How much candy do you have for Halloween?

Not quite sure if I'm done. It depends if Rite Aid is done with great sales :) Not quite sure how much out of pocket I spent, but it wasn't much. Couponing has been both an obsession and a blessing. Halloween's past, I would only be able to afford maybe one or two bags of candy, now I can get the necessities, plus some extras without hurting my pocket book. Anyone want to visit my trunk/house for Halloween?

This time, I cannot eat the candy!!!

Bulldog Pride runs deep!

As a belated gift to myself and my family, Damien, Mike and I all went to the Cal Poly vs. Fresno State Football game. Anyone who knows me knows that I love Fresno State Football and I even prefer it over the NFL. This love of Fresno State Football started when I was young going to the games with my dad. Now I'll go to any lengths to catch the score, see highlights, watch, even listen to the game on the radio! Thanks to my hubby he told me about some discounted tickets through work, and I was excited. When we got to our section at the game and kept walking down the steps, closer and closer to the playing field, I was even MORE happy that we had great seats for cheap!! There is so much to see at the games, sometimes it's hard to focus on the game cause you are looking at the replay on the big screen, watching the band, the crowd, or the cheerleaders. One of the highlights was when we found out that we were next to the firework pyros!! We found out during the Star Spangeled Banner! You know...bombs bursting in air..yeah, scared Damien and I! Then the other funny part was when the pyros thought that Fresno State scored a touchdown on the other side of the field, which they didn't, pretty close though, and they set off some fireworks only to find out...No Touchdown. Thankfully minutes later, we scored, and we cued the pyros. One bummer to the game was that the crowd didn't do the RED WAVE! I think that was a first EVER for me. I liked to watch Damien's excitement about being at the game. Even one of the fans a few rows down gave Damien a "high five in the air" after a really good play. That was cool. The crowd was decent 37,000 people, it was hot and humid. I really wanted one of the $5 ice cold lemonades that they were selling though. Then, I didn't get the memo about cutting my shirt. Apparanently, the new fad among the women is to cut the neck out of your shirt so that it hangs off your shoulder, or any other creative thing you can do with a pair of scissors and a shirt...I didn't get pics of that, but what I did get pics of pretty much sums up our fun night!




We WON 38-17!!





All the players come out of an inflated tunnel that they sway back and forth while they are inside anticipating their cue to storm the field. Gotta love their entrance!



The awesome band




Me before doing the Bulldog Fight Song with the band :)




Football players of Bulldog Past



We got there just as the team was going out on to the field. SOOO Coool!! I remember going to Fashion Fair Mall with a team poster in hand and getting the autographs of all the players. I was star struck! Even got my pic taken with Timeout the mascot a few times. When Damien was a little baby he even had his pic taken with Timeout. How about that for a memory!!

Jesse's NEW do

Dad wanted to go and get a haircut after work on Friday and asked if I could give him a ride there so he didn't have to ride his bike home all hairy and sweaty so I said "Yes". Then I thought, "I wonder if the boys would want to get their haircut too at the barber?" So I asked them and only Jesse wanted to. This was Jesse's first ever haircut at a barber and I purposely waited, for one, it's cheaper to do it at home and two, so that he would sit still and not cry. Well, I waited long enough. Jesse sat very still and did not cry at all. After Dad was done getting his haircut, Jesse hopped in the chair and I told the barber to cut his hair just like dad. I know, I have 3 boys and I don't know how to do a fade. I know the concept, but the final product won't be pretty. But for now, I splurged on a $10 haircut, and I think he looks pretty darn cute.







Now I really think Jesse looks like his Dad

Festival de Balloons

Today we made our Annual trip to the Clovis Balloon Festival. With money in hand, Mom stood in the cinnamon roll line that was super long when we arrived at 6:30am. I looked at the line, then looked at my family, and said, "Fine, I will stay in line." I mean, what is the balloon fest without a yummy cinnamon roll?? I think that is the main reason we all woke at 5:30am anyways! And let me tell you...it was sooo worth the wait, and I didn't miss too much of the festivities or photo opprotunities. And since we go every year I try to not take the same pics every time. So this year, I decided to take a picture of the coveted cinnamon rolls (and that way they last longer). This year there seemed to be A LOT more people. And while we were busy eating our cinnamon rolls, the line got a whole lot longer. I enjoyed this tradition as a little girl with my dad, and I am enjoying it even more now with my boys.

Ode to an 11 year old

Today Damien got his new glasses, pretty sharp, huh?! I swear I've seen a picture of my Dad in some glasses like these.



As a sixth grader Damien can now be a student crossing guard after school. After 5 years of watching others, Damien was so excited to finally be able to sign up. He volunteers twice a week. Well, you all know what that means, I just HAD to get a picture of him in action, hopefully without embarassing him. I stood off a ways and took a few pics.

My Boys

Now that Max and Jesse are in Preschool they like to learn now, even at home. Sometimes it is in short bursts, but I will take whatever I can get. As of lately they like me to draw their names with little dashes, then they trace them. On this particular occasion, they wanted me to take a picture.










I'd like to title this picture above "A child after his mother's own heart" and I do heart Fresno State Football! Last night Fresno State played their first game and it wasn't televised, but that didn't stop us from tuning in on the radio for the whole three hours!! And we were all actively listening, especially Damien who begged to wear my red Fresno State shirt. He even sat down and drew a Go Bulldogs sign that he happily placed on top of the radio :) I smiled as I watched him eagerly listen to the game and even texted his dad to tell him. Hopefully, we'll be able to go see one live this season. So back to the picture, we remembered that Damien had a Bulldog shirt from when he was little, so he went and dug it out of the drawer for Max, who happily wore, just like his big bro did 7 years ago. To explain the bandaid over his lip, before this picture was taken him and Jesse were in the bath and well, Mom and Dad were not supervising these little ones as we should have and well, Max looked into the trash and noticed one of Mom's old razors. Since he wants to be like dad, he sat and showed Jesse how to shave. He started bleeding and crying. Jesse consoled him telling him it would be alright as blood oozed down his face. I enter, after Damien altered me to what was going on. After investigating, I found the culprit, (the razor)lying in the bath water behind Max. He insisted on having a bandaid, so we found one small enough. He liked to call it his "mustache". I asked him if he was going to do that again and he said "no". I told him that he can shave when he is a daddy. Probably sooner, but I didn't want to say when you get older and he trys this when he was 5. So I am busted, I do not supervise my children 100% of the time.




Max and Jesse, particularly Jesse loves to wear suit coats. He affectionately calls it his "Mish-mary" jacket (Missionary Jacket). When he says things like, "I want to be a missionary when I grow up" I want to get out the recorder and have it handy for future use. They love our Ward missionaries and like to "gang up" on them with all their energy. They love to go up and say hi to them, and play with them when they come over for dinner. It is my hope that one day they do decide to go on a mission, and they giggle and laugh with other four year olds wanting to be like them. I love Sundays, where my boys can get all dressed up. They look so handsome and grown up. Speaking of Sundays, today, on the way home from church Max and Jesse receited the new scripture from Primary which is, as they said it, "If you love me, keep the commandments." It was so cute, and unexpected. Mike and I just looked at eachother and smiled. Some of the things they say just surprise us, sometimes in a good way, and it's moments like that where there is true "joy in our posterity". And I am so thankful for those moments, they keep me going. They are learning so much these days it is amazing. Like their letters, now that they are in Preschool, they are noticing letters everywhere. And thanks to their teacher, they associate certain letters with kids in their class, like A is for Abrahan and O is for Oscar etc. It is fun to watch them point out letters and make these connections.

It's Never Too Late

I must preface this post with a bit of history about me. 13 years ago I was a Laurel in the Young Women's program at church. I had every opprotunity to earn this award just like every Young Woman, but when I looked through the book I found daunting projects and value experiences that I really could not connect with and felt were of no real significance to do. Plus, I was friends with others who felt the same way as I did, and I received no motivation from them either. Not that I blame them. I felt empowered by making my own decisions by myself and what I felt to be right and good for me in the moment, even while trying to hold on to some of the Gospel principles. Which, over time, I learned you cannot do. You cannot serve two masters. So, I turned my back on the Personal Progress Program, leaders, parents, maybe, even at times, my sisters, all for what I felt to be right. Fast forward through 12 years of ups and major downs, I am called to be a leader in the YW program in my ward. I was very excited to serve with the Young Women, and be able to share my experiences with them. Meeting after meeting, the Spirit would confirm to me the different reasons why I was in this calling, many I know, some I am still learning. I know that I am here to be an example to these girls, share my experiences and encourage them to choose the right. Then one day I found out that leaders could earn their mediallions, the Spirit rushed through me again. I was soo excited. I grabbed my book, and set to work. I set goals, learned how to garden, sewed a blanket for my sister, and read the entire Book of Mormon. Reading the Book of Mormon was the final requirement that I needed to complete, which stretched me the most. After 2 years of working on my Personal Progress, I found myself standing by the pulpit at church while the Bishop read my certificate, tears welling up in my eyes, as I awaited to receive my Young Womanhood Recognition. I have a strong testimony of the Personal Progress Program and the Value Experiences the YW, Leaders, even their Mothers and Grandmothers are asked to complete. I learned more about myself and my Savior. I often have flashbacks, wanting to feel, what these YW feel for the program, mutual, Girls Camp, Temple Trips etc., but when I look back, the excitment they have wasn't there. But, now it is. I am thankful for this time being in YW and being able to replace all those memories with happier ones, and to top it off, the void of not receiving my mediallion has now been filled. I was able to share this day with the YW I serve (3 of which also earned their mediallions too), and most of all I got to share this moment with my husband and my boys. I know my Heavenly Father was smiling down on me, I know I couldn't have done it without him. Even though I've earned my award the principles I learned, I am still actively striving to be better at.