Happy Fall!

Don't you just love this time of year? I love when it gets just cool enough to wear a jacket and sweaters. I also love decorating my house for fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving and for some reason when it gets cooler I find myself enjoying cooking again-which is a bonus! There is nothing like making your house smell like yummy, warm food on a chilly night! I was hoping to get better at my blog when school started but it just hasn't happened. Here is SOME of what has been going on at our house....
Memorial Day we took the kids up to Bear Lake to play for the day. We stopped in Logan for lunch and then headed over there. It was a such a fun day...

One of my favorite pictures of Allie & Easton ever. Love it and love them!

I think the three of them sat like this for hours digging in the sand.

The first day of school pictures. Allie thought she was pretty hot stuff in her "rocker" shoes and Easton only wanted to show off his back-pack! haha...They are both loving school so much this year and both of them have the greatest teachers. I have a carpool for Easton's pre-school and there is nothing funnier than the listening to the conversation of three 4-year-olds. I only have to drive once a week and it just gives me that much more time to get some things done....and well play with Olivia! :)

PROJECT: Basement. RESULT?: FINISHED!!!

We finally got our basement finished a couple of weeks ago and it has been so nice!! (Nice doesn't really do the proper job of explaining our joy) When Paul started working on the basement a year and half ago I was like, well it will probably be finished by 2020(note the sarcasm here), but lucky for me somewhere in between Paul believing he is Bob the Builder and spending three weeks at a time in Florida for work, we (meaning he) came to our senses and hired the rest of the work out. I can't believe how different it makes my house feel! When we decided on doing this we each had our own "wish lists" for the basement. Mine was a place/playroom for the kids and all the toys that they have. A room where every single solitary toy could be and I wanted big closets that would house most of this crap! Paul's was a family room with a home theater system. You know, one of those systems that shake the room and walls, and a big flat screen to watch college football on?......its one of those man things that I will never understand. However, while I didn't have much interest in this whole "system" I must say that I have COMPLETELY enjoyed it. Watching movies is a whole other experience now. After it was all installed my kids wanted to watch Polar Express down there. So I started it up and went back upstairs to check on Olivia. After awhile I hear this thundering and booming coming from downstairs and then both of my kids barreling up the stairs. (It was the part where the train pulls in front of the little boys house and it was SO LOUD! Apparently I had left the volume up-oops.) Anyway, Easton was crying and looking backwards to see what was following him and Allie was shouting every piece of "danger" knowledge she has learned in school. "Mom! Stop, Drop, ROLL!!" "Get under the table!" "Call 911!" "We are having an earthshake!!"

I almost peed my pants laughing. I'm laughing out loud right now just thinking about it again.
Here is a picture of Easton playing in the finished toy room. The walls are still bare, I haven't decided what I want to do with it yet. Every toy in my house is now in this room. Can I just say how wonderful that has been?? I really think I'm a nicer mom because all the toys are downstairs! Each one has their own closet in the toy room so they can put everything away when they are done. It has been the best thing we have ever done....EVER!

We put different colored shelving in the toy closets...pink for girl stuff, blue for boys stuff. Heaven I tell ya.....HEAVEN!!! (I'm singing just as I type this!)
Olivia and Easton enjoying the space. The furniture hadn't got there yet. I have lots of decorating to do-it is almost overwhelming deciding what I want to do down there and while I am loving all the extra room I realized the other day that it has created a whole lot more cleaning for me!
Allie's new room. We haven't completely moved her in here yet and I hate these pictures. Why is it so hard to get a good picture of a room? Oh well....

Yesterday I bought our first family pet(s). Here they are...................

HELLO.

Yes, we are now the proud owners of two Eco-system frogs. Actually, Easton is the owner. You get them at Hallmark and supposedly they almost completely take care of themselves. No cleaning the tank and you feed them twice a week and I was promised that they don't smell. So far-no smell at all. The first whiff of anything though and they are headed down the sewer express. For now, their names are Frog and Toad. Ya know....Frog and Toad are friends? Remember that book? Anyway....Allie kind of wants a puppy, but that just isn't happening. So here is a frog. :) No shedding, no poop, barely any food?.....I like it.

And here is Livi-growing up sooooo fast. Almost seven months now! She says hi and waves at us. She is able to roll anywhere she wants and now sleeps all night in her crib. :( I told Paul he could FINALLY put the bassinet away. I almost held a candle light vigil for myself. She hates bows, will barely stand them for five minutes and she also hates clothes on. Happiest in a onesie on my lap. Look at her! She can have whatever she wants.......:)

My beanie babies......

On a sad note, Paul's grandpa died last week. Pretty sad time for all of us-especially for Paul who pretty much lived on their farm growing up and spent countless hours hunting with him. His grandpa probably had the biggest impact on him while growing up and he was able to be with him at his home as he passed away, something that was hard for him to go through, but I know that he wanted to be there. He had such a great life and legacy and now when I drive Allie to school and we turn down White Street she says, "Here is our grandpa's road!" Here are a few pictures....

At the White Family reunion. Memorial Day 2008. Grandpa White with Allie on Christmas Eve 2002. I have spent every Christmas Eve at the Farm since 1993. They have always, always treated me like a member of the family, even before I was "officially" one of them. I loved Paul's grandpa from the minute I met him. He had a fun personality and always laughed at things I would say....even if I shouldn't have said them! ;) He will be missed by everyone.

That same week, Paul's work laid off another 550 jobs and if you add that to what they laid off in March they have laid off over 800 jobs this year. Pretty scary for us and about everyone that lives around here but we are feeling very blessed. Hopefully they will be done with lay-offs for awhile. At times like this though I am glad that at least we both have degrees (Paul has several..lol!). That's it for now! I'm so excited for Halloween and my kids' costumes! Stay tuned....:)