Happy Halloween!

I have a fear of clowns.  

It might have something to do with 

the time I went to the circus, 

and a clown killed my Dad.

(thank you Matt for making us laugh our heads off with this classic Jack Handy joke!)

In the spirit of Halloween today

(which is usually a bad spirit - evil, scary, twisted...)

 I would like to present to you - 

my first born, the evil clown.

       

Last weekend, he worked his dream job - 

scaring people to death in the Haunted Woods.  

This poor unsuspecting woman doesn't know

 what awaits her behind the curtain...

(my flash lit things up for the pictures, but the atmosphere was pitch black, 

with a strobe lights flashing and freaky circus music blasting...)  

Yikes!

This is Jordan's friend Hunter, 

who was the other evil clown

in the CARNEVIL section of the Haunted Woods.

The boys did their own make-up and hair, 

and decorated their section of the Woods, themselves.  

Very talented (twisted?) boys. 

I'm so proud. 

Happy Halloween!

A huge thank you to my ultra talented mom, 

who whipped out this costume in one evening 

after Jordan called her and said 

"Grandma, can you make me a clown costume?".  

~Love you Mom!~ 

The Pumpkin Patch.

A few days back, we met up with some of our favorite people 

at the pumpkin patch and started our search 

for the perfect Halloween pumpkins.

  

Well, actually the pumpkin searching didn't start until after 

I tortured them with taking their pictures for a while.  

 

I can't help it.  

My camera just loves their cute faces.

And they put up with me, because they love me...

(and because I threaten them with everything they hold dear).

Don't feel too bad for them.

They did some searching while I was snapping away...

and my little one actually loves to pose for me!    

And hey, in the end, everyone is happy!  

They got their perfect pumpkins, 

and I got my perfect picture.

Sneek Peek - family pics...

I was uploading some family pictures from a session a few weeks ago, and totally fell in love with this shot!!  More to come soon, from the Storey family shoot...  (Megan - they are darling!)

Watch Out Williams Sisters!

Guess who's been playing Tennis this summer?

(photo credit goes to my 5 year old...)

Any guesses?

It's me and my sis!

We make a pretty dynamic duo.

I mean, just look at her!  

Who would want to go up against her?!

She's got some serious game...

(and those striped pants - 

pretty intimidating, don't ya think?)

 

and speaking of dynamic duos... 

check out these 2 cuties.

Betcha you've never seen cuter ball girls.

What?  You've never seen a ball girl 

make dead eyes at the crowd before?

Well, you've never been to one of our games, then!

And with any luck, 

these two cuties have inherited some

of their mothers skills of the court...

Watch out Williams sisters! 

If you're ever in town, you'll have a match on your hands!

(Now if you'll excuse me, 

I am going to go pray that the Williams sisters never see this post, 

and never come to my town.)

7 Things...

I've been tagged by my friend Jen, to list 7 random / weird facts about myself.  Important things you have always wanted to know, right?  So, here goes...

1.  I love getting into my bed at night.  I call it "my spot".  I like to build a fortress of pillows all around me, so that I am surrounded by softness, and oh yeah, I cannot sleep without covers.  I don't care if it is 100 degrees in the room, I always have to have covers on me!  And, I love to sleep.  If I don't get enough sleep, I am not a happy camper.

2.  I love exercise.  Weird huh?  I don't know why, but I always have.  I feel some amazing stuff when I am working out - powerful, strong, happy.  

3.  I am a sunshine girl.  The heat doesn't bother me.  I love being warm - I hate being cold.  My Dad used to call me a California girl.  I dread the cold, dark, winter months.  

4.  I love the ocean.  I find it fascinating and terrifying, all at the same time.  There is something about being on the water, or near the water that gives me huge amounts of joy.  

5.  I am a drink shaker.  If I have a drink with ice, I will shake, shake, shake the cup before each sip.  My family makes fun of me for it.  

6. I cannot watch scary movies.  No. No. No.  I get too caught up in them and my imagination runs wild.  They stay with me for years.  It's horrible!  

7.  I can't eat meat with bones.  Let me clarify.  I can eat meat that had bones, I just don't want to see the bones or have them on my plate.    

Now you know some random things about me.  

Instead of tagging other people, I'm just going to challenge anyone who reads this, to do this list on your blog, about yourself!  (c'mon, it'll be fun!)  If you don't have a blog, then what are you waiting for?  Create a blog and make this your first post!  (and then send me the link, cuz I want to read some random things about you!)  I like randomness.  I think maybe I just like the word random. Everyone say it with me... RANDOM.  It's kind of a cool word, don't ya think?  

Just for fun.

A few weeks ago, we got together with Chad's family for some extended family pictures.  When we were finished, I pulled out my camera and shot a few pics of my little cuties.  They turned out better than I thought they would, considering the kids were freezing and pretty muddy by this point... Here are a few...

I love this little toothless grin.

This winter, she will definitely be singing 

"all i want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth" 

My Girlies.

My Men.

My little man loves to show off his guns...  

and his six-pack abs.

He got pretty ripped playing football.

I want six-pack abs. 

Maybe I should look into signing up...

think there are any women football leagues out there?

 and look, here is my cutie teenager, 

who gets taller by the day...

Seems like every time I blink, 

they get bigger.

Got kids?  Don't Blink.

Zermatt.

 A couple of weeks ago, we had a very fun little adventure!

We spent 4 days in Zermatt.

Where is Zermatt, you say?

It's in Switzerland.  

It is the city where you can see 

the famous mountain - The Matterhorn.  

Switzerland is also where Chad spent 2 years of his life,

proclaiming the gospel!

(Really rough place to spend your mission, I know...)

But, no, unfortunately we did not fly across the Atlantic.

We hopped in the car for a short 1 1/2 hour 

scenic drive up the canyon, because 

Zermatt is also located in Midway, Utah.

Imagine that!

A Swiss city -right here in Utah!

But, it sure felt like we were back in Europe.

Quiet countryside...

Beautiful buildings all around...

Cobblestone streets... 

Quaint little shops and deli's...

A lovely place to sit and enjoy a nice cup 

of hot chocolate and a delicious pastry, or 2.

You could even take a ride

on the carousal, if you so desired!

Our Swiss Chalet style hotel was beautiful. 

The decor was authentic Switzerland.

So much fun for 2 people who 

have such a love for that land!

Life is more simple there.

Slower.  Peaceful.  Amazing.

Anyone up for a game of giant chess?

How about shuffleboard?

(I want a re-match Chad!)

We love to travel!

We love experiencing new cultures.

We want to visit everyplace listed on this sign.  

Hey, 5 out of 16 ain't bad!  

Looks like I better get planning our next trip!

New York anyone?

    

Even though the real Zermatt is

over 5,000 miles away, it felt like we were really there again.  

So, if you're in the mood for experiencing Europe, 

and you don't want to cross the Atlantic, 

then Midway is the place for you!

Boys Gone (into the) Wild!

Fall is here, which can mean only one thing...

The boys are heading out into the wild.

They have to, you see.

They have to go out and provide food for the family.

It's their duty as men.

3 or 4 days of hunting and fishing 

out in the wilderness -

fighting the elements and the wild beasts.

It's really tough, I know. 

But they are willing to make the sacrifice, 

because they love their families back home!

It's tough work, getting up before the dawn...

and hiking around in the vast wilderness.

And, you just never know what kind

 of wild animals you might run into!

This deer could have easily been a cougar or a bear!

There is danger around every turn!

And they will even risk the possibility of 

altitude sickness, being so high up in the

mountains - even higher up than the clouds.

(Aren't you feeling sorry for them?) 

And, even though they are exhausted 

from a long day on the hunt,

they find the time to go fishing. 

(food for the family, of course)  

It's a rough and dirty job, 

but someone has to do it!

(*disclaimer - do not watch these videos 

if you are a fish advocate.   Thank you.  End of disclaimer.)

I dedicate this hunting / fishing post 

to my Superman Hubby on his birthday.

Glad you had a good time bonding with your sons.  

Thanks for being such an amazing husband and father.

Don't worry... I like being married to an old man.  :)

I love you!

(*All photo credits go to my cute hubby.  Not bad, eh?)

Heather and Brad Get Married...

Seriously - 2 of the nicest people you will ever meet!  

And copy that for their families...  SUCH NICE PEOPLE!

Thank you so much for asking me to be part of your special day!

Here are a few favorites from my shoot that day... 

All the VERY BEST WISHES for you both, 

as you start your new life together!!