Yay for me :)

Well this is how I'm feeling right now, but good job to me because I just ran (jogged, shuffled, lurched, drug myself along - whatever you'd like to call it) 11.2 miles (10+ last week)! It's been quite a while since I ran that far, so even though I didn't set any land speed records, I'm happy. I'm feeling a little "creaky" but other than that, I'm fine.
Life is Good ")

Halloween 2009

We had ourselves a little (pre trick or treating) Halloween party at our house - complete with Grand goblins and all!! We ate mummy pizza, bone bread sticks, sugar cookies, and pumpkin cheesecake, and we drank some WITCHES BREW and Halloween pop. It was dee-lish!
Lemondrop dead, spookiwi and candy corn

They looked more like bones before they "rose"

Elfaba??? (Wicked). Here's one witch daughter

The witch Momma

Really, is ANYONE surprised?? ")

Abby was a witch too but you couldn't really tell with her coats and hat on

. . . and here's the OTHER witch daughter. All the Stokes gals were witches.

This looks like a picture off of a Natl. Enquirer or something where "Elvis" is hurrying to get his glasses back on

Another witch, and Mrs. Peepers

Tinkerbell all bundled up

Elvis striking a pose

Yep! Happy Halloween Everyone :)

Our Pumpkin Carving Family Home Evening 2009

The messy process
S P O O K Y !

Here we are trying to pose like our pumpkins. I'm trying to look like "Besider Spider".

This pumpkin grew in between the retaining wall blocks in our garden and we didn't even know it was there until he was already very mis-shapen. Lee decided right then and there that this was the pumpkin for him. This is a Lee Soptich original design

Nellie's pumpkin; "a wink and a smile"

Out on the front porch - mine is already going soft so I had to take several pictures because it won't last until Saturday.

We had delicious black cat cookies (that I obviously slaved over all day) along with orange sherbet for our Halloween Family Home Evening refreshments - YUM!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY!

Gracie's soccer game and "hot chocolate milk"

Tonight Lee and I were able to go up and see one of Gracie's soccer games. The kids, and coach Ryan, did a great job ")! I tried putting the short soccer video right below this but it just WANTS to be at the bottom - okay?

Then afterwards the Stokes kids so graciously invited us up for some "hot chocolate milk", so we went. They had left a little before we did so Jen had told the kids that they needed to have their pajamas on before we got there . . . so they were obedient, and this is how they looked:
I believe "stunnishing" is the right word for this guy.

The back view was even better . . . and THEN we heard his Mom notice that, whoops a daisy, he didn't have any under ware on under those fun striped jammies!

Braden with his Curious George jammies

And Gracie in her loveliness

YIKES!

Our Conference Sunday and Walk

We had our general conference today for church which means that we got to watch it from home - this only happens twice a year. It has become a sort of "celebration" type of thing where we get together as an extended family, listen to inspiring and uplifting messages from our church leaders, enjoy each others company, eat great food, and go for a walk . . .

"down by the river" ")
We stopped at the new park in Swiftwater on the way. Emilee took Nellie driving in the new (to us) truck so she could practice/perfect her shifting skills, so they're not in the pictures.

Tyson LOVES to snatch my "RC Winter" coat (which I received for helping Pat Grady coach a girls fast pitch team when Emilee was in 5th grade) from the closet for occasions like this.

This is Tyson looking at an innocent grasshopper that he's asking us if we all think he's crazy enough to EAT!! See the video below

The Remlinger Farms train was a highlight for the boys - we didn't ride it but saw it go by several times during our walk. We waved at the people on the train and a lot of them waved back.

Us making big eyes like the picture of the mouse a few posts ago

Braden and Ryan waving from the end of the log (that was pretty high off the ground)

Braden being brave and then deciding that m a y b e he wasn't so brave after all, but didn't trust Grandpa enough to jump to him

proof on the tongue that Tyson really IS CRAZY!!!

gRoSs!!!

Carnation Ward Women's Volleyball Team 10-1-09

So the last 3 Thursdays our Redmond Stake has had women's volleyball. It has been a lot of fun. We had a bye the first week. Last week we barely had 6 players - but THIS week, we had almost twice that many! Of course I'm the OLD LADY of the team, but someone has to play that part right?

. . . not a creature was stirring . . . YIKES!!

The other day I went to empty my kitchen garbage can and found a few tiny shredded wrappers on the floor behind the can - which made me a little suspicious that we may have a little MOUSE running around (we don't have cats anymore you know), so Lee set a trap and

WA - LA!!

This is my special husband trying to imitate what the mouse's eyes are doing. He made me stop what I was doing to take his picture - it's funny - it's a big yellow hat!! ")