Locked Inside my own house

Today I got locked inside my own house inside a bedroom. Here's the funny/not so funny story that I never want to forget. It's that sort of story that you never thought could ever happen to you.

I was getting Olivia dressed in her room. Tyler and Jonathan come into watch and play same as always. But Jonathan closes the door and locks it. First you must know that the door handle on Olivia's door is "flipped" from when she was first born so that we could lock it from the hallway to keep Jonathan out, and we haven't "flipped" it back. So Jonathan locked the door and then closed it from the inside. Yes, we were locked inside Olivia's room, all 4 of us. I tried looking for things that I could use to put in the hole to unlock the door. Wire hanger, Olivia's hair clip, screw, and a safety pin. None of those worked. I opened the window, pushed out the screen and considered jumping, but it's too far up from the top floor. Even considered climbing to see if I could get to the stair railing, to far. Saw someone coming out of my neighbors house and yelled at them to help me. I didn't know her, so she went inside and got my friend Ilse who tried to open my garage with the code but it wasn't working. Front door is locked. Crap!!! She goes and gets her cell phone so I can call my husband who then tells me the correct garage code (I was off by one digit). Door opens, Ilse comes inside and unlocks the door. Hooray, I'm not going to be locked in all day, and Tyler isn't going to pee his pants, or miss his kindergarten testing.

So grateful for friends to bail me out, or at least push buttons and unlock doors.

Family pictures

Happy 95th Birthday!

In September my Grandpa (my mom's dad) turned 95. He is such a wonderful man. For his birthday this year my aunts put together a book of all his memories that he has been writing down for the past 30 years, complete with pictures. His life story including family, war and mission. It's awesome! We had a nice party for him at the park. He is still doing pretty well for being so old. He had a heart attack several weeks before his birthday. He was mowing the lawn. The doctors told him he couldn't do that OR shovel the snow anymore. How's that for being 95? If I could be that strong and healthy at 95 than I wouldn't mind living that long.

My sister Amanda with Jamie and Ethan.

The Strong Family
The Liveley clan

Papa Halls

Jedi Training Academy

Strong Family

During UEA this year we went and stayed at a cabin in Park City with Nathan's entire family. It was super fun. And because the boys and their cousins love Star Wars their Aunt Buffy decided to center the entire vacation around a Star Wars theme. A week before we left she even made invitations that looked like scrolls that were all rolled up and burned along the edges that invited them to Jedi Training Academy. The kids had a super fun time. The pictures will be able to tell you more about all the excitement better than I can. (In no particular order since blogger uploads everything backwards.)

The ATV

Grandpa Yoda and Olivia
Boys playing "lightsabers"
The "Jedi Rules"

All the cousins
The boys with Grandma and Grandpa.

This picture doesn't do the view justice. It was BEAUTIFUL!

In my kids' opinion, it isn't a vacation without a hot tub.

All the boys waiting for graudation from Padawan school and to receive their robes and lightsabers.

The Death Star pinata made by Grandma.

Tyler with his new robe and sword. Nathan's mom made these fantastic Jedi robes for all the boys out of ruined table cloths. Aren't they fantastic?!!
Brayden
Daniel

All the boys with their new robes and lightsabers. Jonny is sad because he was scared to get his robe.

Destroying the Death Star

"Lightsabering" Grandma

Fighting Darth Vader and defeating them both!

Daniel and Brayden

Carson and Jonathan
Tyler and Baylor

Cake for Daniel's birthday

Aunt Abbey and Olivia

All the boys with Aunt Buffy

Daniel and Aunt Buffy with his new Jedi certificate

Jonny and Aunt Buffy

Tyler and Aunt Buffy

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was busy as usual. This year we changed things up a bit and had a Thanksgiving breakfast at Grandma's house. Then a Thanksgiving lunch at my dad's with his fiance Marian and her daughter Sherylee. And then dinner with Great Grandma Briggs.

So proud!

Nathan works really hard everyday. I'm glad at least some besides me recognized it. Way to go!

Halloween...a long long time ago.

Halloween gets more exciting every year as the kids get older. They get more excited about it, and more "into" it.

And since everything revolves around Star Wars at my house and has for several months now, it would only make sense that two of the kids would be dressed as Star Wars characters. Daniel was Captain Cody and Tyler was Darth Vader. And then Jonny was Spiderman and Olivia was "the cutest lady bug ever"! And to quote my cute Jonny, "I Spiderman! I save people!"