Hair Hair Glorious Hair!!!

This past Friday November 5th the girls and I went to get our hair cut.  Mckenzie has been begging me since the end of August to cut her hair like her cousin Emilie.  Madisynn's hair has been driving me nuts, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to cut it really short.  Her hair is so beautiful long, and so is McKenzie's.  McKenzie it was a sold deal to cut her's short, but for the past month or so, i've put lot's of thought into it for Madisynn getting hers cut short.  You see Madisynn has been putting her hair in her mouth, she constantly twirls it, and she and I are both on edge when she is getting her hair brushed getting all the snarls.  So all of these things were what sealed the deal to get a short A line bob hair cut!  Oh I'm so glad we did it!  They are both so stinking cute with their new cuts!

McKenzie:

Madisynn:

I love how shiny their hair is!  I love how skinny their little necks are!  I love how stylish they look!  Madisynn looks even more pixie like to me now.  It has been fun the past couple of days watching them.  They swing their hair back and forth, and they have constantly been looking in the mirror when one is around.  It's hilarious, even more so when we were in the salon with all of the mirrors around. =)

My haircut, not much change, I'm happy with it though.  It's been since The middle of August since my last haircut.  I feel much better now, so light and free!

Me:

Halloween 2010

I so love the month of October. I love the crisp air, the harvest, the color change on the leaves, and Halloween of course and all the festivities that come with it! This year we took the girls to Gardner village again. Instead of just going around and seeing the witch's display, we took them to a ride to a witch also.


Ride to a witch started out with getting on a seated trailor pulled by an old fashioned truck.  It took us to the out to the outskirts of Gardner village to where the witches lived Criket Hollow Swamp.  When we got to the witch's village we were taken on a tour.  The first part was a look into their house.  The witch that showed us around was Matilda.  She talked about what they ate: Tounge, Fingers, eyeballs, all the many gross things that you can think of.  The kids got a kick out of it.  They also had a real pet tarantula which they called lucky 7.  Can you guess why they called it Lucky 7?  Because it only had 7 legs of course!

The next witch Brazilla showed us their garden.  Which was rotting of course.  She then took us to where witch's like to relax.  Can you guess what they like to do to relax?  Well in a mud bath, mixed with vomit of course! Yuck.  The kids thought that was gross!  But what else would you expect of a witch?  They do some gross things!  They had a fake witch in a tub and they let the kids paint her toenails, it was really cute.

The next and last witch was Itsy Bitsy.  She had the kiddos make a stew.  They added cockroaches, fingers, eyeballs.  She also had the kids take a cockroach and bury it in the graveyard.  Would you like to know how to bury a cockroach?  Well hear goes.  Itsy Bitsy said first dig a hole, put the cockroach in, cover it up real good, spit on it, then stomp your foot on it.  Lovely!  It was hilarious to see these kids do this!

That was the end of the tour and our ride was back to pick us up and take us back.  The girls really enjoyed themselves.  I tried to get more pictures, but the camera was acting up.  I'm happy with the ones we got.

The girls with Talula Spellbottom.  She sold the tickets. =)

When we got back we walked around to see the witch's display and go into the shops.  The girls had so much more fun this year than last year.  I think it was because it was so cold last year when we went.  One of the shops we went into was a jewelry bead store.  They had a deal on ribbon necklaces.  They had several different colors, and you could pick your own bead to go on it.  So of course the girls chose the purple one with a huge purple bead to go on it.  It was about $1.50 for each of them.  Totally worth it!  Then it was time to head back home, it was fun family night!

The girls with one of the witch's on display:

Growing up in the Kotter family we had a tradition of making and decorating sugar cookies for halloween.  My Mom would buy candy corns, and M & M's and we would make pumpkin faces with them.  Well we have carried on that tradition in our family.  We made and decorated sugar cookies the Friday before Halloween.  This year was really fun, because the girls actually understood how to make a face instead of just throwing a handful of candy on the cookie!  Matt wasn't able to help with the cookie festivities because he had to work. =(  I really wish that I would have taken pictures of the cookies this year.  The girls did a great job!

We decided to carve pumpkins for family night the week of Halloween.  It was a good activity to help take our minds off of my Grandma Zollinger who died early Monday morning.  We invited my Mom to come help us carve.  She is the master carver!  Growing up my Mom always had great ideas to carve our pumpkins.  Fun times.  So my Mom came and helped us carve.  I think it was good for her.  She hadn't carved a pumpkin in about 3 years.  So I cleaned out my pumpkin, helped Kenzie, and Maddie with theirs and cleaned out 1 other pumpkin.  McKenzie poked the holed in her pumpkin all by herself, and I helped maddie do hers.  Then Matt carved them.  My hand was killing me by the end of poking holes in Maddie's pumpkin.  Wow!

Here are our pumpkins:

My Mom:

Matt: He was so proud of his!  You go babe!

Me: 

McKenzie:  She loved her cat!

Maddie: and her ghost.  She was making funny faces, and I couldn't get one with her eyes open!

This year for Halloween McKenzie was Super Girl, and Madisynn was Ariel.  Super Girl totally fit McKenzie's look and personality.  She is totally into the super hero's.  Ariel was a super fit to Madisynn as well.  Maddie wanted to be Ariel last year, but none of the costumes fit her.  We were going to dye her hair red, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.  I love her blond hair.  Anyways they were so excited to dressup!  They would ask me everyday if it was Halloween yet and if they could dress up in their costumes.  Both girls had a blast dressing up in their costumes for thier school class parties!     

This Year Halloween was so different and I will always remember it.  So my Grandmas funeral was Saturday October 30th in Logan Utah.  In Utah if Halloween falls on a Sunday they celebrate it the day before for religeous purposes for the LDS Church since most of Utah is LDS.  Saturday was an extremely busy day we went to the funeral viewing, funeral, cemetary, and funeral lunchean.  We also went and visited with my Grandma Kotter since she lives in Logan. 

We knew that we would be gone all day, and we were.  Our church ward was having a trunk or treat that night.  I wasn't sure of when it started, but I thought I heard 5 p.m. which is too early.  I brought the girls costumes to put on just in case we were rushed.  Well we were rushed and we still didn't have time to change into costume.  It was raining in Logan when we left and we just wanted to get home.  I wanted to make it home for the trunk or treat because I didn't want to have to go around the neirborhood with just me and the girls.  Matt had to work, so he didn't come to the funeral.  I drove fast, but safe.  It had stopped raining on the way home, but when I was about 3 miles from the I-215 exit it started pouring buckets.  I could barely see, I had to slow down real quick.  I'm so glad I didn't hydroplane and wreck.  It was scary.

So i'm thinking in my head when this is happening that if it's going to be like this I don't want to go out in it.  I didn't want to let my girls down though.  Before going to the trunk or treat I had to feel up with gas because I was on empty.  It's amazing that I made it as far as I did.  I was running on fumes!  Anyways after filling up with gas i told the girls that we would go to the church and see if the trunk or treat was still going on.  It was 6:15 when we pulled up.

We were in luck it was still going on.  So I parked and hurried and pulled out the girls costumes and put them on them.  Oh yeah they asked if they could switch costumes earlier that day.  I had no problem with it, since they both already had their turn wearing their costume.  So I put the costumes over the girls church dresses, put their coats on, grabbed the candy I was going to pass out, and started going around to the cars that were still there. 

Along the way I gave each kid I passed a handful of candy.  We got soaked, but we had fun, and the girls got a good amount of candy.  Not too much, and not too little, just the perfect amount!  I'm glad we got there when we did.  One of my friends that was their said the Trunk or treat started at 5:30.  They said that there wasn't very many cars there at that time, so they went around to the cars that were their and left.  Then they drove by either at 5:45 or 6:00, and saw that their was a lot more cars there.  So yes we got their at a good time!

The girls didn't want to come back home though they wanted to go around the neirborhood.  I had to tell them no.  We were going to go to my Mom's house and hang out there for awhile.  My brother Chris who was in town for the funeral was staying at my Mom's house.  Also my little brother  Quinn was there as well.  So I took the girls home took pictures of them all soaking wet.  We only had about 10 trick or treaters come to our house this year too.  Luckily I had a candy jar that I could pass candy out from since I had passed out everything that I had bought.  Got the girls cleaned up and fed and let them put their costumes on over their pajamas so they could show my Mom when we got to her house.  Went to her house and had a blast!  The girls pigged out on candy, I actually controlled myself.  We also watched How to train your dragon.  So love that show, it is so cute!  It was an exhausting day, sad, and fun.  Is that really possible?  Like I said I will never forget this Halloween.

McKenzie and Madisynn in their costumes.  I can't believe I forgot to take pictures of Maddie in her Ariel costume the day of her class party.  I do know that her teacher took a picture with her in it at the party though, I just don't know when I will get a copy of it.  When i do I will post it.

The Passing of Mary Zollinger my Grandmother

Mary McKnight Zollinger (1920 - 2010)

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LOGAN, Utah - Mary McKnight Zollinger, 89, passed away Monday, Oct. 25, 2010, after a valiant fight. She was born Dec.. 12, 1920, the fifth of nine children, to Joseph McKnight and Gertrude Spackman McKnight in Lewiston, Utah. She married her sweetheart, Chester Lawrence Zollinger, on June 4, 1943, in the Logan LDS Temple. They raised two sons and four daughters on their cattle and mink ranch in Providence, Utah, where she worked side by side with her loving husband. They taught their children the value of hard work and the invaluable lessons of integrity, honesty, charity and service to others. Mary and Chester loved to travel and led many tours to locations all over the world.

She was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a devoted servant of the Lord. She served two wonderful missions with her sweetheart, one to Haifa, Israel, and one to the Laie LDS Temple visitor's center in Hawaii. She was a registered nurse and worked in various hospitals and doctor's offices throughout her life. She held many church callings, her favorite was teaching the Blazers in Primary. She also served as choir director for the singing mothers for many years, and taught the gospel doctrine class.

She was a talented seamstress, making many dresses for each of her daughters. She loved to knit, and made booties for all her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She made beautiful needlepoint items, framing some for display, and made beautiful doilies using her crocheting skills. Many friends and relatives were recipients of her beautiful handwork. She was an outstanding quilter, and gave quilts to each child and grandchild for their weddings.

She is survived by five of her children: Judy Low (Richard) Plain City, Mary Ann Clark (Derald) Logan, Ellen Brown (Eric) Greensboro, Ga., Alice Kotter, West Valley City, Mark (Sally) South Jordan; and two sisters, Roma Hemsley, Pocatello, Idaho, and Pat Barson, Meridian, Idaho. She has 20 grandchildren and 43 great grandchildren with one more on the way. Mary was preceded in death by her husband, Chester L. Zollinger, her oldest son, Chester Dee, a son-in-law Van Kotter, and a great grandson, Curt Zollinger Kotter.

Friends and relatives may pay their respects at the Allen-Hall Mortuary, 34 East Center Street in Logan on Friday evening from 6:30 to 8 p.m., and 10 to 10:45 a.m. on Saturday. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 30 at the Allen-Hall Mortuary. Condolences and thoughts may be expressed to the family online at http://www.allenmortuaries.net/.

The family wishes to express their thanks and appreciation to the loving caregivers and aides at the Legacy House in Logan, and to the Access Hospice staff. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Perpetual Education Fund. Published in Logan Herald Journal from October 28 to November 11, 2010

 

My Grandma Zollinger passed away on October 25th. It's a good thing, she has been suffering for years, and i'm glad she doesn't have to suffer anymore. A couple of weeks before she died we learned that she was really going downhill. She didn't want the grandkids to see her like she was, and she wasn't able to talk on the phone very well. I was feeling guilty because I hadn't visited with her in awhile. I decided that i would write her a letter letting her know how much I loved her, and shared with her the greatest memories I had with her. I'm so glad I did this, it makes me feel a whole lot better.  My Mom said she really enjoyed it.

The funeral went really well.  My Mom's side of the family are strong people and they inspire me so much.  I'm greatful for the things they had to say about my Grandma.  I know she is in a better place and loving it!  It's great for those that pass on, but it is so darn sucky for those left behind.  

When we arrived at the Providence cemetary and come too my Grandmas resting spot something was missing.  There was dirt piled onto tarps, and plywood across the hole.  No Vault, no pretty green astro turf stuff, no covered tent, or comfy chairs.  We were all this is tacky and wrong.  The people from the funeral home quickly started making some phone calls, to see what was going on.  Also in the mean time they decided to pull my Grandma's coffin out along with the flowers and dedicate her grave.  So we did this then they loaded her back into the herse and took her back to the funeral home.

We went to the lunchean which was different from any other funeral lunchean I've ever been too.  They had it catered and instead of the usual funeral potatoes, ham, roll, and salads, they had sandwiches, and wraps, and pasta salads.  Apple cider, and water, and several different desserts.  It was very yummy.  During the lunchean the funeral home calls and said that they got things figured out and that they were ready to take my Grandma back to the cemetary.  This was at the end of the lunchean, so my Mom and her siblings went back to make sure things went ok.

The hardest part of all this now is that my mom feels like an orphan now.  I just feel so bad for her no husband, and now no parents.  I'm so glad we are so close that we can keep her company.

 

This picture was the last time we saw my Grandma Zollinger.  It happens to have been the day my Grandpa Kotter was buried.  I'm so glad we were able to visit her this one last time.  Thanks to my Sister in-law Sarah for having her camera and thinking to take a picture before we left.

 

In this picture: Madisynn, McKenzie, McKell, Gabe, Grandma Zollinger.  Such a cute picture!

We Love you Grandma Z!  We will miss you!  We will see you on the other side!