Happy Birthday Dad!

Well, my dad's birthday isn't until December 2nd, but there's no time like the present, as they always say.

Here's a little about the man I have the privilige of calling my dad:
-He's a brilliant man, very smart.
-He has a wicked sense of humor. I love that he can find the humor in almost anything.
-He's extremely patient.
-He's very generous and will do anything for you.
-He's an awesome grandpa to my girls. They love him so much.
-He loves his family and has always been such a great example of what a father ought to be.
-He understands politics better than most politicians.
-He's not a fan of musicals! But in a house full of girls, he's always been a good sport and suffered through them in silence (mostly), with just an ocassional "I feel a song comin' on" comment here and there.
-He's taught me a lot about how to handle children with patience and love.

I could keep on going, but my blog isn't big enough. I love you, Dad! Thanks for being mine! Happy Birthday!

I Heart Twilight!

Well, I've dragged all my sisters to Twilight and after seeing it (a few times now, actually), I must say...I totally loved it. Was it exactly like the book? No. Were there flaws? Yes. Would I buy it? I'm counting down the days until it is released on DVD.

Yes, I'm a Twilight freak, I'll admit it. I'm okay with that though. I can think of far worse things I could be involved in.

I must say, I'm very excited that Summit Entertainment has given the green light for New Moon and, with lots of luck, I am hoping to nab a spot as a makeup artist on that set. I would LOVE it. Keep your fingers crossed for me. If I think positive (and do a lot of groveling) I just might get my wish! Here's hopin'!

Gobble, Gobble!

Maybe it's just me, but 2008 has really flown by this year. I'm excited for Thanksgiving and all the yummy food though. This is definitely one of my favorite holidays simply because our only expectation is good food and lots of it. We cook all day long and then stuff ourselves silly in a matter of minutes. Sounds like a great time to me. Think about it, what other day do we really get as an excuse to imitate a Hoover vacuum?
I like the fact that Eric and I trade off on this holiday with each other's families. This year we go with mine; we're a big, boisterous, loud group with lots of kids and even more on the way, which roughly translates to Pandora's Box. We have to have our Thanksgiving in the church gymnasium in order to accomodate everyone. Normally, this is a good thing, unless you like to play basketball. Usually, someone has to stand guard at the banquet table and act as defense against the rouge basketball. Even then, it always seems to land in one or more of the casserole dishes. It's still a ton of fun. My favorite part is playing games afterwards. We're all a bit nuts, so it makes for some very entertaining moments.
Eric's family is a little more refined. His family is spread out more, so we don't always see everyone. The ones that do make it are always a lot of fun to be around and Eric and I can usually get a wicked card game going with his grandparents and a few cousins.
And although the turkey is the main event, I still can't have Thanksgiving until I've watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I can still remember watching as a kid every year with Mama Sue and Papa Jim. It's one of my very favorite childhood memories. Now I watch it with my little girls and I love it every bit as much as I did as a kid. Let the holidays begin. Happy Thanksgiving!

The Proposition 8 Debate

While I usually reserve the more political side of my nature for my very closest family members, I think that it's important for my children (who will one day read this blog) to know exactly what their mother stood for.
There has been a lot of discussion about Proposition 8 over the course of the last few weeks and there have been a lot of members who aren't quite sure where they stand on the issue because they may know someone or have a family member who is gay.
For me, the issue is simple: The Lord has condemned it and the church stands as a witness for the Lord. I know and have several friends who are gay. While I respect them for the person they are, I cannot condone their behavior. I don't shun them or judge them for it, but I will not stand up for that lifestyle either. Marriage is a CHOICE not a RIGHT.

Proposition 8 isn't about hate or intolerance or bigotry. It's about protecting and preserving the family, which is under constant attack. I've watched with amusement, plenty of protesters on television who believe the LDS church was to blame in the passage of Prop. 8, and while they were a big contribution to aid that effort, I can't help but wonder when they'll realize that it's not the Church's will that was victorious-it was the LORD's.
And as for me and my family, the Lord's side is the only side we're interested in.

Poisoned Apples and Pixie Dust

Halloween came so fast this year! As you can tell from my quality photos, I wasn't exactly able to get my girls in the same place at the same time or even at a full-length view for that matter. They were so hopped up on candy that I was lucky they weren't climbing the walls-that came later!

I'm not exactly sure what Eric is supposed to be...hmmmm...he looks hot though! He was dressed as Frankenstein earlier in the day, but we didn't get down to his work early enough to see that, dang it!

There's a guy Eric works with who carves AMAZING pumpkins each year and puts a few of them on display at their city office building. I'm an idiot and left my flash on so these blew out really weird, but can you see the carving? (Think Twilight).

These are so good, they would have been better if I'd turned my dumb flash off. There's a goblin, a witch, McCain, Obama, and Wyle E. Coyote. This is just a tiny bit of what he does each year. He probably had 30 pumpkins on display and even more at his home. Wow he's good.


Nana Ginger with the girls. We missed seeing Papa Ernie-he had to work that night-boo!
After traipsing all over town we landed back at our house with my family eating the annual "Dinner in a Pumpkin", apple cider, donuts, and of course some candy here and there. I love Halloween!

Black Island Farms

The Saturday before Halloween I took the girls out to Black Island Farms in Syracuse. It is a huge farm/pumpkin patch and the girls absolutely love it. Erin met us out there and had a blast watching them run and play and go down the giant haystack slides over and over and over again.

We also took a hayride out to the actual pumpkin patch where the girls picked out their own pumpkins from the field. Haylie wasn't too picky, but Mikaela was not so easy to please. She didn't seem to like any pumpkin that had dirt on it (this will surprise no one if you know Mikeala at all-she's a bit of a clean freak-poor kid). Um, yeah...they're all covered in dirt. Erin finally convinced her that not all of them were bad and she actually chose a really nice one.


I love the fall and especially Halloween. I just wish I had a few more days to squeeze in everything I like to do during the season. I practically drag the girls from one party to the next-oh well, they aren't complaining (yet) and I'm loving every minute of the time we get to spend together so everyone's a winner. Thanks for coming with us Aunt Ewee-let's plan for next year!