family pictures

We took our family pictures today. It took a highly skilled and grossly underpaid staff to get us to this point. My friend Danielle did most of the girl's (and my) hair the morning of. My friend Amanda took the pictures...both out of the goodness of their hearts! It was an uphill battle for these pictures though. Dramaqueen was up all night throwing up. Amanda and I have been watching the weather closely, and today was supposed to be the last day of good weather for a while. It is even supposed to snow this week, which makes autumn leaves look not so pretty. Therefore, today was the day, no ifs ands or buts! We waited until 5 minutes before leaving, then got Dramaqueen up and dressed. We started driving up to the canyon, and it started to sprinkle. Major change of plans...we went to Sugar Factory Playhouse instead, which has an industrial look that I LOVE. SO, no traditional autumn leaves and trees pictures. I'm not so sad about that! I love the backgrounds in our pictures. Halfway through the shoot, Crazygirl started getting dizzy and tired and thought she was going to be sick. She sucked it up and we got through it. The things we do for Christmas cards! Here are a few of the pictures...I haven't REALLY sat down and figured out which ones I like best, since there are over 100, but thought I would get a few on the blog so you could see them!
Thank you Thank you Thank you Danielle and Amanda...you guys are awesome!

Blech!

We are knee deep in "24 hour stomach bug" Daddy actually got it first (which is a first I think!) Then Dancingqueen and Bug got it.
Dramaqueen gave Bug a whistle, and has been running upstairs all day at the beck and call of her little sister. She makes a great nurse! Crazygirl is moping around saying things like "why do I have to be punished just because THEY are sick?!" (Since I told her she can't play with anyone until I know she won't help spread it.) I told her just because she wasn't sick, didn't mean that she was not germy. She said" well that is why I want to go play...to get AWAY from the germs". Hmmm, can't argue with that logic!

Dancingqueen sings!

Dancingqueen tried out for a solo in the fall choir concert and got one! She was so excited! It was a Disney themed concert, and she got to sing "you've got a friend in me". Her mic kept cutting out, so we only heard every 5th word or so, but she looked good!!! They unfortunately had issues with that mic all night. She gets to perform it again for an assembly in two weeks, so she is excited to do it again. We would have pictures to show you, but a certain daddy who was sitting at the edge of the row didn't want to be "that parent" who runs up to the front of the auditorium when their child sings and takes pictures. He said he could get great shots from where we were sitting. Oh wait! I DO have some pictures taken by him that night!







Quality....it's all about quality! Guess who is going to the assembly in a few weeks to take pictures of their daughter singing? Yep, me! (love you honey! REALLY!)

GNO

We started off the day with seeing "High School Musical 3" Awesome Movie! Amanda and I both loved it as much as the girls! Then we took the older ones to a Twilight Party. They got to do different activities, eat and play tons of games with other girls who are obsessed with vampires

Meanwhile, the moms had "Witches NIght out" A super fun tradition at Gardner Village. All night of shopping (I found my next dining room table!) music, costumes , food, cackling, and tons of FUN!

Scarecrow Festival

Dancingqueen and Crazygirl performed their HipHop routines at Scarecrow Festival this last weekend. They both did really well. I have to admit I dislike going to the Scarecrow Festival, even though it is for a good cause. Families go in and let their kids loose. There are little ones running around everywhere, then my girls get upset when I don't let them go anywhere without an adult or older sister with them. Poor Grandma stood in line for an hour to take the younger girls and cousins on the train. What a good sport!

Doin' the 'do

Crazygirl has begged for 3 years now to get highlights in her hair. I would never let her because frankly I thought she was too young. She's now a big bad 6th grader, so I decided to give in. She now has two awesome activity day leaders, and one of them is a hairstylist. I figured that since she worships the ground they walk on, I could trust her hair to one of them! Danielle did an AWESOME job! Crazygirl had a blast going to her salon, and her best bud went with her to hang out. Thanks Danielle! That was way fun!

Pee your pants scary

Monday night we went with two of our favorite families to the "This is the Place" haunted village. Holy freaking cow. First of all, we were "advised" not to bring anyone under the age of twelve. THERE IS A REASON FOR THAT. Luckily we followed that advice and left two of the girls with AMber. (Thanks Amber!!!) When we got there, the man at the entrance asked if any of us had to go to the bathroom. Odd. Usually strangers don't inquire about personal business. He said every night they had at least one person pee their pants. That was all it took. We bolted for the bathroom, then got into line. Crazygirl and her bud were freaked just in the hour wait in the barn. They showed scary movie type images on a big projector screen inside while we waited.
All I can say about the experience is that if you are ever in Salt Lake during October you have to make this one of your things to do. We had grown men, who will remain nameless, running and screaming like little girls. Out of the three couples, we have found out that we are ALL a bunch of wussies, and proud of it! The scariest part of it is that it is realistic! It's not hack 'em up chainsaw guy with a Santa Suit. It is pioneerish scary ghosts following you as you have to go through their actual houses that they lived in. You can't turn back, because they are right on your heels the entire way. Hence the running and screaming like little girls. SPOOKY!!!!

Bug's got her groove on

Bug won a contest at school (Remember "Christmas Story"? "It's a major award!") They had a Bully Blocker week, where they talked about how not to be a bully at school or home. If they were caught doing something nice they got a ticket to go into a drawing. On Monday, they drew the winners and Bug won an iPOD Shuffle. Seriously. We have the coolest 1st grader in town. Seriously. Crazygirl won a $10 gift card to Target. Our ESL lady was walking down the hall the same time they were coming back from the office after getting their prizes. She overheard Crazygirl trying to trade Bug, saying she could go shopping and buy whatever she wanted in exchange for the iPOD. Bug said no way. See, she is a smart 1st grader too. Either that, or she has learned that anytime Crazygirl wants to trade her, whatever it is she has must be like gold.

Wahoo Baby Bro!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW3lJTX_y7Q

Check out the above clip...My (not so much any more since he has a wife and 3 kids) baby brother just got his letter of acceptance into the CHP academy. CHP= California Highway Patrol for those of you who didn't grow up in sunny Ca or watch CHiPs growing up. It has been over a year of testing and physicals and interviews. That was the easy part. Now it's 27 weeks of living there at a boot camp style place. We have had friends go through it and it is BRUTAL! He is going to do so awesome though and we are so excited for him!!! YEA ROB!!!!!!!

City of Brotherly Love

I am soooooo excited! During Saturday Morning Conference, President Monson Announced 5 new temples. One of them is going to be in Philadelphia, which is where Dan and I served our missions! I yelled, then the tears started, and I could not get them to stop. My girls weren't quite sure what to make of mom crying over something so happy. Everytime I think about it I still get teary eyed. I just can't stop thinking about the wonderful people I loved back there. They were so happy just to get a branch building..seriously, we were meeting in school classrooms for church in some areas. ( here's a woot woot shout out to Milford, DE!!!!)

I loved my mission for so many reasons! The people there are amazing. It was so beautiful. It was the first time in my life I wasn't thinking about myself. I made some of the greatest friends I will ever have. Even if I never see them again in this lifetime, they will always be so dear to my heart. For a full year, I kept running into, or hearing about this amazing missionary who loved the people with a depth I have seen few be capable of, then ended up coming home and MARRYING him! (Seriously, I would go into homes, and people would say "oh, there was this missionary once who....(fill in the blank) we LOVED him, do you know who or where he is?" It would ALWAYS be Elder Foster they were talking about. Kind of got annoying after awhile...haha J/K
Most importantly, I gained such an amazing testimony while serving my mission, it changed the course of my entire life.
AND....Cheryl and I got to be MORLEY'S ANGELS. That just doesn't happen anywhere other than Philly, people!

So, Dan and I decided that we are taking the girls back for the open house and hopefully the dedication. We have always wanted to take them back, and the timing was never right. We are so excited! We are going to try and find anyone else we served with who wants to meet us there with their own totally righteous posterity. We can have a fun vacation reunion!