Amanda's soccer team

By the middle of November all three kiddos rec soccer season had ended. I really enjoy my kids playing sports and soccer is probably my fav, but three games every Saturday for a few months gets to be a lot. This is Amanda's team at their last game of the season. She had a really great year and even tried out for the High school soccer team and made it!


Teenage girls being goofy.

Charger Game

Shaun's parents were supposed to come and visit us in November but were not able to. We didn't know they weren't going to be able to come until Shaun had already gotten tickets to a Charger game for Dell to take the kids to. (I don't do Charger games)When we found out they weren't coming the kids were disappointed to not be able to go so I relented and decided to take them. However, I didn't agree to go until my brother Logan agreed to go with us. I did not feel comfortable taking my kids to what I consider a big rowdy drunken party, especially because it was against the Raiders and they are notoriously rowdy. It ended up being a pretty good time. With Shaun's premium parking pass we avoided the crazy tailgaters and the seats were pretty great, very close to the field. The kids loved seeing their dad down on the sidelines and a really nice Raider fan fed me and my kids. I know these are terrible pics, but they are the only ones I snapped that night and I wanted my kids to have proof that I did take them to a Charger game...once.

This made my day

One of the things I LOVE about our new house is how I feel like we are out in the country, even though we are just about 2 minutes from the center of Poway. I love that all of our neighbors have farm animals. We are surrounded by horses chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, peacocks, emus and more. Our next door neighbors have a lot of ducks and some mornings I can see them out my bedroom window waddling up the hill between our houses. I love it!! I told Shaun, just after we moved in that it would totally make my day to come home one day and find ducks swimming in our pool. One day in October Shaun started yelling for me from outside and I went running since he sounded so frantic. This is why he was yelling for me:

I was not disappointed and it totally made my day! Probably even my week. I don't think Shaun was nearly as excited as I was seeing as how they were non-stop, and I mean non-stop pooping in our pool. (He's our pool guy and he knew he would have to be cleaning up after the ducks!) But he humored me a for a few minutes until he went and got our neighbors to come get their ducks.


On a side note one of our neighbors turkeys got in our yard the other day and I was ecstatic! I can't wait to get our own chickens, and don't tell Shaun but I'm now thinking about getting some ducks too!

Halloween at school

On Halloween day Connor's school has a costume parade. The kids have to wear their clothes under their costume so he decided to wear his army guy one instead of skeleton. i think he looks handsome!


As I mentioned in an earlier post our school had a big Halloween Carnival, but it was held the Friday before Halloween. So, on Halloween the kids did not wear their costumes to school, but that was OK with Madison. She loves Hello Kitty so she was excited to wear her Halloween Hello Kitty shirt on Halloween.

Fun Halloween Treats

Last year was such a crazy year with everything going on with the house that I did not get to do hardly any crafting or baking and I missed it so much. neither of these treats are very original or exciting, I just wanted to post them because it felt so good to be back doing something that I love to do. These are caramel apples dipped in white (colored orange) chocolate and rolled in crushed Oreo. I didn't try one but I had so much fun making them and then wrapping them up for a few friends.


I made these eyeball cookie pops for Pack meeting and again for my teacher friends at school. Again, so much fun!

Carving Pumpkins

A couple of nights before Halloween we carved our pumpkins. it has been so fun to celebrate the holiday season in our new house, especially because we didn't get to celebrate much last year at this time because we were in the middle of home buying chaos.









Amanda's masterpiece. We were just glad to have her participate. She has gotten old enough to not find pumpkin carving, gingerbread house making or egg dying with the family as much fun as she used to.


I bet you can guess which one of my kids made this one. I'll give you a hint...it was the boy.


On the front porch ready for Halloween!

PS-I planted new flowers in my planters not long after this picture was taken.

Fun Fest 2011

At the school I work at and that Madison attends they have a Halloween Fun Fest each year. The kids all come in costume and the parents stay and we have a little Costume Parade and then us teachers run a small little carnival. It's very fun! The only problem was that Shaun couldn't get the day off and I had to help at the carnival so that left Madison unaccompanied. Fortunately she has a great bis sister, Samantha, that volunteered to miss school and come with her.


Mads enjoying her cupcake from the cake walk.


Mads playing on the swings

Ward Halloween Party

This year the primary was in charge of the Ward Halloween party. All my kids dressed up and we had a great time!

Evening of Excellence 2011

This October the girls had their annual Young Women's Evening of Excellence. It is a night to recognize all the girls and their goals that they have accomplished through out the year.

The girls all had a display of a project they have worked on throughout the year. Amanda put together a cook book of healthy recipes.


Sam's project was doing service hours at the library this summer. She worked over 20 hours at the Public Library shelving books and helping with the summer reading program.


Sam talking about her project.


Amanda getting ready to talk about her project.


At the end of the evening Amanda received her Young Woman Recognition. This is quite an accomplishment. It is the Young Woman's equivalent to and Eagle Scout Award and most girls do not receive it until their Sr. year, just before they graduate. Amanda has worked very diligently to get it done before High School.

Happy Birthday to me

I had a very fun birthday this year. My mom was here and my little kiddos at school spoiled me with gifts and flowers!


Connor ready to blow out the candles on my oh so delicious red velvet Nothing Bunt cake.


In my mom's family it was a tradition to have root beer floats on your birthday so, of course, we had them. That naturally led to Logan wanting to set the root beer bottles up to shoot with Nerf guns.


Ready to shoot 'em down.

Random happenings in September

The biggest happenings in the Young house in September was the purchase of a new van! 10 years to the day that we got our old Toyota we purchased a new one. i snapped this picture of the kids with the old van just before we went to pick up the new one. It was a faithful car, and got us to and from Utah safely MANY times. I'm just sorry Madison is standing in front of it's dent. It had a lot of personality!


I got to spend an afternoon with a friend that I just don't get to see often enough. Our girls are two little peas in a pod and have so much fun together. We bought them matching shirts with a little bling on them to match their sparkly personalities!


My mom came to visit for my birthday. She cleaned my house, did all the laundry and all the cooking for the entirety of her stay. She also helped me out with preschool prep, babysitting kids and rejuvenated my spirit but just being here. For all her hard work and effort Madison treated her to a make-over. What a lucky lady!

Poway Days Parade-2011

I LOVE parades. I don't know that anyone else in my family shares my passion so we don't always make it to the annual Poway Days parade. This year Connor's scout troop was invited to walk in it and I was thrilled! The main reason we don't make it is because it is right in the middle of soccer season and with all three big kids playing it's hard to get there. This year it was between games and Connor's troop was near the end so we got there a little late, but made it in time for Connor to hold one of the flags.


Connor leading the way!


We had rushed there from one of Connor's soccer games and weren't planning on walking in the parade but last minute decided to. The girls were THRILLED!


Madison was tired of walking by the end and hitched a ride on someones stroller for the last little bit.

First day of school

Madison and I started school few days before everyone else. She now goes to the preschool I teach at. She isn't in my class, but right across from me so I get to see her all the time. Our first day was just a short,"Get to know you" day. Here she is in her new bumble bee clothes ready for school.


Madison's first real full day at school. She loves preschool and especially loves being in the Zebra class. She is now obsessed with zebra's. So much that we are considering changing the decor of her bedroom to zebra stripes!


Here she is with her teachers, Mrs. Janine and Mrs. Kristin.


Connor ready to start 2nd grade. And yes, he is as cool as he thinks he looks in this picture.


Sam and her BFF. 8th grade and right in the middle of middle school. She is on ASB this year so she didn't get to wear new clothes the first day. Bummer.


Last but not least...my high school girl. Hard to believe I have one on high school and early morning seminary! Four kids, four schools is making for a busy year!

Preschool

We had big changes in our family this last August which is the main reason I stopped blogging for awhile. I decided to go back to work, outside of the home, for the first time in 15 years. I had always know that when I went back to work it would be teaching or working with young children in some respect. An opportunity was given to me to do that in August and with much thought and prayer we decided it was the right thing for our family at this time. I became a preschool teacher and I LOVE it! One of the other teachers, at the school, is a dear friend of mine and she helped make my transition into the world of preschool teachers as pain free as possible. I was felt overwhelmed and completely inadequate and incompetent for the first couple of months. Now we, (me and my family) have settled into our new routine and it's great. I have a small class, just nine little kiddos and a small little classroom, and I think it's great. I have yet to have a bad day at work. One thing I really love about my job is that it is a Christian preschool so I work with wonderful Christian women and we can talk about Jesus at school. Here are a few pictures of my cute little classroom from the beginning of the year, before school started. Each class has an animal name and we are the Penguins, that's why there are penguins everywhere you look!