Halloween Activities

Last night we had the Rand's over to carve pumpkins.

Here is what their two older boys and Ruth did whilst we carved away:

They were eating snickerdoodles behind the island so that we couldn't see them sneaking more cookies than we wanted them to eat! Too funny. I made the snickerdoodles that afternoon; it was nostaligic because I remember rolling the cookies with my mom. So it was really fun to have Ruth help me make them.

And here is the final product:

From left to right: mine (Jack-o-Lantern), Brad's (wind blown tree), Chelsea's (leaves) and Tyler's (train, as requested by the boys).

Ruth preparing for trunk-or-treating at church...6 hours early!

I decided last minute that I would dress up too, so here are the kitties:


My full costume included Will. Together we are a cat eating a baby owl:

And in final news I've lost another 2 pounds!

cold

Ruth insisted on a walk, it was so cold!

Those Germans...

At 1:56 you can see one of Ruth's favorite faces for strangers. This is Katie's favorite new song.

Halloween Crafts and Kids

Peter Pan

Hand-painted blocks (my favorite part are the monster hands)

Kitty costume spoiler

Home-made sugar cookies (yes I made them from scratch; it took a few batches but they finally started looking like owls and cats and bats!)

Felt covered tin cans (I especially love the monster's hair and Dracula's tie, the ghost and mummy didn't turn out as cute as I hoped)

Ruth cooking in the dress we got in a Halloween package from Gma. Laws

Happiness Is...

Well, John Lennon said that it was a warm gun. I don't know what that means.


I find happiness in a job well done (baby food made and neatly placed in mini tupperwares). An orderly home (no more leaves in the yard...for the time being). Happy kids. Doing something I didn't think I was capable of doing (losing 5 more pounds...currently down to 180). Fullfilling an obligation (planning activities for Relief Society). Meeting with friends (last Thursday's girl night at Shirlaine's). Reading scriptures and having Family Home Evening. And cooking a meal for my husband that he can't stop raving about.

Potty Time

It is both a verb and a noun: potty. It must be confusing to an almost 2 year old to have her mother say, "Go potty on the potty!" Nevertheless, she is doing great. We started on Monday...without a little potty. That did not go well. I gave up half way through the day, put a diaper on her an went to the store as soon as Brad got home to purchase her a little potty, which she LOVES. I also bought star stickers and skittles. I made her a sticker chart so we could put the stickers up everytime she went but we soon found that she preffered them on her hand.


I did a lot of reading about potty training, and got advice from my two experienced sister-in-laws...well almost nothing anyone had to say applied to Ruth. The main thing I read and heard was NEVER go back to diapers once you start potty training. Well, that's just not practical for us. I would go insane if I didn't leave the house for two weeks. So when we all want to go out we put her in a diaper. When we come home she's in panties, then for bed she's back in a diaper. Surprisingly, she holds it while we're out: on walks, at the grocery store, or out to dinner.


Our best day for potty training was Friday when she had one accident and three successes! And today she pooed for the first time! She is so proud of herself and LOVES the dance parties we have once she's done. Here she is strutting her stuff after success #3 yesterday.



So we started out really rough at the beginning of this week, but things are going much smoother now. The turning point was when I decided it didn't matter how long it took for her to become totally potty trained. She's still really young so it doesn't matter if it takes 6 months. Luckily she's really taken to it and finds great joy in going on the potty.

In other news Brad took us to the corn maze and dinner last night. It was such a nice family outing.

The Dog, Ruth, Will, and Green Beans

We got rid of the dog. After trying to get rid of her a couple months ago, we reformed and gave it a good go. And we realized that we are not dog people. One day on Craigslist got her a really great home with a nice guy and and a new puppy pal. She was really happy and really like this guy so we feel like we did the best we could for her.

Things we would still have if we had never gotten the dog: 30 crayons, a teddy bear, sprinklers that were not dug up, a black leash, a pair of Ruth panties, a pair of Will's socks, a plastic mixing bowl, several binkies, building blocks without teeth marks and about $300.


Ruth "started" potty training today...I was not properly prepared because she HATES sitting on the normal toilet. I had her drink a ton of apple juice so she would have to pee a bunch and she just held it all morning. Around noon I put her diaper back on because she had been freaking out for an hour (because she had to pee and was holding it, I didn't know...don't judge). The second her diaper was on she filled it up. So I'm going to the store as soon as Brad gets home so I can get her a little training potty thing so she'll be more comfortable.

Will above has lighter eyes and his ears stick out more. Ruth below has the same eyebrows, chin, and hair-do.

Will LOVES food. He got the biggest smile on his face when he tasted green beans for the first time. I also love making baby food. I forgot how much I liked it. First of all it's cheaper than buying baby food, it doesn't take any effort (boil the veggies until they are WAY over-cooked then blend them up with the water you boiled them in and put in containers to freeze), and you can get your baby used to the seasonings and foods you eat as a family.

Rain is Falling All Around

So it wasn't really rain, it was the sprinklers...but Ruth had fun either way.

It's Finally Fall!

Some random pictures and thoughts that I like

I just got home from volleyball

Brad just went to work

The kids are both asleep in their respective beds (which means Will is FINALLY not in MY bed)



Boudicca has stopped barking because I took her a teddy bear to keep her company (we just bought her a crate so she can be a nearly always inside doggy: she LOVES it)

And I've been thinking about conference (our church's general conference was last weekend):



Brad made a disc of all the sessions as well as some older talks by apostles and prophets so we could listen to it in the car. To and from volleyball I was listening to a talk by President Benson, which was brought up twice in this last conference. It's all about following the prophet and the power that our living prophet has.



One of the things that really stuck out to me was that he said that the world wishes that the world wishes the prophets were dead or would mind their own business. At first this made me laugh. Then I realized that I need to be better at knowing what the living Prophet, Thomas S. Monson, tells us and then act on it.


I've also been working on not being ashamed of who I am, the Church I belong to, and the things I do that may seem strange to others because of my desire to be a good LDS person. I haven't discussed much in the way of spiritual things on my blog because I was worried someone would think it was weird, or not sure that it was the right venue to bare my soul. I have realized that it was partially because I was ashamed. I have a testimony that we have a living Prophet who receives inspiration to help lead and guide the people of the world. I am not ashamed to say that I go to church, I am part of an organization called Relief Society, I participate in sacred ordinances in the Lord's temple, and I am sealed to my family for eternity. I believe in Christ; that he died so that I can repent of my sins and live with Heavenly Father again. These are my basic beliefs. If you want to learn more about what Mormons believe, either ask me, a missionary or go to mormon.org.

This is who I am, Katie; a mommy, a Mormon, a married woman.

Stud Muffin

DSC28119b_pp.jpg | Steve Lents Photography

When did my little brother grow up? It's weird to realize this guy is my little Matt-man!

What do we do during naptime?

Pre-naptime (notice the awesome headboard Brad made):

Ruth is sleeping:

Will is sleeping:

Boudicca is sleeping:

(This is just a cute pic of the kids before bedtime)

This is what we do during naptime:

slice potatoes...

shred cheese, and pull out the home-made tomatillo salsa (YUM)....

fry the potatoes and then broil them with cheese on top, then smother them with tomatillo salsa...and then be really, really happy with the amazing snack your husband came home from work to make you!

2 funnies

Bumper Sticker: I Buy it Where I Make it! (insert picture of the US.)

That's a great sentiment, but this guy obviously doesn't know who makes Nissan's!

Sign in Smith's Grocery store: "Eggs" on Aisle 7.

I don't think I'll buy their "eggs" any more!