Another fun weekend!

Ok so I'm sick of waiting for Sam to get a chance to proof read this. So if there are any typos or misspelled words just roll your eyes and laugh.

We spent this weekend in St. George with family. It was so nice to have everyone together!! Lori and Jeff were in Utah to be Sealed in the St. George Temple. It was beautiful. Jeff was also sealed to his Dad. It was neat to see the excitement in Jeff's eyes the first time they were call an Eternal family. I had the privilege of escorting Brady through this. Ok so I just took him to the nursery and stayed for a bit before leaving unnoticed. Brady loved the woman in the nursery when I brought him out of the sealing room he reached for her and said "Grandma". There is nothing like the pure loving spirit of a child. I took Brady outside to play while we waited for Lori and Jeff. Brady loved this fountain he thought it was so fun to get his hand wet and then wipe it on "Am"(Sam) or "Mama"(Lori). At one point Lori reached for Brady and he said "No Mama Ninny" that was a first ever! Brady always wants his mom.
Some of our family at the temple we met up with the rest of them for lunch and a party afterwards. Jeff is the king of self portraits he got me in on this one at Golden Corral. The kids had so much fun together. Saturday evening we had our Christmas party. It's a bit early but this was the only opportunity to have all 8 and3/4 of the grandkids together for Christmas. It was so fun to watch the kids play. Abby and Jr were so cute together but they could cause some major damage if not supervised! Stacy was so generous to let us all crash at her place. She was constantly cooking and cleaning. She had all of the sleeping arrangements planed out and everything went over without a hitch. Grandma's house looks so good Stacy really works hard to keep it looking just the way grandma left it. Thank you so much Stacy for your hospitality and generosity you are so sweet. We did miss Dad in all of our festivities I can't wait for him to get back on his feet. Next Christmas is my year to host the party so I better get cracken' on finding a bigger place:) It was very hard to say goodbye to Lori, Jeff and Brady. Malachi cried "but mom I don't want Brady to go back to New Hampshire I won't see him again"

Kindred spirits Sam and Brady just hung out while the other kids ran wild. The little boys got cars from Grandma Clarke. It took a while to open them one little strip of paper at a time. The Girls got Little Pet shops from Grandma Clarke. Everyone got new PJ's!!! Dez was in charge she helped so much with the little ones Thanks Dez! All of the sisters. Some one said we looked like Skittles. Karen, Stacy, Me, Amber and Lori. Our Men make plaid look good!!! Shane, Brandon, Sam, Jake Dominick and Jeff. Even Aiden knows how to rock this robe. Another self portrait with Jeff :) I have no idea what happened here look at me my eyes are about to pop out! Amber and Brandon are the most loving couple ever I love to be around them Now that's a pretty rose. Jeff Sr. and Marie came to our party too it was so fun to have them there!

Aiden was so cute he was not about to be left out of anything the big kids were doing. He is the toughest little guy I have ever seen. Though guy Aiden playing with Unc. Sam.
All of the Clarke kids together! Can you find Abby? I had to bribe the 3 little ones with candy but that's what Aunts are for right. Dom, Ash, Dez and Brady, Aiden, Abby, Kye and Jr.

The Man in My Life

Tagged by my sweet sis-in-law Lynsie.

1. What is your husband's name? Samuel Taylor Grimes

2. Where did you meet your husband? In high school, I had the biggest crush on him but he didn't even know I was alive for like 2 years. We finally went out for the 1st time after Lori's graduation 1999.

3. How long did you date before you got married?
First date - May 1999 We broke up but found each other again 2yrs later
2nd First date- Aug 2001
Engaged - April 2002
Married - 10/12/02
I'm so thankful every day that we found each other again.

4. How long have you been married? 6 years

5. What does he do that surprises you? (I'm not a big fan of surprises Sam has learned that the hard way poor guy.) Even though we have been parents for 5 years I'm constantly surprised at what a wonderful dad he is. He out dose himself all the time, just when I think it can't get any better it dose. He makes me a better Mom.

6. What is your favorite feature of his? His eyes and his arms (I feel so safe when he holds me).

7. What is your favorite quality about him? His sensitivity to others feelings.

8. Does he have a nickname for you? Yep, Trin. He very rarely calls me Trinadee. Sam was the 1st person to call me Trin all the time. You can tell the people who know me through Sam they call me Trin everyone else calls me Trinadee. Grandma Nina didn't know my name was Trinadee until last year.

9. What is his favorite sport? Rafting and Rock climbing. He's not die hard sports fan. He'll watch a game if it's on but he doesn't hunt for one to watch.

10. When and where did you first kiss? On my front porch in Orangeville back in 99 and His porch in Elmo in 2001. (I think Ben was a witnesses I was very embarrassed)

11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? We like to chill at home and watch movies. Boring I know but we don't have many options around here.

12. Do you have children? Yes, we have a 5yr old boy Malachi who is just like his Dad. 4yr old Abby is so much like me it's scary. We are super excited for baby #3 to arrive in January.

13. Does he have any hidden talents? most of his talents are hidden because of his personality. He is a wonderful leader, strong and firm but fair. Most people don't see Sam as the leadership type. Every job he has had he quickly gets the attention of the boss because of his problem solving skills.

14. How old is he? 26

15. Who said "I love you" first? He did both times. One of my favorite memories is back in high school when he said it for the 1st time. He gave me roses that day too.

16. What is his favorite music? This is hard because we disagree on music. We usually end up listening to whatever I like:) I think he likes Alternative or Rock or something??

17. What do you admire most about him? The fact he works so hard so I can stay home with my kids. He always puts us first.

18. What is his favorite color? He likes earthy, rich colors. I think it's part of his outdoor obsession.

19. Does he do laundry? Sometimes if he is out of work shirts or garments lol. Seriously if I ask he will do anything around the house dishes laundry whatever.

20. Will he read this? Maybe if I point it out to him he doesn't get much time on the computer.

I tag Lori!

Princess Abby turns 4

We started November off with a bang as well. Abby had her Birthday party on Monday with her friends from church. We had 8 kids 5 and under an even 4 girls 4 boys. Dottie came and hosted the party. It was so fun she was a Fairy Grandmother that turned the girls into Princesses and the boys into Knights. Dottie brought all the costumes so the kids were surprised. We played a bunch of games it was a huge hit!

Fairy Grandmother turning Kye into a knight.

Princess- Abby, Siri, Kallie and Lyda

Knight - Owen, Kye, Conner and Quinn Who said pumpkins aren't any good after Halloween? We bowled for ghosts Princess style.


Abby got lots of fun new things Thanks everyone. This Pinata would not die! Abby was very princess like whacking away at it with only one hand. Make a wish:) This was the first year I didn't make Abby's cake. I didn't realize how sad that would make me. My favorite birthday memory is look at cake books with my mom. I remember going to bed feeling like Christmas eve excited to see how the cake was going to turn out. My mom always made us feel so special on our birthday Thanks Mom!

Thanks again to Grandma Dottie the best fairy Grandmother a girl could ask for!

October

We had an eventful month in October. SO I have a lot to post about please bare with me as I tend to babel on sometimes.

First I have to say my Dad is doing so much better:) He is in a Rehab center in Ferron until he gets his strength back. He even took a field trip to Provo for Shane's birthday. We also watch my nephew Dominick play and win a championship football game. Malachi was so impressed by Dom he had to shadow him all day. Malachi made a sign that said "Go Wasatch!" all by him self (I told him what letter came next). He held up his sign every time the crowd would cheer. After the game Amber said "Thanks Kye you helped us win the game" this was the best news he has received in a long time. He keeps going on and on about Dominick the champ and how he helped them win.

Abby had fun eating with chopsticks. She was also quite impressed with the chef that cooked our food at the table. Dom and Kye Some of the Clarke Clan. Unc. Shane showing off for the kids.
Our trip to NH was so much fun. I love to hang out with Lori, Jeff and Brady. Brady was so sweet it took a bit for him to warm up to me. Once he did he gave lots of hugs and kisses. His blessing was wonderful and he looked so cool in his white clothes. We went to Hampton beach on Monday it was cold but so worth it. Wow it was so beautiful and I now have rocks from a very east coast beach and a way west coast beach. Brady calls me "Ninny" and Sam "Ninny's Daddy" he has since learned how to say Sam. I can't wait to see them again in a few weeks.

Prego Sisters at Brady's Blessing:)
After the blessing Sweet, sweet Brady loves!
Hampton Beach is pretty empty in October. During the summer there isn't any open sand. It was so nice to get some couple time with my wonderful hubby.

Halloween was 2 days of candy, candy and more candy. We did trunk or treat at our church the night before. Malachi's school did Main St. on Halloween then we did Trunk or Treat with some friends on Halloween night. We also went to a big fun party after. Thanks so much Jen for all of your hard work it was so fun.

Super girl doing her tricks waiting for the parade to start. Malachi and Mrs. Briggs in the parade Sam is thrilled can you tell? Counting up the loot. Bobbing for apples the little girl with her hand on hisnt> head dunked Kye. Abby gave up on super girl at the party and became vampire girl.

I'll post Abby's party soon for some reason my computer is done working today?

Life moves on and on.

So life has been crazy in the last few weeks. I have had some ups and downs. First of all I have to say careful what you pray for because God answers prayers. In my last post I said I was praying for a early freeze to kill all the spiders well I got it. We even got a bit of snow. I'm not brave enough to check on the spider situation in the storage unit but I haven't seen one around here in a while:)

Week One: Projects.

I went to enrichment a few weeks ago and came home with a ton of projects. We made treats for every woman in the ward as a way to track visiting teaching. My visiting teachers were in charge of the treats so I offered to help finish this making treats. This was a huge blessing because I was able to get to know my new friend Jen after 5 hrs of marshmallow fun I feel like we bonded. Two of the other projects were quilts that needed to be bound. One was tricky because, well long story, but it was just tricky. So blessing #2 Melissa said she would help me figure out how to fix this problem. It took us a good part of the day but the quilt was finished and I now fill like I have 2 new friends. The last project was get my visiting teaching done. Enter Sarah Allen. We have met in passing but only passing. She is my visiting teaching partner but we just can get together. We found time, and as we visited one of our families I learned Sarah is super sweet as well. I ended the week with 3 new friends each very different. The truly amazing thing is I would start the next week in need of a friend!

Week Two: Bad News

While hanging out with Melissa last Monday I got a phone call telling me my dad was sick. Ok so I knew he wasn't filling well so it didn't catch me totally off guard, but the fact he was in a ambulance on his way to Price shook me a bit. My Dad WILL NOT do an ambulance conscious so I knew it was bad. It took a while(the next day) before I found out how serious it was. He was life flighted to University hospital in critical condition. He had Pneumonia in both lungs my mom found him passed out on the floor. His organs were shutting down from lack of oxygen(way long story short). He has been in ICU for 7 days now and is still on a ventilator but doing so much better than we could have asked for. He may be getting of the ventilator today!!! He is responsive and has no long term damage to his organs from lack of oxygen. Melissa has been so sweet to talk to me and help me trough this(she also gave me some Maternity clothes so I don't have to brave the storage unit right now:). Sarah finished our visiting teaching and was wonderful to talk to as well. It was nice to have friends to talk to and hold me together for a while. Bottom line Dad is doing well and I leave for New Hampshire as planned on Friday morning.

Week 3: Back in the swing of things.

It just started but on a good note. While we were in SLC visiting Dad we stayed at Shane and Karen's house. They had yummy food for us and Karen suggested we carve pumpkins. So we started to carve pumpkins at 9:00pm by 9:30 Abby was asleep and Aiden had given up as well. Kye stuck it out until the end not leaving Sam's lap until 10:30pm when his vampire was finished (pictures to follow). I took Kye back to school today. I was a bit was afraid to face Mrs. Briggs after missing a whole week of school. I decided to go in and tell her how it was "we were dealing with a family emergency and he's going to miss Monday and Tuesday next week as well." She was so nice and totally understanding. We do have a ton of homework to catch up on though and she is making a packet for next week. So Dottie will have fun with that! It's been strange the way life just works out. I'm so thankful for all of the help I received from Friends and Family. I'm looking forward to dad's recovery and my trip to New Hampshire.

Getting started.
The fun part scooping out the slime!! No Aiden is not eating pumpkin goo he found a dish of pretzels that kept him busy for a while. Shane helped about as long as Abby did. Karen ended up doing 2 pumpkins one for Aiden and one for her little cousin Raquel(I'm not sure if I spelled that right). We tried to get Aiden to touch the slime but he was fine just looking. This is the only part my sweet girly Abby had and interest in. Pulling out the slimy seeds! Yucky! This is Raquel she is the most respectful kid I know. If an adult talks she responds with complete respect. "Yes Trinadee" "I would love to Janice" "Excuse me may I please call you Trin" soo cute. Typical Shane and Aiden. Shane dangling yucky pumpkin guts over Aiden's head! Enough messing around down to business. Abby was out cold. Adding a finishing touch.

Fall in Mount Pleasant

I LOVE FALL!!
The colors are so invigorating. Having spent most of my life in Carbon and Emery Countys it's a change to be in the lush green valley of Sanpete. We have spent some much needed time outdoors on the mountain this month just enjoying the foliage. Although the colors are so bold you can enjoy them from town. The whole mountainside is a range of red, yellow and orange with a touch of green from the pines. This weekend we also had the wonderful blessing of moisture. For 3 days strait I don't think it stopped drizzling. So out bright mountain is now snow capped!! Now don't get me wrong fall is beautiful in Emery as well, but with our beloved Desert taking up most of our scenery we don't get the bright colors of the oaks.


My cold family on a nature hike in the rain.
One shot of fall trees the cool red trees were on the top but my camera died.
Abby in the rain.
As much as I love this area I have come to find the down side of our moist fall climate. We are over run by bugs. Not just the cute little rolly polly bugs Abby loves or fun little baby slugs she enjoys holding, but HUGE GIGANTIC CREEPY SPIDERS. I have become accustomed to the mutant bread of Wolf Spider in our house so that's not the problem. Sam says "they are so big it like chasing a lizard instead of a spider"(he gets a kick out of it). He was very understanding of the first few frantic phone calls about spiders in our house and even ran home to rescue me once. I think he was a bit annoyed today when I call in a huff over spiders in our storage unit. I couldn't even enter because of the mass collection of spiderwebs. I opened the door prepared for the worst or so I thought(I had some warning from Sam). I had to work hard to compose myself when I opened the door to a million earwigs(I don't know that's just what I call them) running out. Abby on the other had was squealing with excitement at all the bugs to chase and step on. "Oh look mommy they run so fast" she squealed. Anyway back to the problem at hand the spiders. I hate them they are in all the boxes and I swear at least one of them is a Black Widow. If I could afford it I would just abandon it all right there no problem. But I need my maternity clothes(just ask Grandma Nina) and baby stuff. So I'm praying for a super freeze that will wipe them all out so I can move on with my life. Is it wrong to pray for the death of one of Gods creatures? I guess it dose sound a bit harsh but YUCK.

I feel a bit better now getting this all off my chest thanks for letting me rant. I hope everyone is has a blissfully spider free fall!!! Go out and enjoy a fresh picked apple for me :)

(at the request of many I won't creep you out with more spider pictures)