Whiskers

Wednesday night we had our Trunk-or-Treat ward party. The kids were soooo excited to get to wear their costumes for the first time and also for the treatin' part of course. I love getting the kids all ready in their costumes. It can be hectic with everyone asking for things at once but it's a "mom job" that I enjoy. Probably because I loved it as a kid. The thrill of wearing make-up once a year and often-times I got to use one of my mom's long ponytail hairpieces, which I LOVED. Fun times.
Everyone was pretty happy except Sadie. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. She was definitely not happy.

Then on top of whatever it was, it was FREEZING outside.

We have an awesome but huge ward so it was very crowded and chaotic.

She cheered up some when we got to the candy part.

Not until we got home and I cleaned off those leopard whiskers did I see what may have started the night off on the wrong foot. My eyeliner had a jaggedy egde and I didn't notice it for the first cheek. Poor baby.

Yeah, I'm an awesome mom.

Hopefully she'll let me do them again tomorrow for Halloween night.

None Of My Nevermind

I have a superstitious theory that once I say something outloud (or a written declaration), the opposite occurs. Just fates way of making sure I get what I deserve for pride. Like, "Guess what! My baby is sleeping through the night already!" Then it won't happen again for 2 weeks or so. I don't know if I'm the only one who's experienced this, but it's happened enough that I'm very careful about premature celebration.

So...just so you know, I may or may not have a 2 year old that's been potty-trained for about 2 and a half months now. If I did, she would definitely be the easiest one of my kids by a mile. It's quite possible that she's only had 2 accidents EVER. You didn't hear it from me. It might even be someone else's kid.
P.S. I'm sure that the mom of that kid is just LOVING being diaper free for the first time in 9 and a half years :)

The Top Five (or so) Things I Learned in 3rd Grade

1. "Posture people!" If you don't sit up straight and tall, shoulders back now, you will end up being one of those old people all hunched over who are unable to straighten out their back later.

2. How to write "I will not forget my homework" on the board 25 times during recess through blurry, tear-filled eyes.

3. Handball and swinging at recess were my favorites, but swinging almost always ended too soon with some one "counting on me" as soon as I started.

4. Jill's ponytail ringlets did in fact bounce back up when I pulled them down each day as I sat behind her. Which for some reason she endured with a smile.

5. Fransico talked too much in math and was frequently told to "Shut-up!", Danny could break-dance spin on his back, Amy always cheated in 4-square, Mary broke my kite in science and wouldn't say sorry, Joy was a "model" and was in a JC Penny catalogue, Jennifer's hair was really brown and not blonde but her mom thought she looked better blonde...and the list goes on.
It makes you wonder what people remember about you doesn't it? Or maybe nobody else is so painfully aware of things around them so young.

The homework incident was on picture day. It's hard to tell on the computer (not to mention the bangs) but my eyes are all red from crying.

I truly feel for my kids when they complain about school. I try not to brush off their complaints about things even when I think they sound silly or meaningless. I tell them that one day, believe it or not, they'll be grown and can eat as much candy as they want, stay up as late as they want, buy the things they want, with no one bossing them around. I try and fill them in about the "responsiblity" and "hard work" stuff, but to them, the first things outweigh any negatives. They can't help but smile at the possibilities.

And I agree, even with the extra work- I'll take being a "grown-up" any day! Freedom is a great thing! It reminds me of a Conference talk I heard once (have no idea who the speaker was now) that said- don't be too hard on your little ones, remember, they just want their free agency too. I have thought of that many times.

Pres. LeSeuer, our old Stake President, also gave a parenting lesson in our ward once and said "You shouldn't want your kids to 'be good' when they grow up, you should want them to 'want to be good'." I just love that but it also scares me. It seems like such a daunting task. As parents, we have to get our kids to the point where they want to choose the right, be their best and strive to return to their Father in Heaven, before all that freedom kicks in. I feel like I need to work on letting go in little ways and let them test that freedom out some more while they're little so they don't get instant overload of freedom when they leave home. I guess it happens alot on it's own during the teenage years. I need to focus more on my example and less on micro-managing.

A Simple Moment of Joy...

...watching my little guy run down the hill to me after school. I hope for, and anticipate, this moment each day.
If he's running, he has good news. He cannot wait to get to me to tell me. He had a GREAT day at school :) His teacher wrote "fantastic" on his agenda with TWO smiley stamps.
I don't know who's happier- me or him. I squeeze him tight, I look into those happy brown eyes. I see him for all his potential and possibly get just a little glimpse into the way our Father sees him and all His children.

I say a silent prayer to thank Him for trusting me with a few of His special spirits.

Eli, I love you so....my heart may burst.

Fall Break Stay-cation

For the majority of Fall Break we were hanging out at home. It was soooo nice to sleep-in (ahhhh) and not have to wake up at 6:45 and get the kids going and make lunches. It's good to have a break from the routine once in awhile.

However, by the end of the week the kids and I were all getting antsy. Dana and I started throwing ideas around of things we could do for the weekend. He remembered he had a "half day of work" coupon he had earned. Also, he had been bringing up going to a chocolate factory in Phoenix he read about, since not too long after we moved here. And, he looked up Best Western's website to see which Arizona hotels offer the employee discount (wish they all did).

So we got everything set and told the kids on Friday morning we had fun plans. If they were good of course and got their stuff all packed. They were excited. First thing was the chocolate factory. About the time we got to the parking lot we started wondering if this could be one of those times that what you picture in your mind is alot different from reality...

It was partly our fault for not going during their tour hours thereby having to take the "video tour". That was kind of hilarious because the tv's had issues and the glare from the florescent lights made it impossible to see anything. I kept imagining something like the videos on "Lost" that describe the stations. The place was built in 1968 which explains the wall paintings...which was actually my favorite part.

Aside from the "I Love Lucy" picture they had on display. Awww...who does not love that episode. So classic. How much can you really complain when the hallway tour ends with rows of candy anyway? They do make a mean product. So we left the quirky factory with full mouths and smiles on our faces and ready for the next part of our adventurous weekend. We checked into our Best Western in beautiful Mesa (off Dobson) and of course headed straight to the pool. The perfect thing for the triple digits we had that day. This may have been the kids favorite part of the whole weekend. We all played into the evening and tried really hard not to bug any of the people laying out and relaxing.

Emma tied Dana on the backstroke. He was pretty surprised.

LOVE this one!

The other best part of the hotel...

After a BIG breakfast at the hotel we headed out. Can I just say that I love the car DVD player? It makes traveling so much easier!

About 2 hours later....

We usually end up here at some point during Fall because it's actually autumny there. And just plain beautiful everywhere you look.

We usually go with our destination being colorful leaves and going on a pretty hike through them. But this time we went to Slide Rock State Park. It was a warm day in Sedona too, so we all wore our swimsuits under our clothes.

(sadie :)

The "water slide".

The guy at the gate had told us that the water was about 57 deg. and when we got over to the slide area, there was only like 1 or 2 people going on the slide. There were quite a few people there and I started thinking they were all party-poopers. Until I felt the water with my big toe. Holy cow! so cold. I tried putting my whole foot in for as long as I could and it started hurting after a few seconds. But the slide looked so fun and as I sat there I knew I had to do it. I knew that no matter how cold and painful it was, it would be worse to regret NOT going down it. So I stripped off my clothes and felt many eyes on me, told Dana I was going (much to his surprise), and went for it. With that many people watching me in my swimsuit, I wasn't about to stand around feeling nervous and trying to decide.

I think with the adrenaline rush the cold wasn't nearly as bad as I expected it to be.

Getting out was a bigger challenge and I was glad to see Emma come running toward me as I was trying to flop my freezing body up on the rock to distract me from feeling everyone's eyes on me. She was bubbling over with excitement and it took her about 2 secs. of contemplation to tell me she wanted to do it too.

Dana went too and then Eli got up the nerve to go. He got flopped around a little and that with the cold were a little much for him, but I was so proud of him for being brave and trying it.

The little girls were just too small and had to be happy only freezing their toes off, rather than their whole bodies. Holly REALLY wanted to go. I felt bad for her. It seems like often her smallness gets in the way of things she wants to do. All in good time.

I love my family :)

Birthday Par-Tay

It was a "party year" this year for Holly and even though I considered trying to talk her into skipping it, I finally got my act together. Guess what she choose for her theme?!


She is a girl after my own heart I tell ya! She even chose angel food cake for her birthday cake! My favorite!

Did you know you can look online for specific theme ideas? I'm probably the last to figure that out, but I looked up "Hello Kitty Party" and voila! Some of these parties were very elaborate- not really made for the mom planning two days in advance on a limited budget, but I did get a couple good ideas.

Like pin (or tape) the bow on the Kitty...
and pass the yarn...

We played music and then when the music stopped whoever was holding the yarn got to unwrap a piece. In the middle was a Hello Kitty pez which the very last person got to keep. This is one of my favorite pictures from the party. Brynn is so sweet :)

I love this one too because of the silos in the background. A symbol of "home".
Presents, all of which she LOVED.

Dana made all the kitty ear headbands.

My helpers Emma and Jane did the kitty whiskers.

She is blessed with so many sweet friends which was the best part of the party. We even got to know an extra friend (tongue) who was already at the park and really wanted to be a part of the fun.

Had some Barros pizza.

+ cupcakes + a lot of playing on the park's very fun playground=A happy 5yr old birthday kitty.

So worth it in the end :)