Annual Evans Turkey Bowl

Every year the uncles and nephews play a turkey bowl before Thanksgiving dinner.  No one was hurt this year.  At least not too bad.  A few of the older ones had a hard time walking after for a couple of days.

 Brian and brother Rick...Rick was always smiling!

 Brian with his brother Mark...talking strategy?

 It was a cold day

 This was after a bobble...Sorry Nathan, he's just getting you back after you intercepted a pass to Brian:-)

 Mark ready to take Brian down...I think he does:-)

 Chest bump with Adam after a scored goal!

The whole crazy group who played football in the snow on Thanksgiving morning.

It was like coming home...

I felt like I was coming home as I walked into Bally Gym.  The bikes, treadmills, and elypticals all feel so familiar.  I just love the feel of dumbbells in my hands and the familiarity of the bench.  It's not anything fancy, but it takes me back to High School Basketball and lifting everyday for seventh period.  I love the look of dumbbells all lined up against the mirrors.  I love to feel the burn as I try and do the 14th and 15th rep.  I love feeling sore and hungry all the time from working out.  The freedom to go whenever I want and not having to rely on Brian being home is like being back in college.  I feel so empowered and free.  It's not something I have felt since having kids:-)  I love the smell of a gym and seeing a bunch of people trying to be healthier.  I love to sweat and when I'm done with a hard workout feeling it in my lungs when I breathe for hours following.

I have to thank Brian who found this gym for me a few days before the promotion was ending of $30/mo. including childcare.  I was feeling...well, lets just say my eating disorder was bearing it's ugly head and Brian did something about it for me which meant so much.  I am so grateful to Brian for researching this for me and providing me this great freedom and life saver.  I can go and sit in a hot tub while someone watching my kids, or just ride a bike and watch TV or listen to music.  There is so much power in that I feel like a new woman and just had to share!!!!

Funny Abby/ Madison Teaches me...

Abby was looking for her pink shorts (even though it feels like winter here) and when I found them for her she said, "That's what I was finding for."

When I woke up a few mornings ago there was frost on the ground so I pointed it out to the girls and Abby kept saying, "There is frosting on the ground" and then she would look up and say, "the trees are broken" meaning the leaves are falling off the trees.  I love what she says!

Sunday morning:

After the whole Halloween on Sunday fiasco and Madison in tears when I told her "we don't trick-or-treat on Sunday because it's the Sabbath day and we keep the Sabbath Day holy."  To that she replied, "I don't want to keep the Sabbath Day Holy."  I was feeling a bit deflated and sad that she didn't want to keep the Sabbath Day holy.  Had I taught her right?

I have felt impressed to study my scriptures in the morning and not at night and so I started Saturday morning.  Madison had come in on Saturday and saw me studying my scriptures.  I didn't think much of it and just put my scriptures away once the kids woke up and played for 20 minutes before coming in my room.  But on Sunday morning I heard Madison wake up, crawl out of bed without waking Abby, and sneak into my room.  As she came into my room I noticed she had her Book of Mormon.  She didn't say a word as she climbed up on Brian's side of the bed, opened her scripture case and pulled out her scriptures and started to read them with me.  Of course she can't read, but it touched my heart so deeply.  I was reassured that she did want to be good and is such a spiritual giant.  I pulled her over to me and we read scriptures together in Alma 45.  She hasn't done it since, but it was a great experience for me.   My girls really are watching me and observing what I do and how I live.  I feel so blessed to have Abby and Madison for daughters.  I know they are spiritual giants and have so much to teach me.

G. Photoshoot

Gibson shoot...more here.

Pumpkin Carving

 Madison spent a lot of time convincing Abby how fun it would be to be a ladybug.  This way Madison could wear the 3T costume of Curious George again this year even though it is a bit too small and Abby would fit it perfectly:-)  Abby was so happy to be a ladybug and Madison loved being Curious George with Brian as the Man in the Yellow Hat.  I went as a domino.  Sorry, no pictures of me, I am the camera woman:-)

 Abby loved carving pumpkins this year.  It was really her first time and she loved it.  She told daddy that she wanted teeth like "this".  Brian said she when he looked at what she meant by this he saw Abby with her eyes shut tight and the biggest smile plastered on her face showing all her teeth.  She got a pumpkin with teeth!

Madison had a blast and has been talking about carving her pumpkin for a while.  She even remembered her train from 2 years ago.   I had a photoshoot and wasn't able to carve pumpkins with the fam this year.  

Brian said that Madison told him how to carve all the pumpkins.  Mine is the one with heart eyes...well, one heart eye, a squirrel ate the eye on the right.  Then Madison went on to tell Brian how to do all the others.  Can you tell which one is Abby's?  It has all the teeth.

Downtown Trick-or-treat

 Abby carried her dog the entire time and loved getting candy at every stop! It was so fun to see downtown and we saw so many friends.  What a fun holiday!

 Got to love her face!  

 Smile Curious George.

 Running to the next store to trick-or-treat.

I loved this door downtown.  It's such a fun place and I loved seeing in tons of different shops I have never been in before.  There were restaurants, granola type stores, jewelry stores, yarn and homemade stores, florists, etc.

Happy Halloween!

 Madison had a party at her preschool and chose to wear the ragady anne costume for that party and then...

 wear her curious george outfit to go trick or treating downtown.  Abby was just being silly and wanted to go and get candy 'now' instead of taking pictures.

The excitement was so fun.  Madison knew what to expect this year and had told Abby time and time again what it means to trick or treat and how people give you candy.

This is what I live for...

Today was one of those days where I thought multiple times, "this is what I live for."  It was Madison waking up happy and laughing with Abby in the bedroom for 20 minutes before coming to get me.  It was eating dinner together as a family (minus the melt down or two), it was seeing Abby gets so excited to see her daddy today after he has been gone for two days, it was Abby running full speed and slamming into Brian's legs to give him a hug and holding nothing back.  It was when I looked around church today and realized how many friends I have here after living here less than four months, it was having someone come out and help me carry in my stuff since Brian was at work, it was listening to Brian run up the stairs to scare the girls and hearing the screeching screams of delight coming from their bedroom.  It was watching Abby curl up in her daddy's arms to be held, it was Madison's sweet looks of love, It was in the meaningful questioned asked me today of "how are you doing?", it's knowing Heavenly Father is watching and listening,  it was the walk with a friend to talk about anything, and last of all to have Brian home after a long 30 hour shift and knowing he would much rather be here with his family than at the hospital with his co-workers.

My New Business Card!

I just designed my first real business card and am about to send it to the printers.

"And she SCORES!!!!!!!"

I was so proud of her for playing.  She even practiced some and was all about playing when she knew the treat was soon at hand:-)  We sort of payed $45 for sitting on the sidelines freezing and cool treats...expensive treats I know.  I'm just glad she is playing now.  It's been hard and scary for her, but she is doing it!

This is the all too well known way children play soccer. They run around in clusters wherever the ball is:-)

 This is when she kicked it!!!

This is when she scored!!!!!!!!!

Where's the wrapper?

A friend of ours gave us mini pumpkin muffins in a wrapper and for dinner Abby had already eaten two and asked for another one.  When I gave her the third one I noticed there weren't any wrappers left.  I just thought she dropped them on the floor, but when I asked her where they were she said, "I ate them."  And she had.  In her defense the muffin didn't come out of the wrapper very well and there was still muffin stuck to the wrapper, so why not eat it?

Humpty Dumpty Fell off the wall

Today was one of those days that will be a comic relief one day to talk about.  During Madison's appointment Abby was squirming around on Brian's lap when she fell and hit her head on the hard, tiled floor.  I heard the crack and waited for the worst.  She came up crying, but there wasn't any blood and she seemed ok.  The doctor jumped up and got a cold pack for her and then tried to make us feel better before moving on with the appointment.  We did get out of there without any more major catastrophes, but that was short lived.  After the girls napped, they were playing together and having a blast putting a large, fluffy, white blanket over their heads and then tying a scarf around that to keep it covering their entire bodies.  Madison had covered Abby many times and since Abby couldn't do it to Madison very well Madison asked me while I was sitting on the toilet.  I reluctantly covered her head and tied the scarf around her body to keep the blanket on and next thing I hear is, "Abby, where do I go?"  I then see out of the corner of my eye Abby leading Madison right to the basement stairs.  I jump off the toilet, pull up my pants as much as possible, and run to try and stop the inevitable.  I remember screaming as I watched Madison walk blindly off the top step and fall head over heels all the way down to the bottom of the steps.  I am halfway down the stairs when Madison finally lets out the scream of utter terror, surprise, and pain.  I untangle her from the blanket and take her up in my arms.  I am still in shock at what just happened as Madison screams once again in my ears and grasps my neck not willing to let go.  Her embrace tightens as I try and pry her loose to talk to her and express my empathy for what just happened, but she will not yield.  At this point I give up and look over at Abby.  Her eyes are huge, wide open and filled with confusion and sadness.  She feels she did something wrong, but doesn't understand why Madison fell down the stairs.  She doesn't utter a 'sorry Madison', but stands there, frozen in one position, wanting to be comforted.  I pass off Madison and grab Abby in a huge embrace.  She clings to me and continues to look at Madison with a confused, dazed look.  I would like to say this was the last fall of the day, but later on Madison fell off the porch and then later tripped on the playground structure hitting her shin on the metal platform.  I am now finishing my day and am just grateful all children are alive and well.  I can't imagine the drama with more than two.  We have been to the Dr. office 4 times in the past 3 weeks and only one was a well child visit:-)  Don't ask...

"Please bless that my shots won't hurt..."

Today we had Madison's four year appt. at 8 am...why so early I don't know what I was thinking.  Background: Madison has been praying for the past day or two that her shots won't hurt and this morning before her appt. I reminded her about the shots and that they might hurt a little. She replied with total confidence, "they aren't going to hurt, I prayed that they wouldn't."  I said, "well, they might hurt and it's ok to cry.  It hurts mommy when I get shots"  Madison said, "Every body is different and it won't hurt me."  "Who told you every body is different?" She said, "you did.  Like how Abby sleeps light and I am a deep sleeper."  My heart broke.  I wanted her to believe God answers prayers and I didn't want to tell her that he couldn't stop the pain of a shot and so I let her believe and trust in her Heavenly Father.  I even started to believe her FOUR shots wouldn't hurt.  When it came time for her shots, she was so brave and had no fear whatsoever in her eyes.  She was happy up to the point where they stuck her in the arm with a shot.  The first one coaxed a small cry that by the fourth shot was a scream that tore at my heart.  It was a disappointed, fearful, heart wrenching cry that almost brought tears to my eyes.  I just wanted to hold her and tell her that Heavenly Father does answer prayers and that he could take the pain away if he wanted.  I did hold her and tried to pick up the broken pieces that seemed to fall apart in front of me.  I feared she felt abandoned, alone, and let down.  I prayed for guidance as to what to say to her as she sobbed on my shoulder.  In the car I talked to her and asked if Heavenly Father answered her prayer.  She said, "yes."  I don't know how it all worked out in her head, but I tried to work it out for myself out loud as I said, "you were so calm and must have felt the spirit before and were so brave and maybe that is how Heavenly Father answered your prayer."  She just nodded from the back seat of the car as I prayed that she would continue to have the faith of a child and not let this effect her in the future.  I'm sure Heavenly Father answered my prayer and cares about Madison so much that he will take care of her for me:-)

Stripping warriors are back!

We are reading in Alma about when Gid was bringing a group of prisoners to Zarehemla when the Lamanites attacked the Nephites and the prisoners rebelled and escaped.  Well, I was paraphrasing for the girls when Gid recounts what happened after they defeated the Lamanites and I said, "Gid said..."  at which point Abby chimed in and said, "Give said the little stream."  It took me a while to understand why she was quoting a song during scripture study and then I got it.  She was finishing the phrase for me and said, "Gid said the little stream."  I got a good laugh about that.  I just love my little girls and how much fun, joy, and laughter they bring into my life.

Lilley's Visit

I know, I deserve a slap on the hand.  We were having so much fun and kept forgetting a camera...so this is all we have to show for Lael being here for a week.  We went on this long bike ride on my birthday with the girls.  Lael pulled the girls and I'm sure got a workout and I enjoyed the road bike and felt great after my ride:-)  Today I took the girls for a 10 mile bike ride and I pulled them and am going to feel it tomorrow.  Thanks Lael:-)

The girls still miss her and Abby even mentions her every now and again.  What a fun week.  I dropped into a depression once Lilley left...for real!  I loved cooking with her, shopping, running, exploring, relaxing, etc.  Lael really made my birthday this year!!!!!!

Half Marathon Results

I came in fourth in my age group and 79th overall!  I ran it in 2:09:46 for a 9:59 minute mile.

Even though that looks really good, granted there were only 112 runners and 5 in my age group:-)  That means that 76 people older than me ran it faster and only one other person my age ran it slower.  It doesn't look as good now, but hey it was FUN!!!  Lael was 3rd in our age group and ran it in 2:01:08 for a 9:19 minute mile.  She placed 56 overall.  She was the only one out of state though:-)  Got to love small races:-)

Habor Springs, MI

 Here are the colors...and here is the view of the town we had while running.  These aren't my pictures.  I just found them on the internet and they capture the town very well!

 This was our path...this is what it looked like.

 This isn't peak, but close...imagine it with the reds, orange, and yellows of the picture above it.  There weren't any green trees except for the evergreens.  They had all changed at the same time!!!

 Imagine this with the fall colors...this was along our route!!!!

I loved the sailboats!  This is close to the finish/Starting line!  The starting line was in a park which had a beach with sand!  It was so pretty!

Half Marathon in Harbor Springs

I feel horrible we didn't get to really take pictures except on Lael's ipod and phone.  The course was hilly, but beautiful with the fall foliage at it's peek.  We ran right along Traverse Bay and saw the lighthouses, sailboats at the harbor, gorgeous reds, yellows, and orange trees along the entire path.  It was so fun, but hard.  I must say I should have trained longer than I did and maybe running with my knees a bit injured wasn't the best idea, but hey, you don't get a chance to run with your sister every day:-)  I wish I could say it was on my bucket list, but it wasn't.  I never even had a desire to run a half marathon until two months ago.  I got it in my head and had to do it.  I am grateful for a supporting husband and a supporting sister who coached me along the entire way!  I hope to get some pictures soon, but if not I'm sorry not only for you, but me.  It was gorgeous, but I don't think pictures could come close to the real thing any way.  Maybe your imagination can't capture it either, but it's probably better than a picture:-)  Just picture fiery reds, yellows, and orange on every tree!  All the trees had turned and they are huge trees!  The bay was so blue it contrasted the yellows, oranges, and reds and complimented the white church, harbor with sailboats, and small harbor village.  The air was cool and crisp the entire way and the sun was always peeking out from behind the trees dancing across my face as I ran along the tree lined route.

The 2,000 'what' warriors?

We are reading about the 2,000 stripling warriors in our morning scripture study with the girls.  I always recap what is going on before reading more and so I said, "What are we reading about?"  To which Madison said, "I don't know" and Abby said, "King Lamoni" (which was what we read about the week before).  I decided to give them a hint and said, "We are reading about the 2,000 _______" and then I paused to let them fill in the blank.  Madison said, "strapping warriors"  and Abby said, "stripping warriors".  So we were reading about the 2,000 strapping, stripping warriors:-)  Got to love kids.

Miracle at Preschool

Miracle:  Madison has started Preschool and at her school once a month they get to bring home a bag with a book, stuffed animal, and notebook.  They then get to play with the stuffed animal, read a book about them, and then write what they did with their friend in the notebook and draw a picture.  When Madison learned about this during her walk through the preschool before she started, she was so excited about the bags with the stuffed animals in them.  When I picked her up the first day she thought they put them in her own bag and when she got in the car all excited and looked in her bag and found no stuffed animal, book, or notebook her facial expression was not excitement anymore, but pure disappointment.  I felt so sick knowing she may have to wait a month to get that bag...but the next day when I picked her up she had the bag. It was her turn and she didn't even have to wait very long.  She brought home piggy and did a shoot with her, slept with her, dressed her up, sang to her, read her books, and played with her.  She loved it and was so sad to give her back today.  We had to sneak a few stuffed animals in her own bag to bring to preschool:-)  Got to love this girl!

Fire Station Fun

 For the RSN (Resident Support Network) we all went to the Pittsfield Fire Station for a tour.  It was lots of fun and the girls got their fireman hats and a sticker.  They loved it!  They were a bit too afraid to walk through the fire truck, but had no problem sitting on it:-)

 I love these two...

Here's the RSN group that came.  It's so fun to be around women who are going through the same thing as us and at all different stages.  What a fun playdate!

Primary Program Success!

How fun is this?  Madison had her primary program today and since I had to take pictures of the ward for the photo directory, I snapped some of Madison and Abby in between while waiting.  They are so fun!  Madison got this picture of Christ from Primary today and her line for the program was, "Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love me."  She did great until I left to take Abby to the bathroom and that's when she began to cry and had to come and sit with us for the last song.  She was so brave and sang so beautifully.  It brought me to tears at one point.  She is such an angel.

On the car ride home Abby asked what Jesus was doing in the picture.  Abby said, "It's just a picture of Jesus, but do you want to know what he did?  He taught people, and healed people, and helped them."  It was so cute to hear Madison teaching Abby about Jesus.  She then said we could hang this picture up in her room to remind us of him and we could pray to him.  What a darling little girl!!!!

Abby has this thing with getting her picture taken.  If I want her to smile, it doesn't happen...she was so funny and refused to smile and then did this!

This was the best one we could get...I remember when Madison went through this phase.  Now she just smiles and poses for the camera whenever I ask...It's a photographers dream come true!

Soccer Playa!

Madison has been so excited to play soccer!  We got her shin guards (pink) and cleats.  We talked to her about it and counted down the days.  It was going to be so great, so I thought.  When we got there she was so overwhelmed that she just sobbed.  She tried to play with Brian on the field, but still wasn't convinced this was fun and was too overwhelmed to play with all the other kids.  So...