Argh! There's no room in this house!

Just a moment to vent frustration. There is no room in this house for anything! At least when you're moving stuff around. I had myself pretty much talked into not putting up a Christmas tree this year (because Matthew would be into it and I didn't want to keep him out of it), but with everyone poo-poo-ing the idea (my children included, although Mark remains anti-tree, anti-Christmas) I gave in and I've found a way to put one up and hopefully out of the reach of Matthew's little paws. Christmas decorations require moving stuff around and rearranging stuff for a month. That's when I really feel squished. I don't consider myself a packrat. Our family is just growing out of this house, and at times, it is really frustrating!

Parent Project #3

Silly me -- I thought that parent project #3 would be the science fair -- NOT! It turned out to be Ryan's indian report on Chief Joseph. Mark and I each spent an hour with Ryan helping him do his research, compiling his report, and fixing errors (it was 1/2 page typed by Ryan), and enduring Ryan's fits. I have to say that this one was not very enjoyable. We're glad it's done! Whew! Now, I wonder what grade we all got?

kids thankful thoughts

I substituted in primary today doing the singing time for jr. primary. I had a memory game on the board with pictures of things that the kids might be thankful for, such as Jesus, toys, prophets, scriptures, etc. and a song associated with each one. Anyway, to start, I asked a few of the kids to name something they are thankful for. Here are a few of their responses (that I can remember): turkey, family, grandparents, Halloween, parents, temple, bodies, friends, and Christmas! I got a laugh out of the Halloween and Christmas responses because what they probably really meant was candy and presents! I had fun subbing and didn't even stress about it -- gotta love that!

A moment to brag...

Jared earned his Webelos badge! He has an amazing cub scout leader right now --yay! He will get his Arrow of Light in the December pack meeting. Way to go Jared!! Many thanks, Angela & Mindy (Den Leaders)!

Ryan has been studying the 50 states and their capitals -- he can name all 50 capitals and identify all fifty states on a map! How many can you remember? Way to go Ryan!!

book challenge

OK, Alicia tagged me. Before my list, you have to know a few things about me and books. When I start a book I don't like to stop reading until it is finished. Which means that things and people get neglected while I read, soooo, a lot of times I won't even pick up a book unless I feel like I can take the time to read it to the end. Which means that I really do not read enough. Which means my list here won't be very long and especially not impressive. Which also means, I'm ashamed! Which means I am setting a goal to do better and would like to read some of the books that Alicia listed! Anywho...


Favorite picture books to read with my kids:

1) The Little Red Caboose
2) Where the Wild Things Are
3) I Stink!
4) Click, Clack, Moo -- Cows That Type


Favorite Series:

1) Harry Potter
2) Little House on the Prairie
3) The Work and the Glory
4) Calvin & Hobbes


Inspirational Book: Running with Angels

Those are a few of my favorites. I'm also a Grisham fan despite the predictable plot lines. Tag: Michelle, Kathleen, & Rachel -- what do you like to read?

Ideas anyone?

Parent project #3 is coming up shortly -- science fair! Apparently it is due in mid-January. What a way to ruin a nice Christmas break! Anyway, Jared is open to suggestions since we have vetoed his popcorn tasting idea (he wanted to taste each brand of buttered popcorn to determine which brand has the most butter!) Ideas???

Parent Project #2

This is Ryan's indian dwelling assignment-- an earthen home used by the Mandan Indians. We built it out of sculpy clay and then used modge podge to stick the dirt to it. We used small popsicle sticks to create the doorway, and used some cotton from the aspirin bottle for the smoke. We looked all over for some little indian guys, but couldn't find any. Ryan's friend saw his project and mentioned he had some at his house, so Ryan added an indian and a horse at the last minute. Fortunately the project went smoothly and the aspirin was only needed for the cotton smoke!

Mark's Adventure

On Saturday, Mark explored the Spiral Jetty on the Great Salt Lake. He's been wanting to visit it for a couple of years now. It's clear the heck out there! It is located beyond Promontory Point (where the trains are) Anyway it was made by Robert Smithson and consists of lots of rocks piled together and forming a spiral out in the lake. It is only visible when the lake is low. Right now it is VERY low -- prime viewing opportunity! He met exactly two people on his explore -- they had come all the way from Wisconsin just to see this. Apparently they travel all over the U.S. in search of wierd art things to visit. They told Mark about a man who has created an artistic masterpiece out of an extinct volcano in Arizona -- we'll have to check that out sometime. Anyway, the journey out to the jetty appeared to be relatively van and family friendly -- just clear the heck out there -- so maybe we'll all explore it sometime.

Finally Found a Friend

As many of you know, Jacob is the only boy his age in the neighborhood. One of the most important reasons to send him to preschool is to find friends (boys). Preschool is where Jacob met Coleman. They have become great friends much to everyone's delight! Thus, today's addition to the "I'm thankful for..." list is friends. We are all blessed to have good friends.

7 random things about me

1. I think feet are ugly -- the only exception is baby feet, which are cute. The older you get, the cuter your feet ain't.

2. I have more scrapbook supplies than I will ever use and I love it! Collecting the supplies is probably more of a hobby than actually using them (mostly because I don't have time to do much scrapbooking)

3. I love Pringles potato chips -- are they even made from real potatoes?

4. I like country music -- current favorite group is Rascal Flatts, John Denver is timeless, and I don't like Johnny Cash.

5. I always have to wear a wristwatch.

6. Given a choice, I'd rather clean the bathroom than the kitchen. This is because the kitchen is usually pretty clean anyway, and when you spend time cleaning it, it doesn't seem to show much difference AND people are constantly eating or getting drinks while you're doing it! At least with the bathroom, it looks better (smells better too) when you're finished, nobody has to use it while you clean (just send them to another bathroom) and therefore stays clean for a few minutes.

7. As much as I like all things chocolate, I don't really care for chocolate cream pie.

I don't think I really know 7 other people (that are bloggers, anyway) to tag, so let me just challenge anyone who reads this to take a moment and come up with 7 wierd things about themselves. It'll bring you a good chuckle and reinforce your individuality!

Sweet Seats

Mark & I went to the Jazz game last night and watched them demolish Golden State! Wahoo! We had sweet seats on the 8th row above the Jazz bench! It is amazing to see how tall those guys really are, to be able to hear them talking and see the beads of sweat in real life. I can't believe I didn't take my camera with me -- I might have gotten a few good picts. If only I would have had a new cell phone with a camera... hint, hint, dear hubby! Ryan went with us to the game -- it was Jr. Jazz night for him. He had a great time with his buddies and he sat in the good seats with me for the 4th quarter so he could get a close up view of the players. Mark ran into an old mission companion and had a great time chatting with him for a few minutes. Fun evening!

A New Perspective

This is how Matthew sees the stairs nowadays. We prefer this view rather than the touch and tumble method!

Another new perspective for us is the new windows. I would post a picture, but it's a little hard to take a picture of a window! The guys finished the windows last week -- hurrah! I'm amazed at how clearly we can see outside now -- we haven't been able to clearly see out the bay window for over a year. And I never realized how dirty the old ones were until the new ones were installed. I still do double takes as I look out my kitchen windows and realize how much more clearly I can see! Amazing what you can see out of a clean window! Maybe this will inspire me to clean my windows on a regular basis. I also put up new valences in the kitchen -- they are burgundy floral and have an olive green and burgundy stripe underlay (I guess that's the best way to describe them) Anywho... I really like them!

Forgotten Fall Fun Foto

I forgot to put this picture on the last post -- it's one of my favorites because playing in the cornbox was so fun -- the texture of the corn was so neat and best of all we didn't get filthy dirty! The extra set of shoes sticking out belong to Jared.

Fall Fun

We finally had a warm Saturday last week, so we took advantage of it and took the family to the corn maze. We only did the mini maze, but we all had a fun time playing together in the courtyard doing things that are shown in the pictures above. Ryan spent a couple extra bucks shooting paintballs and firing the corn cannon. Best of all, things weren't crowded, so we could play and not stand in lines forever. A good time was had by all!

A Successful Halloween

Fred & George Weasley!

My little ghouls: George Weasley, the Grim Reaper or The Axe Murderer, and Spiderman!

This is how Matthew & I dress up for Halloween! BTW -- his socks say "Trick or Treat Smell My Feet"!

The boys got tons of candy -- Ryan alone weighed in with 2 pounds! They had a great time and dragged Mark all over the neighborhood!