Curly Hair

How is it possible that I have this crazy curly hair and Sydney's won't even hold a curl? I sometimes covet the curls on my friend's daughters hair. I know Sydney would like curly hair sometimes too. She always wants me to curl it with the curling iron but I don't do it very often because it takes so long and it doesn't stay. Anyway, this brings me to

a quick quote from Sydney. . .

One morning she wakes up and comes into my room. She has slept crazy because her hair is in a huge mat. She looks at me with a big smile and is stroking her hair and says "Mommy, did I wake up with curly hair?"

Twilight

So like every other woman in the world, I decided to give the Twilight series a go. I hate to admit that I was completely enthralled by this teenage/vampire/love story. What does that say about me? I read the first book in 3 days, the second and third books took me a week each and I am currently halfway through the fourth and final book. So last week we had an "extra credit" book club for the Twilight groupies. We met at Niko's downtown in a private dining room. There were some very funny T-shirts (Nicole's said "Edward prefers brunettes" on the front and "Boys in books are just better" on the back. I also think there was a "bite me" on there somewhere.) Lisa was in full vampire attire with leather, bite marks on her neck, and pale makeup. Nicole did trivia with prizes (I won a Barnes and Noble gift card). Even though Garth totally teases me about being obsessed about a vampire book, I realized at this book group that I am on the tame end of the obsession. I got a kick out of hearing people's stories about neglecting their kids and husbands while they delved into this series. One of my favorite parts of the night was when everyone shared "their Edward" there sure were some handsome men being passed around the table.
My Edward was this picture of Johnny Depp. I know he's too old to play a 17 year old but I think he has the right face and mannerisms to play a great vampire. Not to mention, he's totally hot! I am going to stop before I completely sound like a lame obsessed teenager (oops am I too late?) but the pictures and the funny quotes of the night are on our Novels and Nibbles blog.

6th Birthday

As of yesterday, Carter's week-long celebration of his 6th birthday is over. I am exhausted. I feel like I just went 8 rounds with a heavyweight champion.

Round One *Ding*

Grandpa John and Grandma Lori came to Carter's soccer game last Saturday and cheered him on and spoiled him with toys.

Round Two *Ding*

Saturday afternoon we went to the farm to press apple cider, eat Grandma Ele's chili and open more presents. Grandpa Norm and Grandma Ele got him some necessities and Keith and Karyna spoiled him as well.

Round Three *Ding* Sunday dinner at my mom's with cupcakes to celebrate Carter, Paige, and Payton's October birthdays. Grandma Julia got him this great suit.

Round Four *Ding* Cupcakes (had to be store bought so I had to make a special trip to the store) to Carter's Kindergarten class.

Round Five *Ding* Grandma Theresa surprised Carter during Syd's kindermusik. He had a birthday brownie and opened presents. Who needs lunch?

Round Six *Ding* The suit was adorable but didn't have a lot of growing room so my mom took Carter shopping to pick out another one (on his actual birthday). They found a great one and had fast food shrimp (really sad I missed that one!)

Round Seven *Ding* Finally some family time right before bed, Carter got to open presents from his family. The $7 General Grevous toy was the big hit.

Round Eight *Ding* Yesterday was the big friend party. I talked Carter into doing a Japanese celebration at our house. I really have a problem with Chuck E Cheese and those other kid places. Uncle Jordan came to help out. We made samuri headbands and Jordan wrote characters on them for the kids. The boys chose things like "power" and "warrior" both the girls chose "princess".

Then we went outside for some games. Pin the dot on the Japanese flag.Relay races with chopsticks.Japanese dancing bears. With authentic Japanese Christian Rock music!And of course, cake, ice cream, and presents.*Ding Ding Ding*

The winner is. . .

We made it! Now we can recoup and get ready for Halloween this week!

First Hair Cut

This is Derek before his hair cut. Completely happy and content in all his shagginess.

This is Derek during his hair cut. Don't be fooled, it may look like a smile but he was actually crying. It started out just as whimpers then escalated to full blown screams. Sorry to the other five ladies in the salon getting nails done, pedicures, and hair cuts. I'm sure it was a relaxing day at the salon listening to Derek.

Here is Derek after his hair cut. He was still very unhappy. It took him quite a while to calm down. My sister said it was the saddest first hair cut she had ever done. Hopefully his hair grows slowly and we won't have to go back very soon.

October Book Club

These were the two books we read for October book club. 32 Third Graders was a hoot. It was a very quick read and as a substitute teacher I got a real kick out of his stories. Elaine's Circle was a lot harder because of the subject matter (4th grader with terminal brain cancer.) I really liked them both, but what was more fun was our meeting. I got to hostess this month and I went with the school theme. I borrowed lunch trays from one of our members who happens to be a principal. I made Freddy Burgers (the Frederickson version of sloppy joes), roasted veggies, and fruit. I made apple pie for dessert and bought chocolate milk cartons. I thought it was a lot of fun. When Nicole posts pictures on our Novels and Nibbles site I will steal some pictures to post.

I stole these pictures from our Novels and Nibbles blog. Thanks Nicole for remembering your camera and snapping a couple of pictures. Carter wrote out the menu. Everyone thought it was a nice touch.

Present Predicament

Carter's birthday is rapidly approaching and as I was shopping around trying to decide what to get him, I was reminded of this funny situation from last year.

Carter had started to read so I bought him a bunch of begginer reader books. My mom, who was being a great help, bought him a much needed snow hat and a very cool down vest with two adorable shirts to go with it.

We have dinner at my mom's and proceed to the present portion of the evening. When he opens the previously mentioned presents he reacts with a very disappointed look and some choice comments about them not being cool toys. After a nice heart-to-heart with me, he apologized to my mom.

Next day we are heading to Chuck E. Cheese for his friend party. I decide we better discuss the proper way to react to all presents, even if we think they are low on the cool radar, or if we already have one of the toys we receive.

Carter cuts me off mid-speach and says "Don't worry Mom, friend presents are always cool."
Touche

Derek's New Tricks

Derek is growing up way too fast! It's hard to believe he is nine months today! I thought I'd post a couple of pictures of his latest "tricks." He loves to pull himself up. It makes me a little nervous on the table with pointy corners and the stone fireplace (apparently we weren't thinking baby friendly when we built and furnished our house). Once he pulls himself up, he trashes anything he can get his hands on. We have to be careful about the library books.





He is also very mobile. He is a scooter. He pulls with his hands and arms only. At first his legs were total dead weight. Lately he uses his toes a little to move faster. If he is really screaming and angry, he does a traditional crawl. He is very slow at it and never happy about it.

Toothless Wonder

I remember when I was little, every time I lost a tooth my dad would call me the "toothless wonder." I'm not sure where that came from but I remember liking it. Carter is officially a toothless wonder! A few weeks ago, Carter kept complaining about his tooth hurting and I was afraid we were going to have to visit the dentist. Finally, I looked inside his mouth and he showed me where it was hurting. I was so excited I said "Carter your tooth is loose!" Which of course sent him into a fit of worrying and crying. Garth and I tried to reassure him that this was normal and exciting (because the tooth fairy brings money). We all picked a day on the calendar that we thought would be the day. We were all wrong about the dates and on October 4th (during Uncle Keith's wedding) Carter pulled his tooth out. He told us since it was a tiny tooth, it was probably worth 25 cents. So when the tooth fairy brought a whole dollar he was thrilled!




This is Carter and his new buddy, Dawson from Kindergarten. They are twin toothless wonders.

Best Ever

Sydney has started this new thing where she adds "ever" to the end of everything. Like this morning she had the "ymmiest breakfast ever" or she did the "highest jump ever" on the trampoline etc. etc.

I got her these Gymboree sandals at a garage sale and she wants to wear them every day (even in the cold and rainy October weather) because they are the "prettiest flip flops ever" I don't know where she got it, but I think it's the cutest thing EVER!

Oh Deer!

One of the first signs of fall at our house is an increased amount of deer droppings in our yard. They get very hungry this time of year and although everything we planted was "deer resistant," they manage to choke down many of my plants. Like this Virginia creeper. Notice how lush and beautiful it is growing at the bottom of the tree and also out of deer's reach but they ate the middle completely.


Apparently the deer aren't my only problem. The other morning, I looked out my window, and what did I see? A big moose eating my neighbor's tree. (Yes that can be sung to the tune of "Popcorn Popping")

Wheel of Fortune

I think Carter is a future contestant of Wheel of Fortune. My mom is actually really good at the game (from the living room couch) but I think Carter takes the cake for this one. He and Garth were watching together. The category was "what are you doing?" The contestant guessed the letter "L" so the puzzle read as follows.
P _ _ L _ N G _ _ _ N _ N _
The contestant didn't have a guess but Carter looks, pauses and says, "It's Peeling a banana!" Garth looked at the puzzle, filled in the letters in his mind and can't believe Carter is right! He was so shocked he wrote it down for me. When I came home he showed me the puzzle and I couldn't guess it. How sad.

Curly Craft

This is my latest crafty undertaking. My friend Amy taught me how to make these Gymboree-like bows and I went a little crazy making them for Sydney. I absolutely love how they turned out! The only problem is that I spent too much money on ribbon and have too many bows for one three year old. This picture isn't even all the bows I made! I told all my friends of little girls about them so maybe I can sell a few to ease the blow.

Credit Where Credit is Due

I just have to give a shout out to my friend Nicole who created my new header. I am very computer illiterate and I don't have any of the programs for digital scrapbooking etc. She bribed me a couple of months ago and said if I created a blog, she would make me a cute header. Someday I will learn. Thanks so much Nicole, I love it!

Junie B. Jones Part 2

My son is a total book worm. Yesterday we went to the library to kill some time since it was a non-school day. Carter picked out Junie B. Jones and that Meanie Jim's Birthday. We left the library at 11:30 and he finished the book at 7:30 that night. 9 chapters and 85 pages WOW! That's even quicker than I read books. Way to go Carter!

Eight Things

So apparently I have been "tagged" by my friend Natalie. Which means I get to answer these questions that I'm sure everyone needs to know about me.

8 shows I like: The Office, 24, ER, Life, Rachel Ray (the show or 30 minute meals), Everyday Italian, Law & Order SVU, and Arrested Development

8 things I did yesterday: watched general conference, changed diapers, had a BBQ with Rogelio, Hugo, and Cristobal (friends here from Mexico), skied in the rain, straightened my hair, went to a wedding, danced with my kids, and had some alone time with my hubby.

8 things I am looking forward to: knowing if I'm done having kids, being done with diapers, Carter's birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, waterski camp, more vacations with the Landers, and tomorrow's workout

8 things on my wish list: kids that don't fight, a non kid friendly car, lasik eye surgery, a boob job, a trip to Mexico with Garth, a landscaped yard, an interior decorator, a personal shopper (and the wardrobe that would come with her)

8 people I'm tagging: ( I don't know if anyone checks my blog but here are some guesses) Amber, Cami, Julie, Heather, Jennifer, Nicole, Addie, Camille

Ladie's Day

I mentioned "ladies day" skiing recently. My friend Julie took this picture of me on our last ladie's day outing. It is so fun and peaceful to ditch the kids (at least the older ones) and head out on the lake in the middle of the afternoon. The dishes, dust, laundry, and everything can wait right? This does wonders for mom's mental health. I am so lucky to live where I do and be blessed with friends who share my love of smooth water.

Grand Coulee Camping

Last weekend we took the kids on a camping trip to Grand Coulee Dam. We stayed at Spring Canyon campground which is above the dam on Lake Roosevelt. The view of the lake was beautiful but we wished we had camped below the dam to stay out of the wind a little. It wasn't exactly a toasty warm weekend.

I snapped this picture right when we got there. It took her about 2 seconds flat to get her hands all dirty and rub them all over her body. She was a total dirt ball all weekend!

Garth made the yummiest foil dinners. It helps that the ingredients were straight from the garden. Potatoes, peppers, yellow squash, onions, carrots and bacon (the bacon did not come from our garden but did come from his cousin's pig that we purchased last spring.)

The second day, we took the kids on a nature hike. There were trails like these going every direction from our spot.
What a tall bench. Garth is 6'5" and he couldn't touch!
The kids were very proud of themselves for climbing up this "big mountain."

We discovered a new interest of Sydney's. . . hiking. We all hiked for quite a while then we headed back down the hill. When we got to the bottom, she saw the road, turned around and said "Let's go back up." So the boys went back and Sydney and I hiked for another 20 minutes or so. She went a long way for those little legs. She still had the energy to pose for a picture! Sassy.

Post hike the kids wanted to show off their loot. Sydney found bunches of flowers to put in our hair, and Carter is showing off an enormous beetle. You can see in the background that we were kindof cheeters on this camping trip. We are usually tent campers but Garth's Grandpa Norm has this great little camper that was just the right size for our family. He has been wanting us to try it out. Frankly, with the cool weather, I was glad we had it. Carter slept on the bunk, Garth and Sydney on the couch-bed and Derek and I on the table-bed. Needless to say, I didn't sleep at all for two nights. We tried to set up the crib but it took every inch of space and nobody else could get into bed.

We headed over to the visitor's center at Grand Coulee Dam. It was very interesting. You can't read this sign well. It says that Grand Coulee is made with approximately 12 million cubuc yards of concrete. The kids are standing in one cubic yard.

This mades us realize how tiny our Nine Mile Falls Dam really is.

We took a tour of power plant 3. Garth and I really enjoyed it, the kids thought it was too loud. After the tour we had a couple of hours to kill before the laser light show so we drove into Grand Coulee and went to this great little Mexican restaurant. Like I said we were kind of cheater campers this time. The kids all fell asleep on the way to the light show. Carter and Derek woke up for it but Sydney slept through the whole show.

No!

Quick Quote From Carter:

Carter (to Dad during the passing of the sacrament): Dad can I color now?
Dad: No!
Carter: Aw, you're being like Mom.

Valance

I have had this issue in my living room. I have a window, two doors, and another window all connected on the back wall. I bought some pretty red satiny panels but the bar all the way across looked silly. I then purchased a huge scarf and we wrapped it around the bar. That was sufficient for a while but we never really loved it (especially Garth). He started brainstorming and decided it would be a great idea if I made a valance out of the scarf. Easier said than done. I had to cut it a certain way because of the texture in the fabric so I actually have 5 separate pieces. Then I decided that beads would make it a little less plain. Anyway, here is the finished product. It's not the best picture because the sun is shining through the window, but you get the idea. Not bad eh? I actually didn't even do any sewing. My secret? Glue stick and an iron.