Halloween!

Honestly, I have a couple of deep and thoughtful posts to write that I would like to preserve for posterity. But I am going to procrastinate. This is a particular talent of mine. Instead I am going to post about Halloween, because it is easy and there are many pictures involved;)


(Abigail and Teichert playing on the little playground)

We started with a little Halloween pre party at Grunyon Run


(Trigg, crabby Brenley, and Addie on the big playground)

Where we had lunch, apple bobbing,


and pumpkin carving


And the finished products:

(Mitchell's, Rachael's, and Kindyl's)
Yes, that is the pi sign. Rachael wanted to carve a "pumkin pi". Hilarious. I know;)

and of course the best part, hanging out and playing with cousins.

(Callie and Rylie)

with the Queen smack in the middle of it all, of course.Swinging with her sisters
And mooching food from her aunties.

She knows she can get whatever she wants from Joy.

That night our ward holds a big neighborhood Halloween Carnival. We have dinner, games, prizes, cotton candy, you name it. It is always a good time.

Abigelli got a taste for cotton candy. I think she had two at one point. Heaven for a one year old.

Mitchell won a b b gun. I think that was his favorite part. I thought his nerd costume may have been a little too convincing....


Lovely.

We have a lot of adults in our ward who dress up and they are fantastic. Sometimes I have the nerve and gumption to do it myself and soemtimes I don't. I didn't take pictures because I thought it would be rude. But we had a couple of swine flus, a pretty cool cave woman, an awesome raggedy anne and Andy, some seventies couples, and my personal favorite, Popeye and Olive Oyl. Those two were perfect. I really wish I did have some pictures of them!

We brought the stroller for Miss Abigail to ride in, but guess who really thought it was the funnest?
After that Wendell took Mitchell and Brenley Trick or Treating and Abigail and I stayed at the house to pass out candy.

Rach was out watching a movie with her friends, (and too cool to dress up, obviously) and Kindyl went Trick or Treating with her friends.

Later we had to take down all of our Halloween decorations. I was sad to see some of them go. But it is nice to be able to keep the Fall decor.

In Your Opinion...

I have a little dilemma involving Rachael's report card.

I pay my kids for every A on their report card. (go ahead. Judge me.;)



This is usually a cut and dried procedure, and not that difficult to deal with. Other than a bit of a hit to our wallets.

This time it is a little different.

Rach got mostly a's this semester. She got two bs. One in Accelerated Math, and one in ELP Social Studies.

My first reaction is to pay her for the 4 she received. But the Bs were both in advanced classes. And she got As in her other two advanced classes. If she were in High School, and those classes were weighted, they would count as As, right?

And besides, it is her first semester in Jr. High. So maybe I should cut her some slack.

Her teacher comments were fabulous.

She has gotten all of her homework done this semester, a problem we have had with her in the past. And I am tempted to reward this behavior.

So the question is, do I pay her for 4 As or 6?

If I pay her for 6 does she not try as hard in her advanced classes in the future?

I know, hard question. (Wouldn't it be nice if this were my biggest problem right now?)

your opinion?

My Parenting Quote of the Day

"You have not failed as long as you have tried"

President Gordon B. Hinkley

Found in this month's Visiting Teaching address. go here.

Apparently there is a reason we are called to do our visiting teaching.

I have had a harder time healing from this surgery than I should have and have not been a very good parent.

I have thought to myself at least once this week,:

"That's it. I've totally ruined my kids"

And now I have a little hope.....

All Hail the Queen

That's right. It's Queenie's birthday today. No matter how hard I tried to will this day away, into the distant future it was not to be. My baby is growing up.

How did she go from this:

to this:


independent little thing.

Who told her she could grow up so fast? O.K. So she is still tiny. And she still likes a snuggle. But she also likes to walk and talk.

and say hello. And bye bye. and babble about the kind of day she has had...



More on the joys and sorrows of my baby growing up later. But for now it will suffice to simply pay homage to her majesty on her birthday.

Falling for Fall

I don't know why I am so obsessed with it this year! It may stem from a subconscious thought that if I love Fall enough it will actually get here and cool off this desert. I pulled out my Fall decor and realized the blaring absence of a nice Fall wreath. The nice ones are expensive. So I went to my Happy Place (Hobby Lobby) and bought some supplies to make one. I don't know what came over me, but I needed it NOW! (I know you are surprised to hear this, but I am a little impatient)


(why 2 pics? I can't decide whether to keep it on my security door or my regular door.)




Fall doesn't seem enough. I actually need it to be Halloween. I don't even like Halloween! But I do this year. I don't know why. I kind of blame other bloggers. People are so creative and make it look so fun! It started last year, I think. My sister's BFF goes all out on Halloween, and her blog post made me think it can really be done with style.(see this post too) Wow, those guys are amazing.

And today I saw a friend's blog post featuring this picture:



I thought it came from a magazine before I read it, but it actually came from this blog. I love it! I want an entry just like it. I want stairs to hang bats on. The black and white to me is just stunning. Maybe I can do something around my piano in my own entry, which is actually just part of my Living Room. Hmmm....I'll let you know what I figure out.

My poor husband can't be thrilled. Though my little home made wreath wasn't very expensive, it still cost a little money to make. And now I want to rethink and redo all of my seasonal decorating. Which won't be cheap. Somehow I don't think that is where he wants me spending our limited funds...who needs food and clothing, really?

9-11

I am feeling more patriotic this 9-11 than I have in the past.

At first I couldn't figure out why. My kids are all decked out in red white and blue for spirit day and at first it didn't hit me why they were dressed like that.(I was a little groggy from not enough sleep)Mitchell asked me why there was a flag in our yard. I wondered if it was possible that I hadn't explained it to this child. All I had to say was 9-11 and he remembered. Good. He does know.

When I found out about the attack 8 years ago I was not watching the news. I was watching Sesame Street. Rachael was getting ready for Pre School, Mitchell was crawling around the floor, and I was getting toddler Kindyl some breakfast.

Wendell called and asked if I had the T.V on. I informed him that of course we were watching PBS as usual. He told me to change the channel. "Which channel?" "any channel" So I did.

And watched a recap of the first tower. Then I saw the second plane hit. My reaction? "What are the chances of that?!" Yes, I thought it was an accident. Twice.


You may think I am a retard! But I was a little bit sheltered, and terrorism didn't even enter my head. Why would it? No one had done that before. I wasn't paying attention to politics; I had three tiny children at the ripe age of 24.

Now I am much better informed, but I am not sure that is a good thing.

That is why I am feeling more patriotic. Nothing makes you more thankful for your freedom than the fact that your liberties are in danger of being taken away....and America may not be the same country it once was.

I don't think I am the only one, either. I walked into Rachael's choir room today to pick up her dress. At first I thought I was walking into her old school where everyone wore uniforms. Old school colors? Red, blue and khaki. And the choir room was filled with red white and blue. I didn't see one person wearing anything else. We may all be a little more patriotic today...

An Overview of America and the 9-12 project

I really enjoyed this video and will probably watch it again. It is nearly 30 min long but worth it. You really mainly need to listen, so i could turn it on and go do my thing. I especially liked the explanation of the difference between a democracy and a republic. And this quote: "When the government starts doing something for one person it has to take from another to do so, and in the process gains control over both." Also helpful: How fascism and communism can't be considered far right. Very informative and useful.



Facebook | The 9.12 Project Main Event (Utah, USA)