Halloween

Halloween seemed a little intense this year - but now that it's over and behind us, I have fond memories of the somewhat rushed weekend!

Costumes started about a month ago, and the week of Halloween I kept getting "I just can't wait until Halloween". But apparently they could wait, since they had no choice, and Friday the blessed festivities began.

Thursday and Friday Weston was out of school for parent/teacher conferences. So by Friday we were ready to be busy again and out of the house. Tyler's preschool class had their annual costume party with the kids singing all the songs they have learned then a short trick-or-treating to the neighboring business (singular) then back to the school for cookies and treats. All in all it was 30 minutes. But since I had spent the morning working on quilting plans with a friend it felt like it was all morning long! And since we weren't sure if John was going to make it, I ended up having to drop off Weston to help Tyler get dressed so I could run back to town and get John. We missed all but the last song, but Tyler was just as happy that we were there for the last song as he would have been had we been there the whole time.


(Tyler looking smart in his outfit, Elayna grooving with her cookie (rarely does she even eat cookies let a lone dance with one!, and Weston just chillin in his puffy six-pack ninja garb- at least until he realized I was taking his picture!)

After the party, we headed home to eat lunch and be ready for friends to come over for the afternoon. Once the friends came over with the mom, I left to go get John again so we could go to Parent/Teacher conference for Weston. He is doing great - but likes to always have something very important he must tell his teacher!

After the conference I dropped John back at work and went made it home just to turn around again since Miriam and I were taking the kids to the pumpkin patch on their final day. The kids loved it and ran at least the equivalent of 3 miles or more going back and forth through the straw/hay maze complete with tower, spooky house and slide. They had all sorts of farm animals that Mathew and Elayna enjoyed and then a whole patch of pumpkins to walk through as they were able to pick the one they wanted to bring home. We left as the sun was starting to go down and got home just after 5:00pm. Luckily I checked and saw I had a phone message - from the trophy place letting me know that I had forgotten to pick up the soccer trophies I needed the next day. Luckily they were still there (waiting for me) so I ran back to town to pick those up.


(These are the best I could get, my kids rarely stand still for a picture. Weston's just old enough to understand bribes.)


(That's what I get when I ask them to stand still for a picture)


(they really are the best of friends - what lucky kids)








(And again with the faces... I should know better by now, but since I had bribed them with only going if they would let me take some pictures - I guess it was on their terms I got the pictures!)


We made it home in time to put a frozen pizza in the oven. Then we had to think up and assemble costumes for our Church primary activity (not sure we were going) where the boys wanted to dress up like wicked Lamanites. Laynie wasn't really wanting to dress up so we just grabbed a little cape I had made for her and let her be. Then I ran over to the neighbors house to make an appearance at the surprise farewell party for another neighbor.. Then I ran home grabbed the kids and off we went to the church!







As skeptical as I was about their children's carnival centering around the theme of the Book of Mormon, it was actually amazingly fun, entertaining and spiritual! The kids loved it and we had a great time. We made it home in time for a late bedtime and that was Friday.


Saturday we got up in time to get Tyler dressed in his costume and soccer gear, and Weston in his soccer gear. And then Elayna in her costume since she just couldn't be left out, but she wore an extra soccer jersey so it didn't really matter- cute boots though!! Tyler's game was first so we were able to wait around their field for a while and see the kids show up in their costumes. (Since the final game was on Halloween - John decided it would be fun to let the kids wear their costumes if they wanted too.) I brought my camera to try and get a few pictures of the kids but as luck would have it - it started to rain so the camera went away and the time went quickly too.



Weston, Elayna and I had to run across two football fields and a large, very distracting playground and another soccer field to get Weston to his game. As luck would have it, that's when it really started to pour. Elayna was happily distracted by a few dogs that had come to watch the games. I was able to see some of Weston's game while she played, but as always missed all the parts when Weston did something great that ended with all the parents congratulating me and asking if I saw was an 'awesome X' Weston had just done.


Tyler's game finished first (but just a couple of minutes before Weston's game) so by the time John had walked over to where we were and found a covered spot by the elementary school; Weston, Elayna and I were able to go meet them for their 'Closing Ceremony'! Basically John said nice things to the kids and reminded them of what they learned and did and then we passed out trophies (big deal award for participation if you ask me) and a bag Halloween toys and snacks. The kids loved it and we were able to go home and dry off and eat some lunch.


Then we went over to the High school for their "Haunted Hallways" which was pretty fun and though the kids liked it I wouldn't choose to go except that our adopted sister was in charge and personally invited us. It was great though, they had a sequimopoly game going where the kids had to really go to jail and pay taxes and then buy their own candy at the end. They decorated cookies, had their faces painted (not as great as some I've seen, but the kids didn't care), they could color and watch Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving movie, eating doughnut spiders in the air, cake walks, bean bag tossing, and lots more.



After that we made it home and took a little breather and some short naps before we went trick-or-treating. Weston and Tyler were raring to go, but Elayna wasn't sure she wanted to wake up. We asked if she wanted to go to Mathew's house (Squires youngest boy) and she literally jumped off the couch and ran to the window yelling ma-poo (that's how she says it) and then we were good. We quickly got dressed in Halloween get-up and went to the Squires for our traditional knocking down their streets. Then we rushed back to our house after the kids buckets were so full they were dragging, to go trick-or-treat to our neighbors. Sadly we missed some of them - but with Elayna taking such a great nap we just couldn't get to them any earlier. Oh well!



We were able to show off the costumes to most of the neighbors and the boys had the best time as one neighbor (Weston's personal friend) showed the boys his model airplane collection that was hanging in his garage. The Squires met up with us shortly after so after we made the round of the neighborhood we all went back over for another showing and more in depth discussion of airplanes. He even finish one he was building so the kids could see it put together - and play with the remote control a little. Very cool -and a wonderful end to the weekend.


(The best part is that Elayna still doesn't really like candy so John ate most of it... but while trick-or-treating she would go to the door just because everyone else was and then half the time leave without candy and the other times she would give candy to the person at the door from her own bucket! What a cutie!)


We went home to hot chocolate, pizza (again) and popcorn with coconut oil - very tasty and a showing of Top Gear. We apparently missed all the trick-or-treaters to our house. Which was fine by me - we got Halloween toys instead of candy so all the big kids that come would have only been disappointed anyway!

It was a crazy couple of days, but it was lot's of fun when I think back on it. And the kids loved it! (oh and this all doesn't count the adult costume party John and I went to a week earlier dress as Thing 1 and Thing 2... we have the wigs and we looked so cool! To bad, no pictures :( )

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What we've been up to

Life has been pretty crazy around here. All good kinds of busy but still it has kept us from having too much down time.

John finished his application for his PhD program. Now we just keep waiting for the house to sell and hope that it does before we need to move next August. John is still busy with Scouts every week. And has had campouts which took the weekends that soccer didn't, sometimes overlapping. John coached soccer again this year. He took Tyler's team (3-6yrs) which Tyler loved. I was supposed to be assistant coach, but my assisting only went as far as keeping Elayna off the field (which I wasn't too successful with either - she is such a daddy's girl sometimes!) Weston wanted him to coach his team, but luckily Weston got a great coach and had a great season. John has been such a great husband lately too, helping to clean the kitchen and the house and just sweet and caring! Major points from me!

(finally finished our house 'decorating' for showings.. Thanks Brenda for the great idea!)

I am involved in various projects. Service project for the women's shelters, church activities, projects for the preschool teachers and reading tutor in Weston's class. I'm feeling a little overbooked, but since everything is worthy of my time I am choosing to keep going with all of them instead of worrying that our house isn't selling. Keeping the house clean is just a part of life now, though I do take advantage of vacationing from cleaning when I can! I don't have the time to do as much as I want with photography or scrapbooking like I want but I do find minutes here and there which are fun. And I am getting closer to finding out my health issues - celiac, dairy allergies and chemical allergies which is making my life much happier and me more energetic and able to do what I want to do. I just need to get it all together so I can start running again. I miss it - and I never thought I'd say that!


(Weston and his primped hair... Tyler and his 'normal' hair (messy))


(Creatures from the swamp... Tyler in the whole get-up, Weston looking smart, Horror movie clip)

Weston is doing well in 1st grade. He is a little primper and will spend hours in front of the mirror making his hair just so - if we let him. He is ahead of schedule for his reading and math which is great. Now we just need to work on his handwriting and his propensity to be stubborn at everything. As hard as the writing is going, I think that will be easier to fix than the stubborn side! Being a lefty really is a challenge sometimes.


(I'll never understand why shoveling rocks is so much fun, or trying to bury your bikes for that matter?)

Tyler is.... wow.. Tyler is Tyler to a T. He sings all the time - at the top of his lungs. Usually songs he makes up or ones he remembers from various shows. The day he started singing "Where is my hairbrush... oh where is my hairbrush.." I thought he was making up a new song. But I guess it's a veggietales song which he must have heard at a friends house months ago. But that lasted about 3 hours, singing while he played other stuff. Preschool is going great - his teachers love him and constantly say what a joy he his. I love to hear that, but wonder why he is so whiny at home?! He is constantly in a state of make-believe and his world is one crazy world of having monkey lessons and all sorts of crazy things.


(Prepping for Halloween I guess - or just being Tyler!... I'll never understand why Tyler loves to make faces so much (take note of the faces in the rock shoveling picts) But he does and he's very good at making them!!!)

Elayna is starting to talk more which is really fun. And hilarious when she goes around tattling on everyone. Especially when it's me or John who did something she doesn't like then she runs to the other and tattles on the first. Then seconds later will turn to the first offender to tattle on the 2nd offender for something. She is going to a speach theraphy preschool program every week. I'm still in debate on whether it is helping or just creating a crazy monday morning, but it's free and a preschool program so we keep going. She is sleeping in a twin bed now, and after the first week of point to the space where her crib had been and crying "Daddy... Daddy... Daddy.." (Daddy took the crib down) she is doing great. And as long as we let her go to bed when she is tired (at 5:00 pm) she goes without any struggle. Other wise we have a few goes before she stays. It's at 5:00 am, when I wish we still had the crib.


(Elayna couldn't be left out of the fun - she doesn't really get it but she sure does look cute trying!)
(Our initial attempts, now she sleeps under the covers and loves it! In fact she's rather bossy about which blankets and animals and books MUST be on her bed)

All in all, I am having a great time with my kids right now. They are all starting to show new characteristics or just more intense characteristics and personality traits than before. We laugh all the time at what we see them do and say. I feel like I am finally coming to a point where we 'fit' as a family, and I love it.

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Seattle

We were able to go to Seattle yesterday to spend the afternoon/evening with Jason and Becca who have come out for Becca's work. And before you start to be amazed at how quickly I have blogged about the event, take into account that I am looking at a week of widowhood since John is at Disneyland (on business). So realize that I am staying up way too late and there is nothing left on Hulu worth watching - what else is there to do when I am trying to lull myself to sleep but blog!



Yesterday we took Weston, Tyler and Elayna out of their school programs and went to Seattle for the day. We met Jason and Becca for lunch and headed over to the Seattle Science Center to play. It is a great place, and luckily we bought a year's pass since we only had a couple of hours since we didn't realize they closed at 4:pm on weekdays. And since we spent most of the time playing with the robotics in the front lobby area we still have most of the science center to explore for the whole next year!



After being kicked out earlier than planned we ended up wandering around the grounds, playing in the gardens and being amazed at the Space Needle and huge sculptures they had all over. We walked all of Seattle it seemed to take a trip though Pikes Place Market and had the best fruit ever. Luckily we bought some raspberries because that was the only way I was able to bribe Weston to stand still and allow me to take a picture with him in it!



The streets of Seattle were a lot of fun to be apart of and I was even able to get a picture of the boys in front of an amazing brick wall that always looks so good in everyone else's picts... I couldn't miss my chance! John and the rest of the gang humored with that wall and the occasionally random stops to take pictures of architecture. All in all it was a great day! It was a long day full of walking and looking but I couldn't have asked for more from the kids - they were great. The boys were totally gun ho - especially after we got the fruit and Elayna is doing an amazing job for being potty trained a little over a month. It was great to just enjoy Seattle, the beautiful day and amazing weather

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No More Diapers!!!!!

Well it's been a while since the last post, but I am not up to providing long narratives for the happenings of the last month. I will however hit the highlights!

Elayna turned two mid July, and though I know there were two more weeks to that month I can't remember at all how we spent them. I think John was gone for some camping in there, but it's all fairly foggy! . . . . The marvel of calendars.. I looked and John wasn't camping. We spent the weeks getting Elayna screened for her speach therapy that we will be starting and for some reason takes a whole lot of paper work that seems a little over board. And...

Big news, John took to Gmat. We are planning to go back to the world of starving students and spend approximately 4 years in Ohio so John can get his PHD in Business Marketing. He spent most of the summer studying, and the last few weeks of July finishing up and taking a few practice tests. Over all he did amazing (as I knew he would, he's such a smarty pants) getting a score of 750/800. He was a little disapointed because of some mistakes he knew he made, but paying another $250 wasn't worth his pride so there it is!

The next week we headed to Utah to spend a week with my family (Jenkins Clan) in Bear Lake at a cabin large enough to fit us all.. and being almost 50 (with missing members) that was a great feat! It was a great week. I enjoyed seeing and visiting with my family, Weston and Tyler loved being able to play with all their 'big' cousins who spent most of the time playing DS and Rock Band. Elayna had a U.T.I. which I didn't realize little girls got, but non-the-less she had one and after getting antibiotics in her system she was much more pleasant and had a great time playing in the water at the lake and the hot tub and doing most anything she wanted!




We bookended our Jenkins family reunion with quick visits to Alpine to see John's Uncle and Aunts. It was wonderful since Jan let us hotel there and being able to visit family after so long was a real treat!



The last weekend there, I did end up running the Provo River 1/2 Marathon. My training was less than consistent, but at times I was running up to 9.5 minute miles. It just didn't go over well when the rest of the time I couldn't run because I was either having major diahreah or such severe diaphram/stomach cramps that I wasn't mobile - or breathing! So after all that and basically no training I ran the 1/2 marathoon in 2 hours 35 min. I was actually up to mile 10 and was loving life when my lungs started to feel the effects of the elevation increase. (Sequim 146 ft - Marathon 5500 ft). I tried through most of the 10th mile to keep running, but my lungs stopped contracting out which meant I couldn't breath in. And after a while of that my lungs gave up. I have never felt my lungs before, but take it from me it was weird.. They hurt so badly. And not the inside either - the outside of my lungs were hurting so badly that I could make out their shape (or at least imagine it) inside my body. And with each breath I tried to take in my lungs felt like they were filling with lead. By that point, my sisters had caught up and were ready to keep going, but I could hardly stand up straight my chest hurt so badly and was litterally weighing me down.

So with all of that, I don't plan to run another marathon. At least not with a 5000+ elevation increase. But I did finish the race, and with walking the majority of the last 3 miles, I think 2.35 was a great time! The only reason I might try again is to see if running the whole time would take my time under 2 hours.

After the marathon we were able to visit with some of John's friends and Sunday we headed home. There was so much more we wanted to do, but the time just wasn't on our side! Who knows when we'll make it there again, but hopefully not too long. We truly miss our family and friends there.

Life sort of got back to normal after we got home. Tyler had a 'Thumb Cradle' glued into his mouth. (It's an appliance which deters thumb sucking - and seems to be working wonderfully). We will go down in November for a check and hopefully before the end of the school year we can get it taken out and Tyler will be free from his thumb habits!

The kids and I went to visit Brenda (John's sister) in Portland and spent a long weekend there. It was great to see Brenda and though it was good for the cousins to be together - they need more practice with it! We did fun stuff around the house, and were able to go to their Museum of Science and Industry which was awesome! I'd love to go to Portland just to visit the museum.. it's worth a 4 hour drive..

School has started and I think we are all apreciating that! Weston is getting used to his new teacher and classmates, and seems to be struggling most with getting up on time in the morning and not getting to play video games whenever he wants to. Otherwise he's doing great.

Tyler is doing well and is having a great time being back with Teacher Paula and Teacher Georgia - who in my opinion are the worlds best pre-school teachers and absolutely Heaven sent.

Elayna is enjoying being more independent and having some free time with just Mom. I'm loving being able to run errands with just 1 child, not 3! And having 3 quiet mornings a week.

Soccer season has started. Weston is now in U8 so they are actually practicing with rules and skill. Tyler is stillin U6 wich puts him in the group of kids 3-6, that basically you just point in the right direction and tell to run! Tyler is in his 2nd year so he seems to be doing much better with kicking and placing the ball where he intended it to go! John and I are coaching Tyler's team, so we'll have to see how the next two months go with 2 separate practices each week and 2 separate games each Saturday. Yeah caos! The best part is that Elayna feels like she should be in the games and practices - and is forever stealing any of the pink soccer balls she can find! I guess she'll need to get her own some time soon.

AND BIG NEWS!!! Elayna is potty trained. She was remarkably easy to train - in fact she sort of did it herself. She is completely self motivated and rather bossy about doing everything herself. Potty treats were gone about day 4 and I have no concerns in taking her anywhere..we are starting week 2 with no diapers... . I LOVE THIS INDEPENDENCE!!!


Other than that - life is normal and now you've been updated! I'll try to not get so far behind. This rush job really doesn't work for remembering the fun details to our family history. Oh well!

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Elayna turnes 2

Well the big news at our house is that Elayna is actually a 2 year old now. I guess it wouldn't be that big of a deal, except she is really acting like a two year old and that is a little odd. Weston and Tyler both missed the terrible two's.. They are catching up with the obnoxious 4 and 5 year old phase instead! Elayna is filling in for them though and it's been a little rough at times. Mostly for her, since I don't give in easily - but I do have my days where I wonder why we ever decided to have 3 kids!

We LOVE Elayna and would never send her back. I just sometimes wonder if I could fed-ex her to Grandma and Grandpa's for a while! At least until we can get all the crayon, pencil, and marker doodles off the books, walls and people! And until we can find a way to install an electric fence around the perimeter of our home.

Elayna isn't old enough to know that the balloon fairy comes and leaves you balloons at the end of your bed on your birthday (eve). So when she got up she was very excited to see that she was under a canopy of balloons and then ran around showing everyone that 'she' had balloons. Weston and Tyler tried to explain to her that it would be more fun if they had all the balloons and she just had one, but she wasn't buying it - at least not after she realized what they were doing!

Elayna got to open her present from Grandma Sandy and Grandpa Howell before church, since we knew it contained her dress for the day, and Elayna loved her little baby she found in the cutest little purse that Grandma had made. She wasn't as excited about the dress - since she had just asked Daddy to put on her shoes and was quite happy in her lounge wear which now included that very cute purse!

Eventually we did get her in the dress and we made it to church. By the time we got home, it was late, and that is rough for a little birthday girl. We tried to have a quick dinner and dessert so she could open the rest of her presents before bed, it still took longer than we hoped, but it did turn out well.



We had Salmon which is one of her favorite foods (we think because it's pink); beets, because they are also pink (and John is needing a few more in his diet); and salad because she likes to dip lettuce and spinach leaves in balsamic vinegar and eat it. Weird I know - but healthy so we go with it.

After dinner we sang Happy Birthday and brought in her cake which seemed to confuse her a little since it was stuffed, but pretty cool since the candle didn't burn her. And she gets to have cake every day if she wants to. Seriously - she spits chocolate out and wont eat it, and wont eat cake at all. So we found a fun play cake and made a real dessert that we would all enjoy. A Berry Fool - a new recipe I found and absolutely wonderful. A definite keeper for the recipe file. Elayna loved hers and was getting a little too aggressive for a goblet so we finally transferred the rest of her dessert into the bowl - after she ate mine!


This isn't the best shot but it shows her eye lashes, at least a little. She has the most amazing eyes and eye lashes, long, thick, dark and curly - every girls envy. I can stare at them all day long with complete wonder.... What a lucky girl!


(bad picture - but still very cute I think. She just couldn't leave her cake behind!)


Then we opened presents - the boys seemed more excited than she was. But after a few minutes she became very posessive and has been a little since then. She loves the little horse that came with the carriage and will play with that all day long and brush it's hair. We are faily sure she'll be a 'My Little Pony' girl.


All in all, her birthday was a success. I was having serious camera user errors - hence the wonderful picture gallery you see here - but it was great to see her enjoy a special day for her.


Elayna has brought so much life and humor to our lives. We love her and I am so excited to be apart of her life. I look forward to seeing who she becomes, and to having a great friend as she gets older. What a blessing and complete joy she has been in our lives.

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