first snow.

my older sister robyn started the tradition of finding the first snow as soon as she could drive. now, for the most part, i didn't partake in a lot of the little traditions/activities that she started (tea parties and such) with my little sisters. i mean, brooke and paige were "little girls" and i was a cool tweenager. plus, robyn and i never really got a long in those days. BUT, this was something that i really could get into. every october when it was raining in the valley and it looked snowish in the mountains robyn would load us girls up in the GEO prizm (along with whatever boy was in love with her at the time) and off we went up the canyon to find the snow. we usually stopped at the Peppermint Place in alpine for treats first and then made our way up the windy canyon roads listening to the only christmas music any of us williams deemed good enough, john denver's "rocky mountain christmas" (umm, run don't walk). those jaunts up the canyon with my sisters are some of my favorite memories and i know they are for them too.

thanks robyn for being our big sister.

so this morning when we all rolled out of bed @ 10am.... (umm, our church is at 9) i saw the storm a brewing in the mountains and told jude what we were to do today (after i rushed to get myself off to church). when i walked in from church all my kids, trevan included, were 'ret' to go. we loaded up the station wagon (still love saying that) and drove up big cottonwood canyon to find ourselves some snow.

we found snow.... er... slush but it would do.

happy little munchkins.

a snowball and an evil look...

miss prets needed a snowball too.

it was really wet and we were all freezing after our 10 minutes in the snow. the kids were glad to be back in the warm car. they dozed off into dreamland on our way down the canyon and i looked over at trevan and was glad i was here. i am so glad we went. it was magical.

welcome snow.

p.s. i WILL NOT ever sit for a picture again.... beached whale.

pumpin.

there are few things jude likes more than halloween.... actually, i am not sure he likes anything more than he does halloween. its cute and scary at the same time. so when halloween time comes (sept. 1) it's all we do, listen to, and talk about. jude has been waiting patiently to get his pumpin's and last night we finally gave in.

this year, for the first time, we were joined by the gregory's. growing up choosing our pumpkins was taken as seriously as choosing our christmas tree and it was ALWAYS a family activity. thank you mom for making wonderful traditions. i have carried on this tradition in my little family and even though tern (trevan's mom) didn't buy any pumpkins, i think she liked our tradition too.

gaga (did you know that how she says her name?) + momo

jude is getting to that really fun, annoying boy stage. it is what it is, annoying and kind of cute.

papa + gaga

no one loves greta.

jude has passed his love for halloween right on down to miss. prets. she too cannot get enough but unlike her brother, she has her limits. some things are just TOO scary.

we go to the best pumpkin patch in south jordan. really, its the best. a free corn maze, a real pumpkin patch, loads of tractors... heaven.

jude and his baby brothers pumpkin. he has since decided that it is his own pumpkin, they all are. he's a greedy little imp.

this is rog. my FIL. i love him.

happy pumpin hunting.

2 v. 1

it's true, 2 boys are better than 1.

that's correct. baby gregory #3 is a boy.

we are ecstatic with the news. trevan wanted a girl but in his heart of hearts knew this one was a boy. the second i saw him on the ultrasound screen i fell madly in love, and i too knew at that moment he was boy. mr. judakins could not be happier. he has told us for months that he needed a brother so he could be like tucker and abe, who are my sister robyn's boy, whom he adores. greta has no idea what a baby is going to do to her world but was excited none the less. she and jude embraced when they heard about their brother, it was kind of amazing.

my appointment was at 11:00am and trevan took the entire day off. this is the first doctor's appointment he has been too since he works downtown SLC and my doctor's office is pretty much in egypt. i think it made this baby seem a lot more real and lovable for him. after the appointment we went o heber valley (our favorite place in utah and future home) for lunch and then drove to cascade springs and followed that up with a cruise through the alpine loop. it was a PERFECT DAY, in every single sense of the word.

did you know that baby brother looks different than these two? well, at least according to his ultrasound.

an only daughter, who has EVERYONE wrapped around her finger.

trevan had never been to cascade springs and he nearly B his L over it. we watched the fish rise for about 15 minutes, and he talked about it for an hour more.

i love him.

and i love them.

no wonder i want more.

{we love you little brother!}

feeling fallish.

enjoy.

Neil Young Harvest Moon (Video)

a spoiled brat.

i'm pretty sure when trevan married me he was a little bit concerned about my "materialistic" ways. actually, i am positive, he was down right troubled about how a reality wake up call on life/money would play out in our marriage. i was raised to like nice things, its not my fault... or maybe it was. i mean, in high school i treated my mom's debit card like it was my own and i had my dad's american express number memorized for online things, like movies and music. it was scary, now that i think about it. however, once we were married i think i surprised trevan. i was a good girl, a REALLY good girl. i love to shop and i love all things wonderful but i harnessed my temptations. instead of going 'hog wild' at target i would merely fill my cart up with items i wanted and by the time got the register i had one thing left in my cart, something i needed, like milk. filling the cart up made me feel like i was shopping, even if i wasn't. the fact that i was not spending money all the time was a miracle, really it was. everyone that witnessed this transformation knew it was a miracle.

now a days, my cart is always full at target but with things we need like food etc. and i wish i didn't have to spend all my money on those boring things. don't get me wrong, i spend money. i love to eat out (and it shows) and i love to buy clothes for my kids. i still want to spend money, all the time, it makes me feel good. retail therapy is real. the problem is, most of the time i feel pretty 'entitled' to have nice things and lately its gotten a little worse lately, and by worse i mean my wants have grown to things i think i need like:

or this

because how else are all 5 us + our gear going to fit into a vehicle?

and if i ABSOLUTELY had to....

a mini-van (i can't believe a just admitted i would if i had to) but this is the only model i will settle for.

2011 please.

and this...

jude and greta are going to have to share a room come february 2nd and i refuse to let them sleep in the same bed. and who wants normal bunk beds? not me. these $3000 beauties warm my soul.

and this...

all babies need new cars eats

(a rule i stricktly follow)

and of course

my orignal phil&ted has seen its days in the nearly 3 years we have had it. this newer version is so much hipper anyway.

see the problem? i am spoiled brat. the thing is, i think i will be upset if i don't get these things. not okay. trevan just rolls his eyes at me. he works so hard and does so well but it never is enough... for either of us BTW, he's just as materialistic. where do i get off? i should be happy with what i have. we all should be.

spoiled brat.

but please trevan?

i am such a good girl.

t-minus 6 days.

did you know that i get to know who my baby is in less than a week? first off, i can't believe i am nearly 20 weeks pregnant.... it has FLOWN by. secondly, i don't feel like i know this little one that flutters in my belly all day long. are you a baby a boy or a girl, are you both? really? i have no idea, not one hankerin'. with jude i knew he was a boy and with gretsie i knew she was a girl. this one gives out no vibes, just love. this baby kind of feels like a stranger. however, i know the second i see its little profile i will know exactly who this stranger is. its #3 and i love it.

OH, and remember the name game? i guess i will tell you my names. at least the one i can remember, my memory is shot with this baby. that way when i hear someone else name their child one of my names, i will get credit. as if you are waiting.... lol.

GIRLS:

isla

ivy

mila

iris

BOYS:

nash

sebastian

anders

ezra

luka

so there they are. maybe unconventional, maybe ugly... i love them. i get raised eyebrows a lot when i tell people the names i like. they are definitly not for everyone.

oh well, if you think my kids names are ugly at least we know my kids themselves are beautiful.

so beautiful.

p.s. i am entirely to tired to be a mom, wife, sister, daughter, and friend to keep this blog updated frequently. hope you still love me and my hot pregnant body.

mom.

every once in a while a truly fantastic mother is born. you know, the kind that moves mountains? 56 years ago on this very day, my mom was born.

and i am so proud to be her daughter.

no one has made motherhood look more appealing than my mom. she raised us 6 kids with, what seemed like at the time, ease. i know now it was a balancing act and a lot of patience and love. not one of us are a like, some of us were "easier" and some of us were "harder" (myself falling into the latter category) to raise but none of us felt more loved or less loved. we were all her kids, her ducklings and she loved us all will all of her. my mom could have been anything and been really really good at it.s she is just that person, even now people are blown away by her capabilities. yet, she chose to be a mother at 19 and never, EVER looked back. i think that, that is something to be proud of. like my dad always says, pam is perfect.

thank you mom for being you, 100% of the time.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

oh, and i remember, i have you reserved the first 2 weeks of february.