Tennessee Memories

The great thing about going to Tennessee to celebrate Thanksgiving with Uncle Allen (Mommy's older brother), and his family is that we didn't just have fun doing fun things together, laughing together, and sharing our gratitude with each other; we will have these memories to hold onto forever.

One of the fun things that we did in Tennessee was ice-skating!!!

It was so cool to see Will slipping and sliding at first, but by the end he was working on going faster, not slipping and sliding! As we left the rink Will said, " I need ice-skating lessons Mommy. I want to get better at it." I am glad Will knows that if you want to get better at something, you have to do the work!

Brooke always seems so happy when she is ice-skating. Brooke had fun taking turns holding all of her cousins hands while skating, and I especially enjoyed skating hand in hand with my princess.

Will's Special Lunch

Will enjoyed having Grandma Pack at his " Grandparents and Special Friends Feast". Grandma Pack took Will to the Book Fair afterwards!

Will says he is thankful for : His family, his bed, his cats, water, friends, school, church and for our planet that we live on.

God's at Work in Kevin's Work

November is always an exciting month for Kevin because it marks another year that his company survived and had success. It is also the month that Kevin was born although I am never supposed to mention his birthday, we are so thankful he was born. ;)

Kevin is a very hard worker who never gives up! Brooke and Will are blessed with a great example in their Father of determination. Even with all the odds against him as ninety percent of small business fail, Kevin's company made the thirteen-year anniversary this November.

More than anything in regards to this feat, I am deeply thankful that this year, I believe it is quite obvious that God has graciously been at work in helping Kevin in his work.

Kevin and I must be going on lots of dates to celebrate this because when listing what they think Mommy likes a few days ago, Will said, " One of Mommy's favorite things to do is go on dates!, oh and she prays all day like Enos." HAHA!!!

I am glad Brooke and Will know that despite working a lot and working hard, Daddy can look forward to dates with Mommy, when of course she can take a break from " praying like Enos, all day!"

Happy Birthday Kevin on Nov.15th! The doctor said you had the heart of a thirty-year old!!! That must be because you party like your in your twenties. ;)

Thankful for Brooke

My blessings are abundant with this little girl as my daughter. Brooke, Kevin and I enjoyed a lunch just for Brooke this past week on " Grandparents and Special Friends Day ". Since this is Brooke's last year in elementary school, it was even extra special.


The things that Brooke said that she is most thankful for this year are:


Her family, friends, air, food, water, her cats, Harry Potter, The Gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, going to school, reading, seeing, touching, hearing, smelling, all the people around, technology, her room, choir, clothes, pizza, Oreo milkshakes, and being silly.

$$ MR.SCROOGE $$

Lately I have been referring to Will as Mr.Scrooge.
Will has been asking if he can either have the money in my wallet, or if he can earn some money by cleaning something for me? On a few occasions Will has talked his Dad into taking him to his office to clean it, and earn money that way; but Daddy's hourly rate is not nearly as generous as Mommy's. ;)

Will has been successful on both accounts because he is so convincing at times. ;)

Will has been saving up all of these dollars that he earns, and every few days he randomly says, " Can You please take me to the bank? " The bank seems to have become one of Will's favorite places!

But, the reason I have been calling Will Mr.Scrooge is not because he likes to go to the bank, and make money, it is because he wants to go to the bank, he waits in line so patiently, and asks the Bank Teller to turn his dollars into. "golden" dollar coins for him. Will then takes the dollar coins home, stacks them up, and stares at them, plays with them, shines them, and enjoys them! So, I have been calling him Mr.Scrooge....

Well the Mr.Scrooge in my house took me by surprise a few days ago with his own change of heart in regards to his " golden coins ".

As I picked Brooke and Will up from school a few days ago Will announced right as he entered the car,
" I do not have as much money as I used to."

Brooke and I were surprised and said, " Where did your money go Will?"

Will began to explain that two of his classmates were acting very poorly during story time that day. Will even showed us by mimicking the children with flailing arms and legs in the back seat of our car. He said, " I didn't want them to act so bad, so I told them that if they acted good the rest of the day, I would pay them each one dollar. "

Brooke and I were trying to keep straight faces at that point...

Will continued, " Only one of them behaved better the whole day, so I only had to pay him. Now I have one dollar less. "

Will says that he didn't want the children to misbehave for the teacher, but I think Will is also smart, and was trying to show these other classmates who " he " thinks is in charge, or should be anyways! Haha!

Needless to say Mr.Scrooge did show some compassion to his teacher in his own way, but he is still getting onto me for cleaning up his stacks of coins off my tables each day as he returns from school.

I just know how much he enjoys stacking those " gold coins" back up....$$$$

Brooke helps Will with his talk

 Upon finding out that I was going to help Will write and give a three min. talk on reverence this Sunday, Brooke excitedly told me that she would help Will and that she wanted to help him in the Primary Room as he would speak in the microphone as well. Brooke got Will so excited for his talk that when we walked into Sacrament Meeting today, Will said as we went to sit down on the benches, " But, I thought I got to sit up there today to give my talk! " He was ready to speak infront of the whole congreagation, not just the Primary children! 

It was very sweet to watch Brooke passionately teach Will about what it meant to be reverent this morning, but if you sat behind us during that first hour of church today, you would have thought roudy aliens had overtaken my sweet children's bodies! I even reminded them, " I thought you both knew what it means to be reverent now that Will is speaking on it! " 

Brooke immeaditely said sorry. 

Brooke is such a kind, and nurturing sister, but she isn't that way only to her brother. Brooke often tells me about other children that she worries about at school and that she tries to help feel more accepted. 

I am so thankful to have Brooke to teach and set a good example to her brother, amd all of us. 

Will as Harry Potter

Brooke at ten-years old now has the need for glasses.
Brooke didn't mind getting glasses at all, but Will was very disturbed by the new lenses that Brooke would be styling.

Will said things like, " But if Brooke wears glasses then I will not recognize her anymore. "

And, " But, it isn't fair if Brooke gets to look like Harry Potter and I don't! "

Well, Will didn't talk me into it....

But, When we were picking up Brooke's glasses Will was running back and forth from the mirror with smile on face, ( and what he felt looked just like Harry Potter's glasses on his face) , to sad brown eyes in front of me, as he asked if I would buy him some frames too?

The lady at the store pulled Will aside after watching the show for awhile, she said, " You know what? I have a pair of Harry Potter brand glasses that would go great with your Halloween costume. "

This woman didn't know that Will just wanted to look like Harry Potter everyday!

But, Will took the suggestion and he said, " Yes! I have to have Harry Potter glasses for my Halloween costume this year! " ( He already had a new Iron Man costume ready to go. )

Will got his wish....

The associate at the store said she had lots of demo glasses, and that Will could just have that Harry Potter brand that had no prescription in it, and that she had on display.

Will was so excited that night that he wanted to wear the glasses to bed. I talked him into setting them right next to his pillow instead.

Luckily Will kept it real as he borrowed Brooke's Hermione costume from the previous Halloween, and he was Harry Potter this year as he trick-or-treated.