Look out Bella, Here comes Beth.

Watch it Edward-that's my Grandma. Or....I mean, watch it Grandma that's my Edward.
Beth swooning!

Four generations of Edward fans

I couldn't resist. My good friend and neighbor, Becca, bought this lifesize standee of Edward for her preshow party. We all got some fun pictures that night but sad to say, Grandma Beth was out of town and didn't get to join in on the fun. She has read all of the books and loves them. She has an "I love Edward" shirt which she wears proudly, she says she would leave her window open if she though a visitor might drop by. She is a true fan. So, I had to get her and Edward together. I called Becca and she so nicely let me bring Beth and mom over for a short visit. But I only told Beth that I was taking her to meet someone special. To get her prepared I told her to get in Twilight mode to which her reply was "Am I going to meet Stephenie Meyer?" Oops, maybe not that Twilighty. Anyway, we knocked on the door and when Becca opened it to reveal my surprise Betty went crazy. It was better than I imagined. She hugged him, leaned on his shoulder, and dipped him for some pictures. It was so worth it! Thanks so much Becca, you truly made Grandma's year.

My Thankful List

My sister-in-law inspired this one - thanks Katy. With Thanksgiving just around the corner I think we all take a good look at our lives and give thanks for all that we have. I am most thankful for:
-my wonderful husband who works so hard and has been my lifesaver, especially lately with trying to keep up with kids, preschool, house, and enrichment. He has been so great!
-my 3 kids. There are days that I want to pull my hair out but with the love my kids bring to me, I can honestly say that life couldn't get any better. They are my miracles.
-my parents. They are my examples, my friends, and the first ones besides Jason that I call when I can't wait to tell someone something exciting. They are my lifeline.
-Jason's parents. They raised such a great person. They are fabulous grandparents and I love them for supporting us in all we do.
-my brothers. My angels, my friends. Each one is one I couldn't live without. You guys are great and I love you for always taking care of your "little" sister.
-my sister-in-laws. Growing up without sisters makes me appreciate having them now.
-my house and neighborhood. I love where we live. We have a great house that I never plan on moving from and neighbors and ward members that make it "home" here.
-the church. There aren't words for this. I wouldn't be here without it and I treasure it so very much.
-my freedom. I am so grateful for the lives lost and the ones fighting for us today. We are very blessed to live here and to have the things that we use daily.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

A year of anticipation...

Julie, Shavon & I waiting...

Me & mom waiting...

Me, Julie, & Shavon with Edward

Eating dinner

Well, we made it. Twilight hit the big screen last night at midnight and I was able to go to a midnight showing of it at Provo Towne Center. I still remember last November when they cast Kristen Stewart and I started getting excited even then. Then came Rob Pattinson and the rest of the cast. I have to say that I did like the entire cast even though at first I was skeptical of a few. A neighbor just down the street secured a theater and sold tickets which made it great for those that went because we didn't have to wait in line, the seats were assigned. I went to dinner with my mom, Shavon, Julie, & Michelle to Art City Trolley, which was fabulous. Who doesn't love their salads? We had a great time and got eachother so excited for the event. Then came the ice cream party at Becca's. She is so much fun, always wanting to make these things more fun for everyone. She totally decked out her house for Twilight; from the red & white lights outside along side the motorcycle, to the overwhelming and fantastic life size standee of "Edward". Yes, our Edward was there. We all went crazy getting pictures with him. My camera was having issues so I might just have to borrow him again. She invited lots of friends who all brought an item to mix with ice cream. She also had different "hints" of Twilight around the house, for example a fork, red ribbon, an egg, costume werewolf hands, and tons of other reminders. We left her house and a few got to ride in Shavons suburban with the Twilight license plate-it just kept getting better and better. We got to the theater and found our assigned seats and awaited the big reveal. I won't give my critique of the movie. I really tried to go in with a good attitude so that I wouldn't be let down. In all honesty, I liked it-didn't love it like I thought I would. Maybe I just need to see it again to get another dose of it. It was a fun night filled with good food, good friends, and a good movie.

Braxtons Fort

We've been working on getting the kids to keep the toys and messes to the downstairs. The living room lately has been in sad shape between preschool and just everyday chaos. Braxton took this to heart and made his own fort downstairs, with the help of Jason. It's been up for two days now and he thinks it's pretty neat. Lucky for Natalie and I, he has allowed only us two girls in it. I know I should be glad that he doesn't want anything to do with girls. I just wish there was a middle ground. At least he likes me - for now anyway!!

Excuse me, you bought what?!

Everyone knows how much I love my husband, the father of my children, my best friend, our provider. He is so great, so supportive of everything I do including my obsession of Twilight. There has only been one time that I have questioned his frame of mind. It was about 3 weeks ago. His brother has a rental in Las Vegas which was abandoned by their renter at the time and left a wreck, literally. Cam needed to go down to make repairs and get it cleaned up for a new renter. Jason went with him to help with whatever he could. I was fine with him going even though he had been gone a lot before that. They left on Thursday afternoon and planned on coming home on Sunday. Friday night he called to chat & check on the kids. He told me that they had just been to RC Willey to get a couple of things for the house and he tells me "I bought something." First thought - he's at RC Willey and this can't be good. Second thought - expensive. Third thought - it's a good thing he's not close. He said "I bought a couch. It's a leather one that has a lay-z-boy on each side. It's so great. Oh, it was only $100." The money part wasn't near as shocking as I anticipated, I actually didn't hold my breath for too long before he told me how much it was. It was on clearance and has one minor flaw - one of the sides doesn't come out. I had a heart attack thinking he bought a major piece of furniture that I wasn't there to help pick out. Good thing it doesn't look too bad, although we really didn't need it or have a lot of room for it. After a little time to digest it I am alright with it, it gives me "ammo" for the future. All you wives understand exactly what I'm saying right? It does hide the remote controls and keep drinks nicely out of Nati's reach. Good thing he's cute!! Love you honey!!

Traditions

The queen of peanut butter cups

The four chocolate dipping girls
My hard work - tiny bits of chocolate!

I know its fall and getting close to Christmas when Grandma Larsen wants to get going on the chocolate making. This is one of my most favorite things. Each year, maybe not quite this early, she & I make her peanut butter cups for Thanksgiving and Christmas. She had to do it a little earlier this year so we did it this morning. I even got my mom to come, which doesn't happen very often. The boys went fishing early so it was just the girls. It's one of those things that I know won't happen forever so I need to appreciate it while it does. She makes the best home-made peanut butter cups ever! I love hanging out with her and just chatting for a while. Nati got her fill of chocolate also. We dipped, ate, laughed, ate more and then went to lunch with Grandpa. I had so much fun. Love you Grandma!!

Happy Halloween

The kids & I with my mom
My kids with Grace & Blake (niece & nephew)

Preschool kids

I hope everyone had a fun Halloween. We had a fun filled day! I taught pre-school in the morning. The kids came dressed up and we had a party that consisted of watching a Halloween movie, making a Halloween necklace, and decorated cupcakes. They looked so cute and had a fun time. I knew I needed to dress up but didn't put much thought into it so I just wore my poodle skirt with Jason's letterman jacket, ponytailed my hair with a ribbon and called it good. One little girl wanted to know what I was. Braxton told her that I was a cheerleader. Dylan thought I was a college girl. I obviously need to prepare more next year. We started making the rounds at around 4. We went to my grandmas, then Jason's parents, then had pizza with my parents. We got home at 7 and Dylan went off with his friends to trick-or-treat. Jason attempted to take Nati and Brax but only made it around the corner when Braxton freaked out and ran back home because "it is just so dark". Nevermind that there were tons of other kids out there and it is our neighborhood. I broke out the light sticks and he was good to go. They still only made it around the block and had had enough. Dylan had fun with his buddies. It was nice to have the weather good for the kids. All in all - a good Halloween.