funny ella

little missie got herself a new pair of boots tonite.

she said she'll probably wear them to bed.

she also told me the other day, while we were leafing through a halloween costume catalog, that

"we need to haunt this place up a little more!"

our ella is a funny girl.

she loves to make us laugh.



think positively!

at girl's camp this summer, one of my assignments was to visit each certification group during the day and share a message with them.  i chose to focus on being positive.  i love this topic, and have a wonderful example of this in my life. 

her name is...grammy!

i hope grammy doesn't mind too much, but i shared a little bit about her life experiences with the girls.

i actually made it realllllllly goooooood!

i didn't tell them who this person was.  i just started telling them about a little girl and the experiences she's had in life.

the experiences she's had are almost unbelievable.

but the most important part of the story, was how she's managed to stay so positive despite the trying circumstances she's faced.

when i finished the story, i told them that this was not a fictional person.

this was my grammy!

in some of the groups i spoke to, you could literally hear gasps of surprise when i told them!

i showed them her picture and then shared how she has been such a source of strength to me during the difficult periods in my life.

i love this lady!

she means the world to me.  i know heavenly father sent her to earth to help me.  there's just no doubt about it.  there have been times when i have needed her strength.

i can't wait to be with her in november!

we are counting down the days until thanksgiving!!!!!!!

  "the neat thing is that you are always in charge of your mood, so pick a good one."

-unknown

dirty girls mud run!

 the lady in red (molly jo) thought it would be a fun idea to do the

dirty girls mud run (which supports breast cancer awareness)

i was doubtful.

turns out...

it was fun!

but hard!

 molly, me, tara

i love these crazy girls!

 this was the starting line.

you might notice the hill behind us.

we ran up that.

let me rephrase.

we started to run up that hill, but then my thighs caught on fire.

so we trudged up that hill.

 this is a picture i found online of the ski resort where the run was held.

ski resorts usually have hills.

this one was no different.

this picture isn't even at the top.

it hurts my body just thinking about those hills.

 this is one of the obstacles along the course.

keep in mind, we were already a bit muddy and there was a bit of a drizzle.

surprisingly, this obstacle was pretty fun, but sort of slippery.

 this one made me nervous.

not a fan of heights.

not a fan of looking down.

but a big accomplishment for yours truly.

 there were a ton of these muddy obstacles.

some you could just walk/muck through.

but most required you to go on hands and knees.

after the first one, our hands were caked in mud!

 this was a wall we had to climb over. 

i skipped this one after i couldn't get a good grasp anywhere, to hold on and pull myself over.

i suppose the slippery mud may not have been the only problem.

perhaps the lack of muscles contributed.

another example of the smelly mud "baths" we waded/crawled through.

 and here we are after a muddy 5k obstacle course and up and down the hills of a ski resort.

the hills were definitely the toughest part.

even the hills on the way down were steep and slippery.

afterwards, we literally hosed ourselves off.

we had a lot of fun!

i'm so lucky to have such great friends who i love.

 

happy new school year!

last friday was locker decoration day at the middle school.

usually the boys are finished in 5 minutes.

usually the girls are finished after 5 boxes are unloaded, wallpaper is hung, magnets are arranged and then rearranged, pictures are placed, mirrors are at eye level and sometimes even a chandelier has to be installed.

i'm not joking.

 ella-belle is always a good helper, but when her assistance is not needed, she likes to hide in the empty lockers.

 the finished product!

 aftie had a back to school gathering that evening with some of her cute friends.

they had pizza, played on the trampoline, ate ice cream, decorated clipboards and made bracelets.

 and in preparation for the new year, dad suggested the girls have their nails done.

good thing.

they haven't been clipped once this summer!

 and here are the two beauties the first day back to school.

aftie is now a 6th grader!

and ella is a 3rd grader!

(ella was concerned she might look too sparkly with

a sparkly headband, sparkly belt and sparkly shoes!

no way!)

ella and her new teacher, mrs. parsons!

"she's sooooo nice!", said ella.

happy school year!!!