Miss S played in her first soccer tournament and did a great job! She played mid field and forward this year. She is on the best team. They are amazing girls, friends and soccer players. Most of them have been together for 4-5 years now and they love each other. There is never any fighting, hurt feelings or cliques! They have so much fun together and it shows - they placed #1 in the number one bracket this year for the normal soccer league. 
I have to admit, I am obsessed. Pete surprised me and got me tickets to see my favorite band, Collective Soul. They played in a really small venue at a casino in Oroville. It was so much fun to see them in such a small setting. I fell in love with their music my senior year in high school, (sigh) so long ago in 1994. And now seeing them live has made me even more of a fan. Maybe, just a little bit obsessed. But, I cant help it. They are awesome. Thanks Pete, for such a great night and memory!
Pete and I snuck down a back staircase and watched as the roadies loaded the guitars into a truck. There was a limo Suburban waiting for the band and we could see their drinks sitting on a table. We waited for a minute and then went out to see if we could meet them. A couple of the roadies came back out, saw us and then reported us to their tour manager. We were quickly escorted out of the area, but not before we saw their bass player Will Turpin on the phone right by us. I got in a pic of their guitar cases!
We weren't supposed to take any pictures, so I had to take all of them sneaky without a flash. They didn't turn out too bad.
Wow, things have been busy around here. I feel like I am finally able to take a second and actually think about the last couple of weeks. Thanksgiving was great, my brother and sister came into town and my whole family was together. I love it when the cousins are all together, they are so excited. I kept hearing the 3 year old girls telling each other at random times throughout the week how they loved each other. It was the sweetest and cutest thing to hear because they really mean it. They love each other so much, they would rather be with each other than anyone else - pretty sure me included! They are so lucky to have that special relationship and it makes me happy for them.
We spent the week bowling, going to the movies, shopping, cooking, eating and chatting. I loved it. I wish it didn't go by so fast.
Miss S helped make the name tags for the table. They turned out really great.
Mr. T has a really big fan in his cute little cousin. She absolutely loves him. It is so fun to watch her face when he comes into the room, it is the cutest thing. To her, he is a movie star. She cuddles him and follows him all around. I am so glad I got these pictures!
Apparently, "the princess" found the chocolate cookies that were hidden in the laundry room. All of the sudden my mom was yelling, "Amy, get in here!" I ran in & found H with her face in between the dryer and the cabinet, trying to hide the fact that she was sneaking cookies. Of course, we thought it was funny and so she did too. This is a perfect example of her the last couple of months, good thing she is so cute. I have no idea how many cookies she actually ate - and no, she didn't eat her dinner. Oh, well.
We set up a tri-pod in front of my parents house, trying to get a good family picture. This one just makes me laugh everytime I see it. The way Eric is looking at Pete and the way Reagan is looking at the girls is just so funny. Maybe you had to be there.
Here are the cute cousins.
It is almost time to start baking Christmas cookies! I love this time of year. I thought I would share some of my favorites. I will start with this one... to download and save, click here and then right click on the image! Have fun baking and see if you can eat only one. I cant!
Soccer ended on Saturday and it was such a great season. Miss S's team ended up #1 - they are the #1 team in the highest bracket for their age. They are an amazing team! Most of them have been playing together for 4-5 years and they all get along and encourage each other, it is really fun to watch.
It has been an eventful couple of months, busy and crazy. We had practice every Monday and Wednesday from 4-7:30 and then 2 games every Saturday. Mr. T survived a foot injury and is now feeling well again :) He had it rough for a while and couldn't even run, but he stuck it out and played wherever he could. He makes an awesome goalie! He finally got to let loose and run the last game and scored in the last 5 seconds of the last game. We were so happy for him!
It is always a bittersweet thing when soccer ends. I miss the friends we have on the team, they are great. But you know it is bad when you are excited to have a Saturday to clean the garage!
Last Sunday was the primary program in our ward. The kids have been practicing it for a couple of weeks. Mr. T had a line to say with his class and Miss S had to give a 2 minute talk about serving others. She did awesome and looked so beautiful, so grown up. I am really proud of her, she has an amazing ability to speak in front of people.
Before church I saw this piece of bread on the counter. I didn't think too much of it. With three kids I see a lot half eaten food left on the counter. No big deal, I left it there. Whoever ate some of it might come back for more. I didn't realize what this little slice of bread meant to my little guy. When we got to church Mr. T had to wait until they called his class up to sit in front, that's when I learned.
Mr. T - "It's okay, I already had the bread and water. I did it at home."
Me - Confused, then remembering the bread at home, "Did you bless it too?"
Mr. T - "Yep."
It was so sweet. He thought he wouldn't get the sacrament if he was sitting up front and so he did it himself. It was sweet because he thought about it ahead of time and knew it was something he didn't want to miss. It was sweet because he didn't involve anyone else, it was important to him. It was sweet because I was able to see a little bit of his faith. He is just sweet.
We had a great Halloween! My kids got to go trick or treating 3 times this year and you should see the piles of candy in our house. It is ridiculous! I need to find a place to donate candy. Here are some pictures of Tinkerbell, Captain Jack Sparrow and Hannah Montana...
I know that God created all of this...
I look around me and wonder how anyone would think otherwise. These are pictures from some of the amazing and beautiful places I have been this year. They are just some of the wonderful things Heavenly Father has given to us.
I know being a mom is the best thing in the world
There is nothing that could make me happier than being a mom. There is nothing I would rather be doing than spending my time with the kiddos. Seriously. I know that what I am doing right now is exactly what I am supposed to be doing.
Elder M. Russell Ballard quoted this in one of my favorite talks (you need to read it.) He said, "Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: “The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less”
I do not want to miss out on any moments. I want to make every day, every minute count. They are too important. I am grateful for all I have, especially my kids. They are a gift in my life and I want to treasure each of them. I am going to do better. Everything else can wait!
