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.