Harry and The Raggedy's

I have had the idea to do this for awhile but just never got it together to get it done. I finally made the goal to get this project finished in September. I almost made it but not quite. The finishing touches were completed on October 6th. So here they are made with lots of love for each of my nieces.

Raggedy Kenzie


Raggedy Ruby


Raggedy Emma who she named Jane


Raggedy Sierra



Nicholas and Andrew have been asking and asking and asking for a pet for forever and ever. I just didn't feel comfortable getting a cat or a dog for the expense, time they would require and the fact they would be left alone for so long. Saturday October 13th we were at a shopping plaza exchanging some clothing and there was a pet store close by. The boys asked if they could go and check out the animals. After our shopping was complete we headed over to see the animals. We headed over to the reptile area and there was a very nice employee there who was very willing to show the boys what kind of things were available. He got out a snake, lizard, tarantula and a couple of turtles for the boys to hold. I held all except, well you know. I asked about the care of each one and talked to the boys about what they would like. I thought it over and figured the tarantula would probably be the best since it just sits in a plastic box, doesn't need to be walked, doesn't need to be taken to the vet for shots, won't scratch the furniture, only eats $.12 crickets every 3-4 days, is very clean and doesn't make a sound. The boys agreed on the spider and they pooled their money together and had just about enough for everything that was needed. So far things have gone really well with their new pet and all the neighbor kids think it is really cool. So all of you who are daring enough here are some pictures of our new pet Harry, the rose haired tarantula.

Enjoying Fall

Hyrum came over last Saturday evening and had a sleepover with the boys. They had lots of fun playing video games and acting silly. It is so fun for the cousins to get together and renew their friendship.



Monday morning after I dropped the boys off at school I went for a walk in the park and soaked in all of the beauty that was around me. What a glorious time of year we are in. The wonderful color and smells. These are some of my very amateur attempts to capture some of the wonders that I was able to see.







Monday evening for FHE, the boys and I went to Gardner Village in South Jordan to view the witches. This has become a tradition for us and enjoy it very much. Here are the boys with some of the witches.







Today I just had to get out of the house for awhile. We walked over to the park and again enjoyed the beauty and coolness of the fresh air. I'm so very grateful for this beautiful world we have to enjoy and for my children whom I can share it with.

Tender Mercies Through a Bug

Once again through His grace the Lord has shown me how much he loves me and how really truly aware of me He is. I have been suffering from allergies the last couple of weeks which then turned into a cold. This morning I was a little grouchy due to head congestion and the excitement of sewing all day was causing me to be a little more hurried to get the kids off to school. Being the moody child that he is and probably sensing my agitation, at the last minute Andrew decided he couldn't possibly go to school due to a hurting head. Well as all mothers have the same rule, the only reason to stay home from school is if you have a fever or are throwing up. Well since none of these applied, he was going to school. I was finally able to get the boys in the car and as I was backing up I looked up to the celing and pleaded with the Lord to give me strength. Dealing with a moody 6 year old can be very tiring day in and day out. As I started to put the car back in drive I noticed a fairly large green bug on the hood of the car. I put on the break and told the boys to get unbuckled and look at the cool bug on the car. Since Andrew is totally enthralled with bugs this turned things all around. He was smiling and thought it was so cool. We headed off to school and the bug stayed with us. The whole way to school the bug continued to hold on. When we arrived to school the boys jumped out and analized the bug very carefully. It kind of looked like a leaf. It just hung out crawling around on the top of the car. Andrew was afraid it would crawl into the grill and cause trouble with the car so I flicked at the bug and off it flew to experience more adventures. With quite a few less tears Andrew was able to make it to school and survive the whole day. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for sending that bug so Andrew could get to school and I could stay somewhat more sane. I am so very thankful for the many, many tender mercies the Lord send my way. May we all be mindful of the many blessings sent our way every day.

A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That

This is our neighbor's cat. I'm not sure if it is a male or female or what it's name is, but as you can see one of our family members has adopted it as his own.


Andrew and "his" cat. He begs me to get him a cat but I'm just fine with him hanging out with the neighbor's cat.


Here they are again


Last Monday we had FHE at mom and dad's. After it was over dad gave in to the begging of the grandson's and took them all out for a ride in the 'ol '46 Chevy. As you can see they had lots of fun.


Grandpa and Caleb in the cab.


Our neighbor Kaleel with the neighborhood cat. They both are so cute I had to take a picture. Kaleel is 5 and he and Andrew usually play well together.


Here is crazy Nicholas goofing around.


Here I am with my friends Heather and Barbara. Yes I actually have friends. Yipee! Hooray! We serve in the Primary Presidency together. We are all single and go on an outing every month. Here we are in Park City at the shoppe "Christmas on Main". We ate dinner at a pizza and pasta place, bought chocolate at "The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory" then to the Christmas shoppe. We had a great time and are looking forward to our next outing. Stay tuned...

Airplanes & The Itch Tree

Today, being Labor Day, we decided to have some fun and relaxation. After being lazy for several hours messing around and playing video games, we headed over to the park to fly some airplanes. I found these at a craft store for a buck. So you know the saying, "You get what you pay for." Anyway even though they weren't the best of flyer's, the boys had fun and the planes have actually held up quite well.

Here is Andrew showing off his cool plane.

Here is Nicholas with his plane. If you didn't notice before, their planes match their clothes. That was totally coincidence, but cool nonetheless.

Here is Andrew getting ready for a really good launch.

Nicholas trying to get the hang of this rubber band thing.

Wow, what a landing. I hope there were some survivers.

Perfection!!

There is actually a bird on this tree that we followed around for a while trying to get a good pic. We just couldn't quite get close enough. If you click on the picture it may enlarge so you can actually see the bird.

This is the "Itch Tree" over by the elementary school where the boys attend.

These are the "Itch Bombs" that grow on the "Itch Tree"

When you throw the "Itch Bombs" on the ground and stomp on them, the "Itch Powder" comes out. If you get the "Itch Powder" on your skin, you will ITCH.

After all of the "Itch Powder" has come off of the "Itch Bomb" all you have left is the "Itch Seed"

The Summer Has Come to a Close

We have continued to have a fun summer and here are some more fun pictures to show what we have been up to. The first ones here are just a random sampler of Andrew. For some reason he enjoys climbing up high and scaring his mother to death. Luckily it hasn't resulted in any broken bones.



Here is Andrew sitting on the porch enjoying the company of the neighbors cat. He really loves cats and maybe when he is on his own he can have one for himself.

This is Nicholas. He finally lost both of his top front baby teeth. His permanent teeth came in behind the primary teeth, so they have been in for awhile. The tooth fairy visited and Nicholas received $1 for each lost tooth.

Here is Nicholas holding his baby cousin Kenzie. He loves holding babies, especially when they don't cry. Kenzie was being so good, she even gave a big dimply smile.

Here I am holding the oh so adorable Kenzie. Isn't my dad such a good photographer, cutting off the top of my head. Oh well, he got what really mattered, the sweet little Kenzie.

Here is Kenzie chewing on her arm. She doesn't like sucking on a pacifier, so in go her hands or part of her arm. Whatever she can find to be soothing.

Here is my beautiful sister Raenie and her cute son Dallin who is almost 2. Raenie and her family came to visit for a few days all of the way from Virginia. It was so good to see her and her sweet little family.

Here is my brother Spencer and his 2 1/2 year old daughter Emma. Doesn't she look so cute in her pigtails?

For our summer primary activity, we took the children to the Church History Museum in downtown Salt Lake City. The theme for this year is I Am A Child Of God. There were all kinds of fun activities for the children to participate in. Here are Nicholas and Andrew doing their thing at the museum.





This was the last outing of the summer before school started, The Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point. The boys really enjoy going there and it is fun to watch them.
Here they are dressed up like some kind of prehistoric creature.




Here is the dinosaur that Andrew asembled.

T-REX

The boys playing in the water and sand. There are small dinosaur's that can be played with and you can make dams and whatever in the water and sand. A little boys heaven.

The largest shark in the world, The Megaladon. Watch out! those teeth look really sharp.

One of my favorite prehistoric creatures, the Wooley Mammoth.

This is Nicholas' absolute favorite thing to do, brush away sand and find dinosaur bones. It is quite fun, even I joined in on the excitement for a few minutes


Andrew and the Utah Raptor.

Once again it is time to get back to school. Nicholas is in Miss Batt's third grade class and Andrew is in Mrs. Thomas' first grade class. Here they are sporting their new backpacks and freshly cut hair, thanks to grandpa Foutz. There was a little anxiety for the first few days back but they are now into the groove and doing very well. They are both excited to have their best friends in the same class with them. Here's to a great 2007-2008 year at Parkside Elementary.