Perusing Pumpkins

Krystal e-mailed me about Gardner's Village Wee Witches Weekend yesterday and we decided to go. It sounded like there would be a lot of fun activities for the kids, a costume parade, and a little shopping on the side. The fact that I got lost on my way to her house should have clued me in to what kind of day today was going to be... {I tried the new Legacy Highway for the first time and got off on the wrong exit} Once we finally got there we were ready to go!

Erin and Sammy met us there for a little pumpkin perusing

Sadly the whole thing was quite a let down. It was so crowded! None of our children our school age and we didn't realize that it was UEA weekend. There was a whole lot of children running around quite a few stores that don't want a whole lot of children running around them. We had a hard time parking. We had a hard time maneuvering through the masses. The bakery and food vendors were a mob scene. The petting zoo was a joke at $7 a kid. Amazingly the kids were in heaven!

I got some pictures from my brother-in-law Jared today and I am second guessing myself about posting my prize winning fish from last weekend...

I love this picture of Seth in this cool tree we found:

Josh was very excited about the cheesecake I made him!

Here is Seth with his life preserver on under his coat and ski bibs and...

Grandpa tried to catch a few Zzz's

Not the trophy fish we were hoping for...

But still we caught some beauties!!!I guess that I have reached the point in my life where I can choose comfort over fashion. I didn't realize how crazy I looked until saw this one of me... But I was warm!

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Group Costume

OK, so I love the tip junkie and all of her blog ability. Somehow she manages to keep all of us together and promote every working mom out there but still seems to have way too much fun to be legal! So this one is for Laurie. I have these photo's from a 2002 camping trip. My family gets together in the mountains and celebrates by having themed meals. If I remember correctly we were just having Macho Nacho's for lunch but they found this dress and heels that my husband actually fit into, nicely!!! So my idea for a couples Halloween costume is to be a Mexican Gaucho and the Chiquita Banana Girl...

There was a lot of coercion and I think I even promised him he could buy a new rim for his dirt bike! Got to love him!!! It was worth it, right?

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Haircuts Galore

Today we made the journey to Aunt Krista's to get haircuts. I have broken down and faced facts about my own hair cutting skills and vowed to leave Seth's hair alone. Dan even said that he would fix the botch job I did last time. He still hasn't gotten to it and I warned him last week that I will have to get it fixed. Kyle was so happy to see us and had some extra birthday gift bags. Because the kids sat so still and were so well behaved, Krista let Chloe and Seth both have a bag full of monster stuff!!!

Doesn't their hair look so, so cute!

Sorry we missed your Birthday Kyle, but it sounds like your Monster Birthday Bash was a rockin' party!!! Happy Birthday!!!

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Spooky Halloween & SPT #14

Today we were getting ready to learn more about the color orange at preschool. We painted Chloe's fingernails orange and put on her Halloween tights. I thought it would be fun to put the two of them in their not so Spooky Halloween outfits and try to take a picture of them together...

This was the best shot of them singing the Itsy Bisty Spider:

Today is also Self Portrait Tuesday and I am going back to my list of 100.

#14. I have beautiful blue eyes!

You might not be able to tell from this picture {hah} but my children have my eyes too. I am way too vain about my eyes and get complements every once in a while... I really like it when someone mentions how beautiful my kids eyes are! Vain ~ I know.

I snagged this picture of Chloe and Jacob, when I dropped them of at school today. I hope she isn't smothering him, but I love how much she loves to help him.

Chloe's friends Afton and Casey came over to play and after a while they went house hopping. First Afton's and then Casey's. I don't know Casey very well ~ they just moved in. I did know that Casey's dad is a police officer and tonight Casey's mom was teaching a class at enrichment. Just before 7 I thought I should go gather my babe and first went to Afton's just to be sure. Then went to Casey's after Afton told me that when she couldn't play any more, Chloe stayed to play with Casey alone. I rang the door bell {tentatively waiting to be introduced to the police man} I don't know why I was nervous. No Answer. I rang the door bell again. No Answer. I swear I could hear Chloe's voice. The police car was parked on the side of the house, so I knocked really loudly on the door. No Answer. I checked the door knob to see if it twisted. It was unlocked, but I didn't dare push it to check against the deadbolt. This is a police officer's house! I heard Chloe's voice again. I tried looking at the back of their house {un-fenced} and started calling out CHLOE! After thinking and imagining horrible thoughts I went back to the front door and knocked very loudly and pushed the door open... It was very dark and I could definitely hear that my child was in the house. I called out Hell-O and Chloe and even Casey! I turned on some lights and found a door leading to the basement and the voices... Casey's police man father was down stairs in the basement working and couldn't hear the doorbell ring. They were just playing. No need for a heart attack. Everything is just fine. I tried to not be embarrassed and introduced myself and tried to explain coherently why I just walked into their home...

She is getting so big and acting so old, but she is still so small and fragile. This is not just spooky it is down right scary!!!

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Glittered Tootsies!

My friend Wende asked me how we did our sparkly toes a while ago and just am getting around to doing it again... Chloe has been begging me to switch colors!

1. Choose the color of glitter for your toes

*from the Martha Stewart Create Gemstone Glitter Set

2. with a inexpensive paint brush, paint glue onto your toenails

*With Martha Stewart Create Glittering Glue 3. Over a sheet of paper liberally sprinkle glitter,

then brush away excess with feather/fan paint brush
4. Apply 4+ coats of clear top coat to toenails
Sadly, I don't have a finished product picture because my little itshay demonstrator picked it off of her toes quicker than I could get a picture after she had a bath to wash away all of the excess glitter we might have missed... *not affiliated with Martha Stewart

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Is Winter Here?

Dan and I joined his parents and brothers Jared and Josh for a little fishing at Fish Lake this weekend. We left on Thursday morning and had a really good time. When we got home we were welcomed to this:

Is it winter already?

We were enjoying the wonderful autumn colors on the mountain side

just further South of Richfield, UT. It was so beautiful.

Dan has been so excited getting ready for this trip. He hasn't been to Fish Lake for 10 years. He and his family used to go with his Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles and sleep in tents and fish in the rain... We fished on the lake and some of the rivers near by.

This is the early morning photo shot of our troopers. It was really windy and cold. There were white caps on the lake most of the time. Chloe and Seth tried to enjoy it but before too long their whining started and the fishing would take a break to drop off the offending kidlet {or Me}. Seth even managed to fall asleep standing up, while he was driving the boat!!! Don't worry there weren't any other boats on the lake at the time. Yes it was that cold ~ and yes we were the only crazy ones on the water!!! The poor kid had on so many layers that he couldn't bend and sit very well. These kids love to fish with their Grandpa!
I'll post more pictures soon. I can't wait to share the picture of the fish that I caught! I can even go into more detail as to why I wore the same pair of clothes the entire trip!

Thanks so much for the good times, Grandpa!

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Guess What?

Well if you guessed that Chloe is riding her bike with only two wheels then you would be right. Yes, she is five years old, and yes this is the first time that she had been able to ride her two wheeler without training wheels. I guess Dan will have to keep his promise and get her a new bike that actually fits her height! She has had this bike since she was two...

She is so happy and we couldn't be prouder. And no, I don't remember how old I was when I could finally ride a bike without training wheels...

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SPT ~ 100 Things About Me

From Lelly:

have you got your 100 list handy? yes? fantastic! no? well, this is your chance to get one going! i think october is a great month to spend some time with yourself. i know many of us are already hyperventilating about the rush from All Hallow's Eve through New Year's Eve. this is the perfect opportunity to get yourself mentally, physically and spiritually prepared for the upcoming holiday *madness.* this month, we will consult our 100 lists. it's quite simple, really. on the 7th of the month (TOMORROW) post an spt about item #7 on your list. on the 14th of the month, post an spt about item #14. and so on. and so on. don't have a list? why don't you start one? it seems like a daunting task, you say? well, if you work up to #7 this week, #14 next week, etc., your list will be more than a quarter of the way finished by the end of the month!

I just made my list and #7 is that I'm a middle child.

There's Laura, Wendy, Jeanette, Becky, Liz {ME}, Krista, Tom, & Erin!

That's right I am a Middle Child and all of the stigma that comes along with it. There were eight of us kids. I have four older sisters {who were all beautiful and perfect} and three younger siblings {who could do it all better than me at an earlier age}. I only wore hand me down clothes. We used to go to California each year in the back of a camper and I always got stuck sleeping on the floor ~ next to the bathroom. I once got my sisters old sewing machine for Christmas. I used to have to wake up so early in the morning if I wanted some time in the bathroom before school. I was once left at a wedding reception. I'm not saying that being a middle child didn't have it's perks but boy did I have to work really hard to be noticed...

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Here is My 100

1. I have been married for 10 years
2. I was sealed to Dan on 12/31/1999
3. My first baby, Dayna, only lived for two hours
4. I have a 5 year old daughter, Chloe
5. I have a two & a half year old son, Seth
6. I have 6 sisters & 1 brother
7. I am a middle child
8. I wear only waterproof mascara
9. I cry a lot
10. My dad has Alzheimer’s
11. I’ll probably have Alzheimer’s too
12. I have red hair
13. I found one gray hair last year
14. I have beautiful blue eyes
15. I am a Taurus
16. My birth stone is a diamond
17. I am a bicentennial baby
18. I love to read
19. I like to cook & bake
20. I hate doing the dishes
21. I have had four jobs
22. I love to organize
23. I love to take pictures
24. I love to ride four-wheelers fast
25. I like to go camping
26. I love clean, fresh sheets on the bed
27. I like to do laundry
28. I have never broken any bones
29. I always wanted to be an accountant
30. I love spread sheets & numbers
31. I love being a stay at home mom
32. I am very friendly
33. I am overweight and shy
34. I’m smart
35. I read all of the instructions
36. I love autumn
37. I make a lot of lists
38. I love glitter
39. I make jewelry
40. I sell Mary Kay
41. My best friend in elementary is now my sister-in-law
42. My checkbook is balanced to the penny
43. I love my iPod
44. I now have DVR and can’t live without it
45. I go shopping the day after Thanksgiving
46. My sisters are my best friends
47. A frog once jumped into my mouth
48. My mouth is always open
49. My mouth was open for the duration of my wedding video
50. I once sharded, left a child in my car and had police involvement all in one day
51. My husband only asked if I was going to be on the news
52. I love to watch ‘Gilmore Girls’
53. I am currently a nursery leader with at least 25 children
54. I have a testimony of Jesus Christ
55. I love going boating and fishing with my family
56. I love to swim
57. I hate wearing a swimming suit
58. My fingers are double jointed
59. I love lilies
60. Families Can Be Together Forever is my favorite primary song
61. Imagine by John Lennon was played at Dayna’s funeral & makes me cry
62. When I don’t have big hair I feel like a pin head
63. I once left my husband up Weber canyon and he road his bike home
64. I was in labor for 12 hours for all of my babies
65. I love bishops casserole
66. I love home made ice cream
67. I am trying to grow my hair out long but it drives me crazy
68. I have been to Alaska
69. I would like to go to Ireland and Scotland
70. I’m afraid of dogs
71. I’m afraid of someone taking and/or hurting my children
72. I don’t understand how faxes work
73. I love shopping
74. I love reading and soaking in my big jetted tub
75. I trim my husbands fingernails
76. I love Costco
77. I really like watching Dancing with the Stars
78. I want to make very beautiful cakes and cupcakes
79. I love the color red
80. I think a women’s toenails should always be painted
81. My Christmas shopping is almost done
82. I don’t sleep very much/well
83. My kids wake me up in the morning
84. I have one whisker on my chin
85. I loved being pregnant
86. I had braces twice as a teenager
87. I have only ever had ‘oral’ surgery {wisdom teeth}
88. I think my husband is so sexy
89. I over pluck my eyebrows
90. When I eat yummy deserts I make yummy sounds
91. When I get my hair washed I make yummy sounds
92. I try not to make yummy sounds when I get a massage
93. I love ordering Chicken Con Broccoli at the Olive Garden
94. I love Diet Coke with fresh lime juice, grenadine and sonic ice
95. I love to sew and do needle point
96. My favorite candy bar is a Milky Way
97. I am a push over and like being told what to do
98. I have never eaten sushi
99. I don’t like listening to the radio
100. I enjoy taking Sunday afternoon drives with the windows rolled down

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Can you Guess?

Can you guess what these pictures are about?

1. Chloe is telling us only two more days until what:

2. Seth is so lonely and wants a friend to:
Beaker is told No No because:

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Sweet, Sweet Weekend

I love the semi annual recharge my spiritual batteries get when I participate in conference. I am so filled with excitement over the new temples in Calgary, Alberta; Córdoba, Argentina; greater Kansas City area; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Rome, Italy. I really liked the comparison between shopping and marriage. I will be praying for the opening of the restricted areas of the world. I will try to be more reverent during the sacrament to serve him, to obey him, to remember him. I will overcome despair with Faith, HOPE and Charity.

President Uchtdorf's message was especially powerful to me and I will overcome the temptation to lose hope. I will remember that Hope is the foundation and anchor of our soul. That the opposite of Hope, Faith and Charity are Doubt, Despair and Failure to Care. Hope transcends the trivial, abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill his promises. Hope is believing and expecting our prayers to be answered. Hope gives us the patience to bare our afflictions; leading to Ultimate Joy! The brighter our Hope the greater our Faith. The stronger our Hope the purer our Charity. Hope sustains us through despair. Never give in, never surrender, never allow despair to overcome your spirit! Move Forward!!!

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Just for Maggie!!!

Erin finally found out what she will be having!!! YEAH!!! I bought the jacket and hoodie queen this denim jacket even before Sam was one year old. I knew that someday she would have a little girl and that day will soon be here!!!

A little detail ~ I love the buttons!
Check out the new pictures of Miss Maggie @
http://mrserinjohnson.blogspot.com/2008/10/wow.html

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Aye Eye Captain!

Everything so is fresh and clean it sparkles! The carpets are all almost dry and we have moved back into our bedrooms.

I thought of setting Chloe's room up like a day bed ~ we'll see if she likes it. Today was the first day for Chloe to ride to school with Jacob and his mom. Seth was so much better with this situation than me dropping the kids off. {Not so sad} He actually wanted me to take his picture of him as a Pirate. Please notice his Black Pearl/Jack Sparrow Compass we found at the DI to go with his cape, patch, hat & hook! Could he have more manly dress-ups?
But his favorite dress up is the Honda Motorcycle Man ~ Ride Red! I just love it when he busts tricks and pops wheelies! Are you supposed to call boy's dress ups something else?
Aunt Jeanette has a treat jar that her kids have access to at all times. They help themselves when ever they want. I would like my kids to not care about candy and inhale it when they are within a 1 mile radius of any of it... Jeanette swears by her candy bowls. She changes the treats to go with the season and I have tried to do the same. I filled a large jar with Halloween candy and had a mess of wrappers and garbage. She said ~ no wrappers, DUH! I filled a large jar with jelly beans and jujy fruit type Halloween candy, including candy corns and pumpkins. This was working. They were taking it a few at a time, when ever they wanted. This was working. Chloe wanted to take a few to a friends house and got a little zippy bag and this was working. Then, Seth dumped a glass of water into the jar and I had a lump of licorice and orange flavored Halloween jujy goo... Dan thinks the solution to the problem is that we need to have a smaller jar! He is a freaking genius!!! Aunt Jeanette also turned us onto these eyeballs. They are gummy and look so cute under the candle in my hurricane vase. They look cute on Seth, too!

I think they look pretty cute on Moi!

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Welcome Fall

I have read so many blogs today about how exciting it is that October is here and fall can now begin. I just realized that I hadn't taken a picture since September 25th. And seeing as we aren't doing anything really fallish, this is what we can take a picture of:

I started planning and preparing on Tuesday

We rented this doctor today {kids were very confused about its name}

All because Chloe was wearing her swimming suit and pretending that she was at the pool, a couple of days ago. The next morning her bedroom smelled like she had left her pull-up in the garbage can in her room {a big no no} but there wasn't one there. As I picked up her dirty clothes I noticed that her swimming suit was wet and it smelled like PEE!!!!! So she has been the biggest helper today. We stripped her bedding and washed it all, again. We washed down every piece of furniture in her room and then took it out. We wiped down the walls removing all smudges, fingerprints, crayon and pencil marks. We sorted her toys and washed all dress ups, swimming suits, doll clothes, and anything else that could go in the washing machine.

This is Chloe's bare room:

This is my office full of Chloe and Seth's stuff:

All of the bedding is dry and ready to be put back together. I even shampooed the family room and my own bedroom. I bought some special spray for urine and have shampooed Chloe's room in between all of the others. I will try it again in the morning but right now I can still smell it... By the way, when I asked this five year old {who has been potty trained for years} why she did this she mentioned that she usually just pees in the pool. And that's a whole other conversation!!!

Any suggestions are appreciated!

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