Witches Night out!!!!

My friend Patty Jesson invited me to go to her annual witches night out. I couldn't go last year because it landed on UEA, but this year is was on Oct 15, so we could go! I invited Valerie to go with me :) We didn't have witches costumes so I remember my friend/hairdresser Kristy had posted pics of her witch costume. I remember loving her hat, so I asked her about it. She not only gave me all the ideas, she went and bought the stuff for me!!! What a lifesaver!!! So I set out to make us tutu's and witches hats for the big night out!!! It was a major task....I was up till 2:00 a.m. the night before finishing up the tutus.....I finished the hats about an hour before we left!!! It was so much fun!!! I loved the way the hats turned out!!! And although, I have been very uncomfortable with my weight, I loved most of the pictures, because it showed how happy we were the whole night!!!! It was up in Perry Utah (Brigham City) at a restaurant called Maddox. Oh my gosh....if you've never eaten there...you need to eat there! It was expensive but worth every penny! My friend Patty had 46 witches total there! She started out with 18 her first year and this is her 3rd! It was so much fun....we talked, laughed, ate, won prizes (a wind chime and a bubble bath). It was so funny to watch everyone's reactions. There was a really good sport of a guy who took our pics for us and got in some of the pics even...It was fun to see Patty again! She was my young women's leader back in the day....I can't believe we have kept in contact after all these years! It reminds me of hanging on to good friends! So many times we lose track or touch of good friends. I'm glad our paths have crossed again! There was also Nicki Ziegler there! I used to babysit her!!!! I felt really old then!!!

After the grand event Valerie and I had to stop at Leatherby's for the famous hot fudge sundae. Valerie talked me into going in there with full garb!! Oh the stares we got, but it was fun! We got a ton of compliments and even had a random guy want to take our pic....I know it was because he thought Valerie was cute!! I probably got cropped out of the pic!!:) Anyway, I loved the night and loved being able to spend time with Valerie.....It isn't very often that I get to spend one on one time with her! I love you Valerie!!!!

P.S. Thad took the little ones and Michael and Bunny to the movie Real Steele. They had fun too... :)

Did you think to pray?

Today I was saying a silent prayer to myself at the breakfast table. Jackson came in and as he was trying to open my eyelids, he said "Mommy, are you dead?" After trying to hurry to finish my prayer and trying to stop laughing as Holland laughed and said "No, Jackson, she is praying!" It really made me think....has Jackson EVER seen me say a personal prayer? Of course he has heard me pray at the dinner table and when we do say our family prayers, but I don't think he has ever seen me pray. It made me want to do better! Not that he will witness me saying my personal prayers a ton, but if he ever did come in on me praying, he would know what I was doing!!! Great Sunday lesson today!!!!! Now my question to all of you out there....Did you think to pray today????

Their little spirits are stronger than mine!

Finally.....some eyes open!

Yes....this is what I'm talking about....I'm not a photographer!!!!

My frustration starts to boil...I just want to see eyes!!!!

I knew it was bad when even Holland wasn't cooperating!!!

My 4th or 5th attempt......argh!!!!!!!! (Hey I got some good nostril shots!!!!

I've often realized and pondered the fact that my children's spirits could be and probably are older than mine.....AND much stronger. I'm amazed every day at some of the comments they make or the little things that remind me how close their spirits are to our Heavenly Father. Today started out as a typical Sunday morning. The men showed up to collect fast offerings which totally caught me off guard! I was just glad they showed up before I ate breakfast as I had totally forgotten it was fast Sunday. I got the kids fed and the church bag ready with moments to spare to catch some quick pictures of these 2 litte ones...They just looked so cute I HAD to get a pic of them!! Well as it turned out, I can totally see why I didn't go into photography as you can tell from most of my pictures....I'm just too impatient or don't seem to have the right eye to catch a good shot....This morning I was in a particular hurry to get to church on time, and little Jackson was NOT cooperating....I was getting so frustrated and just told him that he wasn't going to have any cute pictures of himself to look at when he grew up.....EVERY time I would snap the picture, he would close his eyes!!!! I wanted a close up picture of him with his eyes wide open.....We were in the shade, but he just kept squinting....Then Holland...My little photogenic girl....she was squinting too!!! I realized that just because they were in the shade, their little eyes were looking up to the bright beautiful sky and they COULDN'T keep their eyes wide open.....I was so frustrated, I put the camera in the house and we left for church.....I was not in the best of moods and of course we walked in as they were singing the opening hymn...grrr....can we EVER be on time for church!!! :) My attitude quickly changed when Holland asked if she could bare her testimony. She went up there and she said she knows this church is true, she loves her family and knows President Monsen is a true prophet....in the name of Jesus Christ amen......ahhhh.....the faith of a little 6 almost 7 year old.....I felt kind of stupid that she could get up there and I don't even remember the last time I bore my testimony in church....Immediately after she sat down, Jackson wanted to go up there. ....I explained that when he was old enough to go by himself, he could go up there too..(his mom's way of NOT having to get up there herself if she has to take him up there...I know..it's lame....but it's true).....Holland said "Mom, I can take him up there."....In my mind I can see disaster, but I couldn't deny the looks on either of their faces. So there they take the journey to the front and sit on the chairs up there by the young man who moves the bench for the little ones so they can see while Brother Massey bares his testimony. They are very good and reverent, and I'm thinking as I'm sitting there how proud I am of those 2 little children. Then it's Jackson's turn. Tyson moves the bench up there, Brother Bullough moves the pulpit down and Holland moves the microphone down to his little mouth, then whispers in his ear....Jacskson whispers her words in the microphone and then is told to say it outloud I'm assuming from holland. He says it outloud and I'm not sure if it was hearing his voice in the microphone or what, but something triggered "the susan inherited giggles". Any who knows me....especially my family and close childhood friends, knows that when I get the giggles.....it is almost impossible to stop....AND it comes at the MOST unopportune times sometimes....I'll have to explain that sometime, but at that moment, I could see the uncomfortable looks on the bishoprics' faces...and I was getting a little nervous and embarassed just praying silently that he could get through this...Holland was doing her best to whisper in his ear and putting her hand over his mouth to try to stop the giggles, but to no avail. He did however get out that he knew the church was true and that he loved his mom and dad and in the name of Jesus Christ Amen....WHEW went through my mind and they couldn't get down fast enough......I could see the relieved look on the bishop's face and knew that he was probably glad he didn't have to intervene. It wasn't until the two got back to our bench however that I realized that this testimony, giggles or not, was from a little guy who had the faith to get up in front of all these scary faces staring at him, that my embarassment turned to love for this little guy who taught me more today than any lesson could have taught me. He came back to the bench and said "I did it!!!". I took him in my arms and said "yes you did!" You did a great job!!!! Holland was on the verge of tears....She was embarassed, but it was a time for me to tell her how wonderful it was that she would take her little brother up there to help him bare his testimony for the first time, and that she should be so proud of herself!!!! She felt a little better......and I thought ward members might be "irritated", but I had 2 people tell them what wonderful jobs they did, and I was so grateful for understanding people....who instead of thinking it took away from the spirit, they were able to see what I saw. There was a time when I remember our bishop getting up and "discouraging" the little ones from getting up...that they could do it at home.....I always struggled with that.....I would always think back to when Christ's disciples tried to stop the children from coming up to Christ because they knew He was tired, but He said ....Suffer the little children to come unto ME......Children are the best examples to all of us....It wasn't until we were at my mom's ward this summer, that Holland really had a burning desire to bare her testimony....I was nervous, but noticed that so many of their children were getting up to bare their testimonies, so I let my mom take her up there.....It was so wonderful!!!! This little girl bore her testimony without help, and then when she was done....the bishop of my mom's ward stopped her and gave her a hug.......PRICELESS......So welcoming and made her day!!!! She has been hooked ever since to share what she believes.....I'm proud of her!!!! AND Jackson today for being better than their mom and having the courage to get up and let everyone know what they believe!!!! Thanks to them for setting a true example.

Tonight after we went to take the baptism clothes back to church, Jackson asked me where Jesus lives. I said he lives in Heaven. He said "Can I go see Him?" I said ...."no, honey, not for a long time" He said "Why?" And Holland said..."Do you want to die?" and Jackson said "No", and she said "Well that's why then!" I just told him that Jesus lives within us and we can "feel" him every day here on Earth. He got a light in his eyes :)

Jackson so many times says he wants to go home even when we are home, and it has always FREAKED me out!!! I always just say we already are home, but tonight was the first time he said that about Jesus.......I pray that I'm just over-reacting and he is just a curious little guy....
All of my kids mean the world to me, and I'm just soooo grateful that Heavenly Father has trusted me with such an important role. Thanks to all my kids for the examples you have shown me......I wish I would have been better at writing down all the little things over the years that my kids have taught me!!!! Love you all more than words can say!!!!

Happy Birthday to my 4 year old super hero Jackson!!!!

Jackson opening his presents
trying to figure out where to swing!

vaporizing the villians!

Jackson and Riley in the spiderman house

the super hero city! Notice the planet on the top of the "daily planet" building!

lifting the dumbells! (styrofome balls on a dowl)

4 years ago, my little guy Jackson Porter entered this world! OH what a joyous day that was! Sometimes it seems like yesterday, and then others it seems like a lifetime ago!!!! We had a "super hero" party on Saturday and had 7 cute little boys there to celebrate along with his bros and sisters, and Aunt Shelly and cousins. Michael created a super hero city...it was amazing!!! There was a spiderman den, and bat building, the "daily Planet and phone booth" for Super man. We had a vaporize the villian area where the little super hero's shot silly string at the "bad guys" and then threw water ballons at them (that was their favorite). We had bounce house where they could leap over tall buildings. We had them find the kryptonite (glow sticks in the buildings). I made this building cake...it was kind of lame but the kids loved it...I had super heros on the ledges and even a spider man crawling up the top pillar with a flag at the top that said Happy birthday Jackson! The pinata was a hit...Thank goodness for Michael....he was a trooper...the part where it was being held on to with the tie broke so he had to hold it up as these little people were swinging all over the place.....Then to top it all off....Michael and Thad dressed up in Spiderman and Batman and came out and talked to the kiddies....Tyler was going to dress in Superman but the costume didn't fit! :( All in all, I think they had a great time and they went home looking like super heroes with their capes an all!! (I made capes out of felt with their initials on them :)

Today he took doughnuts and fruit snacks to school to share with his classmates. They made him a birthday crown and sang to him. When I picked him up we came home and he opened his present from us, Michael and Bunny and Grandma. He loved everything he got...Valerie and Holland and I took him to Mickey D's to eat (Jackson could care less about eating...he had more fun playing on the play place and making new friends...It was so much fun to just sit and watch him laugh and just have plain fun! We came home and put his toys together and we played for a bit.

I love you Jackson!!! I'm so glad that Heavenly Father trusted me to be your mommy! How lucky could a person be???? I love you!!!

Here are some of the questions I asked you today with answers so you can read this in 20 years and get a kick out of it :)

What do you want to be when you grow up? Optimus Prime (he said Batman earlier in the car!)

What is your favorite color? blue

Who is your best friend? Porter

What is your favorite toy? Transformer game

Where is your favorite place to go? the store

What is your favorite food? Pizza, cheese taco, cheese

What is your favorite super hero? Superman

What is your favorite church song? I don't like church songs, and like Rock star!!! (so funny!!!)