Thanksgiving Day!

So here we are, another Thanksgiving in Spokane. We had a wonderful day shared with our neighbors and good friends,The Clark's. The food was good and the company was even better. I can not believe how fast time moves, it feels like this year is going too fast. Every day seems bitter sweet in Spokane now, I am so excited to see my family in Utah, but I don't know how I'll manage to say goodbye to many of the people I have met here.
Our table was pretty fancy thanks to Crystal.

Here's half the kiddos!
Here's the other half.

Halloween

Here's Halloween. Hayden was Harry Potter (we borrowed from a neighbor). Gavin was a zombie ($4 from Goodwill) and Owen was a pirate ($3 from Goodwill). Pretty good, huh? I was a fortune teller although everyone thought I was a gypsy or belly dancer (yeah right!) I wore fake eyelashes which irritated my eyes so they were bloodshot and watery, but it was okay.


say "Trunk-or-treat"


I consider Halloween: National "Bring your younger sibling to school with you" day

Owen with his best bud Dylan

Spending a day with Hayden

Well although this blog comes late (what's new?) I wanted to write about the wonderful day that Nathan & I got to spend with Hayden in late October. As Hayden's 9th (choke) birthday approached this year I wondered what I could do for him, what I could buy for him or what he would really remember and appreciate the most. I finally came to the conclusion that what he needed most was some one-on-one time with us. As the oldest Hayden hardly ever gets the attention he needs and I definitely feel that we are the hardest on him. So here is what we did:
1) We had a shirt that said "Hayden: yeah it's my birthday!"
2) We planned a trip to Hayden, Idaho
3) On Thrusday, October 28th we wrapped the shirt up and sent it into his classroom at about 9:30 AM with a note that read:
"You came to school but you're not here to stay, so grab your stuff and get on your way" His class mates were super excited, Hayden was really surprised and very grateful! He got a lot of attention walking down the hall and in the office as we checked him out of school.
4) We wrote on the car with window markers, things like: "Going to Hayden" & "It's Hayden's Birthday" (pretty creative). On the way to Hayden (40 minutes) we played the "if" game, you can print out questions from the internet: "If you were any animal what would you be?" etc.
5) We went on a scavenger hunt for Hayden's name. Once he found his name 9 times we went and purchased him a special present: Haydenopoly (that town has a lot of spirit).
6) Then we went to eat lunch at Mackenzie River Pizza. It was DE-licious!
7) On the way back to Spokane we stopped at Polka-Dot pottery where we painted pottery. We are not very good pottery painters, but when our masterpiece came back a week later baked and glazed it looked better than we thought it would.
8) We arrived back home at about 4PM & just relaxed the rest of the day.
The fun didn't stop there this day was the kick off of a 4 day celebration for Hayden. On Friday we went to a Halloween party and they had bought Hayden a monster cup cake and sang to him. On Saturday the whole ward sang to him before the trunk-or-treat. On Sunday (his real birthday) we celebrated before church with presents and after church with a spooky dinner and cake & ice cream.
Why such a big deal? Well we know how hard it is to be our kid and we just wanted to let Hayden know how grateful we are that he put up with us for yet another year.One of the questions that was asked on the way to Hayden was "What is the best day of your life so far?" to which Hayden replied, "I think today is." My answer was "the day Hayden was born" that was the day I became a mom and I love being a Mom. I get to do so many fun things that I wouldn't so otherwise and I learn so much from my children, especially Hayden. Happy Birthday Hayden! I will always remember this special day we spent with you.

And my favorite Picture

I think one of the most important things that I have learned about while I have been in Spokane is the importance of family. I have missed my family dearly while here. I hate missing their birthdays and not being able to see them on a frequent basis. When I come home I am going to try to be a better sister, aunt, daughter, and grand-daughter. Family comes first! My kids already know this...

It's great to have visitors

In August Nate's mom and his two brothers came to visit. We had a lot of fun (of course) it was good to see family and to enjoy more of Spokane. I think my favorite thing was taking them to Manito Park where we had a baseball game and Nate's Mom rode a bike; Nate's Mom is a good ball player and very capable on a bike. Owen enjoyed the company of his cousin Sammy and we all loved seeing Boston and Porter.

We went and swam in Lake Couer d' Alene where I learned how much my sister-in-law, Schantel loves me. We all jumped off the pier and on the way swimming back I almost didn't make it, but she came to my aid and I can thank her for being here today. So all in all it was a great visit: sight seeing, games, yummy food, good company, lots of fun!

Summer Blog in September

So here are some pictures from summer:(The next 4 Posts)
1. Aunt Stephanie came to visit, and just look at the welcome party!
2. Sshhhh! Indi's sleeping (p.s. watch Owen's hair grow)
3. Motor View Drive-In
4. All the boy cousins

baseball and hoopfest

1. We went to Hoopfest. IT made Owen sleepy.
2. That's because it's the biggest 3 on 3 basketball tournament in the world!
3. Riley (who's been Hayden's friend since he was a baby) moved to Canada.
4. Hayden and Gavin played baseball.