The Little Cupboard: Before

This little cupboard has been handed down through our family through three/four generations. My Great Grandfather (Grandaddy) made it. It has been around forever!!

Jim helped me fill some holes. 

There is a lot of wear on this piece. A lot of love too.

Layers and layers of lead based paint.

It's going to take a lot of work.......

But I think it will be completely worth it!!

Stay tuned.......

Halloween

Let's start with a couple pics not from Halloween. This boy is growing so fast!! It is killing me to be so far away from him.

He is sassy and sweet. And completely perfect!!

He was Thomas the Train for Halloween (or as he calls him, Favass). He could watch Thomas all day and play with his trains at the same time.

Jim dressed up to hand out candy this year. He was so excited to sit in the driveway with our little propane fire and see all the kids.

He dressed a little scarier for the older kids. It was funny to watch him try to scare them.

Later we snuggled on the couch and sent funny snapchats to our friends and family. We are so funny. LOL

Garth Brooks 2.0

About 22 years ago my mom and sisters and I went to a Garth Brooks concert in Pocatello, ID. It was in the old days before the internet. Mom and Dad and Travis switched off staying with Michelle and Kim while they slept out in the parking lot in line for tickets. I was 7 months pregnant with Jo so they gave me a pass. Our tickets were terrible. BUT WE WERE THERE. It was a really fun show and we loved spending time together.

Our tickets still weren't the best....but again....we LOVED it. 

Mom wasn't where we could see her this time...but we were together. And we had a great time!!

We had dinner The Cheesecake Factory.

Then walked over to the concert arena. Garth was as good as ever. The guy in the pink shirt and black hat is him.

He sang and entertained and we danced and sang right along with him.

He was energetic and played all our favorite songs.

This shot was before the show started. It was a FULL house!!

We laughed. We cried.

And we talked about how lucky we are to have each other. The biggest blessing of moving to Utah has been being able to see these girls all the time. I have missed them and their kids.

I think if he tours again we'll try to grab a show...and maybe better seats this time. After all, the third time's a charm!!

All About the Dogs

This post has a TON of photos of my dogs. Mostly Darla. So feel free to skip this if you aren't a dog lover. Sometimes Darla just needs a snuggle.

Sometimes she's pretty sure she needs fed.

And apparently dad thinks three blankets on the couch equals an explosion. Guess he forgot what Jo's room looks like!!

There are times they get along and share.

Darla loves her belly rubbed!!

Darla is a super freak. She's super freaky.

She likes to sit on my chest and gaze adoringly at me. I mean, who wouldn't.....

I know she wants me to do something....I'm just not sure what....

I always know what Nellie wants. One of two things...go for a walk or food. She's easy!!

Darla is a little more complicated. Food, play AND sleep are on her list as well as snuggle, praise and more food.

If you ask Nellie, "Who's here?" she will look toward the door until she's sure no one is coming to see her.

If you are still reading this you are a true dog lover (and you have too much time on your hands) ((just kidding)). Thanks for being my friend.

The Cook Off Prizes

I wish I had taken some before pictures (I can tell it's been a while since I did a project like this!!). I was asked to come up with prizes for the chili cook off our ward is having at our Fall Festival this week. I went to Deseret Industries and hit the jackpot! Three plaques that I spray painted black. I used my dusty vinyl cutter and cut some plaque filler....

Then I glued spoons on to represent the places (the bigger the spoon, the better the place). 

They turned out better than I imagined (which doesn't happen very often AT ALL). 

And the rusty ladle goes to.......... 

New Family Photos

Fair warning, there are a lot of pictures in this post. Here are a few of the pictures we had taken while the kids were here. I love the way they turned out!!

Ashlee Parkinson took them for us. She has been friends with the kids since Kevin was in kindergarten. She caught a few great pictures!

I really like this one. The light is stunning.Oh...and the people look nice!

All this boy wanted to do was feed the "cack cacks". Goodness, he was determined!!

I love these two. Together they are the perfect pair!!

These two best friends are stinking cute!!!

My kids are my heart. Everyone knows that. What most people don't know is that they are my friends too. I am so proud of them and the people they are.

And then there is this guy. He is my knight in shining armor. He is my perfect match. I am one lucky girl!!

Can you believe the cuteness of this sad little face! He just wanted to feed the ducks. No pictures for him!! 

This is my favorite shot. Can you believe that sad face turned into this cheeseball??!??! He is hilarious!!

And one more of this cute couple. I got very lucky when Kevin chose Abby. She is so perfect for our family. We love her to the moon and back!!

Thanks Ashlee!! We love these photos!!

Lagoon

We went to Lagoon on the kid's last day here. Michael was so tired. So while he slept in his stroller for two solid hours Jim and I sat in the shade and did some serious people watching. We sent the kids off to ride rides. Then Michael woke up and we coaxed him on the train. This was the face. He was so timid. We thought for sure he'd love it. 

After the train we broke out the crackers and peanut butter. This kid is so easy to take places. He is fun and not fussy.

He is growing so fast. I love how animated he is when he is excited. I love the way he is snuggly and sweet. I miss him every single day.

We did manage to get one (almost) smile out of him on the train. He is the most amazing gift our family has ever received. We all love him so much!!

Saying good bye was so hard. It ripped out my heart out all over again. I know there is a reason that we are apart...but hopefully some day soon we will be together again.