Sunday, November 9, 2008

October- come and gone

November is upon us and here is my October post!!

It sure was a crazy, busy, fun-filled month. We spent much of our time working on Prop 8 stuff- phone calls, walking, knocking doors, putting up signs, rallies, handing out information, etc. This was something that I felt passionate about- so I did as much as I could. It sure was hard, with 4 little ones that needed my attention, but I felt it was worth the sacrifice- since it's mainly for their benefit! Aaron even took all of election day off work so that he could work at the polls- recording which voters had voted, and then calling the rest to make sure they hadn't forgotten- hard to imagine that anyone could have forgotten to vote though! I am thrilled to say that every minute of work was SO worth it- when Prop 8 passed! It was close, but we did it. It's crazy all the stuff that is happening now. I am thankful for a church that had revelation on this issue many years ago. It wasn't a matter of finding out what is right or wrong- but whether or not each of us would take a stand and follow the counsel of our church- which was to get involved- financially and physically. I loved fighting for a cause- and winning. Good thing, because it's only a matter of time before we go at it again!
The rest of the month was busy celebrating Halloween and having lots of fun doing it! Jake had a halloween party/performance at pre-school. I think he wins the award for the loudest singer. It was hilarious. Tyler had a halloween parade at school. We all went to watch and he was excited to go walking around the school. In between kids coming down with the stomach flu (and by the way, we ALL got it, every last one of us), we hurried out to a cute pumpkin patch and then we decorated pumpkins one night. Another night we made a haunted halloween house. I usually try to micro manage the kids on how to decorate, but this year we just let them do their own thing. They did a great job! The day we got back from San Francisco, we hurried home and got the kids ready for our ward trunk or treat. They had fun playing lots of games and trick or treating at cars. On Halloween night, we had a fun dinner- and yes, I did make the mummy dogs and they were a big hit! The kids can't wait until next years dinner! Aaron did quite a job on our house. He worked and worked decorating and getting it just right. Good job!
We met up with some friends and then headed out to do more trick or treating. We love our little sock monkey! And our pretty princess with her golden hair! We stumbled upon some more friends and so we ended up with quite a group. At about 8:30, after we left a house, Addie found a nice soft bumper of a car and laid her head down in her arms, Jake curled up on the sidewalk and Tyler found a cozy piece of grass to lay on. It's times like those that I realize how young our kids still are. We made it home, dressed in halloween jammies and went to bed. What a day!And to top it off, the Primary Program was today. I LOVE being in charge of the Program, but it is quite a chore and I am so excited when it's over. It feels like a big weight has been lifted. I start working on the program in August, so by November, I sure am glad to not have to think about it anymore. The Primary children did wonderful and I was so proud of them. Each year I design the Sacrament program cover and then we have the kids color the front- according to the theme of the year. It's always a hit. Then I print up little "comment" cards and put them in the programs. The adults fill them out and then we read them during our "celebration" sharing time. The kids love hearing what people thought about their performance. This year they were even told that they sounded like the Tabernacle Choir! It made their day- and is sure made mine.

So now that the program, Halloween and Prop 8 are over... what's next???

Friday, November 7, 2008

where to start?

Wow- I'm so far behind, I don't even know where to start. I was just telling my sister that I've lost my "blog fire." I don't know where it went, but I just don't have that burning desire to blog, that I used to. I need to work on it though- because I just love having this journal at my fingertips- and I know that Aaron's grandma would be disappointed if I stopped!

Most importantly, my grandfather passed away last Wednesday. It happened very quickly and I sure do miss him already. We had the funeral service on Saturday. It was mainly just our family and it was very sweet and emotional. I feel sad for my sweet grandma, but family has been around her since that day and she seems to be holding up pretty well. Papa was a good man. We all loved him and my kids thought he was wonderful. I am so glad they all got to meet him and spend time with him. I love you, Papa!



I vow to be a better blogger. I will spend the next week updating- Halloween, a fun night out with our friends, the boys MS bike ride and lots of other fun happenings!!

Friday, October 31, 2008

halloween dinner idea

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I am making these cuties for dinner tonight. I am so excited- the kids are going to love 'em!

They are fast and easy. Here's the recipe, if you're interested.

Rhodes™ Dinner Rolls, thawed but still cold
bun length hot dogs
mustard

For each Mummy Dog, cut one dinner roll in half. Roll each half into a 22-24-inch rope. Wrap one rope around hot dog from bottom up 4 1/2 inches. Cut a 1 1/2 inch piece off of the second rope and set aside. Wrap the second rope around the hot dog from the bottom up 4 1/2 inches going the opposite way. Wrap the 1 1/2 inch piece around the top of the hot dog. Place Mummy Dogs on a sprayed baking sheet and bake at 350°F 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven, cool slightly and add mustard eyes. Serve warm with ketchup and mustard.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

a work in progress

we got home from our trip on friday afternoon. . .

addie woke up in the middle of the night throwing up

jacob had it sunday night- ALL NIGHT- every 20 minutes

tyler had it monday night- all night- every 10 minutes- then ended up in the ER because he started throwing up blood. everything was fine.

aaron is currently in the throws of it. lucky him.

lots of fun around our house. anyone want to come over for dinner??

needless to say- I've been a little busy.

sorry for the ugly blog- i'm working on it.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

2 things to be excited about (for me!)

I have fallen off the wagon lately- sorry. Not much new lately- just the same old stuff that keeps us all busy.

Aaron and I are off for a few days. He has some meetings in San Francisco- and I'm invited. Hooray! Kids will be well taken care of and loved while we're away.

Also, Tai Pan Trading just made it's grand debut in Rancho Cucamonga! About 5 minutes from my house. Addie and I checked it out this morning- and it's awesome! You must make the drive out here to do some serious shopping.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

A Tag

I was tagged by my friend Tanya, and since I really am procrastinating putting the groceries away- this is perfect timing!

The rules:
Link the person who tagged you.
Tell about 6 quirks of yours.
Tag 6 fellow bloggers to do the same.
Leave a comment to let them know.

6 quirks of mine:

1- Blinds
The first thing I do every morning is open ALL the blinds in my house. I HATE having the blinds closed and it makes me crazy. They can't be slanted- they have to be straight- allowing optimum sunshine into my house.

2- Drinks
I am not a big"drinker"-- as in I don't drink a lot, but I really like certain drinks with certain foods. And if that drink is not available at that time- I'd rather skip the food. Here are a few examples: I must have OJ with oatmeal (good OJ, not the nasty kind from fast food places and especially airplanes- sick!), I must have milk with Taco Bell and I must have diet soda, preferabbly cherry 7-up with popcorn. Strange- especially the Taco Bell one.

3-Dishwasher
I hate unloading the dishwasher. So to make it less painful, I set the timer for 3 minutes and try to unload the whole thing in that amount of time. I found that it's not so bad this way, because I can do anything for 3 minutes, even things I hate! I can usually do the whole thing, unless I am distracted by a kid. But don't mess with me while I'm unloading, I hate for the timer to go off and not be done. It makes me feel like I "lost" and I don't like to be a loser.

4- Sour Cream
My family (and now Aaron, too) eat sour cream on our pancakes and waffles. A little sour cream with some jam or strawberries- sour and sweet. Yum! Try it, it's really good.

5- Being Late
I can't stand being late. It makes me very nervous and I get a stomachache when I am running late, therefore, I am rarely late to anything. I usually get things ready the night before, because waking up, getting 4 young kids ready and out the door at a decent hour is highly impossible. Can I just admit something I am proud of? I can't remember the last time I was late for church (and we go at 9 am). I get things ready the night before and get up early so that we are always early for church. Plus, I am solo on Sunday mornings and have been for almost 5 years because Aaron attends PEC, as YM President. Preparation is key these days! I also feel like it's respectful to people's time to not make them wait for you.

6- Pillow
I started sleeping with a second pillow when I was pregnant for the first time. After Tyler, I put it away and then got it back out 6 months later for Jacob. Well, I ended up being pregnant so often that I'm addicted to it now. I CAN'T sleep without my 2nd pillow. It has to be positioned perfectly for me to sleep (and it has to be king sized).

Wow, I'm weird.

I tag: Ani, Marlina, Meredith, Janell and both Amber's- and anyone else that wants too.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Busy Bees

I was going about my business this afternoon and all of sudden- noticed that each of the kids were happily involved in their own activities. It cracked me up! Sometimes they can't leave each other alone and sometimes- they are all in their own little world.

Here's what they were up to:

Carter was fast asleep, after a morning of shopping with the girls. He had a death grip on his bottle and was taking his nap very seriously.

Addie was reading a new book.

Jake was doing chores. The boys are earning money for some new Lego's.

Tyler had set up "shop" and was having a toy store on the stairs. I wouldn't recommend his shop. . . binoculars were $50 and a jump rope was $20. Well, I guess it's not that bad considering the market these days- everything's expensive!