Trick-or-Treating

I am so glad this week is finally over. It seems that there have been so many activities to go to. As we were driving home tonight Gary said, "Ten years from now there will not be trick-or-treating as we know it." I totally agree. It seems like so many businesses are sponsoring trick-or-treating at their stores, Smith's and Kmart both advertised for it. The Rec. Center here had a mayor's walk (costume parade) and carnival type thing. Two of the wards in our building had a trunk-or-treat. Don't get me wrong, I love the ease of it all. "One-stop treating" it is a great concept. It is safe and the kids aren't out in the cold for too long, or not at all. But all of these organized activities get families out of their homes (again, not all bad) so there is not anyone home to pass out treats to the die-hard, old-school group. After the trunk-or-treat we headed to a neighborhood where two of Gary's favorite employees live to do the door-to-door thing and show off the cute kids. A street of 20 or so houses and only 6 lights were on. I think it is kind of sad. I loved trick-or-treating. The excitement of running from house to house and hoping for something other than a dum-dum sucker or a midge. So much fun. The weather was great tonight. I was in a Gypsy outfit (yes I dressed up) and wasn't cold at all. All-in-all it was a great night. The kids got a TON of junk and they all had fun. I guess I shouldn't expect more than that. Either way, a fond farewell to October. I am really looking forward to quiet November.

Desi's Owie

I've had a number of people, on the blog and in person, ask about Desirae's head. No, I didn't beat her, this time. The simple explanation...She's 2 and has 3 older brothers. Need I say more? The extended version...I was in the kitchen doing dishes, Desi and Andrew were watching TV on the sofa, I hear a thud and then both of them crying. I got to the couch to find them both lying on their backs next to each other, just wailing. I picked up Desi, cuz' she's the baby, and held her for a minute. I noticed a minor pink bump in her head but didn't think much of it. She calmed down after just a second. When I got her out of bed the next morning she had this awful scab on her head. I guess she got a rug burn some how. It looked so yucky. It would puff up and then flatten out again but luckily never got infected or anything. I gave her a bath after the ward carnival and it finally fell off. She only had it for 5 days but it was really hard for me to leave it alone and not bring her attention to it. She still has a little mark but you really have to look to see it. So there you go. I'm sure it's the first of many bumps that will need explaining.

Carving Pumpkins

We usually like to get the carving done a week before Halloween. This year was different for a couple reasons. Benji and Spencer carved pumpkins last Friday for their school carnival so they weren't really itchin'. We have had something going on every night this week to prevent us from getting it done and Gary likes to participate so we couldn't do it during the day. So here we are, the night before, getting our spook on. Spencer and Benjamin both designed their own. Gary did Desirae's and I did Andrews. They all turned our very cute. It cracks me up every year, None of our boys want to touch the guts. We always make them, just for the pictures sake and to laugh at their faces. I though that Andrew would love it. He is to tactile oriented and he loves to squish and play with his food. But he was the most reluctant. This was the first year Desi was old enough to participate. She was so into it. As soon as she figured out what was going on she pulled up her sleeve and dug in. She loved it. She would grab a handful and shake it off into the bowl and go back for more. We finally had to make her stop because she was shaking goop all over the kitchen. So here's to a glowing Halloween. Hope you have a ooie, gooey, good, and safe one.

To dress-up or not to dress-up, that is the question...

I have been pondering today whether or not to dress up tomorrow. I'm a bit in the spirit because it is my day to cook for food group and I did our traditional chili and cornbread. I also made chocolate covered spiders and blood punch. Gary and I usually dress-up. Gary is usually gorry or creepy and I have been a number of things over the past few years, "Postal" employee, barefoot-and-pregnant, Gypsy, army lady, all with little to no preparation. The kids always ask me what I'm going to be. I always say "A Mom." They groan and beg and I eventually give in. But I never tell until they actually see me dressed. This year I'm just not sure I want to go through the trouble of figuring something out. So here's where you come in...Are you dressing up? And if so, what are you going to be? Have an ooky, spooky Halloween.

Ward Halloween Carnival

Last Night the Young Women in our ward hosted a Halloween carnival for the primary kids. The young women and the leaders put alot of time and effort into making it really fun for all of the kids. There were quite a few activities crammed into the gym. There was face painting Andrew got a pumpkin, Spencer and Benjamin both just made their costume make-up darker and bloody, and Desi got sparkles. There was a ring toss, fishing, and pumpkin bowling that the kids got little prizes for. The sack races were alot of fun to watch. The cake walk was funny. The kids would walk around the circle to the music and then stop at a number with the music. Some of the kids would win their cupcake and then walk more while eating their winnings. So funny, the amount of sugar those little bodies will consume. There was also cookie decorating and coloring. It was a great way for the kids to get another wear out of their costumes. They loved it and the fact that all I had to do was get them there made it a worth while outing.

Family Night Fun

I like traditions. I think they are a great way for kids to look forward to family time. I also like food. Therefore, most of our family traditions involve food. This time of year is so full of yummy smells, breathtaking colors and delicious flavors. One of the traditions we tackled Monday night was carmeled apples. The first time I considered this I was a little daunted by the prospect. But, like most things, it is easier than you think once you just commit yourself to doing it. We started family night with Spencer conducting and giving the lesson. One of the requirements in the Faith In God book is for him to talk about Joseph Smith and how God answers our sincere prayers. He did a great job. he is so in tune and truly understands and comprehends more than I give him credit for. So then to the apples. The kids unwrapped the carmels, tasted a few and then I melted them. After it cooled a bit, the dipping began. Into the carmel and then into chocolate chips or Gary's preference, cinnamon sugar. After they set up a bit we cut them off the sticks and eat em' up. They are so yummy. One bag of carmels does at least 5 apples with some to spare. The sour apples with the super sweet carmel is a perfect combination. Now, finding time to carve the pumpkins, hmmmm.....The boys and I peeled while Desi ate...

6th Folder, 6th Picture

Erin had a great picture of Dirty Andrew on her blog. It's a bit like a tag but you go to your pictures and choose the 6th picture in the 6th folder to post. Here is mine. The evening of Desirae's birthday I put her hair up in little sponge rollers. Her hair is so fine and limp I just wanted to see if it would actually hold a curl. She sat still for 20 minutes letting me put them in but only kept them in about 30 minutes. It was still damp but it did curl. I'll have to try it again when we are actually going somewhere. Below is the "after" shot. I need to work on making sure I roll them the right direction. I remember my Mom putting our hair in the pink sponge rollers the night before picture day and then putting a pair of panties over them so they wouldn't get frizzy while we slept. I'm not to that point yet but maybe before church???

Halloween Carnival

Davis Elementary had a Halloween Carnival on Friday. Of course, we went.

I took Spencer and Benjamin and my fabulous husband stayed home with Andrew and Desirae and cleaned. (how lucky can one girl get???) So the first order of business in preparation for the carnival was the carving of the Jack-O-Lanters for the contest. Spencer opted for a pre-fab stencil of a spider and Benji went free-form. Spencer did a great job. He poked holes all around the stencil and then maticulously carved out the body and all the legs. Benjamin drew out his face on a piece of paper and then used it like a stencil to poke holes all around. However, I carved most of it because it was a bit tedious and as you can see all jaggedy. Next were the costumes. Benjamin is Captain Jack Sparrow in skeleton form and Spencer is the Grim Reaper. Thanks to Auntie Kate and Aunt Heather for the great hand-me-downs. All I had to do was paint their faces. So we got there and dinner was only $1 each. We had orange soup bowls and root beer. The soup was yummy but the boys only ate the bread. So next they awarded the costume contest and Jack-O-Lantern winners. All of the kids were sitting on the floor in front of the stage. The Lady annonced the costume winner as Jack Sparrow. WoooHooo, Yeah Benjamin!!! He went up as happy as could be and stood in front of everyone. Then she began to announce the winner of the pumpkin contest. Another lady went over to the table and got the winning pumpkin. He came to the stage and I couldn't believe she was holding Benji's pumpkin! WOW! He got the best costume and the best pumpkin awards. The prizes were candy, of course. What a little stud. I could tell Spencer was pretty disappointed but he was still excited for his brother. He was a really good sport. I'm sure he knew he would be sharing in the spoils. So then some of the kids did a little program singing songs and then the group was split up into six groups. We played bingo, had pictures taken, decorated cookies, ate doughnuts off of a string, did a cake walk and listened to a story teller tell spooky stories. Spencer ate his doughnut in one huge bite and when Spencer got a cake from the cake walk and Benji didn't, he even offered to half it with Benjamin. They are such good boys and I love that they are best friends. We ran into the Tucker's there too. It is always more fun to have friends to talk to and run around with. It was a great time and tons of fun. Now we just have to get through the ward carnival on Tuesday night and the Trunk-R-Treat at the church on Friday night. We should have at least enough candy to last till Christmas by then.

Another Tag...

So the rules are the same as all the others. Fill it in with your answers and tag others to do the same. I like reading other peoples tags, I just don't like doing them muself. So here's my best shot...
10 years ago I... 1. 3 years married to my dream-boat husband. 2. Living in our West Valley house. 3. Working for First Security Bank on the Y2K prep. (What a lot of all-for-naught that was) 4. Wishing I was pregnant. 5. Scrapping - alot.
5 Things on today's "to do" list... 1. Clean the kitchen. 2. McDonald's with Gary for lunch. 3. Practice for dance 4. catch up my blog 5. Plan FHE
5 things I would do if I were a millionaire... 1. Consult a financial planner. 2. Pay off our home. 3. Travel the world with Gary 4. Upgrade our vehicles. 5. Invest for missions, college and weddings.
5 places I have lived... 1. Grantsville, UT 2. Medford, OR 3. Independence, KS 4. Moab, UT 5. Kanab, UT
5 jobs I have had... 1. Mom 2. Administrative Assistant 3. Evergreene Construction 4. Grocery cashier 5. Matrixx Marketing

So there it is. Now it's your turn!

Flowers!!!

Aren't they pretty?!?!? Gary brought these flowers home for me last week. I had sent this junk e-mail to everyone where you answer questions with just one word. One of the questions was a wish list item. I put "flowers". I was actually thinking about planting bulbs in my yard that will come up in the spring but since it was a one word answer there wasn't room for an explanation. Gary saw the e-mail and took it upon himself to grant my wish. He is so thoughtful. He is also very frugal. With his frugality (is that a word?) in mind, when he called me from the store and asked what type of flower will come up again, I told him mum's. I had just potted some that he had gotten really cheap for my front porch so I kind of blew it off and said only get them if they are red. I guess I assumed he saw some half dead things that the store just wanted to get rid of. (that is how I got the ones I potted for the front porch) Well, low and behold, this is what I got. Definitely not half dead and not cheap. They just make me smile every time I walk into my kitchen. I think this is the best kind of flower to get. Autumn is my favorite season. I love the colors and these particular flowers don't really have a smell. I really don't like strong floral scents. I am also just a little too practical and feel so guilty getting flowers that only last a few days. I love fresh flowers. And I love you Gary! You know me so well! Thank you!

Flag Football

I have procrastinated long enough. Here it is, the long awaited flag football post...Spencer asked if he could play football a few months ago. My immediate response was an adamant no. It wasn't even a consideration. Football players are big, they are slammed around, and they get concussions. Nope, not my son. Well a little convincing from Dad swayed me. I only approved because it is flag football and only 2nd and 3rd grade. However, I have since realized that next year he won't be eligible for flag, it will have to be tackle. I have got to come up with something between now and then to get him to loose interest in it. When he first started he was pretty clueless. It took him about five games for it to really click. But when he got it he went nuts. He is so strong, fast and flexible. He is a natural leader. He is all over the field calling to the other boys where they should be. He was always there to help his team mates up, give high 5's and chest bumps. His favorite positions to play were running back and line backer because he could see the whole field and keep track of what was going on. He had alot of great plays. He was willing to dive to grab someones flag, he took a few cheap shots and didn't even whine. He has great sticky fingers and can really catch and hold on to the ball. To go along with that he can run and dodge and was able to make a touchdown every game. His first touchdown was quite comical really. He got a hand-off on his teams 10 yard line. He ran the touchdown the entire length of the field. As he was running he kept looking down and behind him to see if his flag had been nabbed. As he did this he turned in a 360 and kept on going. It's like he was dancing down the field turning circles. The picture on the top of this post is just after he made his first "catch" touchdown. It was a great throw and Spencer's little sticky fingers just grabbed it. He really enjoyed playing and he was good at it. For me, hopefully he loses interest, for him, I hope he stays really fast so he doesn't get hit too much.

This video is Spencer retrieving a kick-off and making a touchdown. Go Spencer!!!

What Was I Thinking???

Obviously I was not thinking at all. I have a craft cupboard in the kitchen that I keep some stuff like markers, paper, coloring books, crayons, etc. in so they are right next to the table and easy to grab when there is a whim. It has been a big mess for a while now so I thought I'd organize it a bit today. I put Andrew and Desirae downstairs with the "little people" and a Dora cartoon. I figured that would give me the 20 minutes or so I needed to get the cupboard done. This is what I left them with...Innocent enough right? One type of toy available to play with and the rest of the room in tact.These are the two sections of our play room. Anyone who has ever been to our house knows that we have way too many toys. I have tried to organize them so that the kids can put them away in some sort of order. However, after finishing my one little cupboard I went down to play "little people" and this is what I found...My two little darlings dumped every single tote and then were just sitting on the couch like they had been there the whole time. I think they actually expected me to think that they had nothing to do with the mess. It must have been some naughty little mess fairies that snuck in, ransacked the place, then hopped out the window. What is the point? A few days ago I was so tired of the toys always being a mess that I told Spencer and Benji that I had hired a maid that will come and clean their room and toy room each day. However, anything she has to pick up off the floor she takes away and they won't get it back for at least a month. It has worked for the most part but how can I punish them if it is the two little monsters doing all the damage? I give up. There is no punishing them. It doesn't really phase them. Any suggestions???

What a Great Weekend

When I got up this morning I was feeling overwhelmed and frusterated because I had a sink full of dishes spilling out onto the surrounding counters, a laundry room so full of dirty clothes and bedding I could harldy open the door, floors that haven't been swept or vacummed (I won't even mention mopped) for two days, various toys and clothes strewn about the entire house...blah, blah, blah, you get the idea. I began to think to myself, "Why does this happen every weekend? Why can't I keep up on anything?" As I was thinking back at our weekend I couldn't think of any major task we got accomplished. Usually we will have a big project like builing shelves in the garage, or cleaning out the storage roombut not this weekend. We just stayed home, watched conference, and vegged. I needed a break from cleaning so I thought I'd download the camera. That's when I realized we had a pretty busy weekend. Here is a photo review of the fun stuff we did...

Built a block tower...

Drove up the mountain and took family pictures with the pretty fall leaves. Finally got Desirae's new bike for her very belated birthday...
Decorated for halloween, made and decorated sugar cookies, delivered (not the ones kids decorated/licked) said cookies to a few ward families...

After looking through our weekend of pictures I'm not at all annoyed by having to clean all day long on Monday. We are so lucky to have two full days to spend together, just enjoying each other and strengthening those relationships. I am so blessed with such a supportive husband that even if he does come home after a long day at work and the house is a mess, all he says is something like, "Looks like you had a fun day playing with the kids today." So hey, maybe I'll take a break and play with the kids for a while. The dishes and laundry can wait.