Happy Halloween 2009!

Here are the kids as they got ready to go Trick-or-Treating.  All except Spencer he had to go to bed and wait until next year.  Here is a goofy picture we took as well.

Here are some closeups:

 

 

 

The best part was that I only made 2 costumes this year.  I had to break down for Bumblebee, because any homemade versions required way too much work and Spencer's was a gift that we turned into a costume.  (If you remember, Andrew was a Baseball Mouse for his first Halloween).  As for the girls, I did make Alexis' dress --- 4 years ago for Karissa's Christmas dress when she was 5.  Alexis just grew into it and so I added a crown with a jewel her favorite color, green.  So then I just had to make Karissa's, which might have been the easiest costume I ever made.  I love Halloween!  (as long as I don't have to dress-up).

Happy Halloween Pumpkins

I can hardly believe it is Halloween again.  This year we actually carved pumpkins.  We usually go to the Pumpkin Walk in North Logan, but we had the flu (everyone but Alexis has had it) so we stayed home and actually carved pumpkins.  Our first.  I know sad that Karissa is 9 and just carved her first pumpkin, but that said she did amazing.  This is hers:

I realize you may not believe me, but it is.  She used a template and carved it all but the bottom right 2 whiskers which I did because the pumpkin had a crack and she thought she had ruined it, but no loss.  Amazing isn't it!

She also carved Andrew's, but this is the one (or I should say the scene) Brandon carved

The long pumpkin in front of the man is a keyboard, if you look really close you can see the "keys"

Sleeping Baby

I love the way he sleeps.  I know I will wish he didn't suck his thumb, but I can't bring myself to be mean enough to stop it and it is just way too cute!

My Awesome Daughter!

I just had to tell everyone what an amazing girl I have.  While not everyday day is like this, this morning was wonderful.  Brandon is currently out of town and Andrew is sick with the swine flu, Spencer and I are recovering and Karissa is all but done.  Needless to say we aren't up to our normal standards of getting our act together.  Anyway, this morning Karissa woke up extra early and emptied the dishwasher without being asked, fixed and ate her breakfast, heard Spencer and brought hm in to me --I was still asleep --, showed me her newly lost tooth (she just has 2 left and then she is done with loose teeth forever), then got in the shower without complaint.  This morning was so nice I can't even say.  It brought a wonderful tone to the day and I have been happy ever since.  She is growing up.

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow . . . Onion Rings?

We had our first snowfall yesterday.  I have to admit it was a lot more than I thought we would get.  We ended up with about 1".  The kids could hardly wait to get outside to play.  Let's just say their homework got done rather quickly.  Later we continued our tradition of eating onion rings the evening of the first snowfall.  I got the flu and yesterday was a bad day, and I tried to talk them out of it, but no such luck.  Oh, well, the onion rings were yummy!  Here's some photos from their frolicking in the snow.

Karissa with the snowman she built herself

 Which she loves.

And this would be Andrew

who refuses to let a little thing like a broken collar bone stop him.

BOYS!

Bucking Broncos

On Sunday we went down to visit Brandon's family.  It was nice, we haven't been down for a while, between crazy lives and illness.  For the first time all of the kids were playing together and seeming to have a good time.  It was wonderful.  I was so happy that everyone was included.  Then Andrew came in crying.  They were playing Bucking Broncos, with the 12-year old cousin being the Bronco and Andrew got "bucked."  He was crying a lot so we knew he was hurt.  But once we gave him some ibuprofen and some ice he felt better.  That night he slept upstairs on the couch so if he needed us, which he did.  When his ice would melt he would want some more.  Monday morning he was feeling a lot better, and it only hurt when he moved the wrong way, but I took him in "just in case".  Turned out just in case was right, he had broken his collar bone.

So now he is in a butterfly brace for a month.  I have to admit sending him to school is SO hard for me.  If it was in a cast I probably wouldn't worry so much, but it is still causing him pain and there is nothing to protect it.  Yesterday when I dropped him off he was almost in tears as we got to the school from pain (I had given him ibuprofen before we left) and I asked if he wanted to just go home.  His response, "Why?"  I then told him if it still hurt after his reading groups (the first thing of the day) he could tell his teacher and come home.  Which he didn't of course, but as his mom, I just want him to stay home and sit on the couch for the next month! 

Got to love having BOYS!

Diwali

Last weekend Brandon and I attended Diwali the Indian Festival of Lights.  Several of his students bought us tickets, despite our many requests to let us pay.  This is our second time going and we loved it.  They feed you an Indian dinner and have many traditional and Bollywood type dances.  Here is a picture of us with Spencer and 2 of Brandon's students.

The Time Has Come

After putting it off for as long as possible the time had come to give Spencer a hair cut.  He was starting to look a little girly.

 

 Still cute though!

If we were still in Nashville it probably wouldn't be that big of a deal since he has some curl, but without humidity it just looks girly.  So a week ago I was in Blackfoot and had my sister Melissa, the hairstylist, cut it.  I have to admit I wasn't brave enough to do it myself, but now I think I could do it.  Here are some shots of the process.

 

First the clippers for the bottom half

 

Then the scissors, not so happy about those.

 

But he calmed down quickly when he realized he was going to be handsome

All done with the cut 

and now for the style

Isn't that a cute boy!

Kind of looks like Daddy don't you think

Our future

We have been asked several times if we know what the future holds, and the fact is, we don't.  However, we are getting closer.  Brandon has officially started a job search. Brandon has some students that got jobs at Sandia National Lab in Albuquerque (I am still learning how to spell this) and passed on his CV (PhD resume).  They called a few weeks ago looking to recruit him.  Thus the start of the job search.  We like the idea of Albuquerque right now, first of all if we have to move it is closer than the other options.  Plus, everything they do is classified so he as to leave work at work -- not sure what that life is like but we are interested in trying it out.  There are still a few opportunities to stay here at USU either as a Lecturer or a researcher, however neither one looks like the best career option right now, but that could change.  There is also a possibility to move back to Nashville, but we hear that involves an insane number of hours working right now.  That said, it is a place we know and love and already have friends there that we miss terribly.  Brandon is also looking into other opportunities around the state and elsewhere.  Hopefully by the end of the month we will finally have an answer to our forever question. 

Last January Brandon and I really felt we were suppose to move this last summer.  Such an idea was more than I could take most of the time and I begged and pleaded with the Lord to help me (having a baby and moving the same month would NOT have been a good idea for me mentally).  While I don't know if we are going to end up moving, I really feel that the decision was put off for me, for which we are truly grateful.

So when we know what we are doing we will let everyone know.

72-hour weekend

Last year we put together 72-hour kits and the plan was that we would eat & replace the food each General Conference weekend.  Well we missed last General Conf and the kids have been bugging us ever since to eat the food so we have been eating them this weekend.  The plus, no planning or preparing meals.  The down side, they don't necessarily like what their choices are.  Hopefully next time we will have better choices.  I am buying new food tomorrow and we will be redoing our kits and changing clothes so they fit.