Pumpkin Fever

Glenn was off at a Scouting Campout this past weekend. So, on Saturday morning I was feeling ambitious, thinking I could take on the world by myself with 5 children! The boys had practice for their Primary Program at 8:30am. Immediately following the practice the Elder's Quorum had a Pumpkin Carving Party from 9:30 to 11:30.

While the boys were at the practice, Emma and I went over to Sprouts and brought back 5 large pumpkins to carve - plus a bunch of knives. WHAT WAS I THINKING - A Mom with 5 kids with knives (no father)! Most of the people at the party were feeling a bit shaken as they saw our boys running around with knives, trying to carve their pumpkins. This tended to actually have a good effect because so many people volunteered to help me managed my kids! Shew. No one lost any appendages and we came home with 4 jack-o-lanterns! It was a fun Saturday morning!

Scripture Power

Hi. Our four sons were asked to sing the 2nd verse of a song called Scripture Power on Sunday in church. They sang it for our Primary Program. (The photo to the side is Sunday practice before we performed.)

The chapel was full and the overflow was open. I was a slight bit panicked thinking they would "freeze" and talk each other into NOT doing it! That would not have been pretty -- for the Primary Class only knew the 1st verse and our boys were the only ones that knew the 2nd verse. BUT... how dare of me to think that! They did ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!

As they strolled up to the microphone, Christopher let out a big yawn. We have church from 1 to 4 and they sang their song about 1:45 - naptime for Chris! Nick was way off key, but no one could tell! Zachary did his cross-eyes really quick to the crowd and I always panic thinking they will stick. Why does he have to do that...

They all belted it out and they sounded great! It brought tears to my eyes. Part of the verse says, "..I'll wear each vital part of the armor of the Lord, and fight my daily battles and win a great reward..." In today's world, I hope all of our kids can have the armor of the Lord.

Trunk or Treat

While living in Santa Monica we enjoyed a Halloween ritual at all the local LDS churches, Trunk-or-Treat. Because many of the neighborhoods were either unsafe, or devoid of kids, the ward members would park their cars, with decorated trunks, in the parking lot and the kids would go around to each "Trunk" and get candy.

It worked great, and for many kids this was their only chance to go trick-or-treating.

Fast forward a few years.

We are still doing trunk-or-treat. Because, as any of you know who have visited us, we live in a dangerous neighborhood with no kids. Could you imagine our kids going around our neighborhood?? Heaven forbid. So off we go the the ward parking lot for yet another party.

One premise for keeping this activity going is that we often attract friends and neighbors to the party. Sure, we have even brought some friends. But what is the correlation to the church? Paige was a "Devil Princess" for Heaven's sake. Halloween is our big outreach to our neighbors to convince them we really are Christians?

But on Sunday in Ward Council when the Bishop asked if everyone liked it and wanted to keep doing it everyone said it was great. Did I say anything? Of course not. It is much funner to complain privately.

Lucky Mindy wasn't there. She would have said something.

Two excited boys to finally be in their costumes!

The decorated trunk, which really did look good. The flash kinda ruins it.





































Sunday night Pumpkin carving. What a mess.




















But the final result was good.

Wait I almost forgot. This is my favorite. It's the feminist in me. And it is fun to try and find all the pigs in the illustrations. A must.

Books

If we have to spend hours each night reading then might as well be something good.

What are your favs?

I am big into Don and Audrey Wood

For adult reading try this one. It is killing me because it expains many of my neurosis.

Visitors From the Northeast

It was great to see Brent & April and Fam this past weekend. It seems that when someone from out-of-town comes to Mesa, the rest of us Mesa-ites all get together. So, keep coming all you out-of-towners! (Heather & Mike, we haven't seen you for awhile...) It was so fun to see everyone!

I have a ton of pictures... and I want to share them all! I just love this blogging stuff... even though for me it's more of a glorified journal! But that's okay...

On Saturday night some of us got together and BBQ some chicken. Everyone loved the food!

We sat around and talked about the cat population and what should be done about it. (Some of us borrowed Mom Thomas' cage that evening and made some catches!)

After the chicken and potatoes was all gone we broke out the cookies and punch. We had to make the traditional "frightful fruit punch" that has the hand floating in it. It's also very tasty. Logan and Zach kept trying to break off the fingers.



Cookie decorating is always fun and messy! Mom Thomas' cookie recipe is still the best and all the cookies were devoured (frosted and not). We had plenty of sprinkles and chips to do the decorating... no one missed out!

Did I mention how tasty those cookies were?!

The night ended with a quiet book read by the Favorite Uncle Brent. It was an appropriate Halloween Book (check the title) .

The party continued on the next evening. We continued to eat and talk.

While most of us were outside dipping carmel apples and topping them with all sorts of stuff (krispies, m&m, gummy worms, candy corn) some of us were inside playing hookie and jumping on the furniture!

The cousins had a blast running around playing TV tag. Kids were jumpin' on the tramp and playing in the sandbox. What better fun can you have! Rusty was enjoying left over burgers and hotdogs lying on the ground. A fun time was had by all!

Oh, I forgot to mention the homemade rootbeer! Taaasty!

Snow?

Last Week it went from almost 70 degrees to 30 in a day and then it snowed all day and night. The next day it was bright and sunny so we played in the snow and drank hot chocolate. Thomas and I attempted a snowman but I soon realized that my snow-packing skills leave a lot to be desired, we had fun trying though. We laughed and played and then it all melted by the endf the day and we're back near 70 today. I know I keep saying this but I am really loving Colorado weather and it's variety.

The Fall Smell is in the Air

Ahhhh it's October & for most there is a chrispness in the air but for us in Mesa, Arizona, it's the smell of manure!
Yes, everywhere it's the smell of manure because everyone is overseeding their lawns with rye grass & topcoating it with manure!!!
Different smells for different seasons!

Christmas Gift Giving

Hi-
I've had a few calls about who gives to whom for Christmas. If this isn't right let me know & I will try to figure it a different way.

Eldon gives to Heather
Glenn gives to Melanie
Brent gives to Eldon
Melissa gives to Glenn
Linnea gives to Brent
Heather gives to Melissa
Melanie gives to Linnea

Clarks in town

Last week we had am apartment full of Clarks. Amy and Peter stayed with us for 5 days and we roamed Denver together. Peter, the sports fanatic, got to go out to dinner with Mike at the ESPN zone and was in heaven. Amy and I watched our chick flick and roamed the 16th Street Mall, a fun outdoor mall that runs right down town.
We ate too much, stayed up late playing killer games of Upwords and played with Thomas at the nearby park. On Saturday we went to a pumpkin patch north of Denver where they had a petting zoo, pony rides, etc.
It was like an amusement park for toddlers. Funny enough, Thomas, although in love with dogs, had nothing to do with the sheep, llamas, goats and baby buffalo in the petting zoo. However, the giant slide was a hit! He went down six times. By the time we got him to the top he'd jump out of our arms and slide down as fast as he could, giggling the whole way down. He was very upset when we he finally wore us out and we had to go. We had a good time and Thomas misses all of the attention.

Peculiar Food Habits

Heather, it looks like you have the peculiar eating habits of our deceased "Grandpa Jack" (91 yrs old) and Eldon, you have the peculiar eating (drinking) habits of another relative: Herbert Thomas. Oh, you haven't heard of him? He's been institutionalized for years, suffering from acute caffeine addiction.
Dad

Only in LA

This weekend we attended the high school football game of our Nephew Kevin Prince. He is the starting QB at a private Catholic School in Encino, a suburb of LA.

He is number 11 in this picture, which you might be able to see if you click on it and enlarge it.

It also happened to be Homecoming so we got a few unexpected, but common in LA, treats. First Rick Springfield, of 80's fame, played a few songs during half-time. His son attends the school.

Then we hear that Barry Bonds, yes that Bonds, is in attendance because his son also attends the school.

Then the Homecoming parade starts and as one of the cars carrying the Court they have the original Bat Mobile from the 60's TV show.

Finally we enjoyed a true fireworks show that rivals many 4th of July shows. Just another day in LA.

Below is the hero of the game, which of course they won. He is only a Junior next year about this time we will give an update.

Clarification

Hi-
To understand why Eldon went crazy with coke (see Eldon's blog with the coke can) - coke's the thing & coke for breakfast, etc-
You need to know that when Dad & I visited Eldon & family about 3 weeks ago, Eldon gave Dad a challenge: As long as you are losing weight I (Eldon) will quit drinking coke! You all know how Dad loves a challenge!!! What you need to know is that the first 5 or 10 pounds are not very hard for Dad to lose, it's all up hill for him after that. Eldon said that he had quit drinking coke before so he knew he could do it again. Dad laughed.
When Eldon & family came for their 20 year class reunion, last weekend, we all made a run to Greko Grill & Eldon ordered a coke!!!!!!! Dad wasn't there, he was in Show Low. I looked at Eldon & said, "What is this?" He would hardly look my direction!!
Later Eldon siad that he didn't feel liek Dad wsa giving up enuohg. He wnated to konw taht Dad wsa raelly serffuing & thne he wuold feel bertte.
Nwo I wuold go so fra as to sya taht Eldno thniks my sepllnig is bad but I wuold say it jsut shwos you waht ckoe will do to yuor barin!!
Heather, don't let Eldon kid you about the raw milk! When Melanie gets it the cream has not been seperated from the milk. She usually puts in in the frige over night. The cream will come to the top & she takes the cream off & then drinks the milk. Usually there is about a cup & a half to 2 cups of cream that she get off the milk. Eldon took the gallon jug, shook it up & poured himself a glass of milk, drank it & said, "WOW, that's not bad!"
Moving on to other things, WOW you are all so awsome! I love each one of you.

Grandpa Jack?

So, I have to admit, I was a little surprised when I read Eldon's blog. Is raw milk really that repulsive? Am I really that weird? And then I remembered my initial reaction to it all. Ok, yes, I am that weird. Here comes the underlying question: If I thought it was so weird then why am I doing it now? If you've heard the story you can just enjoy the pictures, if not then get cozy.


I had a friend in my ward who looked normal enough but she seemed to me to have a severe case of the "all-natural" fever. Actually, she was even a step up from any health-nut I'd ever met. But whatever, to each his own, we were still friends. Then, after my second surgery when I weaned Thomas to formula and put him in daycare he started getting ear-infection after ear-infection, especially when teething. He probably had 2 or 3 a month. Pretty soon, while on antibiotics for one ear-infection he got one in the other ear as well. We took him to the doctor and he said, "oh well, we just need to give him something stronger" and handed me a prescription. Thomas was about 8 months old. After a few months of this it wasn't rocket science to realize that the medicine, while a wonderful thing, wasn't really solving this problem but it seemed to make him more susceptable to infections. I asked the doctor what else I could do and he said nothing, this is totally normal. In desperation I called my friend and she suggested giving him a tsp of cod liver oil every day. Ok, I realize that not only does it sound crazy it sounds completely disgusting but I was willing to try anything. His ear-infection cleared up the next day and he's never had another one, EVER! Even through the molars, nothing. I don't care how crazy some things sound, when I see results like that I'm a believer!


So, over the course of the year I've been doing a lot of reading and I go through the usual stages: disgust, skepticism, curiousity, bravery and usually I end up pleasantly surprised. Yes, my kitchen is way more "Grandpa Jack"-esque than Mom's and yes, I am coming to terms with the fact that now I am the weird friend/sister that people pity for her misguided health efforts but I've never felt better. Cheers Grandpa!
Homemeade Ketchup

Ride On!

Garrett & Christopher had a BLAST riding bikes and scooters this past weekend. It was wonderful to have cooler temps too! Emma and Ryan had fun on the neighbor's merry-go-round. Keep those quarters comin' guys!

Here at last

I think I have figured this blog thing out... sort of. Beats me how the heck you put a picture on here. I will give it a shot another time. Right now I have to clean my house and recover from the weekend, then I will have more time to blog. Adios!

Raw Milk and all

I am happy to report that Raw Milk and all we survived the weekend in AZ. Given the recent reports of E. Coli and raw milk (including kids in San Diego who went to the hospital. See News Report) and the various other beverages brewing in Mom's fridge we had valid reasons to worry.

On this subject I am reminded of the good ol days when water was suspect and folks stuck to Wine, Hard Apple Cider or Beer to avoid bugs. Today we have an equally bug-free, but not as fun, drink. Diet Coke. I could go on extolling the virtues of this tasty bubbly but I will restrain myself. But let me part with the words of another Diet Coke lover "Come over to the Dark Side and together we can rule the world". Don't underestimate the power of this dark nectar.


Melanie was great to let us use her room. I mean cute room. Melanie has been busy decorating and it shows. I don't think she is leaving anytime soon Mom.

One of the highlights of the weekend was having Melanie explain to me how she wasn't really funny about food like Grandpa Jack while she was eating her oatmeal made by soaking it overnight in homemade yogurt. But of course everyone agreed that Heather was way worse. It's always handy to have someone you can claim is wackier than you are, especially when they aren't around.

Is anyone noticing I am feeling a little feisty today? Diet Coke for breakfast baby.

We arrived about 12:30am on Thursday. At 8:30am the next morning I am awakened by my kids rummaging around their luggage looking for their swimsuits. It was raining, and they just had to go out and play in the rain. So as the neighborhood moms are driving their kids to school they pass my genetic mutants skipping through the gutters in their bathing suits. I would have loved to have heard some of the comments from the many cars that passed by that morning.
After their zany frolic in the rain, the kids enjoyed more civilized activities like playing cards with Grandma Or hanging out with cousins.

Of course we stuck to tradition and went for Mexican food at lunch. We had a Moffat/Thomas combination at Gecko Grill. I got my Rosa's the next day.

Saturday night was the ritual gathering to enjoy a slaughtered animal (pulled pork sandwiches), watch rhythmic dancing (Mindy and Melissa's victory dances) and gather around a fire (Mindy's birthday cake. Hey it woulda been a fire with 38 candles)

Slaughtered Animal
Rhythmic Dancing - As soon as we finished the game
Gathering around the fire - imagine 38 candles In the middle of all that we went to our 20th High School Reunion which turned out to be really fun. So in preparation for our 30th I am going to crack open an icy cold Diet Coke and let all those preservatives go to work.

First Time

This is my first time with the help of Heather I think I'm going to be able to do this - maybe!!
So now I'm suppose to try a picture and this my most favorite!!!

Weekend

BYU tv finally got their internet tv mac beta thing working so we stayed home and watched conference on the computer. It was great, in our pjs hanging out on the bed. We went for a walk in between sessions and Thomas played with our neighbors dog Goliath. Those two are hilarious together, Thomas will clap his hands to get him to come and then scream as loud and high as he can which sends Goliath into a frenzy of running and pouncing excitement. It was a relaxing weekend.

Cowgirl

Sabrina got a hold of Mason's hat and guns while he was busy throwing rocks. She wants to be one of the boys.