Halloween Decorations & Other Artwork

In the beginning of the month when I didn't take the time to decorate for Halloween, the kids took matters into their own hands.

Lindsey made these toilet paper ghosts, complete with glitter. (I hate glitter - it's sooo messy!)


Spencer made this creature.

This is Logan's drawing (which completely makes me smile)

Kaylen made this at the rec. center

Other Artwork by Logan

Logan has become quite a good little artist. He will sit down and draw the coolest pictures.

Logan drew this (our house) in sacrament meeting

A person Logan drew - love the fingers and toes

Institute - Finding Joy

Today I went to institute. The lesson was on a talk given by M. Russell Ballard in April 08 General Conference, titled "Daughters of God." This was probably my favorite talk from that session of Conference. It was very hopeful, promising, and encouraging. When we discussed it again today, I had the same feelings, but I also had a stronger feeling: I am a Daughter of God, I am loved, and I have a purpose.

My teacher had 4 women, each from different age groups answer the following questions:
1. What are you concerned about right now?
2. What would you like to accomplish?
3. What do you enjoy doing?

Each women got up and answered the questions. The answers boiled down to: we each have concerns, we each have things we want to do, and we each find joy in our lives. The answer that got me, though, was given by a lady over 50 answering "what do you enjoy doing?" Her answer was very simple, "getting up each morning." She then went on to share that she is a cancer survivor. Sometimes I get so stressed with all that goes on in my life, that I completely fail to find joy in the simple things, unlike this woman.

My answers to the question would be:
1. I am concerned about my kids. I hope that they will have good friends. I hope that they will do well in school and get a good education. I am concerned about Logan's speech and how life will be for him in the future. I worry if I am doing enough to teach and raise my children. I worry about my grandma's and dad's health.

2. I would like to compile all of my recipes into a recipe book. I would like to go one day without yelling or nagging my kids. I would like to get a college degree. I would like to catch up on my scrapbooking. I would like to lose a few pounds.

3. I enjoy my family and spending time with them. I enjoy date nights. I enjoy the nice weather. I enjoy playing and kidding around with my kids.

It's quite interesting how my answers got fewer with each of the questions. It goes to prove a point - there is a lot of joy that I am missing out on because I'm too busy worrying and stressing. It goes back to the quote that President Monson gave in General Conference earlier this month, "Find joy in the journey now."

A couple other thoughts came to my mind during the lesson.
Stop and live today.
Look at where you are in life now, not the future, nor the past.

Memorable Monday

A new thing I'm going to try - Memorable Monday.

It will be an opportunity to blog about childhood memories.

Topic for today: Halloween (how appropriate)

Things I remember about Halloween, as a child

1. my family's traditional meal of hamburger/rice casserole baked in a pumpkin. I would love to make it now, but the pumpkin would go to waste because I would be the only one to eat it.

2. getting ready to go trick-or-treating hours before dusk. I remember attending a 5th grade Halloween party with a friend, and putting on makeup in the bathroom, probably at 4:00 in the afternoon.

3. trick-or-treating without an adult. Can't do that now. : (

4. celebrating Halloween in school with an actual Halloween party. Now my kids have Harvest Festivals, Spider Festivals, Monster Bashes.

5. wearing a pumpkin costume that was made for an 8-year old to a National Junior Honor Society party in junior high school.

6. trick-or-treating with my best friend Jocelyn. (I didn't meet her until 7th grade, so we went trick-or-treating in 8th and 9th grade!) One year Jocelyn was a cloud, a bunch of balloons pinned to her clothes. We also received apples, which we pitched and kicked down the street. We were also told we were too old to go trick-or-treating (probably when we were freshmen in high school).

7. my dad's gorilla mask and black cape that he'd wear and try to scare us with.

Halloween Activities

On Saturday afternoon, we (me and the kids) went to my sister's house for our monthly family get-together. The kids were supposed to wear their costumes, but that didn't last long. Logan had been to a Halloween party earlier in the day wearing his costume, so he didn't want to wear it any more. Spencer's costume was too hot.

We ate munchies, talked, and played badminton. The kids really enjoyed badminton. Logan's feet were black from running around and jumping on the trampoline.

Our ward's trunk-or-treat was Saturday night. There was a chili cook-off, games, and trick-or-treating. Spencer and Lindsey took off on their own. Lindsey had a blast socializing. Spencer enjoyed hanging out with the deacons, laughing at the kids who got scared from the boy hiding under our car. Logan ran around, it was amazing he didn't fall asleep on the way home. He was so filthy by the end of the night. (He left a black ring of dirt in the tub after bathing.) Logan also came up with the idea to hide behind a chair and try to scare kids when they got candy. He was thoughtful and didn't scare the little ones. Kaylen didn't quite get the concept at first, but loved the candy. I think her pumpkin was filled with the most candy.

The beginnings of an Eagle project

There is a boy, Tyler, in our ward who we are helping to complete his Eagle Project. He has come up with a fantastic project to benefit the Ronald McDonald House. Every year we have set up Christmas houses; just last year we started the display in the garage. Tyler thought that he could do the house set-up and plan activities around the display which would benefit the RMH. So, all day Saturday we (my family, Tyler, and other Scouts) started the house set-up. It usually takes about a month to do, so we got a slight early start.

the multi-level display being set-up

the boys by the +150 houses they brought downstairs and outside

partial set-up

Mom Quiz

I am borrowing this idea from another blog I've read.

Below are questions I asked the kids with their responses.

Logan answered with a lot of shrugs, I did eventually get answers for the questions.

1. What does I always say to you?

Logan: Unload the dishwasher

Spencer: Chores. Homework. Piano.

Lindsey: Do your chores.

2. What makes me happy?

Logan: When I do my chores.

Spencer: A dozen roses and getting my chores and homework done.

Lindsey: Seeing kids not fighting.

3. What makes me sad?

Logan: When I don't do my chores.

Spencer: Being mean to you.

Lindsey: When we call you mean names.

4. What makes me laugh?

Logan: When I am joking.
Spencer: Funny jokes.
Lindsey: Hunter.

5. What is my favorite thing to do?

Logan: Disneyland.
Spencer: I have no clue.
Lindsey: Scrapbooking. Going on vacation. Sleeping.

6. What do I do when you're not around?

Logan: Make stuff and put stuff up for Halloween. Exercise class. KK's dance and singing classes.
Spencer: Play with little kids or clean.
Lindsey: On the computer. Read.

7. What am I really good at?

Logan: Make dinner. Drive.
Spencer: Being a mom. Cleaning. Doing dishes.
Lindsey: Scrapbooking.

8. What are my chores?

Logan: Loading dishwasher. Doing laundry. Making dinner.
Spencer: Doing washer and dryer. Keep the house clean. Fix food.
Lindsey: Cleaning up the house.

9. What is my favorite food?

Logan: Macaroni. No, that's mine. Pizza?
Spencer: I do not know. Give me a clue.
Lindsey: Italian. Is that it?

10. What do you and I do together?

Logan: Homework. Play downstairs.
Spencer: Play.
Lindsey: Make me do piano with you.

11. What do we have in common?

Logan: Same last name.
Spencer: Related.
Lindsey: Girl.

12. How are we different?

Logan: Me not big. Have glasses. Me not have big ears or wear bracelet.
Spencer: Girl - Boy.
Lindsey: You're weird. I'm cool.

13. How do you know I love you?

Logan: It's too hard.
Spencer: Help me with stuff.
Lindsey: Help me with piano.

14. What is my favorite place to go?

Logan: Trips and stores.
Spencer: Utah. Turkey. Rome. Croatia.
Lindsey: On vacations.

15. What is your favorite thing I make?

Logan: Buckeyes. Cinnamon rolls. Banana bread. Chocolate pie.
Spencer: Pizza pockets.
Lindsey: Bean dip.

Thankful Thursday

Things I am thankful for this week include:

1. Feeling better. I was sick last week with a cold, but it really knocked me out. I missed church on Sunday. I was pretty much out of it Monday and Tuesday. It's good to be feeling better and back to my regular activities.

2. Family Fun Van. This is an activity sponsored by the United Way that Kaylen and I go to weekly. It provides me with a great opportunity to spend one-on-one time with Kaylen. We play together, listen to stories and songs, and make a craft together. Today was all about dinosaurs. We made a cute little dinosaur out of a toilet paper roll. Kaylen is great at dinosaur sound effects.

3. Nice people. Two people called early this morning when they heard Eric's name on the radio. He had entered a contest and his name was announced. He had 20 minutes to call in to receive the prize. Two listeners heard his name, looked up our phone number, and called us. Eric won some money from a radio station. Pretty cool. I didn't think anyone ever won those contests.

4. Dates. Eric and I have been able to go on dates consistently every week. We're planning on going out tomorrow. Knowing this, definitely gets me through the day and helps me make it to the weekend.

5. Flu shots. After I pick the kids up from school, I'm taking them to their doctor for flu shots. I've made a deal with the kids that whenever they get a shot, I buy them Jamba Juice. The kids don't know they're getting shots today, but we'll all end up with Jamba Juice! Any reason to get Jamba is fantastic.

Tattooed

While we were finished eating dinner, Logan was bored and found a pen. He proceeded to tattoo himself. His freshly tattooed arm reads, "FOOTBALL." His inspiration was from the shirt he was wearing. When I bathed him later, I noticed he had written it on his bicep too. It made me laugh.

Egyptian Masks

As a celebration for end-of-quarter for 6th grade, Lindsey's class made Egyptian masks. They had been studying Egypt, so this was a perfect way for them to cap-off their study. I was able to help in the classroom. I helped with Lindsey's mask. It was kind of fun covering her mouth with the plaster, too bad the plaster dried and the mask got taken off! When I was in 6th grade I also made a mask, which I kept for a while, probably until I got married.

Lindsey, after the mask was removed

Lindsey, working on a friend's mask

Sedona

On Saturday we drove to Sedona to go hiking.

Our first stop was at Bell Rock. We started hiking. Everyone except for Eric and Spencer, needed to stop and rest. We found a shady spot and rested. Logan built a campfire for us. Eric and Spencer wanted to continue hiking, so they did. They ended up hiking up this mountain/rock. If you look at the picture below, on the left side, there's a part that sticks out and is fairly level (about halfway up the mountain). Eric and Spencer hiked up to that point. I'm sure if I would have realized how dangerous (cliffs, narrow paths) it was, I wouldn't have allowed them to go.

Kaylen called this our "pink hike" (the mountains were orange/pink). While hiking, Kaylen wanted to be carried. I told her I couldn't, so she turned to Lindsey and said, "Lindsey, Mom says to carry me."

After our hike, we drove to a picnic area which was consisted of picnic tables in the sun. We opted for eating our lunch in the air conditioned car.

We drove to another area that I love to hike at, West Fork. Unfortunately, the parking lot was full, so we were unable to do that hike. We drove a little more up the canyon and found a spot to park. We hiked down to Oak Creek where we crossed the creek and hung out. Since all of us ended up with wet shoes, Eric and Spencer built a better dam to walk back across. I was hoping to have beautiful fall colors pictures to post, but we were too early. There were a few trees that had started changing, but nothing like I had hoped for.

Softball

For the last two weeks Lindsey has participated in Activity Days Girls Softball. She played 5 games. She did good and hit the ball. Sometimes she wasn't too interested in playing any outfield position. When she was playing 3rd base, a girl (who was completely annoying, weird, and totally hyper) made it to 3rd base. The girl stood there spazzing out and being irritating. From the sidelines we heard Lindsey tell the girl, "You're annoying!" I definitely love the rules of girls church softball - anything goes. It teaches the girls lots.

Kaylen had fun hanging out at the school and playing with the boys. She was playing catch with Spencer and Eric in this picture.

Moo Moo Palooza

Saturday morning we spent the day down at the farm - a local dairy farm. Moo Moo Palooza was happening. We explored the farm. The kids probably had the most fun petting and feeding the animals. There were a few information booths. The boys enjoyed climbing the hay tower and jumping down. We also went on a hayride, touring the farm. We were able to pet a calf that had been born earlier in the day.

Funny moment: Lindsey was petting a cow, when it suddenly licked her. She screamed and jumped back.

Cow fact: One cow drinks enough water in one day to fill a bathtub.

Shoes on the Barbie

Why, you might ask, are Kaylen's shoes on the barbecue?

This morning after Kaylen was dressed for church (freshly-ironed dress, new socks, and brand new shoes) she had a slight accident. Well, actually a huge accident. Nobody took her potty right after she woke up, so she peed all over the kitchen floor (thank goodness it was there and not on the carpet). Her shoes and socks were soaked, so they had to dry out. What better place to do that than on the barbecue in the sun?

The Park

The kids were out of school for fall break, so I took them to a park. Spencer went bowling with Eric, so he didn't come. One of Lindsey's friends lives by the park, so when the friend came to the park, Lindsey ended up going to her house. Therefore, I only have pictures of Kaylen and Logan. My sister met me there with her kids, so the cousins had a great time playing together, eating together, and running around. The one bad thing about outings to a park: stinky and dirty kids!

Thankful Thursday

Logan's Shirtless Stage

Logan has decided that he doesn't need to wear a shirt at home. It started with sleeping without a shirt, but today since there wasn't any school, he skipped the shirt entirely. He's a cutie. Each time I see him, I chuckle. I guess I'm getting a glimpse of how Eric was as a child.

Sunsets

I definitely see a lot of beautiful sunsets here. If only I could take the time to enjoy them more.

Redemption from Red Light Cameras

On Saturday I attended Traffic School. A stupid camera took an awful picture of me running a red light. I had the option of court, traffic school, or a fine + points. I opted for traffic school and wasted 5 hours of a beautiful Saturday in a hotel conference room being bored and confused. At least I saved $100 and points.

LDS General Conference

Conference was this past weekend. I was able to watch some, but not all (see above note). What I watched was wonderful. I am looking forward to getting the Ensign which has all the talks. I will then be able to re-read them. I also go to an institute class. This year we are studying "Words of Living Prophets," which means we study the conference talks from the first presidency and apostles. It's awesome!

Chocolate Mountains

Today I made yummy cookies with grated Hershey's bars mixed into the dough.

Silly Spencer

At a shopping center, Spencer found Humpty Dumpty, ran over to him, and helped him to clean his nasal passages. I'm glad I caught it with my camera.

Lindsey has started playing softball for Activity Days. During the game, Spencer found a tree and enjoyed playing Tarzan.