Halloween

Mike was an Atlanta Braves "Thug" to follow the work themed sports costumes.

This is the little area that was set up to take pictures at.
Eryn's friend Emmett and his Grandma... the Devil!

Eryn just followed this kid around with his dogs the entire time!

Proof that Emo people smile and that even zombies like lemonade!

Our Halloween was pretty short this year. Eryn is still too young to really understanding Trick-or-Treating, but there's always next year! We had more people come to the house for candy this year than last. Someone even rang the bell and left us the cutest little honey bee! But, since Mommy and Daddy couldn't live without her for too long, they claimed her pretty fast!

Identify the People Game

We've been playing identify the family members picture game lately. Eryn's getting pretty good at it. Yet, every now and then there are a few slip ups. Here are a few examples...

Who's in this picture?

Allie and Melmo (Elmo)
Ganpa and Ganpa (The words for Grandma and Grandpa are the identical)

Tammy and Cookie (Like Cookie Monster, sorry Jeremy!)
Dodo! (Andrew with enthusiasm)

She does get most of them and is really good at identifying Mom, Dad, and anything BYU every time!

Official Orders

My littlest brother Sam got his official orders for his military assignment with the Army. He's going to Fort Bragg, NC after a 2 week break from his brush up basic training in Fort Leonard Wood, MO. He graduates from there on the 21st of November. My Mom and brother John are driving from Michigan to be out there for that. They are going to take him home with them. After a quick visit, he's off to NC.

There he will stay for a little over a month and then... Iraq in January. I knew it was coming. It seemed to be inevitable, yet part of me was still surprised when I heard that it was official. When he knew that he was going to Fort Bragg he thought Iraq was coming in March or later on in the year. Usually 3 to 6 months there before they are deployed. Sam's group gets the fast pass to Iraq since he is now joining an Airborne unit (the 16 Military Police Airborne to be exact). I'm proud of him and scared out of my mind at the same time.

Val's Sick

Yes, it’s a stupid sinus infection that comes to visit me annually and it usually hits in October. I thought that I might escape it this year, but NOOOOOOO! There are only a few things that make me feel better when I am as sick as I am right now.

1. Vernors (which is an amazingly strong ginger ale that is far away from me right now!)
2. My Mommy (same distance away as Vernors.)
3. My couch with a big pile of blankets (I’m so there!)
4. Watching a war movie (That’s the plan for nap time!)
5. Knowing that eventually the medicine will work and I will get better.

With all of those things in mind… I am off to go slumber with my ucky sicky medicines on the couch with Russell Crowe (It's a Gladiator kind of day!). Hope you’re all feelin’ better than me!

UNLV = Bitten Fingernails!

This was as calm as we would see head coach Mike Sanford all day. And he would get his hopes up only to have them come crashing down a few yards short of OT!

It's easy to catch footballs without BYU players in your face...which didn't really happen during the game either.

Bronco on the look out for execution and maximizing potentials!

Mike, his Dad, and littlest brother James

Brady Poppinga of the Green Bay Packers (former Cougar) was leading the players to the field today!

Max Hall in action!

Starring down the line of scrimmage.

The hand off is good for a few more yards!

BYU Defense finally stepped up and did their jobs to their fullest potential.

BYU did win in the end... After I nearly chewed off all of my fingernails getting very nervous! UNLV seemed to be a much better team than predicted.

While I was roaming around reviewing my pictures I literally bumped into Coach Dave Rose (BYU Basketball Head Coach)! I had my telephoto lens on and I would have just gotten a picture of his nose hairs! Identify those! Haha. I did run into him and shake his hand along with wishing them a great season (even if my loving husband thinks that it sounds made up!).

The Pink Nightmare Continues!

Mike got his way again and we now have a very large Baby Cougar on the wall in Eryn's room. She loves it and constantly chants "B-Y-U da Cougars!" He had fun painting it here and there for a little over 2 weeks. Layer upon layer of paint has gone into this huge cougar. He loves making the sports logos and even more than that... he loves making Eryn happy!

For those of you who haven't seen the rest of the logos in her room here they all are. The small Y and the Utah Jazz logo are the same size on each side of the window. The Braves logo is about twice that big as those two on the opposite wall from the baby cougar. (They are all painted in the 2 shades of pink and white, even though the pictures look all sorts of varying shades!)

Time Goes So Fast

Yesterday I noticed a very beautiful rose bud that was yellow and a deep orange in my neighbor's yard that was just beginning to open. I wanted to take a picture of it, but it was playground time so I let that moment pass me by. During nap time today I thought that I'd sneak out and take that picture. As I crept out of the house very quietly and down the steps I noticed in an instant that I was too late! The beautiful rose bud had open fully, wilted, and the stem had broken in the cold blowing wind.

I realized, as I looked at this battered flower, that life is much shorter than we want it to be. Little bumps along the journey of life should be just that... little bumps. If we don't take the time to stop and smell the roses they might not be there tomorrow. Yet, if we don't appreciate them even for a fleeting moment we will have truly missed out.

Perhaps, I am reflecting too deeply as I avoid doing some more laundry... When I came back in the house I took a picture of my Sleeping Beauty. Her life seems to be flying past all too fast!

When she was 2 months old. Today
See how quickly time changes things? Only 16 months ago she barely took up any room in her crib and now (when not in a ball) she nearly fills it!