Halloween

Halloween was pretty fun this year. Lizette went as Little Red Riding Hood and Lexi was a Queen.  I thought it would be fun if I dressed up as a grandma and Jeff could be the big bad wolf. But Lizette said "No Mom, you should be a witch...a wicked witch."  (One can only wonder if this has something to do with the taking away of her toys.)  Anyway, she was pretty set on the idea and I figured a witch costume would be easier to put together than a grandma. She really wanted Jeff to be a handsome prince, but we didn't manage to find a costume for him. Of course, we all know he needs no costume, being the handsome prince he is naturally! He did get to take them trick or treating and they had a lot of fun. Lexi got scared at one house that was all decked out with scary things in their yard and animated stuff going on. Poor little queen! 

Lizette's preschool had a Halloween party and the kids put on an adorable little program. I took cupcakes and felt a little out of place because there was only one other parent in a costume. Oh well. Lizette seemed to be happy that I had dressed up.  

Off to Trick or Treat with Dad!

As always, we got a TON of trick-or-treaters. We went through 16 bags of candy and had to post a "sorry--out of candy" sign on our door by 8:00!  Crazy!  I answered the door in my witch costume and the kids seemed to like that. I scared a few little ones though...sorry! Someone even had me pose for a picture with their kids. That was pretty fun. I think I'll dress up again next year. It was fun to get a response out of people with my scariness. :)

Beautiful Heartbreak

This is beautiful. One of my favorite people that I've never met, Stephanie Nielsen, is in it. 

It's a beautiful song and beautiful message.

New on the Blog list...and a couple other things

I found this Blog, Real Mom Kitchen and I have added it to my blog list. If you haven't visited before I would highly recommend it. I've been looking through her recipes the past couple of days and she has some good ones. Mostly pretty simple too, which for me is very important! And I like that her blog is very easy to navigate.

P.S. I am currently working! Crazy, right? Thanks to my friend Trina, I got a little part-time, temporary job transcribing interviews for a grad student. Kind of nice right before Christmas to earn a little extra Santa money. And it's a little bit fun to be working I must say! I don't think I would want to make a habit of it or anything because I'm staying up pretty late most nights to get it done. But it's kind of nice to have that feeling of contributing to something and earning money.

P.S.S. Lizette's behavior is much improved since the taking away of her toys. She has even begun to do extra things like make hers and Lexi's bed without me asking her. She even put Lexi down for her nap today and said she wanted to do extra things like that to help me so that she could earn more of her toys back. Well, I guess we're on the right track. At least she knows that good behavior nets good rewards. It's sort of funny that Lizette is on this sort of probation period. She is taking it so seriously but half the time I'm thinking...she is such a good girl overall...maybe I'm being too harsh? I can't imagine what measures I'm going to have to take with Lexi someday! Boarding school? The girl scares me sometimes!

Anyway, good night!

The Primary Program

Once a year, our church has the children in the primary sing and basically do all of the speaking for our entire sacrament meeting. Each child who wants to participate gets a part to say and in between speaking parts, the children sing the songs they have learned in primary over the last year. I think for most churches, Christmas and Easter brings out a bigger crowd. That is somewhat true for ours, but the largest crowd without fail turns out for the primary program. Parents and grandparents are beaming and watching every little move their child makes. The kids are always so cute and it's a lot of fun to see.

This year was Lizette's first chance to have a part in the program. Her part was "Following His plan will bring me happiness." We practiced this for weeks before along with practicing the songs. She was well prepared but I was nervous for her because I knew it would be pretty scary to get up in front of that big crowd and say her part all by herself. I would be scared!

She nailed it!

She got up there, spoke right into the microphone and said her part, word for word,without any help. Of course, I was so proud of her, but more than anything I was so thrilled for her! That was a major thing my shy little thing did. She was so proud and happy that she did it all by herself. What a confidence boost for her.

Way to go Lizette!

A More Perfect Union

It's no secret that I love Jeff and think he is the greatest husband and father. I know that Divine intervention brought us together and he is the perfect guy for me. We get along great, support each other, laugh often and I couldn't be happier. Yes, we drive each other crazy sometimes and yes, we definitely have our 'moments'. But for the most part, our marriage is a lot of fun.

I've mentioned before that Jeff has a slight addiction to gadgetry and tech products. Actually, I would say it is an extreme addiction. I've even considered doing an intervention. Honestly, I've never seen anything quite like this before. He may love his iPad just a little bit more than me and that is no joke! 

So what is a girl to do? I can't just stand on the sidelines and let these Apple products one-up me. I did inherit his iPod Touch and that has been pretty nice. So I decided to officially join his world of gadget loving madness. Today, I am the proud owner of a beautiful, white iPhone4S.

And you know what? I love it! How could anyone not love this thing! The SIRI feature is like having your own personal assistant. I love this and it makes me feel very important. I just pick up my phone and say "Siri, please send Jeff Rigby a text message." She says, "What would you like this text message to say?" And I tell her the message, and she sends it. Then I say, "Thank you" and she says "Your satisfaction is all the thanks I need." This. is. awesome!

I think our marriage has just been taken to the next level. I can picture us running through a meadow, holding hands with our iPhones in the other hand. It's a beautiful thing. 

Fun at the Park

We went down to Ann Morrison Park last night. Our primary objective was to get in some fun park time as well as stroll along the Greenbelt and take in the beautiful fall foliage. I also wanted to practice for our upcoming Christmas card photo shoot that Jeff is going to do. So Jeff brought along his camera and got some great pics. He even turned the camera over to me so that I could snap some of he and the girls. We all had a fun time and it was a great evening! I love this time of year. I love walking the Greenbelt. I love Boise. And I love my family!

P.S. Every time I visit any of the Boise parks, it reminds me of how much I wish my brother Paul could move here and be in charge of them. He does this for a living in Nashville and does a great job, but I really think the Boise parks would be the perfect place for him. ;) 

Aunt Abby

I think I've said before how much the girls love their Aunt Abby. She calls them. She spoils them. She tells them stories. She gets so excited about their accomplishments. Did I mention that she spoils them? She loves them and they love her. 

She travels 35+ weeks out of the year and so her weeks at home are very valued. Last week she took some of that time off to fly to Boise and help celebrate the girls' birthdays. How nice is that?! The girls were thrilled that she was here and had so much fun with her. She bought them these cute pink tents, which are currently being held ransom until Lizette earns them back for good behavior. sorry Abby. ;) She took Lizette out for a fun date to see the Lion King in 3D. She won Lexi over to the point where Lexi not only went to her but did so willingly and on her own. 

Yes, the girls love their Aunt Abby and so do I!

By the way, Abby looks fantastic, don't you think? She has the most beautiful gray hair (I hope I have that gene!), she's super thin and as always very style savvy. If anyone who reads this has a rich uncle you would like to set her up with, she is available. I'm just sayin'...she's got it going on! 

Pink Heaven 

Lizette took a picture of us sisters