Eternal Ties

What can I say?

We got a phone call from my aunt on Saturday night letting us know that

Grandpa Weaver had passed away during the week.

(my uncle had just found him Saturday morning)

The shock of it was momentary and saddening but not permanently.

My grandmother passed away about three years ago and he has been pining for her ever since.

Van Weaver was one of the most self-less people that I know.

He raised 10 kids (seven boys-- my dad included in that) with grace and love.

He loved to serve and give and he was one of the best examples of Christlike love that I know of.

Van & Lois in 1947 on the campus of Brigham Young Academy

I think that my brother said it best when he told me that the best thing we can do to honor both of our grandparents is to continue the legacy that they created of Christlike love and service.

They started it all with 10 children and now there are more than 100 grandchildren and great-grandchildren with Van & Lois Weaver's legacy!

Temple Trip

We attended the Stake Primary Activity this morning.
It was a trip to the Denver Temple to take a tour of the grounds.
The weather was beautiful and sunny and there were a lot of kids that attended.
(to copy my good friend, Jessica) It was glorious!

"...our young children have been encouraged to visit the temple grounds and touch the temple. President Thomas S. Monson once counseled,
'As we touch the temple, the temple will touch us.'"
(Sacred Homes, Sacred Temples by Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Seventy in the May 2009 Ensign.)

...I'm rather glad that this picture isn't a "zoom-shot".
I'm pretty sure that both of the boys faces aren't filled with "sweet as pie" smiles :)

We drove over with our good friend Chrissy Beals and her son Levi.
What a great experience to share with friends!

Halloween 2009

Ah the joy! (and yes, (but only because it is Colorado) the snow pretty much was all melted away by Halloween.)
Halloween is my ultimate favorite holiday.
Though one might wonder if this is actually true, considering that I rarely dress up in a costume...
We had our ward Trunk or Treat yesterday and it was just so much fun.

Brook and his co-workers dressed as Zombies and when he came home, he kind of vamped it up a bit and was then a cross between a warewolf and a zombie.
He actually scared Jack a little bit
(kind of impressed that he's standing in for a pic with his dad!)

...and here you have it:
Collin: Octavius (from the "Night at the Museum" movie)
Dad: Warewolf/Zombie man
Jack: (the one and only) Buz Light Year

This year's trick or treating was the first time that the boys really were into it.
We've got sooooo much candy, I'm not all that excited.
Especially since the boys hardly eat anything except laughy-taffy, tootsie pop suckers and smarties----not the bulk of your Halloween loot, if you know what I mean.

Fall Snow Day

School was canceled today because of our huge fall snow storm.
Now usually, it doesn't snow in the Mile High City until at least Halloween.
It got beat by a few days.
The boys loved it!
It is supposed to snow for two days straight.
And by this afternoon, the snow was pretty deep.
Deep enough to play in and roll around and make snow angels in.
Every child's dream day!

They got all tuckered out on the way to get dad from the train station and I turned around to see why my car was all of a sudden exceptionally quiet....sleepy-time!

Pumpkin Carving Party

~chalk it up to another success.

We had the 3rd annual Pumpkin Carving party

this past weekend and

it.was.fun!

We pretty much invited everyone in the ward that had kids and were

well rewarded for our efforts with there being almost 100 people (kids + adults)

at our shindig.

The weather actually cooperated with us too;

with only a little bit of wind to dampen

the joy of the afternoon/evening.

We had the people...

...and the food.
(love his face and he's trying to chomp down on that caramel apple!)

Have you ever carved a pumpkin with a jig-saw?
Truly, it is the only way to go!

...and we had those that were intensely serious about this
pumpkin-carving business.

and yes, the cold came to brighten our cheeks and make our noses red.

It was a fabulously successful year with so much yummy food, I'm pretty sure that I gained at least 5 pounds, just that night alone. Can't wait to do it again next year!

Heavenly Goodness

I think that there just comes a time when the things

that you've been trying to diligently teach your child,

come to fruition.

We've been struggling with Collin settling into school

and into the routine of the classroom and the school well,

ever since school started. He has had a pretty rough

time of it.

I started saying a family prayer with the boys

before we left to take Collin to school in the

mornings pretty much right from the start of

the school year.

Mostly because I felt that they both needed to

hear the prayers of their mother for them and

the gratitude that I have for my Heavenly Father

for each of my family members and to hear her

invoke the blessings of Heaven upon them and

their Dad throughout the day.

I know that it is a blessing and it is something that

they expect as part of the morning routine.

I now let the boys take turns with me in offering

our morning prayer and I absolutely beam with

a mother's pride at their prayers.

This morning, Collin prayed that he would have

ten Popsicle sticks at the end of the week, each

day and that Jack would be a good boy and listen

to what mom tells him to do.

(the Popsicle sticks are something his teachers worked

out for him with proper behavior in the classroom

and getting his work done throughout the day. He

starts with 10 each day and then if his teacher has

to talk with him, reprimand him; what have you,

she will take one away. So the goal each day is to

have the full 10 at the end of the day ---

it has worked wonders with him. He ended last

week with a week of 10 each day --

Ice cream out with Dad was the reward.)

Last night, I overheard his prayers when he asked Heavenly Father to please help him not think about the bad monsters that come into his head.

He's been having a rough time with bad dreams -- probably because of his insanely active imagination (he likes to draw a lot of dinosaurs and monsters.)

I guess that what I'm getting at with writing this all down is that it is nice to know that by my example and by the boys hearing and praying themselves; they know, with the faith that only a child has, that their prayers are important to them and that their Heavenly Father is there and is listening to their fears and hopes and desires.

I guess that I'm doing something right, eh?

Craft-i Bug

I've been bitten by the craft-i bug.

After I got finished with the "necessaries" of a Saturday morning. I got sucked into looking at U-Create -- such a wonderful site...if I spent waaaaay too much time looking through just what that gal has got on her site---she is in serious trouble! ;-)

...and now I want to make --

This looks to easy to make (and at least the tutorial makes it look easy to create)

Bridget shows you how to make it on her blog.

...and ok. Who doesn't have some bowl just lying around that could use some pumpkins with ribbon hanging out in it for the season (you could even change the ribbon after Halloween to keep up the fall decor in your home!) I'm going to the dollar aisle at Michael's or wherever to find their cheap-o ribbon that would so work for those mini pumpkins!

Now I'm not a scrap-booking person, so I don't usually go in for stuff that requires scrap booking papers...but this little paper pumpkin is just too cute....and simple to create.
Check out the instructions if you like.

Lastly....these ADORABLE cloth flowers that could be put simply anywhere!

Now I'm not posting any pictures yet, but this is what bit me -- and bit me HARD....I spent about two hours this afternoon trying to figure out how to craft one of these cuties for myself. I adjusted the instructions just a bit -- but I think that I'm going to be happy with something cute to put in my hair (I have no girls to put cute flowers and ribbons in their hair---so I do it for mine!) -- when I get it finished. And when I do, I will post some pics! ;-)

~I also don't have cloth scraps hanging around (normally). Luckily, earlier in the year, I did a few sewing projects and had some cute cotton with cherries on it left over from an apron I made...we'll see how much I like it when I'm done!~

OK, so this is all for right now. But I haven't even scratched the surface over at U-Create....I'm kind of scared too (as I am sure that Brook is....)

...and hey, go check out U-Create -- there's a link on my side-bar right over there....