Irony

So I'm driving down the road the other day just minding my own business, and kind of gazing out my window preparing for a left hand turn, when the lady in the next lane who is slightly ahead of me, decides to change lanes right into my front right bumper. I KNOW! So we stop, a policeman approaches and analyzes the situation. He asked for all of our information, tells us to wait in the car, and he'll be right with us. So after sitting in my car for (no kidding) 45 minutes, he comes back and this is pretty much how it went...
Officer: So what happened?
Blind spot lady: I think I changed lanes and didn't see her.
Me: hmmph. (just kidding I didn't really hmmph.)
Officer to Blind spot lady: Well, you are being cited for the accident. Here is a ticket for $75 just pay at the courthouse as soon as possible.
Officer (turning in my direction): And YOU. Here is a ticket for your EXPIRED drivers liscense and a court date set for November 18..You better show up or they will have a warrent out for your ARREST!
Me: (Dying inside)Umm, what day is that? (I know, like it matters)

My ARREST? But I'm a good person! I'm a stay at home mom! I have four kids and a mortgage and I try to do what is right! Did he just say MY ARREST?

I guess that's what I get for living in Idaho for 3 years and still having a Kentucky drivers liscense. Oops, lesson learned.

I wonder.....

How many families were doing THIS for Family Home Evening last night?



The fun part was watching our pumpkins go from THIS....


To THIS...


To THIS...

And to watch our kids' excitement as they carved the pumpkins grown in their own backyard!

A favorite.....

I saw this on a friend's blog and loved it so I thought I'd share...

"Boys are found everywhere-- on top of, underneath, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around, or jumping into. Mothers love them, little girls hate them, older brothers/sisters tolerate them, adults ignore them, Heaven protects them. A boy is truth with dirt on its face, Beauty with a cut on its finger, Wisdom with gum in its hair and the Hope of the future with a frog in its pocket."
--Alan Beck

Love and Logic Moment

I love those moments when the opportunity presents itself for you to teach your kids a profound lesson in responsiblity...which in our home happens quite often. Sometimes I'm not prepared for it and the opportunity passes me by much to my regret, but not this time. Here are my two oldest kids doing the dinner dishes. Note the look on Morgan's face. She's not happy about it because it is 6 AM and she and Layton just had a rude awakening that the dishes would not do themselves, and since they chose not to finish the night before, they would do it before they got on the bus. It is really hard for me to leave dirty dishes in the sink when I go to bed, and I almost did them, but Quinn stopped me. And I'm so glad. What a perfect chance for them to learn something! And I have to say, my kitchen was clean and dishes were done as my kids headed out the door that morning...and I made sure to give them a big kiss as they went! (I love that Morgan was so tired, she couldn't even stand at the sink and had to sit on a stool the whole time!)

Pack your bags kids, we're goin to Utah....

Or so we told them. What we didn't tell them was that we were headed to the AIRPORT in Utah, where we would then catch a plane to DISNEYLAND! All the way down for 3 hours they kept asking, when are we going to see our cousins? Are we there yet? And Quinn and I would just glance at eachother and smile. I was dying to tell them, but held out until we were in the parking lot at the airport, then I let the cat out of the bag...Kids, we're flying to Disneyland! And you know what? No one believed me! It wasn't until we were settled in the terminal waiting to board the plane that it finally sunk in.

So we boarded the plane and were off to "The Happiest Place on Earth". We arrived in L.A. at about 4:30 on Thursday afternoon, then rented a car and drove to Anaheim just in time to catch some dinner, and make a quick walk through "Downtown Disney", this great little shopping area with all sorts of cute little shops and cafes including Build-a-Bear and Lego Land...much to my kids delight!
We got up early Friday after much coaxing and pleading with my now super-excited kids who were "too excited to sleep" and headed off to Disneyland! Oh what a magical place..I think I had just as much fun as my kids. They had a blast. Kate being our one exception, the two year old stuck in the stroller all day who pretty much just tolerated it. She did get excited to meet all the characters though. And she did ride a few rides including the Madderhorn (I KNOW!!). Quinn said she was covering her eyes the whole time and when we finally got off, her poor little face was red from holding them so tight! Morgan and Layton's favorite ride was Space Mountain and Allie loved the Alice in Wonderland ride. We stayed in the park until 9:30 that night, after the fireworks were cancelled due to high winds that were apparently really high, because we felt nothing down on the ground! But we had a great day and REALLY sleepy kids!

The next day, after a quick stop at the beautiful San Diego Temple, we were off to Sea World! I was especially excited about this having never been, and wanting to ever since I was a kid. And I was not disappointed! I was completely enthralled with those amazing animals. They seem so happy and truly have such neat personalities. After seeing the Shamu show, we were able to have lunch pool side and watch the whales practice with their trainers. It was so fun to see them up so close. It was a very quick trip and the next morning we woke up early to catch our flight back to Utah... with some pretty happy and exhausted kids!

Allie

Allie was tagged by her cousin Madyson so here are five things that you may not know about Allie..

Allie was born in Louisville, Kentucky.

Allie has a special blankie that she has slept with since she was a baby. Her favorite part about it is actually the tag, which in her subconscious sleep state, she will feel around for until she finds it then rubs it between her fingers.

Speaking of sleep, Allie is always the one to say "I'm tired Mom, put me to bed. I've never had a tough time getting that kid to sleep!

Allie is definately a non-conformer. If everyone is doing it, she won't. Which is great except when it comes to the "fun days" at preschool...like last week was clown day when all the kids dressed up like clowns...except Allie. She's allergic to clowns she informed me.

Allie has a knack for making everyone laugh with her little antics...Here's the latest...
Allie and Kate in the bathtub:
Allie: Hey Kate, listen to this song...Don't you wish girlfriend HOPPED like me...

Allie is a great kid and we love her so much...she is my little shadow and I couldn't think of a better little companion to have around.

We tag:
1. Abby
2. Halle
3. Ella
4. Tyler
5. Emma