The Very Hungry Caterpiller

When I was in 5th grade, I thought it would be fun for me, my sis Mary and our friend Melissa to be a caterpiller. I figured that we could just sew a few shirts together. Well, it never happened. For Halloween this year, out tax department wanted to have a group costume and at the last minute (when we hadn't come up with anything good), I remembered my 5th grade costume idea. we added a few extra shirts to the idea and I think it turned out pretty cute. This is about as close as we ever want to be as a department though! Later in the day Katie brought the kids to trick or treat around the office. What a great looking bunch of kids!

Happy Halloween

Rear-View

This is what I get to look at every day as I drive around. Nothing much better than seeing a baby in your rear-view mirror.

Multiple posts

I should have post dated some of these so you'd have three days of reading pleasure. Sorry. If you want, you can read the first today, then come back tomorrow and the day after for the others.

Cousins

Here are some random, cute pics of Maddy and her cousins

(At Gardner Village at the witch festival

Jackson, Holly, Allison, Maddy, Lilian)

(Maddy looks like she smells some cows in the pasture!)

As Mary and Ryan and kids drove through town on their way to their new house, we took the opportunity to take a photo of all 13 grandkids. Unfortunately, with 13 grandkids, you can never get a photo where everyone is looking forward and paying attention. Close though!

The Granddaughters.

The Beatles Love

The weekend before last we got to see the Beatles Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas. WOW! It was soo cool!! I was surprised at how many songs I knew. This goes back to Mr. Pierce in Jr. High who was a huge Beatles fan. In Mixed Chorus - 9th grade, we sang two medleys of Beatles songs. Mr. Pierce decided that this didn't cover enough of their songs and so he wrote a third medley for us. The result is that I know the choruses to about every Beatles song there is but I couldn't sing a full song through to save my life.

In true Cirque fashion, I spent the whole time with my eyes darting about the stage trying to capture everything that was going on from the acrobats hanging from the ceiling on ropes, to the men jumping over 7 foot phone booths from trampoline to trampoline, to the tricycles and cars that propelled themselves across the stage unmanned. The heart stopping moment was the guy on the teeter totter thing swinging back and forth and then completely upside down circles 100 feet in the air with no wires or safety net. WOW!

Thrive 2009

Last week at this time, I was working our Annual Convention at the Salt Palace. I get the opportunity each year to spend 4 days at the Hospitality Desk. I am always amazed at how kind and good people are. I get to meet people from all around the world, from different religions, from different socio-economic backgrounds . . . and everyone is happy and excited to be there.

Our keynote speaker was Doug Wead. He talked about how when he was younger he took a class or two of Spanish in school but dropped out. "I could have learned a second language if I wanted to, I just didn't". He talked about how he started taking clarinet lessons and decided it was too hard. "So what if I can't play an instrument, I could have if I wanted to, I just didn't". He talked about how he didn't play basketball in school or learn to type. "The only difference between you and me is that you learned how and I didn't". He emphasized that now is the time to do all these things that we want to if we don't want to spend the rest of our lives saying "I could have . . ."

I spend so much time over the four days helping people and being buoyed up by people that I leave with a much better outlook on life. People are good and kind and entertaining and really a lot of fun. I think I forget that the rest of the year when I sit at my desk and talk to accountants (no offence meant to my fellow accountants). I also left the convention weekend with sore feet, tight shoulders, no voice, no sleep, a dirty house, a husband and daughter who don't remember me, and a great desire to return to my normal job!

Go XanGo!

ps, props to Scott for being a great single dad from Wenesday through Saturday night!

My almost 8 month old

Scott tells me that it doesn't mean anything - but my heart melts every time Maddy says "ma-ma". I'm not sure when it started, I've been away from her since last Wednesday working but I love it.

Maddy also went from her tummy to sitting (I now have to move her crib down a notch or too so she doesn't fall out), and I watched her make forward motion on her hands and knees.All this Sunday afternoon. Scott said that she's been doing this for a few days but boy, it was a lot of new tricks for me to see as "firsts" all in one day. Oh, and she also hits her fingers on her mouth while making a sustained "ah" by herself. She loves the sound that it makes when I do the indian war cry with my fingers hitting over her mouth and I guess she just had to learn to do it herself since I was gone. My sweet, big girl!

Fixes

Ok, Ok, I get it - my picture was all messed up. It's fixed now.

Today was a very nice, relaxing Sunday. We sat around and watched 8 episodes of "Firefly", a TV show borrowed from mom. I like it! The theme song is a bit goofy but I am enjoying the show. I just took a break to get my blog up to date and I'm off for one more episode before bed.

Night, night.

NICE!

Great Bed Head Maddy dearest!!

Fall wreaths

I'm so excited. I got this idea for making a fall wreath from Thrifty Decor Chick and from this stuff, I made these great wreaths tonight. I love the way that they turned out. Pretty darn good considering I'm not crafty!