Halloween Costume Awards 2011

Ladies and gentlemen.  Gather round your computers. 

It's the blogpost you've all been waiting for.....

 Halloween 2011

Fearsome Pirate:  All book reports beware!  Groovy Girl Who Still Thinks Matching Mommy is Cool 



Uh, I can't find anything else footie pajama girl       Beautiful Gypsy Birthday Girl

Thinks he's way too cool for costumes young man     The matching "Hippsies" (in Ellie's own words)       

Glen getting groovy while guzzling a gallon of green gingerale and going gaga with green gum.  Go Glen! 

Happy Halloween from our house to yours!!!!

Super Hard Quiz Answers

a.  Cami's male orchestra conductor shrieked like a girl during one of the performances tonight. 
Yep, really happened.  I searched and searched for a video that someone might have posted of it online, but couldn't find anything other than this one--same song, different group performing.  Their school's version had the random screams through it like this video, then at the end the orchestra conductor turned toward the audience and shrieked.  It was great comedic effect. 



b.  When I brought rolls to a function recently,  mine were so ugly that they held them back for last, hoping not to have to serve them.Yep.  For as long as I've been cooking and blogging, most of my food is still ugly and average tasting.  Someday I hope to be as cool as my sisters-in-law (Karey and Mika) who I am confident could transform a pile of pickled liver into a beautiful feast worthy of being on the cover of Better Homes and Garden,  but in the meantime I'll be that friend.  You know the one who you think should be really good at cooking (or whatever), but in reality is barely holding her brain (and kitchen) together with a little melted chocolate. 

c.  One of my children requested to be homeschooled today, then changed his mind when he found out I'd likely assign him lots of book reports.Yep.  The homework battles have subsided slightly over the last few weeks, but the monthly book reports may very well do us both in. 

d.  Had two kids in meltdown mode at the same time today.Yep.  One meltdown was book report related (see above) and the other seems to be medication related. 

e.  Glen is dressing up as  Vincent Van Gogh and I will be Vincent Van Gogh's ear for Halloween.Nope.  Most of you probably already saw our costumes on Facebook, but stay tuned for an upcoming post featuring our family's Halloween 2011! 

f.  I laughed out loud when I received a direct (and humorous) answer to a prayer while reading the scriptures.Yep and it still cracks me up when I think about it. 

g.   I turn into a mean, ornery she-bear if Glen wakes me up at 5:00am and springs on me that I need to take the kids to seminary that morning.True.  I'm totally fine to drive them to seminary if I have a little notice (it's only waking up about 1/2 hour before I normally do anyway), but when sprung on me at 5:00 after just having done it the previous day as well.....um, can we just say that you probably wouldn't have wanted to cross my path that day?  We'll leave it at that. 

h.  Cooked steak for dinner for the first time in months and yet one of my kids still had the gall to complain about it.Steak, pepper, and onion pizza.  Everyone else loved it, but one particular picky-but-shall-remain-unnamed-teenage-boy-eater complained that it was still too many veggies for his taste.  See if I cook to please him again. 

i.  Glen is currently playing with a Lego skeleton man and reading over my shoulder.Despite his claims to the contrary, Glen very much was fiddling with a Lego skeleton man and reading (and commenting) over my shoulder while I wrote that post.  Can you guess which statement he suggested I add? 



$37, 789, 378, 184, 430, 213 to the person(s) who correctly guesses the answer.  Please feel free to request clarification and/or an entire blogpost dedicated to any of the above topics.

Congrats to Karey and Deanne who get to split the winnings out of the first $37,789,378,184,430,213 I earn. 





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Super Hard Quiz -- Autumn 2011 Version

Which one of the following statements is NOT true? 

a.  Cami's male orchestra conductor shrieked like a girl during one of the performances tonight. 
b.  When I brought rolls to a function recently,  mine were so ugly that they held them back for last, hoping not to have to serve them.
c.  One of my children requested to be homeschooled today, then changed his mind when he found out I'd likely assign him lots of book reports.
d.  Had two kids in meltdown mode at the same time today.
e.  Glen is dressing up as  Vincent Van Gogh and I will be Vincent Van Gogh's ear for Halloween.
f.  I laughed out loud when I received a direct (and humorous) answer to a prayer while reading the scriptures.
g.   I turn into a mean, ornery she-bear if Glen wakes me up at 5:00am and springs on me that I need to take the kids to seminary that morning.
h.  Cooked steak for dinner for the first time in months and yet one of my kids still had the gall to complain about it.
i.  Glen is currently playing with a Lego skeleton man and reading over my shoulder.

$37, 789, 378, 184, 430, 211 to the person(s) who correctly guesses the answer.  Please feel free to request clarification and/or an entire blogpost dedicated to any of the above topics.



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Blah, blah, blah...

Lately it just doesn't seem to matter what I blog about...boring, funny, newsy, bragging...it's all the same result.... 

So instead of expending my very limited brainpower this fine evening trying to transform some random (but cute) pictures of my kids into something semi-interesting for anyone else to read, I'm switching my brain into automaton mode for the rest of the night. 


blah, blah, blah, Cami, Emma, blah, blah, blah...

blah, blah, Glen and his brother, Alex, blah, blah, Spencer smile, blah, blah, Ellie....

blah, Adam, blah, fake smile, blah, Ellie, blah, blah, blah, Emma...

blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, Great Falls, blah, bluh, blah, I wish I had something really shocking to throw in right here, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah...

blah, blah, blah, blah, beautiful day, blah, blah, love autumn time, blah, blah, Alex, just one day, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah....

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, done babbling. 

Good blah. 




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Slow and Steady

This probably sounds turtle-like to most of you, but I am positively giddy at the fact that I ran 11 miles on Saturday at a 10:06 minute per mile pace.  And if that weren't exciting enough, I have to point out that  I was just getting over a nasty cold, which had completely thrown off my training during the previous week.  Of course, the absolutely perfect running weather (chilly temps, light wind, no rain) and hot running partner probably had a lot to do with being in my groove that day, but since I haven't run that fast,  for that long of distance, in years and years, I am recording it here for posterity.

Don't worry though....I won't let it go to my head.

Especially seeing as how it is apparent to see from this picture, that we could use some of Ellie's fashion advice far more than any of you dear readers do. 


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Mad-Dash through Nauvoo

Finally, here is the last installment in our summer vacation blogposts. 

We arrived into a deserted Nauvoo, late one afternoon after driving from Island Park.  We'd intended to rest and recuperate that night, but since we were cutting our trip short by a day in order to beat Hurricane Irene to Virginia, we figured we needed to maximize our time there.   Although the sites were not open, we took advantage of all of the outdoor sites we could find that evening,  and enjoyed a beautiful summer night. 

  We visited the Smith family cemetery where Joseph Smith and several family members were buried in this picturesque spot near the Mississippi River. 

Speaking of the Mississippi River, we were thoroughly in awe at the gorgeous sunset over the Mississippi that night and enjoyed some of the best birdwatching there that we'd seen the whole trip.   Adam could have spent days and days there.   

We were all pretty tired out from all of the driving we'd done over the last few days,  so the kids looked for opportunities to rest every chance they got. 

We visited some monuments and outdoor exhibits and rested some more...

On the way back to the hotel, we enjoyed this beautiful view of the Nauvoo Temple. 

Then it was back to the hotel, where we did a whole lot of this....

The comfortable beds coupled with an amazing view out of our window of this....

and decor like this....

and the kiddos declared Zion's Mercantile Hotel in Nauvoo the "Awesomest Hotel Ever".   We highly recommend it as a very family friendly and conveniently located place to stay, in case you're ever looking for a good place to stay in Nauvoo. 

The next day we took a free wagon tour around Nauvoo.  A few weeks earlier it would have been jam packed and rushed, but that day in August, we got the entire wagon ride (and the horses) to ourselves! 

We made a  really quick stop at an interactive children's workshop where the kids could try on clothes and try out some fun, old fashioned activities.  Unfortunately we could only stay  for all of three minutes or so, so they didn't get to try anything other than the dress ups. 

We finished our whirlwind tour of Nauvoo with a visit to this sculpture garden that I remember from my childhood. 

On the way out of Nauvoo, we decided to try out this fudge shop.  It says we were thinking of you on the box, but it lied.  We ate it so fast, that we really didn't think of sharing it with anyone....even you.  

Then, as we were leaving, we stopped at Carthage Jail and took a quick tour there.    Once again, we had the whole place to ourselves, which was cool and a little awkward. 

We feel like we just touched the tip of the iceberg there, but we definitely are excited to go back again soon.  What an amazing place! 

The End of Summer Vacation 2011. 

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How I Singlehandedly Lost my Bid for Homemaker of the Year in One Day

Exhibit A: 
Adam's 9th birthday 

Crepes--✔  (for lunch instead of breakfast)
Pasta Salad--✔ (missing a few key ingredients)
Presents --✔  (wrapped in blankets instead of wrapping paper)
People-shaped cake--✔  (maybe not quite people shaped)

I'm fully aware that the cake is super ugly and will most likely be featured on the next edition of Cake Wrecks, but, heck,  ugly cakes happen.  That wouldn't lose me a homemaking award just like that. 

Yes, yes.  But this would....

. 
Using matches as substitute candles....

not such a wise idea. 

**Disclaimer:  To my knowledge there is no actual Homemaker of the Year award and if there were, I would have lost my bid for it years ago, merely based on the infrequency of my fridge cleanings. **

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Spirit Week 2011...Zip-a-dee-doo-dah Style

♫ Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, zip-a-dee-ay
My, oh my what a bright pink day! ♫

Pink-Out Day:

♫ Plenty of 80's clothes heading my way
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay ♫

80's Work-out Day: 

♫ Cross dressing makes him hurl
It's the truth, it's spammy
That's why Spencer wore his jammy. ♫

Gender Bender Day, which Spencer made into Pajama Day: 

♫ Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay
They wore their colors, for a wonderful day! ♫

Class Color Day: Freshmen wore red, Juniors wore orange.  Spence was through with the picture posing by then. 

♫ Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay
It's the truth, it's actual....
Lara's songs are quite unsatisfactual.  ♫
 

Picture of the Week

After a couple of honeymoon weeks of feeling wild and fancy free while the kids are at school all day, life has taken a turn for the busy again.  This week brought me back to regularly helping in the school again, a funeral for a wonderful lady, 22 miles of training for my half-marathon in November, getting sick, and trying to keep a couple of projects moving (barely).  Emma just fully planned and made invitations for her upcoming birthday party, Glen's brother is coming into town next week, and somehow it seems like the house is getting messier by the second. 

In amongst the craziness though, I came across this picture...

and it made me smile. 

Although, there's always been a fair amount of brotherly teasing and dramatic sisterly screaming in their relationship, Spencer and Cami have been best buds since they were toddlers.  Now that they're both in high school together, it's been fun to see their relationship strengthen even more as they co-conspire on what crazy attire to wear for spirit days (post coming soon), talk about which school lunch item is less gross than the others (spicy chicken sandwich), and compare notes as to who has more homework than the other.  (definitely Cami) 

Between the new high school connection, their mutual interest in watching episodes of Psych, Cami's interest in making food, and Spencer's interest in eating food...their friendship is a fun thing to watch. 

At least until someone forgets to log out of Facebook....


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Ellie: Fall 2011 Update

1.  A year past her diagnosis, Ellie still has numerous seizures per day.  The seizures are not as long or quite as frequent as before, but they are still there and still interruptive to her days. 

2.  Ellie's 1st grade teacher is wonderful, attentive, and very supportive of helping Ellie, but her class size is larger this year and I worry that she will be lost in the shuffle. 

3.    Her reading is right on par with where it should be, but she is struggling with numbers and math.  I think that her short, frequent seizures are enough to interrupt the flow which is so important to understanding numbers. 

4.  The neurologist is very cautiously raising the dosage of her Zarontin again.  Zarontin is historically the most effective medication for treating her type of seizure, but it's also the one she reacted so poorly to last year.  We're hoping that a year of growth and taking the medication in small doses will help her to tolerate it better this time around. 

5.  She still visits the school nurse on an almost daily basis, but thus far she has been content with a quick rest or ice pack, rather than having me come pick her up.    I think that having a good friend (Madilyn) to sit with on the bus may be a contributing factor for her desire to stay at school.   I'm not complaining. 

6.  Ellie is starting to show strong interest in learning to ride a bike, but because it is not a safe activity with her frequent seizures, we are trying to discourage her interest, as well as minimizing her exposure to it.  It feels wrong to discourage a normal step toward independence, but since all it would take is a five-second seizure and a swerve into the street to cause disaster, we are hoping that she will just sort of "forget" about wanting to ride for now.    Sadly, I think Adam is also going to be caught in this anti-biking mentality and will likely not have biking be a very important part of his life either. 

7.   Ellie is still talkative and open about her seizures and will tell anyone who cares to listen that she has "caesars".  Of course her friends don't really understand what it means, but I think she's surprised a few adults with her openness. 

8.  Ellie wants me to reassure you that she's read all of your perplexing fashion questions and is happily in process of preparing to share her sage fashion advice with all of you.  Stay tuned. 

Big Springs and More

 Ever since I discovered these blog books a year or two ago, it's added a new purpose to my blogging...

     Since my photos are all digital and I no longer print photos anymore;  these books are now the only journals/scrapbooks we have and that has compelled me to make sure that I capture more of the mundane tidbits here on the blog...the ones without an interesting story to accompany it.    

This particular blog post is here mainly because these are pictures that I want to make sure are included in the 2011 edition of our blog book.   The photos are from our summer trip to Idaho and show a glimpse into the fun times we had, that I haven't blogged about yet.  You'll see the kids laughing and posing for pictures with my parents.  You'll see a glimpse at a rousing game of  Apples to Apples, where Mom and Emma show off their Poker faces.  You'll see a few of the cool birds we saw while we were there.  And you'll even see Ellie ready to drive Grandma's and Grandpa's car, so she could go home with them. 

 

 

 

Thanks for following along on our adventures.  Only one more vacation post to go....


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