Before and After

We have been wanting a new TV for a while but needed a new TV stand for it. So we decided to buy an old dresser and refinish it. Dave helped me a lot. He took the top drawers out and made it so we had somewhere to put all our electronics. He did a great job.

Before

After

Trick-or-Treat

I think the kids had the best Halloween ever. They were both so fun to watch. Tanner wasn't sold on dressing up the first time but after he realized that his costume meant candy he was all over it. He ended up loving his costume and was very protective of it, especially his hat. We had a ward trunk-or-treat, went to Dave's work for trick-or-treating and went door to door trick-or-treating on Halloween with cousins.

At the ward party they had a place set up and a photographer to take pictures.

Tanner was Tweedle dee from Alice in Wonderland.

Ella was Rapunzel, of course.

We let Dave lead the kids to help keep them under control, he also gave each of the kids a garden light to carry. The kids were all hard core and didn't want to stop.

Grandma and Grandpa Kemps

We don't usually go to Utah in the fall but it was beautiful and we had so much fun doing all the Halloween activities. We went to Gardner Village, Cornbelly's, fishing, played with cousins, and played a lot at grandma's house.

Ella with her cousin, Sarah. If these two lived closer I think they would be great friends. They really got along great.

Waiting for his scooter ride, I just loved that he was holding Dave's hand.

We jumped on grandma's trampoline a lot.

Took many rides on the grandpa's scooter. Tanner, of course, called it a motorcycle.

Cornbellys, this place was amazing. My kids had as much fun there as they did at Disneyland. So much to do and perfect for kids. Tanner is jumping on the big pillows with his cousin Caden.

This slide was a big slide and you went fast. That's why I look scared, I was worried about stopping at the end.

Bouncing horses, I thought I was going to pee my pants. It was so funny to watch Dave. Make the picture bigger, I think he enjoyed it more than Tanner.

We went to this little pound that is filled with fish. You could throw in fish food and the fish went crazy. It was pretty easy to catch a fish, the kids loved it.

Better

Life has definitely been better at our house lately. Ella's finger is healing well, she got her stitches out a few days ago. That was a little traumatic but it looks pretty good and hopefully it will eventually be back to a normal looking finger.

Ella is till enjoying preschool and is growing up so much. She can be so helpful and has the desire to do whats right. Man, her memory is so impressive sometimes.

Tanner is talking more and more each day, he says some pretty funny things. He likes bugs and spiders, he is not afraid of them. He copies Ella so much. He just wants to be around her and be like her. He is also definitely two and has a opinion about everything.

Dave is busy with work. There have been quite a few lay offs in our area. Luckily Dave is safe, we are just so grateful he has a job.

I am just moving a long, life is good right now. I feel so blessed with everything. I have an amazing family, healthy kids, and great friends. When trials come I don't like it when I am in it but it is always a humbling experience. It helps me put things into perspective.

When it Rains, it Pours

Wow, it has been a rough week at the Kemp household. I don't even know where to start, I guess at the beginning.

We had been noticing that Ella had been getting bites on her body and for some reason we concluded that they must be bed bugs. I don't really know why we decided that but we did. We started doing research and realized that if we did then it was bad. I went crazy. I was ready to throw furniture away, I was cleaning my house like a mad woman, I was spraying everything, washing everything that I could, not sleeping because I was waiting for one to bite me, I wasn't eating because that's what I do when I am stressed, the bed bugs were becoming an obsession. We finally did get a guy in our ward who deals with pest control to come over, he searched and didn't find anything. I need more than that though, so we are taking preventative measures to ensure that we don't get them. I must say that I am much more educated on these little creatures though. This was over a 2 day span. In the middle of all of this stress I miscarried. I was 7 1/2 weeks along, I knew something wasn't right for about a week but it was official this week. I was heart broken and very emotional. Maybe even a little bit crazy because my hormones are a bit off, which didn't help with the bed bug issue or the rest of the week.

Thursday I got a call from Ella's preschool teacher letting me know that Ella had gotten her finger shut in the door and that Ella would need stitches. She was right, her finger was cut almost all the way around. We headed to ER after being rejected by Urgent Care because Ella was too young. There were spent four hours watching movies, talking to nurses, getting x-rays, and finally getting her finger stitched up. Ella was so brave and did awesome.

Luckily the next day was Friday and Dave had it off because the fun did not end. I was sitting on the couch and got up to go do something, the next thing I know Dave is next to me asking me if I'm okay. Apparently I passed out and fell into our entertainment center. I was fine and didn't feel anything. Luckily Dave was home to take Ella to the Orthopedic Surgeon to check out her fractured finger and help with the kids. I think I passed out because I was exhausted, recovering from my miscarriage, and my body was probably just telling me to slow down. So I did, I took easy for the rest of the day.

I learned a lot this week but I am ready for a normal and very boring week.

I had a hard week but its funny how things get put into perspective very quickly. One of my dearest friend's, Julie, dad passed away unexpectedly this week. My heart goes out to her and I cannot imagine what she is going through. After that, my problems did not seem so big. I just wished my problems hadn't gotten in the way of helping her .

First Day

We started a new tradition at our house this year, I decided I wanted to make the day before school a bit more special. So I made one of Ella's favorites for dinner, which is homemade pizza. I also made a fun cake to celebrate, its a pencil. We had a special FHE and ended it with a father's blessing. All in all I think she felt pretty special and ready to go to school. Hopefully we can keep this tradition going every year.

Cat Tales

We wanted to take one last little summer trip before school started and before it gets cold. In Spokane we found a Cat Tales Zoo. It is a pretty small zoo (and a bit pricey) with lots of different kinds of big cats. You can also pay to feed some of the animals but we'll have to wait a bit because you have to be 8 to feed them. Tanner's favorite part was the monkey statues that you could sit on, I think he spent most of his time there. The kids loved it. We also went to the Riverfront park and had a bit of fun. At the park there is a big wagon slide, carousel, and spray toys.