Happy Halloween!

The pumpkins are lit.

This awesome looking crew has hit the streets.


Among them are our littlest witch and her dragon. As in her pet dragon. Natty and Emma have been planning their coordinating costumes for weeks, an idea they came up with all on their own.

I'm at my usual passing-out-candy post and the night would be perfect if I weren't battling some sort of sickness that has robbed me competely of my voice and left me feeling a bit miserable.

Still, such a fun night.

Happy Halloween from our house to yours!

Mother's Day in the Fall

The kids didn't have school today. I looked forward to sleeping in all week. By sleeping in I mean going back to bed after my early morning run.

My feet sloshed in my shoes as I returned home from covering four miles in the pouring rain. I left my sopping clothes in the laundry room and went to my closet for some cozy sweats and slipper socks. I couldn't wait to crawl back under my down comforter. The house was silent and dark when Jon left for work and it wasn't long before I was again sleeping like a baby.

The next thing I knew, my three kids were gently rousing me from dreamland. I'd been sleeping for about an hour. The rain continued to pour and it still seemed quite dark--the perfect day for lingering in bed.

"Mom, we have something for you."

Alyssa presented me with a plate of scrambled eggs and toast with peach jam, and a glass of orange juice. I sleepily gave them hugs of gratitude and then they left me to enjoy my breakfast in bed.

Alyssa has been learning to cook new things but I didn't know scrambled eggs was in her repertoire. And they were good!

What sweet, thoughtful children I have. Not only did I get to sleep in and enjoy breakfast in bed, but they willingly helped with housework once I emerged from my room. Of course, my promise of chocolate chip cookies was good motivation to move through the list of chores.

Now it's time to get ready for a down-town Seattle theater date with my hubby. I'm feeling so spoiled and loved.

Happy 1/2 Mother's Day to me!

Google Talk

When I was a kid, writing notes to friends was a common practice. When class got a bit boring, we’d pen a message or draw silly pictures for each other. Sometimes the method used for folding the note was more important than its contents.

My children are part of a generation that communicates in an entirely different way. It appears that even their old-fashioned pen and paper conversations are written in instant message format...

Here are some of Caleb and Alyssa’s recent Sacrament Meeting exchanges:

Natalie recently drew this picture for me:

She says it’s a picture of her listening to her iPod. (No, she does not have an iPod.)

How will a technologically-challenged mother like myself ever keep up with them?

Answers Revealed

I'm sorry to say that no one scored 100% on my pop quiz. Evidently I am not the open book I thought I was. But I will admit that it was tricky. Any item having to do with BYU, running or gymnastics would’ve been too obvious so I tried to be slightly vague.

Here’s the breakdown of what each item says about me, starting with the easiest:


The slipper—turns out this was a dead giveaway. As soon as this item was revealed the night of our Enrichment, everyone knew it belonged to me. I always wear slippers in my house and sometimes out of the house, too. Not only are my feet always cold, but I find shoes to be uncomfortable. I go through a pair of slippers at least every six months.



The football—it actually has nothing to do with Caleb, although that would’ve been a nice tribute. He does love the game every bit as much as I do, which is a whole heckuva lot! My ideal Saturday in fall would be to park myself on my couch and watch game after game. The Cougs are obviously my favorite but I find any football contest exciting.



The apple—the Yakima Valley is known for being one of the best apple-producing areas in the world. The apple does represent my Washingtonian heritage, but more specifically the fact that I was born in Yakima. The second meaning was one not guessed by anyone, which was surprising to me. An apple is a symbol of a teacher and though I don’t currently have my own formal classroom, I always consider it to be part of who I am.



The blanket—Who knew this would be so difficult? I think the fact that it was a toy blanket made it deceiving but after all, it was the only one that would fit in a paper bag. The blanket represents the fact that I am always tired and that I can fall asleep anytime, anywhere. It also represents that I am always cold and in the winter months, I curl up on top of heating vents and use a blanket to create a cocoon of warm air.

Once last winter, Natalie left a doll outside. When we discovered it, it was covered in snow and frozen solid. She brought it inside, wrapped it in a blanket and placed it on top of the heating vent. When I saw that doll, I laughed. I thought about how funny it looked and then thought about how much more funny it must look for my family to see me doing the same thing. Oh well, it works. The doll was warm and cozy in no time, just like me.

So there you have it. The answers to the quiz revealed.

Our Little Champ

Yesterday was Alyssa's second Level 5 meet. She tumbled and danced her way to the top of the podium!

She's still got some fine tuning to do but we're sure proud of the strong start she's made with these new skills and routines. Here's a peek at her bars, vault and floor routine.

There's something extra exciting about being atop that number one. Way to go, Lys!