I’ll try and do this quick and painless, and hopefully there will be something fun too.
Most recently we’ve been making our advent calendars. This year each of the kids made one for them. I picked up some big bubble wrap from the UPS store and punched out circles for the kids to decorate. They get to pop a number each day (with a few extras). They are so excited. And who can blame them – don’t you want to pop bubble wrap every time you pick it up.
Jessie, Abbie and friends have been enjoying the leftovers from harvesting and made “parfaits” for the chickens. They were rather disappointed when the chickens didn’t go totally crazy over such beautiful, edible creations.
For a little Saturday reward (and to make up for Halloween) we took the kids to Jumpin’ Jacks. They brought two friends and had a total blast. Even after two hours they were begging to stay longer. I’m so glad they love being with each other.
I made a cake for one of Ken’s co-workers, chocolate cinnamon pear cake. I tried making chocolate leaves for the first time and it was SO EASY and fun. YEAH! I love those experiences.
Mark and Spencer and I also enjoyed an afternoon at the park taking birthday pictures. I know Mark’s birthday was only 10 months ago, but all the pictures we took then looked like he was freezing to death and so we decided to take them when the weather got warmer, then we got busy and summer passed, and then on the last truly warm day before the cold weather returned we got around to it. On the way home from the park we stopped at Burger King and used one of Mark’s reading gift certificates from school. It was fun just to hang out.
Oh, did you notice Mark’s huge leaf he found? Have you ever wondered how on earth people can leave behind one shoe, you know, like you find in a parking lot or at the play ground? Well, we were almost done taking pictures and Spencer was jumping over a little stream and missed and soaked one shoe with mud. We took it off and washed it the best we could and then decided it was time to leave, almost to the car we found one last tree to take a picture by and I set his gross shoe down so I could balance and focus the camera, then the boys started being silly and before we knew it we were three feet from the car and remembered Spencer’s other shoe! Thank goodness it wasn’t too far away, but I’m so glad Mark’s noticed or that would be one more shoe to add to that unmatchable collection.
We cut a good 5 to 6 inches off Abbie’s hair and boy does it look better all thick and even! Spencer had to be in the picture too.
I got to play a little volleyball with the women from the ward. Very FUN, but the ball was so hard I had bruises on my hands that I had to ice that night. OUCH!
We got some really fun new curlers for the girls hair. They’re called Curlformers.
They work great and are easy to put in. You just thread the curler onto a hook, catch the hair and pull it through the tube. When you let go the tube curls right up. SO FUN! And the end product---
We actually found they look better if you don’t have them right up to the scalp and Jessie said they were way better to sleep on that way too!
Abbie is also sporting another lost tooth. Talk about a little hard to bite right now. But she loves poking thing into the little hole they’ve formed.
Here Spencer at his “work.” Complete with his own “desk,” the stool from the bathroom.
Mark made this cute owl (not penguin, mom!) at school.
And lastly a few Halloween pictures because I didn’t get them up earlier.
So on Halloween the girls got back from their Daddy Daughter Date and then in the afternoon we made apple juice from the apples in the back yard. Then we quickly cleaned up and costumed the kids for the Trunk or Treat at the church, but Mark didn’t want to go because he was didn’t want to see anyone in a scary costume – I mean like he was in tears. Ken had suggested going bowling together earlier in the day and he liked that idea much better.
Jessie on the other day really wanted CANDY! and she doesn’t like bowling so that was not an option she would settle for. We tried talking to the kids to work out a comprise and didn’t get very far and so we told Jessie and Mark they had to very nicely talk it out until they agreed on something. In the end, they decided that going to Jumpin’ Jacks would be something everyone would enjoy and then we could stop at Grandma’s house on the way home and trick or treat there.
Happy that they’d worked it out we piled everyone in to the car and took off. Unfortunately when we got to Jumpin’ Jacks they had a sign up that they had closed early. I was all set for another emotional out break….but the kids all just shrugged and said that was ok we could come back another day. WOW!
So we stopped at Grandma’s and she had gotten them there own King Size Symphony Bar and they were all thrilled! We stayed and chatted and got home rather late. We lit our Halloween candles and ate dinner about 8 o’clock by candlelight.
Afterward we played Halloween Hi-Ho Cherry-0 game I had made up last year. Followed by a tower building contest with fruit snacks.
Abbie favorite picture from the night was her tongue after eating all the green fruit snacks she had traded from everyone at once. Seriously, I didn’t Photoshop this at all her whole mouth was green!
