Jepson's Baptism!

3 posts in one day! WHEW, I'm whooped!...lol.

My baby boy was baptized on Sunday and it is such a milestone for me! Our Branch President said at the baptism "It's kind of sad, Jepson, because your Mom and Dad won't have any more children to get baptized since you're the last one!". Ok, I wouldn't have put it like that, as this is a HAPPY occasion, not a SAD one, but I know what he meant. It did hit me that both of my children are accountable now and growing up before my very eyes. Before I know it, he'll be passing the sacrament, going on a mission and getting married! But for now, I'm going to enjoy the moment.

I am very proud of Jepson. He is the my sweet boy who doesn't see faults in anyone. He is such a happy go lucky kid who loves life and wants to be everyone's friend! He still likes to cuddle with his mama once in a while :) I hope never loses site what's important and stays my sweet little innocent boy.

My Mom, Dad and little brother, Joey, (little brother that reminds me he can whoop my butt!) were able to fly out for the blessed event. It was wonderful to see them have them participate in this fun time with us. Here are some pictures!



Jepson in his brand new suit!



Jepson with his Great Grandmother, Penny and Great, Great Aunt, Ruth.



Jepson and I.



Jepson with Grandma and Grandpa Galloway.

Jepson's Birthday!

For Jepson's 8th birthday, my sister-in-law, Allison, wanted to make Jepson a cool "Transformers" cake from scratch. We thought it would be really fun and knew it was something Jepson would love, since "Transformers" are his latest obsession.

So, Todd and I were thinking she'd bake a rectangular shaped cake and cut out a transformers mask outline and make the cake that way. Not so, she had made this cake 7 layers high and decided she was going to be "Ace of Cakes" and just start going to town carving this thing. As you can probably imagine, it didn't go so well. I think she had the idea better in her head than it actually turned out, but who were we to say anything. She went to a lot of work to plan this thing out, this was her project and when she sets her mind on something, dang it, she's going to accomplish it!!

As she was carving the cake, it started to fall apart and it just wasn't turning out. So she put some blue frosting on it and when she frosted it, Todd looked at it and said "Ya know...it kind of looks like that blue blob from that Monsters Vs. Aliens movie, let's just go with that and hope Jepson recognizes the character!". So, the next morning, Jepson woke up and said "Cool! My cake looks just like "Bob the Blob"! We all sighed a sound of relief! So, it wasn't the cake she set out to make, but all in all, the cake definitely "Transformed"...lol!

Bush Gardens surprise trip!

As I was downloading pictures off of my camera to put on my blog, I came across some pictures from a trip to Busch Gardens back in February, I believe, and I had to share this funny story.

We surprised the kids with a trip to Busch Gardens. We're fortunate enough to live about 30 minutes from the amusement park, so off we went one morning. The kicker is, we told the kids that they needed to hurry up and get ready for school, or they would be late. Todd told them that he needed to drop me off at work, as they usually take the bus and I am usually gone before they get up and ready for school in the morning and since I work right across the street from the kids' school, this was a very plausible excuse!. Now, their school is only 5 minutes away, they didn't realize we weren't going to school until about 20 minutes into the trip. This is how the conversation went while in the car:

Jepson: Uh....Dad? Aren't we going the wrong way?
Breigh: Yeah, Dad...you need to turn around! We are SO going the wrong way.
Todd: Oh, I guess you're right. Well, there's so much traffic this morning, I'll see if there's a spot up ahead where I can turn around.

10 minutes later.

Breigh: Dad!!! We're going to be SOOO late and I'm going to get in trouble! We have to turn around NOW!!
Jepson: Oh, no! I don't want to be late for school!!
Todd: I know, I know...I think there's a place up here I can turn around.

We then enter the parking lot for Busch Gardens.

Breigh: OH GREAT!!!! We've gone way too far now... now we're at Busch Gardens!!! We'll never get to school now!

At this point, Todd and I were trying SO hard not to laugh. They truly did not clue in on our little detour. Finally, we got out of the car and they realized, "OH, this was all a trick wasn't it?! Very funny guys!"..lol! It was classic. Hopefully one moment they will always remember :) Here are some pictures.



Me and the hub chillin'



Breigh and Jepson in the front entrance being silly!



These are "tree people". There is a new area in Busch Gardens called "jungala" where the tree people live. They were really nice, a bit strange looking, though I have to admit.

Laundry....done!!

This is the latest craze at the Williams' household!! I had my eye on this little beauty for a few months and decided to breakdown and dish out the $50. Let me just tell you, it is money well spent! It has helped me keep all the laundry organized in one neat place in my laundry room, so half the work is already done for me. Novel concept eh? My kids are actually begging to sort their dirty laundry.... "can we sort, mommy, can we sort, please" they tell me! You don't have to twist my arm. Who knew it could be so much fun! Now if I can just get some help folding the mounds of clean laundry, I could be set free from Laundryland!

Feeling refreshed!

I had a wonderful time in Washington!

Here are some of the high points of my trip!:

* Reminiscing old times with old friends. I only wished we had more time to visit...another trip perhaps!
* Shopped to my hearts content with my mom, sister and sister-in-law on Black Friday.
* Chilled with the family and laughed about our growing up years.
* Went to see "Twilight" with the girls! I really enjoyed it and plan to see it again!
* Scouted out some possibilities for homes in Pullman! The hubby and I are planning on moving there eventually to be closer to family. I feel I have "done my time" in Florida and ready to get the heck out!!

I hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving as much as I did! Now I need to work off all that turkey and stuffing I ate!!

I'm coming home!

In preparing for our trip to Washington next week, I just got all giddy and excited at the thought of "going home" for 10 days for Thanksgiving! I've been consumed with thoughts of seeing family and friends ever since we bought our tickets back in August...lol! It's a been a few years since our last trip there and I am just really looking forward to it.

In all honesty, we really shouldn't be making the trip due to our current financial situation (ensuing DEBT..lol), but my sweet husband loves me and he knew how much I wanted and needed to see my family and so he lovingly agreed for us to make this trip together as a family. So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I am indeed grateful for Todd in allowing us this opportunity and know this will be the last trip we will be taking in a long time (as the tears are streaming right now).

Ok.. these are some of the things I'm looking forward to on our trek west:



Thanksgiving!!! I'm going to need to save up all of my calories for this one glorious day!



Meeting up with some good friends to have lunch with the girls!



Leavenworth, Washington has got to be the coolest place this time of year!! I don't know if we'll have time to see Leavenworth given the fact that it is a good 4 1/2 hours from where we'll be staying, but LOVE this place!



My kids really want to see some snow when we're in Washington. Wishful thinking?

So I am finally getting around to posting up Halloween pictures of the kids. They had a really good time making their rounds around the neighborhood and gathering their treats. Jepson was Batman and Breigh, a gothic bride! She was so funny, this year she said "I don't wanna be no princess this year mom!"....uh... yeah, I think she accomplished that one! I also made "Mummies" for Halloween dinner, which I think turned out pretty good... the kids were pleased with my efforts anyways and that's what counts! Enjoy.