Happy Halloween

For years, we have been going to my sweet mother in law's on Halloween night for soup, treats and great fun with the cousins. This year, she wasn't feeling well and decided to forego the festivities. My kids were disappointed and thought Halloween just wouldn't be the same. Bri had the idea for our kids to come and start a new tradition at our house. So the first annual Pugmire Pumpkin Carving and Soup a Thon was born. The dinner part was easy; lots of yummy soups and breadsticks, veggies, dip and sugar cookies.

The girls always carve pumpkins with their hubbies so I thought we should have a couple's carving contest. Each couple brought a pumpkin and necessary carving tools. The only rule was that carving could only take 30 minutes. Ben, Braden and Abby were appointed judges and each of them came up with a category. It was hilarious as Jord and Kuri take this very seriously and wanted to win from the get go. I promised a prize to the winner, but forgot to buy it...so here are some of the pictures... Nick and Lindsi ready to carve. Lindsi was a good sport and dressed up as a ringmaster. Too cute!

All smiles, confident in their forthcoming victory. Jord looked a long time for the perfect pumpkin. Clearly he had an advantage over our lopsided one:)

Both Jord and Kuri getting serious with the carving.

Poor Bri; carving all alone and didn't have the fancy tools the kids had.

Nick and Pin creating their work of art.

The pumpkins ready for the judges. Bri and I did an old pirate, Jord and Kuri did the Seattle Seahawks logo and Nick and Pin did a scary face.

It was tough on the judges; they spent minutes thinking of the categories and winners. They had best team work (clearly Bri and I did not win that one), the best pumpkin to look like a pro pumpkin carver did it, and the most creative. And the winner was Jord and Kuri's Seattle Seahawk masterpiece.

The humble winners! Congrats you two; it was a ton of fun. And I owe you a prize!

He Won!!!

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that Ben was running for 7th grade representative. Since I hadn't blogged about the results, perhaps some of you may have thought he lost. Well, he won! He will be busy this year with weekly meetings and activities, but he is excited to be involved in all the happenings at Butler. Here are a few pictures of his campaign posters. Congrats Ben! We are proud of you.

All smiles before the election!

One of my favorite pictures of Ben on the golf course. He came up with the slogan.

Happy Birthday Kristi Blair

Twenty-two years ago today, our beautiful daughter Kristi Blair was born. To me, it seems like only yesterday that we were anxiously awaiting her birth. Since I use this blog as a journal and it wasn't around in 1988, I thought in honor of her birthday, I would share a few thoughts about that day.



We were so excited to have our second baby; it had been almost 6 years since we had Lindsi and we were ready to expand our family! I had an easy pregnancy and felt great. We had an ultrasound at about 20 weeks, but it wasn't clear if we were having a girl or boy. Lindsi was hoping for baby sister, and I had loved having one daughter and really wanted another one. So, preparations were made and I bought both a boy and girl outfit for our new baby to wear home.



About two weeks before my due date, (late October) I went to the doctor, and he thought I would deliver sooner. My mom's birthday is the 11th, and I began thinking how cool it would be to have the baby on my mom's 53rd birthday. So I did! I went to the doctor on the morning on the 11th, and I was ready to go. Brian and I went to the hospital and within a few short hours, I was in labor. I had decided early in the pregnancy that I was going to try and not have any pain meds. Everyone thought I was crazy, but I just wanted to see if I could do it. So all was going well until about 4 hours in. Everything stopped. I was tired and thought "Forget this." I told Bri to get the drugs! The anesthesiologist was in the room and had just prepped my back, when I knew he was too late! My baby was here. My doctor was in the next room and he flew in and said it was time. Too late for the epidural to help with delivery, but I would have a great recovery! At 3:29 p.m. my baby girl was born. I remember Brian saying, "Honey, you got your girl!" I started crying and was so so excited to be blessed with another daughter.



I couldn't wait to tell Lindsi, who was home with my mom, and she was the first person to visit us in the hospital. Kristi Blair Pugmire, 6 pounds, 9 ounces and 19 1/2 inches. We knew from the start, she would be a beauty!
Here she is, 22 years later with her cute hubby, Jordan.
Celebrating with Grandma!

A birthday lunch with Mom at her favorite restaurant-Cancun Cafe!

So happy birthday baby girl! We love you and admire the fine young woman you have grown to be. We are so proud of your accomplishments. You are such a loving daughter to us and a wonderful sister to Lindsi and Ben. We were truly blessed 22 years ago when you came into our lives! It's been a privilege to be your mom and dad. Happy Birthday! Love you!!!

And we are off....

On Thursday, we will be shopping here...

And on Monday, we will be cruising here. Yes, Bri and I off on a vacation! Look for the post vacation update! Bon Voyage!!!

First Day of School..a little late.

On August 23, Ben began the journey in middle school. I don't think he was too nervous; he worried about getting his locker open and getting to all of his classes on time, but overall he loved it. In fact he decided to run for 7th grade representative. The elections are next week; stay tuned for the results.

Ben all ready to go in clothes picked out by Kristi

Fall means more than back to school; it means Utah Football. We have had season tickets since the kids were little , so it's been a family tradition for a long time! We were wondering how we were going to work it out with Jordan at BYU, but he is now a UTE, so we are a Utah Family. Yahoo..

It wouldn't be a Utah game without going with our good friends Tony, Nancy, Brit and Calli to Millie's in Sugarhouse for lunch and a glacier which is a slushie with ice cream.
Ben gets to take a friend to the games, but we were a little surprised that his friend for this game was a girl, Aly. They got to go on the field after the game and had a great time. She too enjoyed Millies!

1st Annual B Ball and Golf Boys' Trip

On July 22, the boys headed to Seattle to catch the Mariners (Jord's team) and the Red Sox (Bri's team) series and to just have a fun- no girls allowed- trip. My brother Rick and his wife Deb offered to let the guys crash at their house in between rounds of golf and innings of b ball. Over four days, they played 36 holes of golf and saw four games. Luckily, the series was split so both Bri and Jord came home happy. Bri was lucky enough to catch a home run off the bat of David Ortiz. Everyone had a great time. Lots of good food, fun and very little sleep. They came home ready to plan the next one, but not until the girls' getaway!

At the airport, ready for the good times to begin!
Of course, Ben got the window seat!
Ben had a hard time staying up with the big boys; fell asleep on the way to the ball park every day!
Bri and Ben ready for the game! Hey, Bri, where's your Sox shirt?
The boys at Safeco; still smiling!
The view from the Space Needle; a clear day and you can see Mt. Ranier in the back. Was it worth the wait???
Jord's first visit to the Space Needle... even though he lived in Seattle as a kid.
Ready to come home! Thanks Dad for a great trip! Where to next year?????

I've Only Just Begun to Shop...

Brian and I have some very exciting news......We are going to be Papa and Nana!!! Lindsi and Nick are expecting a baby boy in January and we couldn't be happier. It's been a rough road for Lindsi to get to this point so we are so excited and can't wait to get him here. Of course, once I heard the news, I just had to go out and buy a few things. It was tons of fun!