Primary

Just a quick note to tell my primary kids that they are awesome! We finished the year off with our primary program and all the kids did great. Some fun moments include our 2 hour practice during church, where the little sunbeams kept asking "how much longer, 2 minutes?" I would reply "yes" and then a minute later they would say "how much longer, 2 hours?" I would reply "yes". We're all about honesty in primary:) Also during our Saturday practice I was sitting next to the podium to help the kids with their parts. Sometimes they would look at me for help. This occurred and I said "do you remember your part?" They clearly stated in the microphone "Do you remember your part?" I was careful not to say that during the real program. We have over a hundred children in our primary, not including nursery. Amazingly I know all their names, minus a random blankage here and there due to my blondeness. They are really amazing kids and I pray that they will continue doing so well.

I GAVE MYSELF A TIME OUT!

TIME OUT FOR WOMEN - SWEET ASSURANCE

This last weekend I went to St. George with my sisters in law Nichole and Trudy and my Mom.


















We left Friday morning and spent they day chatting, eating, and shopping. That night we attended the Time Out for Women Conference. It was entitled Sweet Assurance. Hillary Weeks spoke to us the first day and was amazing, beautiful, funny, and touching. Check out this song she sang - too funny!

Hillary Weeks

http://deseretbook.com/video/embed/209

There were a lot of wonderful speakers and singers.......

Kenneth Cope

http://deseretbook.com/video/embed/282

"God likes broken things and not only does he like them, but he likes to use them."

Chieko Okazaki

"We don't have to be right to do right, and we don't have to look good to be good."

Mary Ellen Edmunds

"The pessimist sees goliath and says he is too huge, I can't beat him.

The optimist sees goliath and says he is too huge, I can't miss."

She spoke about how busy we are and how we have so many different to do lists and said...

"some days, we just want to be listless."

Emily Freeman

"The children who are the hardest, are making the most of me."

We all had a great time. After the Friday night session we went back to my parents vacation house. Me and my Mom shared a room so instead of sleeping we talked until 3 AM! Yes, 3 AM! We kept saying we better go to sleep, but it was just too fun. Usually, when my Mom calls I have 4 children screaming in the background or five thousand unimportant places to run or unimportant things to do, so we don't chat for very long. It was so awesome to catch up and just be friends. My mom is amazing. She has battled breast cancer for the last 6 months and is an inspiration to all of us. No matter how bad she felt she was always one tough cookie - I love ya Mom!

SHOWING GRATITUDE THROUGH OUR TRIALS

Just a quick note about our last enrichment. I am so glad I went even if it mean't dressing up :) It was a draining and rejuvinating experience. Thankyou R.S. Leaders for all your hard work! The speakers were amazing and I hope they know how much I appreciate them being honest with their feelings and opening up. As the speakers stated, many people don't understand others trials until they have been through them. They were so willing to share. I think the thing we want the most is to be understood, listened to and accepted. Anyway, it was a wonderful night and I love all the ladies that spoke! Thank you for letting me be part of your lives.

Soccer - What Else?

Well, outdoor soccer has finished for a season. Amberly learned a ton being the youngest one on her team. She had a lot of fun. She loves playing fullback and her coaches put her as left fullback because she is a lefty like her dad.

Unfortunately, I only got to see a few of her games between coaching Skyler and Kenadee's teams and playing on my own women's league.

However......indoor soccer has started and Amberly's coaches have asked me to help coach - so fun!

I had a blast coaching Kenadee's team. The kids were SO cute. They had a blast playing "kick the coach" a game where we ran around inside a circle and they tried to get us with the ball. They were genuinely sweet kids and we had some VERY good 4 year olds - I think we slaughtered every team - I'm sure it had everything to do with the excellent coaching :) HA

It was great to spend time with Skyler too - she thinks maybe soccer is not her sport and she wants to try out gymnastics. I could see her being really good at that as she has been in dance before and is often used as the top of the pyramids etc.

For now we are enjoying down time - let me repeat that.

WE ARE ENJOYING DOWN TIME!!!!! WAHOOOO

My life has been seriously insane for the last two/three months. I know wa me - or as my family says - do we need to call the wambulance. Anyway, it has finally slowed down - I am sleeping again at night, I am eating, I am relaxing and reading to my kids, I am not a total grouch. Well, maybe that last one isn't quite true :) Either way I am just enjoying my family again instead of non stop rushing and doing. It has been much needed and enjoyed.

Halloween

The kids had plenty of opportunities to dress up and have some good old Halloween fun.

Annual Jefferson Drive Halloween Party

The kids and I had a great time at our street Halloween Party this year. Thanks Amy!!!!! We love ya! Amberly dressed up as a witch, Skyler as a go go dancer, Kenadee as a ladybug and Austin wore......... his pumpkin shirt. (He refused to put on his costume.)

We had a great lunch, cookie decorating, potato sack races, and bobbing for apples.

Cornbelly's

We went as a family to the Thanksgiving Point Cornbelly's Park. We had a great time. We were laughing so hard watching Austin manuever himself around the bouncing pads. He was having a blast!

We went on the hay ride, train ride, pedal bikes and found our way through the Larry H. Miller Corn Maze. We ALMOST made it all the way through the giant lizard this year (last year we made it about 5 seconds before we exited). This year we were almost at the end when a loud noise sounded and Austin and Kenadee freaked and thus another early exit.

Halloween Parade

Kenadee, Austin and I went and watched the Hidden Hollow Elementary Parade. Kenadee dressed up as Cinderella to watch. Amberly was a butterfly fairy, and Skyler dressed up as a rock star! Austin wore........his pumpkin shirt!

Halloween Piano Recital

Every year Amberly's piano teacher does a Halloween Piano recital. This year it was at Riverton Music up in Sandy. She played Halloween Night by W.T. Skye Garcia. She wore her butterfly fairy costume and she did WONDERFUL. She is such a great pianist and I am SO proud of her. She played on the grand piano worth $80,000! Seriously, how awesome is that. We thought about buying it, but passed - maybe next time. Anyway, she had her picture taken with Bach, uh I mean her piano teacher. Lot's of fun! Grandma and Grandpa Honeycutt, Mom and Dad, and Aunt Trudy all came and supported her.

Halloween Cookie Decorating

Trudy brought over Halloween cookies for the kids to decorate. They really had so much fun and LOVE when Trudy comes over. We had a good visit and had fun playing soccer/wrestling/rugby/keep away with the soccer ball in the living room.

Pumpkin Carving
Burke and the kids carved pumpkins again this year. Kenadee carved the cat pumpkin, Skyler carved the bat pumpkin, Austin and Amberly did the mini pumpkin face and Amberly and Dad carved the BOO at the Daddy Daughter Pumpkin Party!

Highlands 1st Ward Trunk or Treat and Chili Cook Off

Our ward has an annual Halloween Party and this year they did trunk or treating. We decoracted our trunk and actually won the contest! We won a Haunted House Decorating Kit! Lots of fun for the kids to make! Burke dressed up as Burger King, I dressed up as Wendy, Amberly was again the butterfly fairy, Skyler was the go go dancer, Kenadee was tinkerbell and Austin wore.............his pumpkin shirt. The kids had fun dancing to the Karoake Music and Austin had fun running around making Dad chase him while Mom chatted :)

Halloween Night

Wow.....who needs Halloween Night with all the fun we had before! Regardless, the kids dressed up Amberly - butterfly fairy, Skyler - witch, Kenadee - ladybug, and Austin wore.......his pumpkin shirt (stubborn kid - no idea where he gets that from?). It was a beautiful night and Dad took all the kids around the neighborhood. I stayed home and handed out candy. Austin joined me after awhile and we hung out together on the front porch and enjoyed all the ghosts and goblins. Afterwards we watched food network's haunted cake making contest - lots of fun!