halloween for the little ones

clayton was the mad hatter- from last year.  i was just glad to get more use out of it.  :)

his make-up was better in person.  really. 

quincey was mario.  a very over-priced mario. 

and linc wanted to be russell from UP.  the clothes were right- but linc just isn't round enough. 

tears

today my best friend's son goes into the mtc.  they drop him off at 12:40 p.m.  we went by last night to say our final farewell.  it was hard for me.  watching the whole scene in their living room and seeing their whole family together, packing him for the next two years... i couldn't stay long.  my emotions are all over the place these days.  lisa is so strong and she was smiling and focused.  i was ready to burst into tears at any time- so i thought it best to leave quickly.  i've sat and had long conversations with her about being ready for him to leave.  she's not.  she's doing a really good job of holding it together, but i know she's struggling pretty bad.  i don't envy her day today. 

my other best friend is sending her son off four days before christmas.  (ironically, to the exact same mission.)  we went through the temple with them on saturday.  ben is like another son to me.  he has spent a lot of time in our home.  he's been preston's best friend for the past 3 years.  i've known him since he was 13.  i warned his parents for the past couple of months that they were taking a risk asking me to be at the temple.  i knew my emotions would be totally out of control.  and they were.  i told jen that apparently my job was to make her look good. 

this next stage in life is killing me.  i am struggling with this much more than i ever expected.  i've been praying to find peace with all of this, and to welcome the changes that are coming.  not to mention, to figure out what is next for me personally.  my kids are growing up, now what do i do with me?

this was ben opening his call back in september.  resistancia, argentina.  preston broke down and lost it that night.  it was the first time it all felt extremely real to him. 



astoria trip

multnomah falls, after 14 hours in the car.

the sweet lady who took our picture dropped my camera on the concrete right before she took it.  :)  i was amazed it still worked. 

the guys at the top of the astoria column.  awesome view of the columbia, washington, and oregon from up there.

our trip to costco for essentials.  kind of scary.

i think we've been here four times in the last three years.  probably enough?

thrilling trolley ride.

tillamook cheese factory. 

cannon beach.  LOVE this place.  but it was seriously cold that day.

lewis and clark settlement.  very cool museum.

north head lighthouse.  probably my favorite spot along the west coast.  the picture doesn't even come close.  it's amazing!  wuthering heights-ish.  watching the waves crash into the rocks- amazing!

dream

will's wanted to become scuba certified ever since i've known him.  i've never really

understood the obsession- but that doesn't matter.  so finally, 28 hours worth of classes paid off

and it's official.  doesn't he look happy? 

time to relax

the month of october was intense at our home.  i don't like running around, having so much to do, day after day.  my favorite days are the ones where i have nowhere to go, nothing pressing to do, and i can just do regular chores around the house and not feel rushed or stressed about anything.  today is one of those days!!!  and i'm feeling so good about it. 

october was filled with good things- but so many of them!  will and i went to the oregon coast for a week.  when we came home it was time to get serious about our halloween parties that we throw every year.  they are a ridiculous amount of work.  we're thinking of taking next year off.  we had marte come stay with us for 10 days.  (another exchange student from norway that attends herriman high.)  and everyday preston and spencer spend at least 3 hours after school at rehearsal for the musical that is coming up this month.  preston is really feeling it the worst.  he is trying to get his college applications filled out, spend all of his time at play practice, work at his job, keep up with his current classes, and somehow have a social life.  he is struggling!  and honestly- i struggle watching him do it. 

november brings more good things.  will has to travel, a LOT.  he goes to new york, ohio, and boise several times.  the boys have their play performances.  we'll go to phoenix for thanksgiving.  it's will's birthday.  it will be a good month. 

june really likes the teletubbies and wanted to be them with the boys.  preston was so against it, but he eventually caved and gave in to her.  what a good host brother! 

marte, june and jenny.  all from norway attending herriman high.  they are good friends.

we think we had about 55 kids here that night.  it was absolute chaos.  but they had fun.

we had family photos done two weeks ago.  this isn't one of my favorites, but i thought it was fun. 

june's room

will and i spent a LOT of time working on june's room during july and august.  these pictures aren't the best, but they do show the before and after of the room.  we've since added a white bookshelf to her room, and i finally found the pillow shams that matched the bedding.  :)  i love the colors in there- i'm happy with how it turned out.  

hey june

our lives have been significantly different for the past 3 1/2 weeks.  having a 'sister' around has changed things around here- for sure!  she fits in really well with the older boys.  her and brig probably spend the most time together simply because they are home the most.  he makes her laugh.  he makes all of us laugh, actually. 

she's very nice and polite.  she laughs a lot and has already become very good at detecting all of our american sarcasm.  she is adventurous and willing to try anything.  so far it's going much better than will or i expected. 

summer has been crazy!

and it's passing by way too quickly.  i'm not ready for summer to end.  it's been so packed full of different adventures.  but i'll start at the beginning.  quince turned seven!!  seven. years. old.  i cannot believe that little guy is growing up so fast.  he is, without a doubt, one of the most wonderful people i have ever known.  i must have done something right to have been trusted to be his mom. 



what linc spends his time doing now that preschool is out.

lincoln graduates

i want to feel ready for him to be in kindergarten, but i'm just not.

all three of my boys went to Miss Denise for preschool.  clayton was her first year.  time flies!



missing oceanside

two weeks ago we were here.  enjoying no schedules and hardly any responsibilities.  playing when we wanted to play, sleeping when we wanted to sleep.  reading, eating, cooking, shopping, playing games.... it was so nice.  our beach house was amazing!!  it was such a great place!  my favorite part of the whole trip was sitting out on the deck of the home and watching the ocean roll in.  especially at night.  it was perfect.  (that and the 'Xcelerator' at Knott's Berry Farm was, without doubt, the most awesome ride i've ever been on at an amusement park.  it shoots you from 0-82 mph in 2 seconds.  it was fantastic!)

guess which two boys made chamber choir!!!

the rest of the story

since we were in boise, and that is part of will's work territory, we stayed and hung out for a few days.  the boys and i just hung around the hotel, swam, ate (way too often) and even went to the zoo.  it's called zooboise.  one word.  strange.

it was beautiful weather, and for a small-town zoo, pretty dang entertaining.  we had a good time. 

 we got home saturday around noon- ran some errands, unpacked, did laundry, and packed again for the trip to oceanside.  (this time without the kids.)

btw- linc has been begging for a 'buzz' for awhile now.  while i was at women's conference, will caved.  we told him it was a one-time-only deal.  it's taken me longer than i thought to get used to it, but it's finally looking normal to me now. 

wicked

this last week we took the three little boys to boise idaho, so clayton and i could go see wicked.  he's wanted to see it since we took the older boys two years ago.  this was as close as it was getting to salt lake, so for part of his birthday, he and i got tickets.  will dropped us off outside the theatre and he, linc, and quince went and saw the movie 'hop'.  i think i got the better end of the deal- for sure.  it was just as good or better than last time.  clayton, believe it or not, was so excited he could hardly stand it.  i think he has almost every word memorized from the wicked cd. 

with his wicked flying monkey.