HALLOWEEN PARTY

Kamarin had a very successful party at our house on Friday night. There was dancing, singing, eating & just hangin' out. She was a great hostess....& plans to have many more parties in the future. Christmas party anyone?

A NEW MISSION

I know that you have all missed Agent E & Agent P. And, you have been wondering what special missions they have been on recently. Well, The boys are now part of the double O's....as in 007! Agent P told me he is "Bald...James Bald!" I asked, "Do you mean Bond? As in James Bond?" He giggled & responded..."Oh yeah, him...that is who I meant." So, besides being less than "hairy" spies...there missions have kept them close to home. This mission took place on Sunday & both Agents wanted to wear their spy glasses to church. As the mother....and director of the spy agency, I had to insist that the shades remained in the car. "Awwww shucks, Mom!!" Regardless, this crime fighting duo looked very debonair!!

NOT THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE...AGAIN?!!

Remember when we went camping in August & how the smoke from the campfire set off his asthma? Remember...?, right when school was starting? The first day of school when he was doing breathing treatments in the nurses office. Remember that?

Well, it hasn't wanted to get much better, since then. It really peaked over the last two weeks...when no matter how many treatments we did, he still wouldn't stop wheezing. So, I took him in to the doctor on Wednesday of last week. We left with lots of prescriptions, samples & inhalers...both boys had an "Asthma Home-Care Plan". Still, by Friday, Everett was still wheezing...I had tried everything short of giving him my own lungs. So, I took him back to the doctor Friday night. MORE TREATMENTS & possible pneumonia!! We made it to Monday. I called first thing & asked for a chest X-ray. Whew!! No pneumonia, but back to the doctor's office. By now poor Everett was just done. And I mean...D-O-N-E! The doctor checked him over again & said that if you have a case of asthma that is unresponsive to treatment, then you usually have a pretty mean secondary infection! So, as Everett sniffs long & hard...he taps on his forehead & then his cheeks..."ouch, that hurts." Everett says, quietly. Man, this kid has one wicked sinus infection that keeps the asthma flame burning. I now own the Pharmacy at Albertson's & they have a special parking spot reserved for me. Please keep this sweet kid in your prayers..he is sooooo tired of feeling crummy. This is what you do when you are bored at the X-ray place & need a little distraction!!

COLORING & SNUGGLING

One Monday night, Branden spent a little time watching football. The boys & I had our creative juices flowing & tackled a favorite coloring book. Another of Branden's favorites, is blending up some Orange Julius's...YUM!

CAR POOL

I pick up the kids from school everyday. I usually try to have some kind of snack. I love to hear Everett tell me a "tall tale" that happened at school that day. Kamarin still tells me about her day too. (There is a lot of drama in Junior High *wink*)! Parker either has a really good day OR a really bad one....there is no in between. I know that this time is slipping through my fingers...I just wish they could stay little forever.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!

Ten! Yes, I said ten years! Here are a few pictures of Branden & I while we were dating & at our open house.

How do I love you let me count the ways....(I will try not to be too mushy!)

1. I love that you work so hard for our family.
2. I love your hands...they always offer me comfort.
3. Your amazing ability to solve story problems....of which stump me every time.
4. That you are insanely ticklish...always awarding me the upper hand *hee, hee*
5. When you get home at night, you & the boys wrestle putting WWF to shame.
6. I love that you try to understand me.
7. When I ask you to talk to me, you do.
8. I love your smile!! & your eyes...deep chocolate!
9. Your dedication to our marriage.
10. And that you are still my Prince Charming & I, your Cinderella.

I love you sweetheart!!

KARTCHNER CAVERNS

Our family, has wanted to tour Kartchner caverns for a while now. With the boys being out for October break, it seemed like a great time to do it. I called for reservations & they were able to squeeze us in. The 15 minute movie about how it was discovered was very informative. We all enjoyed the stalactites, the stalagmites, & columns, etc. I was grateful for the pathway to walk on...instead of the "crawling-on-our-belly" alternative. It was a long day for the boys, they fell asleep in the car on the ride home. It was about a 12 hour round trip, after we: drove 3 hours, stopped at Lacey's, had lunch, visited the cavern, had dinner & then headed the 3 hours home. Notice, the mongo-huge grasshopper that I took a pix of, right next to my hand. I picked up a dead one to show our little scientist Parker...the guide then tells me...."oh, those are poisonous." I was pretty sure that a dead one couldn't hurt me, so I kept carrying it until all of my kids had seen it. I am not dead yet....so, hopefully I will be okay.

THANKS LACEY & JOSH

We always enjoy spending time with family. We do not visit as often as we should. Packing up the whole house, to go on an excursion seems to keep us from traveling more. Lacey & Josh recently moved into a new house. It is a beautiful home on a gorgeous piece of property that backs up to a protected animal wash. Lacey prepared us a delicious lunch & the boys went looking for snakes in the cactus. Everett of course, had to ride his bike. Josh had a great helmet....Parker was immediately drawn to it. Unfortunately, he couldn't breathe very well with it on. But, man he looked cool. So cool, in fact, that Kamarin tried it on for size too.

LOOK MOM....NO TRAINING WHEELS!!

Everett has learned to ride his bike without his training wheels. Of all of our kids, he has picked up maneuvering atop his bike the fastest. Do you remember what it was like to learn something new? It is all that you can think about. It is all that you want to do! And, you want everyone to see. We took a trip to Tucson to visit Kartchner caverns...and yep, Everett had to bring his bike along.

I-PHONE "ITIS"

Kamarin loves her I-phone. Ummm, I mean LOVES!!. Can one love something a little to much? Alas, she has been diagnosed with I-phone "itis". And, yes it is contagious! All of her friends seem to share this condition. The phone never leaves the body...it is either attached to the hip or hands. It even sings to the holder. The doctor says it is not attached permanently. But, removal can be painful & the holder can go through withdrawal symptoms. It will be tough, but we know that Kamarin is a strong girl. She will get through the difficulty of intermittently parting with the said object. We will start off small...homework, brushing teeth, & times of sleep. This is what family togetherness is all about. I know she will thank us later.

LEGO'S, LEGO'S, LEGO'S

We are rich!!! Rich with Lego's that is. Our dear friend Donna has been searching for Lego's at every yard or garage sale she visits. This week she hit the jackpot!!!! She found us a huge tub full of all shapes & sizes of Lego parts. Of course, since they were a second-hand purchase, they had to be cleaned. It filled the tub almost to the top. And, man, some of those pieces are tiiiinnnyyyy. I spent an entire day: bleaching, rinsing, and then scooping them out with a colander. Then, they had to be dried & sorted. We now have around 100 lego people. You can build any kind of person that that you can think up!! We have police, race car, cowboys, skeleton, etc. My boys are in heaven. We spent Family Home Evening creating together. I made a very cool Indiana Jones castle....booby traps and all.

SOCCER EVERETT

Everett's team also won their game this week. Everett made seven of the eight goals for his team.

SOCCER PARKER

Parker is following in his Daddy's footsteps...the camera man! When he is sitting on the sidelines, he is always a clown. He is such a fun kid to have around!

PARKER'S TRICK

Parker's team won their game again this week. He is a master at turning the ball around & sending it down the field the other direction.