having his 'friends' here. They made a fort and all slept in it.

The two destructors. 

The kids helped me pick apples, and then Mckenna and Ava helped me make apple pies. They actually were kind of yucky. Note to self...don't use butter flavored shortening when making pie crusts:)

More forts.