I need more votes...

I am doing really good! But I need more help! Don't forget to vote for me. Plus if you feel so inclined post about this on your blog, send it to your contacts, facebook it and tweet away! I really want to win and I can't do it with out your help.Click on the stroller or on the link below to vote.

http://www.classymommy.com/giveaway_new/contest2/vote.php?contest=mutsy_transporter&name=Heidi


Thank you all so much.
Heidi

I'm begging you...

Can you help me win this? Please....

Just click on the stroller above, find my name and vote for me. I will even vote for you if you enter. This stroller looks awesome. I have never spent a lot of money on a stroller. And actually the only one I have right now if a borrowed one. (Brittany I NEED to get it back to you!) It would be great to have one that was easy to use and looked good too. So please vote!

ps...

can you spread the word and tell someone you know to vote for me to?

Insert Witch Cackle Here...

This year Halloween was really fun. Bode was really into it. The other night it was really windy and he got all excited. He told me he could hear Halloween outside. He really wanted to put on his costume and go outside. He had a little pre-school party, a trunk-or-treat, and trick out treating. We have so, so much candy! Jer was working and I didn't want to do Halloween by myself so we pack up and drove to Queen Creek to celebrate with the Papa's.

Laine was originally going to be a "Laine Bug" aka a lady bug. I couldn't find wings and was procrastinating about getting it done. Then I decided I didn't even want to do a costume for her. I didn't want to spend the time and money on something that she wouldn't remember or like anyway. Then I found a little witch hat. It was too cute to pass up. So with the cute hat, black tights, black shirt and poofy skirt she made the cutest little witch I have ever seen. She didn't care much for pictures, cute just the same.

Their Halloween Day outfits. Thank you Great Grandma Joncas!










Bode was Optimus Prime. He was happy to have this costume.


All the kids gathered around the door Trick-or-Treating their little hearts out.

Bode caught on to the whole concept of trick-or-treating fairly fast. A few times he got a little impatient waiting for the people to come to the door. He actually opened the door and nearly walked in twice. Just like his dad. Not afraid of anything and very friendly. I missed not having Jer there. It would have been fun to have him around. But we are grateful he has a job. Plus I think when Jer is around I am less of a hovering parent.

After all the celebrating we packed up and drove home. But not before we stopped off at Daddy's work.

My cute little witch.

Happy Halloween!!

Pumpkin Carving...

First you go to the Pumpkin Patch and get the biggest pumpkin money can buy.

Then bring it home and act all excited that you get to carve it.

Sketch out your spooky design.

Then get your hands all gooey messy.

Or no....because that stuff is gross.

But it is serious stuff.

But look how good it turned out....

Well OK this one isn't ours. I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. It was a skeleton face. Bode picked it out and was so happy to have it all light up on the front step.

Jeremiah did a wonderful job of carving the pumpkin!

Awe...

We finally got our family pictures done. Yeah! I was a bit worried at first. My kids where not very cooperative. But in the end they turned out just fine.

Little Laine Jo was not very into getting her picture taken. She doesn't just smile for anyone. So we were having a hard time getting her to smile at Chris. But as the very end this is what we got. I love them. Not because she is smiling and it is cute, but because why she was smiling. She was smiling because she could see her daddy. She is staring right at him smiling her daddy's little girl smile. Jer was the only one who could get her to smile. This is the little smile she flashes for Jer and no one else and I am so happy to have it captured on film.

Bode also had a "fun" time. He was bored to death and just wanted to play. His pictures were cheesy and goofy, just like little Bode himself. But this one is my favorite. He so curious and full of questions these days and I think this picture captures his little personality perfectly.

Click on logo to see more of Chris's work.

Who's kids is that...

I was looking through pictures today and came across this one. I had to sit back and laugh for just a moment. For two reasons. One my husband isn't there. Not really a laughing matter if you remember this post. But now that the days is in the past it is kinda funny that he wasn't there. He was one of the "best men" and at the sealing he was so sick he nearly lost it in the middle of the ceremony. Don't worry a trip to the ER cured him.

Now try and find the second funny thing in this picture...

Yep, that is my son on the front row picking his nose! Here was all are (-Jeremiah) dressed up lookn' pretty spiffy and bam! I guess with a growing number of people not everyone can look good in every picture. Oh Bode you crack me up!

Why do I do this...

I have been blogging since October 2006. Wow! That is really quite a long time. I started out doing it for fun. The Mandile's started one and it looked like a good idea. And you know what it has been fun. I have really enjoyed keeping in touch with family members, keeping in touch with current friends and getting reconnect with old friends. Over the the years of blogging my reason for doing this has changed. Here are my reasons for having a blog and staying current with it:

-To stay connected with my family.

I feel like my family is close. We make the effort to see each other and stay friends. I know for sure that Bode's favorite people are his cousins and his Grandparents. That being said we don't get to see each other at often as I would like. Our lives are busy and we live all over this state. I wish it was free to travel then it would be easier to see everyone. But I feel like having a blog lets me keep up with my nieces and nephews. (PS we just found out my brother and his wife are having another boy! Wooo Whoo!) So that when we see them they are not little strangers. I also thoroughly enjoy my mom's blog. Every time I read it I can hear how she would say things. I love that even though she doesn't feel like she has anything to say, she does it anyway. I asked my mom if she would do "journal jar" entries. She chooses a topic and then has to write about it. Most of the topics are questions about childhood, you know stories and things like that. I also asked if she would get my dad to do it too. I am so glad they are doing it. It puts down all those fun stories from their childhood so that when they are gone we still have them.

- To keep a journal of my family.

This is probably the most important to me. I love that for the past 3 years I have been diligent about blogging for my family. I have so many little stories written down on here for them. So many pictures and moments that I would probably otherwise would have forgotten. I have weekly entries of their little lives. Bode loves to sit down with me and look at all his pictures of when he was little. I know I am not doing a great job of saying how much this means to me. I am bad at sitting down and writing in a journal. I never even attempted a baby book for my kids. I knew that it would just sit there. But I feel like this blog has definitely been more than a baby book would have been. I can go back and find the exact day Bode started walking and it has video to go with it. Or the morning after Laine slept through the night for the first time. Plus I get to write down all the fun things Bode says to me now. I am glad that I do this because it will be so worth it to have when my kids are all grown.

-To stay connected with new and old friends.

Staying connected with people other than my family has been fun. I have come across old friends that moved away when I was little. Old high school friends and college friends. I am horrible at friendship. I get so involved with my own world I forget to stay current with people. Sorry about that. But blogging has made it possible for me to stay connected with people. I have also found it fun to make new friendships through the blogging world. Thanks to all my blog friends! I enjoy all your blogs!

-For me.

Not going to lie here. I really like to do this. I know I spend to much time doing it some days but I enjoy writing posts about my children and our lives. I feel like it is a positive outlet for me.

- Oh yes and by the way have you read this?

I saw this article in the Ensign the month and laughed out loud. The church is always so on top of things going on in the world. It really made me think about this blog. I feel like I keep a positive spin on my blog. I have a great life. We have our trials and struggles just like the rest of the world but for the most part I feel like my life is great. I have two beautiful children, a loving husband, clothes on my back and a roof over my head. Plus I don't think the Internet is the place to air your dirty laundry. But I don't think I have taken the opportunity to share my testimony on here. So I have decided that I need to integrate my beliefs on here a bit more. This is a family history so along with all our humours stories and pictures I need to let my family know that I believe in and have a testimony of the Gospel, the restoration and of Jesus Christ. I am going to try to have posts about what I have been studying and the insights that I have to go with it.

Ok there are my reason for blogging.

Why do you people blog?

NO DAVID...

I decided Bode is big enough to understand the concept of the library so we have been checking out books. He knows that you can check them out and take them back to get new books. I have been reserving books ahead that I want to read to him and then he gets to pick out a few of his choice. He also knows that the library is a quiet place. We walked by a few girls talking a bit loud, he turned to them and says " shhhh, be quiet, we in the library". :)

We checked out this book. Have you heard of No David? It is great. It is about a little boy, David, who is constantly in trouble with his mom. Bode loves it. He likes the end when David gets a hug and always gives me a hug at the end of it. Bode will sit down and "read" the book to Laine or me. All he does is yell "NO DABID" every time he turns a page.

Today we went to Micheal's. We first stopped off at PetsMart to see the fish, birds and cats. I love that PetsMart can be as good as going to the zoo. We were walking to the car talking about what we were going to do next. Here is our conversation:



M: We are going to go to Micheal's before we go to Aunt Lee's



B: Who's Micheal?



M: No, Micheal's is a store. It is a craft store.



B: Oh... craps? Whats a crap store?



M (laughing): Bode a craFT store is were we buy stuff to make cute things. Like paint and paper.



B: Okay mom. I like craps.




Oh I love being his mom. Everyday has funny moments like this.

Last swim of the summer...

We got one last swim a few weeks ago before the heat was gone. (please say it is gone) This was Laine's second swim. She was not a fan the first time around but this time was different. She loved it.

This little boys face looks familiar...

Oh yes, there it is again.

I told him to make a good face. This is what he gave me. I told him it would end up here.

Bode had a fun summer swimming. He got more brave every time we went. He at first wouldn't let go of me or Jer. But by the end he was all over the pool. Next summer we are going to do swim lessons and learn to swim without a floaty.

Thanks Nelsons for letting us use you pool! Same place and time next year?

Try, try, try again...

I tried to get just one picture on me and my kids.

I was not successful.

Also, I only have one smile.

Mix it up would ya.