The Great Pumpkin

With our vast gardening space we have this year, we decided to plant some pumpkins for the kids. They all loved it, especially when one of the vines climbed up a tree and a pumpkin grew there, until it was too heavy and came to rest on the ground. We had 2 HUGE pumpkins growing in our little patch, one has gone AWOL. We're still not quite sure where it is, or where it went, or who was its accomplice in escaping, but hopefully it found someplace happy to dwell, as it was a magnificent pumpkin.

~side note, something weird has happened to the setting in my camera, I need to read the manual and get it back to normal, that is why some aren't quite focused~

We put some pumpkins out the front door to help create the signs of autumn at our home. We just had to bring the other "Granddaddy" pumpkin. Hopefully it will not feel the pull to escape, or have a helping hand in disappearing, but will stand the time until Halloween, when we will attempt at carving that beast!

Days Gone By

After scanning some post-mission photos, I began to realize just how much time and how many days have gone by. It still seems like just yesterday I was entering the MTC, ready for that adventure of my life, now here I am 13 years later, thinking I better get it together before 13 more years go by!

This photo was taken before we were married. I went to Norway for 1 month, it was Easter time so we sent Ruben on an Easter Egg Hunt through the house. To think this little boy is now 14 years old!

Here are some fun photos....I plan to scan my mission ones soon, and those will be fun to go through again!

Mini Artist

Just about every day our little aspiring artist takes her empty wipe container that is full of her colors, opens the drawer containing all the blank paper and sets to work.

We'll find these beautiful drawings all around our house. Mia can spend hours coloring, and making what she calls a "special picture" for someone in the house. Spencer once asked if it was her goal to cover every inch of the paper! Like all artists, she can be a bit possessive about her work, so don't you dare try to add any of your own embellishments to the picture or else!

These are some of my favorites.

I think she'll be ready for school in 2 years don't you?

Coming Home From School!

There is nothing like the joy of walking into the house after school and smelling fresh baked goods. Most of my growing up years were spent in that exact scenario, Mom absolutely lived in the kitchen. We all, and I mean all of us Dad included, came home for lunch each and ever day. We would leave her in the kitchen at the start of the day, find her there at lunch time and discover her still there at 3:30pm when we would all return from a day of unparalleled learning! :)

Yesterday I felt pretty sorry for my children, as they haven't been coming home to anything freshly baked for a while. So I whipped up my LEGENDARY cinnamon rolls and had just taken them out of the oven when the kids walked through the door. Spencer's first words that greeted me were: "What is THAT I smell? Oh YES!" Later on I looked over to him and he looked a little sheepish and said "Well, it is only my 2nd one Mom!" I smiled and told him eat up. Those hollow legs of his never seem to be full!

It was a new experience though this time, to have enough left over to freeze for lunches and another after school snack. You see, dear reader, for the last 2 years my younger brother Allen has lived here and had an uncanny ability to drive up just as I would turn the oven off. He would finish off most of what was ever left by my family. We miss him and his wife terribly, and are still not quite sure if we have fully forgiven them for going back home.......but the allure of walking into Mom's house with all her fresh baked goods does make for a good counter-argument!

I love this photo of Allen, Angie and Olivia. This was taken at their wedding dinner the night before they were married. Olivia seemed to pop up in all the photos just as the camera clicked!

Grandmother

There is always something irreplaceable about a grandmother. My dear grandmother has been gone for almost 9 years now. Sometimes it seems impossible to have had so much time pass without her here, and other times it feels like it really has been a long time since I sat at my Grandma's kitchen for treats, games, and precious visits when Grandma would take a walk down memory lane. I was one of the lucky grandchildren who was able to grow up with Grandma & Grandpa just down the street, for most of my growing up years. To list all the things I loved about Grandma would make a very long entry, here are just a few:

-I love that she always colored her hair even after she was 80

-I love that she wore her fur coats and diamond rings to our basketball games

-I love that she had white high heel temple shoes

-I loved my birthday card with $5 in it every year

-I love that she could make porcelain dolls, and made every granddaughter one

-I love how she would always try to cheat at cards

My own mother is now my children's precious grandmother. She is so very much like her own mother. I know my children already have their list of why they love Grandma. For the girls it is that she always shares her VAST quantity of make-up with them, always letting them try a few lipsticks, and keeping one tube just for themselves. For Spencer, it would have to be her toffee and caramel popcorn at Christmas time. For Espen, he loves her kisses and hugs and that she'll always buy him whatever little trinket his mother says "No" to.

Where would the world be without Grandmothers, I am so thankful for mine, and for my children's grandmothers.

Yes I do believe I have become a little nostalgic while scanning all this old photos!

Family Photos

Aren't old family photos great! Here is a little more of what I scanned last night. I'll hopefully scan some more tonight!

These are just classic photos of when I was young. We loved those Christmas decorations!




Dad with some of his brothers, and as a baby again. So cute!

Old Photos

I have been scanning old photos, trying to put some things together for Christmas and birthdays this year. Trying in vain to get it all done before baby #5 comes. However, I have had such fun looking at my old photos of my children, and even more fun looking at old photos of my dad when he was young. I have scanned a bunch and here is just a sample, and yes I was chubby and really cute, and looked a lot like my dad! (The only difference is my hair is long and his is short)

My Dad and I, roughly the same age I think.

My Dad and is look-a-like grandson Espen. Actually when you see all of his photos, I can pick out about 3 grandson that have many similarities.

This photo was taken in 1964 at Christmas time. My dad is back row, middle person, Grandpa Tollestrup is on his right. I think that dark framed glasses must have been in style that year!

Skip to My Lou!

Skipping has all of the sudden taken off here at our home. Sabrina was a "champion" skipper last year at school. Every recess a group of girls would jump rope. Sabrina has brought her knowledge and talent home to train Mia and Espen on the techniques of holding the rope correctly and not turning too fast (Mia sometimes fails in this regard). So for the past couple of days Mia has been singing:

"Cinderella, dress in yellow

Went upstairs to kiss a fellow

instead she kissed a snake

How many doctors did it take?.....

One, Two.......Ten!"

Those are her lyrics!

You can see Sabrina jumping and holding one end of the rope and Mia standing to the side turning the other side of rope! I must say Sabrina is a great teacher as Espen can now join the jump roping gang at school, if he ever feels the need, and Mia is an adept turning of the rope!