A Better Way to Waste Your Time

For those of you who spend WAY too much time on the computer (I know you do it...don't try to deny it!), I have some good news for you. Now, you can help a good cause with all those mindless searches you do on the internet! Feel a little better about all that time you are wasting. I read about this in Oprah's magazine (No, I do not subscribe...Mama Rigby always has them lying around the house, and I need something to help pass the time while ESPN reigns supreme!)

Anyway, it is called Good Search. Basically, you choose what organization you want to support, enter it in one time, then each time you search from this website, your organization earns money. What could be better? You can add churches, schools or whatever non-profit you want. A lot of them are already set up in their system, but you can add new ones too. Just add it to your favorites and use it instead of Google. It is powered by Yahoo! so you get the same search results. Happy Searching!

Just a story...

We were riding in the car today and I thought it would be good to practice opposites. I would say a word and then Tyson would tell me what the opposite of that word was. When we got to "In" he got really excited and said, "That one's a restaurant...In-N-Out." What a clever little boy. I thought it was pretty funny so I thought I would share. Sometimes that boy has a one track mind!

Wobbly Steps

Just like her big brother, Kelsie started taking her first steps right around her first birthday. I tried over and over again to get a good clip of her walking and this is the best I could do. Sorry its a little dark. She's cute whether she is walking or not! (I apologize for Tyson's crying in the background.)

Birthday Cakes

I know you have all been waiting for this. My friend, Becky, just sent me pictures of the cakes she did for Ty and Kelsie's birthdays. Aren't they cute? She does a great job. Thanks Becky!

I FINALLY Did It!

All right. For all of you who have been losing sleep over this whole anaphylactic reaction thing...you can rest easier now. The EpiPen has been purchased and now resides in my purse. You can thank our friend, Jeff, for helping me see the light. He pointed out that I would be held accountable if I were to die from this and I could have prevented it. He also pointed out how dumb it sounded to say I wouldn't stick myself no matter what. He said, "So you're going to be sitting there, unable to breath and thinking, "I would rather leave my children motherless than stick a needle into my leg." He made a good point. There were also some threats involved but I won't go into that. Anyway, I bought it. I have it. I will live!

Parent's Prom

Okay...so it wasn't quite prom, but we did have a great time. Our Stake had a formal dance last night for the adults. It was a blast. We dusted off our dancing shoes and cut a rug all night long (okay...until 10!) I was a little nervous that I might rip something on my dress (it has been ten years and two kids since I wore it) but it held on for me. It took a few minutes for Dal to get his groove on, but once he did, there was no stopping him. He wowed everyone with his signature moves and grace on the dance floor. Really, it was fun. And on top of it all, I get to go back tonight to chaperone the youth dance. Fun times!

Birthday Bash

Tyson really wanted to have a Halloween Birthday Party. However, we weren't able to find a good day for it until after Halloween. That didn't stop us! In fact, it was great because I got to do all my shopping for it the day after Halloween. Besides, 4-year-olds don't understand the concept of a holiday ending.

Kelsie got a few good hits on the ghost pinata, but just couldn't break it

Tyson was not happy that he didn't break the pinata himself. We tried to explain that everybody needed a turn and then he could try it again, but it didn't make him feel any better. Actually, none of the kids were able to even put a dent in the thing...we had to help them out with a few strategically placed cuts. I think we needed a harder bat...that just didn't seem like a good idea though.

My friend, Becky did an amazing job decorating the cakes. I was supposed to help, but she did such good work that I left it pretty much up to her. I did, however, bake the cakes and make the fillings. They were yummy! Tyson had a spooky skeleton cake...he put the eyes on himself. Becky took better pictures of the cakes, so I will get those from her and post them later so you can all be impressed.

Kelsie had a cute pumpkin patch cake. She thought it was pretty funny to grab for the candle while we sang "Happy Birthday" to her. Tyson was pretty excited to help her blow out her candle too. Taking after her brother, she didn't make a mess or even eat much of the cake, so there are no great pictures from that.

What cute kids we have! It was fun to have a few friends over to celebrate with us. Sorry everyone couldn't make it. Maybe next year!

Halloween Preparations

Dal and Ty took care of the pumpkin carving this year. Unfortunately, I was on the phone with Verizon the entire time, so I didn't get to participate. They did a great job though!

Tyson and I decided to make sugar cookies for the Trunk-or-Treat. Candy is so boring! Tyson was great at cutting out cookie shapes and putting the frosting on the pumpkins. His favorite part was making eyes out of M&Ms on the ghost cookies!

We had the cutest little fireman and fairy at the party. Tyson had a great time playing all the games at the church and hanging out with his friends. Kelsie couldn't have cared less about that part. She was in second heaven, though, when some of my friends gave her lollipops for each hand. One even unwrapped it so she could eat it (Thanks Tara!). It didn't take her long before she ate through the other wrapper and was going back and forth, licking one and then the other. It was the classic, sugar-filled Halloween!

We're Back!!!!!

For those of you who have tried to contact us in the last little while...I apologize. As Dallan likes to say, we have been off grid. We had some troubles (the biggest understatement I have ever made) with our DSL. It did not work for almost 10 days. Because we have Vonage now, that means that our phone could not work as well. The greatest lesson we learned from this whole experience is...NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH VERIZON!!! They were awful terrible. I cannot say enough bad things about our experience with them. I won't bore you all with the details, though. We are back now and it feels great. A lot has happened in those 10 days, so I have some blogging to get caught up with. I apologize for the mass posts about to happen. Oh yeah...since I had no internet and no phone...I had a lot more time to work out...watch out Jen and Staci, I'm bacl in the UE contest!