Halloween

I really love watching little kids at Halloween. They get so excited to dress up - and eat tons of candy. I'm really glad my kids are still in the cute costume stage that doesn't include any bloody, scary, or evil Halloween costumes.

First, the Pumpkin Carving tradition. 

 (actually, last year we did under-ripe watermelons from the garden instead and it was easier)

Joshua did NOT want to stick his hand inside the pumpkin to clean it out.

Adam is proud of his (Dad's) work.

Yeah for safety knives!

A bit of the chaos...

Joshua decided his pumkin was a puzzle. After I finished cutting out the face, he picked up the pieces and matched them up. He did it over and over. I love this cute kid!

(the cute video of the puzzle for the grandmas)

Emily showing off  -  the pumkins.

So what did everyone dress up as?

Emily - a witch - same as last year. She makes a good witch.

Miriam - always a beautiful costume. This year she is a fairy.

We made the wings. That's why she wasn't allowed to get sick for halloween - because we spent too much time on the costume. :)

Adam - a fireman. He was a fireman last year too. His costume is still a little big and will still fit him for another year or so!

Joshua - bones. That's his name for it. As my "all or nothing" boy, he refused to put the bones on until he saw his siblings putting their costumes on. Then he wouldn't take them off.

Joshua wore bones to the school halloween parade Friday morning, and had to wear his costume the rest of the day. (washed overnight because Joshua is THREE)

Olivia - ladybug! I made this costume for Miriam when she was this age. I can't believe Olivia never pulled the hat off - or even tried!

After watching her brothers and sisters stand by the wall for a picture, Olivia ran right over for her closeup! She even twirled for me!

Emily and Miriam had a Halloween parade at their school on Friday. All the kids dressed up to go watch the parade.

The little kids waiting for their sisters.

My handsome Adam.

Miriam in the parade - proud to pose for a picture for Mom.

Emily in the parade - tried to get out of the picture - but still proud we cared to watch her.

Trick-or-Treating...

Michael took the kids around the block while I stayed with Olivia. This little girl KNOWS what candy is. She loved stirring the candy bowl with her hands, and opening every package she could. She screamed and threw a fit when we said no more.

Finally home from trick or treating. Time to dig in! :)

This is way too much candy for one night.

(and yes, that's Michael getting more candy for Olivia.  Smarties aren't as messy as Peanut Butter cups and Kit-Kat.)

Adam says...

I can't count how many times a day I find something that doesn't belong in Adam's room.

It is usually something from my kitchen.

Something he is not supposed to touch.

Something he has been told NOT to touch over and over again.

He thinks it is cool.

It is usually the same thing every time.

And each time I find my knife sharpener under his bed, 

I bring it back to the knife block in the kitchen and remind Adam,

"It's Not A Sword!"

And Adam replies in his sweet little voice,

"But it looks like a sword, Mom."

(No more Peter Pan movies for you!)

Joshua's 3rd Birthday

Happy Birthday Joshua!

How did you get to be 3 years old?

My Dad picked out these two hot wheel cars for Joshua.  Joshua hasn't put them down since he opened the package!  He has carried them everywhere all day and night!  :)

I promised myself I would NEVER make another train cake after making one for Emily's third birthday.  I guess I forgot how much time it really takes to assemble.  Joshua's reaction was worth it!

These two boys sat here and stared at the cake for 20 minutes after I finished it.  Later, I discovered at least 2 fingerprints in each train car where they sampled the frosting.

Love that grin!

Stealing Spoons

Mom and Jamie... this post is for you!

I remember you telling me what happened after I left for school as a kid. Jamie would reach over and take my bowl and spoon after breakfast and finish what was left. Somewhere out there is a picture of my sister, Jamie with two spoons in her mouth at the same time!

Olivia does this with Emily's bowl and spoon now!

Annual Hot Dog picnic in the mountains

I'm playing catch up with pictures I forgot were in my camera.

These are from our family's annual hot dog roasting picnic in the mountains. We have been doing it every Fall.

This year, Emily cooked her own hot dog.

Great Family picture! Where's Mom?

The reason we bring lots of baby wipes, water, and hand sanitizer.

Miriam roasted her own marshmallows.

After dinner, the kids love playing by the river.

They love throwing rocks into the water.

It gives a whole new meaning to the word,

"Erosion."

Mom...what kind of rock is this?

"Smile how you want the kids to remember you years from now..."

Chaos

It's a good thing kids are cute.

They wouldn't survive otherwise.

Consider the range from Chaos to Order.

Where do my kids fall on that scale?

(let's not rate me right now.) :)

My two sweet boys have been the cause of a LOT of chaos in our house recently.

(girls too, but not as destructive)

For example:

1. Scissors and bed sheets

This beautiful hole is 8 inches long and 3 inches wide. (see Hot Wheels car for scale.) This hole is ragged and choppy. I think I might be able to save the sheet with some double stick fusible web I got from the craft store. I'll just cut a piece to patch, and iron it on. I hope it works.

This next hole is missing all the pieces from the center. I have no idea where they are. It is smaller than the other hole - only 3" by 2". Who knows when the boys might find the scissors again, and what they might cut next. (I think I have them all hidden) I even found some snips in the backs of their animal quilts I pieced, and their pajama pants.

2. Pens and couch cushions (and walls).

Look closely and you can see a faint scribbling artwork that won't come off. I tried using Purel (as recommended on lots of websites for removing ball point pen from microfiber) and if the fabric wasn't textured, it may have worked. This is 1/4 of a couch cushion. The artwork goes on and on...

3. Baby Powder

What happens when the kids get the lid off of the BIG bottle of baby powder. Lots and lots of dusting. Olivia was covered head to toe, plus most of the downstairs. At least it was deodorized.

4. Electronics

Yes, the T.V. is still covered in baby powder in the picture below, but this example is not about the dust.

How about WATER and ELECTRONICS!

Yes, "Someone" threw water at the TV. No one will give me a strait answer. Now the sound is shorted out. No more T.V.

5. Propane

Yet again, that child named "Someone" (or their sibling) turned the knob on the propane tank to open. It was sitting outside the open kitchen window. The wind was blowing it in the house. We couldn't find the source of the mysterious gas smell for hours. Finally, I walked outside and heard the hissing sound of the gas escaping from under the BBQ grill. (I haven't used the grill for about 2 weeks so it wasn't me.) Good thing we have fans.

6. Sometimes kids just can't help the chaos, for example, when the eat! Olivia has a new habit of hanging on her pigtails. No matter what food item is in her hair, it becomes hair gel during dinner. She likes to slick the hair until it stands out strait.

Like I said, It's a good thing kids are cute!

Chaos reminds me of a conversation I had with Miriam a few weeks ago. She asked me why she had to clean her room. A thought popped into my head about how to explain it to her. I told her God organizes things. He found a mess and organized the world. He cleaned it up and put everything where it was supposed to go. You get to practice on your room so you can learn how to organize things to become like God. Se seemed to accept that answer (or at least, she didn't argue). As I walked out her bedroom door, I felt rather guilty about that one corner of my kitchen that is called "my desk" that I am never able to maintain.