grass from the ice storm

sorry about the delay of the comments. apparently Aaron changed my settings so I had to moderate the comments. so amanda here is the frozen grass.

I will try and change it back so you can just post your comments.

Merry Christmas!

When we were younger we had to sit on the stairs while dad went in and turned on the train and the Christmas lights. here we are waiting to go see what Santa brought. Sarah woke everyone up. She was SO excited. (she did wait until it was light outside :)

We had a LOVELY Christmas in California. Two of the days we were there it was 80 degrees! It was hard coming home to reality. We had fun hanging out with cousins, playing outside (without our coats!) and seeing grandma and grandpa. Sarah's big present was an indoor helicopter (the same as Uncle Patrick and Grandpa :) Becca got a princess doll house and polly pocket, David got a train set, Aaron got a good coat and I got a gym membership (and we all got a trip to CA)

Something funny Becca said last week at church... As we were taking the sacrament I could tell that some poor deacon forgot the bread and they had to scour the freezer and put out what ever they found...when the bread was passed to Becca she said, "this bread is hard as a rock!" I just cracked up and thought she said what we were all thinking.

This week (yesterday) Becca woke up saying that she didn't feel well. We all got ready and when she was coming down the stairs she just threw up. She threw up about 6 times and that was that. I stayed home with her because Fri and Sat I wasn't feeling really great.

If you are reading this you are a real trouper! I love all you guys!

Happy 30th Birthday again!

Make a free ecard - it's easy!

Happy 30th Birthday, Julie!

Make a free ecard - it's easy!

Ice storm after math.

Here is a tree in our neighborhood. I wanted to post it before we left, but for some reason it wouldn't let me. This just gives a little perspective of what ice can do. there were a lot of big trees just destroyed in that storm.

Week in Hershey

I think I missed my calling in life. I watched the show at Hershey Park two nights in a row and LOVED it. I miss singing and dancing. I think if I would have gone to NAU I would have been a music major or been in a show choir. when I didn't make women's choir my Freshman year I felt rejected and never tried out again. I really regret that. oh well.

We had so much fun at Hershey park. Aaron came the first night and he and Sarah went on the Reese's ride 4 times! Back to the show...it was about a soldier away from home and his family was missing him...I cried :( I just kept thinking of my friend who found out her husband is being deployed soon.

Sweet lights was fun too! We drove for about 45 minutes looking at light displays. It was fun! The kids are hanging all over me so I will write more later!

For laughs.

Here are the funnies from the New Era this month. Just click on the image to see it full page. I thought they were funny!

Candy houses take revenge!

I guess I didn't factor in the whole I want to eat that! Every time David sees the houses he REALLY wants to eat it. He found out a way to get up to the magazine holder where he could reach Becca's house. Great plan, until Becca found out :) I think I am just going to let them eat them.

Am I the grinch?

The RS pres (who I work with in RS) stopped by to bring banana bread and a gift for Christmas. I didn't get her anything...am I the grinch? I made cinnamon rolls for my neighbors, but I didn't get anything for my friends. I had a hard enough time thinking of something for my parents and in-laws. Really, next year should I just go all out...I guess when you give you don't really expect something in return right?

I am also like that in the birthday department. I usually send an e-mail if I remember, but never do I send (or give) a present.

hummm...

Graham Cracker houses and ice storms

Last week we made graham cracker houses and it was really fun! I think more candy ended up in their mouths than on the house! I LOVED doing them growing up and it is one of my favorite traditions we had...I loved that Dad could take the left overs and make a trading post or an out house. too cute! We also watched a movie while we were doing it. I think it was because we only had one glue gun and so there had to be a lot of patience. That was a little hard this year...maybe next year we will have the grinch on.

Yesterday we had an ice storm...this one was bad. I have a few friends in Hershey who won't have power until Wednesday! (4 days without power!) The roads are not that bad, the trouble is the ice in the trees are causing them to break. There are a few down in our neighborhood. We were really fortunate not to have any power outages! This picture doesn't really do justice of the magnitude of the ice! This was taken early yesterday morning, today it is a lot prettier. I love how the ice glimmers in the sun. I love how each blade of grass is encased in ice, it is so crunchy and fun to walk on.

Harry Potter: year 5

I LOVED the movie! The 5th book was my least favorite, but I really enjoyed the movie. I think they simplified where appropriate. I think Aaron got sick of me saying...In the book this is what happens (he also read the book so I am sure he picked up on the change as well)

What I liked: Harry wasn't so whiny or angry. You saw the relationship with Sirius. Luna. Voldermort/Harry connection.

What I think could have been better: Umbrige. The fight scene at the end.

Christmas Confession

So I have never been one for surprises. When I read my sister's blog I just found out that the easiest person for her to buy for is herself. I just bought my Christmas/birthday/anniversary present...a membership at LA fitness. I didn't think I would be able to join because I didn't want to pay an enrolment fee or sign a contract...lucky me my guy said I could do it. It was a little more than other gyms, but I really think it is worth it.

Here is my confession (I think my sister outed us on her blog last year, but here goes) One year when we were kids we wanted to find out what we were getting for Christmas. I don't know whose idea it was but we were in it together. She and I took turns being the look out and looking under the bed (my parents bed was on a box). I only remember finding a few things like nail polish. I felt so sneaky, but it felt good to know what we were getting. HAHA I guess I was never really good with surprises :)

I forgot to specify

We will be repainting the whole house to make it more attractive to sell. That is why I asked white or beige. I would love to have a pottery barn or bold home, but I want to stay a little more neutral for resale. It is a buyers market so anything I do has to increase the value of the home (or increase the chance that someone will buy the house.)

Sarah has no school today due to "freezing rain" currently it is just rain, but I guess they didn't want to take any chances. Interesting! I wouldn't want the job of canceling school!

tale of two sister (part 2)

Yesterday we went bowling. Sarah had two free games of bowling that expired this month, so I thought we would go. I remembered why I didn't really like bowling...it always smells like smoke! Once we got passed the smell we kind of had a fun time. Sarah would bowl the first ball and usually hit most of the balls and then if she missed she would get really mad. Becca on the other hand would bowl and if it just hit one pin she would get really excited or chant YES. The score in the end was 85 to 47, yet it appeared that Becca had the better game because Sarah was always upset and Becca was always happy.

Nature vs Nurture. Is there something I could be doing to help Sarah be less competitive or just enjoying what she is doing? Any suggestions?

Mom, just curious which was I more like when I was a little girl? I know I got a lot more competitive as I grew older...was I always like that?

Your opinion please

So color of the house (interior paint)

White or a darker color?

I LOVE white, but everyone I talk to seems to like sand or tan.

I would love to hear everyones comment even if it is one word.

kicked my buns

I worked out today with a friend and I got my buns kicked! I am SO out of shape I am pathetic. Maybe in a few months I will be better :) I guess that is what happens when you don't work out for 10 years :)

The three rudolphs

Yesterday we went to Hershey Park with our good friends from DC. It was so great seeing them and fun to see the kids on rides together. Becca went on the big pirate ship for the first time. I think it was because her friend was going too. They both loved it (that is one of Sarah's favorites too!) They also saw Santa's reindeer. They learned that reindeer click their feet (or ankles) when they walk. I am not sure my friend took the kids while I went with her husband on the claw - a nice big ride that feels like you are swinging upside down. (she didn't want to go so I said I would :) They wanted to sing this song for you (notice David doesn't quite get it...what am I supposed to do...pick my nose...yeah that's right.)

Becca LOVES the tree. She can sit behind and play for hours. I could hear her dialogue and thought it was cute. I went and looked behind the tree and this is what I found (this picture is from the second time...the first time she had about twice as many balls and stars and angels...basically everything she could reach)

Book Review

I just read "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield. It was recommended by a reader friend so I knew that it would be good. It was cleverly written and was a good story. I finished it on the plane to AZ. Anyone looking of a good cozy read...here it is.

Oh, David

Whenever anyone says the prayers and David thinks they are too long (anything longer than 1 second) he starts chanting AMEN. It gets louder and louder until the final amen.

David is officially in a big boy bed. We put it together before we went on vacation. He is really adjusted well to it and loves being able to climb in and out by himself. Last night was the first time I had to put him back into bed in the middle of the night. I was worried about his naps, but he does fine there too.

Let it snow :)

Today it snowed all day. There is only about 2 inches, but the kids are in heaven. We went to the library today and both Becca and David loved eating the snow. We just came back from tithing settlement and they are all playing out there. Here is a picture from the first dusting. Sarah actually made a snowman as big as her that day. The snow today is too fine to pack.

Home again!

Well my vacation is officially over! I had a BLAST! It was great not having to think about anything and just really enjoy myself. Here are a few highlights.

The GOOD:

*Flying and traveling with GREAT kids...really other than David crying all the way to the hotel the first night and screaming a little on the last flight they were so good!

*Seeing my family - brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins, mom and dad, grandma and grandpa...man I have such a wonderful family!

*Watching the kids interact with Grandma and grandpa

*Helping Suzie and her family get and decorate her tree.

* Seeing the Temple with all the lights! And driving to the temple doing a session in 2.5 hours! WOW. It was great.

*Seeing friends from medical school! They were SO great to put up with us for the night and feed us before our journey back.

*The kids loved jumping on the trampoline, playing at the park, climbing trees, raking leaves, swimming (on 2 occasions!) riding horses and chasing chickens :)

It was such a relief knowing that Aaron had a job and that we didn't have to do any more interviews. We kept saying - today we would be in Prescott - or wherever we were supposed to be that day. It was great just being able to relax!

The BAD: On the way home from Suzies Aaron got pulled over. He didn't have his license. The car had a huge "for sale" written on the front and back and he was driving with his brights on. Fortunately for us it was just warning but as we were sitting there someone pulled up to tell the police that someone had just hit an elk. I am glad that wasn't us!

The UGLY: Sarah got sick Thursday and threw up a few times...fortunately for us she was fine Friday and Saturday. Sunday morning it hit her once more...but she is back at school today. She was excited to go back.

Well that about sums it up. On the way back I told Aaron and we have to do this again in 20 days! We are going to CA for Christmas...fun times!

Turkey tips

Today we had our Thanksgiving feast because tomorrow we will be going to AZ. I heard somewhere that if you want a good moist turkey cook it breast down. I did and have never had better turkey. It was probably because all the fat juices seeped down into the breast, but it was YUMMY!

I kind of messed up the pie. I used my sister's butter crust recipe and it turned out chewy. I must have kneaded it too long (I was just trying to get it together without adding too much water) and the pumpkin I didn't puree I just mashed and it was a little stringy. None the less it still had a good flavor.

Sarah LOVED it. I think this is her favorite dinner. It was even better because we ate by candle light.

To all those reading this blog...I am thankful for YOU! You are the people I love and cherish the most! Thanks for all you do for our family. Can't wait to see some of you in AZ!

priceless

The phone rings and Becca promptly picks it up. There is a little chit chat and then she hands me the phone and says, "mom, it's for you. It's a boy." and giggles. I couldn't help cracking up. Fortunately it was someone we know (a member of the bishopric) and it was male. I think I would have died if it would have been a female with a deep voice.

This morning David was in the bath and I heard the garbage man coming. I quickly gather all the trash in the house and take it to the curb. When I get in I hear Becca say, "Which towel do you want?" She got him out of the tub and dried him off. She chose some clothes for him, but when she saw me she said, "you can get him dressed mom." Too cute!

A little while later I was cleaning the bathtub and Becca comes in and says, "Mom, David is stinky. Here is a diaper and wipes." Next thing you know she will be changing his diaper :)

Today my windshield wipers freaked out. I thought the motor was broken, but it was just disconnected. Phew! I really hate car things! I feel so dumb!

Entertainment for the whole family

Here are some of my favorite videos from this week.



Tonight it started snowing. The first snow of the season!

When Becca first got the ribbon she would shake her whole body to make it twirl. This video doesn't quite capture her enthusiasm for the ribbon.

eye trauma

When Aaron went into ophthalmology I though GREAT this is going to be cake. Really who hurts their eyes? Apparently a lot of people. (now those in ortho, plastics or gen surgery just ignore me right now I know your lives are much harder!) Tonight Aaron went in because a three year old cut his eye lid with a spoon...can't wait to hear the details on that. My top 10 funny ones to remember

1. golf ball shot from car wash pressure hose
2. eye lids super glued shut (I hope the kid got new friends)
3. any type of flying metal or wood
4. b b gun (don't shoot your eye out)
5. fish hook
6. bungee cord
7. sticks
8. house hold cleaner (the poor 2 year old actually had to be admitted two nights ago!)
9. paint ball
10. potato gun

Really, I didn't think there were this many silly people out there.

Daily Conversation

Me: David no running with the knife. Bring it here. Don't run with the knife.

Today I was watching a 2 month old baby for a friend. Becca: It is hard having two babies. I don't like all this crying. It's annoying.

Sarah: (Coming off the bus crying) I can't find Catty (her caterpillar that she won at Hersheypark)

Me: Don't worry we will find it tomorrow.

5 hours later when it is bed time Sarah: (crying again) mom I need to talk. What will I do to find Catty?

After various times reassuring her that we would find it tomorrow she still came crying 5 minutes later. Me: honey don't worry about something you can't fix right now. If you still can't find Catty tomorrow then we will worry, but if you worry and cry now it will not make it any better.



So that basically sums up my conversations for the day. Here is a picture of the kids. I wanted one of David with Becca's boots on, but then Becca wanted in on the picture and then Sarah wanted in on the picture and by the time I finally took it...you can't even see the boots. ha.

David's obsessions

David is a driven one track minded young man. He is obsessed with a few things...

1. Banana's and mini oranges. He LOVES to get them and peel them and eat them. Usually by the 2nd banana he is not too into it, but then 20 minutes later he will drag a chair over to the counter and get another banana.

2. Rolling the pumpkin off the front step. We had to retire our pumpkins early because David rolled them off a few times until they broke. After Halloween I got a huge pumpkin for a dollar and plan on making a pie with it. Every time we go out he tries to pick it up (although it is too heavy) so then he tips it and tries to roll it off. EVERYTIME!

3. Getting out of the shopping carts. We were at Michaels today (for about 5 minutes) and he really wanted to get out of the cart. But David loose in a store like that is NOT pretty. He also did it to me the other day in Wal-Mart. MAN! It is getting so hard for me to shop with him.

4. Gum ball machines. Need I say more.

5. Turning on the TV. He even knows how to turn on the power strip in the back where I used to turn it off so the buttons in the front wouldn't work. Yeah, smartie.

6. Elmo. He LOVES Elmo. He will endure a whole episode of Sesame Street just for the Elmo's world at the end. I usually only turn it on for the end, but the other day he turned it on and Sesame Street happened to be on...whatever. But he went CRAZY when Elmo came on.

7. Trucks, trains and tractors. He has a tractor that a friend gave him that he lugs all over the house. It is quite large but he still hauls it none the less.

8. My hair. I don't know what it is, but he is obsessed with it. Becca also has this problem and it is getting to the point where I am ready to shave my head.

9. Oats. really I think this boy is part horse. Whenever I get oatmeal out for breakfast he goes CRAZY. He loves to eat them raw. I have a bucket that is half full just for him to play in and eat. He dumps it out and eats it and then I put it back in and we do it all agian the next time we have oatmeal.

Those are all the obsessions I can think of, but I am sure there are many, many more. Having a boy is really different than girls!

chicken dance

Here are the kids doing the chicken dance. love it. I love the chicken doing his own thing, the chicken with serious concentration and the chicken who knows what she is doing and knows it.

The story of the mixer

Since today is Sunday I thought I was write a story/analogy that I used in a talk a few months ago.

One day I was making cinnamon rolls and I was mixing the frosting to complete the rolls. I was kind of in a hurry and so I wasn't being so careful with the rubber spatula. As I was scraping the sides of the bowl the end of the spatula got sucked into the mixer taking my hand with it. I kind of panicked. I looked down and here was my hand stuck in the middle of the mixer. I really didn't know what to do. I didn't have the wits about me to get it out. I just yelled for help. Aaron came in and calmly helped me out of the mixer. My fingers were a little mangled and bruised but fortunately not bleeding. I was SO grateful the Aaron was there because I don't know what I would have done.

The analogy part. In life sometimes we are in a hurry to get somewhere. Sometimes we take the wrong path and get sucked into something we shouldn't be. We feel trapped, but don't know how to get out. All we need to do is call for help. If I would have left the mixer on my hand and not called out for help it would have been painful and probably embarrassing walking around with a mixer on my hand. Sometimes it is not always that obvious, but we need to pray when we need help. Heavenly Father is there for us always and wants us to ask for help.

Chain letters and random thoughts

1. This week Sarah got her first chain letter...join our sticker club, pass it on to 6 friends who pass it on to 6 friends and you will get 36 packets of stickers...really I don't like chain letters but at least this one didn't say do it or bad luck will haunt you. So...what did I do...I passed it on! So if you got a chain letter from me I am sorry. I don't like people to feel pressured to do anything. I didn't really like selling pest control, I don't like pampered chef parties (or anything like that) I just don't like the pressure. I think that is why I didn't "tag" anyone in the last blog. I guess I could have said if you want to - your it...but I didn't. So if you are reading this and haven't been tagged, but want to be tagged you're it.

2. Aaron shot down the bunk bed idea. He thinks we should wait until we move...alright.

3. I have always wanted a video camera (ever since Sarah was born 7 years ago) and have never got one. Does anyone have a recommendation of what to get (or not to get). Are they worth it...silly question I know.

4. Yesterday I was watching someone from the ward whose parents are both Hispanic and he is bilingual. A few weeks ago he broke out in spots (it looked like a BAD case of chicken pox) but it was just allergies. We were going to choose a treat from the Halloween bag and he said he could have jello 40 and jello 5. I couldn't figure out what he was saying until I realized that he couldn't have red or blue food coloring but could have yellow. Ha. Jello.

5. Becca: I can't wait until I am the mom, then I can cook whatever I want.

Wow I have been tagged

I have seen other friends who have been "tagged" and now I have been. I feel like on official blogger now!

6 habits or facts about me.

1. Right after the kids go to bed I have to eat or drink something yummy. I am trying to break that habit...but...

2. I fell out of the car twice when I was younger, but have never broken a bone.

3. I like to exercise, but rarely do it.

4. When I was in school I used to chew my pens to shreds. It was always embarrassing when I borrowed someones pen and realized afterwards that I used it as a chew toy.

5. I graduated high school in 1996 and college in 1999. I was proud that I graduated in 3 years, but now I wish I would have taken more classes. Maybe now that we are going to UT I will take more classes.

6. I hate to spend money. Sometimes it is painfully hard to spend money, I am getting better at it though. At fast food restaurants I never get anything but the $1 item...even if someone else is paying. I remember the first time Aaron and I went to Taco Bell together and he got a Mexican pizza. I was a little taken back because I would have never ordered one (it was $2.69). I still flinch when he orders because rarely will he get something from the $1 menu. He is teaching me that cheaper is just cheaper not necessarily better.

opinions please

Now that we are actually moving our things I have decided it is time to get Becca out of a toddler bed. The only logical move would be bunk beds. So I checked online including e-bay and this is what I found. Is this legit? Does it sound too good to be true?

Also, Realtors. When we go out in April would it be wise to go with a realtor, or would we have more buying/negotiating power because the seller won't have to fork over another 3%?

I'm firing the tooth fairy!

Sarah lost another tooth yesterday and put it in a cute bag so the tooth fairy would be bound to see it. Well the tooth fairy must have forgotten AGAIN! We came up with all kinds of excuses that the tooth fairy could have forgotten, it was Sunday and the tooth fairy doesn't work on sunday, she was sleeping, she was too busy, it takes her two days...maybe tomorrow night the tooth fairy won't forget! Man, really I should fire her!

Realism sets in

I have been telling everyone that I am going to ditch all of my stuff before moving and just bring what will fit in the car...well...realism set in. when we move we will NOT have any extra cash just laying around to buy new stuff. I guess we will just have to bring our things and slowly replace them...man...I was looking forward to all new furniture...I guess that will just have to wait!

Fall

This is what I will miss most about Pa (other than the friends of course) the sheer beauty! These are only the ones I can see from my house. I love driving around and just admiring the colors!

Building the bird house

G'ma Smalley gave Sarah a birdhouse for her b-day. Here they are trying to put it together. She was really excited to have her own screwdriver. I had to give David his own wood and small screwdriver to keep him busy :)

Happy Halloween

Here are a few pictures of our week of Halloween. We have "trick or treating" the Thursday before Halloween (which was the 25th) and then we had a ward Halloween party last night.




My little stinker, and queen and witch.

Sarah carved her own pumpkin this year. She drew the design and carved it herself. Becca told Dad what to do and David just liked pulling out the gunk. He also enjoyed the thrill of pushing them off the ledge a few times before the broke :)

A few things I learned this Halloween:

1. I am very oppionated about Haunted Houses in the church. (sorry to those who had to endure my raving last night!)

2. I love Snickers bars

3. I love candy too much!

UTAH here we come.

WHAT! I never thought I would end up in Utah...really...um, really. It is not like there is anything wrong with Utah, I just always thought I would end up in AZ. Well as life would have it I think that is where life is taking us. When I sent out letters of intent (for Aaron) I sent about 35 and 3 of them were to Utah. He still has 5 interviews (although the people in UT want him to commit before then). He really liked the partners, practice and location. He would have a really nice setup and they want him to be the head ophthalmologist in Lehi (brand new office never been built) so I think that is where life is taking us.

A beautiful sacrament meeting

The kids did their Sacrament meeting presentation this morning and it was GREAT! I was most impressed with Becca because she knew all the words to the song and I was SO proud of Sarah because she sang in a small group (4 girls). Sarah usually is REALLY shy in those type of situations, but she got up there and sang her song. It was TOO cute.

Hey Sily and all other primary choristers out there...the leader here did something unique that I would have never thought of. She had the primary pres call her on her cell phone and ask for a child. when the child got on the phone she told them what to sing. I thought it was clever idea especially since kids love getting phone calls!

A most embarrassing moment!

So this morning at church I had a most embarrassing thing happen. I was wrestling David all meeting because he thinks I am a jungle gym and I want him to sit still. Needless to say it always feels like I have been in a wrestling match. Well today I guess he won because when I stood up to say hi to the family in front of me (some that haven't been to church for awhile) I realized that it was a tad bit drafty. I looked down and realized that ALL of my buttons of my shirt were unbuttoned except ONE! I clutched the top of my shirt and quietly sit to button it. The mom and teenager made some funny comments and I know I was BEET RED! But life goes on.

Lesson learned...always, always ware an undershirt while wrestling!

Four things

Four things about me that you may or may not knowin no particular order.

A) Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Mother
2. Psych Tech at Utah State Hospital
3. veg prep at BYU
4. life guard

B) Four movies I would watch over and over
1. Pride and Prejudice (A & E version)
2. Dead Poets Society
3. Ever After
4. Harry Potter

C) Four places I have lived:
1. Harrisburg, PA
2. Reston, VA
3. San Antonio, TX
4. Antioch, CA

D) Four TV Shows that I watch:
1. American Idol
2. Survivor
3. I would love to watch Wheel of Fortune
4. I enjoy watching The Price is Right (but only watch it when I am in the hospital with babies)

Four places I have been:
1. Intercourse, PA
2. Corolla, NC
3. Asseteague Island, MD
4. Cape Cod, MA

People who e-mail me (somewhat regularly):
1. Sandrine
2. Pat
3. My mom
4. Julie B.

G) Four of my favorite foods:
1. Ice Cream
2. good pizza
3. A salad with the works
4. anything from the Olive garden

H) Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Visiting family in AZ or CA (and it is much warmer there!)
2. Hawaii
3. A beach house in NC
4. A cabin in the mountians

J) Things I am looking forward to this year: (only 3 more months left!)
1. Going to AZ and seeing ALL my family!
2. Christmas in CA!
3. Hopefully knowing where we will be for the rest of our lives
4. Hersheypark oh how I love HP!

Budding little artist

Here is a picture that Becca drew...it is of ME!

The day I became a mom

Today is the day that my little girl was born 7 years ago! It was by far the best birthing experience. Here are a few pictures to watch her grow!

Sarah is a bright, observant and loving child. She has a thirst for knowledge and loves to help others.

Halloween: Trick or treat?

I have a little mixed emotions about Halloween. I like it in the aspect that it is fun to dress up and pretend and see you neighbors and get candy, but I HATE the ghosts and goblins and nasty things associated with Halloween. Yard decorating is really big here. There is a house down the street that has a ton of "decorations" including a life size Frankenstein holding a bloody ax and the bloody head of his wife. BLECH! I hate it. My friend lives across the street from someone who has a stuffed person hanging from the tree. What good it this! NOTHING! We already have tons of candy (that I plan on giving to our trick or treaters.) We actually go the Thursday before Halloween (tomorrow) to curb violence.

Here is a little history of the commercialization of Halloween. The commercialization of Halloween in the United States did not start until the 20th century, beginning perhaps with Halloween postcards (featuring hundreds of designs) which were most popular between 1905 and 1915.[14] Dennison Manufacturing Company, which published its first Halloween catalog in 1909, and the Beistle Company were pioneers in commercially made Halloween decorations, particularly die-cut paper items.[15][16] German manufacturers specialised in Halloween figurines that were exported to the United States in the period between the two world wars.
There is little primary documentation of masking or costuming on Halloween in the United States or elsewhere, prior to 1900.[17] Mass-produced Halloween costumes did not appear in stores until the 1930s, and trick-or-treating did not become a fixture of the holiday until the 1950s.
In the United States, Halloween has become the sixth most profitable holiday (after Christmas, Mother's Day, Valentines Day, Easter, and Father's Day).[18] In the 1990s, many manufacturers began producing a larger variety of Halloween yard decorations; prior to this a majority of decorations were homemade. Some of the most popular yard decorations are jack-o'-lanterns, scarecrows, witches, orange and purple string lights, inflatable decorations (such as spiders, pumpkins, mummies and vampires), and animatronic window and door decorations. Other popular decorations are foam tombstones and gargoyles. Halloween is now the United States' second most popular holiday (after Christmas) for decorating; the sale of candy and costumes are also extremely common during the holiday, which is marketed to children and adults alike. According to the National Retail Federation, the most popular Halloween costume themes for adults are, in order: witch, pirate, vampire, cat and clown.[19] On many college campuses, Halloween is a major celebration, with the Friday and Saturday nearest October 31 hosting many costume parties.
Universal's Halloween Horror Nights is one of the largest and most elaborate Halloween events in the world. The month-long event takes place at Universal Studios theme parks in Florida and Hollywood.
The National Confectioners Association reported, in 2005, that 80 percent of American adults planned to give out candy to trick-or-treaters,[20] and that 93 percent of children planned to go trick-or-treating.[21]

So what do you think...Trick or Treat?

Hershey Park in the Dark

Friday and Saturday night we went to Hershey Park. It was really packed Saturday so really all we did was "treatville." Here are the cute pictures from that night. Sarah wanted to wear the dog costume AGAIN! I thought oh well at least it is not to trick or treat. She got it when she was 4 so this is the 3rd and LAST Halloween she will wear it. Becca wore Sarah's Lady bug outfit from last year. We had a great time and got some good Hershey candy.

Happy Birthday to Sarah

Sarah's birthday is Thursday the 25th but we had her party yesterday. We had such a great time. We had a Harry Potter Party. The first thing we did when the kids came was have them hunt for the sorcerer's stone (basically the hot and cold game). Then we went to "transfiguration" class where we painted pumpkins. Then we had "potions" class where we did the baking soda experiment and the diet coke and mentos experiment (thanks cel!). Obviously our diet coke and mentos experiment wasn't this cool, but this is where I got my inspirations. ANyway...after potions outside we came in and made some great concotions (kool-aid, soda, juice, ice, gummy worms) and had a snack. Then we went out and played a lot of outside running games (Harry - Potter: Marco Polo, Trolls and Wizzards:sharks and minnows, red light green light, and a relay race on brooms) it was great. Then we came back and had cake (that Sarah made and decorated) and then presents and then the kids went home...ah...we survived another one.

Sarah with her cake

Playing trolls and wizzards

Under the invisibility cloak

Painting pumpkins

since I am NOT techno savy...

Here is the post that I referred to in my domestic diva part 2 post. It is from my sister Celia's blog.

A few more projects
One of the perks of being friends with creative people (beside the fact that they're just plain fun) is that I get to mooch off their great ideas and tweak it to my personal liking. Most of the crafts and projects I do come from something I've seen elsewhere. I may be a creator of sorts, but I surely am not an inventor.My friend Erin came up with a great idea of turning place mats into throw pillows. Kohl's had some great microfiber cloth place mats on sale, so I decided to follow her lead and make some of my own. It was a fun, easy little project and I was happy with the outcome. I made two of the dark brown pillows and just the one two toned harvest pillow. She gives basic instructions and the two things I'd add are:1. Notice the type of stitching the place mat has. The two toned had a double stitch and was a little harder to work with. Not so hard it couldn't be done, but it made it a little more unruly and added an extra step.2. When you go to sew the edge back up, pin it really well or it will slip and you'll have to redo the stitch because it didn't even catch the backing.

Apples, apples and more apples!

I am finally done with my applesauce project! It was only 25 quarts, but man it felt like a lot! I found a food mill at salvation army that came in really handy! Speaking of Salvation Army...I was there today, you know half off Wednesdays, David needed some 3T long sleeve shirts. Yes I said 3T! The 2T show his belly. Well while I was there I saw a passel of things I donated. I think it is just weird to see my things on the rack! Last week I saw this lady check out in front of me and she was buying my dress (weird!) I always wonder if they really sell the things I give them.

okay so this wasn't really about apples was it, but hey I am done with my apples!

The frendly ghost

I thought this was too cute to pass up!

You're so vain

So after saying that I would judge someone that was cosmetically enhanced I have been thinking about my teeth...why you ask...well on Wednesday I went to the dentist and he looked at me and said, how do you feel about your teeth. I said "fine" he said we could fix your crooked tooth if you would like with a veneer. I said "no, I am fine" but as I have been thinking about it I want to know how much it would be. I KNOW insurance wouldn't cover it, but hum interesting. What do you think? too vain? would my smile be changed THAT much? I don't really like this picture of me (sporting a big cold sore), but it shows my teeth. Also, this is when Sily Marie came out to visit.

Self post

My friend had this on her post and so I thought I would reply.

1. Three biggest fears? (besides anything bad happening to a family member/child)
This is a hard one...I guess
-the dark (especially when I am alone)
-Someone jumping out of the bushes when I am running by myself (yeah, that is why I don't go anymore!)
-failure
2. When was the last time you danced? Last year (unless you count the hokey pokey, chicken dance, ring around the rosie, or any other kid song dance)
3. Do you creep on stranger's blogs? not really (sometimes I will check the pokemon mom).
4. If you could go back to be any age for a day, what age would you be and why? 17. I could date, drive and life was FUN!
5. Are you a good liar? Not at all.
6. Do you judge someone when you can tell they've had elective cosmetic surgery? yes.
7. If you have children, what's one thing that you always told yourself you'd never do when you had kids? If you don't have children, what's one thing you tell yourself you'll never do. (Psst! You. Yah, you. The one without kids. Guess what? You'll probably do it.) spank them.
8. What's something that totally grosses you out? When people pick their buggies and eat them! YUCK!
9. Do you ever delete forwards without reading them? Most of the time.
10. Do you ever lie to get out of obligations? I try not to, but with some people you just have to.
11. Consider your body weight and your yearly income at their present states. Would you rather be 200 pounds heavier and $200,000 richer or stay at your present states? Stay.
12. When was the last time you bought a pair of shoes and what were they? $1 flip flops. I need new shoes!
13. The Olympics. Take them or leave them? Winter and Summer I will take them.
14. What's your favorite accent? French
15. What's your favorite scent? Fresh Roses
16. Gum or breath mints? Gum
17. If you could look like any celebrity, who would it be? don't really know
18. If you had the chance of looking like said celebrity in exchange for your thumbs would you do it? obviously no
19. Do you religiously wear sun screen? at the beginning of the summer YES. I got sick of getting BURNED!
20. Do you generally trust people/their motives or doubt people/their motives? Trust.
21. Would you describe yourself as a complicated person or is what you see what you get? What you see is what you get.
22. Do you watch what you eat? Yep I watch it go right into my mouth. I should be better!
23. Do you watch what other people eat? Yes.
24. Do you judge how other people raise their kids? Yes.
25. Do you judge people who dress poorly? Yes.
26. Do you judge people who are homely? No.
27. Do you judge people who are overweight? Hate to say it, but yes.
28. Your interest in politics: High, Medium-High, Medium, Medium-Low, Low, Obsolete? Medium Low
29. Favorite song of all time? Butterfly Kisses (cheesy I know!)
30. Acoustic or electric? Acoustic
31. If you were a hermit, would you shave? No.
32. If you could shave your head without your significant other throwing a complete hissy, would you? No.
33. What was your least favorite age? 15
34. How many times a day do you check your email? I really need a life!
35. Are you in a tiff with anyone right now? No.

Ready, set, go

The kids love to play with the jump rope. This is one of Sarah's favorite things to do with it.

Domestic Diva part 2

Marie really inspired me! I was at Target today and saw this beautiful placemat and thought I would give it a try. Here is the final product. How do I link with just one word? I would love to link your page but not the whole URL.

CRAZY sleeper

A few days ago on my sisters blog she said that she had a weird dream. I thought hum, I never remember my dreams. Last night about a half an hour after I fell asleep I screamed (LOUD) and sat straight up. I don't know what triggered it...my dream, Aaron snuggling, me falling off the bed, but after I sat up my heart was racing and I kept apologizing to Aaron because embarrassing! Man I haven't done that forever. Weird!

Domestic Diva

I feel like such a domestic diva today! Becca LOVES her bandana pants and would wear them every day if she could. Everyone always comments on them because they are SO cute. The other day I went to Wal-mart and got some bandanas (I let her choose because they are her pants otherwise...no dog bones!). I tried to figure it out on my own but wasn't sure how to do it...so I looked it up...sure enough there was a web-site with step-by-step instructions.

http://blueyonder.typepad.com/photos/bandana_pants/index.html

15 minutes and $2 later here is the end product. Next time I will only do an 8 in inseam instead of the suggested 10.

Kid interviews

funny mom song

my friend sent me this song and I thought it was cute...

Oh, David...sigh...

Today I was upstairs settling a dispute between Sarah and Becca (we were actually having a great conversation) when I heard David at the back door wanting to get in. When I went down stairs I saw that David had brought the hose is and was watering the floor. He apparently knew it was wrong because he went in the kitchen to get a rag to wipe it up...problem was the hose was still on and no matter how much he wiped it would not get clean. I rushed the hose outside and went and got some big towels...OH DAVID. Fortunately he did not do any permanent damage.

Another Oh, David story happened this morning. I was cleaning up breakfast (sweet rice) and looked over and David had found the cinnamon and had opened and dumped it before I could get there. Once again he tried to get a dry rag and wipe it up. Becca ended up helping him wipe up the whole jar of cinnamon!

David LOVES to help with the laundry. I put the piles on the floor and he takes the clothes a few at a time and puts them in the laundry. When I put the whites in the dryer I heard a clunk, clunk, clunk and I thought there are not any overalls in there...I pulled out the clothes and found a little truck that apparently needed washing. Oh, David!

Random tidbits

I thouht I would share a few random tidbits...

Becca: The other day we went to Hersheypark and watched the Sea Lion Show. In the show there are mobsters who act "tough." The other day I saw Becca standing in front of the mirror saying in her toughest voice - "Are you lookin at me...Are YOU lookin at me..." It was funny. (I forgot to mention that she was standing there in her shirt and undies...so her chicken legs were very cute and she was not tough looking AT ALL)

David: Poor David I just buzzed his hair and because his hair is so blonde it looks like he is a cancer baby. I will have to post a picture when he wakes up.

Sarah: Her birthday is in a month and she says she wants a Harry Potter Party. SO...any good ideas? (Cackel I know you have some great ideas...)

How cool is this?