Halloween is here

So anyone that knows me probably knows that Halloween is not really my favorite holiday, but a few things have happened this year that have made Halloween special/easier/more fun.

1- My mom sent this table cloth to me. It is a table cloth that she would always put on the our table at Halloween time when I was young, and I have always loved it. I also love that we have a simple decoration and I didn't have to make it. (Also we bought some pumpkins and gourds for the table. Some are real and some are fake, but they are all fun.)

2- I didn't have to do any sewing for Halloween costumes. I actually really enjoy the dress up part of Halloween, once the work is done and this year I didn't really have any work to do. So nice!

Mike and Nathan opted for Luigi and Mario. And it worked out nice because some friends did this last year and let us borrow all of the little accessories.

And here is the inspiration for this next picture.

At first Megan wanted to be an M&M. I was OK with that. It wouldn't be hard to do. But when she changed her mind to Ariel I was thrilled. We have one of those costumes, and even a cute purple hair flower with pearls in the center it. "Mermaid . . . ocean . . . pearls . . . get it?" (Direct quote from the mermaid herself.)

And my leotard fit Liz this year. Then with the cute jacket and pants she got for her birthday and some of the medals from my last meet she is certainly a gymnast. And she and Molly once again dress up as the same thing for Halloween.

And speaking of Molly, here she is with the cute little treat bag that I made. And here are the little treats that Liz has made for her doll. Liz is so creative. (The smarties in the top left are my favorite. It is a striped piece of paper rolled up and then covered in plastic as a wrapper. So cute!)

3- I took these Halloween pictures of the kids last Friday, on a day that we had no school and no sort of Halloween celebration. It is always less stressful to get the pictures when we aren't in a rush to get somewhere. (I love this picture, especially how Liz really looks like a little gymnast. And she almost looks taller than Nathan, and he has shoes on. It might be time to measure those two again!)

4- And since I didn't have to do any costume sewing I was actually excited to make these Trick-or-Treat bags. I love how they turned out and I LOVE that now I can get rid of those awful plastic pumpkins that take up my entire crawl space for the whole year.

Here's to another Halloween season. We have a couple of fun celebrations this weekend and then a fun Halloween evening planned. It will be fun!

F is for fall, fun, family, five and fantastic

We had a fantastic day yesterday! As part of my personal goals to complete Wood Badge I had to do a five mile hike with a map and compass. We loaded the entire family up and went hiking at Big Springs (just past South fork, up Provo Canyon). We enjoyed a beautiful, clear fall day. There were many gorgeous views throughout the hike. We planned about five or six hours, knowing that many of our participants have little legs. The kids did great and we finished in 3 horus and fifteen minutes. There were some very steep parts, but many pleasantly easy portions of the trail as well. Despite the challenges I think we all had a lot of fun!

Here are a couple of the views we saw on our hike. I love the snow capped peak behind the slope of many colors.

Mike loved following my map.

Liz counted the many colors of leaves that she saw.

Nathan had his compass too. He even learned a bit how to use it.

Megan had a turn with the map too. She was so proud and she did great. She really is a trooper.

And here is proof that I was on the hike. It really was a great day.

Personal Progress

I was called as the 2nd Counselor in the Young Women's presidency in our ward only nine months after starting my work with the Webelos aged scouts in our pack. I love Cub Scouting, and Scouting in general. Over the last four years I have learned more about scouts than i ever thought possible and I came to understand that I want scouts to be important in our house because of what it will help my boys become.

As a scout leader I decided to attend Wood Badge, an advanced leadership training for adults. I was so excited, and a little nervous, for this new experience. A little ironically, I started my first three days at Wood Badge the same week I was called into the Young Women's program. Wood Badge was incredible; I learned so many things that will be valuable to me not only in any scouting I do, but also as a mom and a YW leader.

One of my Wood Badge tickets is work (on my own and with the girls in my class) on Personal Progress.

I HAVE LOVED THIS EXPERIENCE!

Personal Progress has changed a lot since I was a teenager. The theme has been added to twice and a new value has joined the seven I learned at the age of 12. And now there is so much available online. You can keep track of what you have done, record thoughts in an online journal, and even mark and annotate scripture verses online. IT IS AMAZING!

As I have read scriptures, conference talks and articles I have gained insights, have have learned things I should improve on and I have felt the Spirit teach me.

Personal Progress is an inspired program. I am excited for my own daughters to become Young Women and to have the amazing experience of learning, growing and progressing.