Baby it's COLD outside!

It is officially winter. One of the funniest things is watching these little Arizona boys get used to the cold. They love their puffy jackets, so we took a little Winter photo shoot.

Joyful day at Joy School...

I have a love/ hate relationship with Joy School. It is a true fact. I LOVE Joy School because it teaches wonderful values. I love that I can drop Thatcher off for 2 1/2 hours 2 times a week and a home where I can trust that he is safe and welcome, and he is learning. He has loves it, and has already grown so much. I HATE Joy School because every 5 weeks I am STRESSED to the MAX about having 6 kids in our small little apartment for 2 1/2 hours 2 times a week. I am STRESSED that I won't teach them well enough, or someone will get hurt, or all the other stresses of having six kids under 3 in a 600 sq. foot space! Last week at institute I taught a lesson based on President Monson's talk "Finding Joy in the Journey". I have decided to not stress so much about Joy School and really try to find Joy in it, kinda ironic, but true! So Thursday we all, including me, had a very Joyful Joy School day! This is what happened when our game of "duck duck goose" turned into a free fall.

A Little Update...

Life is busy in our neck of the woods. The trees have lost their leaves in anticipation of the snow, and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. We have all had colds, spent some time in RI with Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Dave for a long Veterans Day weekend, and trying to adjust to only having a few hours of daylight a day! I am busy planning Christmas festivities and gifts and crafting presents. I love this time of year! Although, is it just me or was Christmas just a few months ago? This year has FLOWN by. Todd is hanging in there at this busy time of the semester. He is pulling all nighters far too often and counting the weeks until Christmas break. He is also applying to internships, which is exciting, so stay tuned for an announcement on where we will be for 6 months! Thatcher and Tagg are getting used to spending most of their time inside, and learning how to share. Thatcher said the funniest thing. Todd taught him to say #1 and #2 in reference to bathroom matters, instead of the "other words". It got a little embarrassing when in the middle of church or a trip to the store Thatcher would scream, "I've got to go POO!". So, he now referes to his bodily functions as #1 or #2. Todd and I were talking the other day and we heard Thatcher yell from the bathroom, "What is #3? Is it take a bath?" I guess he figured that we are numbering all things related to the bathroom. Tagg is talking up a storm and comes up with the funniest phrases. We have realized that Tagg is no longer a baby, but a little boy. A hard pill for me to swallow. In short, life is good.

I stole this quote from my friend Jill's blog...

If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly . . .

Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us.

--Thomas S. Monson

I also love this one...

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,

Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

- Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

I want to vinyl letter part of that poem and hang it somewhere someday. I think about those lines almost every day. I sometimes beat myself up for stressing too much about this, or losing my patience about that. I am trying to have more joy in the journey. I often think about the day when Thatcher and Taggart will leave on their missions, and I hug them now a little more tightly.

On a less serious note...

For my mission friends...who knew that Uncle Gunnell was on Kath and Kim?? I didn't, until last night...

Love this show. It is hillarious. New favorite show of the Fall along with 17 Kids and Counting (Who has seen this? I still can't get over it every time I watch, the woman is a SAINT), John and Kate plus 8 (this isn't a new show, but I just discovered it and LOVE it), Chuck (very funny), and Biggest Loser (again, not a new show but the first season I have gotten into it, very inspiring).

Halloween in Boston

Happy Halloween! We had a great Halloween this year. Thatcher and Taggart are pretty much OBSESSED with anything spooky and scary. I don't know why, or what to say about this. We would stop at the Halloween displays in the stores, and I would be hearing the other kids whimpering or crying, "TOO SCARY", but my boys were chanting for more! I don't know how many times I pushed that button to the skeleton at Target that talked in a very chilling voice. Both boys were enthrawled.
So here is the recap of all our Halloween festivies 2008...

Last Saturday the Halloween fun was kicked off with HalloMIT, a carnival type party on campus.

Introducing the famous Sheriff Woody, and his bestest pal Buzz Lightyear!

Cutest Woody in the West, or East...

Cotton Candy for the first time...Tagg was a fan.

The Westgate kiddos, minus a few.

All of us with Tim the Beaver, the MIT mascot.

Cutest Bootiest Space Ranger

Showing off his Balloon that lastest all of five mintues...

Wating in line for the Balloon lady...aren't those glases to die for?

Playing some carnival games

Thatcher and Daddy carving Mr. Jack-O-Lantern

YUM!

Yikes. Thatcher with a knife.

Halloween night, getting ready for another party...
Tagg loving life knowing he will soon have a loot.

I love this picture with all the leaves on the ground.

Making a craft at the Westgate Halloween party.

Taggy chillin' with his homies.

My friend Christine with her cute cake...loved it.

Thatcher and his friend Daniel killing some time before the trick or treating frenzy begins...

Halloween parade. The MIT marching band came and all the kids paraded around the playground. It was really cute. These two little stinks held hands the whole time. Melts your heart .

The after math...two little boys content as can be as Mom lets them have at their massive loot followed by sugar highs...got to love Halloween!

A Little Election Paraphernalia...

I am so frustrated with this up coming election. Never before have I felt so scared/nervous about my kids future then I do right now.

This is why we will not be sending ANY of our children to Massachusetts Public Schools...

Feeling Very Fall and Festive!

It is most definitely Fall here! It is wonderful. I am loving every day and soaking it all in. Two years in the desert has made me really appreciate the seasons. We will see if that is the case in a couple months! We have been taking advantage of all New England has to offer. The boys have loved the changing leaves, and Taggy is OBSESSED with pumpkins! Both the boys LOVE Halloween, and that is all they can talk about. We also went apple picking which is a great New England tradition. We were surprised to see how much the boys liked it. We picked apples, played on the playground, and went to the little petting zoo. We finished off the day with some yummy cider donuts. It was a great long weekend.

My handsome boys...

Todd with two distracted kiddos. Taggy wondering what the heck was going on...

The whole family...don't mind Thatcher's shirt, he was just showing off his abs.

Tagg filling our bag with rotten apples. We would have to go and take out all the apples he would put in. It was hilarious.

Thatcher picking apples...

Taggy picking apples...

One tough kid.

Sampling some of the goods

He can't pick up the pumpkins like he could that bag...

This was a "pumpkin tree" that the farm made, really cute!

The Greatest Show on Earth

Last weekend we took the boys to the circus. We went with a whole group of families from Westgate and it was really fun! The boys were pretty entertained and Todd broke down and bought them both swords, which really kept their attention! Our seats were in the nose bleed section of the Garden (where the Celtics play) so the elephants looked like we could pick them up and play with them them on our laps! It was a fun memory though, and the boys loved the excitment.