HALLOWEEN---SCHMALLOWEEN!!!

So... it is finally Halloween and we all (kids & mom) end up with Strep throat. Definitely NOT the plan!!! We spent a good part of the day at the doctors office and picking up prescriptions, then we spent a good part of the afternoon napping. The kids were really sad that mean old 'MOMMY' would not let them go trick or treating. 'Mommy' felt bad so we decided to have a Halloween party here at the house. We ordered pizza and bought pop. We watched 'Iron man' and our wonderful neighbors brought over bags of treats for the kids. The kids got dressed up in their costumes and went trick or treating down the hallway. It was not quite the same as getting to go trick or treating in town- and there was not as much variety to the treats- but it ended up being a really fun night after all. In fact- the kids are in watching 'Sleepy Hollow' and 'Mr.Blackbeard's Ghost' right now. We hope you all had a very SpOoKy Halloween and made yourselves sick to death on your favorite treat!

The girls Dad is here...

The girls Dad, Rob Stanford, flew in for a visit last Saturday. The girls have been anxiously awaiting his arrival. Rick said that he had to grab Rachel when they went to pick up Rob from the airport because she was trying to jump out of the car and run to her dad before Rick had pulled over to the curb and stopped moving. Rob has only been here a few days but so far he and the girls have played games, watched movies, gone out to dinner, gone shoe shopping, played outside, gone out to breakfast before school, they went Halloween costume shopping, they went clothes shopping and have gone roller skating. The girls love racing around and wrestling with their Dad- and I love that he comes to 'rough around' with them- because they are too tough for me. Rob always has a new and different look when he comes to visit. I think he is trying to confuse the girls- but there is no confusing them. They would know their daddy anywhere! The girls are very excited about their Dad being here to take them 'trick or treating' and I am very excited that I will not have to go out in the cold. Maybe that will help me get over this cough that just won't go away!?! Here's hoping I get over this cough and HOORAY for dad's that love, care for, help out and support their kids when divorce is involved! HOORAY ROB!!!

Gabriel's Haircut

Gabriel before screaming/ thrashing haircut!

Gabriel after screaming/thrashing haircut!

Gabriel's Favorite Picture!!!

'I ride dat bull Mommmy! Gabe so Big!' Gabe wanted his favorite picture posted- he likes seeing himself on the computer screen. So- here ya go my boy!

Family trip to Independence Mall!

Richard had last Friday off of Work, so we decided it was time for a family outing. The girls have been saving their allowance and have been dying to try and do a little Birthday/Christmas shopping. We drove to the Mall in Independence and spent the afternoon shopping, climbing on the toys at the play land, riding the Carousel eating. Gabriel was the least impressed with the shopping- (as you can see in picture with Rachel). The kids thought picking their own food from the food court was REALLY cool- Sarah got Subway, Gabe got a hot dog and french fries and the rest of us got Chinese. Rachie and I shared a plate and could not finish off what we had. Boy was it yummy though! Gabriel had the most fun riding on the toys at the play land and the girls had the most fun playing 'fashion show' as they shopped. I had the most fun eating the caramel apple that I bought at the Chocolate Factory and Rick had the least amount of fun on the Carousel with Gabriel. He got sick to his stomach... guess he is getting older! HA! HA! HA! Here are a few pictures from our day!

Rachel is 9!!!

Rachel turned 9 years old on Sunday!
She had a fun day full of family and friends. She was given lovely gifts and had a lot of fun unwrapping them. Gabriel had a bit of a hard time understanding that it was not his birthday too. It is so hard to be 'two a half'. Rachel's favorite gift is the camouflage and pink butterfly shirt that Sarah gave her. Sarah bought it with her own money and picked it out for Rachel all by herself. It is cute. We had family and friends over Sunday evening for 'Candy Bar Cake' and there was not a crumb left. YUMMY!!I can not believe my baby girl is9! I am so proud of her and the good helper, friend and loving sister that she is. She works hard in school and helps out a lot at home. She has a great sense of humor and is lots of fun to be around. I love you my little bug!

They are here...

Poppa & Grandma are finally here!!! We have been waiting anxiously for over a year and a half for them to come back from Russia & they are finally here! The kids heard a car coming down the driveway & were out of the door before I knew what was happening- not one of them stopped long enough to put on a pair of shoes. They brought us some great gifts from Russia! they gave us beautiful books & dolls. I got a lovely- & VERY warm Russian fox fur hat! Luckily they removed the tail that was on it for me. Gabriel got a neat wooden whistle & a stacking doll carved like a Panda. He LOVES 'Kung foo Panda' he sat on the floor playing with his toy for over an hour! He loves it! My parents settled right in. Dad took Gabe on a walk around the place. I think he was taking mental notes of all of the things that he saw that might need a little tightening, tuning or repairing. Gotta Love Dads!!!
The girls have been waiting to play games with Grandma. After putting away their gifts from Russia they got Grandma to sit down & play a game. But the girls had forgotten that Grandma is a 'Peck' after all... & has all of the luck that being a 'Peck' carries- so Grandma won the game. Darn those lucky 'Peck' genes! We feel so lucky and so blessed to have them safe and back with us!

Chores

We spent Friday getting things done around the place and doing chores. There is never a dull moment when animals are involved! Rick fixed the gate.

Sarah watered the Chickens and Dogs.

Rachel fed the chickens and dogs.

Gabriel helped by digging for worms to feed the chickens. 'I like worms mommy!' he said again and again.

Rachel's Day Out with Grammie Bev~

Rachel got to have a special Birthday date with her Grammie Bev last Saturday. Just the two of them!! Rachel got to sleep over on Friday night and watch movies, Grandpa Bill was even home. On Saturday Rachel and Grammie Bev went to visit Mamo and then the girls headed to Liberty.


They went out to lunch at Chili's Restaurant, went accessory shopping at Claire's, shopped around at Target and a few other places and then went to the Build a Bear workshop. Rachel got to make a new special friend at Build a Bear. He is a cute little husky and she named him- Jake Eugene Huske. He has slept with her every night since. Rachel loved her day out and Sarah is anxiously awaiting her birthday so that she can have a 'special day out' with Grammie Bev too. I don't think Grammie Bev had any idea what she was getting herself into- but she sure LOVES being a Grammie!!! Do Daughter in Laws get days out with Grammie Bev on their Birthdays? Just wondering?!?

Doing it all by himself!

Gabriel has decided that he is a 'BIG BOY" and wants to do everything himself. He can brush his teeth, he likes to rinse with mouth wash (while jumping up and down), get a drink, wash his face and dry himself off without any help. I love that he wants to be a 'big boy'- but I really dislike that he seems to need me less and less every day. They grow up too darn fast!

Saturday Morning Boys!

Sarah and Rachel got to have special sleepovers with family last night. Sarah went to Aunt Susan's and Rachel got to go to Grammie Bev's, so it has been just the boys and me here at home. We have been trying to get things fixed up and ready for my parents to come and stay with us towards the end of this week. Needless to say we are very excited but we are WAY behind and will never get it done in time. Richard was trying to get a few things done before heading to work again this morning, he has been hanging this and tightening that- and Gabriel has been at his side wanting to help with every part of it. 'I hepping Wichard Mommy!' Gabe tells me excitedly over and over. Gabriel followed Rick from room to room wanting to be a part of everything that he was doing. Gabe kept trying to carry Richard's drillcase with the drill in it- he struggled because it was so heavy for him, but he wanted 'to hep'. Richard got out an extra drill case, that was empty, for Gabe to carry around so it would not be as heavy. They looked so cute carrying their cases around- I just had to snap a photo! I LOVE MY BOYS! Now... if I could only get them to put their dirty socks in the dirty clothes hamper and mow the yard!!!

Family Night!

We decided that it was time for a Family night out! Rick has been working a lot of overtime hours, Kathryn has been feeling a little under the weather, Sarah brought home her 3rd- 100% on a Math test, Rachel brought home her 3rd- A on her Spelling tests and Gabe... well... Gabe was not in 'Time Out'. It was time to celebrate... and get out of the house together. Rick wanted to take us somewhere we had not been before and he was craving some honey BBQ wings- so off to 'The Rib Crib' we went. We grabbed a gift certificate that we got as a Wedding Gift (THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!), loaded up the kids, locked up the chickens for the night and headed out the door. The food was great but the company was even better. The kids all tried the wings and the ribs and Rick got to have a little bit of everyone's that they could not finish. We ran a few errands and even got an Ice cream before heading home. It was an AWESOME night and a much needed break! The kids had a blast and we love that they passed out on the way home. GOODNIGHT!

Fun Times!!!

It is always easier to get the kids to help if they can get wet!

Sarah loves animals and wanted to bring this little one home.

Rachel thought the best part of the 4th of July parade was the Cotton Candy!

Gabriel loved 'scaring' mommy at Sugarhouse Park in Utah.

We thought Miniature Golfing would be fun. Gabe started having a good time once we began letting him cheat!

Our Little Ones...

Sarah likes to read, sing 'The Phantom of the Opera' to us, play sports, practice her clarinet, pet her kitty and hang out with her friends. She is a good friend, a great student and has been asked out on her first date- *UGH* which we quickly put the 'kabosh' on, reminding her that boys have deadly cooties and are dangerous until at least 23years of age. She likes to remind us about it- just to watch us squirm and fidget. Her Daddy told her that if she wants a date- HE will fly out here and take her on one. Needless to say he has already purchased a flight.
Rachel likes Math, reading, drawing, dancing to music, and designing clothing. She is quite the 'social butterfly' and always has lots of friends around her. Rachel loves the Junie B. Jones series of books and has begun reading the Pippi Longstockings books. She is learning to cook and makes a great pie. Rachel is a good little housekeeper and has even helped clean at her Grammie Bev's. She is looking forward to her 9th Birthday and to seeing her Grandparents, who have been in Russia for a year and a half. She is sweet and patient with us all. Her favorite thing to do is for everyone to snuggle up in Mom's bed to watch a movie.
Gabriel is our BOY- and he is ALL BOY! Gabe is all about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Spiderman, Batman and fighting. He loves to throw and hit balls, build towers with blocks, dump out and count his 'monies' (money) and run around outside. He spends a fair amount of time in 'Time out' and is good at saying he is sorry. He will run into the room, punch his sister full force in the stomach and run to 'Time out' yelling- 'I sorry Rachel' as he sits down in his time out spot. It is useless for me to punish or get angry at him because his sisters are already laughing or smiling at him and telling him it is 'okay'- that he just has to be nice. He loves to eat chips and is picky when it comes to everything else. He is a sweet boy almost all of the time and keeps us all laughing.

Our Story!

Richard and I were married on August 22, 2008 in the Nauvoo, Illinois temple. We have been going to the same church since August of 2006 when the kids and I moved to Cameron but we didn't get to know one another or say more than a few words to one another until summer of this year. I noticed Rick my very first Sunday at church, but I thought he looked a little 'rough around the edges' and awfully young so I kept my distance. I wasn't really interested in men at that point anyway. BLECH! I just kind of watched from a distance for a few years. I figured there had to be more to him than 'being rough around the edges' and 'young' after watching the way he supported and cared for his Grandmother, helping her in and out of her chair, the car and the church building. Richard noticed me right away but didn't start really thinking about me until he sat at the end of the same row that the kids and I were on one Sunday this past Spring. Gabriel was being fidgety so I got up to take him out into the foyer. Rick was at the end of the row and I was going to have to step over him to get out- I figured he would slide his feet to the side like everyone else does to let me pass. He didn't- he stood up, moved my bag out of the way and went to hold the door open for me. He strolled a bit in the hallway and then held the door open for me and Gabriel as we came back in. He barely even looked at me when I quietly thanked him. That was the Sunday we both started watching one another- while trying NOT to look like we were watching one another. A few Sundays later he came to church shaved, with a haircut and in a suit! I could not help myslef and told him as I passed him in the hallway that he looked handsome- 'That was a much better look' , I told him. I thought that he looked at me like he had no idea why this 'old lady' was talking to him. He thought I was flirting with him and had no idea what to say or do- he was worked up at the thought that he had 'blown his chance' for weeks. He decided that he was going to find a way to get to know me. Luckily his sister, Tiffany, is one of my sweetest and dearest friends and it just so happened that she needed a ride home from my house one night. Her husband, Weston, and Rick were working together and came to pick her up- they were at my house talking until 2am. Rick wasted no time and asked me out the minute he found out that I was looking forward to the release of the movie 'The Dark Knight'. He teases that he was in love with me from that moment on. It took me a little while longer to come around.. and thank goodness I did because I have never been so happy! Rick loves having an immediate family- even with all of the stresses and adjustments that can bring. We have lots of fun together and as a family, we are so blessed to have the kids to help us figure everything out. And they do! :)