Christmas With the Sharps

We had a very good Christmas this year. Kids actually slept in until 8:30, which was a great Christmas present for us, and they had a blast sleeping in the living room by the tree (this is a tradition on Cliff's side). It is tradition on my side of the family to have cinnamon rolls for breakfast Christmas Day. I have changed it to orange rolls because my kids don't do cinnamon, and because they are so easy to make when you buy the pan of Rhodes orange rolls. I know, I am lazy. Last year, we tried to do breakfast first and then presents, which was a bad idea, so we switched it around and opened gifts first. Still a bad idea. I think I just need to give up on my children eating a formal breakfast on Christmas morning.
The boys were great with presents. Brandon was hilarious, because he would hold a present up and say, "Megatron? Are you in there?" He is obsessed with Transformers right now. Benjamin just thought it was fun to rip something and not get in trouble. He kept looking at me like he was thinking, really? You're just going to let me do this and not say no?
My parents will get a huge kick out of this pic. Yes, I did it. I got pants for my daughter that reach up to her neck. Just like my dad did when I was young. Only mine were maroon corduroys, not jogging pants. Stylin', I know.
Nadia was a little puzzled by this present. "What?! You got me Caprisuns?!" We kept telling her to open the box, and when she finally did, she had shirts inside. Really, I'm not so cheap that I would gift my child juice for her lunchbox. It can get hard to find boxes around the holidays, and sometimes I have to be creative. They are very sturdy and can hold quite a bit. Plus, you have the great factor of surprise. I would recommend them to everyone.

After Christmas morning was over, we went to visit with my fam and sis for a few days. My bro who is also up here and his fam came as well, so we had a pretty hoppin' party in Cache Valley. We had ham, turkey with all the fixings, and all the baking that I did Monday. This included a cake pan of brownies, 16 cupcakes (we had to sacrifice a few for tasting purposes), 3 dozen cranberry cake mix cookies, and a cake pan of rice crispies treats with dark chocolate M&M's. The next day was turkey enchiladas which are a family favorite, and I won't tell you any more because I ate way too much and would rather skip the embarrassment.

Instead I will end with another great holiday story that we retell every year. Okay, not really, but it is pretty funny. One year, I chose my brother Steven out of the hat for Christmas presents. There are five siblings in my family, plus our own families we now have, so it tends to be easier to just pull a name out of the hat and buy for one sibling. Anyway, Steven needed a new wallet pretty badly. So I found a nice one for him, pretty similar to what he had but with a different coin pocket that had a flap so his change wouldn't fly out everytime he opened it. I thought I would be clever and play a little joke on him as well. Steven is a big cereal fan, and the tops for him is either Cookie Crisp or Lucky Charms. Well, this season they had just come out with Chocolate Lucky Charms, which was every child's and dentist's dream. Steven loved it. So I bought a box of it, CAREFULLY opened the flaps on top, and jiggled everything around in there to fit the cereal and the new wallet. This was harder than I thought. They pack those cereal boxes pretty full. Christmas morning, Steven sees his present under the tree, and thinks it's a shirt box. Until it makes weird noises every time it moves (from the cereal). I loved seeing his face when he saw the box. He was so disappointed but tried to look happy. Not really. Steven, don't ever play poker. I kept trying to tell him after all the presents were opened to have some cereal, so he would open the box and see the wallet, but without success. The next day I was not at all subtle about it and told him to open the box already. He did it grudgingly, and then found the wallet after I told him what I had done. He was pretty happy then, and thought it was very sneaky.

So this year, My sis and hubby decide to go in together on something really NICE for me. She found a very cute Coach bag and told Cliff she thought I would like it. So he told her to get it. Side note: he had no idea what Coach was, and thought it was like a saddle bag or some old stage coach thing, until my bro-in-law Scott got on the phone and explained it was like the Armani of the suit world. Then the big epiphany of "Oh!" She sent it in the Coach gift bag they give you when you make a purchase, telling Cliff I would never guess it really was a Coach anything. She was so right. So now I no longer hold the title of Sneaky Sibling #1. Which means you all better watch out for next year!!!

Hark, the Herald Angels Sing

Just thought I'd try to post two of our musical angels singing for Christmas. Number 3 thought it was more fun to look through the camera than do his thing, but he was leading the music for the two older ones.


Sorry I didn't post this sooner. We did this Christmas Eve, and then left for Cache Valley the next morning/afternoon to see the grandparents and my Sis from VA. They don't have internet access anymore since they are selling their house, so I had to wait till we were back home. Hope you all had a great Christmas holiday with your loved ones!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

The other day at work, there was an announcement. "Teachers, (they never include us lunch ladies) please excuse the interruption. The thermometer is reading -12 so recess will be inside today. We will update you if there are any changes." About 45 minutes later, recess was back outside because it was only -8.

Seriously?

Maybe it's because I'm not from Idaho, but isn't that still just frigid?

Today was not much better. The snow was beautiful, the sky was clearing from the last storm we had, and I thought, "What a pretty Christmas picture this is." Then I went outside to warm up the car. Big mistake. By the way, I don't curse. I Mormon curse. That's when you pick random words and assign them the same menacing under your breath voice you would use for real cursing. Mine are mainly the names of Italian artists. Try it. Mutter "Caravaggio!" under your breath and see if you don't feel better. Any way, after using all my Mormon curse words, where I sound like I'm in a Renaissance gallery instead of my driveway wrestling with the snow that keeps coming back instead of leaving like it's supposed to, it was time to drive Nadia to school. She had just been standing on the front step watching me battle the snow and wind (and losing) while she waited patiently for the car to warm up enough for the doors not to freeze open.

I am now determined to teach the dog to scrape off the snow and drive Nadia to school before coming back home so I can have a nice warm car to hop into for work. The time used for this extra training will be well worth it. I am just not made for this kind of cold.

Being an army brat and growing up in Germany, yes, it was cold. But not like this. Besides, I had those cool knee high socks that actually came up past your bum and could have reached your belly button if you sewed them together. They were great with your leg warmers and big balloon jacket.

Why can't a designer come out with a new line of clothing that is warm, fashionable, and maybe throw some knee socks in for the 3o something woman? Or is that just too juvenile for the mature woman?

Darn fashion trends.

Clarification

At work today, the subject of Christmas and Santa came up. Being the big dork that I am, I blurted out how my kids really don't believe and Brandon's need to correct everyone on St. Nick's dead/not dead status. I thought it was a cute story. Until I saw the other ladies' faces. They looked horrified, and asked when I had shattered the dream. There may be a new lock on the door Monday morning at the school.

So I feel I need to explain a little more about St. Nick and me. We don't have some terrible hate relationship because I was jipped as a kid or saw some awful Santa impersonator who ruined it for me. I really don't have it in for him. He just wasn't that important in the Christmas picture. So when the children started asking questions about him, I decided to keep it laid back and answer them honestly. And that just happened to include the question, "So if he lived a long time ago, is he dead?" asked by Darling Nadia. Brandon was in the car and heard the answer. I just couldn't say the bold face lie that he wasn't, or that he was special and could live forever because the other holiday mascots got together and voted him in. Does that make me a bad parent? Have your kids asked about how old he is and why he isn't dead yet? This was after discussing George Washington and why Cliff's grandparents and mine (except for my Gma Soelberg) weren't around to visit and send presents to them.

Great. Now I'll need to write ANOTHER post soon because I'm getting depressed about the whole thing.

No, Virginia, There Isn't A Santa Claus

This blog would crush the heart of that little eight year old girl who sent in a letter to the Sun newspaper asking if there really is a Santa Claus. My children do not believe in Santa Claus. He is dead. Now, before you decide to come over and tell me how awful I am as a parent for allowing this, let me explain.

Cliff was raised that the spirit of Christmas was sometimes embodied in the form of St. Nick, but the main focus in their house was always the birth of the Savior. His parents were really against any form of lying to their children. I was just fine with that when I married into the Sharp family. We also came from a very Christ-centered Christmas in my family, and being in Europe as a child certainly helped that. Santa just isn't that big over in Germany and Italy the way he is here in the States.

So when we started having a family, we focused more on the Savior than Santa Claus. We have talked about the nice man Saint Nicholas who loved children and was very kind to them, and how he died a long time ago. But we try to remember his kind acts when we dress up as Santa or do nice things for our neighbors and friends in the Christmas spirit. We try to tell the children it's okay if other people say they believe in him, but it doesn't always sink in.

Like when Brandon's Primary teacher asked everyone if anything neat or interesting had happened that week. Brandon raised his hand. "Santa isn't real. He died a long, long time ago." I am sorry if your child is in Brandon's class. I had no idea he was such a downer. He has also started a crusade to enlighten his fellow preschoolers. Again, I apologize if your child is in Brandon's class and needs help for their depression. We are currently working on his Christmas skills to try to remedy the problem.

Nadia is a little better, but not much. She doesn't announce the death of St. Nick like Brandon. She'll let kids talk about Santa and what they believe, and will do the "Uh-huh," like we all do to the telemarketer while we wait through the spiel to tell them we're not interested. Once in a while she'll say, "But you know he's not real, right?" A little bit of progress, but it still needs some work.

As a side bar, I think Nadia's cousin had almost convinced Nadia last year that St. Nick was real. Nadia was quite the follower of this cousin and had to be just like her. So when she said she believed, I think Nadia decided it wouldn't hurt to try. Then came the ward Christmas party. Nadia was very excited to see Santa. For the first time ever. Then she saw him and grabbed my hand. "MOM!" she whispered in that urgent whisper voice. "Who is that?" "That's Santa." "MOM! No, it's NOT! It's some guy dressed in a Santa suit!" She was very shaken that it wasn't the real thing. So much so that she wouldn't go near him. Until Brandon came back with a bag of candy. When she found out where he got it, she was all over it.

These pics are from last year. This year I couldn't take the shot. They both sat on his lap just long enough for him to ask what they wanted, shrug because they know HE isn't getting them anything, and ask for their candy. Hey, I may be raising unbelievers, but at least they are SMART unbelievers.

Happy Birthday, Brandon

Brandon had his 5th birthday on December 3rd. He was very excited about it and kept asking me, "Mom. mom, do you know what the 3rd is?" I would reply, "Tell me." "It's my BIRTHDAY!!!" I was also mean and in a hurry one time and just told him it was his birthday. "Mom, who told you? How did you know it was my birthday?" was the response that time.
This is Brandon trying to be patient with camera-idiot mom right before opening presents. Yes, all those in the background are his. He is a spoiled little boy with both sets of grandparents and an Auntie Marlene.


After opening presents, we went to Leo's Place. It's kind of like Chucky Cheese's with pizza and games, but the best thing is their huge play area, with a huge slide at the end. This is Brandon and his cousin Zackary going up the rope ladder to get inside the play area. They really just played and hardly ate any pizza. Natural behavior for a new 5 year old and his cousin. The two girls did a little better with the eating thing.

This is the cake. Yes, I freehanded the letters, which was a terrible idea, but maybe I actually did the messy writing on purpose so it wouldn't intimidate the rest of you. :) The idea originally was to have a few cars driving on a road, but then Brandon went with Grandma to the store to get cake decorating items. The road had to be a rainbow instead of plain brown chocolate sprinkles, and he also decided the cake needed a fish pond with fish and some gummi bears needed to be thrown into the mix for some reason, too. And it had to be white. Maybe next year he'll let me do it all by myself.

The Recap

Okay, I will do a brief post of Thanksgiving. All three of my brothers were able to come with their families except John, who is single ladies!!! ;) Anyway, the kids had a great time visiting with everyone when they weren't vomiting in my lap or all over their clothes in the car to SLC.
We played lots of games and watched movies in my parents cool new movie and game lounge downstairs, complete with bean bag chairs, wet bar and an air hockey table. We weren't the only ones with sick kids, and then my bro Jacob got the bug on the drove home. So all the way up to Idaho Falls on Sunday, Cliff and I kept asking each other, "How are you feeling?" "I'm just fine, how are you feeling?" and wondering if the other person really was fine, or if there would be an emergency roadside stop somewhere. But we both really were just fine, and so I get to bleach my house and hope the bug is dead.

Oh Tannenbaum

I was thinking about doing a post about Thanksgiving, but like Prince Humperdink in Princess Bride, thought it better to just skip to the end and so this blog is about Christmas. Here is our tree after the children put on the unbreakable ornaments. I love to see how high on the tree they are getting every year. It's also funny to see how they clump them together because they like to work together and see what the other is putting up next on the tree. Benjamin was too busy to help put on ornaments because he was busy with a call on the cell phone.
On the way home from Thanksgiving in Cache Valley, Brandon asked when we would set up the Christmas tree. No. he's really not that happy about helping set it up and putting on ornaments. As some weird mystic might say, there was a question behind this question of the Christmas tree. You see, if we put up the tree, that means his big train gets to come out, too. Brandon loves this train with almost as much passion as I love shoes. It is a tragedy when it has to go back in the box in January.

Brandon is very loving and actually lets Nadia have a turn with the "Polar Express" every so often. Benjamin just loves watching it go and will leave it alone. We put the presents inside the track, after I give up on that stupid tree skirt. Every year after the train is set up, I get the question of why can't we just have the train up all the time. He asked again today. Hmm, maybe because it's too big and I like having the couch in the living room. But then, maybe I don't have the right priorities for toys and furniture.

Potpourri

Today we will not be talking about that nasty smelling pine cone mess most people automatically think of when the word potpourri pops up. Instead, this post is just a mixture of pics and words that (I hope) go pleasingly together and is easier to stomach. Those pine cones can sure do a number on you. Just kidding.
Up top we have Benjamin. What a great mess to go with that great smile. My dad had gotten into the habit over the summer to give Ben an ice cream sandwich of his very own every night after dinner. He never had any stomach issues, and is actually still in the 35th percentile weight wise. Dad got some more the other night and yes, Ben still likes them. Now we just have to teach Mr. Independent how to clean all of himself, not just his mouth.

Hmmm, do you think the kids are still happy they have a dog? They have both done a great job keeping her food and water dish full and playing with her inside and out.

(This is supposed to be in National Geographic style. Imagine some English guy narrating.)

Here we see the Baby Bird Benjamin in his natural habitat. Aware that there is an adult with food nearby, he proceeds to initiate the "I want some of that too" dance, with its very unique stomping while running steps. This is followed by the vocalization "Num Num", as he approaches the adult with a wide open mouth ready to accept any offering.

This was Nadia's Halloween costume. She was very excited about being a cheerleader until the day before the school parade and class party. And then she became a first class worrywart. "Where will I change? I'm not wearing that costume ALL DAY. What if Mr Hughes (the principal) doesn't know Miss Johnson (the teacher) said it was okay to change in the bathroom and we get in trouble? What if Miss Johnson gets in trouble? What if there's another cheerleader there? What if I'm the only cheerleader? What if nobody likes my costume?" Now some of the questions were a little silly, but I do worry about Nadia and her self esteem. Especially since she's already a girl who sticks out in class with size and smarts. So I didn't roll my eyes and calmly went through the fears and told her it would all be okay. That smile in the picture tells me it was. P.S. She was a great BYU cheerleader. Ask her sometime to say, "GO COUGARS"! P.P.S. What was I thinking trying to make a cheerleader costume?! Why don't they make them in the big girl sizes?! UGH!!!

And Baby Makes Three

This is the final in our three part series, in which we let Benjamin shine. He is a great little boy who is not going to be my baby for much longer. He loves to play with the dog and she is very patient towards him and the other two. He also loves to throw her the ball. She will stay put while we count, "One, two, three, throw!" and then he'll throw and she'll catch.

Benjamin is also becoming very independent. Look at him with that spoon! Too bad you can't hear the "MMMM's" that come with eating strawberry yogurt. He also has a great baby bird impression when you're eating something. He comes right up to you, says "Num num" and opens his mouth and waits for you to feed him. It's pretty cute.

Benjamin loves this truck. It is just the right size to sit in the back and be pushed around, or if you lift up the back Benjamin will drive it around the house himself. He comes up to me with the truck, and slaps the back while talking Klingon to tell me to lift it so he can drive. He has got a great smile and giggle, too. I wish he'd hold still long enough to show you, but he also loves to lay down on the couch or Brandon's bed and will read. Sometimes he'll pull you over and have you help, and sometimes he wants to do it all by himself. I'm glad we have him. He's a fun boy.

This One's For The Boy

This post is all about Brandon. I felt that since Nadia had her little moment in the spotlight, the boys should be included too. Benjamin's post will come soon. Brandon goes to a really neat preshool. They teach all the regular things like shapes and letters, but they always have a craft ot other fun thing that corresponds to the letter of the week that they're focusing on. This is from "C is for Camouflage" day. Brandon wore it all day and almost didn't eat his dinner for fear that he would ruin his paint job. He finally let me get the paint from off his lips and a little around his mouth so he could actually put the fork and some food in there. Brandon really likes to take care of his toys and other "cool things".

This is a picture of two good buddies. My dad and mom are staying with us while they try to sell their house in Cache Valley. So the kids get to see them all the time. Brandon loves to jump in their laps and cuddle with them. He also likes to try to negotiate the going rate of gummi worms for finishing dinner or chores. He usually succeeds.

Brandon gets really super tired right after we say family prayer. So tired that he can't even make it across the room without falling down and falling asleep on the floor. Then Daddy has to carry him to bed where he miraculously wakes up again and asks for a story from grandma.

I know I've already posted this one, but couldn't help myself. The next day at lunch, which is when I said we could finish eating cupcakes, I asked Brandon if he would like to eat his masterpiece. "No." So I asked why. It was because there were too many candies and they would make the cupcake taste gross. After a big cleansing breath, I was calm and said it was okay to take off the candies and just eat the cupcake plain. Don't worry too much about those poor little candies, I did my motherly duty and ate them. Because I love my son. And candy.

Happy Helpers

This blog post will be just a little different. To explain a little, Nadia and Brandon are wonderful helpers. Unless it's something really important like giving mommy another diaper wipe because I had no idea Benjamin's diaper would be so bad. Anyway, they decided it would be fun to help mommy take pictures for her blog. Brandon took the first three. I have no idea what the top picture is, and neither does he, but he is VERY proud of it.

I think this one is a picture of one of the crafts he made at preschool. Too bad they don't teach photography along with phonics and reading there.

I actually like this one. I could almost see it in an art gallery. "See the way he's captured the soul of the wood. The lines and lighting are exquisite." This is a picture of Brandon's headboard.

Now it's Nadia's turn. She has decided to start off with a picture of the dog treats.

This is our fan. We use it when it's summer. (Nadia's description)

Yes, we have a phone in our house, too. And now my helpful children have helped me make a new blog post. I actually think it's kinda cute that they went around taking pics to show on here.

Miss Nadia and the Ruby Red Shoes

These are Nadia's new shoes. Ta Da. She picked them out by herself when we went to Shoe Carnival. They are constantly on her feet, unless she's in school, the tub, or bed. I am waiting for the morning when she decides to wear them to school. Oh, it will happen. She is too much like me to not try it. She will be sneaky and not tell me that she's wearing them, so I will never notice. Because how on earth can I be that attuned to know she's wearing shiny red 2 inch heels, when we live in a house with a tile floor? And then she will be amazed once again with the powers of motherhood when I tell her I know what she's wearing and to take them off and put on her school shoes.

Look at those things. Claret red faux patent leather top (with a hint of elastic), mock croc open toe bottom. Yes, they are a more "mature" shoe. Nadia measured at a 5. These came from the women's section. That's all I can think of when I try to convince myself it's okay to let a 7 year old have a two inch heel. They just don't make dress-up shoes in a size 5.

Yes, I've heard all the jokes, too. She could dress up as Dorothy next Halloween and click her heels while saying, "There's no place like Nordy's!" (Nordstrom's) Or how great she'll do in a few years in the beauty pageant circuit since we started her high heel training now.

Oh, and on a side note...
You totally thought I was joking about feeling guilty about having a post with no pictures, didn't you? I will have you know that all day I was thinking of what pics to use and how many I could cram into one post to make up for this greatest of blogging sins. So if the apple crisp at school doesn't taste right tomorrow, you'll know why.

The Pumpkin Farm

A few days before Halloween, we went to the "Pumpkin Farm" to find just the right pumpkin to make a jackolantern. We had a good time, except for Benjamin.

NOW Benjamin is happy. He's such a daddy's boy. When he's not a mama's boy.

The kids loved this mini corn maze. They would run through, go around the barn, and then come back in the maze and run through again.

Benjamin tried to help us find a pumpkin while the other two ran. He tried to be helpful and picked a few out, but they were not that great. We ended up finding one at Walmart.

The Three and 1/2 Confessions of Sarah Sharp

I've been really bad with blogging lately, but you see, some of the things that've happened this last week just don't come with pictures. There's probably a fine or maybe even the possibility of taking away my blog, but this post I have no pics. I still really wanted to blog, though, because deep down somewhere I think people might actually read this anyway. Here's our pictureless week. By the way, this is the first confession. I feel guilty about no pics.

Our new dog Jewel is a Houdini. She has figured out how to open the sliding glass door when it isn't locked and lets herself and my mom's dog Sampson back into the house. I would love to show you how she does it, but we have yet to catch her in the act. She's done it twice-once on Saturday while Nadia and I were shoe shopping, and then yesterday during church. Either that or else we have a weirdo burglar who never steals anything and wants us to have a high heating bill. I prefer the first theory. Less creepy. Now we just need to see if Jewel can learn how to drive Nadia to school in the morning so I can sleep in... I am only half joking about the dog driving Nadia to school. I have never been a morning person. So this is the half confession.

Nadia and I went shoe shopping on Saturday. She and I have been butting heads a lot lately, and Cliff and I thought maybe some mommy daughter time would snap her out of it. Okay, Cliff thought that. My idea was never let her out of her room until she's thirty and has outgrown the diva attitude. Nadia is just like me, so we really know how to push each other's buttons, but we also share a shoe fetish almost bordering on idolatry. We went to Shoe Carnival, and I told Nadia that we were going to find some FUN shoes for her. We could take as long as we wanted and she could choose whatever she wanted. Sounds like a great girl day, right? Well, it went South pretty quickly. She decided she wanted shiny black high heels, and I was okay with it. She tried on several pairs of shiny black flats and heels that would have been great Sunday shoes and found the pair she wanted. I thought great, we've bonded over shoes, had a good time, now it's Mommy's turn to have some fun. Hey, they were having buy one get one 1/2 off, so we HAD to get another pair anyway. I know you understand. Anyway. We find a pair she really likes, and then she says to me, "These will be great on the playground!" Woah. Where did she get the idea shiny fun shoes are for school? I know I am Mrs. Anal Mom USA but I tried to explain to her that these are not good school shoes, because they have a heel and NO TRACTION, and she starts whining and throwing a fit. I also hear Cliff's voice telling me how fun this is going to be, the two girls who love shoes going shoe shopping, and let me tell you it's a good thing he wasn't there or else paramedics would have been called. I don't know how I did it, but we somehow got it worked out what fun shoes were and what school shoes were, and she could have whatever she wanted as long as they were used for that purpose. A little over an hour later, we were done at the store. What shoes did Nadia get? What shoes did Sarah get? Hey, this is a confession, not a shoe show. Maybe next time. Third confession. I have been lax in giving my daughter her shoe education.

This is the last confession and the most damaging. I am addicted to Facebook. Not the actual finding friends and keeping in contact with people, but those stupid, time consuming Facebook games. I play Mob Wars, Knighthood, and have a virtual pet. Totally useless games that steal away my time and keep me from doing real things like cleaning the toilet or reading a good book. Okay, so we all know I really wouldn't clean the toilet anyway if I had the extra time. I hate cleaning the bathroom. But I also hate how on my way home from work I start thinking, "Oh no! I forgot to clean my chicken (my virtual pet) this morning! He's going to be FILTHY!"

There you have it.

Our New Additon

We are now the proud owners of a dog. Her name is Jewel, and she belonged to a friend who couldn't take her when they moved. She has acclimated a lot faster and better than I anticipated, which is great, and the children love having her. She's an eight year old mixed up pup who is not too big, not too small, and likes to sleep in our room.

Yes, I know I shouldn't have taken her picture right at bedtime, but it's the only time she's left alone. She really is a calm and mellow dog, though. And yes, that is a picket fence in my living room. It keeps the kids away from the gas fireplace.

Halloween Phantom

Every year in our ward, the YM/YW have an activity where they bake treats to take to various people. They tape a little poem to the treats and "ding Dong Ditch" them, as they are "The Halloween Phantom". The poem tells you that the Halloween Phantom has left you treats for Halloween, and now it's your turn to pick a few families and be the phantom to them.

Brandon thinks there really is a nice ghost whose job it is to bake goodies for everyone and then deliver them. No matter how I try to explain the concept to him, this is what he thinks. Maybe next year. The boy has mad cupcake decorating skills, doesn't he?

Benjamin is our taste tester. Heaven forbid we mistakenly send out an inferior product. We are just glad he takes his job seriously and very cheerfully. He ate the entire thing. Did I mention he's enthusiastic? I love hearing his "Num num"s and "MMMMM"s!


Nadia loves playing the Halloween Phantom because she gets to be "tricky and sneaky" (her words) by not getting caught. She also likes helping to decide who we should take treats to every year. This year it was...Oops! Can't give that away!

This is a Halloween tradition I think I'd like to take with us when we move. Lots of fun, and hey, who doesn't like a night centered around cupcake decorating and cupcake eating? Of course, cookies are acceptable too.

That Old Autumn Time

Okay, so I don't have any fun fall pics of us. Yet. Just give me a little time, and I'll do better. I figured since I haven't written anything in two weeks, I should get back on the ball. But here is a list of things we like to do in the autumn time:

1. Nadia loves it when I make apple cider and wassail. Great with popcorn and a movie.

2. Speaking of movies, we always watch "Nightmare Before Christmas" before Halloween. Cliff also has the soundtrack, and so we listen to that. All the time, not just in the fall. Cliff loves Danny Elfman.

3. We have to walk around the neighborhood and find all the piles of leaves so we can "crunch" them while we walk past. We all love the sound of crunchy leaves.

4. Pumpkin. We love to make all things that have pumpkin. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. As Benjamin would say, "Num num". We also like making Jack-o-lanterns.

5. There are a lot of October birthdays on my side of the family, so fall is also party time central. Nadia, both my parents, my grandmother, and several others all have October birthdays.

There you have it.

Stay tuned for future installments, in which we have news about a family addition, leaves changing colors, and whether or not I can convince Cliff to help with the holiday decorations.

Venus and Mars

So Cliff and I saw Ironman a while ago. Guess how the conversation went after we left the theater. It was something similar to this:

"What did you think of the ending?"

"I loved it. Those shoes were killer."

"What shoes?"

"Her shoes at the end of the movie, of course!"

"You mean you noticed her shoes when things were exploding and there's a huge life or death battle?"

"Uh, yeah, I noticed her shoes."

Shocking, isn't it?

Things I've Heard

Here are a few things that I've heard recently:

Mom, it's so hot my slobber's all gone. (Nadia on the walk home from school)

Oh yes, I have my birthday two times every day. (my nephew Zack at lunch)

It's too hard to eat breakfast! (Brandon, but it's too hard to do most other things as well)

Look at that! (Benjamin's favorite phrase; I love it when he whispers it)

May you pass the ketchup? (Brandon being polite)

If I'm really good and do all my chores, then can I get a hundred dollars? (Brandon again, trying to negotiate his allowance)

Worst Book Club Ever

Okay, so my R.S. president from six months ago seemed to think that I would do a great job starting a book club. Started it, got super sick, summer came and noone was home (at least not us), and all of the sudden last month I think half of the members of our one meeting asked me when we were starting back up. As well as several new people to our ward. So I decide since it's been a good 5 months, let's start back at the beginning, which is a very good place to start (sorry, couldn't help having a Julie Andrews moment).

I decided to have a movie for Book club. I know, it's BOOK club, not popcorn night or chick flick Friday, but I was thinking that this way if people are new they will have a chance to get a copy of the rules (Hello, it's me, of course there are rules!!!) and we would all be on equal footing for getting the next book and having time to read it. I also thought that under the cover of darkness I could sneak around a calendar so other ladies would pick a book and lead the discussion instead of just me.

So we come to Thursday night. While I am setting up, singing Homer's "I am so smart. S-M-R-T" song, I randomly wonder to myself, "Oooh, I wonder if they announced it in Relief Society. Oooh, I wonder if I should have called and reminded ladies yesterday, since Thursday is so far away from Sunday. Oooh, I wonder if anyone is going to stay at home and watch The Office instead."

That's right, I had forgotten to check the fall TV schedule while making my plans, hadn't checked to see how often Book Club had been announced in Relief Society (I was helping in Nursery, Nosey!) and forgot to remind ladies. The dreaded Triple Whammy.

One lady showed up. Forty minutes late. She knew something was happening, and finally remembered it was MORONIC Sarah's attempt at Book Club from the announcement 3 weeks ago. Oh well, I can try again next month. What do you think of having it on the 31st?;)

Tagged

Once upon a time I used to have a very good friend. But she decided it would be funny to "tag" me after deserting me to follow her husband and children to Utah for a better job that paid more money. Disgusting.
I have to say that I am really curious what others will do once I "tag" them, so please remember that I really do love you all, but if you decide to distance yourselves or even disown me, I totally understand.
These are the rules.
1. Link the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let the tagged person know their life is ruined by posting on their blog.
6. Confirm to the tagger (me) that you've posted.
I tag everyone on my list, since I don't even have six. Yeah, that's right, YOU.

Six Random Things About Me
1. I am lactose intolerant, but take pills for it so everyone thinks I have a drug problem instead.
2. I am a part time elementary school lunchlady.
3. I sing Italian songs in my head on Pizza Day (Friday).
4. Sometimes I mix up my sister's and daughter's names. Maybe because they're the same size. You know it's true, Lauren.
5. I don't like Ramen noodles.
6. My favorite ice cream is dulce de leche by Haagen Dazs.

Saturday at Warm River

We got to babysit the cousins on Saturday, and decided to have a day of it. We went up to Warm River and hiked around a little... Okay hardly at all. But the kids complained before me, really.

Catching Up to the rest of the world

So I finally decided to give in to peer pressure and start a family blog. Whoopedeedoo and all that. Here's a few pics to go with the post.

The first one is the three children right after Nadia chopped off her hair for Locks of Love with me.

Two is up at Jenny Lake by the Grand Tetons after children promised me they would just get their sandals and toes wet. Sure.

Three is the back yard with the first snowman of the season.

Four is a family shot when we went to visit Cliff's folks down at Mexican Hat in the Four Corners area.