RED RIBBON WEEK

wear your favorite sports team day-"Being a Team Player."
wear a hat day-"Put a Lid on Drugs."
wear slippers day-"Slip into life and out of drugs."

wear red-"Red Ribbon Week."

RED RIBBON WEEK

This week was red ribbon week at the elementary school. The kids were asked to dress up each day in a different theme. Carson doesn't get into it too much, but I do at least have him put some basics on. He's a good sport but wants to always make sure he doesn't look feminine, if you know what I mean. Good job Carson, and remember your teachers AND your Mom say, "Say No to Drugs!"

HOMEWARD BOUND

So I'm getting ready to go home to Utah today. I have quite a bit of things on my "to do" list to get done. Dave can never understand why it takes me so long to get ready to go out of town. I'm sure you other mothers reading this can understand. Husband's just don't really understand all of the behind the scenes stuff that goes on. For example, today I need to:

Get the laundry done
Finish packing
Get my kids rooms in order, yes just so they can destroy them again.
Hide all markers, crayons, scissors, etc.
Hide all knives, apple cutters, cheese graters, etc.
Hide all cleaning supplies
Hide mommies make-up
(those of you who know my girl's, know it's a must to hide EVERYTHING!)
Cover my nice furniture with blankets
Switch out car seats
Grocery shop
Get kids clothes ready for weekend-football games, Primary program, playgroup
Get someone to do Cara and Ryleigh's hair for Primary program
Straighten my hair, sounds silly but it takes me forever

and the list goes on.......................................

This is definitely all worth it though. I get to see my family, Dave's parents, my brother Reiley's homecoming, and have a little R&R time without the kids. Thank you Dave for being such a wonderful husband and giving me the opportunity to be on my own for the weekend. I must go before my motivation runs out and my "to do" list get longer.

PLAYGROUP AND SUGAR COOKIES

Today was playgroup at our house. The girls have their playgroup every Monday. We switch off with three other moms. It's a great time for me to get out and get errands done while at the same time the girl's get some play time in. Today we decided we would make sugar cookies. I love making sugar cookies around Halloween. It always brings back some fun child hood memories. We made pumpkins and ghosts. I did the baking and let the girls frost and pour sprinkles. I was sweeping for hours and still am finding the sprinkles on the floor today, but it was worth it. The girls had a good time and I hope their little friends did too.

UNCLE RYAN COMES FOR A VISIT

Dave's brother Ryan came out for a visit over the weekend. The reason for his coming was to get out to one of Carson's football games, but Mother Nature had other things in mind. We were pretty bummed that he made the 11 hour drive from Houston and all games were cancelled due to the rain. I hope we still showed him a good time though. He is so good with my kids. He played ball with Carson, let the girl's crawl all over him, and treated them all to a gift the last day. We ate tons while he was in town too. How do you have company in Memphis without treating them to BBQ. Ryan is a good guy. He teaches ninth grade Geography to inner-city students in Houston. He has a very interesting job with exciting stories to share. Ryan, we hope you had a good break from school and we'll see you at Thanksgiving.

LOOK WHAT I CAN DO MOM!

Crazy, my daughter can stand on her toes. As many of you know, Cara loves to dance. I knew she was somewhat talented but when she started doing this little trick I was shocked. The first time she stood on her toes Dave and I were like "Oh my gosh, how does she do that?" We got cold chills down our spines and were pretty grossed out. It's funny though, she does this all the time now. So if anyone asks if she has a special human trick, she can now get up on her toes and impress her audience. Maybe I should give Letterman a call................!!!!

GRANDMA ELENE AND ALY COME FOR A VISIT

We were lucky enough to have Grandma Elene and Alyson come visit us this last week. They arrived last Wednesday night and just departed this morning at 7am. It was good to have some Utah blood in our home for a while. Alyson and I kept Grandma busy. We ate, watched, movies, did the tourist thing, and shopped til' she dropped! I was telling Dave that I'm pretty lucky to be able to have my 76 year old grandmother get on a plane and come visit me miles away. I did realize this week that my grandma is getting older and that her mind and body are starting to slow down. I'm grateful for our friendship and hope that she remains to be blessed with health and happiness.

Not only was it good to have my grandma here, but I love having my sisters in town. Those of you who have sisters just get that! There's nothing like the bond between sisters. When grandma was getting a little "high maintenance" Alyson and I could just give each other the look and we knew what the other was thinking. Alyson is due with her second child in April and looks really good. Alyson- just ignore the big butt comment from Grandma. I think your butt looks good!!!!HEEHEE......Thanks for the visit Alyson, we'll see you soon.

Grandma Elene and Cara-We shopped at The Avenues and enjoyed a burrito at Blue Coast.

We went to see the ducks march at the Peabody. I had to post this picture of the flower arrangement. I'm always so impressed with this arrangement every time I visit. The concierge told me that this is changed out weekly with fresh flowers and it averages $5000 a week. Hmmmm......maybe I need to be a floral designer!

Cara and Ryleigh checking out the ducks after they marched their way down the red carpet in to the pond.

Grandma isms-

Oh Gad!

If I had to visit Memphis or Billings, I would choose Billings any day. What a crappy city!

(Natalie you're next)

When we lived in Indiana.............................

Hey Alyson, how bout' getting me a glass of water.

Just tell the neighbor kids to take a hike!

OH....my hair just looks awful!

We couldn't have had better weather.

Over at Cottonwood.........

Come on girls, no crying.

Oh, now that's tacky.

What are you eating?

Your Grandpa..........

These are not meant to be rude, I had to list them for myself and for my family. I knew they would get all of them. Sound familiar family?

TOM'S FARM

Cara thought she would try to fit in with the teenage girls and show her booty!
Cara loved the pumpkin patch. I think we ended up leaving with 8 pumpkins she picked.

Ryleigh's favorite activity was throwing the corn kernels out of the play box, whoops!

Carson had fun playing, yep you guessed it....football.




These pics were taken last week when we were invited from some of our friends in the ward, the Cameron's, to participate in their family fun FHE night. We drove out to Tom's Farm where they have pumpkins galore, a hayride, a corn maze, farm animals, and lots of other fun stuff to do. The only problem was once we arrived the rain arrived with us. Unfortunately we weren't able to participate in any of these activities but we still had a ton of fun eating and getting to know some of our ward family a little better. The kids had a blast playing in the mud and water while Mommy put up with her AWFUL allergies. My allergies are bad as it is, but to be around animals and corn mazes just really did me in. It was time for Benadryl for Mommy and soaking in the bath tub for the kids. Thanks Cameron's for inviting us. Despite the weather we had a really good time!

GRANDPA JIM

THANK YOU FOR YOUR POSTS GRANDPA JIM, WE MISS YOU TOO!

RAIDERS VS. TITANS

This was definitely Carson's hardest game yet. The score was 6-0 Titans. Carson tried his hardest but the night just wasn't his. His team just got pounded on. By the end of the game we had four of our little guys in tears. Mind you, this is FLAG football! There was some rough playing going on, so much so that our Coach even got upset and he never gets upset. Carson was the target of the night. He was tripped, pushed, and smacked and no call was ever made on the other team. However, the game became an example of good sportsmanship and following the rules. Regardless of the game, Carson was lucky to have his Great Grandma Elene there and Aunt Alyson. He also got to play his buddy Jared from church. All in all it was a rough night for Carson, but winning and loosing is what life's all about.

MY CONSTANT SHADOW

As I was cleaning my house yesterday getting ready for a visit from Alyson and my Grandma Elene, I was constantly being followed by my little shadow. She was absolutely driving me Bonkers! Yes, my little shadow has a name.....Ryleigh. Ryleigh is my child who is constantly at my side and I feel sometimes does not give me a chance to breath. If I'm sitting she's on my lap, if I'm laying down she's by my side. She likes to vacuum, clean bathrooms, run errands, and on and on and on.......just so she's right by me. I've been struggling with this lately, but as I got in my bed last night and my mind started to wonder I realized how lucky I was to have Ryleigh. I know one day when I'm feeling the "empty nest" syndrome I will wonder where my little shadow has gone. I hope today I can take time to appreciate her and learn to love her little feet that walk all over mine.

TARGET'S HALLOWEEN T'S

I'm a big sucker for Holiday decor and clothes. Target is the worst though. I'm sure just like myself, every Mom reading this has walked past the cute displays at Target and given in just like I do every Holiday. Target is great at displaying their stuff and make it affordable too. Target is the best! I shop there, eat there, buy groceries, and spend many nights just wandering the aisles. Target gets an A+ in my book!.....by the way-I'm still trying to get used to the fact that my kids have on shorts and short sleeves in October. Crazy!

CONFERENCE WEEKEND

Conference weekend is always a hard one for me. Before I moved out to Tennessee my Mom told me that her most homesick times were during conference. I felt myself feeling the same way just months after we moved here and Spring General Conference was in session. I didn't realize how much I did miss the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Conference Center, Temple Square, and on and on..........So of course this last Conference had me feeling the same way, but this time it was feeling homesick for my family. As I was sitting in the chapel with my very irreverent children on Sunday morning, the choir began to sing a Child's Prayer. I couldn't help but shed a tear or two. Not only was this my favorite Primary song but I knew that my sisters and Mom felt the same way. I've had a stressful couple of weeks and get the chance to go home at the end of the month. I'm so excited to see my family, see the return of my brother Reiley, and maybe if I'm lucky get down to Temple Square.

RAIDERS VS. PACKERS

Carson with his friend and classmate, Drew Pace.


Once again we had a nail biter. The game did not start well. This was a team we were supposed to walk all over and it didn't start out that way. Carson was having a hard time putting his game face on. He was playing against his little buddy from school and had invited another friend to come watch. He was a little more caught up into what his friends thought than keeping his head in the game. He turned his game on after the half and scored two touchdowns for the team. The score was 12-0 Raiders. Our lesson was...do not invite friends. We didn't realize Carson was so worried about what his friends thought, but then again what little kid isn't. Once again, great game Carson!

FAST FOOD JUNKY

If there was stock in Chic-fil-A, I would be one rich woman. I had to post this, because as I looked back at my bank statement this month I realized that I have become a fast food junkie. I hate to admit this. I never ate this much fast food before I moved to Tennessee. I don't know whether to blame it on boredom, bad selection of restaurants, or the fact that I have become another American statistic when it comes to fatty foods. Dave is doing so good at eating healthy and I need to learn from his example before it's too late. So......happy, healthy eating to me!

MAKING TIME FOR EACHOTHER

When I was at Mutual this past Wednesday, I noticed a packet of talks given by the Sisters in our Stake for Stake Women's conference. I went through them all but really tried to make this step to strengthening my family a priority. It read:

Making time for each other:

Do things together
Have meals together
Go one on one
Get involved with your children's activities
Turn off the TV
Help your children develop talents
Make chores fun

It's my goal this week to prioritize and make time for eachother.

GOOD OLD MEMPHIS!

So the ratings are in, Memphis was just awarded highest crime city in the U.S. and second "fattest" state. So please.....come visit. We'll for sure take you on a tour of downtown Memphis and load you up with some BBQ while we're at it. HEEHEEHEE!

Let's just say- I'm very blessed to live in Collierville.....a suburb of Memphis.