Happy Halloween!!

These were my favorite shots from last nights pumpkin carving extravaganza!

Today we will go trunk or treating, and trick or treating. E is also going to a birthday/Halloween party at preschool. H will dance her Halloween dance in her Stellaluna costume at dance class and I will make pumpkin chili and slimy red goop salad for dinner. It should be a good day!

Slimy Red Goop Salad

1 can mandarin oranges
1/2 cup water
2 pkg cherry jell-o
1 can cheery pie filling
3/4 cup cola

drain oranges and reserve juice, set fruit aside. In a large saucepan bring OJ and water to a boil; remove from heat. Stir in Jell-o mix until dissolved. Stir in pie filling and cola.
Pour into a bowl. Refrigerate for 50 min or until slightly thickened. Fold in reserved oranges. Refrigerate 3 hours longer and serve.

Pumpkin Chili

3 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 t salt
1 t pepper
2 t pump,kn pie spice
2 can condensed tomato soup
2 cans chili sauce
1 t sugar
1 t chili powder

Cook meat and onion until no longer pink. Add remaining ingredients, stir to mix well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 1 hr.

Pumpkin Carving Fun

We went to Grandma's house for FHE tonight.  Pumpkin carving was on the agenda.  The kids were very excited and loved scooping out the pumpkin guts! ... See my Tabblo>

Happy Birthday to my brother, Alec!!

My first memory is of sitting on the floor of our kitchen and my brother, who was a baby, was sitting in his bouncy seat. I had a little stool with a bowl of orange juice in it and a little spoon and I was feeding him spoon fulls of juice. I was 2 1/2 when he was born and I don't remember life without him, and I am glad. He's been a great brother.

He's the one who came and saved me from my stuffed rabbit when I had that horrible night mare. He's the one who baked treats for our seminary class when it was my turn. He's the one who came and sat with me in the hospital the day D was born.

I remember playing together a lot when we were little. We liked to ride bikes, although he was better at it than I was. We played in our yard a lot. We played Star Trek, and Captain. We had rabbits and we played with them. I remember one time dad told us to weed the garden. Instead of weeding we took the rabbits out of the hutch and put them in the garden, then we laid down on the warm dirt and watched them hop around eating and we talked. After enough time passed we put them back and called our work done.

We kept each other company on the long drives to San Francisco several times a year. We spent most summers and every holiday there with my grandparents for my whole childhood. It was about an 8 hour drive, which we thought was SOOO long (little did I know that my own children would be trekking across the country, literally, each year in marathon 2-3 day drives). We'd often lay in the back of the VW bus and stare out the window for miles on end.

SF was always fun. I remember spending a lot of time at Golden Gate Park with Dad and Alec. We hiked and fed ducks. Sometimes we'd go to the Japanese Tea Gardens, which I loved. We'd get a cookie, climb the bridges, and enjoy nature. We shared a room at Baba and Deda's house and at night I would tell Alec long stories about our adventures as super kids. Later Michael would sleep in there with us too, it was Baba Olya's room so she was there as well but the kids got sent to bed long before she would come up and join us. No wonder I don't mind close quarters now! When we were much older we'd climb out on the roof and play, very fun.

One summer we went to France to do genealogy. I was 12 and Alec was almost 10. He learned to speak French quite well, I learned to let him do the talking. We watched "Maya La Bee" and "Kung Fu" in French. One time at a cousins farm we got chased by killer man eating hogs. Alec and I scrambled to the top of a nearby car and shouted for help. The hogs surrounded the car and tried to eat us. Very scary. We got to met family who lived in homes without plumbing. I remember going out to the field with Alec to use the restroom. We had to go in teams because one of us would do our business and the other would wield a stick and keep the cows that shared the fields away, all the while carefully averting our eyes. We made up lots of games to pass the time that summer.

Of course things weren't always pleasant between us. I used to hate being assigned to clean the kitchen with him. He would stand around or worse lay on the counter while I did all the work. He knew I wanted to get done and was happy to bide his time. He had really stinky feet and when I had to baby-sit he wasn't always cooperative.

Mostly though we got along well. We were the "big kids" in the family and I have many happy memories of time spent together. Time at the beach, time doing chores, playing games and even getting in trouble. Almost all the trouble I got into as a kid was with him...hmmm, and more than once was the time that found us laying on his bed, pants down, waiting for a spanking.

One good thing about having a brother like Alec, who loved adventure and was "spirited" is that it also kept me out of a lot of trouble. No matter what I was doing he was probably doing something worse and that diverted the attention off of me. I never had the fire dept knock at our door because I was playing with matches in the desert. I never shot a be be gun at anything. I never chopped off my brother's finger or got a spoon thrown at me because I made mom SO mad! (I did get hit by a flying spoon once or twice because he was pretty fast but that wasn't his fault) Thanks Bro!

I could go on and on remembering all the adventures of our youth. Remembering my athletic, fun, handsome, smart (although it took a long time to show that particular strength :)), loyal, partner in crime and in growing up.

I am proud of the awesome man he's grown up to be. He's a wonderful husband and father, a good worker and a good brother and son. Happy Birthday Brother! I wish we lived closer to each other but even though the miles keep us apart you are always in my thoughts and prayers. I love you.

last one

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lucy loves to play with the little pumpkins.  They are perfect for throwing and stacking!

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Saturday Fun

H is dressing as Stellaluna this year!
E hits the mark almost every time!

Bouncy houses, hay rides, soda pop and cotton candy. Games to play, friends to run and laugh with, prizes to win, tricks and treats. These are the things the fall carnival is known for. Our school had it's carnival on Saturday. It was a very busy day for us.
In the morning we had brother's soccer game. We won! He scored 3 of the 4 goals. It was very fun! We have one more week left and we'll be sad to see the season end.

Then we had family cleaning hour, the highlight of everyone's week! :)

Then we went to the carnival. It was a lot of fun. Lucy stayed home to nap with her big sisters so it was just E and H and DH and I. We got there right when it started so the kids could have time to play before we had to move on to the next activity of the day. H enjoyed the costume contest and the bouncy houses best. E liked throwing the ball at the dunking booth and getting the 5th grader all wet.
We enjoyed some treats, nachos and pop and pizza and candy. The kids played games. It was great. Last year Sheila and I were in charge of the school carnival. That was fun but a lot, A LOT of work. This year it was nice to enjoy it without doing any of the work!

After the carnival we rushed home and got ready to go to Rhonda Hill's baptism. It was really nice. We arrived a few minutes late but it turned out fine because Rhonda wasn't there and we didn't even have keys to the building. When she pulled up she found 70 people waiting for her in the parking lot! Finally keys arrived and we got stuff set up and started only an hour late. Her baptism was especially nice and I was glad we made the effort to go.

In the evening J baby sat and S went to a haunted house with her Mia Maid class. I had to go to the grocery store and DH put kiddos to bed.

Late last night, close to 10pm, DH and I finally got to sit down to dinner. We lit a candle and had steaks and potatoes and quiet conversation....for about 17min until J came home and joined us. Then we had loud conversation as she ate my steak and shared the end of our "date". Which was also fun.

After we cleaned the kitchen together J and DH went to bed and I worked on my sunday school lesson some more while I waited for S to come home.

Midnight: bedtime, finally!

daylight savings means we're ready early!

Halloween fun

J's friends Medi and Molly are throwing a Halloween party tonight. J found a bunch of odds and ends and put together a witch costume.


Hopefully everyone will have a fun time. And be safe.

Turkey Project

My friend Nikko and my mom came over this afternoon. The boys played and we worked on our turkeys.

They turned out kind of cute, at least for seasonal folk art.

Yet another unfinished project

I got home last night from HFPE with a turkey, not finished, or course. When I got home all the girls were in their beds sleeping nicely. DH and the boy were on our bed watching Jack. Not really 4 year old friendly fare but they love to hang out together.

I didn't sleep well at all last night. I woke up about 1/2 an hour after going to bed with horrible heartburn/upset stomach that literally kept me up most of the night. It's still not all the way gone and I am tired. I have suffered on and off for years from this but haven't had any problems lately so I am a) not sure what brought it on and b) not at all happy about it.

Sarkot, Finn and Coyote

This week the boys learned about nocturnal animals in preschool. They made the cutest bats on Tuesday. Today they made owl puppets. Very fun!

I finished The Scarlet Pimpernel. I didn't realize that it is a series. I liked it but guessed who the SP was in chapter 2 and even though I held out some hope that I was wrong I wasn't. I also found the excessive use of the word "La" annoying. It was romantic and the hero was heroic and fighting for a good cause. I think the audience of the day would have really enjoyed it, now I think we are used to plot twists and more developed characters. I did like the chivalry and the settings were lovely. I wonder if it's a movie?

I was reading about the author a little and I wondered, as I often do, how writers write. Do they have a story in their head and then sit down and put it on paper?, does the story unfold as they write?, is it a laborious process or a joy?, or both? Two of my children like to write. Well, one really but I think it will be two or maybe more. J has always liked to write stories and books. She has a lot of imagination. E also has a great imagination. He makes up guys and plays elaborate fantasy games which involve a lot of jumping on the couch and wielding his lightsabers, or now his Harry Potter wand, around. He has a "Jedi" named Sarkot that is very powerful, more powerful than Yoda, and good. He has a friend named Finn who isn't a Jedi but is good with weapons and at finding bad guys. His newest guy I just heard about today and it's actually a girl. Her name is Coyote and she has 7 arms and can skillfully wield 7 lightsabers at once. A powerful ally for sure. H likes to write stories at school, I haven't seen the kind of creative play from her that I have from J and E but we'll see.



Wedding plans are going well. D picked a very cute cake, funny how cake styles have changed. Who knew cake even had a style? But D's cake is modern and sleek and will look very lovely. Announcements have been ordered, I am excited to see them. Things are moving along.

Poor MSV. She is still in a lot of pain and we just found out today that she actually fractured two of her vertebrae! Ouch!! It will be a long time healing.

I love this time of year. I am looking forward to Halloween. We have our school carnival this weekend. J has a couple parties she's invited to. E has a party on Halloween morning and we have trunk or treat and trick or treating to do. Then it's NOV! That was fast. I love Thanksgiving, but then that's an easy guess. I love to cook and I love food and to be with my family so it's the perfect holiday and then we leave for the wedding, which will be SO fun. I am so excited to see D in her gown and to watch her and Greg start their lives together. I am excited for the hoopla and the wedding stuff. I am excited to go to Utah and see all my family and DH's parents. I am excited to see the Christmas lights on Temple Square. And then it's Christmas time! Yeah! I always love Christmas, we're already listening to Christmas music in the car and I watched Santa Clause 2 the other night just because I love it. I love the scene where Scott Calvin (Santa for those who are unfamiliar) is taking the magical sleigh ride with the principal and she's talking to him about her childhood. Very romantic! I love snow. I have never lived in it so that's easy for me to say but it is so clean and pure and fun looking. I love the movie White Christmas, maybe I need to find it on DVD for our long drive to Utah. I think I also need to order some snow boots for our trip. I found a pair I love at LLBean. Now I just need to decide that I can't live without them, need them, they aren't a frivolous waste of money, and they're mine!

back from Story Time at the library

The kids got to make monster hats. This little monster is laughing at her brother who just leapt off the fireplace with a big monster roar!

Why yes those are rain drops on their heads...

It's been a long day and the children are cranky. There is no particular reason for it, nothing that sets this day apart from all others as one for particular unrulyness. But for whatever the reason that's what we have. Crying kids. Kids jumping on the couch, begging to play x-box, wanting a snack right before dinner, not wanting to clean up or do homework. So I did what any other mom would do...I sent them outside to play. Never mind that it's getting dark and starting to sprinkle and it's kind of cool outside. Never mind that they don't have on shoes and now I will have to give them a bath. Fresh air is a miracle cure and we needed it.

There is something wholesome and healthy about playing outside with your brother and your sister that is good for the soul.

So while I'm inside making a gourmet dinner of spaghetti and canned pears. They are outside in the mud.

Life is good:)

a walk down memory lane

I've been looking through old pictures gathering ones that D wants for her wedding slideshow. These aren't winners but it was fun to see Halloweens from years ago.


This is D at 2 years old (1989). She was a clown. S and J both wore this costume in succeeding years.

Halloween 1992. D was a gypsy. S a good witch.

This is a good experiment on how to give pictures to my sister Anna. These are too grainy. I need a better method or the slideshow won't be nice. HHmmm?

Little Joys, Little Heartaches

Our days are made up of the little things. Ups and downs that make the rhythm of life.

This weekend J was doing her laundry. She had a new red shirt in with her load. You know where this story is going without me even finishing it. She now has a load of pink clothes. J, who loves clothes and spends all her own money enhancing her wardrobe had a "horrible loss." I went to switch the loads around and was the first to see the pink. J was in the kitchen cleaning up the lunch mess. I went in and told her. No she gasped and ran in to see the damage. I gave her a hug, I knew she was sad. J who is the only one in the house who would really care all that much about it is the one who now is pink :(

Getting ready for church this morning G found her fluffy coat, well found because H gave it to her out of the closet, and she loved it. She wore it and bounced into sacrament meeting and wouldn't take it off so she looked like a little Eskimo.

Today was the primary program. The kids were SO cute. E memorized his part and said it clear as a bell. He sang well. H did great.

Aiden took brother's seat during the middle of the program. E was heartbroken. He sat up there trying to be brave and his face just crumpled. That's the saddest look, crying while trying to be brave. DH went up and sat with him. It worked out fine in the end.

E scored two goals yesterday. One running down the field and weaving between other players. It was awesome.

H learned to ride her bike without training wheels.

Papa and Grandma took the big girls to the movies. Very fun.

H was invited to a birthday party. But she lost the invitation on the bus. We don't know the family and couldn't find their number. This was a cause of great sorrow all weekend. To add salt to the wound E went to a very cool b-day party at putt putt. H cried.

We've been having bedtime trouble so we have a chart. The magical tool of parenthood. 10 stickers earns you a reward. Kids have been going to bed, teeth brushed, jammied up and staying there. It's been great. E didn't earn a sticker last night though so H is one ahead. Which pleases her to no end.

Made pumpkin cookies after church today. They are so yummy and so easy. 3 ingredients. Can of pumpkin, box of spice cake mix, pkg of chocolate chips. Mix and bake for 12 minutes at 350. They are very tasty!

Friday DH and I went to temple. We got a call from a friend who had moved saying he was in Dallas and wanted to meet up for dinner. We met after and had a great visit with Chris Stirk. We miss their family and it was fun to see him.

Lucy knows how to say "mama" and "more". She's getting better.

Our rye grass is coming in and looking green.

My ankle is feeling a little better. I will be without boot at the wedding, which pleases me.

I'm reading a great book. It's been on our bookshelf for a long time, part of a boxed set of classics that I got at Sam's club one time, and have read some but not all. It's The Scarlet Pimpernel. I opened it up, read the first sentence, which was wonderfully written and completely captivating and I was drawn in. It's amazing how opening the pages of a good book can transport you to a different world. I sometimes walk by the book shelf and glance at the titles and smile at the friends sitting there. The magic of different times and different places. What would we do without books?

What are you doing at 6am each morning?

We are at early morning seminary. Every day S and I wake up and drive to the church. It's still dark out and the air is quiet and the stars are shining. Before I broke my ankle I walked in the gym. Now I sit in the car and work on my Sunday School lesson. S goes to class. Every Friday they have snack. Today was S's turn. She wanted to bring cereal and milk so we got those little boxes that turn into a bowl. The kids thought it was fun.


Sadly I ran out of batteries before I could take more than three pictures. I hate when that happens.


This is my 10th year of early morning seminary. I went for four years, D went for four (well 3 and 3/4) and S is on her 2nd year. When I was going we also had the Friday morning treat tradition. This is kind of funny; my brother likes, and liked then, to cook. I didn't cook at all until I was married. So on my Fridays he would get up early and make something like crepes or another fabulous treat. Then we would give me the credit because he didn't want anyone to know he liked to cook. On his Friday we would drive through Winchells and bring in donuts. He's a great brother!

G and one of her favorite toys the dinosaur ball thingy

Now that the weather has turned cooler we discovered that poor little Lucy has nothing to wear. She had 2-3 outfits that fit and are for cool weather. Today she and I went to the store and got two more outfits. She's a real girl, she LOVED trying things on and her only complaint was when I made her take off the new stuff and put on her old clothes.


My poor sister V was in a horrible car accident on Tuesday. She and R and three of their kids were in the car stopped at a stop sign and someone rear-ended them. Both the front seats broke off and smashed into M legs. M had to be cut out of the car, which was totaled. V had to go to the hospital for a hurt back and neck. I feel so bad for them. They have been having the worst luck lately. I am glad everyone survived and will recover.


Today D is taking V's kids to the dentist. Being close to family is such a blessing. I was very grateful when mom and dad could help me out with my broken foot. I am glad that V is not all alone.

D and Greg did their engagement photos last night. She said it was so fun. I can't wait to see them.
She is making lots of good progress on her plans. I wish, wish, wish I was there to help and have fun with her. We spend a lot of time on the phone instead. Everything will be beautiful. I am glad we can go up there a few days before the wedding and can hardly wait!

We ordered the little kids outfits yesterday. They are SO cute!

100% Content

I was watching Oprah last night. She's on again at 9pm, which is a much better time for me to try and catch it than 4pm. It was the last day of her 11 day drive across the USA with her friend Gayle. They stopped in Ohio and spent the day with an Amish family. O and Gayle were surprised by many things they talked about (including the idea of no premarital sex and only having one partner for life, but that's a different topic) but the thing that surprised them the most was when they asked the Amish couple if they were content and the husband said "yes, 100% content", and the wife echoed the same idea. I wasn't shocked but I have pondered on that today. Am I 100% content?, and if not should I be?, and if so how do I become that way?

There are a couple ways to think about being content. One way is to ask am I exactly who I want to be. Well, no. I am imperfect and am always trying to become better. Do I allow this to discourage me? Sometimes, and I think that is a problem. Knowing we're not perfect and working on our character and our habits and all that we are, working towards a goal of perfection is one thing and I think it's a good thing otherwise how would we ever progress? Becoming bogged down in feelings of worthlessness and despair because of that is a trap we need to avoid. I guess in this case being content might not be best.

Being content with the things we have is a different topic. Always wanting what you don't have doesn't bring anyone peace or happiness. Learning to be happy with the things you have, the family you have, the job you have, where you live, all those things is important. Too many people look on the other side of the fence and want what's there instead of being grateful for the blessings they have, the life they are living.

Nettie wrote about this on her blog the other day and I thought her POV was powerful. She wrote about being happy with this stage of life, where your time isn't your own and little ones make demands on your energy and some what limit your ability to go out and do the exciting things you might want to do.
She had this quote, which I loved,

"Do not be deceived in your quest to find happiness and an identity of your own. Entreating voices may tell you that what you have seen your mothers and grandmothers do is old-fashioned, unchallenging, boring, and drudgery. It may have been old-fashioned and perhaps routine; at times it was drudgery. But your mothers and grandmothers have sung a song that expressed the highest love and the noblest of womanly feelings. They have been our nurturers and our teachers. They have sanctified the work, transforming drudgery into the noblest enterprises." -James Faust.

So, on being content...I don't know. There's always room for improvement. And there's always joy to be found right now. Food for thought.

Halloween MeMe

Happy Mommy tagged me for this fun Halloween MeMe!

1. What's the scariest movie you've ever seen?

When I was little my brother and I watched Invasion of the Body Snatchers. I had nightmares for Y.E.A.R.S.! It was really scary and I hated it and all others since. I don't even like Scooby Doo. I did watch Poltergist with my Beehive class at a class sleep-over, hated it too.




2. What was your favorite Halloween Costume from childhood, and adulthood?

When I was a young teen my BFF and I dressed up as Equestrian riders. I loved that costume and thought it was so fun.

When H was a baby our family went as the Peter Pan cast. MIL made DH an awesome Capt Hook, I was Smee, H was Tinkerbell, D was Peter, the other girls were Tiger Lily and Wendy but I don't remember who was which and J swears she was a baby but none the less.... H took one look at DH and screamed and was terrified . She was inconsolible so he had to get undressed. But it was cute.



3. If you had an unlimited budget, what would your Fantasy Costume be for this Halloween?

Hhmm, I person lying on an actual beach somewhere? I guess I don't really have one.

4. When was the last time you went Trick Or Treating?

We take that kids every year.

5. What's your favorite Halloween Candy?

Chocolate! I like peanut M&M's a lot and Almond Joy.

6. Tell us about a scary nightmare you had.

When I was little I dreamt that my stuffed bunny came to life and tried to eat my family and they all ran out to the car and left me home to fight alone. When I woke up I had to call my brother into the room to grab the bunny and take it out to the trash. That was the readers digest version of what was really a scary dream!

7. What is your Supernatural Fear?

Don't have one.

8. What is your Creepy-Crawlie Fear?

Sometimes I "see" bugs in the bed. I hate that. I wake DH and he has to tell me it's all in my imagination.

9. Tell us about a time when you saw a ghost, or heard something go Bump in the night.

Pass

10. Would you ever stay in a real Haunted House overnight?

Nope

11. Are you a traditionalist (just a face) Jack O'Lantern Carver, or do you get really creative with your pumpkins?

Traditional I guess. I have always wanted to grow pumpkins and carve Happy Halloween one letter per pumpkin. But so far it's just a smiley face. Mostly because we can't grow that many anythings let alone pumpkins!

12. How much do you decorate your home for Halloween?

Usually a fair amount, front door, mantel, kitchen table. I used to have more witches and scary things but we don't have them out anymore, now it's pumpkins and cute Halloween things.

13. What do you want on your Tombstone?

"...and her children shall rise up and call her blessed." *I borrowed this from Happy Mommy, it seems like a great thing to have on a tombstone.


And I tag whoever reads and would like to do it. but leave me a note so I can go read yours.

It's raining, it's pouring~

It's been raining. Yeah! We love the rain, we need the rain, we've been praying for rain.
So, what do you do if you wake up and see that it's been raining?
If you're Lucy you go straight outside and splash in the puddles even though you are wearing your new pink footie jammies. And if you are a good brother you go outside to bring her back inside join her in the fun!

Cupcakes

Grandma and brother decorate cupcakes just like the ones in "Julius Candy Corn" a book we checked out at the library this week that Lucy and E both loved!

Guest Blogger~ J

Hello, This is J and I am writing to all the youth that read my mom's blog. That includes you Emma & Katie. :) So anyways, I was SOOO bored earlier that I took pictures!!! I love pictures!!! The first picture you're seeing is my closet (my very favorite part of my room, don't ask) and then there's a picture of me talking to my friend. Then the picture on the far right is my book shelf and I took a picture of that cause my friend, Hillary, told me that my book shelf is the most magical part of my room, but I don't really think so...

Yesterday I got a new bed covering, which I love cause it's silky and soft and warm, and it made my whole room look completely different.



The Picture that you see next to the picture of my bed is my bulletin board. I told you I love pictures. And then there is the picture of my dresser and I didn't really have a reason to post that, but it's there none the less.

Have you ever been talking and you say something that makes you laugh? I do that all the time! Just today I told Emma that my two favorite things to say are: that among these (really fast), and Tegucigalpa (it's the capital of Honduras). Just say those a couple times and you'll see why. Well this has been fun, catch ya lata!

Pickle

...it's the day we get ready for Sunday

J , H and I went to Walmart this afternoon to do our weekly grocery shopping. J found this darling bedspread. Luckily she had some money with her and it was only $30. I think it looks so great in her room. Yeah!

E had a very exciting soccer game this morning. They lost but the team they played was great and it was so fun to watch them run back and forth, steal the ball, make goals and actually play soccer. The other teams they have played so far they have way out scored. This was more fun.

Last night DH and I went to the mall for our date. I have begun the search for a mother of the bride dress. We actually got distracted and didn't do too much looking. We did end up seeing "The Guardian" at the theater there and it was really good. I was surprised how much I liked it. It was sad but I wasn't bored. We were very surprised by the previews they showed. We must have seen 20 minutes of horror previews. Which I did not enjoy.

We spent a pretty typical Saturday, shopping, cleaning, mowing the lawn, watching soccer. Tonight I'll prepare my lesson and DH will watch "24".

Slaying Giants

Today we our preschool turn again. It was fun, I think I might teach museum school when my kids all go to school. I think preschool is SO much fun.

This is shoe-less Lucy on the swings. She wants to do everything the boys do. She actually had shoes on, she just took them off. We are down to one pair of Robeez, which are the nicest shoe. Although she does have others she likes those best, and her crocs. She wore away the sole of one pair, out grew two and has one left. And all of that is totally beside the point but it was on my randomly flowing train of thought so there you have it.

We talked about David and Goliath and the Brother of Jared today. Last night E and I made these cute little pouches so that the boys could take home their stones. It was a hit, everyone liked the stones and the pouches and they acted out the story several times with great dramatic flair!
We had a sling shot and water balloons to hit Goliath with. Everyone missed, every time. It was still fun:)
D got a great photographer lined up. I saw her website and thought her work was so nice so I am really excited. They also got their honeymoon figured out. They are going on a cruise. I have never cruised before but I hear it's very fun. Also found runner up bridesmaid dresses so things are on track.
At the beginning of the wedding planning (a whole week and a half ago) I knew we could potentially run into some stressful moments. Some drama, some misunderstanding between families, whatever. This seems to be par for the course but I didn't want that. (not that anyone ever does) and luckily D is not a high drama person. So far things have been going well. There have been a few issues come up but for the most part it's been just fine.

$$$ is of course always a big deal. What to spend it on, who buys what, how much should a bridesmaid dress cost anyway (that one's for DH). Since we're traveling to the wedding there are a lot more costs involved.

So we had planned to go to Ohio for Thanksgiving, and D was meeting us and we were excited and happy. Then she got engaged and we were thrilled and excited and happy. Then we started planning, which is fun and hectic and we started to see our calendar get very packed with very big plans. So we thought we might have to postpone going to Ohio until Spring Break. This is a disappointment but it seemed like the only reasonable thing to do. It would save a lot of money, especially since we could change (for a small fee) D's ticket to one going to TX the Open House weekend. We wouldn't have to pay for gas/hotel up to Ohio and back and DH could save that time and drive with us instead saving his ticket and we'd only have to buy D one ticket and not two.
Sounds like a good plan.
Snafu
Bob (Greg's dad) already got tickets for the kids to travel to TX and back since they are honeymooning on a cruise leaving from Galveston and it was easier to book all those legs together.
Now we have a ticket that only she can use and no place to use it unless we go to Ohio after all (not a budget friendly choice for that month). One option is for her to use it next summer on our planned Disneyworld trip {small pause for me to say I am SO excited about that, we look on the Disney website at least twice a week to anticipate all the fun we'll have in June!}

...this will work out, I am not stressed, D is happy, we are excited and I get to shower tonight!

brain dump, random thoughts

I got to take a shower last night. I was thrilled. It's been 3 1/2 weeks of baths and I hate baths. If ever I took a bath for leisure purposes, which isn't often because the book gets wet, the water gets cold and I just don't enjoy it that much, I would take a shower after to get clean. But the shower is slippery and with one foot I couldn't manage. Last night I decided to give it a shot, and it went fine. This is big news to me. Also that means I can switch back to bathing in the morning instead of at night. I can't take a bath in the morning because I have kids throwing things in the water with me (at best) or trying to join me ( worst case scenario) and I much prefer a morning shower to an evening one. So things are looking up!

Bridesmaid dress problem. It turns out you have to order 10 weeks in advance and the delivery date should be several weeks before the wedding. We have less than 8 weeks until the wedding. D had a cute dress picked out. I am sure she'll find something else cute but I think it'll have to be off the rack, which is fine with me and I know it'll be find in the long run but a snafu none the less. That and booking a reception hall has to be done far in advance. I think everything else will go fine.

I'm cooking a turkey today. No special reason I just wanted to. Fall is in the air and I love turkey. I plan on making turkey soup in a day or two. Tonight I have to sew pouches for the boys "brother of Jared" stones for tomorrow's preschool. And I have to bake a pumpkin pie (surprise!:) )

Brother went to the dentist this morning. No cavities and a great visit. He loves the dentist. (unlike his mother I might add)

Yesterday it rained and rained. It was lovely.

Master Chefs

Preschool was at our house today. I forgot until last night and had to wrack my brain to come up with some ideas. Our theme this week is Book of Mormon Heros and our letter is "J". We did our J pages and read some book. I taught the kids a song about 5 little pumpkins being made into pumpkin pie and while reading thought "hey, we should make pie". Luckily I had all the ingredients on hand. Unfortunately I didn't think of it until kind of late so the pie was just coming out of the oven and was way too hot at the end of preschool. I told the boys I'd save it until Thursday, really we'll probably eat it and I'll make a replacement on Wednesday night but they won't care! We also talked about Nephi and built boats and oceans out of paper plates, play-doh and crayolas. The staples of preschool life.

Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch

We took our annual trip to the pumpkin patch today. It was very fun. Hot and dusty and crowded but fun.










We had an early morning orthodontist appointment and then met up with Grandma and we set off. It's a nice little drive for us and the kids were excited.







We had a picnic lunch, the kids bounced in bouncy houses, we had a hay ride and ran through human mazes and of course looked at lots and lots of pumpkins!


When we came home we had to quickly straighten up and make some chili and get ready for the missionaries to come over for dinner.

Also busy making wedding plans each day. It's very exciting...Only two months to go and lots to do!