halloween, halloween....

lots o' fun on halloween!

since halloween was on saturday this year, there was a lot of celebration going on friday, too. kendyl and ryker were leaving for california late friday night, so they did their "trick or treating" here before they left. i happened to have had carpal tunnel surgery that morning and was lying in bed when kendyl and ryker came "trick or treating" to gramma's house. ryker climbed up on the bed and said, "look!, grramma, same, same!" (he broke his arm when he fell off the slide in their basement.) he thought it was cool that we both had the same hand wrapped.

ryker was "bronco mendenhall" and kendyl was catwoman.


then halloween night, mel made chili and cornbread, and brought it over.
the kids were all so cute!
isley was pocahontas


kamryn is getting to the age where grandpa likes to embarrass her

hunter, kamryn, siona, and falute

isley

hunter, haley (with little "jack") and kamryn.

haley found this shirt, and since she is sooo pregnant (you can't really tell by looking at her straight on, but beleive me, she is) . she decided to dress up, too.
hope you all had a happy halloween!
having all of my kids around makes every day happy for me!

happy? halloween

first can i tell you that halloween is probably my most unfavorite holiday!
this is the pumpkin we carved on our first halloween (ahhh... sweet huh?!)

when my kids were little, i hated (i know, thats a pretty strong word), but i really, really, disliked trying to come up with costumes for them every year.

chet as "aunt jemimah" and mel as a witch
i do have to admit, that chet was pretty darn cute! and i did a pretty good job making mel the witch costume that she wanted soooo bad.

haley and cheyne
the clown costume was a hand-me-down, and the cowboy... well it was always a good stand by!

then we had some friends that loved halloween and had an adult party every year.
what a pain to come up with costumes for us, as well.
here are a few that we came up with (at the last minute of course!)

jacki as a "black widow" donnie as a retard!

jacki and don

don had a sign on his butt, that said "if only i had a brain!"

can you guess who's who?


well... i think we are over that stage of our lives. now we can just sit back and enjoy watching the kids come up with all of the extravagant costumes they come up with these days, and enjoy the thrill that the grandkids bring with all of their excitement!
happy halloween to y'all!

i win! i win! i win!

NOT!

i hate (i know, i used 'that' word again!) this "HINI" flu crap!
i have two kids that have had it. neither live at home. but... don can't even be around any one that has been exposed to it, or he has to report off work for at least one full week!
this past weekend with u.e.a. and the deer hunt going on, the kids have been out of school and i couldn't even help with them. haley didn't feel good, jeff was either working or hunting, and my hands were tied. cheyne (my baby ~ who is 25 and not married), and also had a run in with those dang SWINE, wanted so bad to be at home, where mom could take care of him, but my response all week had to be ~ "sorry bud, you'll have to lay on 'your' uncomfortable couch this time." (don't you feel bad for him?)
so saturday, i'm feeling like "grandmother of the week", because , i drop some groceries off at haley's house, and as i leave, i look in the rear view mirrow, at hunter and kamryn as they come running out to the curb yelling " gramma, damma, WAIT!". i stop, and cute little hunter with his big dimple and smile, says to me " damma, i have a weally, weally, good idea! why don't you take me home with you!" oh... how i wish i could have! i drove home with a big lump in my throat and just wanted to cry! when i got home, i guess i was a little testy with don. he asked me what was up?! and i told him, "it's just NOT fair!, that i have to choose!!".
to make matters even worse... sunday morning, hunter wakes up crying. when haley asked him what was wrong, he told her he went to bed at 'damma's' house and wondered WHY he was now at home.

dang pigs!

have i done any good?

I have always loved to listen to President Monson speak. He is an excellent example to us of a life of service. In his recent General Conference address on Sunday morning, he encouraged us to be aware of the needs of others. He said, "The needs of others are ever present and each of us can do something to help someone." He went on to say that, we become so caught up in the business of our own lives and too often we spend most of our time taking care of the things which do not really matter much at all in the grand scheme of things, neglecting those more important causes. He said that, "We are all surrounded by people that need us for some reason. Be it for encouragement, support, comfort, or for even just our kindness. We are the Lord's hands here upon the earth with a mandate to serve and lift his children. ALL of his children, whether they be family members, friends, acquaintances or strangers. He is dependent on each of us." He suggested we ask ourselves the question.....

"What have I done for someone today?"

makes me stop and think... What the HECK am I doing setting in front of the computer!

what goes around...

lately haley has been telling me how kamryn is driving her nuts, because she is acting like a 6 year old.

haley at age six

kamryn at age 6

so... just let me tell you a little story about haley. she was kind of a do-da at that age. a cute one, but none the less, a do-da! (sorry haley!)
first of all let me tell you how much i really, really, don't like the 'secret santa shopper thing' that they do at the elementary schools! Anyway, we - i - had decided that we were NOT going to participate in it the year haley was in first grade. BUT... she comes home from school with a sack with a pencil in it, anyway. and, this is the conversation we had:

• me: ummm... where did this come from?
• haley: from the secret santa shopper (non chalauntly, like NO big deal!).
• me: i thought we weren't going to do that this year.
• haley: well, susie (name changed) gave me some money 'cause she wanted me to go with her to buy something.
• haley: i told her that i didn't want it, but she told me she really wanted me to come with her, so she gave it to me anyway.
  
• me: oh well, i guess you'll have to take some of YOUR money, tomorrow, and pay her back.

no problem... RIGHT?!
WRONG!!!!

a little while later, i get a phone call from susie's mom. and it goes something like this:
(you've got to know, that they lived in 'hidden oaks' and were in the process of building another 'big' home. so, i don't think they were hurting for money at all)

• her: (kind of snotty) susie gave haley a quarter, today, to buy stuff at the santa shop.
• me: well, she did come home with a sack with pencil in it and we have already talked about it. she will bring susie her nickle to school tomorrow.
• her: but, she gave her a quarter, and i told her that, "that was her money to buy her sisters their christmas presents with".
• me: well she did come home with a pencil, but i don't think it cost more than a nickle, but i'll ask her.
• her: (all upset over this stupid nickle/quarter, or what ever it was) it was a quarter, and it was her only money for christmas presents and now she doesn't have enough to buy all of her sisters gifts!

so i get haley and interigate her over a stupid coin ~ was it a nickle or quarter? we get all of the coins out, and go thru them to see if she really knows the difference. she shows me the nickle.

• haley: this is what it was!
• me: are you sure? and, are you sure you didn't buy anything else besides the pencil?
• haley: i'm sure (she's in tears now)
  

so the next day, haley took a NICKLE to school to give to susie. and i still to this day can't look at her mom and not remember how upset she was over a stupid nickle or quarter or whatever it was!
i would have told haley "oh well! honey, i guess you're out of luck!".
so the moral to this story is... don't be too hard on your kids for acting their age. they all do it. and some day, you'll be able to look at their kids and tell them...

what goes around,

comes around!

isley is 1 !

happy first birthday to our sweet little isley!

i can't believe a whole year has gone by!

look at these big brown eyes


she is one tough little cookie!
(always being mauled by one of the other kids)

but she takes it, with little fuss!

everyone is trying to help her open her presents

we bought her this cute little stroller/walker
(she will be walking before the week is over)

she is starting to stand in the middle of the room and trys to walk.

the other day,when she stood up, ryker, plowed her over as he yelled, "go cougars!" in his rough, tough, football voice. she just looked at him like he was crazy and went about her business.
she is a lazy little fart when it comes to laughing. she smiles all the time, but it takes an act of a silly sister (siona) to make her laugh.
isley we love you! happy, happy birthday!