Overloaded October's End

The end of October was overloaded with great festivities! On the 26th Jonny got back from Thailand so we got together with James, Ryan (Brindi left town for a month), and the Woods since our time with the Woods was limited. Jonny brought James a crossbow from Thailand and of course the guys had to try it our immediately. They took it out back and shot some pumpkins for awhile (we named the pumpkin Brindi), but when that got old they decided to shoot each other. They started with shooting each other in the back and then decided to move on to bare skinned backs. It was stupid, but really hilarious. On the 27th we went to the Church Trunk or Treat party. It was raining out so what suppose to be an outdoor party was moved indoors. The church was packed, but it was still a good time. Jackson and Drake were both dressed up as Optimus Prime (we couldn’t find a Bumblebee costume small enough for Drake). Drake was pouting most of the time, but Jackson found a friend that was dressed as Bumblebee so he was in Transformer mode all night. The Dollars were so cute. Andy dressed up as a butterfly catcher and all his girls were butterflies. Grandma Cersey and her sister, Deejuana , joined in and dressed up as Lady Bugs. They were all so cute that they won best family costume (someone in our family has to win every year). I had a similar color motif going on so they adopted me into the bug family. Justin did not dress up, as usual. On Thursday the 28th we went to the Melting Pot with Jonny and Nicole. They said it was for my birthday, but the real reason we wanted to go was because it was going to be the last night that we would be able to spend alone with them before they moved to Thailand. The food was great and so was the company. We had fun devouring cheese, meat, and chocolate. We probably gained 5lbs each. On the 29th we had a fake birthday party/real farewell party. I had planned on throwing the Woods a farewell party and Nicole said that she wanted to throw me a birthday party even though I really had already had one. So we compromised and combined the two. We invited a bunch of friends and their kids over to my house and had fun eating and hanging out. Thanks for coming guys! On the 30th we had the annual Cersey Halloween party at Justin’s parents’ house. It was more laid back than usual because Grandma Cersey has been sick, but we all had fun anyway. We dressed up in goofy outfits and took pictures, we jumped in the bouncy thing, we played games, we decorated cookies, and of course we ate a ton of good food. Jackson had so much fun that he started to fall asleep while eating dinner. That night we went trick or treating. It wasn’t Halloween yet, but down here in the dirty south a lot of people don’t like celebrating Halloween on a Sunday, so it’s not too hard to find houses ready for trick or treaters on Saturday. The boys didn’t last very long, but they got more candy than they would be allowed to eat so it was a success. On Halloween day we stayed home and handed out candy to the few trick or treaters that came by. It was a great week!

AAAHHHHhhhhhhh!!!

 

This is a frightening tale about a not so young girl who almost died at the hands of her husband...not really, but you can imagine.

It was a cool autumn evening and the full moon had just begun to rise. The girl was looking forward to a relaxing date with her husband to celebrate some of his recent achievements at work, or so she thought. He had planned the entire night, which should have raised the girl’s suspicions since this was a rare occurrence, but she was just happy to be getting out the house without the kids so she didn't give it much thought. They dropped the kids off and headed to the girl's favorite restaurant for dinner. She was so happy to be spending a pleasant night out with her loving husband. “How unusually considerate it is of him to surprise me and bring me to my favorite restaurant”, she thought. During dinner she congratulated him on his success at work, but he seemed momentarily confused. He quickly recovered and thanked her for the accolades.

After dinner the husband guided the girl back to the car. This was strange because traditionally they would see a movie next, and the theater was right next to the restaurant. She decided he must be taking her to the IMAX theater down the road. "What a wonderful surprise that would be" she thought, but as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon the husband calmly continued driving past the IMAX theater and further into the unknown. The girl was confused and excited. "Where could he be taking me?" she wondered eagerly, but as they continued to pass all known landmarks the girl began to worry that perhaps her husband was lost. She asked him, "Is it much further?" "You will see." He replied. The round moon was shining brightly in the darkened sky. The husband exited off of the freeway they had been traveling on for some time and began turning onto to small roads leading away from civilization and towards dark country mountains. The girl's curiosity began to ebb and concern began to set in. She was beginning to think that they were truly lost and she was not sure she knew the way back. She knew that her husband was bad with directions, but she was usually able to guide him out of these kind of situations. The husband began to act irritated and confused. "Are you sure you are not lost dear?" She asked. "I'm just looking for a dirt road." He responded tersely.

They drove further into the dark night with no destination of any kind in sight. Finally they came upon a small country store with a single gas pump in front. A lone light bulb hung from the porch of the store providing little light for the gravel parking lot. The husband parked in a dark corner of the lot and then said he was going in to ask for directions. She watched him go into the store and then decided to text some friends while she waited. She told them that she was lost in the woods with her hudband and they responded that perhaps she should be concerned, but she was already concerned and perhaps even a little frightened. “Don’t be ridiculous…”she thought, “…you’ve been married to him for seven years and he has never been anything but loving and patient.” But then she began to think of all the times that she had tried his patience and rejected his loving advances. She turned to see what her husband was doing. She was surprised to see him aimlessly browsing the aisles of the store. The clerk was nowhere to be seen. He didn’t appear to be inquiring about directions at all. He brought his phone to his ear, had a short conversation, and then headed back towards her and the car.

“Did you figure it out?” She asked. “Oh…no. That woman has no idea where we are going.” He replied nonchalantly. The girls fear was rising. The husband headed further down the road and then abruptly turned around passing the store again. He then turned left onto a small dirt road as if he had known where it was the whole time. The headlights lit the small road ahead of them and the tall threatening trees passing on either side. There was not another car insight. Suddenly, the husband pulled to the side of the road into a small clearing and parked. “Time to start walking” he said ominously. The girl was no longer worried about hiding her nervousness. “Walk? Where?” She whimpered. “Don’t worry. It’s not far now.” He replied in his deep voice with a devilish smirk.

He held her hand as they walk along the same road that they had been driving on moments before leaving the car far behind. The cold air gave her an excuse for her shivering. The Hunter’s Moon was shining above the trees in its full brilliance. They walked for several minutes until they came to an even smaller dirt road that branched off to the right and down a steep hill. “Now it’s time to close your eyes darling.” The husband demanded. She protested, “but I can’t walk down this gravel hill with my eyes closed! I will fall.” “Then I will carry you, but you must promise to keep your eyes closed!” he said. She climbed onto his back and reluctantly buried her eyes into his shoulder blades. She knew that she could open her eyes at any time and he would not know, but she was too afraid to peek at what lay ahead. She didn’t want to know. Though she wasn’t sure if she trusted her husband at this moment she was willing to submit to him because she loved him regardless of the consequences. She would die in his arms if that was his wish.

After what seemed like forever he put her down and asked her to continue walking with her eyes closed. She could feel that the road was no longer headed in a downward slope and that there was grass under her feet. He held her hand and guided her up a small staircase. She heard the creek of a door opening. A rush of putrid air hit her nose! The smell was overwhelming like rotting flesh and excrement. She opened her eyes to find herself in a dark and unfamiliar small cabin. Suddenly she heard shrieking coming from the doorway behind her! She turned to find…all of her friends including the ones that she had texted earlier. “Surprise! Happy Birthday!” The girl was so surprised and relieved. “What?! My birthday isn’t for another two weeks! Where are we?” She exclaimed. “We are in a cabin on a lake in North Georgia! Your husband arranged everything. We will be staying here all weekend!” That was when she knew that there had been no reason to worry. All is right in the world. Her husband loves her and so do her friends.

They never did discover the source of the foul smell.

 

 

 

Pumpkins

About once every 5 years we decide to actually take part in traditional holiday activities and this year happened to be one of those rare years. So, last weekend we had fun with pumpkins. On Friday night we had friends over and we let our kids paint their little pumpkins. Some enjoyed it more than others. You can tell by Maggie's face in the picture below that she didn't quite get the point. Aiden was like a crazed artist who couldn't stand to have anyone disrupt his concentration on his masterpiece. Ours boys had a grand old time since Mom was actually letting them play with something messy.

 

On Sunday I invited my parents and James over for dinner and then tricked them into bringing the dinner too. Don't feel bad for them. They understand. After dinner we carved our larger pumpkins. I started out carving a dragon and then tricked my mom into finishing it. Justin carved a pumpkin with a devilish grin, and James carved the weepy moaning pumpkin. They all turned out really well I think. My dad watched Baby Einstein with the boys, which he said really creeped him out.

 

If you are wondering why I have pictures in this post when I said in my last post that I lost my camera, then first let me thank you for actually reading my blog. Justin found our really old digital camera that I have been using for the past few weeks. It is a piece of junk, but it takes pictures so it will have to do...until my birthday when I get a new camera (hint, hint).

Lost Camera

So folks, I lost my camera. This means no more posts with pictures until someone finds my camera or buys me a new one (hint, hint). Justin would say that I don't deserve a new camera because I will just lose it too. He's probably right, but how sad will it be if our kids never get their picture taken again? Think about that Justin!

I don't know what is wrong with me. I have some sort of mental retardation when it comes to keeping track of my valuables. I've been better with my keys lately thanks to the sweet key chain strap that Natalie Putman gave me. I guess I have a history of being especially bad with cameras. Once while Justin and I were dating we went to Zions National Park and took a ton of awesome pictures, but then I lost the camera. We spent hours looking for it and then finally found it...in the freezer. Like I said, mental retardation. Also, recently Ann Murphy (a woman at my church) found the same camera that is now lost laying around at the stake center. It could be anywhere now! So, if you happen upon a small silver camera with pictures of my kids on it then please return it to me so that I can make my posts colorful again.


In other news Jackson's T-ball season ended last night. His team won at least one game, maybe two, but in T-ball its not about who wins and who loses. It's about who actually tries to play the game as opposed to those who sit in the field and play with grass and dirt.

Jackson did a good job for being one of the youngest on the team. He hit the ball off of a pitch once and he got hit by the pitch 4 times this season. He stood in ready position most of the time, though that didn't necessarily mean he was actually ready. He did get to play one inning at SS which he actually did really well at. He got the ball and took it to second base twice that inning. We are very proud of our little man. He did a great job and he had fun playing even though he doesn't quite know the rules yet. He is looking forward to playing again in the Spring.

Justin is enjoying his new job, Drake is still a momma's boy, and I am still mostly just a lazy sack of potatoes, but all in all we are doing great!