Busy Week...

Whew, this week was so busy! Bill will have to blog about China--his pictures are great! The grand finale of the week was Halloween. Bill and I, along with thousands of other Americans, were McCain and Palin.


Hannah was a witch, Max was a ninja, Henry was a power ranger, and Charlotte was a pirate.





















The night ended with the trading of the candy. Send all baby ruths, paydays and reese's my way.

Hannah was in charge of the cake walk at our Trunk or Treat. She did it for her Personal Progress.


Charlotte and Henry both had Halloween parties at school. It was fun because they got to wear costumes.
This is Charlotte and her friend Meena. Meena is teeny tiny.

Henry got really sweaty wearing his costume all day.



This week my friend Carol McGuire went to the temple for the first time! I was able to be her escort, and it was a really special experience. A group of us went up to Memphis together, and it was great. It has been a huge blessing to see Carol get baptized with her daughters, and now go to the temple. Our ward here has become like family to me.


On Monday, we carved pumpkins and they turned out really great! The photos don't do them justice. (I can't figure out how to take pictures with my camera at night.)


Hannah's masterpiece.

Who knew that an avacado bathtub could double as a pirate ship?
Cast of characters:
Ruthless Pirate--Charlotte
Damsel in Distress--Henry
Serving Wench--Hannah



Henry and Charlotte are both in a program called "Insights" at school. They attend a special class one day a week, and they do special projects and enrichment activities. This week, the Insights kids went on a field trip to the Tunica River Park and Museum. We rode up and down the Mississippi on the Tunica Queen, where there was live banjo music and dancing. Charlotte was too shy to dance, but Henry was a wildman. It was so fun to be able to go with both of them!












There was a Barbeque Throwdown and carnival in town this week. Now I remember why we never go to carnivals: $4 rides. We have to make a choice--it's carnivals or college. OK, it's actually carnivals or trade school.

Happy Birthday Lucy!

LUCY IS ONE YEAR OLD!!!
Look how sweet she is! And my, what a beautiful sweater, made with so much love. Lucy is the icing on the cake, the middle of the cinnabon, the top of the muffin, the bacon on the baked potato. She has brought so much joy to the Tanners, and to all of us. I miss being there every day to watch her grow and change. That is one of the saddest things about not living in Portland: I miss Lucy!

WE LOVE LUCY!

It's Fall in Mississippi

I love the Fall in Mississippi! The weather is cool, the humidity is gone, the air is fresh! The kids had a four-day weekend, which was really nice. We just played outside. Bill had a great weekend in China, and we can't wait to hear all about his trip when he gets home.

Why is a hot dog so much better when it's cooked over a fire? Although many marshmallows met a firey death, I tried to teach the kids the fine art of browning their marshmallows to perfection.

Max uses the forks as weapons. Hannah is afraid.

We love our kids! They are so fun and funny! I look at this picture, and I want to freeze this moment in time.


I'm happy to report, no injuries resulted from the following stunts.

Opposite Ends of the Earth

Big Tall American Bill in China!
Bill left on Monday to spend two weeks in China. He is going to Beijing and Baoding to tour the factories that are building the trucks that his company are importing. He has been busy with work, but yesterday he got to go to the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. We miss him, but are so glad he gets to see these places!

He said people in China are SO polite! He had some little scissors in his shaving kit confiscated by Chinese airport security, and he said they treated him like he was the nicest guy in the world for letting them have the scissors. They thanked him profusely.



We, on the other hand, are in Mississippi, USA. Cotton is in full bloom, and today we had a picnic in a cotton field. It is fascinating to actually see raw cotton!

The cotton is in a little pod, and then it blooms into big cotton balls.















Awwww! They are so cute! Max (11), Hannah (13), Charlotte (9) and Henry(7).

Hannah Powers Up

Hannah squeezed herself into Max's old size 6 Power Ranger outfit in her efforts to rid the backyard of evildoers.
I'm pretty sure it worked.



She can only face front because of a small mishap during her quick-change from middle-schooler to dyno-force ninja warrior.


"What do you mean my suit is too tight? Come here and say that, because my suit is too tight to chase you. Why I otta..."


Gallon of gas: $2.89
Gallon of milk: $3.29
Daughter who will pour herself into a 100% polyester-laminated-with-polyurethane-suit AND let me take pictures...PRICELESS.

Goodbye to the Yamniks...

Our good friends Patrick and Marianne Yamnik are moving, and we are not happy about it. We had a little get-together to say goodbye. They will be so missed! There is something special about Marianne and Patrick, and you can't help but love them. They are so fun, and it just won't be the same without them.

We wish them all the best!

Pot-lucks: you never know what you're going to get.


The fire was irresistible to the kids. They burned everything they could put on a stick.


Good luck Yamniks!

Little Snippets of Our Week

Today between sessions of General Conference, our ward had its traditional potluck dinner. I love our ward and consider them my family here in Oxford. Conference was great. I loved President Eyring's talk about unity and President Monson's talk about change and enjoying the journey. Very inspirational!

Yesterday we met the Pratts who were camping at Sardis Lake. They have a totally sweet set-up with their trailer, AND they have satelite TV. The kids' favorite part was lighting the fire and roasting anything/everything.
Henry shakes his booty whenever anyone points a camera his way. Is that normal?

We are freaking out because of the economy. Maybe I will finally lose weight after all, because we won't be able to buy gas or food or clothes.

Hannah has a killer canker sore that is taking over the world.

Our dishwasher konked out on us. I will never take the dishwasher for granted again.


Bill spent last weekend in Houma, Louisiana helping with hurricane relief.




The weather has cooled down and the humidity is gone, and it is beautiful here now. Fall is in the air. Our Halloween decorations are up. It seems like time is flying by. Our kids, and everyone else's, are growing up so fast! I wish the years would slow down. Bill and I were saying last night that our next anniversary will be our 20th! I AM grateful for the journey!