Please don't let me forget...

There are a few stories or experiences that I have been thinking about recently that I don't ever want to forget. It breaks my heart when I think back on times in my life or the lives of my children and have blank pages where a story used to lie. I am hoping to fill in some of those blanks and leave the newer pages vibrant and full.

I have a favorite memory which pops up every Easter from when we lived in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Our dear neighbors, the Winters , who lived across the street had a young son named Nicholas. Even though he was three years older then Britton, they played together almost daily and were dear friends. Nicholas attended a christian pre-school and had come home from school on the Friday before Easter and informed his mom that he had learned about Jesus and the ressurection. Nicholas was usually a very kind and sweet little boy, but that day while Nicholas and Britton were playing, he hit Britton with a stick, which was really out of character for him. His mom though she would bring in some of his new-found christian teaching to understand it wasn't a good idea to hit, so she said to Nicholas, "Nicholas, how do you think it makes Jesus feel when you do that?" Nicholas responded, "He doesn't feel anything, mom, He's dead. He doesn't rise again for three more days."

Yesterday, I was driving with my kids to my mom's house, and Britton was telling Emily that they needed to get to bed as soon as possible so either the Easter Bunny, or the mom's and dad's had plenty of time to hide the Easter eggs. I said, "Britton, mom's and dad's? Don't you believe in the Easter Bunny?" He said, "Mom, I'm just saying it is a possibility, I mean every time you talk to parents about Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny, they get all weird." "We do?" I said. (In an animated, high pitched voice.) "What do you mean?" He said, "I mean your voices get all high and you start moving your eyebrows up and down a lot." He is absolutely right. I am a terrible liar. I do start to talk high and move my eyebrows up and down a lot. I am afraid I am caught.

One last thing I have been thinking about lately that I don't want to forget...
When I put Brock down for a nap or for bed, we have a very set routine. I enjoy this time because it is really the only quiet one-on-one time I have with him. The routine is, he picks a story, I read . He then asks me to sing a song which usually directly relates to the story, so I am often making up songs such as "The truck on the road song" or "The extremely weird animal song" or "the daddy song" if nothing really sparks his attention in the story, he relies on the old stand-by, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". After songs, he lays down and I help him say a prayer which usually goes something like this: "Heavenly Father, thank you for Jesus. Thank you for my family. Thank you for my blessings. Please help daddy have a good day/night at work. Please help me have a good night's sleep so I can be healthy and happy and kind. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." (Brock's ability to be healthy, happy, and kind is directly tied to how much sleep he gets.)
Then comes my favorite part. I ask Brock what kind of hug and kiss he would like. He started out asking for just a hug and kiss (which is now known as "the regular"), an eskimo kiss, or a butterfly kiss, but now he has become more creative with his requests. Sometimes it is a snake hug and kiss, or an alligator hug and kiss or a spider hug and kiss. Tonight, he asked for a "bop" hug and kiss. Whatever it is, I usually figure something out and he usually laughs. Finally, as I am walking out the door, He says, "Wait, mom, I need to ask you a question. Can I leave the light on for just one more minute?" I say "Yes, Brock. I love you. Sweet dreams." He says back, "Sweet dreams to you too, mom." and I close the door.

My children are all young enough that they all still let me read them stories and sing to them and give them hugs and kisses, but I know it will not always be this way. Each stage of parenting brings with it new joys and new challenges, but I never want to forget the tender moments that make each day as a mother worth it.

Disneyland!

We took our kids to Disneyland in October. It was our first big family vacation and our first time visiting Disneyland as a family. I knew the kids would have fun, but I had no idea how much I would love it. It truly is a magical place. We spent three days in the park and were there from sun-up to sun-down. We couldn't get enough of it! I thought I would spend a lot of time waiting with Brock while the big kids rode the big rides, but Brock was tall enough (by a hair!) to ride nearly every ride, so he did Space Mountain, the Matterhorn, Thunder Mountain Railroad (his favorite), Splash Mountain, and even the Tower of Terror without batting an eye! He is one brave little boy!

Britton, Emily and Brock in the Magic Kingdom!

The kids and Kennedy! (side note: one of the biggest changes of the last few months is that our niece, Kennedy came to live with us! We initiated her into the family by taking a trip to Disneyland a few days after she came to live with us. We couldn't have done it without her! We love having her fun-loving personality in our home. She is in 8th grade and is doing well. We are doing our best to be parents to a teenager with an active social life and a busy schedule!)

Check out those muscles!

Catch-up, part two

Fall is our favorite time of year. This is a Sunday afternoon drive to Cedar mountain with the family.
Pie Fest 2009! I love pie and I love to make pie, so every year, we invite our family, friends, and neighbors over the weekend before Thanksgiving to eat pie! I love this event! I really loved hosting it in our new home. We had about 70 people at our house and we had room and pie for everyone!
Here is a picture from Expedition St. George. Jeff, Betty, Betty's sister-in-law and friend and I ran this fun race in St. George in December. It took us from downtown St. George, through Snow Canyon, down to the Arizona state line and back to the St. George tabernacle. This is a great race and I can't wait to do it again next year!
The beautiful ballerina! This is Emily's first ballet recital. Emily started taking ballet from our new neighbor in the fall and has turned into a graceful dancer!

Six months between blog posts is way too long!

Once again, here I am playing catch-up so I don't forget the big events that have happened in the past six months. I know my pictures are not facing the right way and they came through in the wrong order, but imagine I am good at this and hopefully I will do better next time. So... in opposite order, here are a few highlights from August, and September...
My old friend and roomate, Kelly Southwick Small miraculously got tickets to Oprah last September and had an extra! I was lucky enough to get to tag along! I haven't ever taken a "girl trip" and had such a great time. The show was probably my least favorite of the season, but it was fun to be in the actual studio and see Oprah in real life. We ate great food, saw beautiful architecture, strolled along Michigan Avenue and Navy Pier, took a riverboat tour of Chicago and just had a great time!
This is Brock's third birthday. My baby is no longer a baby! He requested a snake cake and I am pretty impressed with what I came up with. I love this little boy! He is so full of life and passionate about all he does. Our home wouldn't be the same without him!
This is the Bryce Canyon Rim run. Jeff and I ran the five mile race and Britton and Emily ran the one mile kids race. It was a beautiful loop along the canyon rim and through the ponderosa forests of Bryce Canyon. The biggest shocker was that I won my age division! I am usually happy to finish in the top half, but this summer I started to feel like a real runner.
Jeff and I traveled to Dallas Texas in September to watch BYU beat Oklahoma in the new Dallas Cowboys stadium. It was a quick trip, but we had a blast. We went to six flags all day before the game and rode roller coaster after roller coaster (we realized we might be getting too old for this stuff...), and walked over to the stadium early to buy tickets from scalpers. We were there for an hour before we found a person selling tickets, and we bought them without looking very closely at what we were getting. One of the tickets was in the stadium and one was in the box seats, which could have been a disaster, but we used that one box seat ticket to find Jeff's parents in their box seats, and they snuck us in, so we watched the game in leather seats with a buffet behind us a drinks in our hand. It was the most exciting football game I have ever been to! The stadium was incredible, and the game was even better! I didn't ever think I would ever really enjoy football, but the more I learn, the more I love it. I think I am an official fan.
This is our new home! We are so happy to be in and settled! Although the process of building was much more time and labor intensive then I had anticipated, I love being in a home that functions the way I want it to function and feels the way I want it to feel. We love being so close to the canyon and so close to Jeff's work. We love feeling like we can start to settle in to the community and start putting some roots down. I feel like I'm home.

What we have been doing this summer...

As you can see from my previous posts, out summer has been consumed with the process of building a house, but between the work, there has been a little play. Here are some of the fun things we have been up to...
My dear friend Betty and I at the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon. We finished in 1:52! It was a great race! Jeff ran too, he is just faster than us. (He ran a lightning fast 1:43!)

Here are Jeff and I with our Wasatch Back team. We ran 191 miles over three mountain ranges from Logan to Park City through blistering heat, freezing rain, and a dark night. We finished in about 30 hours. Lots of fun!

Utah State reunion with dear old friends Sheree, Kelly, Kelly, and Amie. It has been 15 years since I lived with these girls and I still love them just as much as I did then! I am so lucky to have wonderful life-long friends.

We love camping and this was our first big trip of the year to the Little Sahara Sand Dunes near Delta. Brock's hair was so long we had to put it in pony tails to keep it out of his face. Pretty cute! Since this trip, we have also camped at the Cedar campground, and Cedar Breaks during wildflower festival.

Here is Emily with one of many caterpillars she caught with her cousins at Zion.

Here is Britton with his undefeated soccer team "The Gators". He loves soccer and had a great season!

Our summer has had some other fun adventures. It kicked off with a Rowley family reunion in Parowan. I loved seeing cousins I haven't seen for years and especially enjoyed the talent show. I have some amazingly talented cousins!

In June, we took an anniversary trip to Las Vegas where we played in the lazy river at Mandalay Bay, saw the Lion King, and visited the shark reef. We had a good time, but next year, we are celebrating our anniversary without kids!

We also had a great time at the Mikkelson family reunion with all of Jeff's family. We spent the day in Beaver where the kids rode four wheelers and played on the water slide all day as the adults visited and ate great food.

I was in charge of my fifteen year highschool reunion and was able to catch up with dear old friends!

My nephew stayed with us for two weeks while he and Britton participated in a Shakespeare camp for kids where they learned monologues and scenes from The Comedy of Errors and Henry V along with learning sword fighting, vocal training, and lots of other fun things. They really enjoyed it!

We are just two weeks away from moving and I can't wait to live in a home I know I will be in for a long time! We have plenty of room for visitors, so if you would like to come partake of the best hiking and theater around, we would love to have you!

What a difference a month makes...

Wow! What a difference a month makes! As of today we are officially two months out from the day we broke ground ground on our house and we are more than half way finished. Jeff's cousin, Jamon is our contractor and he has really moved things along! The exterior is ready for stucco and stone, the roof is half way finished, the upstairs drywall is hung and the downstairs will be finished on Monday. It is so exciting to walk through and see the rooms I have drawn and debated over for the last year actually take shape, and I like them even better in real life! This week, we are getting our block walls in the yard, the exterior will be scratch coated for the stucco and stone, and the taping and texturing of the walls will begin. I have all my paint and stain colors chosen, the lighting and plumbing chosen, the stone, stucco, soffit and facia, and shingles are ready. The only major decisions I have left to make are the carpet, door and cabinet hardware, and trim styles. I feel like we are in the home stretch! We are going to make it! Now I just need to get ready to move...

Britton's Baptism

Saturday, May 2nd, Britton was baptized. It was a really great day. Fawn and I started it off early by running the Hurricane half marathon. It was Fawn's first half marathon and I was really excited to be able to experience it with her. We were finished and home by 10:00 and able to focus on the rest of the day. Our family kind of ended up running the show at the baptism - my mom read her wonderful baptism book to the children being baptized as the talk, my mom, Fawn and I sang, Britton played cello, and Jeff accompanied a musical number, and my dad said the closing prayer. Jeff baptized and confirmed Britton, and we headed back to our house for a barbecue with our family. I was so grateful to be surrounded by our loved ones on this special day, and so proud of Britton and the choices he has made that make him an exceptional young man and a wonderful son. Congratulations Britton!

Britton's birthday party

Britton turned eight on April 27th. Britton kept saying things like, "I have been waiting for this birthday for like eleven months!", and spent the last last few months before the actual big day scheming all sorts of things we could do to make this big birthday special. We settled on a "mad scientist" birthday party, where we dressed the kids up like scientists complete with Albert Einstein hair, and performed several science experiments. We made volcanoes (note for future reference: do not let the kids put the lids back on their volcano bottles after the baking soda has been added unless you want to turn the experiment into a rocket experiment), made slime, and had a crazy cupcake decorating contest with many unique frosting color combinations and various gummy animals to mix in. I think the kids had a blast. I must admit, it was pretty fun, even for the party thrower.

Emily "Graduates" From Preschool

Emily has been attending preschool the the SUU preschool. Her teacher has been Miss Emily (of course, she thought that was pretty cool). She has had a great year and is very prepared for kindergarten. She finished her year at the end of April. She recieved an award for the most "positive attitude". Some of the other awards given out were "most rambunctous" and "most likely to come to school dressed like "Indiana Jones", so positive attitude may sound a little bland or generic, but could be much worse. At the end of the graduation, all 50 preschoolers sang a song together (well, kind of), and you couldn't help but notice Emily, front and center and a solid three inches taller then the next tallest child. I sure hope she likes volleyball...

Progress on the house...

We are one month in to our building process and look how far we have come! The first week, the basement was excavated, week two, the foundation was poured (see bottom picture), week three, the basement was framed and the floor trusses were laid, week four, the main level is framed the the roof trusses go up on Monday! We can now walk through the house and get a feel for the size and layout of things. I love the windows, I feel good about the room sizes, and the kids are starting to get excited now that they can stand in their own rooms, closets and bathrooms. As stressful as this process is, I am enjoying it. It is fun to see something you have drawn and created come to life.

Santa delivers... a few months late

Santa brought the kids a certificate for a new trampoline at Christmas. We thought we would be in our new house, but decided it was worth it to set it up since we are still going to be here for the summer. Jeff spent a solid ten hours putting the thing together, (you are so handy, honey!), but it has already been worth his time (according to me!). The kids have been out there for hours every day - rain or shine. Brock jumps in circles yelling "This is fun!" Britton and Emily have a blast together, and I think Jeff has even enjoyed it. Unfortunately I am a few kegal muscles short of being able to jump without peeing my pants. Darn the post-childbirth bladder!

HOLY HOLE!

The process has bugun! We have a hole! I was so excited to go see some progress being made on our house after all the months of preparation. You can see some of the view we will have from our back windows. It is just beautiful! The plan for this next week is to do the underground plumbing and start pouring the foundation.

We're movin' on up!

Okay, here is the next chapter in the Gardner housing saga, and my excuse for infrequent blogging these last few months. Despite my apprehensions toward building a house (see former posts), we have decided to take the plunge. After things went sour with our short-sale, we cried a little, moped a little, then got up, brushed ourselves off, and started the house hunt once again. My list of must-haves is not long, (a neighborhood with kids, a three car garage, an open kitchen/great room area, a mud room, and room for a grand piano), but there wasn't anything out there to match our list, so we are building. The closer we get the more excited I am. It is fun to be able to put together a home I really love. It may not be my dream home if money were not an issue, but it is my dream home for real life and real living. I am so excited to see it through from start to finish and look forward to being "settled" for the first time since I left home a mere fifteen years ago. I will post pictures of the progress as it occurs! Wish us good luck!

EMILY!!

Sweet Emily! Emily just celebrated her fifth birthday. I am so excited to be able to tell people that she is five. People would just roll their eyes and mutter a "ya, right" when I would tell them she was four. You just don't run across too many 4 foot tall four year olds. Especially with a vocabulary like Emily's. These are just a few moments from the week before her birthday that I actually wrote down (Yeah, me!):

While reading a valentine from a class mate aloud she said: "To: Emily From: Elsa - hey! that's alliteration!"

"This ring pop has an exquisite taste!"

(Jeff had just told Emily to clean up the living room and they could play a game she had just invented called Karate Ping Pong afterward. Emily went to clean, then came back and said:

"Dad, God just told me that we are supposed to play games THEN pick up." Jeff said: "No, he didn't." Emily answered, "Yes, he did, you just can't hear Him because he talks to my mind."

and finally - "If I were cheese, I would eat myself."

How can you not be entertained with a child like this in the house. I love you, Emily!

Addendum to the previous post...

Just a little FYI, the home shown in the previous post does not belong to us and will not be the home we raise our family in for the next thirty years. We learned a lot about addendums this past week. We learned that if your realtor does not hand one in on time and the other realtor doesn't like your realtor and wants to "teach him a lesson", he will promptly submit another offer, even if it happens to be 7:30 on New Years Eve, and you will wake up to the new year, thinking you are moving in a few days, but wrong, oh so wrong. Oh well, renting isn't such a bad idea in this economy, right?...

Pie Fest, Thanksgiving, "Sh$@", and moving at Christmastime

Okay, I have been blogging for a year, and still haven't figured everything out. These pictures posted in opposite order of the order in which they occurred, but you will have to bear with me... I guess this way, you get the biggest news first... WE ARE BUYING A HOUSE!! The picture below is of the soon-to-be Gardner residence! We thought we would be buying this summer, but a home became available on a short sale in an area that we really liked that was just too good a deal to pass up. I had kind of set my heart on building a home, but when Jeff and I started having conversations like this one... Jeff: "Honey, why do we need a bathroom in the basement?" Chelsea: "Because all our children's bedrooms will be there." Jeff: "They only bathe in our bathroom now, I don't see why they need their own." started occurring, I knew it may not be a good idea for our marriage. This home has has two bathrooms for the kids and I don't have to fight Jeff to justify it! My favorite part of the home is the kitchen. It has a bar that seats seven as well as an open area for a kitchen table and a dining room, so I can seat 21 people for dinner without bringing in in an extra chair! It also has a great range with six burners, two grills, and two ovens. the floor plan is very open and functions well for our family. My second favorite part of the home is its location. Our lot backs up to a neighborhood park with a big grassy space and a playground. We have golf course in front of us and a beautiful red canyon a within walking distance. Jeff can ride his bike to work in five minutes or drive in three. Yes, I think we may have found a place to settle after three states, five homes, four jobs, and three children. This picture is of my dad and Brock playing at the Dixie Narrows during Thanksgiving week. Brock has a new favorite word - the "S" word. He is often known to enter a room or approach perfect strangers by running, jumping, throwing his arms in the air, and yelling "S*$&!" Let me tell you how fun that is to explain to people. There is a reason for our foul-mouthed two year old. Before Thanksgiving, we went to Salt Lake to stay with Jeff's family since we wouldn't see them during the holiday. One evening while we were there, I was sitting and chatting with our teen-age nieces and Brock was playing nearby when Emily came by and said in her most obnoxious four year old baby voice, "mommy, I want to sit on you." Unfortunately "sit" sounded more like "S*@%" and no one could keep from laughing. The more she said it, the more we laughed and Brock caught on to the fact that this was a pretty funny word. I could explain to Emily that what she was saying sounded like a naughty word and she shouldn't say it again, however, that logic went right over Brock's head and he now had a way to get every ones attention really fast. I must say, the pronouncement did come in handy on one occasion. During the Thanksgiving holiday, my mom's house was buzzing with grandchildren of every age and size and somehow, Sunny, my mom's bird received a little too much love. When we discovered this, the adults and older kids were standing and mourning Sunny when Brock entered the room, took one look at the not-so-alive bird, and yelled "s@*#!!!" In this case it was appropriate. Love you Brock. You do always have a way of keeping me from taking life too seriously.

During our week of Thanksgiving festivities, in addition to our trip to the Washington County swimming pool, Dixie Narrows, movie day, Thanksgiving dinner, and a girls trip to Las Vegas to see Phantom of the Opera, we had a Thanksgiving party for the grand kids. My mom is so good at making the grand kids feel extra special. She knows just what kids will like and does her best to make sure everyone feels as though they are her favorite. The party consisted of a "turkey hunt" which was an obstacle course through the basement that ended with the kids being able to "shoot" the turkeys/dads with water guns. We also had a pie making contest and ended the evening with some robust square dancing. (pilgrims square danced, right?) The kids loved it.

We kicked off the holiday season with Pie Fest '08. This is a tradition we started when we lived in Saginaw where we would gather before Thanksgiving and eat pie when we weren't too full to enjoy it. We didn't do it last year and I really missed it, so this year, pie fest made a triumphant return. I baked 14 pies over the space of three days, my mom made four more, and we invited our friends and neighbors over to partake. We ended up having about 100 people come by and it was a blast! I am already looking forward to Pie Fest '09 in our new house where we can fit twice the crowd!

Things may get a little crazy between now and the end of the year and I don't know if blogging is going to make it on to my "to do" list, so if not, I wish you all a wonderful Christmas season and feel grateful for the many people who grace my life with their Christ-like examples. Thank you to all of you. Happy Christmas!!

I AM...

Okay, Okay, This is the I am... tag from MaryEllen. Here goes...
I am.....a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a musician.
I think.....about what my mission in life is and whether or not I am staying true to it.
I want....to have an eternal family.
I have....all that I need and most things I want.
I miss....my dear friends and mentors in Michigan and Indiana, as well as those that left with me.
I feel.....a zest and passion for life.
I hear....David Letterman explaining a urine filtration test.
I smell....Thanksgiving pies and rolls.
I crave.....baked goods of all sorts.
I cry.....I cried today when my mom's bird died and my son made her a head stone which read "Sunny, a very kind bird." I am crying again as I write this because once I start to cry, I can't stop.
I search.....for a house to call a home for many years to come.
I wonder....Why my life is so blessed when there are so many who struggle.
I regret.....not keeping a journal
I wish....I had more answers for the many questions my family asks. (Jeff is the worst).
I love.....anything that makes me feel alive
I care.....for my children more than anything.
I always.....want to stay healthy
I worry.....that I am learning life's lessons well enough that the lessons don't have to be repeated.
I am not....tightly wound.
I remember....less and less...
I believe....my Heavenly Father loves me and guides my life.
I sing....all the time!
I don't always....take a shower when I should.
I argue....hardly ever, because I already know I am right.
I write.....more than I used to!
I lose....socks, sunglasses, binkies (I am sure I have purchased at least a hundred in Brock's two short years).
I listen.....to my children and wonder if I will remember what they sound like at these tender ages.
I can usually be found....in my exercise clothes.
I need....to be adored.
I forget....the things I don't want to remember.
I am happy....when my life is in balance.
I tag.....Tami and Kelly

Snow Canyon Half Marathon

These are faces of joy! Our training is over and our race went great! Jeff and I ran the Snow Canyon half marathon two weekends ago and despite our pre-race dinner being corn bread, chili, and Halloween treats, (it was the day after Halloween), we both shaved several minutes off our previous personal bests! Jeff finished in a lightning fast 1:45, and I finished in a not-so-lightning-fast, but fast for a slow girl time of 1:57. We had been following a training program from a book published by runners world called "Run less, run faster." I am always skeptical that I can improve my times, just because I know I am on the low end of the natural ability scale, but I am now a believer.
The race course was beautiful! The first eight miles took us on roads and trails through Snow Canyon State Park, then we exited the park and ran through the Entrada development in Santa Clara. The race finished at Snow Canyon High School. It was a beautiful, sunny day with temps in the mid fifties. Jeff and I both felt pretty good afterward, and rewarded ourselves with a trip to In & Out Burger and Bajio. Food never tastes quite so good as it does after a long race.
I have to post these events because they are things I never thought I could do. I watched my friends and family compete in athletics throughout High School and knew I didn't have the ability, discipline, or will to ever join them. I remember running/walking the mandatory mile and a half in P.E. my senior year and thinking to my self "I will never be a runner". I feels great to be in better shape at 32 with three kids then I was in High School. I finally feel like I am in control of my body instead of my body controlling me. I am no super model, or super athlete, but I am healthy and it feels good.

I was tagged by JoAnn!

5 things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Living and working in the desert near Capital Reef National Park
2.Working my first Aspen youth group as the senior staff member
3.Praying every night that no one would shank me in my sleep
4. Not dating
5. Buying my first car

5 things on my to do list
1. Make 12 pies
2. Run
3. Clean bathrooms
4. Go to the grocery store to get the things I forgot when I was there yesterday
5. Spend one on one time with each of my kids

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Pay for my whole family to travel
2. Donate to charities providing education, clean water, and health care to poor countries
3. Buy a great violin for me and a great piano for Jeff
4. Pay for a maid and a chef
5. Pay off debt

5 places I have lived:
1. Cedar City, UT
2. Logan, UT
3. Salt Lake City, UT
4. Fort Wayne, IN
5. Saginaw, MI

5 places I have worked:
1. The Center for Change
2. University of Utah Neuropsychiatric Institute
3. Hartvigsen School
4. Aspen Youth Alternatives
5. The Hub at Utah State

Rules: Each player answers the questions themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names. *I don't know if five people read my blog, let alone five people who would like to do this survey, so if you feel like it, go ahead, if not, no worries!

Halloween

Emily loves Halloween. She loves to dress up, she loves to trick or treat, she loves any sort of party or gathering, and like my mom says, was "made for Halloween". Emily's favorite Halloween activity this year was attending a party hosted by my mom. The grand kids came dressed up and did several activities, each with a theme of "ghost", "cat", "witch", and "pumpkin". The evening ended with my personal favorite activity, "glow-in-the-dark dance party". when I was in college, my mom made a mix tape that has been a Halloween favorite ever since. Unfortunately, when we were moving, Brock got a hold of it ruined it. My mom and sister lost theirs the same year, so my mom recreated it this year. I was so excited. What is Halloween without a good boogie to "Ghostbusters", "Thriller", and the "Purple People Eater"? We turned it on for the kids and supplied them with glow bracelets and necklaces and let them get down. I must say, I couldn't help but to join in.





As much as Emily loves Halloween, I think Brock took the prize for being the most excited this year. He bounded up to each door with a "Helloooo!", "trick treat!" and a very grateful "tanks!" If the house looked especially inviting, he walked right in to join the party. He squealed and oohed and aahed at all the "spooks" we passed on the street and was the only one that didn't complain about all the walking.

Britton would like to write his own narrative on how Halloween went so here goes Britton's first official blog entry...

I liked halloween also I was a vampire. I was a great dracula . I made a good scare. I saw some of my friends they did not recognize me.

Well, there you go. Halloween at the Gardner's house. We were thankful to have Aunt Lindsey, Uncle Kit, Carson, Olivia, and Grandma and Grandpa Thompson along with us for trick-or-treating and post Halloween chili and cornbread. By the way, to see a hilarious picture of Britton, Emily, and Olivia on Halloween, check out Lindsey's blog.http://www.thompsonlove.blogspot.com.