Tate the Turkey.......

Tate made this cute turkey in school and has been wearing it.  We had Parent-Teacher Conference last week and the boys are doing great in school. Mrs. Lauritzen is pleased with how Tate is reading and she spoke about how compassionate he is with a student in the classroom who has austism. Apparently, Tate really watches out for this little boy and helps him. I am so thankful my boys are kind and compassionate. Tate scored excellent marks in socialization(no surprise there). He needs to continue working on his writing.  Dylan presented some of his work during his Conference. He is doing great and received high marks. He is on a 5th-6th Grade reading level and is doing really well in math. He told us his weakness was social studies and art. We are so thankful to be blessed with these two great boys and we hope and pray they will continue to make good choices. Being a parent is hard work, but also very rewarding.

Piano.....

Dylan has been taking piano lessons and he is enjoying it. We recently bought him a book which has Christmas music in it. He is now playing "Frosty the Snowman," and "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer," whenever he has a spare moment. It is really enjoyable to hear him play. I hope he continues to love it. A  ward member played the piano in Church and Dylan was enthralled with how well he played. Dylan whispered in my ear, "mom one day I am going to play like him. He is really good." It motivated Dylan even more to practice.

Halloween 2013

 Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. They have had their theme picked out since July. Silly boys! It was a great Halloween.  We had a really nice dinner and then Mike took them out for the candy search around our fun neighborhood. I stayed at the house and handed out candy with Grandpa and Grandma Green. The boys collected way too much candy once again.

 The handsome Draco Malfoy.

 The silly Harry Potter, who is obviously tired of the camera and ready for more candy!

Halloween School Party......

We were off-track for Halloween this year and so the Halloween classroom parties were celebrated early. Tate loves the month of October since he is always dressing up anyways. He wanted to be a police officer for the Halloween party. He was adorable and was so cute at his party. I was able to help in the classroom with his party and he had a great time. My phone was having major issues and I was unable to take photos at the party.  He is blessed with many friends in his class. His class paraded through the school and I overheard him telling Dylan that everyone kept saying, "Hey Police Officer."

 He was in action in this photo with his pretend shoulder radio.

 Dylan was so excited to be Harry Potter this year. He has loved the books. My neighbor and friend is an awesome seamstress and she had sewn this outfit a few years ago and let us borrow it. He looked like Harry with his brown hair. I was also able to help in Dylan's class and they had a lot of fun celebrating the Holiday early. It was a fun and busy day. I enjoy these type of days.

 Dylan and his friend Max. Max was Harry Potter at the Quiddich Match. Alesia had sewn both of these costumes. She is amazingly talented.

Dylan, Max, and Kya. They all walk to school together.

In search of the perfect pumpkin....

 Tate was in search of the perfect pumpkin this year. Grandpa Rowley had taken the boys to the pumpkin patch and they had purchased 4-5 pumpkins(more than the boys needed.)  I am sure he was manipulated by you know who (the blonde child.) Well, when we went to Wheeler farm they could choose a pumpkin for free with the entry price. Tate was so PARTICULAR! The pumpkin had to be perfectly round, a long stem, and not too heavy. He spent 45 minutes in his search for the perfect pumpkin that looked like Jack Skellington.

 Still searching........

 We may have a winner in the huge pile....

 Nope! We continued to search more.

 Checking out the stem, which is too short on this one. My oh my!!!!!

 We have a winner!!! Hallelujah the perfect pumpkin and a cute smile to boot.
                             
Dylan found his pumpkin rather quickly.
                               
We thought the decorated scarecrows were awesome.

We are so blessed to have happy, handsome, and healthy boys.

Wheeler Farm Fun................

 While the boys have been off-track we have been busy playing. We had a fun time at Wheeler Farm with some of  our close friends while Dad was in California on a business trip.

 Tate was pulling the best faces on this tractor. I think he needs to go to Uncle Tony's farm in Parowan some time soon for a visit and ride on a moving tractor.

 What a clown!

All smiles....

                           

The wagon ride around the farm was fun. The kids really enjoyed it and the weather/scenery was beautiful.

  We had fun chasing the kids in the corn maze. Tate was the first one out of the maze and he was so proud of his accomplishment.

 Ericka has had googly eyes over Dylan lately. She told her mom that, "she is going to marry Dylan." Oh boy, it is already starting. I caught a few pics of her trying to hold his hand! She was adamant that we took a pic with her and Mr. D. and she also requested to sit by Dylan on the wagon ride. Tiff and I just laugh. Mike thinks it is awesome.

Tate's Birthday Festivities......

 Tate enjoys Classic Skating and he wanted to take a few friends on his Birthday. We loaded up the van with 4 funny boys and spent the morning playing at Classic before school.

 Colin, Joey, Jaxon, and Tate. They were funny and full of boy energy...

The boys loved earning tickets and getting a prize. They also brought their scooters and played non-stop at all the activities. It was a fun day for Tate.

 Tate had requested a family trip to the new Lego store.  He and Dylan checked out all the Legos and after about an hour they chose this for Tate's birthday gift.

Here is the finished Lego product. Dylan and Tate assembled it all on their own the night it was purchased. We also went to dinner at New York Cheesecake Factory. We celebrated his birthday at the Green Grandparents home and then the Rowley Grandparents came up that weekend and we celebrated his birthday with them. He loved all the love and the gifts. It was a great birthday for him.

Tate's Birthday Interview....

Our little man Tate is now a big 6 year old! He brings us so much joy and we love his fun and loving personality. Here is his birthday interview:

Mom: What is your favorite superhero?

Tate: SPIDERMAN!! Because he can throw webs.

Mom: What is your favorite sport?

Tate:  mom you know, Karate.

Mom: Where is your favorite place to go?

Tate: Classic Skating.

Mom: What is the funniest place you went to last year?

Tate: Newport Beach with mom, dad, Dylan, and Grandpa and Grandma.

Mom: Who is our favorite friend?

Tate: It is Colin. Actually, it is my brother Dylan (how sweet is that).

Mom: What do you like to do the most?

Tate: Jumping on the trampoline, playing the Wii, and playing with Legos and I like school.

Mom: What to you want to be when you grow up?

Tate: An engineer and build a vacuum that sucks up the Legos and it has a cap that you can take off to find the Legos that you lost (pretty imaginative). Oh and I want to be a boxer too and a Karate black belt master.

Mom: What is your favorite thing to do with mom?

Tate: go to the movies and ride bikes at the park

Mom: What is your favorite thing to do with dad?

Tate: I like when he takes me to Airborne and I like to give him hugs and kisses.

Mom: What is your favorite food?

Tate: A DUNFORD DONUT!!!

Mom: What is your favorite subject?

Tate: writing and art.

Mom: What is your favorite movie?

Tate: Jack Skellington.

Mom: Who is your hero?

Tate: My Grandpas(such a sweet kid).

Mom: Who would you like to meet?  Tate: Tim Burton and President Monson (Quite the combination )

Owen's baptism....

Owen was baptized in September and we were so happy to celebrate the day with him.  He had a very special day and we are so glad he chose to become a member of  The Church of Jesus Christ. We love you Owen....

Mike was able to get a photo of the "Sister Friends," together. Love these girls! We have had great times together, shared many memories, and have supported each other through thick and thin. There were a few years that we lost track of each other and then we were able to reconnect. I know the Lord's hand was involved in our reunion. We refer to each other as "Sister Friends," since we each have sisters.  Cute Julie also joined us in the photo. Isn't she beautiful?

Dylan, Josh, and Owen. Handsome boys I must say.....

Karate Birthday Chops....

Since I am uploading videos, I thought I would share Tate receiving his "Birthday Chops," from his Sensai (karate master). He looked so forward to this event and I am glad Mike captured it on video. 

I am Spiderman.........

Tate is now climbing the walls (door frames) claiming he is the Spiderman. Life is never dull with this boy around. Mike told him he could not climb anymore unless it is a rock wall that we take him to. I caught him tonight in action as Mike is out of town. His dad saw the video and told me to let him know when he needs stitches or a cast.  

Love General Conference.....

 Good Timber

The tree that never had to fight

For sun and sky and air and light,

But stood out in the open plain

And always got its share of rain,

Never became a forest king

But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man who never had to toil

To gain and farm his patch of soil,

Who never had to win his share

Of sun and sky and light and air,

Never became a manly man

But lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow with ease:

The stronger wind, the stronger trees;

The further sky, the greater length;

The more the storm, the more the strength.

By sun and cold, by rain and snow,

In trees and men good timbers grow.

Where thickest lies the forest growth,

We find the patriarchs of both.

And they hold counsel with the stars

Whose broken branches show the scars

Of many winds and much of strife.

This is the common law of life.

This is one of my favorite weekends of the year. I love to listen to General Conference and hear from our wonderful Prophet and his Apostles. President Monson shared one of my favorite poems. I immediately thought of the photos I had just looked at that were taken when we hiked the Temple Quarry. I thought of how the leaves on the trees change and how the branches endure all the changes, winds, storms, and they give beauty for others to enjoy. Just like our wonderful Prophet does. I loved President Monson's analogy. My other favorite talks have been President Uchtdorf's and Elder Holland's. Mike and I love how Elder Holland shares his own experiences with life's trials and shows compassion and caring. His talks are so eloquent, but carry such a deep meaning. We also loved Elder Bednar's talk on tithing. I have had times in my life when it has been difficult to pay tithing and I must admit I have been judgemental as to where the tithes may go. I have had to ask for forgiveness because in the end I have seen how blessed my family has been because we have made it a priority to pay tithing. Mike is such a great spouse for me this way. When I was struggling with the tithing aspect he reassured me that the blessings would come and he insisted that it was paid. I am amazed at his diligence even when we have been given trials he always perseveres. He is such a great husband and wonderful father.  Other things I love about conference is our traditional breakfast of eggs and pancakes (the boys love this), going to church in your PJ's, and being together as a family. We also love to listen to conference and take a ride in the mountains looking at the Fall leaves.

Hike at the Temple Quarry.......

 I have stated on the blog before that one of our favorite places to spend time together as a family is in the beautiful Utah mountains.  We hiked the Temple Quarry a few weeks ago for family night and ate KFC in the mountains. It was such a spiritual experience with the boys because we were able to teach them about all the hard work our ancestors did in building the Temple. Mike also shared a short lesson about the Creation and how we are fortunate to have the beauty of the mountains and all of  God's Creations. The boys had a great time hiking up the rocks and looking at all the different types of rocks. Nothing is better than the crisp Fall air and a hike in the mountains.

                                                         


                                                         

            

              

               

 The boys are such great friends and they really watch out for each other. I hope they will always be close and continue to help each other throughout life. I am so grateful for my siblings and I still consider them my close friends.

            

              

 I really liked these photos that I was able to take of Dylan. He is usually camera shy lately so this rarely happens. Love this handsome boy who is growing so fast....

                         

 Tate was camera shy this time, which he usually loves to show off his smiles. He was simply busy climbing on all the rocks.