Halloween 2008

At long last, here are some of the pictures from Halloween. I had no idea Michael had dressed up. Since he was on call, he got home after we started trick-or-treating. We happened to be standing in our driveway talking to some friends when he pulled up. I expected him to come stand behind me, but when I turned my head, it was this guy, instead!

What a surprise to see Michael with such a full head of hair!

Our kids dressed as Supergirl, Superman, Spiderman, and Super Flower.


I was Supermom, of course.


After a little more trick-or-treating, we hurried over to our ward's Trunk-or-Treat.

Brother Bruns had the best costume of all, I think.


Thomas couldn't stop staring at him. He was very concerned for Brother Bruns. He kept asking what the gorilla was doing with him. His little boy is dressed as a banana.

Becky went as the Tooth Fairy.


Now we know why she's so keen on collecting good teeth!



The Elders dressed up as the scriptures:

All in all, it was a fun night.

The Chicken Surrenders

I was not much of a cook when Michael and I met. I've learned a lot in the nine years we've been married, but I'm still learning. A while ago, he told me how to cook a chicken. I'm notorious for positioning meat wrong, so he instructed me (over the phone) to put the chicken's wings as though it were standing at "Parade Rest." He meant like this:
See? Parade Rest.

I didn't know, though, and since I was more concerned about the hand positioning behind the back, my chicken looked a little different. It was very difficult to get it into Parade Rest (I wound up breaking the chicken's wings) but it looked something like this...

only with the "hands" closer together.

I think a better description of how the chicken looks when it is ready to go in the oven would be "surrendering," because its "hands" are supposed to go behind where its head was...sort of.

Five Years Ago

Five years ago today, my mom passed away. It was sudden, shocking, tragic, but not surprising. Whenever I think about not having my mom around anymore, I think of other friends who have also lost their moms. Most often, I consider Andrea, who lost her mom to Alzheimer's, a cruel, unforgiving illness; or Eve, who's mom committed suicide, as well; or my husband and his siblings, who lost their mom unexpectedly three years ago. I think of all the people I don't know who have lost their moms to terrible circumstances. And all the wars and mean people who steal others' lives.

I think of the beautiful acts of kindness that were shown to our family when people found out my mom was gone. Tiffany W. and her parents sent a beautiful bouquet for the funeral. Amanda D.'s parents purchased a gorgeous casket spray and came up for the funeral. Amanda picked up my wet tissues that I had dropped on the pew, not knowing what to do with them when we had to exit, and quietly disposed of them for me. Some of my brother's friends from Hawaii sent a lei for my mom's gravestone. Andrea wrote me a note telling me some kind words my mom shared with her one time, and other fond memories she had of her. Becky W. brought over a lovely framed print of an angel sending a child off to earth. (I identified with that because I was just waiting for one more week to take a pregnancy test so I could let my family know we were expecting Thomas.) Not only Lacey II ward, but it seemed like the entire stake, provided more food than we knew what to do with, and put together a lovely reception for our families after the service. More people than I know of came from all over to help out and show their love and concern for us.

I learned a lot from my mom's passing. I learned to always tell people you love them; you never know when you won't be able to do so anymore. I learned to forgive quickly and not worry so much about things (though, honestly, that one is easier said than done). I learned that the mom is the nucleus of the family; her absence leaves a huge whole in the center. I learned that you're never too old to be devastated by the loss of your child. And I learned that 60 is actually pretty young to die; There is a lot of life to live after 60.

I hope that those of you who have moms alive still will call them and tell them how much you love them. Write them a note, or take them out on a date. Take lots of pictures, and create fond memories. Hug them. And those of you who are moms, take care of yourselves so you will be around for a long time for your children, physically, spiritually, and mentally. They need you.

Fun With Shaving Cream

I finally finished painting my bedroom recently. (I started over a year ago.) Things went pretty well with the kids and all until the final home stretch. I just had one last part to do, so I took about 30 minutes to finish it up. I made sure the kids were occupied before I began. I checked on them 15 minutes later and rescued Megan from Mason (who was in a wrestling state of mind), then worked for 15 more minutes. Just as I climbed down from the ladder for the last time, McKenzie came in and said, "Mom, you have to see this. Come downstairs." This is what she showed me:

No, the mess wasn't confined to just the table. They also smeared some on the carpet, and when they finished playing in the dining room, they went to watch tv in the family room, thus bringing the mess in there. At least they sat in their little chair instead of on the couch. And, at least the shaving cream smells relatively good.

This is how I caught them after I went to get my camera.

Thomas is helping Mason shave his leg with a pipecleaner. Shouldn't my boys be practicing shaving their faces instead of their legs?

They were covered front and back with shaving cream.
Some fun.

Garden Critters

So I went to check on our garden a couple of weeks ago and saw that we had three tomatoes growing. GREAT! I was pleased that the plants are growing well and producing fruit. A little while later, I had to go on a Mason-Megan hunt. This is what I found:

So much for those three tomatoes. Needless to say, Michael now working on a stronger garden fence.

Recess Monkey

The week following Reptile Man, we went to the library and saw Recess Monkey, a "kindie" rock band, meaning an indie rock group for kids. They're actually teachers from Seattle who teach kindergarten through second or third grade. This band is kind of a side thing, that I wonder if they hope will grow to a much bigger thing. Who knows. I had no idea what to expect when we went, so I didn't bring my camera. (The above photo was supplied by a librarian.)

Their songs were surprisingly fun. My kids loved dancing around to them. They all had their own favorite. McKenzie's was the Chicken song, Thomas' was Monkey Bars, Mason's was The Pool, and I liked S-L-EE-P-Over. (You can hear three of these songs on their website.) We tried to get to the library on time the second day they were here, but were late again and heard basically the same songs (but it was still fun). I noticed that their most exciting songs were the ones they performed, but in general their songs tend to be more mellow. Not that my kids need anything to wind them up more, but sometimes I want to put in some good, upbeat music that we can dance to while cleaning up. Oh well. At the end of the second concert we saw, I had to wait for something, so the kids wound up being able to chat with the band and play Drew's guitar a little.

Reptile Man

A few weeks ago, Reptile Man came to town. Our library sponsored his visit as part of the summer reading program. He showed us all kinds of reptiles, including a soft-shelled turtle, a Asian spitting cobra, and an albino Burmese python. McKenzie was able to model the boa constrictor, and even got to be petted by Lucy the alligator! The boys were entranced by all the boxes. (Thomas actually took a picture of them, but I deleted it.) They thought the reptiles were pretty neat, too. Megan had fun chasing around the 8 year old Sulcata tortoise. This was a neat exhibit. We'll have to make an excursion to his museum in Monroe, WA, sometime!

a soft-shelled turtle

McKenzie with a reptilian necklace

Lucy turning the tables on McKenzie

This girl has no fear petting snakes,

Megan with an 8 year old tortoise. This is what Max should look like in 6 1/2 years.

Canoeing

setting off

waving goodbye

back at last

Michael somehow got this canoe from his dad last summer. His parents had two canoes that they used to take their children on camping trips. Michael remembers having a lot of fun with them, and would like our family to share some similar memories. Unfortunately, I'm not quite as brave or adventurous as his mom was. Anyway, he finally got a chance to take our kids out in the canoe with some friends recently. He and Bryan enjoyed it, but the kids were bored and happy to reach shore about an hour and a half later. Maybe it's more of a Scout thing.

Tea for Two

I thought this was sweet. To entertain herself during her siblings' naptime, McKenzie set up a little tea party. Megan was the first one awake, and thus became McKenzie's special guest.

No Wall Is Safe

This is what I'm dealing with a lot lately. (You can't see it very well in this picture, but there is a bunch of orange marking on the wall by Megan's head.) If Megan ever finds a crayon or marker, the walls become her canvas. Mason eagerly joins in. I can usually figure out the culprit by how high the coloring is, and how developed it is (Megan just draws slash marks). I haven't figured out how to prevent this, because I have kids who love to color, but they aren't quite up to speed on putting their project supplies away all the time. This stash was actually hidden by McKenzie or Thomas so they could color in private from their siblings. As you can see, their efforts were very effective.

Happy Birthday, McKenzie!!!

How time flies. McKenzie turned 7 years old today. I love her at all her ages; I wish I could keep a clone of her at each age. I'm excited for her as she grows through life, but I can't we slow it down a little? It seems life only picks up speed. In church on Sunday, Sister Black told me that the next thing you know, they've graduated from high school and moved out of the house. How can that be? Unfortunately, I know it's true. Anyway, enough ruminating. Here's the rundown on McKenzie's fabulous day:

We spent the morning preparing for her birthday party. At 12:30, Jen and Chloe came to help set up. At 1pm the guests began arriving. Each of them got a headband with animal ears on it, a balloon tail, and her face painted like a cat or a dog. There were little goldfish crackers in a kitty bowl and scooby snacks in a doggy bowl for them to munch on as they colored Littlest Pet Shop pictures while waiting for the rest of the invitees to join the festivities.


When all of our guests had arrived, we started on the games. First, we had a dog/cat chase, where their objective was to pop each others' tails. The last one with her tail intact won, and the victory went to our friend, Kenzie.

Next, the girls (and Thomas) raced in two teams, cats versus dogs, in an animal relay. First they had to "crawl like a cat" until they got to the dog marker, where they had to "bark like a dog" three times. Then they progressed to the "walk like a monkey" marker, which led them to the "hop like a frog" to the finish line. That was a lot of fun to watch. (I think we should play this at our next Girl's Night Out!) The dogs won this game.

Finally, the kids raced in a doggy water bowl relay.

I fudged it so the cats won. They were down by a few tablespoons. It was essentially a tie, but I wanted to keep things even.

While that was winding down, Michael started up the snowcone machine and we were soon dishing out flavored ice for everyone.
When the kids finished this refreshment, we moved on to opening presents, and eating cake and ice cream. I was seriously amazed with the generosity of our guests' parents. I don't know where they found the gifts their children gave McKenzie, but they did an awesome job. She got a lot of creative things, crafty things, and some toys that she absolutely loves. I sit here speechless as I think of what wonderful people we are blessed to know. You are truly great examples to me.

McKenzie and her friends as she opens her birthday presents.

McKenzie blowing out her candles.

Gratuitous cake shot.

Once the kids enjoyed their cake and ice cream, they headed out for fun on the BONZAI!!!

McKenzie's party was a blast. All the kids had so much fun. I was so grateful for Michael and Jennifer, who helped make it such a success, and to Stephanie, for loaning us the snowcone machine.

After McKenzie's party, we got the kids cleaned up a bit and headed to the mall to get McKenzie's ears pierced. The piercing guns at Claire's Boutique were out of order, so we headed over to the Piercing Pagoda. Unfortunately, there was only one person working at the booth, so she had to pierce McKenzie's ears one at a time. I was impressed at how brave McKenzie was. She usually screams bloody murder at a minor scrape, but today she held her tongue and didn't make a sound. I could tell by her expression that it was painful, yet she was committed to continue with the second ear (thankfully). She was so proud of herself when it was done. I think she looks great. Albeit, now she really looks like a 7 year old, and no longer the 6 year old she was yesterday. Sigh!


What a great day. Happy Birthday, McKenzie! I love you so much. You brighten my days with your cheery smile. I'm so glad to have you as my daughter!