We went on our annual family excursion to Stoltz farm last weekend. It was fantastic! Not one girl cried (Tom didn't either), there was no fighting, there was no whining, there was no arguing, there was only a little begging... What a great day!
This one is of Sam in the pumpkins. What a cute lady bug! She kept falling over and I was afraid that she was going to take a pumpkin stem to the eyeball. Luckily, she escaped harm!


Brooke almost broke her back actually trying to push the wheelbarrow! She didn't quite get that she was just posing for a picture. We had 120 pounds of pumpkin in there!























Erin holding the first pumpkin that she chose. The first of about 7. Her final one is so big that I could barely pick it up...



This one is of Brooke and Erin up on top of the huge pile of sawdust that the kids can use like a sledding hill.

Alix loved pretending to push the wheelbarrow. She's even pretending to walk.

Brooke, Erin (tired of pictures, can you tell?) and Alix

Erin having a sweet little moment with Sam.

Look how much we've grown! Not only in height, but there's a whole 'nother kid in that picture!

Quote of the Day: (really, this is a quote from Dec. 2007, but hey, who's keeping track?

I had just taken this picture of Brooke...

"Hey mom, that was me, pretending to feel the Holy Spirit!"

I'm going through some of my old pictures (for a wonderful, creative series of blog posts that will be coming to your computer screen shortly...) (Like my teaser to get you coming back?) and found this and remembered what she had said. As it is funnier than anything they have said in the last week...

Tagged:
Here it is... The fourth picture in the fourth file on my computer. This is my Grandma and Grandpa Pierson holding Alix (in pink) and Erin (in yellow) (Imagine a life where you always have to have a tag by your name saying which one you are...) at a family reunion in Leavenworth, WA. My kids are so lucky to still have SIX great-grandparents still alive!

Now I'll tag...

Debbie (thanks for dinner...) ;)
Brenda
Mom
Heather
Whitney
Trina

Have fun ladies! I spent waaaay too long looking through my old photos once I got down there...

Quote of the Day:
"Alix, what are you doing?"
"Licking your mirror clean."

At least she wasn't eating her boogers this time...

Brooke got to give a talk in primary on Sunday. I asked the primary president if it was okay to record it (as I am never without my camera. Just in case...). She said, "Of course." And so here it is. Brooke wrote this whole thing herself. After we had written a whole different one together, on the subject it was supposed to be on. Ah well. This turned out great and she had just gone to a couple of our best friends daughter's baptisms, so it was on her mind. She sure is a sweetie. Even when she doesn't let me help...

And yes, it is a documented fact that I am indeed a moron. At least half of my videos are sideways like this. You think I'd learn. But I've chosen not to.

Early Morning Surprise

You realize that "love hath no bounds" when you arise one beautiful Sabbath morning and look out your front widow and behold... No, sadly not the wonder of a beautiful sunrise, or the glory of Mt. Rainier, but instead... The wonder of $30 worth of toilet paper strewn across your lawn, and the glory of 100 forks stabbed mercilessly into your lawn... It brings a tear to my eye to realize that the youth of our ward love us enough to bestow this greatest honor upon our home. I would have doubts to the depths of their devotion if they had instead chosen to bring me brownies, or send a card, or perhaps even call... But I can now state without hesitation, I am finally THERE. Where? I am popular! My neighbor couldn't understand why I was so excited. I feel like I was just crowned Home Coming Queen. They like me! They really do! Now if only they were all here to pick it up. Wet. And Dewy. And dissolving. And stuck on the roof. Before church starts at 9.

The girls had a great time picking it all up and Brooke kept asking "Who would do such a thing?" I just kept laughing and thinking how lucky we were that it hadn't rained last night! Then I wouldn't have thought it was so funny...

Quote of the Day...

Brooke : "What's the opposite of hair?"

Erin : "Daddy!"

This would be a longer post if only I could stop hysterically laughing.

Quote(s) of the day:
1.
"Brooke, is your tummy full of birthday cake (from a friend's birthday party) or do you have room for dinner now?"
"Mom, I need to save room because I'm going to be eating a lot of candy and I don't want to fill up on all that healthy stuff!"

Yes, it's true. I am a good, good mother...

2.
As Erin walked up behind me and poked my bottom several times (with gusto...)
"Bouncy, Bouncy, Bouncy!!!"

No, really, I didn't need that self confidence anyway. I heard it was overrated...

Paramedic for a mom...

Few people have ever heard of the "nasal hemorrhage sling" . Fewer still have used this rare, specialized technique. It is shown here with the added benefit known as the "Barbie Bandaid Factor". The Barbie Bandaid Factor has been shown to decrease crying and increase the efficacy of the "Will Ice Cream Fix It?" bribe.

2 years of paramedic school - $6,000

Litman cardiology stethoscope - $200

Sphygmomanometer - $50

Barbie Bandaid Factor - $2.99

Will Ice Cream Fix It? bribe - $1.76

Stopping the tears in two minutes or less - Priceless!

Useless trivia fact: A sphygmomanometer is just a fancy word for a blood pressure cuff. Who knew that applying a stupidly placed bandaid, listening to a heartbeat and checking a blood pressure could cure the ills that befall those coordinated children that run straight into walls. Without slowing down.

Picture of the day...
This is of Alix