Happy Halloween

Today is the big day! My kids may even think its bigger than Christmas. There is just something so exciting about getting to be all dressed up as whatever you want! I love seeing what they choose to be and why that costume appeals to them. For instance, I am a China Doll again this year. I choose to be this because its the only thing in my closet. It appeals to me because after having three kids it still fits. Happy Halloween to me!
Jayden choose to get a little scary and be the Wicked Witch from the Wizard of Oz. Last year she was Dorothy and next year she wants me to figure out a flying monkey costume for her. Yes, Wizard of Oz is her favorite movie...if you couldn't already tell. Braley has been dying to wear her Ruby Slippers with the Dorothy dress so we have a tandem pair. She makes the cutest Dorothy in glasses I've ever seen. Now if only I could get her to call her dog "Toto" and stop calling him "Poodle." It's Super Man this year for our little man and he is in love with his costume. When he saw it at the store he was sold. Had he ever seen Super Man? No. Ever really heard of him? No. But he knew that once that red, blue and yellow suit was on he was a Super Hero. And because this Man of Steel is so pint sized all the girls at pre-school just swarmed all over him. (I think its the cape!)
So its off to haunt and scare...well, more like look cute and use our manners, tonight and we hope you have fun doing the same. Be safe and enjoy Halloween.

Pumpkin Faces!

I love going to the pumpkin patch. I love picking out a pumpkin! I love carving a pumpkin. It's so satisfying. This year with 4 little ones cleaning out pumpkins and deciding on faces---things got a little crazy. So instead of handing each little one a sharp knife and letting them "go to town" we instituted a new way of carving our pumpkins. Each child (and Barney, our dog) drew us a picture of what they wanted their faces to look like and then Jason used our power drill to create it. It was perfect. The kids loved the noise and I loved that everyone's fingers stayed where God intended them. Jason loved that he was able to use the drill for fun and the pictures we got of everyone with their finnished pumpkin faces just make me smile.

Fright Night

Bethany, Dana, Katie and our hostess
Ron, Dave, Jason and her again
We braved two haunted houses with some friends of ours, Dave and Bethany Richards and Ron and Katie Gallagher, the last night. We had a fun dinner and headed off to get spooked right at 7 p.m. when they opened. Right the and there I realized a few things.
1. Only dorky people with kids show up right when the haunted house opens. Why? Because they are the ones with babysitters at home. Babysitters do have school the next morning so they cannot be out too late.
2. I don't like scary things. At all.
3. I don't like people in my personal space.
Before we entered the houses we were told by our hostess--the creepy girl in the pictures--that we had to split into 2 groups. Dang It! We didn't want to split a couple up so the guys went in one group and the girls in the other. Crazy, I know, but what else were we supposed to do?
Haunted House #1-girls went first. Memories-scary person climbing out from under a bed. Lots of people charging us and stopping just short of touching us (which I kept reminding them, "No touching!") and then hissing, growling and moaning in our ears...creepy. We stayed huddled and made it out just fine. The guys? Came strolling out of it like they just got off the Flying Dumbo ride at Disneyland. Not of speck of fear on their faces.
Haunted House #2-boys went first. Theme-Pick a new Career. Memories-the demon construction worker accidentally spit on me (in his defense, he did have minty fresh breath), Bethany told the creepy dead football player to "Back off or else", and Katie had a bloodied Butcher come out of nowhere and scare the stuffing out of her and she threw her head back in horror and totally head butt me in the face. Lovely. I guess the guys didn't find it that scary (again) because creepy people let them get in on the fun and give us one BIG scare at the end. Not funny. We had a good time and enjoy a little gore and suspense once a year. Do you get scared easily?

I Sunk My Teeth In....

and finished these fun books in a little less than a week. They were fun, a quick read and oh-so-clean. (Which I really liked!) Plus, with Jason out of town all the time, they didn't spook me out or keep me up at night thinking about the plot or it's characters. As for it being a Vampire/Warewolf/Human love story triangle, why not? Gotta keep life interesting somehow. So yes, they were teeny-bopperish and yes I liked them. For the great literary scholar I am, I found them more than acceptable. They were no Shakespeare but they were fun. They were the perfect escape. Have you read them? What did you think? If you haven't read them...pick 'em up or come borrow mine!

Swing Batta, Batta

No, I don't have my camera back yet but in honor of playoff's I thought you like to see the wicked awesome stance and swings my kiddos have. I think I have some future Red Sox in my hands!

Do's and Don't's Of Vacationing With Your Hubby

DO say "yes" when your husband asks you if you want to go away to Palm Springs for a long weekend.
DON'T get a sinus infection the day before you leave.
DO get up bright and early the day of your flight, get to the airport early and be excited.
DON'T let your husband forget his briefcase at home with everything he needs in it.
DO run into the airport while your husband rushes back home and plead with the ticket counter guy to put you on a later flight.
DO get tickets for a flight an hour later.
DON'T ask strangers every 3 seconds what time it is. It doesn't make your husband show up any faster.
DO get in the longest security check point line EVER and make friends with the little Filipino lady who is in charge of the 1st class, special teams lines.
DO run like the wind once you and your husband get through security and just barley make your original 6 a.m. flight.
DON'T fly with a sinus infection! You'll be painfully sorry.
DO get to Palm Springs, check-in, and take a peek around the Resort.
DO get so excited about laying out at the pool for the next 3 days.
DON'T start throwing up uncontrollably one hour after arriving.
DON'T throw up for the next 5 hours.
DO pray for unconsciousness.
DO apologize to your husband over and over.
DO remind your husband that he had this flu thing a few weeks ago and he gave it to you.
DON'T let the resort give you the room right below the Bar/Club dance floor.
DO call the front desk and ask why they failed to mention you will be sleeping below the dance floor.
DON'T stay up until 1 a.m. listening to the mind numbing bass of all the music.
DO be semi-impressed with how many songs you actually knew even though you are a 29 year-old Hannah Montana fan.
DO feel well enough the next morning to get up and go watch your husband speak at the ICCFA Conference.
DO feel very proud of him and grateful to Heavenly Father for letting your husband be so wonderful and great at what he does.
DO go right back to bed after your husband is done.
DON'T fool yourself and tell yourself you are feeling "fine."
DO say "yes" when your husband says, "Should we just go home and go away another weekend?"
DO get a flight home.
DO NOT fly with a sinus infection!!!! It hurts!!!!
DO get home, kiss the kids, take a shower, go to bed.
DO laugh with your husband that you have never been so happy to see the gray of Portland.
DO plan on getting away again soon. Healthy. Happy. Ready for fun.

Festivus

We were in a festival kind of mood this weekend so we headed off to the big city (Portland, it's 8 miles away) and got all festive at the Portland Jugglers Festival and the Polish Festival.

(Quick side note: I apologize for the lack of pictures but my camera is broken and currently being fixed by the Geek Squad...or is it Nerd Patrol...anywho, someone who can fix it. Life without a camera is a pain!)

The 2007 Portland Jugglers Festival was located at this really old, really liberal college in this really rich part of town. As we walked across campus I couldn't help but notice that all of the students meet the same visible criteria. They all had a cigarette in one hand, coffee in the other, looked as though they hadn't combed their hair in a year, and their wardrobes were most def from Salvation Army. Why is it to be a young Liberal co-ed you have to look homeless when really you are a rich kid from the suburbs and Mommy and daddy are ridiculously wealthy? I digress--The ladies also took notice and felt the need to announce..."Look MOM, HE'S smoking!" or, "Mom, does she know her teeth are going to get all rotten from smoking and no one will want to be her friend?" Nice. As we are walking toward our destination with 3 kids running and enjoying the fall day a gal walks past me and mumbles "Haven't you ever heard of zero population?" WHAT? I just wanted to say "Haven't you ever heard of hygiene?" But, I didn't. For now though I am enjoying picturing the student body of Reed College performing the song "Zero Population" from the movie we all know and love, Saturday's Warrior.

The Jugglers Festival was ummmm......educational. For instance, we learned that if you are a juggler its okay to have your underwear hanging out all over the place, even if it has holes in it. Also, hot pink is a great hair color for both male and female. And, deodorant is not an industry necessity. In fact, I think you might be shunned if you do use it! But it was fun to see the talents of all the people! So to the Jugglers, Well Done!

Next, we headed off to the Polish Festival for some yummy Kielbasa, Parogies and desserts. We had a great time. The food was awesome! Of course we Chicken Danced ourselves crazy. There is nothing better than doing the Chicken Dance with your husband, kids, and a jolly half-drunk Accordion playing Polish Man. We also shook what our Mama's gave us a did a wicked Hokey Pokey. Good times, good times! What can I say? We are dancing machines. So while I wish I could have given you a picture essay on our weekend I hope you were able to visualize our fun and excitement! So, what did you do this weekend?