Pumpkins and Costumes and Candy, Oh My!

We had a very full weekend. Notice I didn't post on Friday? That's because my computer was in Pennsylvania and I was in Maryland. That wouldn't have been a problem except I was so busy with family on Friday that I didn't think to blog until after midnight. I can blog from my phone, but I'm not sure how to change the publishing time and date from anywhere other than my computer. I decided the events of the last few days were important enough to allow a skipped Friday.

But tonight, I'm not going to talk about the weekend. Because tonight, is Halloween.

We kept our celebration low-key. After school and chores were done, we painted pumpkins. This is always fun, but this year was better than most since my Grandma Bonnie is here visiting us, and she is our Official Painting Expert.

After the painting, and a rushed pizza dinner, the kids got their costumes on. My Grandma brought the blond wig as her costume, she thought it would amuse the kids. When she put it on, Cooper looked at her quizzically and then announced, "Oh, I get it, you're a young person for Halloween."

Bryan and Grandma handed out candy while the kids and I canvased the neighborhood for sweets. Sophie and Phoebe both maxed out the carrying capacity of their candy receptacles during our hour-long walk.

We finished the night by sorting through the candy, removing anything with nuts and replacing it with a safe option, eating as much candy as possible, and watching You're the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! Overall, a successful day.

I just hope we can all wake up in time for school tomorrow...

Happy Halloween!

Elsa and Anna

Our Blurry Halloween Costumes

These are the best pictures I got of the Halloween costumes tonight. We were waiting in line for dinner at our ward activity and snapped them quickly. We have, from left to right, the Big Bad (Were)Wolf, Goldilocks with two of her three bears tucked into the pocket of her apron, a lumberjack sans ax, and Little Red Riding Hood.

I made Phoebe's vest, skirt, and cape, Sophie's vest, skirt, and pocket apron, Cooper's suspenders and beard, and Peter's ear-hat and (although you can't see it in this picture) attached fur to the inside of the holes in his jeans. I spent over an hour last night picking apart that wolf hat I posted yesterday in order to use the ears and fur in Peter's costume. And I wanted to add at least two more significant details to Phoebe's costume, but time simply did not permit it. As it was, I stayed up crazy-late the last two nights just doing these.

 And now, I'm off to sleep before two o'clock in the morning!

'Twas the Night Before Trunk or Treat

Here I am, up finishing Halloween costumes before our ward party tomorrow night. Want to see a few teaser shots?

A curler selfie. 

We couldn't find any suspenders to fit Cooper, so I made some. They were shockingly easy. 

There are three different costumes in this pileup.

 I successfully read and used a pattern! This is huge!

And for other things, I had to make up a pattern based on clothes we already had.

 This is part of someone's costume. Or, rather, parts of this are in someone's costume.

A few days ago, as I was stressing about getting everything done and sewn, Phoebe looked at me and in all earnestness asked, "Mommy, why didn't you just buy everything?"

I have no idea.

Stop and Smell the Roses

Pumpkin Patch, Part 2

The boys were so disappointed to miss out on all the pumpkin fun. We had an unseasonably warm week with temperatures into the 80s, so I decided it would be a good idea to take the kids to the corn maze at that same pumpkin patch the girls had been to. We went on Tuesday evening about an hour before sunset.

Sometimes I have terrible ideas.

About ten minutes into the maze, I realized that we might not have enough daylight to find the exit. And the only flashlight I had was the one on my cell phone. Sophie loved the maze so much that she kept running off and around corners with all of us yelling and running after her. She spent a short span in the umbrella stroller that I brought, but that proved a bumpy and unruly ride. There were tiny gnats everywhere, in our eyes, in our ears, in our mouths, in our noses. We alternated between watching where we were going, not losing Sophie, and swatting away the bugs. And then Phoebe announced, with some urgency, that she needed the bathroom.

I learned a few lessons during this evening. I am awful at reading corn maze maps, but it turns out Peter is pretty good at it. He was our leader and knew where we were even when I was totally turned around. 

I was the caboose of the group, making sure that we stayed together. I prefer to have eyes on everyone, which means maybe I don't trust these small people as much as I would like.

My claustrophobia didn't love some of those tight corn rows. I should have remembered that ailment before I plunked down $24 dollars to go through. I felt a huge sense of relief when we finally found our way out of the maze, with enough daylight left to take a few runs through the much shorter hay maze.

And, even if it felt stressful while we were there, the pictures make the whole night look idyllic. 

 
There were funny moments, it wasn't all bad. As we rounded a corner we heard Peter gasp and say, "You guys! Hurry! There's a peregrine falcon! Oh wait, that's just a pigeon."

And then, a few minutes later, "I know it sounds crazy Mom, but, do you think we should follow the pigeon?"

We did not follow the pigeon.

Pumpkin Patch, Part 1

Phoebe had her first ever field trip last Friday when her class went to a local pumpkin patch. She was so excited and talked about it for the entire week beforehand. A friend from church went as a parent chaperone and sent me a few pictures of the seasonal fun.

Because she had heard Phoebe talk about the pumpkin patch with such excitement, that same day Sophie wanted to find a pumpkin patch too. So we did. And, I found out later, we chose the same patch that Phoebe had gone too, we just missed her.

2000

This is my 2000th post. I realized last week that this milestone was fast approaching. That seems like a lot, and it is. Here are some things that have happened in the last eight years and five months since I started this blog:

When it began I had a two-year-old and a two-month-old.

Now I have a ten-year-old, an eight-year-old, a six-year-old, and a two-year-old.

When it began I dictated our daily schedule and used that freedom to go on adventures to the park and library and friends' houses on a regular basis.

Now our schedule is set by the school and our daily adventures focus on getting homework completed and chores done.

When it began I had lived in two states: California and Utah.

Now I have lived in seven states: California, Utah, Wisconsin, Washington, New Jersey, Illinois, and Pennsylvania.

When it began Bryan and I were in our fourth apartment of our nearly seven year marriage.

Now we are in our twelfth residence during our more than fifteen years of marriage.

When it began I was overwhelmed at the thought of taking care of my two boys overnight, all by myself, when Bryan traveled for work. Even a full day of on-my-own parenting, from wake-up to bedtime, freaked me out.

Now, though it's not ideal, I regularly handle the all-day shifts and, occasionally, the all-night shifts as well. It's not my favorite way to fly, but I can do it and we all survive mostly happily and no one gets scurvy from all the cereal and pancakes we eat during those days.

When it began only one of my four siblings was married and none of Bryan's six siblings were.

Now all of mine have been married, two still are, two aren't, and one is preparing to marry again. Two of Bryan's siblings are married. Between both sides, we have three nephews, three nieces, and with the wedding we'll happily add two more nieces.

When it began the kids had six living great-grandparents.

Now they have three.

When it began I looked like this:

Now I look like this:

When it began I had no idea how much time I would devote to the blog over the course of almost eight and a half years. I had no idea how much I would stress over planning posts to publish while we were away on vacation. I had no idea how careful I would become about privacy and online safety. I had no idea how important an internet connection while away from home would be. I had no idea that someday I would blog from my phone. I had no idea how long the blog would last.

Now I understand the time commitment of the blog. I know that I need to balance between thoughtful introspection and humor, and that sometimes a picture will do when my brain won't cooperate. I understand the value of making something a daily habit and how much one missed day derails me.

More than anything, I didn't know what a blessing this blog would be. I've recorded so many memories and events and kid funnies that would have otherwise been lost in my sleep-deprived brain. I've marked milestones and passages, both happy and sad. I've documented the kids' childhoods in ways I never anticipated. I've dug deep into my soul and testimony to write what is so dear to my heart.

Happy 2000th post, here's to 2000 more.

"Make a Silly Face, Phoebe."

Recipe for the Perfect FHE

Peter planned Family Home Evening tonight as one of the requirements for his Arrow of Light. He gave a sweet lesson on the First Vision, then we all cleared the table of our chicken, rice, salad, and apple cider (because we often have FHE during our evening meal), changed into PJs, brushed teeth, put on shoes, and headed outside. 

The activity that he planned was something that he learned about at school today. A supply rocket headed for the International Space Station was scheduled for launch out of Virginia tonight at 7:40 EST, which meant that we would be able to see a very tiny red light shooting into space a few minutes after that.

We gathered on the sidewalk in front of our house, anxiously checking our clocks, and actively keeping Sophie from running into the street. Several people drove by and no doubt wondered what we were doing. Bryan found the live launch feed and we listened to Mission Control and the countdown, which had been delayed by a few minutes. We were all excited and I think almost all of us saw the rocket. 

On our way in Cooper discovered a toad hopping between the bushes near our garage. We all huddled around it, flashlights on. As we walked inside, Phoebe announced, "Mom, we had a really good day today. First we had apple cider, then we watched a rocket launch, then A TOAD!"

Can you find our friendly neighborhood toad?

In case you need ideas for your next Monday night, apparently apple cider + rocket launch + toad = a winning FHE combination.

The Best Part of Waking Up

A Tooth Story: TBT Edition

I just found this unpublished post from exactly five months ago. Phoebe lost all four of her front teeth in rapid succession. She had a little help from a brother's accidental elbow to her mouth that resulted in lots and lots of blood. But don't worry, that's not included in the pictures.

And, not to be outdone by his little sister, Peter lost two teeth that week as well. With all the talk of missing pearly whites, Sophie began telling anyone that would listen that her teeth were loose and would be falling out very soon.

The Gun Show

The hotly debated topic during dinner: who has the biggest muscles? Bryan wasn't home from work yet, otherwise he would have won. As it was, I took top honors, much to Peter's surprise. I also took this picture. 

Early Night

I am so tired. So tired I can't really think cohesive thoughts. So tired I have climbed into my bed, fully clothed and don't care if I sleep this way. So tired that my eyes are closing all on their own.

So for today, I leave you with a picture of the dining room. No, it is not done, but it isn't covered in boxes and papers and junk.

And that, my friends, is enough for tonight.

Magical Monday

The kids had today off from school (happy Columbus Day or Canadian Thanksgiving, whichever you choose to observe), and we spent our time working hard. I told the kids that if we accomplished the task list that we'd only dented on Saturday, we could watch movies when we finished. I also told them that I wasn't going to keep reminding them, they had to stay on the job.

The list was pretty extensive. It included bathrooms and bedrooms and mopping and vacuuming and organizing. Peter was amazing! He was highly motivated by the secondary screentime choice: Minecraft. He was responsible for a large portion of what got done today. Phoebe was somewhat less engaged, but she cleaned her room, vacuumed, and emptied the trash cans. Cooper was quickly banished to his room for some unkind words and spent most of the day not doing much. Sophie read lots of books and played and mostly avoided any major mess-making.

By 4 o'clock the house was in the best shape it's been in yet. It's so good that I finally unwrapped our paintings and have started placing them.

The kids celebrated by watching Sleeping Beauty (per Sophie's request) and playing Minecraft. Well, one of them did. When Cooper realized I was serious that he couldn't participate in the fun until he had cleaned his room and the upstairs bathroom, he got to work. He joined in the movie watching about halfway through.

Days off like this are so rare. Usually it goes one of two ways: either we laze about and have a fun day that leaves the house in ruins, or I become Taskmaster Mom and the house gets cleaned while we all feel completely miserable. I loved that today was neither.

And I really love that the unpacking is nearly done!

At the Park

Benched

Our library (my favorite room in the house) had a flaw: there was no place for the board books. We talked about getting a cubby unit from IKEA and turning it into a window seat, but that would be a little too big for the space. So I brainstormed and stared at the two boxes of board books sitting on the floor and searched Pinterest for ideas. It occurred to me that I really just wanted a bench that I could slide nice storage bins under.

And so I built one.

That's right, I built a bench.

I used a couple tutorials as inspiration, this one for the bench and this one for the padded cushion on top. Warning: the first link claims that the project will cost $10. It did not. It was closer to $60 plus an afternoon and evening of my time, and I used fabric I already had (a curtain that doesn't fit any of our windows) to cover it. However, that's not a terrible price for a bench that matches the picture I had in my head. The kids were uber excited about the project and Peter and Phoebe helped screw on the leg plates, which made them feel very handy. I plan to stain the legs at a later date. They are easily removed, so it won't be a big deal. 

After I built it, I tried it out, only to discover it wobbled.

Cue defeated moping.

Bryan looked at it and suggested I reinforce the main board that bent a bit whenever someone sat on it, thus causing it to move. Once we had added some support to the bottom, it was much sturdier.

The kids all like it and Bryan was appropriately impressed. I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Meditation Variation

When Sophie is overtired she gets zany. The zanier she gets, the harder it is to calm her down. Since she no longer takes naps everyday, she is a very tired girl when bedtime rolls around.

Recently I was having an evening snuggle with her, trying to help her relax enough to sleep. That's when the following exchange took place.

Me: (measured and hushed) Okay Sophie, I want you to breathe in slowly through your nose (I demonstrated) and slowly out your mouth (again, I demonstrated).

(She copied my breathing.)

Sophie: (slowly, in the same manner that I had spoken to her) Okay Mommy, I want you to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Now breathe in through your eyes and out through your hair. Now breathe in through your forehead and out through your knees.

Perhaps instead of helping her sleep I should be teaching her how the respiratory system works...

Sugar Daddy

Bryan works for a candy company. That's part of the reason he likes giving the kids treats. But really, I think he likes seeing their eyes light up when he hands them something scrumptious. It makes sense then that I would find this note that Phoebe made for Bryan.

In case you're not sure what it says:

Dad I love you Because you are so Fun Love❤Phoebe

And then she labeled the picture:

Candy, Dad, more candy

I think Phoebe's language of love is candy.

The Recap

This picture gives you a good idea how Conference went at our house. 

Bryan had to work one of the days, so while he listened to the talks and songs from his quiet desk in his quiet office in his quiet office building, I was at home continuously redirecting my band of dancers, artists, paper-airplane enthusiasts, costume builders, costume designers, question askers, and food throwers. 

Yup.

In spite of all the chaos, they did listen at least some of the time. Sophie loved that the final congregational hymn of the meeting was I Am a Child of God. She gasped when it was announced and then exclaimed, "This is Sophie's song!" She also loved hearing President Monson speak. When she heard his name she said, "Oh! I love him!"

Phoebe spent the majority of the Conference in this car/plane we made out of one of our many cardboard boxes. It proved quite a handy spot to keep her crayon box close by. She was the most reverent child that day. Maybe I'll have all of them sit in boxes next time.

There were many talks I missed and I'm already looking forward to listening to them again throughout the coming months. The talks that I did hear above the din, and that spoke to me on a personal level, were:

Elder Hales', Elder Uceda's,  President Nelson's, Elder Robbins', Elder Nattress', and Elder Renlund's.

I loved the emphasis on the Savior. This was of special significance to our family because we're practicing being more Christ-like. I had challenged the kids to watch Conference specifically for mentions of Jesus. We were all delighted to hear so many talks that helped us meet that challenge.

What spoke to your soul from General Conference this time?