halloween 2008

lunch at gg & gpa's

Halloween always begins with Trick-or-Treating and a special Halloween lunch at Grandma & Grandpa Farnsworth's.

I feel bad I have so many pictures of the girls and only one of Dallin. His costume wasn't completely assembled and he and Carter were messing around so much it just wasn't worth the fight.

Auburn loved sweeping up GG's rocks... almost as much as she and Allison loved throwing them all over the patio.

Mom & Grandma are the best to make such a memorable afternoon for the kids.

goody ghost

My favorite part of Halloween this year was the Goody Ghost. Every few nights we would go out delivering treats to unsuspecting friends and neighbors. Dallin and Ella loved wearing their ghost costumes to run to and from the doors. They would practice over and over at our door... ringing the doorbell as the other one feigned surprise that there were "goodies" at the doorstep. (Ella didn't understand what a "goody" was.. and she said it so funny...gu-dy.) Then they would switch and the other would have a turn... this went on all night. (I was trying to remind myself it was a good thing that my doorbell was ringing every 30 seconds for 45 minutes straight.) But it was so nice to see them excited about giving. Although it did begin with a meltdown thinking ALL their treats were being given away... but once they were assured that one was waiting at home for them.. the giving spirit was back into effect! Hey.. it's gotta start somewhere.

The best night was on Sunday when they got all dressed up into their Halloween costumes and we went to deliver treats and sing Halloween carols to some of the widows and older couples in the ward. The kids did a great job singing, "Boo!", "Mean Old Witch" and "Mr. Jack-o-Lantern". And the best part was when Dallin and Ella shared their Halloween jokes.

Q: What do you call a witch who lives at the beach"

A: A sandwich

Q: What's a ghost's favorite kind of ice cream?

A: BOOnilla

But instead of sticking with the script.. Dallin insisted on sharing his joke that he made up.

Q: What do you call a ghost that flies?

A: A bird ghost.

Yeah.. it was a knee slapper! :) But everyone laughed like he was Johnny Carson!

I almost felt selfish for how good I was feeling as we were supposedly "serving" someone else. I LOVE that generation of people. They treat my kids like they walk on water, they give them so much positive encouragement and praise.. I just wish my kids could fully understand the greatness of these men and women.. the things that they have experienced, all they have learned and know, how strong and powerful they truly are. But for now.. they're just thrilled when they give them candy.

Baby steps!

spooktacular

The Smith's had the coolest Halloween party! There were tons of kids, games, and amazing food. And it wasn't any of that nasty kid Halloween stuff.. it was so eerily gourmet & tasty:
black-eyed pea salsa....."roadkill"
tortilla chips................... "scabs"
chicken chili.................... "witch's brew
baked brie with apples... " mad scientist head"
then of course the eyeballs and weir-wolf poop.

I don't know how Laura pulled it all off. I would have been a frazzled wreck with so much going on... but her personality allowed it to be so comfortable and fun for everyone. That girl is so talented!

pumkins with papacito

Dad invited us to his office's Halloween pumpkin carving party. It's just tradition to carve pumpkins with Dad. He is known for his creative carving 'visions'. This year I think he was feeling a bit stifled by the kids' inability to 'get outside the box'... but he handled it well and the kids had a great time.

We just tried to keep Allison and Auburn busy eating cookies so they wouldn't run wild in the parking lot. It worked for about 5 minutes.

ghost of halloween past

2004:Little German Boy

2005:Robin Hood

2006:Cowboy & Indian

2007:Pirates

2008: Oh.. the anticipation...

older & wiser

For Troy's birthday we took a last minute mini road trip. We headed north to one of Arizona's hottest tourist spots...Payson. :) And we left no sight unseen. Our first destination was the old bike shop that you pass on the highway. We'd always wondered what the heap of junk was...and we found out it was just that. "30 years in the makin" the toothless woman told us. Over 10,000 bikes! She even let us climb the old car trailer to get an aerial shot. It was actually quite impressive, and once we started walking around we found that there was some semblance of order in the lot. There is just something cool about large amounts of things, collections of any random sort become novel.

Next we hiked Natural Bridge which was absolutely beautiful. We went all the way through this time since we didn't have the babies on our backs. Everything was so lush and green and the waterfalls made you feel you were somewhere exotic. We couldn't have asked for better weather and the company was ideal. It was fun just talking with Troy using uninterrupted sentences. We enjoyed lunch at a little roadside diner and walked through The Old Randall house. Then we went up to Pine and visited the graves of Troy's grandparents. Next we were off on the hunt for my "starter cabin"...unfortunately, it's just not meant to be...yet! :) After inhaling our brownie sundaes we headed back into the valley.

We stopped by Troy's office and I tried to do a little housekeeping while he worked, much to his irritation. Apparently setting up shelves and filing is not what he wanted done on his birthday. Go figure.

And no birthday would be complete without a trip to the local pawn shop. ??? Troy heard on the news, that with all this economic mess, pawn shops are being infiltrated with good stuff. So he wanted to go check it out. What makes this even more random is this is SO not Troy's style. First off, he doesn't ever buy anything, second, if he ever did buy something, he would know exactly what he's going to get, style, color, price etc. So randomly going to see what a pawn shop had to offer just threw me for a loop. But, it was his birthday... he ran the show (and I almost got a new platinum diamond ring out of the deal!) :)

It was a wonderful day overall and it was nice to remember how much we like each other when all the other stuff is taken away. :) We came home that night to happy kids and a worn out Karen...what a trooper!

Happy Birthday Heeney!

happy birthday cooper

Heather & Colby are always so good to invite our crazy crew to all the fun birthday parties they have. We look forward to them even more now that we barely see each other. It's always nice (and rare) to have friends that both husbands and wives equally enjoy each other. They have been a unique find for us!

Cooper had a Thomas the Train party at Peter Piper Pizza. Ella could have ridden the rocket ship merry-go- round all afternoon. In fact, she did. Allison didn't mind joining her and took the turns quiet emotionless. Auburn wasn't going to go around that easy.. it was a scene of panic each time she got close to the rides. (Brielle didn't mind benefiting from her unused tokens!)It was a great break from the everyday routine and always fun to hang with the Bowers!

Happy Birthday Cooper!

dallin's dictionary

just kidding /juhst-kid-EEng/, intransitive verb: it's what you say when they hear you saying something they don't like, so you don't get in trouble.

-Direct quote from Dallin to Carter

so you want to be president

Some of my most favorite things are 1) when my kids eat vegetables 2) when my kids play creatively together and 3) when my kids are reading. So it did my heart well to see Dallin & Ella cuddled up on their grandparents' laps reading before bed tonight. Dad read them, So You Want to Be President. I love this book.. I find it interesting, informative and the illustrations are award winning. It's a bit longer than a little children's book, but I can usually cruise through it, on average, in 9 minutes. After checking the clock, I was sure Dad had moved onto the next book, it had been 34 minutes! But, no... he was still in there on the reading chair going meticulously through each page. 41 minutes... still reading. 53 minutes...are you serious?!! Finally the book closed but he then had to extend the story by showing the kids pictures of Mt. Rushmore on the internet. We were just shaking our heads... that's so Dad! Once again... luckiest kids alive! (myself included).

proof

I never like to throw the kids' crafts away.. but nor do I like to store them in every nook & cranny of our house. So, I figure, if I get a picture for posterity, and to remind myself in years to come that I did play with my children.... once something breaks of finds its way into "file 13" there has been no long term harm done. Usually when we make things I tell the kids what we're making and we follow my directions, this time I just gave them popscicle sticks and glue and they were in heaven! Among my favorite creations were Ella's model of herself and Dallin's 4 wing-fighter.

chicken enchiladas with green salsa

This turned out so tasty!

4 tablespoons canola oil
2 small zucchini, diced
1 small red onion, chopped
1 ear of corn, kernels cut off the cob (about 1/2 cup)
1 2 1/2- to 3-pound rotisserie chicken, meat shredded
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack
Kosher salt and pepper
12 6-inch corn tortillas
1 pound tomatillos, husks removed
1 jalapeño, seeded
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)

Heat oven to 400° F. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, onion, and corn and cook, stirring, until the onion begins to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

Add the chicken, Monterey Jack, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix to combine.

Wipe out the skillet and heat the remaining oil over medium heat. One at a time, cook the tortillas in the oil until softened, 10 to 15 seconds per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas, roll them up, and place seam-side down in a large baking dish. Bake until heated through, 8 to 10 minutes.
In a food processor, pulse the tomatillos, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until finely chopped. Serve the enchiladas with the salsa and sour cream, if using.

Should I be nervous that Ella recognized Feist and her song, but had no idea who the Sesame Street monsters were?

pumkin patch

We met all the Stapley's at the Pumkin Patch for FHE.

The girls loved the little chickies. And I'm sure Dallin & Ella had something they loved as well, only I wouldn't know because they were so busy playing with their older cousins, I didn't see them once.

twins mischief

Why are white silk curtains the favorite hiding places for peanut butter and banana covered fingers?

lookin' for fun & feelin' groovy

Karen did such a darling job on Carter's Tie-Dye Party!

She was brave to have so many little boys running around her house, let alone handling paints! They all did a surprisingly great job and their shirts turned out so "groovy"

They also made their own tie-dyed crayons and had psychadelic cupcakes. Good job K. Happy Birthday Carter.

the tuna sandwich

Some years ago there was an incident involving a tuna sandwich. I don't remember the details, but it was along the lines of...newlywed being served lunch by her husband only to find out he had actually eaten all the lunch himself without considering his new bride and her hunger. Something along those lines. So as the years have passed...any time Troy forgets to consider me in food preparation or any fleeting desire I might have.. I remind him of the tuna sandwich.

Back story being told, Saturday I ran to the Dollar Store to pick up some things for Dallin's humanitarian project. While I was there I spotted large cans of IBC rootbeer. (I LOVE rootbeer!) So I bought one for Troy and one for myself. Later that day I drank them both. When Troy came searching for his afternoon treat he promptly called me on my "tuna sandwich" behavior. So to rectify my faux-pas, Monday morning the fridge was FULL of Troy's own personal stash of IBC rootbeer. I think I'm forgiven.

abc...easy as...123

After two years of shuttling Dallin to and from preschool and having to watch from the car window, Ella was more than ready to finally get out of her car seat and go inside of Miss Christy's preschool. It will be extra fun because she already has friends to go with!

prima ballerina

Ella has been so into ballet this last year; all she sings is the music from The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and any other classical music she hears. When she does her "ballet" that means she holds onto something (a couch, your finger etc.) and puts her leg out in an arabesque. So when I was driving her to her first day of dance she was quite put out that I wasn't going to be in the class with her so she could do "ballet". She finally decided it would be o.k. because her teacher would hold her finger. When I explained there were lots of other girls in her class and the teacher wouldn't be able to do that she looked perplexed and said, "then we need to go back because we forgot to bring our couch."

beat the heat retreat

Looking at these pictures, they portray a peaceful serenity that you can only find in nature. Who would guess that the following picture is the antithesis of that serenity.

Allison & Auburn proved to have a loathing toward camping and the great outdoors. They screamed every time they were put down...leaving me with fried nerves and tired arms. I was trying so hard to have a good attitude and put on a good face, but I was miserable! It wouldn't be so bad if we were alone.. I was just extra sensitive with all the other families camping around us. So I spent the entire night juggling the babies trying to keep them quiet..an almost impossible task. It didn't help that it was a lot colder than I had anticipated and in packing for all the kids, completely forgot to pack for myself. So shivering, I finally loaded the twins in the car and put a movie on for them till the rest of the camp woke up. I LOVE camping.. but I'm pretty emotionally scarred after this experience.

Now to look on the bright side... Dallin and Ella were fabulous and all the other kids really took them under their wings. They loved finding rocks to add to the ever growing collection and digging in any sand pile they could find. They were filthy and blissfully happy!