Justice family update!


Halloween was fun we went up to Tim's House, had pizza, trick-or-treated with cousins, loved on Sammy, watched the Yankees, and had a super time!!
Derek had a birthday!!! He is 11!

Tai and Derek played football in the snow on Saturday at Rio Tinto. How fun. How cold. Football is great!

Seth is the process of painting the chicken coop red to 'help the chickens', how thoughtful Seth is.

Luke is Lovin' Preschool, he and Libby let me look at their work first thing when they get into the van.

Bethany is soooo close on her aerial ( a cartwheel with no hands) we are doing positive affirmations daily until the event occurs.

Most importantly we are celebrating our blessings: so many wonderful blessings from above. Thanks be given.

Luke is still in the process of deciding what to be...Spider man, a Clone, Mickey Mouse, and many other ideas have popped into his head. He keeps going back to Spider man which brings me to the subject at hand. Spiders- my roommate in college Miss Tiff taught me the love for those eight legged creatures she would put them outside, not use tissue to squish them and flush them to a wet death. I have passed that onto my children. All went well until Luke read Peter Parker's story and now thinks that spiders have the ability to turn you into an actual spider with amazing powers. Hee hee. He is a huge fan. So now he examines them and decides if they are the 'right kind' whatever that means and I have had to tell them that they are helpful and kill the bad bugs and help us-----until this week we found -yep- a black widow. This is a 'bad' spider and so it was killed and put into a jar for the examination process. We have found out much and have decided it is Halloween and fun to have our dead black widow on the counter to celebrate. (Even to the distaste of Grandma Jean.) Bring on the spiders for the season and then they need to find a new home. "All creatures great and small God created them all."

Oh the webs of life-they are fun!!!!!

I always say that the upcoming season is my favorite, but I so love fall that it really might be the best season. My favorite fall things are canning and seeing the shelves in the pantry filling up, pumpkins, falling leaves (colors, the crunch etc.), the crisp air, football season (watching my boys play), apples, mums, and last but not least the smells.

The smells that excite me for the season:

Apple cider

Cinnamon

Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin Bread

Nutmeg

Jellies cooking

Crisp air outside

maple

Happy smelling to all my dear friends and I sure hope the seeds that were sown in the summer months are bringing you a great harvest!!!!!

What needs straightenin' in Your life?

Well I have pondered on that the last couple weeks mostly due to Derek's new braces. He is a handsome boy with a spectacular 'tin grin.' He looks older and has been a trooper through it all, only one dose of Advil that evening to get through football practice. He is taking on the 'heavy metal' with ease. Our children are growing up.
The straightening that I have focused on is my goals and the woman I want to be for myself, my family, and the Lord. How grateful I am for the Atonement and the tender mercies that exist daily on the behalf of all mankind. If the path I trod is crocked at times or the acts I preform are; I can still hold my head up and press foreword because life is not about straight ways-just finding a way back to His loving arms. I read a poem this morning and the last line says, "Feast on your life." I have never shunned from a nice feast so today I feast on my life-life in general-keeping the things straight: my hair, the mowing lines, my parking of the van, the shoes in my closet (maybe), and my priorities.
Striving to see straight.

Sunny Day Preschool
Here he comes!!!
I cannot believe my baby is going to preschool??? He looks adorable and all, but sakes.... where has the time gone. I am going to hug and kiss all of them lots to today!!!

It is back to school time!!!!
I now have a child in Jr. High and I do not feel any older so go figure. Bethany started 1st grade so that equates to an all day. I do miss her but she is enjoying it-that little smartie! Dek and Seth are now in 5th and 2nd grades. Luke is anxiously awaiting preschool soon and 'his teacher' I am happy for him-though i can't help but wonder where the time is going? How fast they are growing and the changes in each of them, I enjoy seeing the changes and feel blessed to be their mother.

Chris and I were able to experience a piece of "heaven on earth"- in Maui Hawaii. It was beautiful and super nice. We had a fantastic time and loved all of it -honestly I did not want to come back to the lawn mowing- I even asked Chris how he felt about flying the kids to us and staying for another week- we came home but I look forward to sharing that beauty with the kids. Life is carefree (we read one book together and a novel each, tanned/burned, snorkeled, sight-seeing, and swimming in that gorgeous ocean.) there hence the term 'beach bum' was coined. I know the pictures will not serve justice but hope you can share in some of our pleasure.