WHERE'S WALDO?

(BTW this is his scary face!)

Isn't my grandson the cutest Waldo you've ever seen?  Of course... we didn't let him dress up as Waldo all by himself.  We LOVE Halloween!  And this year, Skittles loved it too.  He was adorable saying "trick-or-treat" and "Happy Halloween!"  And he loved the costumes and the candy.  I may have taken too many pictures.  He kept telling me he was all done with pictures.

Hint: Waldo is in the middle.

Mommy and Daddy also got in on the fun!

I love that my husband dresses up with me!

Isn't he the greatest?!

Silly faces!

Like Grandpa ... Like Grandson

Ready to go trick-or-treating

"I'm just waiting for my bestie, Starburst!"

"All done taking pictures now, grandma!"

And, of course, trick-or-treating with our besties is a MUST!  I love the Bettenhausens sooooooo much!

Top Row: Nuts and Marmalade
Middle Row:  Apple Pie, Jelly Bean and Key Lime Pie

Bottom Row:  Raisin, Skittles and Starburst

And then Kiara has taken Skittles to a couple of event with friends.  They went to the zoo.  Skittles LOVED the giraffe the best.  And came home with a stuffed one.  

They also went to a pumpkin display.  Skittles is a bit shy.  But he's warming up.

Then we painted Halloween pictures a few weeks ago:

Halloween Gnomes by Kiara Lea

Spooky Pumpkin by Cody Hunter

Boo by Sundy Lea

It Was A Dark and Stormy Night by K. Scott

And Skittles spooky craft:

A BAT!

And look at these amazing mushrooms I found on the side of the road!

I placed my wedding ring on top for size comparison.

And more random photos of the cutest red head I know:

He loves going to Nursery with his Grandma, Mother and Friends.

Walking with Daddy and Sloth

He loves sitting with Giraffe and Sloth.

Reading books out loud to Giraffe.

And a quiet moment with Karmel.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

AND MANY MORE...

Kiara Lea Lillywhite turned 23 on Saturday.  We celebrated with lots of family fun!  

First, we ran our traditional October Gordy's Pumpkin 5K.  We got to run/walk with Amy and Nicole.  Talk about feeling blessed with our friends!  We love them all so much.  And we had so much fun!

Finishers!

On Your Mark!
Get set!

Go!

Love this man of mine!

Once a DeGooyer, always a DeGooyer!

Then... Kiara's favorite restaurant: Texas Roadhouse.  YUMMMMMMMM!

Kiara and Cody Lillywhite

Grandma, Skittles, and Grandpa

Scott made an amazing cake - a basket of yarn - for our crochet-loving daughter.  She was also spoiled with gifts from friends and family (including a game all about... yarn.)  We sure love this short, sweet, and fun-loving daughter of ours.  She is a fantastic mother, a wonderful wife, a terrific daughter, and a beautiful daughter of God.  We are blessed she is part of our family!

Isn't he talented?!

Arch Ravels is super fun!

Blow out the candle!

Guess what else?!  I just spent the entire day in the kitchen making 10 quarts of pickled banana peppers.  It was an act of love for my husband.  I don't even like banana peppers.  And cutting them is AWFUL! (Thanks to Nicole and Josh for the banana peppers from their garden.)

10 of these jars!

My hands are burning from cutting the peppers.

I tried using gloves, but it made it hard to cut.

A picture of an amazing mushroom I found - and it looks like a wooden flower... almost:

I love looking a 'shrooms!

And I have to add a few cute pictures of my adorable, red-headed grandson:

Skittles and Starburst share a meal on Sunday night.

Skittles and Daddy decide to "rest" on top of Mommy.

I'm so in love with this boy!

He loves coloring while Kiara and I study our scriptures.

He's so proud of his art.

And he always thanks Heavenly Father for colors when it is his turn to pray.

IT'S OFFICIAL

 We are getting another son!  And we can't wait!  (Unfortunately we have to wait until January.)  Skylar Brown will make a wonderful addition to our family!  And Katia is definitely in love!  He proposed on Friday night - complete with fireworks:

Surprises and lies... to get Katia to the right location...

It was worth it!

They are going to be a power couple!

Cousins helped make the moment special!!!!

Did I mention she is really in love?

So happy together!

Welcome to the crazy DeGooyers, Skylar!  We love you already!

CHERISHED TRADITIONS

I don't express, often enough, how much I love the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I am so grateful my Heavenly Father has provided prophets and testimonies and a plan of salvation for us.  And I really am thankful that twice a year we get to listen to His leaders and apostles as they direct us to live more Christ-like lives.  

And I'm really grateful for friends and family that celebrate this semi-annual tradition with us in special and memorable ways.  I'm also thankful that even when my family (and Scott's family) is far away, I know they are all enjoying and loving the same conference and the same messages of Jesus Christ that we are.  I feel so blessed and fortunate!

Here are some pictures from our celebrations (and a couple from Katia's celebration also):

My Idaho Family!

Katia and Skylar

Can I just say how much I love these two kids of mine?!

They are truly incredible!

Starburst actually wanted to watch conference with Scott and I!

He's completely a different temperament than Skittles:
Skittles is calm.  Starburst likes to be running and doing.

But for about 5 minutes, we were honored with his company!

We were excited that he chose to watch a few moments with us!

Skittles and his dad took notes...

And for a moment, our two boys shared a "pop pop" while listening to the apostles.

Apple Pie is growing up WAY TOO fast.

He watched every moment of the conference!

I remember when he was Skittles age and played quietly through the entire conference.

And Jelly Bean is silly in his Daniel Boon hat....

Grandpa is the favorite conference chair for Raisin, Skittles and Sloth.

Then Starburst wanted a turn.

Skittles, Sloth and Grandma watched the Saturday night session together.

It rained.  Skittles enjoyed watching the down pour.

Then... we had our annual traditional General Conference picnic on Monday.  We eat and talk about our favorite talks, and thoughts and moments in General Conference.  I love making conference last longer.  (I wish I had taken more pictures of the picnic...):

Look at this amazing spider web.  There are about 4 of them all over this bush.

And Scott found this mushroom at our picnic site.

Isn't is fabulous?!

I loved Raisin's sandwich art.  Her sandwich was the most unique!

Skittles wanted grandpa to sit with him for the picnic.

Our 3 youngest kids: Skittles, Starburst, and Raisin

If you asked me my favorite part of general conference I would have to say that I loved ALL the messages.  I especially loved the recurring theme on becoming more Christ-like and having compassion for all of Heavenly Father's children.  I couldn't choose a favorite talk, but among my favorites were (in no particular order):  Elder Holland, President Oaks (believe it or not), Brother Wilcox, Elder Christofferson and President Nelson.  Now I need to reflect, re-read, and work on making myself a better person; one my Heavenly Father could be proud of.