Happy Halloween

Here is our crew of trick-or-treaters. We have Paul as a Utes football coach, James the spider, William the fish, Peter the lion, Maryanna the chicken, and Clara the bunny. After 2 hours of trick-or-treating they ended up with a pile of candy weighing 9 lbs. 1 oz. We counted 174 pieces and James is anxious to produce a bar graph to display the variety.

As for the costumes and jack-0-lanterns we pulled them off without a minute to spare. William's fish costume was quite challenging to sew because of the 4" foam. I broke so many needles that I had to sew it with sunglasses on to protect my eyes. I then began to have concerns for my sewing machine and opted for the painful task of sewing it by hand. It took several more days than anticipated and I now have a nice callous on my finger. It was worth it though for my little ocean lover William. Also, its one size fits all so Paul wore it to work for some good laughs. James' costume was simple enough. We stuffed some tights and stitched them on quickly before he was out the door for trick-or-treating. He said he did not get as much attention for his costume as William but didn't mind because he felt like "a master of disguise" creeping in the dark wearing just black. As for Paul, I promised him a Ben Franklin costume years ago. I haven't even started it yet but in the mean time he was pretty creative pulling off the coach look. Now he has an excuse to buy some more Michigan gear for next year's Halloween. We can thank Old Navy for the other three costumes!

Funny funny Peter

Here are a few more funny ones. He never stops talking until he finally falls asleep. Here he is - finally asleep- on the bench at the top of our stairs.

"Mommy how do batteries work? Is our heart kind of like a battery?"

"Mommy I need someone to teach me how to fall asleep"

"Mommy I feel so sad.....I'm just not strong enough yet"

"I like to rub soap and water on my tummy and man nipples to make them look stronger"

Pumpkins for everyone!

Last night for Family Night we had great adventure. William said it was one of our best. We were invited to a private 400 acre farm full of pumpkins and animals. The kids could not believe how many pumpkins there were - William estimated over 600 but James said ten thousand. There were pumpkins for everyone, fat ones, tall ones, small ones, round ones, oblong shaped, white and green ones, and there was even one shaped like a jelly fish. We picked one for everyone.
After the picking the kids piled in the back of Becca's truck and headed off to the buffalo pasture. We don't know how many buffalos there were but there was enough to completely surrond our cars. We smashed some pumpkins on the ground and the animals enjoyed eating the guts and shells. I don't know what was more fun watching the bison eat or smashing the pumkins. James said - smashing pumpkins. We completed the evening with a little camp fire and lots of yummy treats. The kids were fast asleep as soon as we pulled on to I-15 and headed home.

Just a few more pics - enjoy

Homeschoolers don't stay home

Here's how we kicked off our school year.
p.s. did you notice all the tie dyes....

Deep Thoughts by Peter, age three

Here are a few of the recent funny ones....

"Mommy, when I get bigger will my voice change"?

"Mommy, I don't ever want to see a person get buried.... why can't they just bury the heart and brain and save the body"?

"Clara, why don't you like George Bush? he's the president"

"Mommy, how close is Baghdad? is it closer or farther from Yellowstone?"

"Mommy, when I get older after I'm an elephant dentist I'm going to be a a really strong wrestler and then when i get really strong and tough I want to be a Michigan football player because they really need our help"

"One touch with nature and the whole world is kin"

This Shakespeare quote was carved on a bench in a grove of trees at Redwood National Forest. I guess you could also state "One touch with nature and a family crammed in a mini van for miles on end still love each other and even more". We could not get enough National Parks! What started out as a day trip to Yellowstone and a weekend in Spokane visiting family turned into a great adventure of the pacific northwest. From mountains of Washington, Oregon coast, and northern California we were smitten by rustic log cabins, fragrant sea air and crashing waves, geothermal activity, sand dunes, scenic views, towering redwoods, and stars so bright you could practically grab them. I don't think my kids will ever have to experience Disneyland after this trip - it would be far too disappointing. What a joy it was to spend time together as a family connecting with something so real - nature.