Happy Halloween!

Sisters' Pumpkins: Mine on left, Dra's on right.

"Wow! I love my pumpkin."

Thank you Zach.

Zach's lighting the fire within.

Toby Monkey!

Pajama Spidey Eli

Muscle Black Spidey Ezra

Woody Abe

Gypsy Me - Ezra snapped this picture.

Ezra whispered, "You look beautiful Aunt Amy", then buried his face in my orange skirt.

Eli kept jangling my belly dancing skirt.

Excellent 30 min Bicep/Back/Kill your Quads workout:

(Be careful as you step out of your car. After working out and stretching, going grocery shopping, and driving for half an hour, I nearly ate it as I tried to exit my car. I put my weight on my left leg as usual after swinging my door open, my leg refused to support me any more, forcing me to catch hold of the door. I was so pathetically close to face planting.)

1. Lunges around half the gym coupled with bicep curls.

2. Lunges remaining half of gym coupled with shoulder presses.

3. Rep of twenty pull-ups on assisted dip machine (focus on pulling straight up and not bending your back).

4. Rep of fifteen froggy jumps.

Repeat steps three and four two more times.

5. Set of 20 bicep curls on big-armed resistance machine (I'll have to look next time for official name of machine).

6. Squat down on one leg, other leg straight out in front of you not touching the ground ever, and stand straight up using only one leg. Do a set of ten, then switch legs. Hold on to something for support if you need it, but don't let yourself pull up with your arms.

Repeat steps five and six two more times.

Something Wicked This Way Comes ...

Alta vs Davis Girl's State Soccer Game

The Lineup.

Coach Mitchell is on the far left in his red jacket. He was my grandparents' good friend, taught most of us, and I think Zach worked with him for a bit.

Toby's first soccer game. Happy as a clam.

Sissies all bundled up.

Me and Toby ... and Dra.

We were on the edge of our seats most of the game. Up to watch a goal shot, down with a, "So close!" and repeat and repeat and repeat.

Toby relieved his stress by sucking on his thumb.

Alta scored in the first two minutes, but Davis had been matching each goal. We were up 3-2 with 20 seconds left in the game, and Davis scored. Alta's Coach Mitchell looked absolutely livid. So we played two ten minute overtimes, and we had shot after shot, but no one scored, so we went to a shootout. I started texting my friend Deanne who played for Mitchell when we were in high school, and she said that there was no way we would lose in a shootout because Mitchell makes them practice shootouts religiously.

Each team gets five shots no matter what. Alta made their first, Davis missed their second! Alta missed the next (No!) and Davis missed ... and so on til we were still tied after each team had shot five times. We were all so so so anxious.

So then we went to a one to one shootout. So if one team makes it, and the other misses, the first team wins, but if the first team made it, and the second team made it, then they keep going until a team can't match a goal. (Does that make sense?) So we made our first, phew! But Davis made their first too. Then we made our second! Then ...

our goalie blocked Davis' kick! I haven't screamed and jumped for that long in a very long time. It was such a blast.

(Felt a tad guilty for the girls from Davis who were crying because they had missed their shots ...)

What a great, great night.

Free Scuba Class!

Last week, my friends invited me to Jordan Landing for a free scuba class, and I invited Dra and Emily, but those two uninvited themselves by having asthma, so Em snapped pictures for me. I should have taken my underwater camera in to the pool with me. Maybe next time.

The Pool:

Shallow end = 4 ft

Deep end = 13+ ft

Can you see me? I look very childlike next to Chris Gainer.

Testing the equipment. I had on blue flippers, but is that me on the left?

Deep end.

They had rockets at the bottom that you could throw to each other, but I was horrible at throwing underwater. I would try to throw to Jess, and the rocket would always shoot straight up. Chris tried to pass to Jess, and he slammed the rocket right into my goggles.

Anyone want to take a scuba certification class with me? Once you pass, you are certified for life.

Hogle Zoo

Four turkeys

Baby elephant tickling her mama

Left to right: Ezra, Eli, Abe

We (James, Jackie, Dra, Ezra, Eli, Abe, me) were all at the zoo on Monday, and as we were just walking away from the tiger cubs, we rounded a bend, and we could hear a squirrel screaming at us: high pitch squeaks and clicks non-stop. Ezra, Jackie, Eli, and I stopped to see if we could spy the squirrel that was so mad, and there he was, not too high up in a tree, practically shaking both fists at us.

Eli was very bothered.

Jackie explained that the squirrel must be mad at us, and he (the squirrel) must be telling us no. Eli did not like this, and he started screaming at the squirrel to stop, stop, STOP! and he kept pointing his finger at the squirrel which graduated to Eli trying to punch-stop the squirrel. I laughed, Jackie laughed, then Jackie softly told Eli he probably can't tell squirrels no ... and Eli broke down in massive tears.

I laughed even harder. It was so dang cute.

So Jackie cuddled the crying Eli, and we started to walk away.

As soon as we started walking away, that dang squirrel bolted down his tree, across the lawn, and jumped for the trunk of the tree closest to us. It scared us all. Then he boldly came running down the fence straight towards us! I thought for sure he was going to jump on one of us. He was right by Ezra's face, but he wasn't screaming at us anymore.

I told Eli that the squirrel was just coming to apologize for making him cry, but man alive, I was terrified that the squirrel was really out for a scratchy revenge.

Last Day of Vacation: Disneyland

Ben's first trip.

(Sorry about the peek-a-boo finger in some pictures, still getting used to a new camera.)

Shoo be doo dob de dah ... Doo bop she doo!

Loved the decor.

We watched the firework show, they had holograms for crying out loud!

Hats off to you Disneyland.

Cruise: Day Four - Day at Sea

What did we fill our time with?

Learning how to fold towels:

Ben and his bulldog

Me and a chicken that I was admiring so the guy just gave it to me.

Going down the waterslide:

Ben's tribute to Karli.

Sliding Thurm

Here comes Ben.

Saltwater Pool Ben

Bean Bag Toss Competition!

Bruce: He was also in the karaoke competition, and his Frank Sinatra impression was one of my very favorites. Plus, doesn't he just look so cute and cool?

I found myself shouting things like, "You got this!" "Next time, own it!" "You're just a squirrel trying to get a nut!" I said this to strangers too, sometimes I have to shake my head at myself. I just get so excited.

Ben's Concentration

Bean Bag Jig (I got my first one down the hole!)

3rd Place Champ!

Ping Pong Competition!

Thurm doing his thing.

Ben competing.

So glad I didn't sign up for this one, both boys got out in their first round, but they looked real good.

Crazy Pictures from the Cruise:

Ben loved Manjo's (the magician) dinner tricks.

How'd it get in his mouth?

Taking it seriously.

My living space for the week.

I was top left. How'd I monkey up there? Hop on to Rachel's bed, then use the skills I learned in gymnastics when I was six. Later, we found the ladders.

Cruise: Day Three - Beach at Ensanada

Thurm's head

Action Thurm

Save the Glasses

Cry Face is a combination of salt/sand/sunscreen wiggling into my peepers.

My Favs

Cruise: Day Three - Ensenada

Lovin' the bus ride.

Viewpoint

Waiting for the elusive blowhole.

Never snapped a decent shot, so here's a small vid, too bad it wasn't one of the amazing blasts.

Me, Ben, Blowhole

Ben's brother Thurm, sister-in-law Natalie

Can't get over how cute every single one of their pictures is.

Ben's Ensenada Souvenir