Success!

The Watson 1st annual Halloween Party was a huge success. . .I am sure you are asking yourself, *Now how does Shauna measure the success of her party?*. . .let's not mess around with all the nitty gritty details. . .time to skip right to the skinny. . . Alexander came in after going through our small hometown haunted house all puckered up with his eyes brimming with tears. Yes!. .. .he was scared. . . every bone in the poor kids body was scared. :) SUCCESS! That sent Barrett running for a safe hiding spot which didn't work. . . . SUCCESS! This morning we are still talking about the, 'Scary walking clown." SUCCESS! Oh. .it makes my whole body smile. I love Halloween! Aunt Jen and I are already planning for next year. . . SUCCESS! SUCCESS! SUCCESS!

Traditional Halloween!

I suppose for most people Halloween isn't about scaring the BOO out of their children. . . . it's about trick or treating, dressing up, candy, and more candy, fangs, and having a good old time. . . like a party! Fortunately, we were able to fit all that in and more. Our party was tons of fun. . .lots of yummy food. . .great company. . and just good old fashion fun fun fun. . .Thanks to our photographer Aunt Lyss we have some photos to document the event.

BOO! What a fright!

I just can't get enough of this video of my little skeleton. Max has been Bee~BOOpin' around the house all week singing Halloween song for his school program. 'BOO! What a Fright' is definitely one of his favorites. Love him and his little song. Enjoy! :)

Results

The results are in from my Summer 'Lifestyle' Challenge.

Click here to see before and after swimsuit photos.

Viewer Discretion advised. :)

POST 100!

Gratitude! Gratitude! I am grateful for you, for me.. . for life and living. I compiled a list of 100 gratefuls. There is no particular order. . .just silly things that make my life a little easier and put a smile on my face. What can I say I'm grateful. I am grateful for. . .. .

. . .when sissy says DORA. Without fail it makes me smile for a mile. DORORODORA!

. . or when she tightens up her little fist in sheer excitement and lets out a little squeal. . oh i love that. To see that twinkle in her eye is certainly joy.

. . . surprises. . a surprise for me. . a surprise for you . . for the kids. . really anything that causes someone to be elated. . . i love the expression on their face.

. . when the kids say . . .that is junk for my body. How can I not be grateful?

.. . the nervous. . excited feeling before a race or competition.

. . the crisp air in the fall. . a slight breeze doesn't hurt. . .and I can't forget the beautiful leaves.

. . television. . I know ODD!. . .but sometimes I just need to zone out and Christina on Grey's Anatomy gives me some good laughs. . .one ~ two with me . . three ~ four do those charts. . :)

. . .calling my little ones. . .one ~ two ~ three ~ four. . .for some reason I think I am funny and it makes me laugh. . even if I am the only person laughing. . .I'm still funny.

. . bums. . my bum. . your bum. . pictures of bums. . .I just love bums . . that may make me sick but I suppose that also makes me grateful for them.
. .blogs. .I get to know what is happening in all my "closest persons" lives in the matter of a click.

.. the ability to conceive, carry a baby, give birth, Yes, I wrote give birth and I really mean it, I wish I could give birth just one more time and hold a little newborn in my arms. For now Brooke's will have to do. :)

. . . baby soft skin, tiny little newborn wrinkles, even their sweet little cry . .sometimes.

. . the troops . . they protect our freedom. . our country. .and it makes me feel gratitude.

. . avocados ~ I never knew how much I like those slimy green healthy fruits.. . in small portions of course. Are avocados a fruit? I don't know what an avocado is but they are yummy!

. . . .a 7 o'clock bedtime for my babies. . .you know why.
. . .a dang good cry. Sometimes I just want to cry ~ there is nothing you can say or do that will make me feel better . . . sometimes a good cry just does the trick.

. . .a rainbow . .especially after a huge storm. . it's a promise. . . .

. .the gift of time. . oh I love the gift of time and I wish I had more of it.

. . . to hold my precious babies every single day and take the time to just love them.

. . .the cool breeze that comes through the window while I'm tucked snug in my bed.

. . .a big 'THANK YOU, this is a yummy dinner mom' from a picky eater. Oh I love that!

. . .holding hands ~ with little hands. . . hands that hold extra tight and extra long.

. . .when a tiny little voice interrupts my mommy discussion with an 'Excuse me mom.' It's so polite and so stinkin' cute. 'Excuse me mom!' Yes . . once in a while they do have manners.

. . .. when I hear my little ones say please, thank you, and excuse me.

. . . .Sleeping in on Saturdays with a bed full of little ones watching cartoons.

. . .looking in on sleeping babies.. .they really are so precious when they can't talk back,

fight with each other, whine or cry.

. Hearing the patter patter of little feet running to the potty in the morning. . . that means they had a dry night. Less laundry for mom. . makes my heart sing.

. . .when the 2 story stack of laundry is finally all folded and put away.

. . when I find that one piece of laundry that I happened to miss. . it makes me chuckle in my uncompleted accomplishment.

. . .simply hearing the patter patter of tiny little feet.

. . .being in a marriage that is a partnership.

. .Water . .the taste of water. The feeling of drinking water. I love water as it trickles down my throat.

. . .that I have a place to call home. There is no place like home.

. . .the foundation of all my joy.

. . . . .when the children are on their best behavior for sacrament meeting . . I know it's long. . and a little boring. . .but when they behave it makes my heart sing. I am singing.

. . .music. . .music on the radio, music in church, the kids singing a new song they learned, even bedtime songs. . .'can you sing the mommy song one more time.' No one knows what that song is but me. Be a good little lady and I just might sing it for you.

. .oatmeal. . .oh yummy . . it makes my tummy happy on unhappy tummy days.

. . . .a chocolate mint chip protein shake isn't too bad either.

. .a soft kiss from a loving man.

. . an extra long body massage with no strings attached.

. . .singing out loud LOUD. .in the car and being caught by the guy driving next to you.

. . .sing sing sing . .. .singing in the shower. . .just singing and singing loud.

. . .I can't forget to mention singing way off key. That's me!

. . .a good rainstorm. . with a little thunder and lightening. It reminds me of home. I love Washington. Three Cheers for the rainy state.

. . . .a full inbox. I love mail. . .email. . any form of communication that says *I care*.

. . a good joke. . something that will give me a good chuckle.

. . . . . .giggles. . . lots and lots of little giggles . . .

. .beautiful flowers. . in the yard. . in a vase. . . beautiful flowers anywhere.

. . . freshly shaved legs smothered with lotion. Especially if I don't have to put the lotion on- and especially special if they are my legs and not my husbands!

. . a long ~ hot ~ steamy ~ shower all by myself. That sounds like heaven.

. . . . the 'babysitter.' ... every once in awhile. . .a movie becomes the babysitter downstairs in the basement and I am grateful for that. Sometimes a mom needs a break!

. . automatic doors on my mini van. . . yes I wrote mini van. Never thought I would be a mini van mom, but now I can't see me any other way.

. . . Loves. . .loves. . .and more loves. . .the kids give me the best squeeze of a love and I love it.

. . dance parties. I love the wacky moves the kids come up with, the jumps of the couch, and the booty shake. It makes me smile for the rest of the night.

. .an unexpected package in the mail.

. . .cell phones. . ipods. . . Internet. . .modern day technology.

. . sore muscles from a great workout. . but not too sore that I am miserable.

. . . when the children are tucked in bed ~ sound asleep ~ with out a fight.

. .that much needed diet coke. . .every once in a while diet coke makes my world go round.

. . . . family near and family far. . .they play such an important part in our life.

. .the smell of freshly cut grass.
. . . Nursery. . .I think it is the sole purpose I go to church. . .it's a nice break.

If you're in my ward I didn't write that.

. a party. . a reason to get together and celebrate. . to eat. . . to laugh. . and create memories.

. . . . .new books. . .knowledge. . the chance to learn new things.

. .warm sunny bike rides with my Timmers.. .they really are my favorite.

. . . after a long day going to bed . . waking up and starting over the next day.

. . . . waking up next to Tim after a good nights rest.

. . and sometimes not waking up next to Tim. . that means he is tending the children.
. . . great workout days. The power, energy and strength is gives my body is unbelievable.

. . bad eating days. . .they remind me why I strive to fill my body with healthy foods.

. . peaceful quiet moments during a much needed nap time.

. . .the creative individual that invented Kandoo wipes and my bum is too!

. . . .two naked giggling 3 year old boys snuggled in momma's bed.

. . .I am grateful to have an escape on grumpy husband days.

. . . And for a happy husband when I return.
. . .a small chorus of boys that bring big smiles when they sing 'pretty mom!' I love that.
.. .car heaters. . on freezing cold days I love to turn the heat on high and the air on max.

... when I jump on the trampoline and don't wet my pants.

It doesn't happen very often but when it does I am grateful.
.. . to know that the Savior is there for me . . . just me and will pick me up when I fall short and carry me home. I know this and am so grateful.

. . .for good friends. . they are few. . .but they are GREAT!

. . . a perfectly organized refrigerator with lots of healthy food inside.

. . .watching my little ones comfort each other.

. . .that they are protective of each other even if that means I'm the *bad mom* .

. . . just a little bit secretly that I am the *bad mom*. It's a hard job, but someone has to do it.
. . . the excitement of planning a trip, going on a trip. . a trip with kids. . a trip without kids. . a trip ~ a trip ~ a trip. . .I'm grateful for them all especially if there is a refrigerator in my room.

. . .the gym daycare ~ working out has never been so peaceful...as long as nobody was bit, punched, or pushed

Living the lifestyle. . . it doesn't feel restrictive or limiting. It's just a great guideline for a healthy life.

. . .pictures. There is no sense having adorable moments if you can't capture and share them.

. . .the magic eraser, to remove the crayon markers from the table, floor, wall...

. . .hotels. . .where I don't have to clean, vacuum, or make my bed... wait do I even make my own bed?

. . Freedom. . .the right to be wrong and feel OK about it.

. . .the freedom of choice.

. . .splenda. . ah. . splenda . . with a dash of peanut butter . .never tasted so good!

. . . when I have the feeling that I am irreplaceable.

. . . that my shoes are pretty big too fill and that I am the one to fill them.

. . .love . . .life. . .and . . .living.

... when I feel just a little piece of heaven.

All about Sissy!

My oh my how time flies. . . yes it's true my baby turned two! We celebrated the little Dora obsessed Lady's Birthday with a *Jacqualynn's Birthday Adventure Party*. Jacqualynn's special day was certainly an adventure and in some strange way she knew that it was all about her. Sound familiar?? I guess it starts this early. :) Jacq was running around the house like a crazy lady with a huge grin on her face. . . . decided she was too old to take a nap. . . .and demanded everyones attention. It was her party and it was all about her. Happy Birthday Jacqualynn Grace!

Little Fins!

We got these little fish back in the water and

I couldn't resist taking a few photos.

It's like they are in Heaven flapping their little fins.

AHH BOO!

I love it when my little ones are in school. . .Oh do I love it! Let's be honest it's a great break for me and they can't get enough of school ~ so it really is the perfect combination. As odd as it sounds, I love it even more when they are on school break. :) We headed up to a little fundraiser Scarecrow festival and the kids played their little hearts out. Even though we were a little under the weather it didn't stop them from loving all the animals. . .cock-a-doddle-do . . .I think I heard Jacqualynn Grace say that half a dozen times. . .going on a family hay ride. . . jumping jumping and jumping some more. All four of them even braved the haunted house . . not just once but twice. Little do they know they haven't seen a real haunted house yet!!? AHHH BOO! There were lots of throw the bean bag in the hole games and even a little train to ride. Sister was pretty bent when she realized that she couldn't climb to the top of the big blow up slide. . .but all in all it was a huge success. Everyone went home tired and grateful for nap time. . .especially mom.

Captain Halloween!

I won't divulge identities or anything *AUNT LYSS* but thanks to some Incredibly FUN Auntie the kids have decided that every visitor that breaks in the house and leaves a treasures is some kind of *Captain.* We had a visitor from *Captain Halloween* the other night. It was rather simple. . . a mysterious friend broke into our house and left spooky monsters, cobwebs and a couple of Halloween treasures. I think this Christmas instead of Santa Claus the Watsons will be seeing *Captain Claus* this year.

Kick off!

There is no other way to kick off Halloween than pumpkin carving and a yummy tasty treaty treat. We thought we were going up to Park City to spread some Halloween BOO, but once we got up there the kids could not get enough of those two Johnson Halloween Party Animals. Carving pumpkins was a kick. . .it was quite funny to watch the boys whine and whimper about pumpkin guts. . .it didn't take long for sister to push her sissy friends aside and dig right in (literally). The girl takes after my own heart. After the guts were out of site and the tormenting was over. . .(YES! There was much tormenting) everyone put back on their happy Halloween faces and were ready to dive into *Jennifer Ray's* better than Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Carmel apples. (Jen we really need to come up with a fun nickname for you :)) Jen had toppings of all kinds and the kids thought they were in heaven. Max was partial to the nerds. . .Xander . . .to the M&M's. . . Good old Barrett had a little bit (or a lot) of everything all while little lady slept. Always a good time when we visit the Park City Johnson's.

Thanks for the Halloween BOO!

Let the Games Begin!

I so enjoy Halloween. . . .actually I pretty much love every and any excuse to celebrate. . . .Celebrate what? Like I said pretty much anything and everything. . . .a party is a party and I love it! :) This month ~Halloween~ and it hits the top of my list. I was trying to put a finger on the reasons why I love Halloween so much. . .it really isn't the costumes . . .believe me it's not the costumes (the kids are killing me with their costume selections this year) and it's definitely not the candy. The only thing I can come up with is Grandma Barrett's BIG Halloween Bash. It was amazing ~ I am excited just thinking about it. . . tons of family. . . good food. . .lots of laughter. . . and a kick a** Haunted House. I'm not exaggerating when I say that it is better than any formal Haunted House I've ever been to. I love the nervous feeling I would feel every single year without fail. . . .I mean come on . . . .I knew my dad. . . uncles. . aunts . . who ever . . .were the monsters, but they were so real and it was so scary. I love the constant and I mean constant screech of a scream from every young girl (I think a few of the boys as well). . . I am just loving writing about this. I really can not do these parties justice. One year Tim scared the neighbor lady so bad she actually died! We had to hide the body for weeks... ok, maybe not but I'm getting in the booo zone! I am being totally honest when I say that I want to be able to throw parties like Grandma Barrett and create amazing memories for my babies like my Grandma Barrett did with Halloween for me. Grandma and Grandpa if you ever read this . . . we love you and you are in our thoughts regularly. We don't have an unforgettable Haunted House yet. . but we have some fun things in store for the Watson Kiddos this month. Stay tuned. ..

Grounded from Target!

If I ever step foot in another Target. . .Walmart. . . Albertsons. . .OK . . any place that carries a line with Dora in it with Sister it's too soon. She developed this odd obsession with Dora the Explorer. I know ~ I know it's not odd. . .kids get into finicky little things and it makes their world go round. The odd part is how she even knows who this Dora character is. I know this might sound odd to many of you, but we don't have cable/satellite so she hasn't ever seen Dora on TV and the boys dominate the movie selection with videos like CARS, Backyardigains, and Home on the Range. Jacqualynn Grace only has one Dora phone, which is not even a month old, believe me when I say we take the silly phone EVERYWHERE. The part that kills me the most is she can't even say Dora's name, but what she says is simply Whiskey Tango. . . .

2.25 seconds

This says it all. . . what a MOM says in a 24 hour period all in 2.25 seconds. . .
Just in case you haven't seen it. . . .it's too good to misss. . .

Watson's of OZ

I thought this picture was the perfect way to kick off the month.

I wish I could convince the family to be cute and coordinate

Halloween costumes. . . there is only one little problem. .. .everyone

has a little mind of their own and they all know

exactly what they want to be for Halloween.

Happy October! Thanks Doreen ~ We love the Watson's of OZ!

Never a Dull Moment!

WOW! I sure love these crazy monkeys or should I call them my cute cute babies. TODAY I find the most love in the fact that they are all snug as a bug in their beds ;) While these cute kiddos are one of my biggest sources of joy ~ I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say that some times they are my biggest frustration . . . . today was one of 'those' days. I'll spare you of all the boring details, but you mom's out there can relate to 'those' dreaded days . . . I delight in the fact that I can wake up tomorrow to a brand new day. I'm going to sleep well tonight. Goodnight. :)