Fall Festivities

Some of our favorite fall activities are pumpkin carving and Halloween! We went to our cousins house this year to make our jack-o-lanterns.

Natalie had the best time cleaning out the guts of the pumpkin. She tried to convince Hailey that it was really fun. I think she had her going for a little while. I had fun video taping the kids as they worked. Tyler joined in for a little while but decided that it was too yucky for him!

After the cleaning, we baked the seeds. The kids thought they were delicious. I wasn't so impressed. I wonder if they were just hungry, so anything would taste good? They did smell yummy as they baked.

The final masterpieces. TJ & Natalie designed and carved their own. I helped Elaina carve hers. They really had a great time. Kimberly helped Brandon and I helped Hailey with her cat carving. I am glad we have such fun family we can enjoy these special moments with!!

TJ thought it would be fun if we dressed up as the Scooby-Doo gang this year. We really had a great time. I am glad that Halloween was on a Friday this year because after going to our church party and visiting our Grandparents, we didn't get home until 10:30. It was WAY past our bedtime, but super fun with lots of yummy treats.

Tyler- the main canine.

Elaina- Daphne (orange hair too!)

Natalie- Velma (great resemblance I thought =)

TJ- Shaggy down to the goatee and goofy personality!

What would the gang be without a monster? I was a mummy of course! I forgot that I was a little scary-looking until I would see the nervous faces of the little guys I was giving candy too. TJ didn't appreciate his mom as a ghoul. He kept asking me to wash my face!

Ivories and Fairies

Natalie lost a front tooth last week. It was so close to coming out but of course she wouldn't let anyone attempt the extraction. Finally she got brave enough to pull it out so that she could surprise Dad when he got home. She was extremely excited as she is for most things. She took the tooth to school the next day for show and tell. That night she put her tooth in a ziploc bag and placed it under her pillow awaiting the forthcoming fairy exchange. I don't think she realized that her particular tooth fairy is miserably forgetful. In the morning Natalie found her tooth and bag on the bed next to her. She said, "Mom, the tooth fairy must not have found it because it wasn't under my pillow anymore!"




That day she pulled out her other front tooth! When your on a roll... She added the second tooth to the bag and went to bed. For some reason she woke up earlier than normal (probably to check on the status of the tooth now that I think about it) and after waking me up I asked her to go back to bed to get a little more rest. Travis asked me if the tooth fairy came. Of couse she didn't! She forgets every time!! When Natalie got up the T.F. quickly made the exchange and Natalie was thrilled to find the silver coins that replaced her two front teeth. She supposed that the fairy came when she went back to bed the second time.

I think this tooth fairy is going to apply for a change of position! She is an abysmal failure. It is just not her strength. Sad, I know. Good thing children are quick to forgive!!

Get up and go

So I started running again! I am very excited about it, too. This surprises me because I have never enjoyed running. It isn't what I would call fun. Now volleyball is fun. I could play it all day and go to bed wanting more. Running has changed me though. I like to do it even though the act of running isn't enjoyable for me. I took the summer off when the kids got out of school. In the meantime my running partner joined the gym and decided that 5:00 in the morning is too early to get up and run (I don't blame her!). So here I am wishing I could start again, missing my morning run. Bizarre, I know. Running is not only a chance to exercise for me but a chance to renew, to think, to plan and to fight my lazy self. It is the chance to do something hard that isn't very fun but is good for me. So, I found myself a new running partner and it is great. We ran this morning and when I got home I got on this handy little website called mapmyrun.com and discovered that we ran 3.54 miles! I couldn't believe it. Bring on the Turkey Trot!

Washed Clean

Saturday, August 16, 2008 was a very special day for T.J. He was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by his dad and then confirmed shortly after. There were many people there to support and congratulate T.J. for his choice to be baptized. Alissa
and her family came from Safford area to be at the special event along with many other cousins and aunts and uncles, grandmas and grandpas. Friends from the ward, a neighbor, and a school friend came as well.

T. J. with some of his cousins. Also, T.J.'s friend, Riley (on the left) came to the baptism. He is not a member of our faith, but he wanted to be there for this special day. T.J. really wanted me to call and invite Riley. I don't know why, but I was really nervous to make the call. With a little encouragement from Travis, I went ahead and called the afternoon before. Alicia, Riley's mom, said that they would be there. I think I got even more nervous after that! It turned out very nice and Alicia said that they were honored to be invited. They came over to the house to have lunch afterwards and everyone was very friendly and kind to them.

I have to say that it was practically a perfect day. T.J. is such a good boy with a good heart. He knows he's a child of God and he wants to do his best. We are so blessed to have him in our home and to have the gospel in our lives that helps us strive to be better and to be like Jesus.

A New School Year

Elaina began preschool about 2 weeks ago with Mrs. Sandy. Sandy is an amazing teacher! Elaina loves the class and is learning so much. The fact that Sandy lives on my street is an added bonus!

T.J. and Natalie started school on T.J.'s birthday (hence the bag of treats for the class). I am happy for them to be back in school because they really love it. But, I think I will miss them. They really played well with each other during the summer. They were on the city swim team and had a great time. They learned how to play Uno during the summer as well. I was very surprised at how happy we were when they weren't in school. I wasn't sure if I would make it through the summer and then I didn't want it to end.

I think the kids will really enjoy their classes this year. TJ said that his teacher is funny and she said that he is one of the few that "get" her jokes. I really like her.

Pigs and Wolves

Last night our family participated in our ward talent show. We did a Little Pigs skit. I built the houses one morning last week with foam board and spray paint. It was a lot of fun to do. Then we bought some noses for the pigs and wolves at a local costume shop. I had to buy myself a pink shirt since I didn't own any. Thursday we practiced the skit with our fun song by Laurie Berkner (one of my heroes) called "Lots of Little Pigs". It was really enjoyable watching them practice. The girls had to practice in their ballet costumes with noses, of course.

I wasn't sure if they would actually go through with it. More than one of the kids told me they were having second thoughts. I decided that the best thing to do was to ignore their apprehensions.

It worked out really well. I hope that it will be memorable for the kids. The wolves were so good, they almost took out two houses at the same time! And I've never seen more adorable piggies!

I'm uploading a short version of the skit. The original was almost five minutes! The short film is just right:

Extended Family Campout

For the last several years, the Schnepf Family (Mom's family) has had a tradition of going camping in the summer. It is a lot of work to pull everything together, but it really is worth it. Dirty, but happy kids playing all day with cousins. Rain, games, and food. Trees, clouds, forts, and flower. I love camping with my family.



This is a picture of all of the skittles I found in Elaina's pockets one night before she went to bed. I was laughing so hard! I couldn't believe so many little candies could fit in a four year old's pockets. It does make for a good midnight snack, though!



Madasin and Elaina catching raindrops in their mouths. The kids played in that Uhaul trailer for hours. They can have so much fun doing such simple things.



Travis got the cousins together to play a game of softball. They had a great time batting and running the bases.

These are the times that draw our family together. I have a wonderful family. They make me laugh, they inspire me.