October Madness and a FANTASTIC Weekend make for a really long post!!!

I don't know where to start-
life has been absolutely crazy and wonderful but it hasn't left me any time to post. I wanted to post on Monday about all that has happened, but I had to finish 450 pages for book club last night, so I'm just now getting to it. It's okay though because I am still smiling and enjoying the highs of the last 10 days!

I guess I'll start with our Family Birthdays and 3rd Annual Pumpkin Carving Party.

{self portrait with the bat pumpkin I carved after my kids were in bed}

Ethan and I spent the day picking up balloons and making soup and cake. When the older kids came home from school, we went to a pumpkin stand and everyone chose pumpkins for carving. I am sad that I forgot my camera on our way to the pumpkin stand because it was so fun to watch the kids pick- Soren picked the first two he came across and spent the rest of the time jumping around and using cornstalks as swords... Ethan tried to carry every pumpkin (probably giving the worker a heart attack!) until he found one he could carry easily and that was his final pick... Kate and Megan gave their pumpkins much more thought but finally found one they believed was just right... and Emily was just slow to decide! After 15 minutes of checking, double-checking and cheering, we loaded 12 pumpkins into our van and went home to clean them for carving.

The kids were pretty cooperative about doing homework and keeping the house clean while I finished up the soups and cleaned out all twelve pumpkins. People just couldn't arrive soon enough for how excited we all were!

Nate arrived first and kept the kids entertained with a game of football until Angela and Micah arrived with pumpkin bread bowls for our soup. David & his friend,Justin, and Ben & Melissa also arrived about the same time and the fun began with dinner!

I had made our family's favorite cheddar chowder and a stock pot full of chili. Everyone picked their favorite (some even had a little of both) and we caught up over warm soup and bread- we didn't need anything else to be happy but we had lots more to do!

We cleared away the dishes so people could start carving- this is my favorite part of the night! It has nothing to do with actually carving pumpkins but everything to do with what happens when we carve!

{Melissa and Megan working hard}

• Soren always wants to be first, at everything! He was ready to carve three minutes before I had even pulled out the tools. I told him he had to have an adult buddy to help with the cutting and he was off- this time it was Ben who caught Soren's eye and I smiled as I listened to Soren explain what I had told him and then ask Ben if he would be his buddy. Ben agreed and the two of them went to work picking out the right pattern. Ben, who had very carefully and thoughtfully chosen his pumpkin from the pile, ended up graciously giving his pumpkin to Soren because the pattern Soren had picked didn't fit his original pumpkin. Ben also gave his entire evening to helping Soren do some of the actual carving and never ended up finishing a pumpkin for himself.
• Melissa, who has marched in "Pink Parades" and styled her hair like "Cousin It" for my kids, didn't back away from the work and grime of carving a pumpkin. She and Megan picked a pretty intricate pattern and worked together to finish it. It wasn't "Megan watching Melissa carve" or "Melissa sitting nearby while Megan worked"- it was a team effort! They consulted each other and laughed with each other- Megan had Melissa's full attention until they finished their awesome pirate ship pumpkin!
• Angela is amazing and spent her night coaching Kate, who wants so badly to be one of the adults instead of a little kid. Angela talked Kate through the steps and guided her when things were tricky but when the pumpkin was done- Kate could say she had carved it! She was so happy and so proud of herself! Angela helped her to feel that way.
• David is our professional carver. My tools were crude and my cleaning job amateur but in true David-form, he smiled and worked with what we had. Instead of insulting our work, he shared everything he knew and coached anyone who wanted help. And he impressed us all with his talent- his tree pumpkin was inspiring!
• Kelly carved Ethan and Emily's pumpkins. They, of course, were NO help. But Kelly kept at it, knowing how happy they would be when the pumpkins were finished. Add that to the "good dad" list!
  

{I love the reflection on my counter!!}

By the time people had to leave, we had finished 8 of the pumpkins. Angela and I each kept one to carve after kids went to bed and David took the other two home. After watching my children develop wonderful relationships with their aunts and uncles, my second favorite part of the night was hearing the ooh's and ahh's, cheers and laughter when the candles were placed inside the finished pumpkins! Such a delightful sound!

{happy birthday to you jolly good fellows!}

When most people were finished carving, we moved to the family room for our main reason for gathering- fall birthdays! We sang the Nielsen Family version of Happy Birthday to Angela (September 25th), Soren (October 18th), and David (October 25th). They blew out the candles and we finished our conversations over pumpkin cake and ice-cream.

While people were carving pumpkins, a job much too disgusting for her, Emily had put together our treat bags. She gave each person a bag and a hug as they left.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of the chaos left behind after our celebration:

Angela and Micah stayed to finish her pumpkin and chat with me. She commented, "you got left with another really BIG mess!" It's true. But I was also left with a really big smile- it was a terrific night together with my family!

Our next big event was Halloween. I offered my kids money to skip Halloween this year but they didn't take my offer. And, although it was less stress than other years, it is just a crazy and busy holiday.

{my five crazy kids, trick-or-treating at my door}

8am Drop off Kate, in costume, at Saratoga Shores. no pictures because we were late.
9:15am Drop off Megan, Soren and Emily, in costume, at Snow Springs. no pictures because we were still running late and Emily had a field trip!
9:15am to 2:00pm clean house, outline Enrichment class for Thursday, organize and check final details for baptism on Saturday and make luminaries (since I have no decorations, they are all in storage!).

{some of the luminaries I was able to finish and use
to line the walkway to my house}

2:15pm Pick up Kate and get her homework taken care of.
3:30pm Pick up other kids and get their homework taken care of.
5:30pm Trunk-Or-Treat at the church. (and I'm still working on those luminaries!)

{Ethan and I hanging out in the trunk}

{the one cool thing about Trunk-or-Treat this year-
my Jedi son was able to take on Darth Vader,
also known as our friend Matt Unwin}

6:30pm Angela and Micah show up (delightful surprise!!) and visit with me while Kelly takes the kids Trick-or-Treating in the next neighborhood over since we already took candy from our next-door neighbors at Trunk-or-Treat (did you pick up any resentment there?!)
7:30pm Kids come home. Finally have a chance to take pictures but it is dark and they are worn out so NOT our best photos!
7:45pm Start to take off costumes for dinner which Angela and I prepared while they were out- WAIT!! I promised our friend I would bring my kids over! Costumes back on- walk to her house- come back- costumes off...
8:10pm Dinner and "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!"
8:50pm Kids to bed
9:00pm When A Stranger Calls (why did I let Angela and Micah talk me in to this?!!)
about 11:00pm- blow out the candles and head to bed.

Happy Halloween!

And then November takes off sprinting!
On Thursday, November 1st, I had Activity Days Recognition at 6:30pm, Kelly and Soren had to get fitted for baptism clothes at 7:00pm and I had to teach an Enrichment class on garnishing at 7:30pm. And did I mention my mom and dad came into town around 2pm?!!

Somehow, I survived Thursday and then spent Friday getting ready for the baptism. We ended the day with a family dinner at Harvest, a restaurant at Thanksgiving Point. When you mix my family with good food- we are going to have a good time! My kids were mostly well behaved, or other people dealt with them so that I thought they were well behaved. I didn't have to cook or clean up. The conversation was pleasant and the food was delicious. I did have to go home and write my talk for the baptism, but other than that, it was another wonderful night, together with my family.

{me and my dad}

My dad treated us to dinner- I would be ungrateful if I didn't mention that and say Thank You Dad!! He has a reputation for being the cranky old man, which he owns up to, it is not like it is a family secret! But I know we do not acknowledge often enough his generosity which is so much bigger than his temper! It is not just that he paid for dinner- I sat by him this time and as we read over the menu, we both felt drawn to the same meal but also felt we should try as many different entrees as we could. He let me order the first choice and it was definitely the better meal. He didn't say a word. He took a bite or two but let me just enjoy the wonderful meal that he had wanted to order. And then he let me order dessert too! If I have any talent for being generous, I learned it from my dad who I love and appreciate!

How do you feel about getting together with your family?
Do you feel anticipation or anxiety? Do you enjoy the time you are together or count the minutes until you can leave? I love to be with my family, even if we don't see eye to eye sometimes. But I know that everyone doesn't feel that way. Maybe someday I won't feel that way. I hope not. But the thought has made me want to take a few lines and try to say what it is that makes me so excited to spend time with my family.

• I think each person in my family is interesting. They are educated, well read, have varied hobbies and talents and I like to hear what they have to say. I learn things from them.
• We have shared history- sometimes it makes us laugh, sometimes it makes us cry. But our family has its own story and together we help each other to either fill in the gaps or expand the whole picture.
• We also have our own history- which makes us different and our perspectives unique.
• I was the first to come to Utah so I could attend BYU. Since then, I have welcomed and fed 6 of my 7 siblings as they worked their way through at least one semester at BYU. The seventh may not have attended BYU, but has eaten at my dinner table many times. This has been a blessing to me and has helped to strengthen my relationship with each of my brothers and sisters.
• Each of us has a personal testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That we can be a family through eternity gives us purpose in getting together and keeping our relationships strong.

That is why I say it is so wonderful to be together with my family.

And Saturday was another wonderful day as we met together to support Soren in his decision to be baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

{self portrait with my husband and my son- on the day he was baptized}

Those who came included Kelly and I, Kate, Megan, Emily and Ethan; Grandma and Grandpa Nielsen; Grandma and Grandpa Sauter; Uncle Mike with cousins Steven and Thomas; Aunt Sherry with cousin Jaxon; Uncles Ben, David, Nate and Micah; Aunts Angela and Melissa; Sister Austin, Soren's primary teacher; and Miss Adams, Soren's 2nd grade teacher.

{Soren with his Grandpa and Grandma Hot Tub
and his Grandma and Grandpa Texas}

My ward was in charge of the program so I was able to give the talk on the Holy Ghost. My calling as the Primary President has been such a blessing because I get to share my testimony often with my children. Although I spoke to all 9 children being baptized, my message was for Soren-

In the Bible, Jesus promised his disciples that he would send the Holy Ghost to comfort them, to teach them what is true and to help them remember the things he had shown them. How blessed we are that God keeps His promises and we have the Holy Ghost to do these things.

I know that the gospel is true. I know that if I keep the commandments all my life, I will be happy and I will be able to return to my Heavenly Father. I know this because I have heard the Holy Ghost whisper to my heart that these things are true.

There is a path that leads us back to our Father in Heaven, baptism is the gate that puts us on that path. What an important day this was for you Soren!!

The real lesson for the day resulted from our baptism being scheduled at 11am when the BYU game started at noon. If you don't remember- we bleed blue at our house and there was much discussion about if the father and grandfather would actually be in attendance at the baptism. Of course, they were there.
Kelly performed the baptism and confirmation. Soren became a member of the Church and all who were there felt the Spirit testify that we were in the right place. Soren and I were able to talk later- it was hard to miss some of the football game, he really wanted to be there. And there will be many times in his life when there is somewhere else he will really want to be- another football game, with friends, playing x-box... but there will be important things that need to be done- attending church, scouts, serving others... I hope he will always choose to do the important things, even if he misses out on some of the fun things.

Luckily, on this day, he only had to miss the first half of the game. After the meeting, everyone ran back to my house to change and grab lunch before racing to Provo for the rest of the game. It was happy and busy chaos as we got our fans out the door and then I was left with a handful of family who sat and visited with me about the wonderful day we had shared.

Sunday came and we went to church. Soren shared his simple testimony in Sacrament Meeting. So did Emily. We came home and prepared dinner for those who could join us- oh, how I love a full table! In fact, we didn't fit at our table, even with both leaves in!

{four of my kids playing DDR with Grandma & Angela coaching from behind.}

Then, for one last time- we all went to Ben and Melissa's house for dessert and a little DDR (no, not a normal Sunday activity for us but this was the last time we would all be together until Christmas so, we bent the rules a little!) Ben's set-up is awesome- four can play at a time and three more can dance for fun behind them! We laughed and talked and danced and had another great day together.

It couldn't have been a better weekend!