She's so fancy!

One of the best things about gifts from others is that they find wonderful little things that you wouldn't think to buy yourself. Take this coat and hat as a case in point. They are so stinking cute and Grace looks adorable, but I wouldn't have bought this little outfit...I don't think it would have occurred to me. That's why I'm grateful for stylish friends and family members. This sweet number is from SannDee (thanks!) and is wonderful. Grace looks like she could go to France and hang out with Grandma and Poppa...she'd fit right in!

Presents!

One of Merritt's new dinosaur shirts. (He also got dino pj's.)









Grace got a fairy doll from Heather.










Grant loves his ball popper!










Heather inspects her present from Jaime. I think she likes it!









Snazzy original Hawaiian art!









Chad got a Porter Rockwell t-shirt from the kids. They picked the color and the design!







So there is no photo of me receiving my favorite gift, which was from Chad, but I was so surprised and pleased that I laughed and cried. No kids, it wasn't diamonds...it was a gleaming white Kitchen Aid Mixer. I LOVE IT! (Runner up: Season 2 of Avatar. That show is AWESOME!)

Christmas Spaz Attack

There is no longer any doubt in my mind that sugar is a drug. What has brought on this epiphany you ask? Well, it was something that I have dubbed the "Christmas Spaz Attack." I put three little Dove chocolates in Grant's stocking and gave him ONE, and only ONE. He ate it with relish, walked around for a few minutes digesting, and then proceeded to do a crazy, sugar-high induced little dance that involved stomping his feet really fast (a la Flashdance), twirling around, and then falling down. Sugar is like crack for babies!

Things I Want To Remember...

The children do such funny and weird and heartwarming things everyday, but they are just little things and I'm afraid I'll forget them, so I compiled a list to help me remember.


One of the first things Merritt says to me in the morning is, "Guess what dinosaur we are today!" He then shows me a picture of the T-Rex, Velociraptor, Gigantosaurus, or whatever it is that has caught his attention. We then have to be that dinosaur all day and we usually eat Grace.

I don't know if this happens to you, but my kids follow me everywhere. I turn around from washing dishes at the sink, putting a load of laundry into the washer, or pulling an item from the fridge and there they are. I feel bad cause I've actually konked them in the head with my elbow as I turn because they are so close. Sometimes having the kids swarm around me like bees makes me feel a little crazy, but I always think that I should cherish their attention and be pleased that they want to be near me. I suppose there could come a day when I become "uncool" and they won't want to be seen with me.

When we sit down at the table to eat dinner, I always hear a little "knock, knock" sound coming from my left. It is Grace gently knocking her hand against the table so that I will hold it. We eat dinner that way, hand in hand, even though it gets tricky sometimes to eat my own dinner and feed Grant with only one free hand.


Last Christmas Grant received a teddy bear as a gift from a family friend. We put it in his crib and he has gradually become seriously attatched to it. He sleeps with it, carries it around by its scarf (that he chewed most of the tassels from), sits in his highchair with it, and squeezes it tight when he cries. I don't know how long this bear will be his "lovey" of choice, but it is so sweet to see him with it.

Grace and Grant wake each other up 99% of most mornings. It is usually around 5:30 when this happens (sometimes earlier...ack! - sometimes later...sob of gratitude). I stumble out of bed to get them (although Grace has been coming into our room faking a cough the past few mornings, as if that would excuse the obscene earliness of the hour) and take them downstairs for Sesame Street. I usually doze sitting up in the armchair or wrapped up with the two of them in a blanket on the floor. No matter where we are though, they each get a good handful of my hair and twist it while they drink OJ from sippy cups and sleepily watch the antics of Big Bird and Elmo. Those kids are addicted to my hair, it is some kind of security blanket or something. They want "hair" when they are sleepy, sad or just cuddling with me. If I go bald, it will be their fault.

This last one may seem weird to you, but it is funny to me. When Merritt gets undressed at night, he pulls off his pants by stepping on one pant leg and pulling it inside out while getting his foot free. He then just slides the other leg out and puts his pants into the laundry basket. This means that all of his jeans look like little pretzels to me, half inside out.

More Snow Fun

After slipping and sliding, getting a bit stuck at a stop sign on a hill, and finally making it home safely, I was ready to grab a paper bag and have a hyperventilating session but the kids wanted to play outside. So I skipped the nervous breakdown and got them ready for some fun in the snow instead. All the tracks you see in the second picture were made by Merritt running everywhere like a demented snowbeast. Gracie mostly sat in the snow and licked snowflakes off her gloves (she thinks snow is yummy), and yes, Grace is wearing purple snow pants, a pink coat and blue mittens. Could I find her purple snow coat anywhere...NO! I remember seeing it hanging in the closet of the kids' room in Orem. I haven't seen it here, but what did I care if her coat wasn't hanging in the closet in JUNE! I don't need a psychic to tell me that there are a couple of hours looking through boxes in our storage room in my future. I have to confess that I really don't care if the kids snow clothes match, I just care that they are warm and comfortable, but I DID try this time to make a coordinating outfit for Grace by buying the purple snowpants to compliment the coat she already owns. Now I say, why bother! She had fun and I had a fit...of smacking myself on the forehead for misplacing her coat in some box. D'oh!

Holy Snowstorm Batman!

I was hoping for a white Christmas, so all the snow is beautiful to me (although I'll like it much better when Chad is safe at home). It's been a bit longer in coming than normal, but we here in Utah expect it sooner or later. Check out, however, these pictures from my brother's home in Southern California. A major snowstorm dumped massive amounts of snow in his area and actually stranded him at work overnight (poor guy). You can tell how unused to snow they are in his neck of the woods by the fact that he is shoveling snow from his driveway with a garden shovel! Good times!

What has Merritt DONE to me?

Chad and I went Christmas shopping last night. We were looking for Disney Princess things and toddler toys and, of course, dinosaurs! We were walking along an isle outside the toy section when I saw two randomly placed dinosaur toys. I immediately picked them up and showed them to Chad. "Look," I said, "It's a Pachycephalosaurus and an Ankylosaurus!" Chad just shook his head. I CAN'T HELP IT...I KNOW THE DINOSAURS NOW! I know an herbivore from a carnivore and which falls into the category of theropod, sauropod, and orinthopod. I know where their digestive systems are within their bodies and why their guts are placed where they are. I know that some are duckbilled and some are armored and some have funky horns or crazy bones on their faces. I also know about binocular and stereoscopic vision, nesting habits of dinosaurs, what kind of teeth a Heterdontosaurus had in its mouth, and how to say Archaeopteryx, Rhamphorynchus, and Hypsilophodon! I also know that the most complete T-Rex skeleton ever discovered was found in the Black Hills of South Dakota and is named "Sue"! Do you know that???? NO? Then Merritt does NOT live in YOUR house! (Come to mine and learn all about dinosaurs.)

Gingerbread Fun...or...Who's Going to Eat all this Candy now? Oh yeah, me.

I just shoveled our driveway and walks out from under 4 or 5 inches of snow, which was hard work, but I like it. Then I had hot chocolate and now I'm eating M&M's. "Isn't it a little early in the morning for all that sugar," you may ask? Probably, but thanks to our foray into gingerbread house building last night, I am flush with yummy candy in bags and bowls. It's not my fault, really. At the Macey's in Orem there are lovely big bins of candy and you can just help yourself to however much (or little) you need. I am sad to report that there is no such animal here in Layton. I just HAD to buy the big bags of peppermints and gum drops and (of course) M&M's. Now you say, "You didn't have to buy the BIG bag of M&M's." Quiet You! I'm not interested in your guilt trips...and now for some more M&M's.

Hey, look at me everybody...I'm Peter Pants-less!

Or in this case, Grace Pants-less and Grant Pants-less. I was talking to my Mom on the phone when Grant arrived smelling less than sweet, so I called Chad in and gave him a "poopy present". ("My Favorite!" he replied.) Grant returned a few minutes later sans pants. Grace simply just refused to wear pants today after we got home from church. They chased each other around, rolled on the floor, and Grace tickled Grant ("Tickle, tickle! You're so cute!"). It was all really hilarious. They are good little friends (although they will fight occasionally) and they play well together. The ideas they get are pretty funny. Today, I opened the front door to find a wrapped package attatched to the door knob. At first I thought it might be a joke because the present (a jump rope) was wrapped in an entire Sunday's worth of newspaper. Anyhoo, Grace grabbed one end of the rope and Grant the other, and they chased each other around and around in a big circle from the kitchen to the living room and back again. "Catch me Granty, catch me!" Grace would chant and then they'd both scream with laughter.

P.S. - I just have to point out that my blog title has a new look courtsey of Chad. He is so talented! He works for cheap too, but just for me. ;)

5 Reasons I like Snow!

#5 - It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas!
#4 - I'm always in the mood for Hot Chocolate.
#3 - Creative Indoor Games with the Kids.
#2 - Snowmen, snowball fights, snow forts, snow angels, etc. et all!
#1 - THE MALL WAS PRACTICALLY EMPTY TODAY! We got so much shopping done - it was great!

Where did Merritt go?

Merritt and Grace were picking at each other and driving me nuts. I decided seperation was in order, so I asked Merritt to play in his room (since that was what he was doing anyway) and took Grace aside to talk to her about the perils of annoying her brother too badly. I then went upstairs to take care of some odds and ends. I was really enjoying the quiet and it kept stretching out...10 minutes...20 minutes...30 minutes of peace. This was awesome! Then I heard a little voice float up from Merritt's room: "Mom. Can I come out of my room yet?" Huh? I didn't send him to his room...or did I? I did say, "Go to your room and play." Was that the same as, "Go to your room"? Not in my mind, but it was to Merritt. He'd been "banished" to his room and "suffered" a half hour of solitude (I wish someone would send me to my room. I would take a nap!) I felt a little bad about that, but only a little. Oops.

Merritt-isms

Here are a few jems from Merritt to make your day bright.

I didn't have enough regular change to pay Merritt's allowance (chore duty money) so I had to include 15 pennies. When I dumped the handful of coins into his hands he got a big smile on his face and said, "Look at all this money! I'm rich!"

Merritt was reading his nightly Book of Mormon verse, which was 1 Nephi 4:4. When he read the words, "and did still continue to murmur," he threw up his hands in disgust and said: "Ugh! Laman and Lemuel are murmuring again! I hate that! When will they learn to stop complaining so much? It's so annoying!" I had to laugh.

Good Hair Day

I had a great hair day today. It was the kind of day where my hair practically did itself. Those days are, unfortunately, few and far between. Why can't this happen when I have a hot date? I'd even be glad for a good hair Sunday, that would be nice. As it was, my fabulous tresses were admired by Grace ("Pretty hair mom!") and eaten and pulled by Grant. Maybe the lucky employees at Target were impressed.

O Leora!

Here is a picture of me in all my garb for the Emerald Ward's production of The Ten Virgins. I played the part of Leora and got to be a wise woman...for once! Many thanks to Heather for coming up to see my performance, which I felt went well except for the part when I was singing and felt like I might have to cough and then involuntarily did a weird sort of hiccup...oh well! Hopefully everyone thought it was an emotional break in my voice rather than an absurd gasp for air. I CAN HOPE, CAN'T I?

I got caught swearing...

It's true, when I've had my fill and am all stressed out, I will occasionally let fly a cuss word. I am trying to be better about that, but I haven't conquered that particular mountain quite yet. But, before you judge me, let me tell you my story. Tuesday was an impossibly busy day for me. It started at about 1:30 in the morning, when Grace woke up coughing and choking on phlegm. Chad ran her into the bathroom so she could spit it all out and I held her as she shook and cried. We took her into bed with us until she was warm and calm and sleepy (and blessed by the Lord through Chad), and then put her back in her own bed. She slept well the remainder of the night, but Grant woke up crying at 4:54am. I looked at the clock and decided to let him cry it out, but a particularly ear-splitting wail had me flying out of bed to grab him. I was so tired and didn't want to be up, but I didn't know what else to do. We went together to get Grant his sippy cup of OJ and the thought came to me to put him back in bed with his juice. I did so and he went back to sleep, which got me another blessed hour of rest until Grace woke up at 6:00. She was feverish and listless, and cried every time she coughed because she thought that meant she was going to throw up.

After our morning routine of breakfast, bath, getting dressed, and making beds, I ran Merritt to school and then tried to get as much done as I could before heading off to the dentist. I dropped the kids off at Jeannine's house and then went in for a cleaning, a filling, and to have my new crown glued into my mouth. After two hours of dental fun I went back to Jeannine's house to find both my kiddos asleep. They had just been down for a little bit and I didn't want to move them, so I hung out there for another hour. Jeannine's dog Snow (who is huge and fluffy and white) came and slept with Grant, it was so cute! The great thing about having a mother in law who owns dogs is that she isn't phased by life's little messes. She had been holding Grant when Grace announced she needed to go to the bathroom. Since Grace was feeling so tired and worn, she needed help to get to the potty and they didn't make it there in time. Jeannine doesn't get mad about that kind of stuff, she just cleaned it up and helped Grace to feel loved...she's so great. I talked to my parents on IM, helped Jeannine with some odds and ends, and reviewed my lines for the performance I was to be involved in later that evening. After finally getting home, I tried to get chores and things done, but it is very hard to do that when one's children are sick. I was so involved with taking care of Grace, obsessing about the soup I still had to make for the Relief Society dinner, reviewing my lines and singing my song again and again that I did something I've never done before...I forgot to pick up Merritt. When the school called to ask if anyone was going to come and pick up Merritt I yelled, "Oh Crap!" (no, this isn't the swearing part yet) into the phone and dashed out the door. Merritt was a total good sport about the whole thing, which made life easier for me.

The time was now 4:00pm, the time I had designated for making two pots of soup, one for the RS dinner and one for my family. I wanted to get started on it, but everyone was either hungry, or crying, or sick, or poopy...anything but happy and self sufficient. I felt my stress levels begin to rise. I had to get the soup done before 5:45, when I had to be at the church for a final rehearsal. I was finally able to begin on the soup in earnest at 4:45, which meant that it would be finished one hour later. Just in time. Grant was holding onto my pant leg and crying, but at least Merritt and Grace were settled. I kept handing Grant little things to play with that would pacify him for a few minutes before he would get up again and cry on my leg. Meanwhile I was chopping and grating and crying over some really strong onions (I had to tie a rag to my face...I must have looked like a convenience store robber or something) but things were going well until I made a fatal mistake. Since I had doubled the amount of vegetables, I decided to turn the heat up just a notch to make sure they cooked properly. I set the timer for 10 minutes and occasionally turned back to stir the vegetables while also madly trying to chop potatoes. In the last minute, all the vegetables burned. When I smelled that sweet, burning smell and turned to see 30 minutes worth of work go up in smoke I couldn't help myself. I pulled the pan off the burner and yelled "Damn-it!" Chad came running in and I showed him the mess. He picked up the still crying Grant while I stomped my foot and yelled again for good measure, "DAMN-IT!" As my curse word flew from my mouth, the door bell ran...Ding-Dong! Chad went to answer the door and there stood Brian Mulholland from our ward, with bread in hand and big wide eyes. Bless his heart, he had brought us some goodies from work (Winder Dairy) as a thank you for taking his family some dinner the night before. Now he had arrived at our home to be greeted by a wailing baby and a loud profanity. I was still at this point not in any kind of good humor, so when Chad insanely tried to call me to the door to show my good manners all he got was a stressed and nasty, "What?" I stomped out, declared I'd burned the dinner, and stomped back to the kitchen. Brian handed us the bread and left, Chad took Grant downstairs and I started chopping again. Ten minutes later, after Grant was calm (I gave him a sucker out of sheer desperation) and Chad was helping me, the whole thing got really hilarious and I started to laugh. It got even funnier when Brian's wife Debbie called to check on me: "So, how are things?" I accepted the fact that I would just be late and got on with life. The soup was finished finally (and it was yummy), I made it to the church by 6:15 (still before the dinner started and with enough time to practice my song and get ready since we were skipping dinner anyway), and all really was well. I'm giving up swearing though. :)

There's a Party in my Tummy...So Yummy, So Yummy!

Sorry for the Yo Gabba Gabba reference, but I made the best dang dessert last night...it really was a party in my tummy. We had hilarious company, little kids for our kids to play with, and an outstanding cup of sweet chocolaty goodness. I'm so nice that I will totally share the recipe:

Hot Chocolate Pudding

Orange Whipped Cream
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. grated orange zest
(I totally doubled this portion of the recipie - it is awesome!)

Pudding
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 T. cornstarch
3/4 cup milk (I used 2%)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 pinch salt
9 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 T. unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a small bow, with a handheld electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream, sugar and orange zest until soft peaks form Refrigerate while making pudding. (YOU MUST DO THIS FIRST!!)

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; whisk in milk, cream and salt until blended. Cook over medium heat, whisking gently, just until mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Remove pan from heat; stir in chocolate, butter and vanilla until smooth. With a handheld electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat until light and fluffy. Divide pudding into 4 (6 oz.) ramekins; top each with a dollop of Orange Whipped Cream. Serve immediately.

The pudding will still be warm when it is served, and it is so rich that a little goes a long way. I filled the ramekins (you can use small bowls or whatever you have handy) 2/3 full and it totally hit the spot. That served 4 adults and there was plenty left over for three little ones to have pudding too. So Good!

My Can Opener is a Dinosaur

Merritt has become enamored of my can opener. He watched me open a can of tomato sauce with it and was so impressed by its abilities that he immediately appropriated it. The can opener is now named Rexie and is, as I'm sure you can guess, a T-Rex with amazing sharp teeth. So, I was making spaghetti sauce today and couldn't open one of my jars of fresh canned tomatoes. I called Chad up to open it for me and Merritt followed quickly behind him declaring that Rexie could do it better. I explained that it wasn't a job for Rexie, but that I would call if I needed a can opening dinosaur. About 10 minutes later, that call came. I needed tomato sauce and tomato paste opened. I showed Merritt how it was done and he proudly opened those cans for me. Then he went downstairs and told Chad, "Rexie is a stronger helper than you. You opened the can with your hands but he cut it open with his teeth!"

Is there a Christmas Tree lot anywhere?

This is how a trip to get a Christmas tree became a voyage to the far reaches of Layton. We left the house at about a quarter to five in order to pick up a a tree. I had just finished making some pizza dough and plopped it into the bowl to rise. It needed 45 minutes, and I figured that would give us plenty of time to snag a tree and get back home. I mean, I already had the nursery where we would buy our tree picked out and everything, how long could it all take...really? How about one HOUR and 45 MINUTES! The first nursery had no trees, ditto number two. I couldn't help but think that this was a weird development. Every nursery in Orem had Christmas trees plus there was a tree lot every five blocks on State Street. We decided to go to a third nursery (we'd never been there but had seen signs pointing to where it should be) and ended up on a road to the middle of nowhere. By this time we were all feeling a bit frustrated, but then I remembered "come what may, and love it" and started to laugh. We made our way back to civilization and after driving 20 blocks finally saw the shining lights of a tree lot. (It must be the only one in Layton!) We watched the singing Christmas tree, petted the Santa dog, ate some candy canes and found the perfect tree. Of course, I didn't bring my check book...but that's another story! Elder Wirthlin was so right, come what may, and love it.

I am so smart...SMRT!!!

I was rereading my last few entries and realized that I started the last two with the word "so". And I obviously love the word "totally". I didn't grow up in the 80's or anything did I? Man! I am dying to start my next sentence with the word "so"!!! Fine, I'll give into the madness and just do it. SO, I wanted to do some wash, but being a multi-tasker (i.e. - crazy, busy mom) I was right in the middle of five projects when I turned on the washer. I remember thinking, "I'll just let the washer fill up a bit while I finish such and such, and then I'll be back to put the whites in." HA! I TOTALLY forgot (there's that word again) and the washer went through an entire cycle with nothing to swish around but water. As Charlie Brown would say, "Oh, brother!"

P.S. - The drain is working now, thanks to Chad and his manly muscles. It's so nice to not take a shower and a bath at the same time (unless that's what I was TRYING to do).

Who's looking for baby names?

So, I want to take the opportunity to totally plug indexing. All you have to do is go to www.familysearchindexing.org and sign up. You take the tutorial and will then know how to do the work. Indexing allows you to view a scanned copy of an original census record, birth, marriage or death certificate (along with many other types of records) and enter in the information so that others can access a readable copy when they are researching their family lines. It is so much fun, a great use of one's down time, an easy way to be involved in family history work, and is also an endless treasure trove of fun and unusual names. Last night I was working on Birth Records from New Hampshire and entered in the following names: Romance Richards (a guy!), Easter Agnes Richards and Eliphalet Richards (his wife's name was Etta). You should try it, I promise you'll get hooked on something good.

The Thing That Came Up The Drain

So, we've had a slow drain in our downstairs bath lately and it is driving me nuts. (The only thing I miss about the apartments is being able to call Doug in for stuff like this!) After a failed attempt to unclog it with a makeshift snake fashioned from a hanger (I learned my mad "make-do" skills from my Dad...does anyone remember the match taped to the end of a straw?) I decided that a drain snake would be a good investment, but I really am cheap and while I was standing in the plumbing aisle at Wal-Mart, I saw a plastic Zip-It for $2.69. I read the back of the package and considered all the pictures, it seemed a simple yet effective device, so I bought it. Fast forward to home: I'm shoving the Zip-It down the drain, trying to be mindful of the sharp edges it boasts. (I scratched myself multiple times of course.) After a couple of tries, I pulled up a hair clog the size of a mouse and way nasty smelling. (I briefly considered posting a picture of it and then decided that no one would ever come back to this blog again if I did.) Anyhoo, I was so pleased with myself for unclogging the drain that I could scarcely restrain myself from patting my own back. I ran some hot water and then stared, dumbfounded, as it still swirled lazily down the drain. What the freak?!? What exactly is down this drain? Do I want to know? (Of course I do...just for sheer gross-out gratification.) There goes my sense of self-satisfaction. Stupid drain.

Holiday Lights - FAIL!

I first saw this beauty of a misspelling on my way home from dropping off Merritt at school. Sorry for the fuzziness, it's hard to take a picture of lights, but in case you can't tell it says, "Tiss The Season!" I think it's awesome! Presumably someone has told the homeowners by now that they have a major holiday mishap on their fence, but I imagine that they worked so hard to put up the lights in the first place that now they don't care. I shall enjoy a good chuckle all season long.

Dad Sandwich

The oft repeated refrain, "Tickle Me!" was the beginning of this half hour giggle fest. I stayed clear, as I am still recovering from my fall down the stairs. You heard me! Yes, I fell on my bum and I have the most spectacular bruise to prove it. I would publish a picture so that you could see and feel bad for me, but I've found that there is just no way to snap a classy picture of one's butt-cheek.

Spoiled...Who Me?

Back in 2001, Chad and I, along with my mom and dad, went back east to see church history sites and visit Jaime and her new baby Nathan. We spent a few days in Washington D.C. and one of the highlights of our time there was attending the D.C. Temple. The grounds are beautiful and we enjoyed the visitor's center tour presented by friendly sister missionaries. My favorite part of the visitor's center, though, was the collection of nativities on display from around the world. I thought they were all so unique and beautiful and I told Chad that I would love to have a nativity collection one day. Chad, who is wonderful in all ways (except that he doesn't like berries), took me at my word and has been presenting me with nativities ever since. They are so beautiful and it gives me great pleasure to take them from their boxes at the beginning of the Christmas season and put them out for display. Seeing all the different representations of Christ's miraculous birth helps me to focus on who Christmas is really about.

When It's All Quiet InThe House...

What's a mom to think when it's all quiet in the house? I don't know about you but I think that someone is doing something naughty (unrolling toilet paper, punching computer buttons, pulling books off of shelves, etc.) somewhere in the house. I hunted around and found Merritt (recovering from stomach flu) reading aloud from his Stegosaurus book and drawing on his ever-present doodle board. I was so happy that he chose to read and draw with his down time that I had to record the moment for posterity. After snapping a quick picture I went in search of Grace. Low and behold, she also was reading (the Friend is her book of choice here), comfortably ensconced between the side tables I hauled onto the couch so that I could mop the floor. I had to shed a tear...

Walking Tall

Grant has become totally mobile and walks everywhere. He's still kinda robotic, especially in shoes, but he's getting the hang of it more and more each day. So cute!

My Canning Triumph!

I'm so absurdly proud of my canning efforts this year that I had to take a picture of some of the things I had done. My first project was tomatoes, oh they are so yummy! They came from my own garden as well as from the overflowing garden of some kindly neighbors/ward members. The pears are the Asian variety and came from our next door neighbor's tree. Linda had never canned them before so I gave her a quart so that she could see for herself how they turned out and if she'd want to do it herself. (She was impressed! :) Finally, I did apple pie filling. I've never done any of these fruits before, but I'm ridiculously happy with the look of the finished products. Hooray for me!

Spaghetti Dinner

Grant really enjoyed his spaghetti one night. We all enjoyed watching him enjoy it. (I made it with my home-canned tomatoes...more on that later.) :)

Guess Who's Queen of the Potty?

So, will Grace cheerfully kill me when she's older because I published a picture of her on the potty? Who knows, but I'll die a happy death because we finally got the potty training job done. The problem wasn't Grace, it was me. First I chickened out of training her because we were doing traveling in the summer...Sandra and Keith's house - yeah! Then I had a wicked bout of sciatica and I couldn't bend down without wanting to cry. Finally I tore a ligament in my foot and had to wear a gigantic Bledsoe boot for four weeks. I wasn't in the mood to potty train. In the end, she basically did it herself. What a great little gal!

Halloween Fun

So, the Davis County School District had a stroke of genius and scheduled some “teacher development day” on Halloween, which gave the kiddos the day off. I thought that was SWEET! Merritt was able to go with us to Chad’s bring-your-kids-to-trick-or-treat-at-work event. They got so much candy it was almost obscene…almost! Grant was too tuckered out to go out later that night, but Grace and Merritt braved the warm weather and light rain to collect more goodies. Gracie lasted about 45 minutes before sitting down and declaring that she wanted to go to bed. Merritt and I (along with our neighbors) stayed out till 9pm and went through the local haunted house (care of Timothy…totally awesome!) THREEE times! We went home exhausted and with a backbreaking load of sweets.

You're going to poke someone's eye out!

For FHE on the Monday before Halloween we carved up our beautiful pumpkins into scary jack-o-lanterns. Okay, Merritt and Chad’s pumpkin was scary…Grace and I went for happy. This might sound weird, but the pumpkins smelled AWESOME! I am not kidding. Pumpkins fresh from the garden (they did “cure” for a few weeks) have now become a thing I would actually consider eating and not just cutting up for some freakish Halloween fun.

The Totally Awesome Garden

So, I’ve been having technical difficulties with this blog (that would be me actually) and I’m only now really getting started. Please excuse me while I backtrack a bit and get caught up. These garden pictures are from October. We had a wonderful garden this year. It was small because we didn’t get going until June (you know, moving in and all that had to happen first…plus, the garden was a giant weed patch that had to be got under control before anything edible could grow), but it was a mighty garden and gave us lots of yummy things to eat. The children were particularly excited about the giant pumpkins we managed to grow, so this was our harvesting the pumpkins day.