Happy Halloween!!

Chivalry for Halloween..........."I'll protect you...."

Trunk-or-treat, picking pumpkins, class parties (So many cars at the church-more than ever before. Standing room only. Tons and tons of candy. Awesome Sarah Palin look-a-likes. How many cupcakes did the kids eat at the cakewalk? How many donuts at the string donut eating thingy? Yuck. "Mom you don't have to pack a lunch--it's our halloween party today. We'll just eat candy."

4 pumpkins + 4 kids + 2 bowls of goop + 1 bowl of goop on the floor + 3 knives + 1 injured finger + 2 band aids + 2 hours past bedtime + 1 perfectionist + 1 tired mom = Priceless Pumpkin Carving....

"Hey mom. We're all old enough to cut our own by ourselves this year!" -Carter Age 4

Pumpkin specifications: Triangle eyes, 3 noses, and a happy teethy mouth.

Tyler's pumpkin idea: Sword and shield.

Jordan's pumpkin: Mad eyes. Straight eyebrows. Mostly mean mouth. Triangle nose.

Sarah's position when I get too busy. She knows how to ALWAYS get my attention....

It isn't Halloween without sugar cookies. Lots and lots of cookies. Lots and lots of help.....

Halloween night trick-or-treating at the Barton's neighborhood. We were sure Karalyn wouldn't make donuts for everyone this year (uh...twins) but they were ready when we got there! Survived a ripped candy bag (is that bag really getting lighter?) A lost candy bag - devastating. (Glad we found it.) A lost shoe - devastating (didn't find it.) An Ancient Egyptian haunted house. (Creepy') Last stop. The Mender's (whole candy bars. Two each. Heaven for the kids!) Got enough chocolate?

We decided we like Halloween so much because it opens the door to the holiday season. Wow. It's already November!!!

Oh Halloween.

Our ward trunk-or-treat was tonight. It was a blast! This morning was not a blast. I was desperately running through my house looking in closets, bags, and a big costume bin trying to piece together 3 knight costumes that would be suitable for my little swordsmen. One wonderful friend had given Carter a great costume already and another great friend had a handmade princess dress she loaned us for Sarah. So, I only needed two costumes. Nothing seemed to look right and at the height of my frustration I was about to take some scissors to an old t-shirt to create something that look like a knight tunic.

That's when my phone rang.


My awesome friend Juliann: "STEPH!!! GO TO MY BLOG!! LOOK WHAT I JUST FINISHED!!!

So, I go to her blog and see this! So perfect. I asked her how she did it. "Oh, just a few coat hangers and some felt...." Amazing!!! I'm so proud of my friends and their craftiness--I know a few ladies who could literally make dinner with their sewing machine (you know who you are!). But I think this costume takes the prize for this year. (Thanks, Juliann for letting me brag/post about you AND for offering to sew me anything I wanted for tonight!)

I'll put up some pictures of my cute knights and my little princess when I get some self-esteem back. :) Actually I think their costumes turned out great!!

"Rocket" Stars

Every once in awhile I let my kids turn on the radio and we all just boogie to whatever song is blasting from my itty-bitty whimpy under-the-cabinet radio/cd player--I like it, by the way. For just a few minutes, my kids shake their booties, jump up and down, and grasp their imaginary microphones and dance and sing away. They feel cool that I let them listen to "rocket" music (that's what they call it!) Love how they call themselves "rocket stars", too. It just makes me giggle. When you have your six year old announce he's going to be a rocket star someday it just just sounds better than the Bon-Jovi/Aerosmith rock star picture that gets painted in my head. (Not that I ever listened to any of their songs or had any of them memorized while surviving the 80's!) I wonder when some big kid is going to correct my kids at school. As for now, I'll just enjoy my little rocket stars gettin' down to XL92.3. I caught a picture of Sarah and her usual reaction to our little impromtu dances. She's a little unsure......

pictures, pictures....

We had a big soccer jamboree on Saturday. Crisp air. Colorful leaves. Perfect fall weather and fun soccer teams. Sometimes I can't believe I live in such a beautiful place. I think everyone would agree that the leaves this fall were extraordinary!

Post-soccer treats. Tyler and Jordan had a blast this year with soccer. It was just right--just enough practices and games so it didn't seem too stressful. It was so much fun watching them play. We really appreciate their coaches, too. The playgrounds on the soccer fields made for perfect entertainment for little siblings and the lightening threatened us only once.

Carter and dad on the sidelines............

Jordan runs to Sarah first when she wakes from a nap. She never waits longer than 30 seconds for someone to race up and get her out of bed.

With Jason always working such crazy hours I've always worried about our babies not getting to know their daddy. That hasn't happened yet! The minute Sarah (and any of the boys for that matter) sees their daddy they dive for him! Glad to see we have a daddy's girl. She melts his heart. Already he can't tell her "no".

My sweet Carter-always smiling. He's such a good buddy to have at home. He's a big helper and he likes to play, play, play without a whole lot of demands of his mom. He just makes me smile!!!

Time on the playground in Lyme during Tyler's soccer game. Of course, we playground hop as much as we can before winter hits. After that, it's only the bouncy house!! That will be the hot spot this winter.

Ahhh...October ice cream.....

Not so impressed with the train ride. Hey, Jordan. I liked it! Sorry it "isn't like Lagoon."

Sarah helping her brothers with their flash cards....

Visiting dad at work. The grounds at the VA hospital are beautiful. Tall pine trees, lots of leaves, and picnic tables so we can enjoy lunch together.


Jordan: "Mom, you're not in any of our pictures. It's time for me to start clicking."

Me: "Eh. Um. Yeah. Okay. Here you go."

Thanks for the picture, Jordan!!

Dinner. Bath. Bed. Favorite time of day. Sarah is actually sleeping (almost) all night, now. Yeah!! The other night I just woke up and went in to pick her up and hold her even though she was sound a sleep. At first I thought it was just habit, but then I realized I just want to hold and cuddle my baby. (Jason thought I was crazy!) Maybe I am. But she is getting big way too fast. All of the kids are. I'm glad that they all like to be held, kissed, and cuddled. They all make me so happy.

oooh baby!

You gotta try this: www.yearbookyourself.com. It's fun. Thanks Laralee!! So, here's Jason had he been a senior in high school in 1976. Pretty groovy (scary), huh?

Favorite Season

Fall has always been my favorite season--colors, new beginnings at school, football games, crisp, cool air--the list could go on. And it just doesn't get better than autumn in New England. I especially like the bright yellow, bright orange, and dark red leaves. The deep brown velvety looking chocolatey leaves became my new favorite this year. The road we drive on to and from school has picture perfect masterpieces around every corner. The sun shining through the trees, rain dampening the leaves to show deeper and brighter colors, and ponds with glassy tops to reflect perfectly the colorful trees that surround them. I always tell the boys as we're driving home from school, "I feel like we're living in heaven". Then I realize that all the seasons here in New Hampshire are beautiful. Fall just makes me so happy.

Fall also means General Conference. A weekend to remove ourselves from our busy lives and enjoy the Spirit of listening to our prophet and other church leaders speak to us. We had a wonderful weekend and I wish it didn't have to end.

Of course, fall also means soccer. Here's Jordan and Jason at their early morning practice. They have such a great time!

I just had to post this. The sponsor for Jordan's team is "The Ranch" - a doggie day care. I think "The Ranch" on average is probably busier than a lot of the kiddie day care businesses around here. I've heard it's a great place. The sign says "hotel and spa". Yeah, just what every dog needs. We drive by it every day and I can't believe I feel jealousy for any dog getting a hotel/spa treatment that day!

Tyler sporting his big, blue mouth guard. Those things crack me up. I like that the kids like soccer. They really have so much fun (Check out the scuffed up knees).

Sarah and Carter are so good on the sidelines. They definitely find their own forms of entertainment. Noah always plays with Carter when he's around. Sarah just sits and smiles, eat leaves, and claps whenever anyone else claps. She likes being outside all morning, too.

Front yard soccer is actually the very best. Sometimes I just sit on the porch and smile as the kids laugh, run, kick, argue, cry, laugh, kick, kick, run, fall, cry, fall, laugh, trip, run, kick, trip, argue..... It's hard to call them in for dinner even though it's getting dark. Soccer with dad is still better than soccer with friends. I like it that way!!

I just have to quote a friend of mine (Elisa) who wrote on her blog, "Fall apologizes in advance for winter." Love it. So true. We'll be taking advantage of all these autumn days.