Murder at the Deadwood Saloon

On Saturday night, my awesome friends and I had a Murder Mystery Party. I would say it's the most fun party we've ever had, but we've done a lot of fun things, so it's hard to choose. But this is right up there.
We were each assigned a character and received an envelope with tid-bits about them before we came. Wouldn't you know it, I was a floosy. Or Sally Star, saloon girl, technically. It was so fun to get dressed up and do something totally different! My kids didn't quite know what to think of me once I was in my costume. For Halloween I usually do something simple, so they were a little taken back.

Once we were all assembled at The Deadwood Saloon, the fun began. We were given objectives and then proceeded to act in character for the rest of the night, even through dinner. Being a hussy is hard work! ;) We laughed and laughed as the mystery unfolded and we all accused each other of killing poor Mitch Maverick. It turns out it was the very quiet Montgomery Money that was guilty, and only Christie guessed right.

I loved seeing everyone's costumes and hearing us all talk in western accents. The decorations were unbelievable and Lori and Nancy went over the top with it all. I was lucky enough to win best costume, though there were plenty that I thought were better than mine. Cami won best actress for a woman and Rachel for a man, and they both deserved it; they were hilarious! I couldn't stop talking about how much fun we had all day Sunday, and I even dreamed that I was in the Wild West the next few nights! I hope we make a Murder Mystery party an annual thing, it was so much fun.

This and That before I go crazy

I don't know how much more free time I'll have on my hands in the next few weeks, so I thought I'd better catch up on this while I can.

Trent had his Blue and Gold Banquet a few weeks ago, where he got his Music belt loop. He had lots of fun running around with the other scouts.

Hailey sang in her school's talent show last Friday. She did such a fantastic job! I was so proud of her. I wish I had a video camera! When they called her name to sing, my heart started beating so hard and my hands started shaking, like I was the one going up there. It's so hard when you know your child is nervous and there's nothing you can do about it! After wards, I called my mom to ask her if that happened to her every time I did a dance solo and she said "Yep, every time!". And what did she sing, you ask? "Mamma Mia", of course! She picked it herself, I had nothing to do with it.

You know that really cool house we were going to get in St George? Not happening. It's a long story, but Greg is heading down this week and will hopefully find something for us. I am trying not to freak out, but it's a little hard when we are moving in less than two weeks and we don't have anywhere to move to!

My mom came for a visit Wed-Sun, and I can't believe I didn't take one picture!!! We were running around the whole time, and I think we exhausted her. She is such a great Nana, the kids adore her. She took them all shopping and bought them fun stuff. She takes time with each of them, and makes each child feel special. They are so blessed to have her.

Our awesome neighbor's, the Nelson's, threw us a going away party on Friday night! We were so touched, and had a great time. We were pleasantly surprised that so many people came; Greg and I had both expressed concern that no one would come! This neighborhood has really helped us as I've faced my health problems, and my kids have made such good friends. We have leaned a lot while living here and our friends and neighbors have been wonderful. We are going to miss everyone! Here is a picture of the cute Nelson family, minus Curtis.

I love my children

Things I love about my kids:

• Rachel throws her arms around our necks and tackles us with her hugs. She does it with either her mouth wide open, or with her nose crinkled, but both ways saying "Ahhh!" in her cute way.

• Seth has an infectious smile. You can't help but smile at this sweet boy when he grins at you. It has gotten him out of trouble more times than I can count.

• Elise is so thrilled about everything. The other night Greg was asking everyone what their favorite word was and she said "Mine is EXCITED!". That describes our Elise to a T!

• Trent is so curious. He is constantly asking questions about space and dinosaurs and cars and just about everything. Each week he comes home from the library with a new reference book and he likes to share with us what he's learned.

• Hailey has a great sense of humor. She has Greg's sense of timing and wit, and comes up with the funniest lines. She is a master at quoting movies word for word and always has us laughing.

I am a very blessed woman. Each of these children have such unique personalities and bring so much diversity to our family.They might fight at times, but they also love each other more than anything. Who knew it was possible to love so many children so much?!