All things Halloween 2012

It was so fun to grow our own pumpkins! Out of the four pumpkin seeds I planted, we got exactly SIX pumpkins. Can you even believe it? I was sad I didn't get to see Mallerie's. She had carved it and taken it to a Halloween party the weekend before. We carved the rest of them for FHE. In addition we made and delivered sugar cookies (door bell ditch style of course!) and listened to kids halloween music. Notice that Graham and Callie live everyday life in their costumes. When it was time to go for tricks and treats (as we call it) they didn't even have to change. Neither did I. Cackle. Cackle.

A little getaway...Shhhhh

Matt had a trade show in Vegas the second week of October. He would be staying at Mandalay Bay and suggested I come. At first I thought it was kookie talk but then figured, "Why not? This might just be sneaky enough to work." We drove down on Sunday. While we were checking in, the lady at the desk asked, "Would you like a view of the strip, the mountains, or the pool?" Matt said, "We don't care about the strip." I said, "And those aren't mountains." So the pool view it was. While he scuttled off to a meeting I sat looking out the window at that pool view. We made the right decision.

The trip was beyond relaxing. I made an appointment at the hotel salon for the following day while Matt would be at the trade show. On the way there through the lobby I said a prayer that if there was anyone I could meet to talk about the gospel with I would love it. I got seated in the chair and the girl asked a little bit about where I was from and my family. Then she said, "Girl, are you Mormon?" She grew up in St. George and has been inactive for the past few years. She opened up about her reasons for leaving and her issues. We had a good talk. No matter what I brought up, for example a comment on the magazine article I was reading, she always brought it back to the church. She kept asking questions like what I thought of this or that or what would I do in a certain situation. I was there for three hours so I feel like I got to know her a little. When I left she gave me a hug, I told her she has a beautiful heart and wished her luck in all she does. I have no idea what will become of her but I do know my prayer was answered. 

Then I noticed a store across the way that had some major clearance going on. My body is a magnet to that. I found a couple of things and went up to pay. It wasn't until I heard my total that I realized the clearance was an additional half off. Score. I looked at the time and realized I had better get back up to the room because Matt would be back from the trade show soon. But he was already back in the room and had been for a while watching a movie. I guess the trade show was a bit of a snoozer. We had been invited to jazz club that night with some guys from the show. But I told him we couldn't go because we had tickets to Mystere. Surprise! We got ourselves together (it didn't take me long since my hair was already done thanks to my new friend who had curled it for me, "Girl! You are in Vegas!" she had told me.)  Speaking of hair, we passed a kiosk at Treasure Island with hair extensions and the girl motioned me over to try. Looked like fun, why not? She was a super high pressured sales gal -but I was NOT buying a $350 dollar hair piece.

 The show was great! I purchased tickets for the top section since they were the cheapest. There were several rows to choose from. We chose the back row. We wanted to. I would describe the show as bendy and colorful with lots of strength being shown off. It is after all a Cirque Du Soleil. I educated Matt that it is not pronounced Circus Olay.  

For dinner I again called the shots and took Matt to the Lux Cafe. That is where I have eaten with my sisters the last couple of girls trips and Matt agreed, the braised pot roast is worth stopping in for.

The next day we hit the pool before Matt had to head to the trade show. He left his sunglasses in the car. I would have gone back to the car and gotten mine. I am in love with my Walmart sunglasses and can't find any that compare. I'm serious. He decided to go into the beach shop and buy some. All they had were women's glasses. We found a pair that seemed like it could be unisex. Matt asked the lady as he held them, "Could these be for a man or a woman?" She nearly lost a sale when she said, "All our sunglasses are for women. We are out of men's." He bought them anyway. But isn't that interesting; it's the men who always forget their sunglasses or they just buy a new pair. I lucked out either way, I now own that pair that cost three times what I pay for a pair at Wally's. I guess Matt felt like a bit of a dandy in them. I stayed at the pool for a while after he left. I was almost completely relaxed and enjoying my mini vacation.  The only thing that kept nagging at me was the kids, "Were they really alright?" I felt super guilty that some were having to miss school to babysit each other.  When Matt had called the elementary school to excuse Graham the secretary asked, "Are you on vacation?" Matt said, "Yes I am!" We checked in by phone with the kids twice a day. I left a scavenger hunt for them to follow with Little Debbie's at the end. Because of this I swung back and forth between feeling like the world's most selfish mother, to the world's greatest;) It would have been helpful if I could have seen them:

They were fine. And they had assured me that they WANTED me to go with Matt on the trip. And oh what a lovely time I had; crepes, crab cakes, & creme brule, movies, shopping- pinch me. Matt ended up hardly going to the trade show at all. And I got a total of four hours work done on his laptop, even though I was aiming for 12.

I am thankful for smart responsible and resourceful kids. We called to check in one more time once we were on the road from Vegas. Katrina told us she had decided that she needed to go to some of her classes after all so she took Graham and Callie to High School! Callie went to World Geography with Mallerie, and Graham went to Debate with Katrina. They even stayed for lunch, which Katrina had packed for them. Graham said, "Katrina goes to the best school. The adults cannot where hats, but the kids CAN!" Picture little Graham weaving his way through the High School halls in his hat and see if that doesn't put a smile on your face. 

What put a smile on my face was when we gathered as a family again for evening scripture study Matt and I realized our bookmarks were far behind. "We read while you were gone," they informed us. Looks like it all worked out in the end.

Bumper Crop...or Not? 2012

It is amazing to me how from tiny seeds huge plants will grow and bear fruit that you can EAT! Every time I plant a seed I find myself doubting anything will grow. I guess that is why FAITH is compared to a seed. It is really a perfect comparison.

As we were enjoying a lovely Sunday dinner with my parents in late summer they asked, "How did your garden do this year?" We were eating yummy steamed zucchini that we grew in our own backyard. I thought of the green beans that had done very well, the peas, the onions, the cucumbers, even the corn was tall and looked prosperous and the pumpkins would be ready by October. Before I could answer Matt responded, "It was a flop. The watermelon and cantaloupe didn't come up, neither did the strawberries or tomatoes..." So how did our garden so this year?  I guess it depends on who you ask.

My sister Lindsey was over this summer surveying the garden, "Can you plant corn that close together?" I said, "I don't know, but I did." The corn ended up chewy but I used the dried stalks to decorate the front porch (hey, they are five bucks a stalk at the grocery store), I'd grow it again to use for that reason if nothing else. I've heard that strawberries take a couple years to do well. And who am I kidding, I was only humoring Graham by planting watermelon and cantaloupe. Our growing season just isn't long enough. By October they were only as big as grapefruits. But...Callie DID eat an entire watermelon herself. We couldn't turn our backs for long or the zucchini grew larger than life. In addition to steamed zucchini we were eating zucchini bread and zucchini brownies. Those are amazing.

I loved asking Callie to go out and pick me beans for dinner. She would take her basket out back and bring it inside full. Warmed my heart so.

By mid October everything was a dried out and tangled mess. I took advantage of the last warm Saturday and tore it all out. I will be anxious to plant again in the spring. Sleep tight little garden.

Watch out Wasatch

Wherever Katrina chooses to go to College, she'll be ready!

Katrina is taking Speech/Debate again this year. The team travels to other campuses to compete. In September she had a meet in Utah County. She reminded me the day before that she would be home late the next day. In my mind that meant 6 or 7 pm. I saved her a dinner plate that she could heat up. As the hours ticked away I started worrying. By 10:30 pm that night I asked Matt if he thought the hour was unusually late for her to still be gone. I mean, the tournament was at like 2 pm. It is funny quickly your mind can start messing with you and all of a sudden both of us were worried. We tried texting her but she had no service on her Itouch. I tried emailing her teacher to see if it went to his phone. We left messages on her friends phones. And then started calling friend's parents. We realized we don't even know some of their first names (there are just that many ;) Finally the last parent we called answered and said he was planning on picking up the girls and bringing them home around 11 pm. I guess "late" means something different to everyone and I should have asked. Needless to say we were relieved to see Katrina when she walked in .We almost forgot to ask how she did, however, the large trophy she was holding gave it away; first place!

Mallerie's following in her papa's footsteps and running Cross Country. I couldn't have been more impressed with the program. It started back in the summer with organized practices that slowly built up her endurance. The coach is the sweetest gal you'd ever want to meet. She is also Graham's Kindergarten teacher. Her coach said, (referring to Mallerie) "Love her! Love him!" (referring to Graham).

After Matt snapped this picture we moved over to the sidelines to watch the race start. We were by Bingham High at the end. We noticed that after each team did their warm ups they huddled together for a prayer. Wasatch High did this, then Bingham High. As they huddled I noticed there was one girl left out. She was from a different school and the only one on her entire team. How lonely I thought. Then I was so touched to see a team member from Bingham High reach out and ask, "Would you like to join in our prayer?" The girl did. I was glad to be wearing sunglasses it was so touching.
I watched for this girl during the race and figured with all the runners I must have missed her come across the finish line. After the awards had been handed  out we were making our way to the car when I saw this girl come across the line. A few minutes later the last girl crossed the line. This girl ran and gave her a hug. This sport seems too good to be true!

Soldier Hollow meet. 

It was such a gorgeous day in an even more gorgeous setting. Matt and I had to arrive before everyone else because I volunteered us to be parking attendants. We were put in charge of parking the buses. The good thing about our assignment was that we were done before the first race even started.

Big cheers as Mallerie nears the finish line. This was the only local meet and therefore the only one Matt and I were able to go and support. Hopefully she sticks with it so we have three more years to watch. For this race she ran Varsity. She consistently shaved two minutes off her time each race. 

This earned her the "Most Improved" award at the big-fancy-parent banquet last week. There are 75 runners on Cross Country and the awards were voted on by each other. It meant a lot for her to be recognized by her peers. 

The boys: I made a mental note one day that before either one opens their mouth to speak I know exactly what they are going to say. If it is Graham's yapper opening then he will be talking about Indian Jones. He talks about his gun holder and the way he wears his satchel. Sometimes he talks about Star Wars too. It's been ages since I've seen the movie and none of it stuck with me. He will ask, "You know that part where Luke..." I never know what he is talking about so my standard answer is, "If you say so..."

If it is Grayson's yapper opening then you can bet your bottom dollar he will be talking about sports sports sports. He gives you replays and spouts off scores and stats. Again, I find myself repeating, "If you say so..."

I guess Matt and I shouldn't complain about these one-track minds. When Katrina or Mallerie talk to us it is filled with a lot of irrelevant details followed by, "I need money." Every time. "Yada yada yada...I need money." Every. Time.

Life Lessons: Grayson has learned that sometimes his friends ideas aren't necessarily the best ideas for him. One morning I was barely getting myself together when I heard, "Bye Mom!" as the front door slammed. I thought Ava was leaving early for the bus stop but came out to see it was Grayson who had left. Ava said his friend called and said he wanted Grayson to walk to school, and just like that Gray left. I asked if he had eaten. Nope. I asked if he was wearing a coat. Nope. It was a freezing cold morning. After school when I picked him up I asked how it went walking with his friend, "That was the worst decision I made today," he told me. "I was cold, hungry, and it took forever," he said. I asked him why he did it. He said because his friend asked him to but he didn't want to do that ever again, "What will I say next time though?" He wondered. "That you don't want to" I told him. If he gives his friend an excuse he will find himself in the same boat, "I was cold" would warrant, "Wear a coat." "I was late" would warrant, "We'll leave earlier." "I was hungry" would warrant, "I'll wait for you to eat." But if you tell him you just don't want to then it's the end of the story. 

I love the sweet relationship these two have. Ava picks up Callie at night and carries her to their room and helps her get ready for bed. Ava even lets Callie sleep in her bed. Callie is another tough one to say no to. I hope Callie always stays this close with Ava. Ava is a good girl for her to look up to. Ava has started playing the flute this year. In 5th grade for music class they have to choose either the violin, the flute, or theory. My mom had two flutes in storage so I strongly persuaded Ava to play the flute.  She is really struggling with it. She was squeaking out some tunes the other day on the couch. It was pretty squeaky and I could barely make out the tune Mary Had a Little Lamb. After a while Callie came out of the bedroom with a concerned look, "Ava, I think your whistle is broken."  

Eleven on the Eleventh September 11, 2012

Ava is on Student Council for first term, voted in by her classmates. She went to school early that day for her weekly meeting but did have time to open up a new birthday outfit. She was anything but "blue" about it ;)

The night before while Matt was hanging streamers I cut out a 12 to hang up. Matt asked, "Who is the twelve for?" Oops I did it again.  

11th on the 11th meant that Ava could choose whatever she wanted to do for her birthday. We found ourselves at  Color Me Mine in Provo after school.  She could fit only six friends into the van so it made for a nice doable party for me :)

I went to the studio a week before and picked out the figurines the girls could choose from. This kept them from walking up with a $20 platter and me having to tell them to "turn around."

It was interesting for me to sit back and watch how each girl managed her time. Some got right to work. Others spent half their time deciding on colors. One girl got up after using each color to go back to the color station then choose a color and walk back to put it on her tray. By the time we got to gifts she had maybe a fourth of her figurine painted. Then she had her face glued to the movie the kids put on while others continued to paint. I watched her as we loaded up the car to leave scrambling to glob paint on her undone figurine. Life is full of little teaching moments isn't it? Better. luck. next. time. 

These girls are funny! I can see why they are a good match for my witty one liner Ava. She has found her matches.

Getting older; one gift was a magazine full of One Direction Posters. It was passed back and forth with lots of squeals.  Later one of Mallerie's friends called to ask Ava if she could have one.

Carrot cupcakes and cream cheese icing went with the other nibbles and made for easy clean up. Because Ava and I were caked out by the time we got home at 7:30 that night, we had an ice-cream dessert with the family before opening the last family gifts. I think the babes were disappointed they hardly saw Ava on her big day. See, no one likes to be apart from Ava for very long. She is just too pleasant to have around.

Winter Spring Summer Football

Matt is a HUGE BYU football fan, but still he pales in comparison to Grayon's enthusiasm for the game. The child eats and breathes BYU football. They anxiously awaited the first home game at the end of August.

Matt had to have a rental car for a while. He was driving Mallerie to X-Country one early summer morning and was pulled over. He didn't have his license with him. His registration had been revoked, unknown to him, which made his insurance invalid. Ouch. It wasn't his fault about the registration and insurance. Since he drives a company car they are supposed to keep up on that. I told him that maybe it happened for a reason. If he had not been pulled over he would not have known the fleet company hadn't renewed his registration. He had to drive a rental till it was all sorted out. He finally finished traffic school this week. He has not been very happy about all of this.

So it is good that he has distractions such as BYU football games to go to. He loves the crowd, the smell of the grass, all of it. Matt is a HUGE BYU football fan, but he still pales in comparison to Grayon's enthusiasm for the game. The child eats and breathes BYU football.

Back to School

Big High Schooler Mallerie 9th Grade. The freshmen got Wasatch High School to themselves the first day. I guess to avoid any of them being stuffed in trashcans;) I didn't get a first day photo of Katrina though for this reason. By the time she went for her first day the next day, we were all done taking photos.

Big Intermediate School Ava 5th Grade. This year is her first as a Timponogos Timberwolf. She also joins Katrina and Mallerie as a bus rider. Mallerie always has Ava's hair fixed so cute. I think I mistakenly get the credit for it.

Big King of the school Grayson 4th Grade. With JR Smith Elementary only going through the fourth grade Grayson is top dog this year.

Uh-oh. Someone isn't feeling so big after all. Back to school night in August came before I was ready . I hadn't done any school shopping for the boys (they don't care right?). We scrambled to get in the car. I looked at little Graham in his crumpled clothes with his shoes on the wrong feet looking so uncertain.  Outside his classroom he realized he had a different teacher than the one who tested him and I think that threw him off.  

Nevertheless, he was beyond anxious for his first day to start, which was after Labor Day. 

Much Better. His teacher said he could wear his hat at recess. He was all over that but decided last minute to leave it behind on the first day. Callie and I walked him to his classroom. He found his name tag easily and sat down to play with playdough. 

I was getting pretty misty eyed so I made my goodbye short and sweet. On our way out of the building the pledge of allegance started over the PA. Other moms stopped and put their hands on their hearts. Not me, I needed outta there.

I came home to find this:

The separation of Graham and his hat made it sink in. The little fella had started Kindergarten. 

Matt was looking at the pictures on my I touch and said, "What's with the photos of Graham's hat? Did YOU take those?" I grabbed it back, "Give that to me."

Little Callie couldn't get that play dough out of her head and I was able to hook her up. It's just us two for a couple of hours every day now. 

Confident that Graham could find his classroom on his own. I sent him the next day on his bike with Grayson.

 I followed them...of course!