Halloween

We hope Halloween was spooktackular for all of you. We certainly had a fun time.
It was about 65 and the sun was still up for our trunk-or-treat, then we went to the mall for the actual Halloween fest and spent only an hour and had a whole other bucket full of candy.
Jacob really got the hang of it this year and still couldn't believe how much candy was "his". We have magically made the candy disappear and surprisingly enough, the kids haven't asked for it in a couple of days.
The dressing up was fun. Tara was spiderella , Emily was Belle one night and Rapunzel the next, and Jacob was "Diego".
The spookiest thing lately was I killed the 2nd black widow spider right outside our door a couple nights ago. Anyone know how to locate and get rid of those?
Gene has made 2 short trips to Chicago in the last 2 weeks and heads to Denver on Sunday for a full week of skiing.........oh, just kidding, work!
We had our first freeze last night but, it'll be back up to 69 on Monday. Weird weather, eh?
Our primary talent show is Saturday. Tara's going to play the piano, Jake will sing his "abc's" and Emily is going to hop on one foot, spin around and slap/clap at the same time. Should be a fantastic show.
I wrote a blog entry a couple weeks ago but lost it right before I could send it...but, all went well with our primary program The visiting stake said it was the best they have seen this year. I was so thrilled, the kids did a fantastic job and most of the kids memorized their parts. Now that the PTA membership drive and the primary program are over.....I am flying free as a bird. I helped in Emily's classroom today making indian head dresses for their upcoming thanksgiving feast.
Jacob made a big leap in speech this week. He actually said "key" instead of "tey" and "glue" instead of "due" He has had it at the end of a word but, not the beginning. I am really thrilled about that. Our RS Pres. and her family are moving in January. We carpool with her and so once they move, I don't know how I'll get Jake to preschool. I'm hoping something works out. He's finally getting the hang of things on a tight schedule.
We had a fall break and had a week off of school. We saw "Underdog" at the dollar theater and visited all our favorite parks. It was really hard to get back to school with it being cold and dark.
Tara has been attending "math club" tutoring on Weds. mornings. I think it's helped her confidence in taking the timed tests....she knows all her math, she just can't do 40 questions in 2 minutes. So, she's been practicing. She started a new piano book , she's finished her first.
I'll do my best to keep up. Till then, take care!

Well, I had to add this photo of Tara. We bought our halloween costumes on Thurs. (because the kids were so good while Daddy's been out of the country). Tara came home Friday and afterschool asked to put on her costume. I said "ok" and she came out looking like this. Eye shadow coordinated with this neck piece she found from antoher costume. Spiderella is what the name is. Spooky...and it's only the first week of October.
We will have fun Halloween, I've already bought fushia fake eyelashes with rhinestones!!! Woohoo!

A van fixed, the zoo and pancake day

We finally got our van back, $3300 later, we have a new transmission, radiator and coolant hoses. We have a warranty that should last us another 3 years. That has to be better than having a new car payment again.
The kids were happy to have their good ol' van back (dvd player):)

We had a day off for teacher inservice on Friday, so we decided to head to the zoo. Knox county was the only ones off of school, it ended up there were 7 school buses that pulled up as we did from other counties....needless to say, it was a very busy place. The kids jumped into the petting area before the crowds did and got to pet a sheep, goats and a llama. They loved the sand pit the most. We had a good time, but the weather is still so hot 92 degrees that dau.

Tara is playing an indian song this week for piano and it has Emily and Jake doing a pseudo rain dance around the piano when she plays. We went to the pack meeting where they did the arrow of light cere. and now, we love the drums and dancing like indians. Tara is rising above the difficulties of 2nd grade and is actually doing very well. Her teacher also moved her away from the little boy who was stealing her pencils and books and teasing her. I would think it wouldn't be a problem by now since she deals with Jacob at home the same way.

Emily is making friends and is happy all the time and best of all sleeps well at night. Her friend Maddie has invited her to go to a "hip hop" dance class on Saturday to try it out...they have "hip hop" sessions on the playground. She was playing around with Jacob on Weds. and fell into the round table and bruised her back about 6 inches long and 4 inches wide. She has a slight cold too...so it was very hard this morning to get up and get going. Hopefully next week won't be so traumatic.

Jacob is doing great at preschool. He comes home singing songs and said he has a 'buddy' named Eric. He finally has started participating in circle time, for a long time he was scared and would get nervous, but is doing well now. His speech is improving and he talks alot more now. He has new kids in his speech classes that are younger and he's doing a good job of showing them how to do the work.

I am very much enjoying my time at home alone. Membership work for PTA has slowed down a bit and is trickling in at a steady pace, so nothing too stressful. I am trying to get the primary program together to begin our practices next week.
I attended a book club last night where we reviewed the book "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer. It's the 3rd book in a series, they are making a movie from the first "Twilight" it was originally written for teens, but is so much fun to read. She is LDS, grad from BYU and has done a great job. If you have the time, it's fun and it's about vampires!!!!

We celebrated national pancake day in the evening, no one has time to make pancakes in the morning, do they? We heard on the radio on the way to school... So, the photo is of our feast.

Jacob doing the preschool jump for joy

This week has been super busy. It has been complicated with van troubles. We blew a transmission and are waiting on a new one to be shipped in. So, right now Gene has a rental and I have his jeep. The replacement part (whole transmission) is $600 more than the car is worth right now. But, it will have a 3 yr. warranty and should work like new. (cough, gag, cross your fingers).
Tara has had 3 different bus drivers this week. One that passed completely by the stop and waved back at me as I tried to flag him down, screeched on his brakes and had the kids walk back up the hill. Another one stopped at the wrong place infront of a ditch that led up to a tree. The kids have been tromping all over the property trying to get home. Another backed into a bus in the school parking lot...while the kids were in the bus!!! Luckily no one's been hurt..just a new adventure every day.

Jacob started preschool and is so happy. He now has speech Mon and Weds. and then has preschool Tues, Thurs and Frid.
Emily has found her happy place. She's making new friends and loves to tell me all about school each day. Everything is new and fun.
We are all sleeping better now that we all have to get up so early.
I am still knee-deep in membership paperwork. Everything is good, it's just more meetings than I'm used to.
Gene is heading to Chicago on Sunday. He'll go to London and Boston, a combo trip at the end of the month too.
All is well with us. We hope it is with you too.

12pints of salsa, a squashed finger and a pirate

We have been super busy with all of school underway, field trips planned already, and tons of paperwork still coming home. Tara has had 2 major melt downs with the amount of homework and class work that is required in 2nd grade. She's asked me several times if she can go back to 1st. I know it's hard, but she'll get used to it. We canned 12 pints of salsa with all our garden tomatoes. We found out the reason our corn is so hard, is it's feed corn...or corn you grind into meal. That's why it was the only kind left. Our beans are starting themselves over again, after Gene tilled up the old plants, the beans began new sprouts. So, we'll have a second shot at that.
Jacob had an incident this week. He was riding under the cart (it had alot of space under it, not like Walmart karts), anyway, going out the door, the kart became hard to push and then there was a scream. His finger got stuck between the wheel and the bottom of the kart. Luckily I had just bought frozen peas, so we packed his hand up and drove home. He lost skin on the soft side and bruised his whole nail on the other. Unfortunately, it was the same finger he burned a couple years ago, the 3rd degree burn. I think he will not have a finger print on that one any more.
Tara got to dress up like a pirate and do the morning news this morning. She and her friend Hannah told all about the PTA membership drive. (so I didn't have to). They had a fun time and now she's a star at school.
Happy Birthday to Alayna. Jacob wants you to save him some cake.
Emily is so happy in Kindergarten. She runs in the house after school each day and shows me her green light...which means good behavior. She's having a blast being just like Tara.
Hope all of you are well.

Gene and I attended the Unit Commissioner's barbeque Sat. afternoon and the kids had Jessica babysit. I came down with a cold Saturday and Jake is still feeling bad.
Tara had piano and started playing with the foot pedal! Yeah, she's been waiting to use that for a long time. She went on a daddy date to the mall, pass pets and actually got out a cockerspaniel to pet and play with (I always just make them look at them through the glass).
I prepared sharing time on the "five gifts of testimony from the holy ghost". Emily helped me wrap up 5 gift boxes.
Monday morning I sent Tara with the Hardings to school and watched the 2 youngest hardings while Tiffany took her kindergartener to his first day of assessment. About 15 min. later Jacob went into the bathroom to wash his hands after a big sneeze and there was a loud girgle....got louder and started gushing water out the toilet. Before I got around the corner, the whole bathroom was flooded. I frantically called Gene asking how to turn off the water. By the time we got it off, I realized the laundry was running ....our whole bathroom, landing and laundry room are full of water. So, Jacob and Emily ran to get all the towels they could find, and I started soaking up water. It was crazy. Emily helped with buckets and Jacob, of all people watched the baby (7mo). I am exhausted and it's only 10 in the morning. Hopefully the week will get better. We'll be in touch.

school starts, flooded bathroom & PTA

Ok, so this week has been a bit busy. Tara's first day of school was Thurs. She was up early and ready on time. We walked her in to her class and got her settled. She found one friend from last year, Bailey and clung on to her tight. Her new teacher seems really nice.
Tara came home from school and didn't say much, then she just started spewing all about it. "The first rule of second grade is no getting out of you seat, the second rule of second grade is no talking,...we had a spelling test 3 pages long! I don't know how to spell eight, or hopping....Ms. Moseley just kept asking us to write. Mrs. Ayres used to help us with spelling, Ms. Moseley didn't even help us....it was too hot to go outside so we didn't go..." She just kept going on and on. I think it will be an adjustment.
I spent hours thurs and friday copying, stapling, stamping 732 packets for the membership drive. Emily has been my good helper. I still have more to do.
Friday was Emily's first day. We went down to the kindergarten hall and realized I forgot to bring her a lunch or money, so I ran back up to Tara's class and took her emergency lunch money (because it was an emergency) Emily went very happily and easily into the kindergarten hall...they spent the first day assessing all the kids and will be assigned a teacher this friday. She had a great time and was not ready to come home at 12. Saturday we all slept in bit.

Another week has gone by and now it's time for school already.
We have filled our last few days of summer with sprinklers, indoor movies and playdates. It's super hot now and muggy, it rains every day just a little so the grass is greener but it never cools off.
We had to mow on Sat. for the first time since school got out in May. Tara took a turn and did a great job driving the john deere tractor. Emily went a little bit by herself too.
Gene's been sick with a cold over the weekend and has passed it on to Jacob who has lost his voice. (not too much complaining here).
Tara starts school on Thursday, Emily on Friday. The kindergarten has 2 weeks of staggered days and then she will go full time on the 23rd.
I met Tara's teacher at the meet and greet breakfast yesterday where I did my PTA schpeel....go team! join pta! She seems nice, really high energy.
I've been waking the kids early, and now Tara is taking a nap at 1 in the afternoon. I'm sure it will take a while to get used to.

Ok, this is working. For all of you out there who have been wondering what happened to us, I haven't been able to download photos since Christmas. But, here we are with some pictures from our trip to Utah this summer.

Just a test to see if we can add pix. Here's a shot from our reunion.

Merry Christmas 2006

We had a great Christmas. Lots of games and puzzles, good food and no one was sick until new years. It's amazing how fast time has flown.
We are happy to welcome in 2007. We look back fondly at 2006 and are grateful for all we experienced together.
We rearranged the play room to allow room to dance on our new DDR (dance, dance revolution) mat and have room for the treadmill on the concrete floor. Some of the kids toys are now actually in their rooms, but have done a good job so far keeping things tidy. So now we have 2 couches in the front tv room which is actually room for everyone to sit. We got alot of fun games for Christmas and the kids are playing great together. The kids helped with our 2000 piece puzzle, Emily's comments were hilarious "these pieces are not getting along"....."how come all these pieces look the same?"
We have the yard being worked on right now, digging, just came to the door to ask who our water main line is hooked too....because they cracked a line at the road.....yikes. What a mess. One would think we are meant to suffer because we made one poor housing purchase choice. Ugh! We hope you all are well. Here are some holiday photos. Enjoy

present from Shelby....yikes. 

new christmas eve pjs 

setting out cookies and milk for santa 

You can never begin too early being beautiful. 

merry christmas 

"Diego rescue center, just what I wanted." 

one of the 12 dancing princesses....learning to dance. 

New duds....that sparkle 

Jake loves his new lion...a true wrestling companion. 

He's so handsome 

aha! 

Our most precious gifts this year...are each other.