October by the Numbers

ZERO Halloween candy was consumed by me :-).

ONE book was read (The Killing Hour by Lisa Gardner).

TWO a. trips to Bishop's Pumpkin Farm this month/season!

TWO b. Trunk or Treats were enjoyed(school and at church).

FOUR a. games were won by the San Francisco Giants to sweep the Tigers for the 2012 World Series win.

FOUR b. Halloween costumes were put together or purchased for the boys.

SIX a.  layouts were created(4 of them were sports related). One for each of the boys. Soccer, Football, Baseball, and Basketball.

SIX b.  pumpkins were purchased and carved.

NINE October birthdays. Some of my favorite people share a birthday month with me.

FIFTEEN soccer games were played by the boys/attended by us.

NINETEEN blog posts for the month of October. I am on a roll.

THIRTY the # of candles on my baby brothers birthday cake. Welcome to the club,Tyson!

THIRTY THREE new songs downloaded. The Taylor Swift RED album and the Jason Aldean Night Train album. I also purchased the singles, Hall of Fame by the Script and Ho Hey by the Lumineers.

THIRTY EIGHT years of life have been enjoyed so far. I had a great birthday/month.

ONE HUNDRED TWENTY FIVE miles were run/walked  this month.

Halloween 2012

My Facebook post tonight read something like this:

6 carved pumpkins. check.
Cheese fondue with all the fixings (tradition). check.
Homemade Wassil(cider) (tradition). check.
Sugar cookies demolished. check.
4 caramel-chocolate covered apples delivered to us from our neighbors(tradition). check.
Loaded candy bowl. check.
Lots of photos snapped. check.
4 excited boys and friends all dressed up, ready to roll. check.

We enjoyed several of our yearly traditions tonight! I tried to replace the fondue with a yummy White Bean Chicken Chili. The boys revolted and said we needed to stick with traditions :-). Fondue it was. As soon as it got dark, we met up with friends in the front yard and they were off. Tanner was Buster Posey this year. Carter was an Olympic Soccer player. Garrett was a dirt bike rider and Brody was Luigi. I stayed home to pass out the treats while John and our friends walked the neighborhood with the boys. Brody lasted about an hour and then wanted to come home to help me pass out the candy.  The boys had just enough time out, running from door to door before the skies opened and dumped a good amount of rain. Here are a few of my photos from this evening!
Happy Halloween!!!

Swept

We have loved watching our San Francisco Giants play through out the regular 2012 season. We have loved watching them play through out  the NLCS playoffs. So much so, that Tanner was bummed that I made him actually go to school during the final game-haha. Feeling bad about him missing the game, I sat in front of the TV(something I never do) and watched the entire game and texted him the play by play innings for him to check on his lunch break :-).Lets just say that my visit to the DMV  and watching the entire game led to a very unproductive day for this Mama. The Giants won and Buster Posey hit a grand slam. We were so excited when that game moved them onto the World Series.

Tonight was the BIG game, possibly the WIN for the team and another World Series title if they won the 4th game. They did it !!! They Won!!! They swept the Tigers. It was so exciting and so fun to watch them do their thing. This is what our family room looked like as Romo threw that final, winning pitch.

We are so proud of the 2012 San Francisco Giants. Thanks for an another awesome season and keeping the dream alive!

W.I.W.S. - What I Wore Sunday

Today's outfit, a simple black and white dress. I kind of think it looks Halloween-ish, like a spider web :-). Do you see it? Perfect for the Sunday before Halloween :-). This might be as close as I get to a costume this year!

Dress by: Forever (found at Ross)
Shoes by: Romantic Souls(found online for $11.00 and free shipping-I love scoring deals like that!
Necklace from: My sister, Amber.I received it for Christmas.

Trunk or Treat #2

The  boys loved the back to back Trunk or Treats. What's not to love? Tonight, the festivities were with our ward(church family). There were hot dogs, chili and nachos for dinner. There were carnival games, a cake walk, a Bat Cave, a spook alley, good friends, doughnut eating contest, awesome costumes and picture taking. We felt especially lucky to have our friends, Mer, Dylan and Crosby join us this year. We  love any chance we get to spend time with them!

Happy Trunk or Treat!

Trunk or Treat #1

We attended the Trunk or Treat over at the elementary school tonight. It was fun and festive. The boys loved putting on/wearing their costumes. We had a dirt bike rider and The Super Mario brother, Luigi. They loved all of the carnival like games. They loved sitting in the Police car and being able to turn the lights on. They loved running into their classmates/friends and checking out their costumes. They especially loved going  from car to car to Trunk or Treat!

This is a site that I don't EVER want to see again :-). Brody was all smiles!

Can you say, " C-A-N-D-Y?????"

Each month, our elementary school hosts an awards assembly. Each month, the entire student body, along with the teachers, focus on one of those character traits. This months character trait is CARING.

I am so proud of Garrett and Brody for earning that award this month. Their teachers had wonderful things to  say about them and their behavior towards their fellow peers.


Here is Garrett receiving his award from Mrs. DeCuir. She said, " This young man enters the classroom each day with a smile on his face. No matter which group I may assign him to in class, he works cheerfully with every member of the group. He is quick to volunteer to help his teacher with any task which needs to be done." Way to go, Garrett. We are proud of his caring ways.

This is Brody receiving his award from Ms. Lunn. She went on and on about Brody and the ways he shows cares. One of the things she said was "He shows he is caring by being considerate of others peoples feelings. He sets a wonderful example and is a pleasure to hve in our class." Again, we are so proud of Brody!

 

We are so thankful for the wonderful teachers who spend a good chunk of our children's day with them. We are very thankful for their caring spirits and for all that they do to make school a fun and enriching place to be!

W.I.W.S - What I Wore Sunday

It's Sunday! Here is what I wore to church today! I am really loving the navy and mustard/gold combo right now. Maybe I am loving it so much, so I can get  a little  more wear out of my new, cute navy wedges before the cold weather arrives.

Shirt- Old Navy
Denim Skirt - Old Navy
Cardigan - Target
Wedge heels - TJ MAX
Necklace - unknown source

38 years...young

Today marks my 38 year of life. I started my day by heading to the gym...gotta keep on track :-). When I came home from the gym, I found presents wrapped, a yummy smelling cake that had just been baked and birthday banners hung in the kitchen. We had 5 soccer games today, 4 of them at 9am. After having the older boys go with friends, John and I divided and conquered and got the littles to their games. We met back up at home, had lunch and then got ready to head out to Carter's double header. They tied. After the game, we went home and enjoyed cake and ice cream and I got to open my presents. My hubby is so good to me. He knows I am not a huge cake fan but I do love the Nothing Bundt Cakes so he got me my own little Bundlet. YUM!!!

I had a wonderful day! I felt very spoiled and loved. There was lots of snail mail to open(my favorite). There were FB messages, phone calls, text messages, gifts left on my porch and visits from my wonderful friends. Thank you for spoiling me. To end the evening, John took me out to dinner. I enjoyed my favorite Tostada pizza from CPK. Seriously, it was a wonderful day , from start to finish! I can't wait to see what my 38th year of life holds for me!

2 years

Today marks two years, to the day of when I first stepped into Weight Watchers and began my journey! It is amazing to see and the feel the difference two years can make in ones life. On one hand, when I joined Weight Watchers, I was super excited to get started and to begin my journey. On the other hand, I was overwhelmed of what was ahead of me. The goals and job that needed to be done seemed VERY daunting and overwhelming. It wasn't always easy but I stuck with it. Each day consisted of putting one foot in front of the other and focusing on the final goal I had set for myself.

I am so close to accomplishing what I set out to do. I am happy to report, at this two year mark, I am 1 pound away from my final goal. I single pound!!! I am not gonna lie, I am SO excited and SO ready to reach that goal. I feel like I have been chasing that final (weight) goal number forever. In a way, I kind of have been. Losing the 100 lbs., in (slightly) over a year almost seemed easy. I guess easy isn't quite the right word. Maybe consistent is a better word to describe that 1st year. The lbs. came off, each week, consistently! Once I reached that 100 lb. mark, the last 19 lbs. that I had/wanted  to lose seemed to be a slow, drawn out process. I am happy to report that I have stuck with it. I attend my weekly Weight Watchers meetings. I track my food/points. I go to the gym 6 days a week. I walk or run on my treadmill. I try to make the better choices each and every day!

I love Weight Watchers(and no, I am not being paid to say this) and the tools I have been given to lead/ live a healthier life.  What a difference 2 years can make!!!

This is a quote I pinned over on Pinterest. It has constantly echoed in my ear over the last two years.

I wanted it AND I needed it for myself. I had to get back on track and find the healthy me!
At the two year mark, I can honestly say that  I am so glad I took the journey!

Instagram Love

Do you use Instagram? It is one of the main reasons I was so happy and so excited to get my iphone earlier this year. It is kind of a mix between Facebook and Twitter. In my opinion, it is the best of both worlds. A simple little photo + a little blurb = great story telling! With technology and the way our world works now, we all seem to have a camera (of some sorts) on hand, at all times. For this Snap Happy Mom, I am in LOVE! I LOVE  that if I haven't lugged my big SLR out with me, I can still capture our life and happy memories via my iphone and Instagram! YAY for modern day technology.

I thought I would share our month (so far) via the Instagram photos I have taken.

 

Super FUN Train concert in Reno. Celebrating 16 years of wedded bliss.

Impromptu Brody/Mommy date to Bishop's Pumpkin farm after kindergarten!

 We kicked off the month with a little BOO action for some favorite friends. The boys love to door bell ditch.

 A General Conference tradition...scones with Buttermilk Syrup.

 Another General Conference tradition...BINGO with Skittles.

I often find Brody in my scrapbook room, looking at our Project Life albums. This makes me thankful that I have kept up with Project Life.

Spending my children free morning at the DMV. Not the way I want to spend any child free day but I was happy about the weight adjustment on my new license.

I taught a lesson to the YW on taking care of their Physical bodies. I like to  bring them treats. Here is the treat they received. We then we talked about everything in moderation :-).

 I have learned that if this is the candy I buy for Halloween, my scale stays happy. No chocolate candy is a good thing!

I haven been listening to Trace Adkins song "You're Gonna a Miss This." While I do think there are a ton of things I will miss when my children are grown, this sight will not be one of them. This is the clean(folded) laundry pile on my kitchen counter. Not Gonna miss it one bit!

Do you use Instagram? If so, let me know so I can follow you!

I can be found at raimi1.

Welcome Home

We had the opportunity to go to the airport this evening and help welcome our friend, Elder Jordan Franks home from his mission. He served a two year mission for our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Two whole years...that is a long time! That is a long time to be away from your family, your home and your friends. His family has been counting down the days and today was the LONG awaited day. After a few delays due to weather and planes, he FINALLY arrived at the Sacramento airport. There were lots of cheers and tears as he came down that escalator.

The Welcome Home committee!

Anxious and proud parents waiting for their boy.

 Here he comes! The first glimpse of Elder Franks!

Reuniting with his family! 

My boys have talked a lot about seeing/meeting Jordan at the airport. They have prayed for him every night while he was away... hoping he was safe, having a great time and most of all, having a successful mission. It was fun to be there when Jordan arrived. So much happiness and joy. John and I are very thankful for Jordan and his example of service, his willingness to serve a mission for our Heavenly Father. To take two years out of your life at the age of 19  to serve the Lord speaks volumes about ones character.  Jordan is just an all around great young man. He has always been so kind to my boys and they really look up to him...all 6 feet 7 inches of him :-). He always takes the time to chat with them about their current sporting adventures. Again, he is just a nice, nice young man. Jan and Mike should be very proud of the son they raised.

                                             Welcome Home, Jordan! Welcome Home!