pumpkin carving fun

Trunk or Treat

Tonight was our ward Halloween party. It was a chili cook off, carnival, costume contest/parade, trunk or treat fun fest.

E was a ninja.

H was a cautionary tale "don't go to prom"

Here's Lu trying to bite a donut off a string.

My favorite costume of the night. Rob and Lindsey Coleman with little Donna.

Chelsea, Ashley, Han, Anna and Anna's friend.

We all had a super fun time!

soccer

early this cold cold morning we wrapped up and headed out to little's soccer game.

They tied. Next week is the championship. Should be exciting!

Happy Birthday Brother

My little brother turned 40 today! Crazy!! With a birthday so close to Halloween I guess it's easy for him to get in the spirit!

He's a good brother. He's funny and smart and crazy and a great husband and father and scout master.

I hope you have 40 more great years! and I can't wait to see what kinds of crazy costumes you come up with :)

my little wolf cub

class parties

my cute family on Reggie's blessing day

My whole family (minus us east-coasters) was together for mom and dad's mission homecoming, Reggie's blessing and Jo's baptism. They are so cute! I love them so much. Thank goodness for the great plan of happiness that allows us to be together as families forever...even if the miles keep us apart for now.


<>in photo: JaNee and Michael (brother), Emily and Natalia (sister & niece), Yoho, Andrea and Reggie (BIL, sis and nephew), Amadeo , Anna and Joneaux (BIL, Sis and nephew), Alec, Kelly and Katie (brother, SIL, and niece), Ryan, Val and Tanner, Spencer, Mackenzie, little Jo (BIL, sis, 2 nephews and 2 nieces, Greg, Dani and Tate (SIL, daughter, granddaughter), Mom and Dad.

Fabulous Fall Field Trip to the Farm

stuff on my mind

cool phone camera picture. Last night Jenna was in bed reading and I came in to talk with her. I was bugging her, she wanted to read and didn't want me to snap a pho-to, but the result was kind of a fun shot anyway. She did nicely put her book down to chat but did remind me that she was busy, so it was short. I am going to miss her like crazy next year.

It's raining today. I nice fall rain, the only bummer is Lu was supposed to go on a field trip to the pumpkin patch :( and J is out on the water in a canoe with her environmental class. Hopefully there won't be a freak tsunami.

We've been having some neighborhood drama. It's really different for me living here, I don't know why but this is the first place I've lived where I have known many, many neighbors quite well and where everyone is in each other's business. It's a bit Stepfordish. I was at the park yesterday and got quite an ear full about the middle school "gang" that has been roaming around wrecking havoc. It make me sad because these are nice kids really, but they are doing some destructive stuff and moms have called the police and are taking pictures of the kids doing wrong making a report of sorts. It could get ugly.

I have a list, I call it things I want to do/get for the house.

• clean the garage out
• put in shelves
• move shelf out of mud room
• put up pegs for coats and backpacks as well as a storage bench
• change lots of light bulbs out
• get overhead lighting for living room and music room
• finish painting my room
• paint living room wall
• get a nice sectional for living room
• get furniture for basement (we'll do that when we go to Ohio for Thanksgiving!)
• buy a vacuum for each floor
• make a "cleaning kit" for each floor
• buy more paint paint paint
• get shelves in basement closet
• eventually build built in book shelves in the basement
• refinish dresser and move it to basement for storage
• some day, in a land far far away, get a nice bedroom set (this is way low on the list and will probably never happen)
• get curtains for a few remaining rooms
• deck furniture

I wonder if we'll even finish the list before we move? I actually like it here, truthfully I have liked everywhere I have lived, but Big doesn't so much. Mostly I think it's job stress and busyness. I would like to live overseas some time. ...maybe that will be next. Or maybe not. We have no plans to move right now so maybe we'll be here a decade or longer. Who knows?

Who to vote for?? We are digging a huge hole and I am not sure how to get out of it. Signs of the times and really "hurry up!" is all I have to say. I am ready for peace.

Christmas shopping has begun. Slowly, I feel behind.

H cried and cried last night. The cause: her Halloween costume. She really wants something different than the thing we already got together for her and spent money on. She said it only cost $4 and she had to use old stuff for the rest so it doesn't count. She is a nice girl, and sweet and lovely but where does this sense of entitlement come from? this inability to be happy with what she has and this feeling that she is always slighted? She can never be happy because she is always looking at what others have and what she wants next. What's a mother to do?? I recognize the irony, this coming from the woman who just wrote "the list". This is the difference. I will be happy even if I never get any of that and a lot of it just costs my own labor. Madonna was right, we really are living in a material world and it's a huge trial to be born. I really wish I knew the right thing to do. We are so blessed, and have a nice home and we want to provide a nice life for our children but the balance of raising hardworking, grateful, contented people who are wise and good is hard to strike.

Looking forward to tonight's YW activity. We've been planning for awhile and I hope it will be powerful. Had to borrow alcohol from a neighbor for a clue I needed. Felt a little weird, but I promised to return it unopened. Love my neighbors.

The only bad thing is little is getting his wolf tonight and I won't be there. It really bugs me that we have so many things scheduled on the same night. really.

Sierra got 100% on her last paper (that I helped her with! ~I was so excited, I love "helping" with English homework!)

I wish I could solve every one's problems and that everyone would be happy all the time. Is that too much to ask?

Things to clean :) off I go...

oh my gravy! I am pooped!! Johnna and I have been walking to the wharf and back (5 mile round trip) a couple of days a week. We decided it would be fun to walk around the lake and it''s "only 7.5" miles.

We did it...but whew! it was a long walk and up and down and all around, over hill and over dale and through the mud and over trees is a lot different than a paved walked through town!

We made it though!

friends and soups and haunted houses

Last night we had some friends over for dinner. I made chili, and an Italian pasta soup and a pumpkin soup. We had corn bread and salad and everything was delish!

After dinner we made haunted gingerbread houses. More candy got in everyone's tummies than on the houses but that's fine!

The menfolk had serious things to discuss.

Little architect.

Thanks friends for playing with us!

welcome welcome sabbath morning

We are having beautiful fall weather and it's going to be a lovely day. Today is the primary program, which I always love. The children have memorized their parts and Lu has been practicing every, every day. "I believe in God the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost."

busy October Saturday

Everyone is busy today. Big has to work, of course. S is also working. (after work she is going to Philly for the weekend) J is taking the ACT and then working. Work Work Work, it's like I live with the 7 dwarfs!! (which I am glad about, working is good)

Lucy is the only one who didn't have plans so she is free to go to "Trick or Treat" in the park with me. Here she is with her herd :) Such a cute mamma elephant.

Millie is guarding the house from her crystal-all -seeing-welcome the burglars in with a lick and wag of a tail-ball.

Little is at the Cub o Ree! He had a late night playing soccer and is not a morning person so when I had to drag him out of bed before the sun came up he wasn't too happy. I think, however, he will have a cubtastic time!

Han is going with Chelsea to Melanie's. They are bringing their bikes, hanging out and riding to buy french fries near Melanie's home. Should be fun. Hope they are careful. I am not a big fan of the learning to be independent years. I like the stay home where mom can watch you years:) Hannah has really nice friends, which I am so glad about.

YW

Last night we had class activities. The Mia Maids learned how to make pizzas.

The Laurel's made Halloween candle holders.

The Beehives made haunted houses.

Everyone had a fun time. Our girls are so wonderful, it is a treat to work with them and to meet with them each week. They are fun and sweet and I have the best calling in the world! We have 32 girls and they are each so special and unique.

Other than that things are rolling along. We've had some rain. Everyone is feeling well and back to school. H still struggles in the morning but it is so early. We have found that if she showers and gets ready at night and then goes to bed early she does okay in the morning. It's hard to do that but we're aiming for that.

Millie is getting regular walks :) and now I have company, Johnna usually joins me and that makes it quite fun.

Happy day. We got bills from the dentist and our portion as $0!!! I was so thrilled we have had astronomically huge medical bills this year, lots of random stuff and it's killing us so that was a treat.

H and J have both been practicing the piano. They started lessons this week.

Read a couple of good books this week. I read "Solomon's Oak" which I enjoyed. The other day S came home from school mad because she is taking an African American Literature class that she hates and she told me I had to read all the books with her from now on so we could talk about it, since it's my fault she's in the class :) Well I don't really mind. So I read the first one "Passing" which I liked quite a lot and I enjoyed talking with her about it, discussing gender roles, and race and the freedoms we very much take for granted now but which we didn't always universally enjoy. We still don't, in a global sense, but here in the US we are lucky and Sierra is lucky individually she has all the choices in the world open to her. What a tremendous blessing.

Now I am in the middle of "The Silence of God" and she just gave me another book to read so I will read that too.

We're enjoying the cooler weather, looking forward to a busy weekend. Oh and Hannah had an appointment with the orthodontist. I liked him a lot. Her teeth are actually pretty straight but she has an over bite. He suggested we wait until she is 12 or 13 and see if her jaw continues to grow. Her mouth is small but if that bottom jaw does some growing then she'll be in better shape and in braces for a much shorter time when we do get them.

my morning, so far
5:15 little b comes stumbling in saying he has to throw up. When he's done he snuggles into the middle and falls back asleep...he is the only one.
5:25 Big gets up, he's mad, not at little but at work stuff and can't sleep anymore. He gets in the shower.
5:35 start dragging H from bed. An ordeal every morning, but this morning is particularly bad. Leave her in the bathroom with a towel and robe in hand.
5:40 listen to Big's woes.
6:05 this little one comes into the room because she is "hund-ree"


(an early a.m. snuggle on a less hectic day)

Head down stairs to make oatmeal.
6:15 J needs to borrow my car for seminary because hers is out of gas.
6:20 H and Lu both complain because the dinosaurs melted and I made it wrong.
6:30 send H out the door.
6:30.5 H back, crying, "she's not going"
6:31 repeat
6:32 repeat
6:33 give her a long long hug
6:35 send her out the door for the fourth time
6:36 she is back
6:37 threaten her with grounding, tell her I don't have a car to take her, shove her out the door (gently) and lock it
6:38 Lu, who was standing watch reports H is walking towards the bus stop


Guess my plan to go to the temple with Amy, Lori and Darlene is out.

Caramel Apple Cake

Yumm!

for the caramel and apples
4 T butter
3 cups sugar
5T light corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
4 large golden delicious apples

for the batter
3 cups all purpose flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup fresh oj
1 T vanilla
1 stick butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs

Butter a 9x 3 inch round cake pan. Make the caramel: cook the sugar and corn syrup in a large skillet over medium high head, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is dark amber, 7-10 min.
Reduce heat to med. Carefully add the cream and 4 t butter (it will splatter) and cook, stirring, until combined about 3 minutes.
Remove skillet from heat and let sit 1 minute. Pour 1 1/2 cups caramel into a glass measuring cup and set aside. Pour the remaining caramel into prepared pan and set aside until set. About 30 minutes.
Cut 3 apples into quarters and cut out the cores with a paring knife. Arrange pieces skin side down in the pan to from a rind around the edge. Save any pieces that don't fit for later.
Halve the remaining whole apple crosswise and scoop out the seeds with a melon baller or spoon, leaving the stem on. Chop the bottom and any of the leftover quartered apples into pieces and set aside.
Arrange the apple top, stem side down in the center of the pan.
Pre heat oven to 350
Make the batter:
whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
Whisk sour cream, oj and vanilla
Using a stand mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Crack the eggs in one at a time.
Add sour cream mixture
then flour mixture
Spread batter over the apples.
Top with apple pieces.
Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Invert and serve with reserved caramel sauce.

saturday fun

It was our turn to clean the church this week so we headed over this morning with the Ray's and had a cleaning party.

Everyone helped and it went pretty quickly, I think we were there less than 2 hours.

This afternoon we had a soccer game. Our first tie of the season. E is number 8.

Tonight is date night, H is going to a party, J and S are both working and Alexis is babysitting the two little ones.

Fall Carnival

Tonight was the fall carnival at the elementary school. Hannah and many of her friends volunteered and ran booths and the haunted house.

I walked around with the little two, after our shift running a booth, and we had a fun time. They won lots of fabulous plastic prizes and had lots of fun seeing their friends and eating pizza.

good day

It's a beautiful fall day. The air is crisp and it's sunny out. Tonight is the school carnival and the kids are excited. Best of all this morning J and I filled out her BYU application!! Yeah!! My life long dream and I finally convinced a girl to apply. Dani wanted nothing to do with BYU, neither does Sierra but J does! She has "back up" schools too but I am crossing my fingers, saying a prayer, lighting a candle and anything else that comes to mind.

Also had parent teacher conferences this morning. Always fun. Lu is doing well. She is in the high reading group, is a helper and compassionate to her friends and is cheerful and has lots to contribute. This is happy news as she is a big sassperilla at home and driving me a bit crazy as I try to figure out how to best parent her. I love my Sassy pants girl!

E is also doing well. He tested "off the charts" and is well rounded and a leader. He is also not the class clown this year, which is good. He has a few other high achieving boys in his class and a wonderful teacher so it's going well. She strongly recommended STEM for next year. She said he likes to do things "his own way" and has a "unique perspective". Fortunately she thinks these are real strengths and likes him. Lots of teachers like kids who sit quietly and look attentive. He looks distracted with a book, drawing or thought in his head and still produces "A" work. I am really grateful that he's in Mrs E's class.

she loves it!

remember the dress? Look how much she loves it :)

YWIE

Last night we had our Young Women in Excellence night. I think it went really well. We had an "endure to the end on your journey through life" theme and the girls did great presentations. I was happy with how it went. It's always nice to be done with a big event.

It's raining today. The air smells fresh. Love it!

That's all :)

Halloween fun

cute cute babies and sisters :)
Anna and Joneaux, Andrea and Reggie, JaNee (Michael's cute girlfriend, who he should marry) holding Tate. How fun!

Tate and Baby J, little best friends :)