10 Years Ago Today

Brenner tagged me in a picture on Facebook today along w/ Riley & Willard to let us know that exactly 10 years ago today we all entered the MTC to start our missions.  I can’t even believe that it’s been 10 years!  Where has the time gone?  It only seems like a few years ago!  In this picture I am in Rufio’s living room packing up all the belongings I would use for the  next 18 months.

This was at the MTC before I said a tearful goodbye to my family.  I wouldn’t get to see them for the next 18 months.  Look at how young Nick & Nate look!  I was starting off on the journey of a lifetime.  I had no idea what type of hardships I would face.  I had no idea how hard it would be.  I also had no idea how amazing and life changing it would be.

I had no idea who my companion would be.  I met Willard, Brenner & Riley that first day when we all got to the room we would share.  (I have no idea who that guy is that’s waving behind us).  Would I like these girls?  Would we get along?  Were they nice?  We had so many great experiences together.

Looking back at my time in the MTC & the time I spent in Slovenija, I don’t regret serving a mission at all.  That’s not to say there weren’t awful and horrible days.  There were many tears shed over those 18 months.  But there was also incredible growth, learning, maturing, and memories made.  I think about my mission everyday.  It is by far one of the greatest things I’ve done and one of the best experiences of my life.

I am thankful that I’ve been doing Project Life w/ my mission.  It’s allowed me to relive all the great things that transpired over those 18 months.  I had forgotten about all the little meaningful things.  It’s been wonderful to relive all those moments.  It will be fun to look back 10 years from now and see what the next decade brings.

6 Month Old Driving A Truck???

Today at work it was SO BUSY!  This is what just one side of my desk looked like, which is NOT NORMAL.  I had papers all over and I was trying to juggle doing 5 things at once.  I didn’t even get a chance to notice what time it was and all of a sudden I was really hungry.  It was already 1:30!  I didn’t have my normal Smart Ones frozen pizza to microwave and eat for lunch.  One of the guys said he was going to go get some Chinese food for lunch and said he would get me some.  I’ve helped him type up some bids b/c he is not good at typing at all.  That was so nice of him to do and made my day.

When I got off at 5:00 I called Mom to see what the plan for dinner was.  She said they had eaten a late lunch and Andrew was asking for pizza.  So, she called in an order to Papa John’s and I stopped and picked it up on my way home.  I went and got Autumn and we told everyone to come outside so we could have a pizza picnic on top of the fort.  We got drinks and blankets and even brought Emma up there with us.

Papa took of Jackson’s onesie and gave him a piece of crust and let him go to town.  Jackson was SO HAPPY and gummed that crust to slime.

He is the happiest little baby and is ADORABLE w/ those great big blue eyes.  Lexie said this was the first time he was sitting up by himself!  She was sitting close to grab him on the few times that he toppled over.

He is so good at rolling around.  He knew that the good stuff was in the boxes, so he kept rolling to wherever we would move them.  He would grab at them and try to open them.  This is a kid after my own heart.

Autumn & Andrew are getting to the point that they don’t want to hug and kiss anymore, so I figured since they were in a good mood I would try and get the traditional “sitting-on-the-steps-in-the-back-yard-hug-and-kiss” picture.  Autumn was really loving that I made her sit next to Andrew and put her arm around him.  LOL!

Luckily Andrew was being a cutie and was willing to try and kiss her even though she was being a stink pot and kept leaning away from him or turning her head.

He finally broke through her icy exterior and was able to get her to kiss him back.

We had to add Jackson in for his first picture on the backyard steps.  Too bad you can’t see Andrew’s face.  We tried to get some more where I could see his face, but then Jackson wasn’t looking or Autumn had her eyes closed.

Not only are we starting Jackson young on doing the traditional steps picture, we’re starting him young on driving the truck.  How many 6 month olds get a Ford F-150 to drive?  Look at that big huge smile on his face.  Lexie & Jon are in big trouble!

It started to get dark, so we came in the house and watched Jack & Jill, which Mom had rented from Red Box.  It was so incredibly stupid that it was funny.  I wasn’t watching it w/ my undivided attention, so I just caught bits and pieces, but there were a few times that I laughed super hard.  I was shocked at how many stars there were in it.

Before I knew it, it was already 9:00!  Autumn & I rushed home and did our night time routine and then Nick got home at 9:30 and I went over to Karri’s to watch The Bachelor.  I wasn’t surprised when Ben proposed to Courtney.  I felt so bad that Lindzi got hurt, but I bet now that she’s had a chance to watch the whole season she’s so happy Ben didn’t pick her.  She for sure dodged a bullet on that one!

What shocked me the most was when they turned everything around on Ben during “After The Final Rose.”  How did Courtney become the victim and Ben become the bad guy (although I still think he’s a schmuck and don’t like him) in that situation?  Why was Chris asking Courtney if she could ever trust Ben again scine he “abandoned” her?  What a crock!  He “abandoned” her b/c she was rotten to the other girls and lied to him and his mom and his sister about it.  Then when Chris gave him the ring and asked him what he wanted to do with it?  What was Ben supposed to say and do?  Good ridden to bad rubbish I say.  I loved watching it w/ the ladies b/c of being able to get together and talk.  Now we’ll have to find something else to watch so we can still get together.

Sunday Smoothies

This morning we got up and Autumn wanted pancakes.  We decided to make it fun and add some green food coloring for a nod to St. Patrick’s Day.  We watched some TV & Autumn was playing w/ her dolls.  I kept asking Nick what time it was and he would check his phone and tell me it as 9:30, then 9:50, then 10:20.  Just a few minutes after he told me it was 10:20, he hit the  info button on the TV to see what a show was about and I noticed the TV said 11:35.  I checked my phone and it also said 11:35.  That’s when it hit me that I had forgotten it was daylight savings!  Autumn & I rushed around to shower and get ready for church.  I had Nick take our usual before church picture.  My hair looks silly b/c I always clip it up like that so it can dry and have some volume when I take it down.

Church was good and Autumn even got to be the reverent child in Primary.  She just had to stand up at the front of the room before Primary started and fold her arms and be quiet and set a good example for the other kids.  I taught a lesson in Young Women’s on Growing & Developing In Self Reliance.  We only had 4 girls there today b/c it’s Spring Break this coming week.  But, it was good and I love getting their input and have them do more talking about the Gospel than I do.

After church we went straight over to Mom & Dad’s house.  Mom had made a roast and carrots and potatoes and gravy.  Mom said that Lexie & Andrew & Jackson were on their way up to spend the week.  We thought they were coming tomorrow, and Autumn was THRILLED that Drew was coming to play today.  They got here and we helped them unload all their stuff out of the car and then they ate while we sat and got caught up w/ each other.  I was showing Lexie something on the computer and I started playing “When We’re Together” on the laptop and Autumn came RUNNING from out of the back room and said she wanted to dance.  I danced w/ her for a little bit and then when Lexie started dancing w/ Andrew I had Nick dance w/ Autumn so I could get a picture.

Autumn & I rushed home at 6:15 to be here for our home teachers to come over at 6:30.  I had forgotten my phone before we left for church, so as soon as we walked in the door I checked my phone to see if I had missed any calls or texts.  Sure enough, our home teacher had called to say they couldn’t make it tonight.  So, we changed into our jammies and went back over to Mom & Dad’s so Autumn could play w/ Drew some more.

Lexie & I started watching the free On Demand episodes of Once Upon A Time.  I’ve only seen snippets of it here and there, so it was nice to sit and watch full episodes and get more of the story line.  For dinner the kids said they wanted some mac & cheese and then it was time for smoothies from Papa.  It’s been a while since we’ve done that.

Both of the kids have to taste test the smoothies to see if they are good or not before they can hand them out to everyone.  We came home and I put Autumn right to bed b/c it said 9:00 on the clock.  I was worried she wouldn’t go to sleep b/c her body was still thinking it was only 8:00, but I know that will catch up w/ her in the morning.  I’m hoping she won’t be a bear to wake up in the morning.

I did a load of her laundry, loaded and started the dishwasher, edited pictures, blogged, and had episodes of Friends on in the background.  This weekend went by way too fast and I’m hoping tomorrow at work isn’t as crazy busy as Friday was.

Just Dancin’ & Splashin’ In The Rain

This morning we had a lazy morning, had some cereal for breakfast, and then I got cleaned up for the day and we went over to Mom & Dad’s.  I was going to go to the temple, but Karri sent me an email w/ a link to scriptures4kids.com and Autumn & I sat and explored the website for a few hours.  Plus, Dad was gone to work and Mom was busy working on genealogy.  She had a great time playing the games on that website and learning more about the scriptures.

It started raining earlier, so after lunch we went outside to enjoy the rain.  Autumn wanted to use an umbrella and dance around.  We tried putting leaves in a little stream running down the driveway to see if they would float down, but it didn’t work.  I think the pretty pink blossoms on this tree are so pretty, especially w/ Autumn’s contrasting bright blue umbrella.

She got this little umbrella w/ a picnic table for her Barbies and pretending to use it in the rain.  We were both laughing so hard.

She wanted to go on walk, so we walked down to the bridge to see if the stream was full of water or not.  There was a little more water than usual, but it wasn’t very full.

On the walk back home, I told her she could go jump in this big puddle in one of our neighbor’s driveway.  At first she wasn’t sure about it b/c I usually don’t let her do things like this.  Once she realized I was really going to let her, she jumped in w/ full and wild abandon.

It was so fun as her Mama to watch her having such a great time.  I need to let her do stuff like this more often.

I just can’t get over this gorgeous popcorn tree in the neighbor’s yard w/ the yellow daffodils and bird feeders.  It makes me happy.

We hurried and went home so Autumn could get out of her wet clothes.  Luckily Mimi  keeps an extra pair of jammies in the laundry room so Autumn was able to change into those.  I also made her some Friendship Tea (it’s not real tea) to help warm her up.  She was living the high life just relaxing on Mim’s bed wrapped up in a warm blanket.

When Papa got home from work, Mimi said she had gotten a book for Papa & Autumn to read together.  She did a great job “reading” it b/c it has a lot of repetition.  I have been having her read certain words when we read the Book of Mormon at night.  I’ll stop every time we come across the words, “and, the, to” and then let her figure out which one it is and say it.  It’s helping her to pay attention to what we’re reading and how to read.  She’s doing great.

We came home and I put her to bed and then worked on my 2010 Project Life.  Usually I stay up late on the weekends since I don’t have to get up for work.  But, I was tired around 11:00, so I called it a night and went to bed.

Toss Your Cares & Curls Away

First of all, does anyone know what musical that quote is from, “Toss your cares and curls away?”  It’s one of my favorites.  Tonight after work/school, we went to Mom & Dad’s and had dinner and then just vegged and watched TV.  It was much needed b/c today at work it was INSANE!  I had 6 things come up all at once and I was stressed to the max.  I have been asking Mom for a few weeks to cut my hair and tonight was finally the night.  It has been a long time since I’ve cut it and the ends were getting frizzy and yucky.

I had Mom cut off about 6 inches.  Then I had her layer the top so it would have more volume.  I’m so glad to have her so I don’t have to pay lots of money to have it done at a salon.

This is what it looked like when she was done.  It may not look drastically different, but it feels so different and I LOVE IT!  It feels so light and when it dries, it will shrink up even more.  I’m excited to style it tomorrow after I shower to see how it looks.

Mom made this quilt 8 years ago for a kid that had a lighthouse themed bedroom.  He is now 16 and has loved it and used it so much that it is literally coming apart at the seams.  You can’t tell from this picture, but it is so worn out and thin.  But, that’s just what every quilter wants to hear…that their quilt has been used and loved.  Mom is going to see if she can try and fix it up or repair it.

I told Autumn Bottom it was time to go home and to put on her coat.  This is what she did.  LOL!  Maybe she’s starting a new fashion trend of keeping warm yet also being able to carry around a doll at the same time.  She’s so fashion forward.

A Cavity Filling & A Root Canal

The last time I went to the dentist, he said that I had 2 big cavities that needed to be taken care of.  On Monday one of those teeth that has the cavity started to hurt, so I set up an appt for this morning at 8:30.  After they took some x-rays, I grabbed my camera phone while the dental assistant was in the other room and took this picture.  This will be a cool one to include in my Project Life.  Anyways, what was supposed to be 2 cavity fillings turned into a cavity and root canal.  They filled my top cavity just fine.  Then when they cleaned out my cavity on the bottom molar, the dentist said the pulp started bleeding and wouldn’t stop which indicates that it was too close to the root.  So, he sat me up in the chair and explained it to me and got my approval to start a root canal.

I was there from  8:30 to 11:30, and he had to renumb the bottom tooth twice.  He said the local anesthesia usually lasts for 4 hours, but my body must absorb anesthesia fast b/c it only lasted 2 hours.  Anyways, he did a great job and I am SO GLAD that my dental insurance finally kicked in after a year of having to pay for all of my dental work I had to have done.  I stopped and got a shake before going to work b/c I hadn’t had anything to eat yet and I was afraid to chew since my tongue felt like it was super fat.  It’s such a weird sensation to only feel the left side of my tongue while the right side was all numb.

You would think that I never brush my teeth or floss w/ how many cavities and root canals I’ve had.  It’s not true, though.  I even carry floss in my purse b/c I floss at work sometimes.  I’ve decided it’s b/c I never had braces or major dental work as a kid, so now it’s my turn to sit in the dentist’s chair a lot.

It was interesting trying to talk on the phone while the right side of my mouth was numb, but I made it through the day w/out biting my tongue.  Tonight after dinner, we watched the Hudson River Landing & Japan Tsunami footage on TV.  We were all just in shock and kept saying how surreal all of it was.  Mom & I were so tense and stressed just from watching it from the comfort of our living room, so I can’t imagine how awful it would have been to actually live through those events.  Even Autumn was entranced by it and couldn’t stop watching.

When she heard that the tsunami happened in Japan she became very concerned and said we needed to call Uncle Nate and tell him to run fast and to climb a tall tree!  We explained to her that this happened last year and that Uncle Nate was safe and wasn’t near the tsunami.  I thought that was sweet of her to be worried for him, and smart of her to think of Nate when she heard Japan.

We came home and I put her to bed, and then went to bed at 10:00.  Usually I stay up later than that, but I was super tired and just called it a night.  The extra sleep will do me (and the bags under my eyes) good.

Autumn’s First Stitches

Today at 3:35 I got a call on my cell phone and the Caller ID came up as “College” so I knew I needed to answer it.  It was the director calling to tell me that Autumn & her class were dancing around on the rug, and she tripped and got a rug burn on her chin.  The director said it wasn’t bleeding, but she just wanted me to know.

Mom called around 4:10 and said she was going to go pick up Autumn since she was in the area.  She said they would just keep Autumn while I went to Young Women’s so I could have some alone time to get stuff done before Young Women’s.  I told her about Autumn’s owie and told her to have Dad just look at it and see if it was bad or not.

I called Mom when I got off of work at 5:00 to see if Autumn’s chin was bad or not.  She said it wasn’t bad, but the more we talked she finally told me that they were going to the clinic so she could get some stitches.  I didn’t freak out and just told her I would meet them there.

I got there and expected to hear bloody murder screams, but it was quiet.  I found the room they were in and Dad was cleaning out the wound.  Autumn was all wrapped up in a sheet so she couldn’t thrash around.  Mom said I had just missed the bloody murder screaming by a few minutes.  Mom was holding her head and a nurse was holding her torso and legs.  They said she had been like a bucking bronco when Dad gave her the shots to numb the area.

Dad started sewing it up and we talked to her to distract her.  He had numbed the area, but she let out a loud yell so he must have hit a spot that wasn’t numb.

He ended up putting in 3 stitches.  She was crying and upset and kept saying she wanted to go home and that she wanted her Mama even though I was standing right there.  But, she didn’t freak out like I thought she would.  She actually handled it like any 5 year old would.

This is Sunshine, who was awesome at helping out.  She kept telling Autumn she was doing great and that she was such a big girl.  We LOVE Sunshine.

After they were all done Autumn got up and came right over to me.  I can’t think of a worse feeling in the world than seeing my Autumn Bottom hurt and not being able to do anything about it.  But, on the other hand it felt so good to know that I was able to comfort her.

After we snuggled for a minute, she went to look in the mirror at her sweet new stitches.  She also got pampered w/ candy, stickers, suckers, and a push up popsicle.  Dad let her pick where to go to dinner, and of course she picked McDonald’s.  She had fun running around after she ate.  I was so worried she would fall and bust her chin open again, but she didn’t.

I sent Sis. Lee a text and told her I wasn’t going to make it to the activity tonight b/c Autumn was still a little shaken up and wanted me to stay w/ her.  We came home and she wanted to just snuggle on the couch and watch a “kid’s show.”  The only thing on was Sponge Bob, so we watched that and then she wanted to go play w/ her dolls.

I had a hankerin’ for something sweet and Mom had bought a bag of Andes mints pieces.  So, I made Steve’s Out Of This World cookies and used the mint pieces instead of chocolate chips.  Pure heaven!

Hopefully this is the first, last, and only time that she’ll need them.  I only had to have stitches once when I was in high school.  We were doing a dress rehearsal for Taming of the Shrew and as I walked off stage, a guy holding a wooden stick turned around to say something and hit me right smack in the forehead.  I didn’t realize what had happened at first, b/c it happened so fast and shocked me.  I reached up to feel where I got hit and my fingers were covered in blood.  If I remember right, I only needed like 5 stitches, but it did bleed A LOT.  I went to the nurses station and she called Mom and Mom took me to the ER. 

Also, Dad was out of town and it seemed like all bad medical things happened while Dad was out of town.  I’m thankful Dad was in town for Autumn’s first stitches.    I am so thankful that Autumn Bottom is ok and that she had the best stitcher upper in the world do her stitches.  I hope her scar will heal well and not impact her modeling career.  LOL!

TV Tuesday

Not a whole lot happened tonight.  Mom said that everyone was on their own tonight.  So, Autumn & I went to McDonald’s and I used a coupon that if you buy a salad, you get a kid’s meal for free.  After Autumn played for a while, we came home and got into jammies and then watched the Biggest Loser.  You can’t see it in this picture, but Autumn got her doll all set up w/ a pillow and blanket that she put in between us.

I keep waiting for them to announce when Biggest Loser Season 14 tryouts are going to be.  I really want to try out, so if you hear anything let me know.

Tender Mercy Tuesday

I don’t know why, but I have just felt “off” for the past week.  Work is still busy, but not as stressful.  I guess I’m just in a little bit of a funk.  I was so behind on my Google Reader that I had over 200 posts to read!  That was probably part of what was adding to my stress and frustration.  Anyways, I was finally able to get the number below 100 by just skimming through the posts of blogs I don’t read every day.

One blog I LOVE to read and didn’t just skim through was One Happy Mama.  I LOVE her Project Life posts.  I LOVE the way she writes.  I LOVE all of the inspiration she shares, etc.  Anyways, she did a giveaway of the new Color Combo No 4 Digital Kit that she designed w/ another talented lady.  I was so behind that she announced the giveaway winners on February 26th and I didn’t know I had won.

I emailed her and explained that I have been really busy (even though I know we all are) with work and then have been dealing w/ a stressful personal situation.  She wrote back and said of course I could still claim my prize and that she understood how life can get busy.

I don’t think Kristina realized how much her kindness meant to me.  It literally brought me to tears.  She made my whole day.  I am so amazed by people like her that have a crazy amount of talent and are willing to share that talent.  I can’t even express how thankful I am for (what may seem like a small thing to others) such a tender mercy.

Project Life Tuesday ~ Weeks 8 & 9

I wanted to share my process for how I set up my Project Life folders.  I put a 00 in front of the name of this folder so that it shows up first on my list.  I want the current 2012 to be at the top and not 2011 or 2010 or my mission.  Then in that folder, I create sub-folders for each week.  I do the dates so I know which pictures to put where.  I try to make sure and update which picture(s) I want to use and print for each day.  If I ever get behind (which happens quite a bit) then I can always open the folders and see what days I am missing.

I finally got some pictures developed at WalMart yesterday.  My folder system above made it so easy to go into the folders for the days I hadn’t printed yet and I just uploaded my pictures, ordered them online, and went and picked them up tonight when Autumn & I went there to get a few groceries.

Anyways, here is Week 8 and as you can see, I did a lot of collages again.  I LOVE being able to fit in lots of pictures for one day w/ out having to add extra inserts.  It saves lots of money, plus I like to try and keep each year contained in just 2 binders.  The top picture of the house has a note underneath it.  It was a note from Autumn’s teacher about her doing really well that day, so I cut it out of her daily school sheet and just slipped it into the pocket w/ the unrelated photo for that day.

Here is my Week 9, and as you can see I have 2 blank journaling cards.  It got too late last night to write on them, and I am a few days behind.  But, that doesn’t bother me at all b/c I know I can easily get caught up on those 2 days tonight or even sometime later this week.  I am not always “caught up” w/ my pictures being printed at the same time my journaling cards are filled out and vice versa.  Most of the time I have the journaling cards filled out, but not the pictures printed yet.  I don’t worry or stress about it, b/c I know eventually it will all be caught up and at the end of the year I’ll have an incredible keepsake of memories.

On the 6th journaling card spot, I cut out a little flyer from the Woman At The Well program Mom & I went and saw at church.  I just slipped it in on top of the journaling card.  I am trying to do that more often…save things that go along w/ pictures I am taking or things I am doing.  I have found business cards are a fun thing to use.  I went to the dentist a few weeks ago and put one of his business cards in the same slot as the journaling.  I got a business card for my favorite jewelry place and also stuck that in a journaling slot.

Below are links to some videos I have done.  Nothing fancy, just some things I have found that work for me with Project Life.  Feel free to watch if you have some time.

Project Life Video 1
What products I use

Project Life Video 2
Using Flip Flaps

Project Life Video 3
How I maximize the space on journaling cards

Project Life Video 4
3 different ways I incorporate more than 1 picture a day in my Project Life

As usual, I am linked up over at The Mom Creative.

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!

Chili Cheese Burrito Memories

I forgot to include this picture from Saturday when we were at Ross.  I thought the forks & spoons were plastic but they were metal.  It would be fun to put this in a kitchen, but since I would rather spend my $ on clothes I decided to get those instead of this.  That’s one of the things that pictures are for…to remember things I like but didn’t buy.

Tonight after dinner we had FHE & Autumn led the music w/ 2 hands like a conductor.  It was really funny.  Mom did a great lesson on the Holy Ghost.  Then Autumn sat in her little wooden chair and was showing us pictures out of the Gospel Art book and was pretending to be a teacher.  I got a cute picture of her doing that, but forgot I didn’t have an SD card in the camera.  So, it recorded the pic on the built-in drive of the camera.  That would have been fine, except I can’t find the cord to plug my camera into my laptop.  So, those pictures will just stay stuck on the camera for a long long time.

We left after FHE and went to WalMart to pick up some pics I had printed off for PLife and to also get some stuff for Autumn’s lunches.  We came home and I put her to bed and then when Nick got home from work I went over to Christine’s to watch The Bachelor.  It was the Women Tell All episode and Courtney is RIDICULOUS!  She was not sincere in her apology at all and had to keep looking up at the ceiling to make herself cry.  We were making so much fun of her and laughing like crazy and having a blast.  I LOVE these ladies and we’ll have to find another show (I recommended Downton Abbey) to watch after The Bachelor is over.  That way we can still get together.

We didn’t get done until 12:10 am and Nick was hungry, so I stopped at Taco Bell to get us a little something to eat.  I decided to ask them if they have chili cheese burritos, b/c I haven’t seen them on the menu in years.  Tara & I used to go to Taco Bell midnight runs every once in a while when we were both in college, and we would always get chili cheese burritos and then go sit on the playground equipment at a nearby park and talk.  Then one day they said they didn’t have those anymore and we were both so sad.  Anyways, I decided to ask and almost started dancing for joy when the guy said they DID have them!  I ordered 2…one for me and one for Tara.  It made me miss her so much.  She was such a huge part of my life for an entire decade.  So, I enjoyed my chili cheese burrito for her and reminisced about the good ol’ days and the great memories I have w/ her and all of our inside jokes.

LOVE YOU MORE THAN MY LUGGAGE, TARA GIRL!

Springtime Sunday Walk

We had a lazy and relaxing Sunday morning.  Autumn was so cute and played so nice.  Then when I told her it was time to take a shower so we could go to church, she had a major melt down.  Don’t let her cute little smile fool you.  It was like World War III trying to get her to wear this dress.  I don’t know why, but I was in such a bad and hateful mood for no reason, so that just made it worse.

We ended up having a good Sunday once we got to church.  After church we went straight to Mom & Dad’s instead of going home & changing.  After dinner, we wanted to go outside and enjoy the beautiful evening.  Mom didn’t want to go on a walk, so Autumn & Papa & I went by ourselves.  We had to stop by the fort so Autumn could try going down the fireman’s pole.  Of course she had to have lots of help and encouragement from Papa.

I thought this was such a cute picture of them walking along hand in hand.  It’s also cool that you can see the moon in the sky already.

As we were walking along, we came across the rest of the dried up armadillo that probably belongs to the nasty claw I found a few weeks ago.  NASTY!

The popcorn trees are so pretty and I always sing the popcorn song in my head when I see them.  “I looked out the window and what did I see?  Popcorn popping on the apricot tree.”  Then I always think to myself that these aren’t apricot trees and then I wonder what type of trees they really are.  I have really random thought processes sometimes.

Papa & Autumn surrounded by popcorn blossoms.

We finished our walk and Autumn said she wanted to take off her shoes and run up and down the driveway.  I told her to go right ahead.  Some of my favorite pictures I have are of her running towards me down the driveway.  We spent the rest of the evening just talking and relaxing and watching TV.  It was a good Sunday, but it went by way too fast and I’m not looking to work this week.