Carving Pumpkins

It's that time of year again!! I happen to love this time of year because it kicks off the whole holiday season. I love Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Despite the cold and the snow- I love what comes with it. And I think the reason I love Halloween so much- is because of all the good childhood memories that I associate with it. My mom is and was kind of a Halloween nut- she went all out every year. She had a witch costume that was known for blocks. We still have pictures- you wouldn't recognize her unless you knew it was her. She would also go crazy with decorations and treats and parties... It was so much fun. Now that I'm the mom- I know how tired and how crazy life is without the addition of holiday extras- but I remember how much effort my mom put into these things and how big a payoff it was for me as a kid. So- even though I AM tired, and it just feels like one more thing... I keep telling myself that the memories I am helping my kids build- is totally worth it.

So today- we carved pumpkins. We only did two for now and hopefully we'll be able to get the others finished before Halloween- but if not... I guess we can just leave them out for Thanksgiving decor!

Now I want you to take a look at the pumpkins we have on our front porch... There are some serious pumpkins sitting there. Both my parents and Shaun's parents brought pumpkins to us this year. My parents brought the normal sized ones and Shaun's parents grew Giant Pumpkins this year in their garden... They weren't kidding!! These things are freaking huge! Ty wanted to carve one of them- but I put my foot down... I'm not near dedicated enough to the pumpkin carving process to carve one of those babies. Besides- I think you'd have to have a chain saw to get through all the flesh!!!

Anyway- once I finally talked Ty into carving a normal sized pumpkin- we got to work. We carved a little "happy" pumpkin and a big "scary" pumpkin. At least that's how Ty described them. He actually did most of the little pumpkin himself- and he even managed to keep all his fingers- a feat I was pretty impressed with. I mean think about this... Even though they are just little knives- they have to be pretty sharp in order to make all those little designs and cut through the pumpkin itself... Why do we, as parents (you know- the supposed responsible ones) give these knives over to 4 year olds? It seems somewhat silly to me. But I did it anyway- and it turned out pretty well! The other pumpkin we carved was supposed to be a scary vampire pumpkin (Ty's idea)... We tried hard to make it scary- and if you don't think it is- don't tell us- we don't want to know. We'll have to light them tomorrow and see how they turn out in the dark!

A Tuesday...

Since Ty has been in school, it has allowed Ryan and I to have some one on one time in the mornings. And I have to tell you- it has been soo much fun! Ryan has such a spunky little personality. He's almost as bad as his brother as far as the fact that he is into EVERYTHING! We've baby-proofed the house, but Ryan can still find things to get into. His favorite lately is the bathroom and the cupboard in my kitchen that holds the bread pans. I find bread pans everywhere. I went to go put Ty's PJ's away yesterday, and when I opened his dresser drawer- I found a bread pan.

Besides being a smidge on the mischievous side- Ryan is also pretty smart! I know. I know- I'm totally biased- but since this is my blog- I get to brag all I want! Ryan can say: Mama, Dad, Ty, Hi, No, Go, Big Truck, How Are You and What's That. He can also tell you what the cow, horse, duck, lamb and puppy say. He understands everything. If I tell him to go get in the tub- he'll walk down the hall, into the bathroom and wait next to the tub for me. If I say it's time to go- he'll walk to the back door and pound on the glass until I come with the car keys (granted sometimes he'll do this and yell "go" at me when we are just hanging out in the house). But he really is a smart little fart... Smart enough I have a feeling that between he and his brother- they just have Shaun and I outsmarted by the time they are in Elementary School...

The Tooth

We had a casualty this weekend. We went up to Declo this weekend to spend some time with Shaun's family, and so that I would be able to go to my sister-in-law's baby shower on Saturday.

Saturday morning, we were spending some time outside in the sunshine and Ryan got into a fight with the brick patio... and consequently... lost. He fell down face first and when I picked him up- there was blood EVERYWHERE! And he was just screaming. I kept trying to calm him down to see what was wrong- and Shaun points to his mouth and asked me, "Is that a piece of his tooth sitting there on his tongue?" Sure enough- Ryan had knocked out half of his front tooth.

He's fine now- I took a picture of him in the tub this morning- and even though it's a dopey picture of him- you can kind of see what happened to the two front teeth. The one was pushed back up into his gums, and the other is half gone. I took him to the dentist and there isn't a whole lot they can do until the teeth kind of come back down- then they will be able to re-build the broken tooth. Poor baby.

Fall

Fall seems to be a busy time. There is just always soo much that finds itself needing to be done. When Jacki was here over Conference- I made a comment that I was embarrassed by how much stuff was on my kitchen counters. Jacki just laughed and told me- it's fall... that's what happens when there are things to can and stuff that needs put away. I felt a little better.

And it has been a busy fall. My grandma, grandpa and mom taught me how to can this fall, and I have kind of been so amazed by what you can put away in your pantry via canning. So, while I had done a lot of peaches already- I also did tomatoes and apple pie filling. The apple pie filling was an idea that I got from a girlfriend up here- who does it every year. The idea is- you make your pie filling in the fall and then later in the year, you can have apple pie by just dumping your jar of stuff into a pie crust and VIOLA! Pie. So- I canned apple pie filling- and we actually tried it tonight- it was really good! I'm impressed and my pantry is just that much fuller.

Conference Weekend

These post may be disturbing to those potential visitors out there. Visitors beware... we WILL put you to work. And both sets of grandparents can vouch for that.

We were lucky enough to be joined this conference weekend by both my parents and Shaun's parents. Unfortunately for them... we had unfinished projects leftover from this summer that HAD to be done before the snow falls. (Which here in Montpelier could be anytime now...)

First and foremost. We ripped out the back steps because they were rotting and starting to fall apart. So not safe. But- because Shaun was gone so much this summer working for his dad- they just never really got put back together again. We had all the pieces. Just never enough time. So- my dad and Shaun got working on this and after a few hours- it was done! We had stairs and a railing! So talented.

Next! We had a ton of leftover sand from when we put in the stone patio earlier this year. So rather than let it just sit in the garage and take up someone's valuable parking space (*cough* MINE!). I attempted to put together a sand box made from leftover brick. It was okay. It kind of served its purpose. You could at least tell that's what it was supposed to be. But the bricks wouldn't stay standing up. And the boys kept moving them. So... Enter Papa Orllo. Orllo brought some big wooden posts with them when they came, and he spent the afternoon cutting and putting together a sand box. Kudos Orllo and Jacki (his faithful helper).

And finally... The men put their heads together to figure out how to put up a safety gate above the stairs. We have an unfinished basement- so that the bottom of the stairs is a whole lot o

f concrete. Not much of a plush landing if Ryan were to take off down the stairs. I kept envisioning a lot of blood and a smashed head. So- sparing the rest of the graphic details that keep playing in my brain... the men got to work and got it set up for me (and my peace of mind).

Finally- the work was done and it was time for dinner. We went over to Nora's Diner (home of the world's best onion rings), and had a yummy meal (of course- doesn't it always taste better if you don't have to make it?).

We are so grateful to Grandma Janet (she kept things going this weekend), Grandpa JB (for his expertise in building steps), Grandma Jacki (for helping me clear out the garden), Papa Orllo (for his unparalleled sandbox building skills), Shaun (because I KNOW you didn't want to do any of it), Ty (for all the help on ALL the projects... and some that weren't on the list) and to Ryan (for being SUCH a good boy through all of this). I love you all!!

Truckin'

We are on the road a lot. A lot. A lot. I think we have it about down to a science though- and that's probably more than most people can say about traveling with toddlers. We have found the secret. And I'm about to reveal it to all of you. Are you ready?

The secret is...: Chocolate Milk.

I know. It sounds simple. But it's the secret to great and easy car travel. We fill a cup for both of them and then throw them in the car and take off. They both guzzle and guzzle until it's gone. And then they fall asleep. It's wonderful. And Shaun and I are geniuses.

My People.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said: "You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face... You must do the thing you think you can't do." Moving to Montpelier three years ago was terrifying to me. I've never been one to make friends easily or quickly. I am reserved and quiet when surrounded by people I don't know. I had to change when I moved to Montpelier. I knew no one.

I was so lucky to find the friends that I have found here. My people. They have stood by me when I cried with fear when we were worried about Shaun's job. They laughed with me when I laughed about life as a mom. They have always been there when I need a friend. I've never been surrounded by so many good people at one time. (in the picture below: Liz, Clover, Aleisha, Jenny and Jamie)

These girls have helped me re-learn the art of exercise. Every morning there is a group that walks. If it's warm, we walk at the park. When it's cold, we walk at the church. Sometimes we run. Sometimes we weight train. We've done Yoga videos. We play volleyball every Thursday night. There is even a clogging group.

I also think that one of the best parts of being here- is that I have re-learned the art of being a friend. I took my high school/ college friends for granted. We had been friends for so long that everything was easy. We already knew each others histories and quirks. When you make so many new friends at once- you have to re-learn how to ask questions. And it was different this time too... all of these women were also young moms. We are all in the same boat. We have similar routines. We yell at our kids for the same things.

We also get together for girls night/ movie night and we have lunch once a week (sometimes with kids sometimes without). Once in a while it's a phone call to see if you want to take the kids to the park. Or Biggest Loser parties. Around here- it seems that there is always an excuse to get together.

So thanks girls. For making it so easy for me to get over my fear. Thanks.

Who needs an eyebrow?

Melissa is in school. She has decided that her calling in life is to be an esthatician (No I'm NOT spelling that right) and has been in school for about a month. They just learned waxing in school and she told us that we were to be her test subjects this weekend. Gulp. Dad even had to put his head in the ring and had his eyebrows waxed.

I kid. She's really good and I only have the tiniest of holes in my eyebrow... but my legs look fantastic!! Way to go Miss- and let me know the second you get into your facial unit! :)

Lunch Bunch

While we were down in Salt Lake, we also went to lunch with my grandparents and aunt and uncle (Lori and Brent) on Saturday afternoon. It was so much fun- my mom's aunt and uncle (Carol and Larry) were up from Nephi for the afternoon, so we got to talk to them as well.

Grandpa was really sweet to share his lunch with Ryan. Ryan is fast friends with anyone that will feed him- so he thought Grandpa was extra nice since he got his own cookie!

And here's Grandma and Carol!

Best Buy

Friday night rolled around and we did all go to dinner at Cafe Trang (sorry Dave and Nat- had to add it just for you!). It's a little Vietnamese restaurant that is sooo good! I think it's one of those places that I could eat at every day!

After dinner, Shaun, Miss and I took one car home, while the others went with Grandma. We stopped at Best Buy (I have been looking for the newest season of Grey's Anatomy that just came out on DVD). We kind of wandered around for a little bit, and got separated. I came around the corner and saw Miss playing the Wii Rockband thing. She made me sit down and we played Rockband together. Way too much fun! I'm sure we looked like absolute morons and Shaun tried not to walk too close until we were done.

Happy Birthday Grandma Janet!

Friday was my mom's birthday, and her only request was that we make time to come down this weekend. So... we packed up the kids and we left on Thursday. Friday morning, we (my mom, my sister, Shaun, Ty, Ryan and myself) all went down to the Gateway (downtown Salt Lake) for some shopping! It was so much fun to spend the morning walking around in the beautiful fall weather (and walking around in all the fun stores) together!

We ended up over by the fountains/ splashpad thing at the end of the mall and Ty and Grandma Janet wove in and out of the shooting water- trying to avoid getting wet. Grandma did alright... Ty did NOT! The one time we thought he'd make it across, he did a total wipe-out. Poor kid. It was so fun though!
Ryan just hung out in the stroller for the majority of the morning. He's such a good shopper! He had a few snacks (that he pilfered from his brother's bag of goodies) and one of the stores was handing out water bottles and he was set.

Busy Days

I feel like we are all being run ragged. I guess after the lazy days of summer that is to be expected. And it's not that we're not loving it! Ty LOVES school. He is so excited every morning and he thinks he's so big since he gets to ride the bus! Last week they did a unit on dogs and cats... and he came home wearing some little paper dog ears that they made in class. It was soo funny- there are about four other little kids that get off on Ty's bus stop... they all had their ears on when they got off the bus and it looked so cute!

Ty also loves art time in school. Everyday when I ask him what he did, he'll either tell me about the painting he did or that "we just didn't have time to paint today. Sigh." So funny. He brought home some of his artwork the other day and I hung it up in the hall- he told me this was a dragon... I'll leave it up to you for the interpretation.
And as for Ryan and I... we are also liking the time in the morning to ourselves. It has been so fun to get to know my littlest boy- he is such a little spitfire! And so stubborn- I guess we know now that he DOES take after his dad. Anyway- he is also a little lunch-gut... he LOVES to eat! So most of the time you'll find him with a snack in hand or in the high chair!

Little Bit Medium

Ty stubbed his toe the other day. When I asked him which one hurt- he held up the second toe and said "It's my little bit medium toe! It hurts!" He was less than impressed when I started busting a gut laughing.

More Peaches?!

Yes. More peaches. The rest of the peaches ripened up and we couldn't eat them all (that's not to say we didn't try... peaches for breakfast, lunch, with dinner, as dessert... ), so it was back to the canner for me. This time Ryan offered to help... Okay, not really- but he did sit there and talked to me while I peeled peaches!

Go For It. (Thanks Katie!)

The finest gift you can give anyone is encouragement. Yet, almost no one gets the encouragement they need to grow to their full potential. If everyone received the encouragement they need to grow, the genius in most everyone would blossom and the world would produce abundance beyond our wildest dreams.
-Sidney Madwed

Ryan Scoots and Walks

Ryan walking... and if you listen closely, he snorts as he laughs!

This is Ryan's OTHER mode of transportation... And he goes EVERYWHERE on his bum! I hope that our next kid is a girl... because Ryan has worn out the bum of all his shorts!

Let's Go Fly A Kite

Today is Sunday and most Sunday's we are a little pressed to find things that we can do to make it stand out from the rest of the week. Our little kids may not understand why we don't play with friends or go to the store on Sunday- and we can only lead by example. Still though- I know Ty is confused a lot of the time. And we're working on it. The best we've been able to come up with is the fact that because it's Sunday, Heavenly Father wants us to spend time with our family.

So- today was a beautiful Sunday. Except that it was extremely windy... Enter Ty's new Yoda kite. We walked over to the park (it's only half a block from our house), and I showed Ty how to fly it. It was so much fun. I am so impressed at how quickly he picked up how things worked, he understood that he needed to run a certain direction when the kite started to dive and he understood that sometimes he needed to change the way he was holding the kite before he took off... It was crazy! Shaun is still healing- so he sat with Ryan and watched. Ryan was (naturally) not impressed and cried when the kite went up in the air the first couple of times.

Okay- and I have to admit... I got to fly the kite for a little bit too. I remember doing it when I was little with my dad and my brother... I might have to wish for a few more windy days! It was fun!

Millions of Peaches... Peaches for Me!

I have never canned anything before. But this year... This year is different...

I love peaches. I could eat them on anything and with anything. They are just my favorite things ever. So this year... I bought some fresh peaches from Brigham City and I called my mom and my grandma and we canned! I don't know how much we did- apparently this is something that serious canners always know- exactly how much was made and the cost of each pint... I don't have a clue. I'll get to it next year... I just think they look pretty in a jar!

Anyway- I am so grateful for my grandma and grandpa helping me. I love doing this sort of thing with them because I love the stories that they tell while they are working. They have done it too many years and it's kind of old hat for them- my grandma cuts the peaches and puts them in the jar while my grandpa peels. Ty walked in and watched us work for a minute and then said, "This is kind of like a factory isn't it Mama?" I think he had it about right!

Double Trouble

I finally did it. I pulled the trigger. I moved Ryan into Ty's room last week!! Ty has been begging me for months and I finally gave in! I'm not sure it was such a good idea- Ryan is totally confused at being in there with Ty... but yesterday morning Shaun and I were laying in bed listening to the two of them giggle. I hope that it works out well and that we don't spend too many nights threatening them to be quiet!!

Labor Day

I don't really remember taking a vacation without the kids. It might have been done at one time... but if it did- I'm drawing a blank... Anyway- this Labor Day we decided that we would hop in the car and drive out to see Shaun's brother and his wife in Colorado. I know what you're thinking... "Wait... didn't they just do that!?" The answer is yes- we did. However, Chase and Dani (said brother and sister in-law) have just moved into their new house and we wanted a chance to go and see them again- the last trip just kind of seemed like a whirlwind.

So- we loaded up in Jacki and Orllo's truck and headed out on Friday morning (have I mentioned that I LOVE Shaun's 4-day school week?!). My mom and dad took the kids for us- and from what I understood this morning- Ty and Ryan were NOT going to be sad about it. As we said good-bye to them they were both giggling. Anyway- we made it to Denver and we got to tour the new casa... it was so cute! Dani had done such a good job putting things together and Chase is Mr. Handyman (I kept trying to convince him of the benefits of coming and working for me for a week... I'm pretty sure I can keep him busy!). We also got to go and do a little baby shopping with them! I remember going and picking out our crib and changing table- it was so daunting! What was even more daunting was the idea of putting together all the stuff by ourselves. I have to admit that I'm jealous that Chase had Shaun and Orllo helping. I remember we put together our crib in the living room of our apartment- and we were quickly horrified to find out that once we wheeled it down the hall to put it in the bedroom... IT DIDN'T FIT THROUGH THE DOORWAY!! So we had to take it apart and put it back together again once we were in the room. It was a mess.

Anyway- we had such a good time! We got to talk- which Shaun and I have totally missed since we moved from Boise. And Chase and Dani took us to some yummy restaurants- I already miss them both and I keep checking my calendar wondering if it's too soon to go back out!! Thanks you guys!

I have a "crush" on Autumn...

My Crab-Apple Tree is ready to go... Too bad that I don't have a clue what to do with them... They are pretty though! They may just have to end up as a Centerpiece this week on my Kitchen Table!

I have a crush on the Fall. I love the Summer, but I have a major infatuation with Fall. I love it when the leaves start to change colors. I love the way my house smells after I make apple pie and pumpkin treats. I REALLY love taking the flannel sheets out of my linen closet. I like pulling out my sweaters and taking walks in the crisp fall air. My birthday is also in the fall. What else makes me "heart" Fall...?

Homemade Pumpkin Pie... with LOTS of Whipped Cream

Apple Picking

New Recipes that have ANYTHING to do with Apples

Pumpkin Patches

Crocheting by the fire

Snuggling in bed on Sunday Mornings with Shaun

Thanksgiving and the Harvest

The Smells of Autumn: Pumpkin, Cinnamon, Cloves, Apples...

Opening the Windows

Picking Branches with Red, Yellow and Orange Leaves for a Centerpiece

Turkey with Cranberry Sauce

Smell of Wood burning in the Fireplace

First Day of School

Sniff. Sob. Hic. Sniff.

It's official... Ty had his first day of school today. We had been preparing for this all summer- totally building it up. Yesterday, there was an open house, where the kids got to wander around the rooms and take a look at some of the things they were going to be doing- Ty totally ate it up! He was so excited!

Last night, we started getting ready at about 6:00, so that we wouldn't be rushed in the morning. Ty is going to school out in Paris- which is about 20 minutes away, so we had to plan for travel time. He will be riding the bus- starting next week. But for the first couple of days- mom gets to take him!! Anyway- we laid his clothes out...

Put his backpack by the door...

Then dad gave him a blessing and we said our prayers. Ty was sure to add during each- that Heavenly Father should make sure that he had fun.

Ty got up bright and early and bounded into our bed at 7:00, dressed and ready to go. I almost hated to break it to him that school didn't start until 8:00. Oh well- we weren't rushed and that was the point! Ryan could tell that something was up this morning- he was really clingy and kept looking around trying to figure out what was going on. Here is a picture of our super snazzy pre-schooler...

Ty was pretty chatty as we headed out the door, but as we got closer to the school- he got quieter and quieter... I started to panic thinking that if he breaks down- I'm not going to handle it well at all!! But we pulled up to the school and he jumped out.

Because he had had the tour yesterday- he went right into the school and led Ryan and I down the hall. Once we got to the classroom and I helped him hang up his backpack- he turned to me and said, "See ya in a while Mama!" And that was it. He turned his back to me and went to go play with some of the other kids that were already there. I had nothing to do, but turn around and head back to the car.

Ryan was confused...

I pulled away, telling myself that I was NOT going to cry. That it is part of life. You have kids. They get older and life goes on. But this morning- it didn't seem fair. Why did he have to get to 4 so quickly? I know he's a pain in the butt and there are days that I try to sell him to the passerby... but... he's my baby. My buddy. My friend. Ty and I have done EVERYTHING together the last four years- and now- he's moving on. I know that I have Ryan that I get to do all those things with now- and how blessed I am to have him. To be able to share new things with him... But I'll miss Ty.

Anyway- school got out at noon, and this was Ty at about 12:30... He wanted to watch a movie on my bed. He didn't even make it past the opening credits.

Corn

Being a from a big city, a lot of things just never occured to me. I took for granted that muffins do not always come from a box, that ground beef didn't magically appear in the store and that corn does not always come from a can. That's not to say that I never had corn on the cob- when summer came, my mom would stop at the local roadside stand and we'd have it a couple times a month. But once winter came again- it was back to the canned stuff.

When I married Shaun I was introduced to one of the yummiest things! Fresh corn that was frozen. So this year- when the corn was ready... so was I! We went to Declo for the day and Papa Orllo harvested corn for us- he actually picked it!! Off the plant!! And then we got to the menial task of shucking (sp?). Ty thought it was kind of fun- though I think he was more stoked by the fact that there were lady-bugs in the sack than by the fact that we were getting ready for winter (I feel a little bit like the busy ant- you know- from the story the Ant and the Grasshopper). He did finally get one corn cob shucked and he held it up all suprised and yelled, "Look guys! There's corn in here!"

We took our corn in the house, and cut it off the cob and put it into freezer bags... and Violia! Freakin' yummy corn for the dead of winter!!

Shaun's Surgery

Shaun was out mowing the lawn back in May and stepped in a hole (our lawn is littered with big holes... we're not sure why), and went down in a blaze of glory... and ended up tearing his ACL (in his knee). He kept putting off the surgery because he wanted to be able to play a little bit this summer- and we finally were able to schedule a time this week for the Dr. to go in and replace his ACL.

Here's Shaun waiting...

And now he has on a hospital gown...

And here is a picture of his knee- I think this is the funniest thing! The nurse had to come in and mark "Yes" on the knee that they were going to be working on. Apparently there is some kind of issue with Drs. operating on the wrong knee. Gives a person a good sense of confidence doesn't it?

And... after two hours of surgery... out he came. Everything went well and they were able to attach the new ACL with no problems. Shaun also handled the drugs well... he came out yelling something about a cheeseburger.

Anyway- a big thanks to Shaun's parents for taking the boys for us for a couple of days- it would have been very difficult with little ones running/scooting around. I appreciate the help VERY much! And thanks for those of you out there with your thoughts and prayers.