Fall!

current mood: electric

I love Autumn. There is something about the chilly mornings that inevitably puts a smile on my face. Even though Southern California doesn't experience a drastic change in seasons, the flavor and scent of the air deepens a little, and the weather itself becomes more tangible. So bring on the football, and the pumpkins, and the turkeys, because fall is here (at officially 11:44 am)!

For Shauna: (I added the first category in honor of the autumnal equinox)

Lucky Number 8

8 Things I love about fall

8. Turning off the AC
7. The crisp smell and feel of the air
6. Changing leaves
5. Football--GO COUGARS!
4. Back to School (I know, I'm a little weird)
3. Getting to wear comfy clothes inside
2. General Conference and cinnamon rolls
1. Fall Holidays: halloween, my birthday, our anniversary, and Thanksgiving


8 Things I am passionate about

8. Fall
7. Books
6. Education
5. My friends
4. My extended family
3. Haley, Nicole, Addison
2. Jeff
1. The Church


8 things I want to do before I die

8. Learn some new skills like how to play the guitar
7. Travel to lots of really cool places
6. Build that dream house
5. Publish a book
4. Be financially free
3. See my kids as righteous well-adjusted happy adults
2. Be that mom that helped them get there
1. Go on a mission with Jeff

8 things I say a lot

8. So Jeff, I was thinking... (preface to any conversation I have with him)
7. I'm tired
6. What do you want for dinner?
5. What did mommy just say?
4. Jeff, what are you doing right now? (usually when I need him to do something for me)
3. Haley, what did you do to your sister?
2. Nicole, why are you crying?
1. You two are going to send me to the loony bin. (Usually when they are fighting).

8 Books I have read as of lately

from most recent
8. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
7. Nights in Rodanthe
6. The Constant Princess
5. The Lovely Bones (disturbing but good)
4. A Thousand Splendid Suns (highly recommend)
3. The Kite Runner (highly recommend)
2. Breaking Dawn (highly recommend)
1. Raising Emotionally Healthy Children and Remembering Wholeness (I continue to peruse these)

8 movies I have watched recently

from most recent
8. Baby Mama
7. Mad Money
6. Cinderella (probably 3 times)
5. Madagascar (probably 3 times)
4. The Final Season
3. Ironman
2 and 1. Some movies on TV I don't remember the names of.

So I'm going to do a Fall Tag:

What do you love about fall?

Happy Birthday Jeff!

current mood: happy :)

Children are currently napping...ahhh. Feels good.

So Jeff turned 31 yesterday. For some reason that seems sooo old. Not really. It's just hard to imagine that we are getting closer to middle-aged everyday. That, and I still think of myself as being about 21 and when I think that I'm closer to 30 than 20, it seems surreal because my brother Jared was just that old, and I'm not nearly as cool as he was when he was 30. But I'm still only 28 so maybe...

okay enough of the musings...

I hope Jeff wasn't too disappointed because he did, after all, have to go to work. Darn that we have to be responsible as we get older.

We went to dinner and the girls were very excited to wish him a happy birthday and to sit next to him and to ride home with him (he met us on the way home from work.) They simply adore him. And they have so much fun with him. He's great at including them in his many hobbies. Whether it is surfing, cars, or sports, he is so patient to have them involved. And I love to see it. And I adore him, too. Maybe even more than they do.

So thanks, daddy, for all the sacrifices you make for us. We love you.

We didn't do anything amazing or fantastic to celebrate. Just the concert last weekend, which was really good. You know how some people sound good on their albums, but once you go to a concert, they kind of suck? Well Jack Johnson doesn't. He has a great live voice and the band was amazing, too. Wish I could play the piano like Zach Gill. We had fun listening to the music and gawking at some of the people. It was quite an eclectic group... a few mid-life crisisers (like my made up word?), some teeny-boppers and a few just like us (you can make up your own category for us, just don' tell me). The outfits were amusing. Let me just say this--apparently the vest, no shirt combo didn't die in the 80s.

I think the first song on the playlist was recorded the night we went. At least it sounds nearly the same. It was even funnier live. There's just something about an accordian that makes me laugh. And to clear up something from Jeff's post--no we're not moving. The company he now works for is headquartered in Tennessee. So IF we ever had to move, we could possibly end up there.

little miss bubble toes

Nicole is now 3, and I'm very excited about that because it means she's getting closer to getting over that 2/3 year old temperment, I hope.

As Jeff noted earlier, she is quite the girly-girl. She loves necklaces and bracelets and fingernail polish and lipstick and purses and dresses. She doesn't really like her hair done, but can't stand it in her face, so she constantly sports some type of head band. Her favorite one these days is the brown and pink flower one. She loves milk and popcorn and gum.

She enjoys having mom and Addison to herself now that Haley is in school, but always looks forward to picking up her big sister. She loves to play with her friends and cousins and frequently includes them in her pretend play.

Despite her mercurial moods, we love her to pieces. I'm not sure if it's her charm, motherly nature, or friendly personality, but she has a few of us wrapped around her little finger.

...she's got flinstone feet, so this jack johnson song makes us think of her and she loves to dance and tends to look like a jellyfish when she does. So...