Ginny Petersen introduced me to this book when I lived in Lincoln with them before leaving for my mission. They had a son Danny who just loved this book. It's very cute!
Benjamin had a friend in Ladera Ranch CA who gave this book to him. It's a very easy to read book with a fun story.
We got some too. It may not look that bad but the high was 19 degrees. It was cold and icy and I got to try out the 4 wheel drive in the Pathfinder! 
This is my first attempt so I thought I'd start by adding to the book list. "Where's My Teddy?" by Jez Alborough is absolutely our favorite. Haylee knows most of it by heart and she thrills Lindsay by reciting their favorite parts. Check it out at the library! I'm sure it will become a favorite of yours too.
We forgot the camera at home (I tell ya' I need a phone with a camera) but Glenn did beat the turkey (43). Ben & Glenn ran the 2-miler in a 16. And I followed the turkey quite a bit later at a 55 (almost 56). I ran in with a friend of Mindy's who's in the same LDS ward in San Diego... can't remember her name. (Let it be know, she did pass me and beat me, but not by much!) She commented to Glenn, "Are you a Thomas? You sure sound like Eldon." Anyway... happy Turkey Day to all. More postings later of the day...
Don't mess with Mindy on Halloween. Her brother Parker and his wife Peggy and their son Rob came over for Halloween and Mindy did them right cooking up a stew inside a pumpkin.
When the same old Family Home Evening gets too routine for the kids we change it up, like turning out all the lights and sitting in front of the fire for FHE.
Each night about 6pm we get the wiggles around our house. And now that it's dark so early it poses a serious threat to the kids. They risk getting beat if they stay in the house. So we have started trekking to the park, in the dark. There is just enough light for the kids and we have it all to ourselves.
I got to select my birthday dinner, which of course included lots of meat. If your gonna eat a fluffy Angel Food cake you better make up for it with a few pounds of red meat.
Well, as promised to Eldon, I am trying to blog every Sunday. So here goes...Hi. We just came back from Bruno Nebraska and while we were there my Mom pulled out these hardbound "Charlie Brown Super Book of Questions and Answers." There is a series of 5 I believe and they are just wonderful! Ben and Zach just love them! All kinds of questions about anything a kid could think of... and what's so fun about them, they have little comic strips along the way. Check them out...
They have not been published for years... so I think you can buy them for under a buck on the web. Christmas is coming... Have a GREAT DAY everyone!
Okay,
I will tell you why I don't post anything is this blog thing - - because I am computer retarded!!!!! I have already tried three times to put some cute pictures into my blog and tell you all about the things we did this fall, but I can't get the pictures in the right spot! How in the heck do you get the pictures to go where you want them to and then the paragraph to go right next to it. UGGgggghh! I get so frustrated trying to make this look right. So I am just going to gripe for now, and not tell you about the zoo, the state fair, and our haunted house. I cant' get the pictures in the right spot and I am so frustrated about it I am just going to tell you about my frustration and call it good!
-Melissa
We have a new Temple Presidency at the Mesa Arizona Temple. Tom Clark from our old 38th ward is the new President.
A week ago the old Presidency spoke to us in our prayer meeting & said good bye. The next week the new Presidency were there saying hello to us in our prayer meeting and the work moved forward without a hitch.
It's amazing to see the Lord's plan in action. No where in the world except the church could this happen.
It was an exciting time at the Harper household on the second of Novemeber. Linnea decided to have Rusty James at home with a midwife. Everything went just like clock work!!!! Rusty made his appearance about 8:45 PM
Weight: 10lbs 8 oz.
The midwife said he was 21" long but the next day when Russell's mother, who is a nusre, came over, she said she thought he was longer. She measured him & he measured 23". I know he didn't grow 2" over night!!
He looks just like Haylee! See for your self-
This makes #19 for us!
While you all were out-and-about trick-or-treating (or trunk-or-treating) we were on our way to the Grand Canyon this year.
As you can imagine, Halloween at our house is no fun. With Ben and Zach severely allergic to peanuts and nuts, we have started a small tradition that gets us out of the loop. A few years back, we took the kids to Legoland and this year we checked out the Grand Canyon Railway. What a BLAST!
We left Tuesday after school and arrived at Williams AZ around 8pm. There was plenty of time for supper, swimming and jumping on the beds! We swam them all till 10:45, showered, jumped on the beds and got to bed by 11:30. Wednesday morning at 8am Glenn started roll-call and shouted, "Everybody up!" The response was, "Dad, let us sleep a little bit longer."
WOW!
I wonder what would have happened if we would have gotten them into bed after midnight!?!?
Breakfast was at 8:30 the next morning and then off to the shoot-out! The shoot-out left us all hanging... the robbers would "take the train" during the day, we just never new when. Lo-and-behold... on the way back home from the Grand Canyon, there they were!
The train ride was full of fiddlers and guitar-players that kept us all stampin' our feet and clappin' our hands!
We still do baby books but we LOVE Sandra Boynton. I think they're cute and Thomas loves them.
We also had a ward Trunk or Treat (which is VERY appropriate for our ward) and Thomas went as a cowboy complete with a mustache. It was easy and he got to wear a cool hat.
So, the other day I was at Walmart and I got this great idea, I'll buy some underwear for Thomas so that when he feels so inclined and decides he wants to go on the toilet I'll be ready. Well, when we get home I decide that he really should try them on and, again, if they suit him and he potty-trains himself that would be ok with me. He thought they were lots of fun and loved the freedom of big-boy pants as he ran and played and climbed. Then he paused to pee all over the carpet. The soggy pants didn't slow him down though and I had to chase him all over the apartment before I caught him and got them off. I guess he won't be potty trained this week :)
