Here are the kids before church a couple of weeks ago. I thought that they looked particularly cute! Look at that smile on my Baby Boy! He is such a charmer!



"Awe Shucks!" When I tell Rachel that I love her she says, "Awe Shucks!" It is so cute. This is Rach before school one day. She has her bangs pinned back because she had another encounter with the scissors. As you can see from some of the other pictures she has really hacked her bangs off. She came out of the bathroom and informed me that she no longer wanted to have bangs and so she had cut them off! She doesn't understand that we would actaully have to grow them out! AAHHH!!



On a personal note, I have to say that I am loving my calling! Being choir director has actaully been the biggest blessing! We had at least 25 people here tonight, not including kids! The songs that we are practicing for Christmas are sounding beautiful! You just can't imagine how wonderful it is to have your home filled with voices singing Christmas songs! There is a Man in the neighborhod who walks his dogs every night around the time I have choir. I had the curtains open and we have huge picture windows in the front of the house. It was dark and so he could see right in. It was so funny to look at his facial expression as he watch me waving my arms around directing a full on choir in my house! Gotta love being a Mormon! We had the door open for circulation so I'm sure he could hear us! I guess that is not something you see every day! Anyway, I just wanted to share with you how much joy it has brought to us and how the spirit has filled our home as we welcome so many members in our ward into our home every week. It is hard work to clean up and make goodies every Sunday but it is well worth it!

We have a snowman cookie jar that has M&M's in it. Audrey came to me last night and asked me for some minimims. I thought it was the cutest thing! Pass the Minimims!

Today was one of those perfect days! A cold front came in a couple of days ago making the temperature around 55 degrees! It was so fun to be able to wear our sweaters and drink hot chocolate instead of wearing shorts and flip flops to pick out our tree. We slept in this morning and layed around in bed and watched TV - the kids actually let us!!! It was so nice! We finally got around to leaving the house and headed to our favorite place - Magnolia. We went to the "Red Caboos Christmas Tree farm." We had a blast riding the hay ride and picking out our tree! This picture was taken at "Santa's Workshop" at the farm! The kids were in good moods and a good time was had by all! More pictures to come!

It's quiet, all of the kids are in bed, James is occupied by his computer, and I have just settled down to get lost in my book, "Twilight." I just finished baking a Pumkin Pie. Sometimes I wonder how much of my reason for baking homemade goodies is for the smell! We are all alone this Thanksgiving but somehow I feel very comfortable with just our little family. My girls helped me make a "holiday breakfast" this morning with fresh squeezed orange juice, cranberry orange muffins, and scrambled eggs. We set the table and made an invitation for Daddy (a creative way to get him out of bed for the occation). They have been excited about the "feast" tomorrow as they are calling it. They have such enthusiasm for life, just one of the many things that I am grateful for tonight. There has been a lot of change in my life in the last few months and at present, I am grateful for the feeling of peace that I have and the great comfort of a loving family. My thoughts are with all of you, my good friends and family. I truly do celebrate your accomplishments and joys and mourn with you when life gives out one of its many trials. I am lucky. Lucky to have an abundance of relationships and connections that have shaped me into the person that I am today. What a blessing it is to have such a network of support. There are the obvious things in life that I am grateful for, family, friends, the gospel, living in a place where I can create my own future and practice my faith as I may. However, tonight, I am grateful just to be sitting here in my home, filled with love for my husband and my kids, smelling pumpkin pie, and excited to read my book! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day! Nicole

We tried to celebrate Adam's big day on the day of his birthday. Turns out it is a little hard doing Birthday and Trick or treating on the same night! LeeAnna, being the great friend that she is, let us crash her little boys first Birthday party a couple of days later. We sang to Adam and let him open up his presents there since he was unable to open them on his Birthday. Luckily, he is too little to care. Thank goodness for second chances and good friends! I feel bad for the third kid! You know this would have never happened to a first born!

Only two beautiful ladies responsible for all these kids!

We had the best time trick or treating! We went to High Meadow Ranch for the BBQ and then went trick or treating. We put all of the kids in the back of the van and drove around the neighborhood. The community in High Meadow is so great! They gave out a map that gave out all of the addresses of the people who were participating. Each house was so cute. They all came to the end of their driveways and had full costumes on, fun lighting, and yummy treats! (The homes are all 1-5 acres apart so that is why they were at the bottom of the driveway.) The night was so perfet, amazing weather, starry sky, country air! The atmosphere was great! A lot of the people in the neighborhood did hay rides around the neighborhood. It was great fun!

Rachel had a Halloween parade and I couldn't believe how perfect her costume went with her little friend John. Apparently, they hold hands and Kiss!
Nice pick Rach! He's a cutie!

MMMMMMMM . . . frosting!

Momma's Boy!

Our Birthday Boy!

My Good Friend LeeAnna and our two boys! They were born one day apart! The pigtails were for Halloween. Anyone recognize the Bruins Cheer shirt? I was trying to be a cheerleader but I didn't want to go for the skirt! My girls liked my pigtails and freckles so that is all that matters!

My Hubby

Tonight we had a really great family night! We turned on music and danced with the kids. Audrey is such an amazing little dancer. Adam even got into the action! After that we had scripture study and then the girls started a little discussion of their own. It is so fun to see their minds working and their understanding of gospel concepts and principals forming. I was really impressed with both of their sweet little testimonies of Jesus and God. Rachel talked about how Jesus loves us and God loves us and how we have to love them and keep the commandments. She is attending a Catholic Preschool so sometimes she tells me things that I am pretty sure she gets from school. Tonight she was telling us that if we all point up to Jesus that we will get to see him. It was really funny because Audrey was correcting a lot of the things that Rach said. Audrey talked about how first we were in Heaven and God made all of the people and then we came down to earth to learn about Jesus and God. She said that everyone in the whole world will die and go to Heaven. She then told us that Jesus is building us houses in heaven to live in with doors and beds but they don't have blankets or fans in heaven. She said that we have to bring our favorite blanket! Kids are so funny! Rachel and Audrey were both in on a string of comments about how you can't run around and play in Heaven because the clouds are too soft and if you make a hole in the clouds then you will fall through. But then Rachel said that if we fall Jesus will save us because he doesn't want us to get hurt. James was trying to tell the kids how Heavenly Father wants us to talk to him. Audrey said, "he doesn't have a phone up there!" He just has his ears for a phone and he can hear us. It's hard to describe the amount of animation that the kids had as they were talking about all of this! They were so into it! It was really fun to see them growing and forming their own ideas! Anyway, I guess we better not forget our blankets!

Mothers Who Know Do Less

Mothers who know do less. They permit less of what will not bear good fruit eternally. They allow less media in their homes, less distraction, less activity that draws their children away from their home. Mothers who know are willing to live on less and consume less of the world's goods in order to spend more time with their children—more time eating together, more time working together, more time reading together, more time talking, laughing, singing, and exemplifying. These mothers choose carefully and do not try to choose it all. Their goal is to prepare a rising generation of children who will take the gospel of Jesus Christ into the entire world. Their goal is to prepare future fathers and mothers who will be builders of the Lord's kingdom for the next 50 years. That is influence; that is power.

I love this quote from Julie Beck's talk in General Conference! It is so true - that is influence, that is power! By small and simple things ladies!!

I didn't want to do this but I will respond now that I have been tagged by Libby, Heather, and Sarah Cardon. Here goes . . .
1) I didn't used to like to be alone! I was always surrounded by people growing up and then I had six roomates at college and only one bathroom! I got used to being around people all the time! When I married an only child who needs his space I had to figure out how to be alone and I hated it at first. Now, I actually enjoy it when James has school or mutual or basketball and I can put the kids to bed and just relish in the quiet. I usually curl up on the couch and watch some silly show that I wouldn't watch if James was around. Sometimes I stay up way too late just to get it in!

2) You may not believe this but I actually do get tired of talking. Sometimes I choose not to answer the phone at all. That may sound normal to most people but for those of you who know me, you may be surprised.



3) I have recurring dreams that I am back at Ricks on CDT (The dance Company) and I am about to go on stage. I don't remember any of the dances and I have had three kids but everyone is expecting me to know the choreography. I am always terrified! I miss dancing but I have come to terms with never doing it again.



3) James and I plan to take up ballroom and Latin dance! We're just waiting for Mom and Dad to live here so they can babysit!!! LOL

4) I absolutely love trees! It is my #1 criteria in finding a neighborhood to live in. There could be the most beautiful house in the whole world but no trees in the neighborhood and I would rather buy an older house so that I can get the trees. That's why I'm going to build in High Meadow Ranch someday - I can hace both!! Until then, I will have to live vicariously through my parents. I really miss our old oak tree!

5) I could eat out every day for lunch and never get sick of it! I hate lunch at home! I love going out for lunch because then I can get a huge salad or a yummy sanwich or soup that I would never waste my energy at home making for lunch. I would rather eat a home cooked meal for dinner any night but for lunch I'd rather eat out!


6) I love the rain! There is nothing more relaxing to me than an overcast day with the sound of the rain on your windows. I have to admit, rain is a little more threatening in Houston than in Utah. If you have ever witnessed a Texas rain it is like standing under your shower with full pressure! It floods in Texas and we have hurricanes but a little innocent rain, there is nothing better!

The other day we went to the park with our best friends the Irvings!! We have had amazing weather the last week and we are soaking it up!







Fun was had by all until . . . Naptime!

Yesterday we took the kids to the Rennaissance festival. We had a lot of fun! The girls were very brave and got strapped into harnesses and did the trampolines where they go way up in the air. We went on a lot of rides and the girls got their faces painted. Adam was a trooper, he stayed in the stroller most of the day. He did reach a point where he was done with being in his stroller, as you can see in the middle picture. Here are some fun pictures!