The whole gang, getting ready to go out trick-or-treating.

VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

a>Good luck with the lines, everyone!

Tinsle and Twine craft class.

Here's the class that I taught on Friday. I love the layering with the wains coating and tin. What do you think?

Here's the shirt that Renae won, and I bought at our Tinsle and Twine Friday night. They had baby ones, and I was hoping for one in Morgan's size, cause that would've been too cute!

4-4-4-4-4-4

A) Four places that I go to over and over: Edge Fitness, kid's school, Target (hee hee), and mom's. B) Four people who e-mail me (regularly): Emily, Laura, Becky, and Kate. C) Four of my favorite places to eat: Sam's Club food court, Panda Chinese, Cattle Company, and Jalapenos D) Other places I would rather be right now: Hawaii, on a plane to go anywhere that's warm, Target, home (I'm never here lately for more than 15 minutes at the time) E) Four people I intend to tag: Katie, (even though she probably won't do it:) Emily, Amy, and Rachel
F) Four TV shows I watch: One Tree Hill, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Brother's and Sisters.

Okay ladies, now its your turn. Its easy, just 4, 4, 4, 4, 4,4 things about you. Have fun.

I Can't wait for the holiday season so I have more to do! I'm so bored!

What did I do today you ask? Not much at all...

*started early at 3, 4, and 5am with tummy ache, and freezing my buns off so much that I had to turn on the electric pad, and put it under the covers on my feet.
*got the boys dropped off at the bus stop, then took Morgan to her school.
*Worked out at the gym-Cardio Sculpt...arms was the focus today. I can't wave my hand.
*Ran to Target for a few things. (I love being able to say that!)
*Shower, then get things ready for piano lessons and my show on Friday
*Drove to piano student's house, taught a 6 and 8 year old...cute kids
*Dropped off Chandler's Madd Scientist badge at his school for his after school club
*Stopped by mom's to pick up Morgan and discuss the woes of making Halloween costumes, (since Chandler is not a kid who is happy with store bought ones)
*Came home to do another batch of bananas in the dehydrator, (started with 60 lbs, now down to 30 or so)
*laundry, laundry, laundry
*make car kits for Friday's Tinsel and Twine with Scentsy room sprays and car candles
*Pick up Gabe at the bus stop
*Clean up my mess from making car kits
*Pick up Chandler at the school
*Start dinner and work on homework with kids
*Run Chandler over to scouts
*finish dinner, and straighten up the rest of the house
*Pick up Chandler from scouts and run over to mom's again for a costume consultation
*Make a few ribbon clips to sell on Friday
*Give Morgan a bath, more ribbons, and then loose the tape for the ribbons so I have to move onto something else to do...flower clips to sell on Friday
*Blog, and bed...goodnight.

Matt's Turn

YOU'RE A JASPER!
You are intelligent, obeservant and good at managing a group of people. Although you long for meaningful connections, you can be can be distant and sometimes lack self control. You are careful though and the tough experiences you’ve been through help you to work at living a better life.
Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

You are intelligent, outgoing & stylish. A true girly girl, you love shopping & makeovers.
Although you are a generous friend, you can be coy, tricky & very persuasive in order to
get your way. You are known to zone out occasionally during conversations, but your
friends forgive you because you are understanding, supportive & know how to throw one
heck of a party!
Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

Goose egg going down, but now I look like the loosing end of a bar brawl.

Me helping to skin the buffalo with our friend Steve Christensen. I think I surprised them a little by pitching in to do this. No different than gutting a fish on the banks of the Russian, right? I included this picture (even though its gruesome to some) because I think its important to know what goes into the process. I think if you eat meat, but aren't a hunter, you still need to appreciate what goes into that Hamburger your eating at McDonald's. This is what I grew up with. Even though I'd never shot an animal before now, I always knew what happened. What I should expect. As a result of how Matt and I are raising our children, they now have a healthy respect for life, death, and where their meals come from. The boys were all there, and were just fine. To them, it was almost like being in a classroom. They learned all about the insides of a buffalo, and even got to touch it. (I did however draw the line at the traditional eating of the liver. I had to draw the line somewhere)

This is a picture that Steve took of my Scope eye a few minutes after I shot the buffalo. Notice the big ol' goose egg?

Here's the buffalo I shot on Friday. It was a clean shot, through the neck, and he dropped right there. Yeah, he had to be shot one more time so he didn't run away, but I was very proud of the shot. Not bad for my first time, hu? Mat is so jealous!

In my defence...it was cold, windy, rainy, and I had about 15 layers of cloths on, including a big puffy vest of Matt's.

We Came, We Saw, We Conquered!

Morgan and I made it safely through the aisles of Target without too much damage. (to my checking account that is) I was trying to sneak this Polly Pocket into the basket, and thought I had been pretty sneaky, when all of a sudden Morgan reaches back, and pulls it out. "My Princess!" Who could resist that?

Thank goodness its Friday!

So, today was fun,

*Got kids up to take Morgan to school. Boys were out for a teacher inservice, but Morgan still had to go.
*Went to gym, (cycling again..endurance day)
*Coming down the stairs after class, Chandler says--"Mom, you need to go home and shower before we go Buffalo hunting, cause Buffalo have a keen sense of smell, and they'll smell you coming from far away!" Does that mean I worked hard? Don't you love kid's honesty?
* So, after taking Chandler's suggestion and showering, we got geared up to go on the annual buffalo hunt. The boys were so excited! I'll have pictures tomorrow, but I shot the buffalo this year, and got a black eye in the process. I guess it could've been worse, my dad got quite a gash from the scope last year.
*After skinning, gutting, and quartering the buffalo, we all came home and changed, than I let the kids just play while I laid down till Matt came home. I've never had a goose egg on my forehead before, and you know what? It hurts! Promise, I'll have pictures tomorrow. Just a warning though...its kind of gruesome.

Thursday Happenings.

So here's Thursday's "what I did today"

*Kids all went to school, and mom went to the gym--Cardio Sculpt. Ouchy, we worked on lots and lots of lunges today. I'm still feeling it 2 days later.
*Ran home to shower before my piano student showed up for her 11am lesson.
*Ran by the bank, then over to the preschool to pick up Morgan. She was so excited...I told her we'd go to Target. BIG mistake. She went more crazy in that place than I did. She was throwing cloths in the basket faster than I could take them out. Lets just say she ended up with a new outfit today.
*Came home to do some household chores, work a little, and then it was back over to the bus stop to pick up the boys.
*Basically, a very quiet, easy going day.

For a Stay at Home Mom...

I'm Rarely HOME! All three kids are now in school, so you'd think I would be in heaven. Sleeping late, watching soaps all day, and of course, slurping down bon bons. (this is what the men in our lives think we do all day, right?) Here's my report on today's happenings....

*Started late last night, with the final of our 3 kids worshiping the porcelain god. Luckily, after a couple trips to the bathroom, she was done. I'm so grateful our kids are getting old enough to actually make it to the toilet, instead of throwing up in their beds, in my living room, or on the couch. We have been very lucky this time around.
*Late night, so we got a late start, and were running around crazy getting kids ready to go to grandma's to catch the bus, so Matt and I could meet some friends and head in to Anchorage for a temple session. This made our day, and I am so grateful we were able to visit again.
*Ran through the newly opened TARGET just to take a peek, and I couldn't resist a few items, but I think Matt was impressed with my restraint.
*Had lunch with friends, then Matt and I took separate cars to run various errands. He had to help my dad put up the tresses on the new garage, and I had to close a Scentsy party, and pick up Morgan from SIL, Gabe from grandma's, and Chandler from the bus.
*Home in time to do a once over in the living room before my piano student arrived.
*Dinner, (although Matt and I were still kind of stuffed from lunch at Jalapenos)
*Place my party order. (2nd largest party I've had so far)
*Matt was an angel and read with the kids while I worked, then we played domino's, and headed off to bed.

...so much for soaps and bon bons, hu?

...All joking aside, I love my life, and wouldn't trade it for anything. Despite the puking, cleaning, driving, tutoring, washing, snapping, boot finding, toy hiding, sorting, cooking, reading, and reminding. Or maybe because of. I look at what I do, and can't help but always want to improve upon it, realizing that these days will pass so quickly, and it won't be the tedium's of everyday life that will matter. I won't remember how many loads of laundry I washed, or how many hours I sat waiting for children to get off the bus. I think the things I will worry most about, is, "did I set a good enough example? what kind of people have they become, will they ever know how much I love them, worry about them, and pray for them?"

Tuesday's Review

Well, you already know about my morning, so here's the rest of the day...

*Worked out at home since Chandler stayed home sick. (yoga and strength training in my living room are just not the same as at the gym...I think I've turned into a workout snob)
*Made LOTS of phone calls to various people...work, ward stuff, SIL's, a friend about carpooling to the temple tomorrow....yadayada
*Picked up Morgan from the bus, then had her help me make some homemade chicken noodle soup and french bread, since we've all been a bit under the weather around here.
*Gabe missed his bus stop, so while I had Grandma chasing down the bus, Morgan and I went back to the house to call the bus barn. The poor little guy just didn't hear his name being called at the right stop. Don't worry, we got him. My mom is famous for chasing down runaway buses holding her grandchildren hostage.
*Gabe spent the afternoon puking. (that's 4 out of 5 of us with the yucks so far-knock on wood)
*Caught the Presidential Debate, and I'm just hoping this election turns out like 2000 and 2004. (the socialist is up in the polls till the very end, then our guy pulls ahead)
*10:40pm, and Matt and I are just keeping watch over puky kids before we head to bed for the night. I'm just hoping this is like everyone else that has been getting this yucky 12 hour virus, and that it only lasts 12 hours for our family. Thankfully, Chandler and Matt seem to be on the mend. I'm just a little nauseous, and Gabe hasn't thrown up for a couple of hours now. Serenity now.

Will you Marry Me?

As some of you already know, I took my ring in for its spring cleaning in May, and was told that the prongs were severely warn down, and the diamond was in danger of falling out. Well, the cost of having it repaired was high, so I opted to wear a cheap ring, and put my wedding ring in my jewelry box till we could afford to have it fixed. That time was a few weeks ago when we got our super PFD's (thank you Sarah Palin!). Matt insisted on taking it in, and when it came back about a week later, he surprised me by not only picking it up, but also bringing home a bouquet of roses, (handing one to each kid) he came in, knelt down on one knee, and asked me to marry him again. (he says I hesitated a lot more then I did 10 years ago...what do you expect? It had been a long day!) But I would happily marry this man all over again. I can't believe its already been nearly 10 years since we knelt across the alter in the Anchorage temple and were sealed together for eternity.

If you didn't notice, the ring is placed in the rose in the above picture. Gorgeous roses, hu?

8am Tuesday Morning.

My non-sick kiddo eating his homemade donuts and hot coco (yeah, I know its the world's most nutritious breakfast) before school this morning. I really love the way Gabe gets up so happy every morning, excited to begin the day, and ready to make new friends.

This is how my day started. A sick, pukey kid at the side of my bed beginning at 3:45 this morning. Notice the garbage can next to him?

This is what I found last night as I was heading to bed at 10pm. I had to call Matt in to see what our little artist had done..."I guess she ran out of paper, hu?" was all Matt could say as he walked back to the bedroom, doing his Shelby shake.

What the???!!!

A look out our front door Sunday night after it had started snowing. Don't worry though, it all melted away today!

MY WEEK IN REVIEW

I'm taking after my good friend Amy, and documenting my life for a week. If I can, I'll post pictures, but this will be real folks, so we'll see if I can get my act together this week and get some pictures of what it is we do on a daily basis.

Today, Monday October 6th, 2008:

*Matt was up before the paper boy, so he could ride in with dad since the roads were icy, and we haven't had a chance to buy new tires for either car yet.
*I dragged myself out of bed at 6:30am to start getting the kids ready. I have to literally drag the boys out of bed (not a pretty picture). Morgan is a little bit easier, but Tuesday - Friday, she has to catch the bus at 7:30am, so I like to keep her in the habit of early to bed, early to rise.
*Had to de-ice my car this morning. (grumble grumble, memo to self: have Matt hang bikes tonight so there's room for my car again)
*Boys went to school, and Morgan and I were off to the gym, a little early, since its Monday and I weigh in with Alina on Monday mornings, then its cycling class. (LOVE IT!)
*Ran errands, (bank, Walmart, then took ginger ale and crackers to SIL who had a sick kiddo all night)
*got some work done at home. Scentsy business is doing great, and I'm having lots of fun. I have 2 parties I'm closing up, and a Show to get ready for at the end of the month, at which I am not only doing a booth for Scentsy, but also selling jewelry, Hair clips and bands, and Ornaments, plus teaching a make'n take class)
*Shower, (yes, from my gym class this morning)
*Had to go retrieve Morgan from other SIL's house where she'd been playing with a cousin. Then back to the bus stop to wait for the boys.
*Dinner ready, while getting my fill of politics from Gretta and Hannity.
*Attempt FHE, have the boys read to Morgan and the family for school, try not to yell at my kids.
*Kiss the kids and hubby good night, and have at least one hour of quiet bliss all to myself before I turn in at 10PM

I love that my kids are getting old enough to take on big boy chores. This was taken about a week ago, (before the snow) during a family clean up the yard day, while Matt was at work, and I was trying to get the other two to help me pick up sticks and rake leaves. I figured it was about time Chandler learned to help out with the mowing job. I usually do it, and love it. But this was good for him. He felt a great sense of accomplishment, and pride in helping the family to improve our yard. I don't know why I waited so long. I guess since he's my first, I'm experimenting a lot with when to introduce different things. Thanks again Chandler! I know I can always count on you to big my big helper!

This was Chandler towards the end. Completely pooped. But he did it! And he did a pretty dang good job. As a side note: I LOVE MY HOUSE! Yes, its not always as big as I would like it to be...But I love the way it looks from the street. I love it in fall, when the leaves on all our trees have changed colors, and the blue of our house is such a stark contrast to the oranges, and green of the lawn. I love it in winter with the Christmas lights around the windows, reflected on the freshly fallen snow. And summer is absolutely best, with my kids out running through the sprinkler while I garden in the front. I love my little house!

We listen to a Prophet's voice...

Don't you just love trying to watch conference from (supposedly) the comfort of your own home? Our kids are too old to simply send them to their room to play, so we deal with the 4 hours on Saturday and Sunday of struggling to not only get them to listen for more than 2 minutes, but to also take something away ourselves that we may implement into our daily lives. The following is merely a sample of 5 minutes of trying to listen to the prophet during this mornings session:

Matt: Chandler, give me the play dough...there better not be any in mommy's carpet.

Morgan: sobbing because her play dough was taken away

Matt: Gabe, you bring your blanket and lay on the floor next to mom's side of the bed.

Morgan: still sobbing, but now doing it from the floor as she has fallen off the bed

Jenn: Chandler, get back in your spot.

Chandler: I'm trying to get the cat.

Matt: deep breath, then sighing

Jenn: Chandler, sit down! deep breath and sigh.

Pres. Monson: ....fill our days with those things that matter most....

Gabe: slowly, ever so slowly moving back to where Chandler is sitting so they can once again begin the slow dance of picking at each other till one is upset and the other is smiling like a Cheshire cat.

Morgan: You got to move it move it!

Matt: shhhh

Jenn: trying desperately to keep from pulling her hair out.

President Monson: ....express our gratitude always, and find joy in the journey is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Stastny Family: Amen!

(love Conference....love the fact that it is published in next months Ensign even more---that had to be thought up by mom's who never get to listen to General Conference in its entirety)

TAGGED!

Tagged...
6 Things you may not have known...

So here’s how it works....Link to the person who tagged you.Post the rules on your blog.Write six random things about yourself.Tag six people and let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.(Don't forget to come back and tell me you completed this tag!)

1. I have the same reaction to spiders that my mother in-law has to snakes. (which I also tease her about!) Which is weird, since I grew up in Arizona with 3 brothers who collected all things creepy and crawly.
2. I won a trip on a hot air balloon in the 4th grade for reading the most books.
3. I played the harp for about 4 weeks when I was in grade school.
4. I scared the nurses in the hospital (while I was on Bed rest with Morgan) after cutting my legs while shaving and then not telling them...they thought I was hiding something. I guess there was more blood than I thought on the towels I was blotting the cuts with.
5. I have an unusual fear that while swimming in a lake or the ocean that something is going to bite my toes, so I always swim on my back with my toes in front of me where I can see them.
6. This is funny, because of my last random thing... I once swam in a man made reef full of sharks and other large fish. (Marine Land, snorkeling, and I had fins on my feet, and was wearing a wet suit)

Morgan has been dying to wear her "big girl" dress to
church. I figured the primary program Sunday was as good
a time as any. She felt so grown up!

Stastny FUN FAMILY Day!

If any of you have been paying attention to politics, and interviews with Sarah Palin, you know that we Alaskans received a pretty big Dividend this year. And the fair just happened to fall a few weeks before we got our payout, so we told the kids if they would forgo the whole expensive, crowded, crazy, obnoxious fair thing, then when we got our PFD's we would take them out for a fun Family Day. They loved the idea! So we waited for Matt's next day off, and pulled the kids out of school for the day. We started out at the newly redesigned Toys R Us/ Babies R Us in Anchorage, letting each of the kids pick out a toy under $20. (we weren't letting them go crazy, just a fun treat!) Then we headed over to the mall, for some bowling. Gabe was in heaven! The Chinese restaurant we wanted to go to was in the same mall, so when we were done bowling we headed upstairs to eat lunch. After that, the kids and Matt wanted a trip to Boarders, where we let them once again, each pick out a book. (the stipulation was that it had to be something they could read to themselves...except for Morgan's, cause she doesn't read. But hers even had to be something that Chandler and Gabe could read to her, since that's part of their reading time now) They had a ball. I really love that my kids all love books. We were home by late afternoon, in time to enjoy the wonderful sunshine we got that day, and do a little yard work what with fall upon us, and winter right around the corner. I love these kind of days. Just spending time as a family.

These are a few of my favorite things!

Matt took this picture to document the fact that he got a Turkey.
(ya, I have no idea what that is...as you can tell from my score)

Morgan and I waiting patiently for our turn to bowl.

Morgan waching Gabe as he bowls. (it was kind of funny to watch...like watching the
hunchback of Notradame as he made his approaches.)

Morgan had a 6 lb ball, but it was blue, and so she prefered the pink 8 lb on instead.

Matt bowling a really great game! (bumpers and all!)

Our three little muntkins during lunch at the Chinese Panda