Happy Halloween!!

We've been celebrating Halloween for four days now!  This morning was Josh's kindergarten parade and party, and then Jaiden and Janelle's parade and party in the afternoon.  I found myself looking for Jared in the parade before I remembered that he isn't in elementary school any more! 

 

Tonight Elder Lee cooked us a nice spaghetti dinner and came trick-or-treating with us.  Our street is not a popular one for trick-or-treating.  The houses are too spread out (we have an empty lot on both sides of us) with too many people not home.  In fact, even we have given up trick or treating on our own street and join the crowds on the next street over.  We do like to stay in our ward boundaries where we know everyone though.  

It isn't worth it to stay home and pass out candy for just a handful of kids and so we just stick out "the bowl."  I would rather take the kids trick-or-treating anyway.  I love to walk and exchange hellos with all of our neighbors.   Rick even came with us this year -- but he kept stopping to gab at every house and kept getting behind.  Since it was "family night" we told all of the kids that we were all trick-or-treating together as a family. You can bet we got a lot of complaints over that one!

Janika didn't trick-or-treat but still came with us, pushing the stroller. We were walking along when she realized I hadn't taken the usual zillion pictures before we left.  She said, "What?  No pictures?" in a shocked voice.  I said I had enough pictures from the past three days.   And so we actually got out the door on time without all the usual moaning and groaning over pictures.  Now there was just moaning over the fact that they couldn't take off with friends.  I assured them that it was only for the "first leg" of the evening.   

After a long street in our ward, we gave the "go ahead" to split up.  Rick walked the two youngest home so that they could go to bed.  Jase took off with one friend and Jared with another.  Janika must have been tired because she opted to go home early with the kids instead of going to her friend's Halloween Party.  I went back out again with the Janelle and Jaiden to another neighborhood in our ward.  We have two neighborhoods in our ward boundaries that don't connect so I had to drive there.  On the way there the streets were lined with cars all up and down the streets and the streets completely filled with milling kids and adults.  It was crazy!  It was a fun evening.  Now, what to do with all that candy!   (And this is just Jase's -- imagine that -- times seven!)

Carving and Painting Pumpkins

 Josh's pumpkin

1- Jared's, 2-Janelle's (she was so excited to "graduate" from painting to carving this year!)  3-Jase's

 1-Janika's, 2-Jase and Ky's, 3-Jase's  (it is a ghost BTW, not an upside down face.)

Jaiden's, Jenna's and Janika's

So, some of the kids were arguing over which pumpkin they wanted to carve or paint.  So we ended up having them auction off select pieces of their Halloween candy for first dibs.  I said I was only interested in chocolate -- especially peanut butter cups.  Don't worry, they still have plenty of candy.  And now I have some too!  MwaaHaaHaaa!!

Deaf Branch Halloween Party

Candy, wonderful dinner of various kinds of soups and rolls, (and hot-dogs and hamburgers for those kids who don't like soup), candy, cookies, games, costume contest, face painting, candy, nails professionally done with really cool Halloween designs (I forgot to get a picture of that), pinata, birthday cake for Dave Perkins, oh, and did I mention, candy??  Halloween day hasn't even arrived yet and our kids have enough candy to keep them on a sugar high for weeks.  A big "thank you" to Fred Flintstone (Danny Radford) for heading up this huge undertaking!  We had an awesome turn out and it was loads of fun for everyone!

Halloween Pictures

 

 

Surprise!

You know it is Halloween Season when...

No, that is NOT a scab.  It is a big wad of chewing gum -- or some other type of sticky chewy candy (in Jenna's hair, right behind her ear.  Peanut butter works wonders on gum stuck in hair.  I had it out in no time!

Celebration of Families

Lunch, entertainment, games, prizes, candy, stories, cookie decorating...

And the best thing about it...it was all FREE!!! 

Halloween Party

Group shot with the kids (and the next door neighbor Boots) but without Janika.  She did Janelle's hair and Jaiden's makeup and so she didn't have time to finish getting herself ready by the time we were ready to go.  So Rick brought her a few minutes later.  I'll get in her devil costume later.  

Janelle as Hermoine Granger

Tonight was the ward Halloween Party and Trunk-or-Treat.  Janelle has been wanted to be Hermoine for Halloween for at least the past six months. She is in the middle of reading the Harry Potter series and just played the "Hedwig's Theme" (Theme song from Harry Potter) at her piano recital last Tuesday.  She even has the accent down pat.  Well, she ended up being such a cute Hermoine and I can't believe how much she really looks like her in this first picture! 

 

Storytelling Festival

Janelle participated in the storytelling festival tonight and did a great job.  She was the very first one to do her story and was confident and poised.  She is a great storyteller and uses a lot of voice inflection.  Her story was called "Stephanie's Ponytail" by Robert Munsch.   They don't announce the winners until next week but all of the participants received a certificate and free kids' meal to Del Taco.  They divided the kids into two different groups in two different rooms so that the competition wouldn't last too long.  Below is a picture of the the group Janelle was with.  

Other events today included a Math Counts competition for Jase (and subsequent swimming party to Sand Hollow),  Fieldtrip for Janelle to hear the Southwest Symphony at Dixie College (her third fieldtrip in the last two weeks!), and a fieldtrip for Josh to the fire station.  Fun, fun!

Jared's Choir Concert and other events

Extra Activities for Today (Tuesday): 

Piano lessons for four (Jase, Jared, Janelle, Jaiden)
Interpreting appointment for one (Wendy)
School Field-trip for one  (Janelle to see "Fiddler on the Roof")
ASL class for one (Wendy)
Dance class for one (Jaiden)
Caroler rehearsals for four (Rick, Janika, Jase, Janelle)
Piano recital for three (Jase, Jared, Janelle)
Choir concert for one (Jared)
School meeting for two (Janika, Wendy)

Red Lava

Jenna has had one fear the past few weeks.  Red Lava.  Where she even heard the term, I do not know, but every day at least three or four times a day she will say (completely out of the blue), "I don't like red lava." Or if I am putting her to bed, "I'm scared of the lava!"   She must be related to her cousin who is afraid of bad weather.  One time I brought the kids to the park and I overheard some other children playing.  They were shouting, "Jump up here or the lava will get you!  Watch out for the lava!"  Thankfully Jenna wasn't close enough to hear them.  It makes me wonder where these irrational fears come from.  True we live right next to "Lava Flow" Drive and in an area with black lava rocks landscaping the library and other local buildings. But she wouldn't know that.  Most likely the kids have spread blankets across the floor jumping from one to the other so as not to fall in the lava.  But whatever the reason I have to chuckle every time Jenna comes up to me and says, "I don't like red lava."  I just say, " I know, sweetie" and give her a hug.  She likes "tight" hugs.  We hug and she laughs and says, "tighter, tighter!" until we have the tightest hug there is.  Hopefully those tight hugs will keep her safe from the lava -- and from everything else that is scary!   

Catching Up

Thurs.:  Today Jaiden went with the second grade to go see "The Wizard of Oz" like her sister had on Tuesday.  But they all got to ride the bus (unlike our class who walked).   I tended my friend's two kids this morning so that she could accompany her daughter's class on the fieldtrip.

Fri.:  I went visiting teaching to members of my deaf branch.  Jani and her friends went to the play tonight. Rick and I went to part of it and also stopped in at the Football game.

Sat:  Rick had an all day caroling practice today -- from 9:00 to 5:00.  I took the three youngest to the kids care at the gym while I went to a Zumba class.   Jani, Jase, and Janelle were involved with the carolers and Jared, Jaiden, Josh and Jenna had friends over and played all day.  Rick and I went out to dinner with another couple and had a fun visit.

Sun.:  Today our branch combined with the hearing ward for the primary program.  It went really well and the kids did a great job on their parts and on their songs -- both singing and signing.   I had been a little worried about Jaiden signing a song all by herself but she did perfectly!  It was nice to get home earlier than usual from church and have the whole day to relax (as much as one can relax with seven hyper kids running around).

Mon.:  Zumba, visiting teaching (in my home ward), orthodontist for Jase, dance for Jaiden, costume shopping for Janika, FHE. 

The Wrong Attire

I can remember a few times growing up, suffering the embarrassment of being either under dressed or over dressed for a certain situation.  One time I attended a particular dance with a boy from another school.  Thinking that the dance was "formal,"  I wore a fancy black taffeta prom dress.  We arrived at the dance and everyone was wearing regular "Sunday" dress.  I felt so self-conscious the entire time.  Another time I went to a particular activity in jeans and everyone was dressed up in Sunday best.  I just hate that feeling.  Well, that is what happened with Jase tonight at his National Junior Honor Society Induction Ceremony.  (I guess the word "ceremony" should have tipped us off, but it didn't).

I asked Jase at least three times what the "dress" for the event was.  He said he didn't know.  I checked the invitation more than once and it said nothing about the expected dress.  I asked him to check with one of the teachers today but he still didn't find out anything.  So I assumed it was casual.  We showed up just minutes before it was to start and all of the students in the National Junior Honor Society were seated in front of the parents in their Sunday best.  Everyone except for...you guessed it.  Jase.  There he was in a blue t-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes.  (At least I had him change from his basketball shorts to jeans).   I wondered how every single kid knew this except for him.  Apparently he was supposed to go to a meeting Tuesday morning before school and forgot (I didn't know about this either).

I started regretting my decision to turn down the option of having announcements and information automatically sent to my cell phone.  Poor Jase.  He walked to his spot, sat down, and then finger-spelled to me, "e-m-b-a-r-r-a-s-s-i-n-g!"   He was thankfully sitting on the back row but later on the students were called to stand up  and walk to the front to receive their certificates and shake the hand of their teachers and principal.  Well, I guess we both learned our lesson.  Jase hopefully won't miss any more of his meetings and I will make a couple of phone calls when I am not sure what the appropriate dress is!  

Janelle's Fieldtrip

Janelle was really excited about having me accompany their class on their school field-trip to go see, "The Wizard of Oz."  She has wanted me to go on one of her field-trips for a long time, but it has always been difficult trying to make babysitting arrangements for my little ones at home.  But I was able to go today since it was during Jenna's playgroup.  Jaiden's class is going Thursday (along with the entire second grade).  I signed up for hers too but apparently they had 15 moms sign up and so I wasn't needed.  Janelle's was the only class to go today from her school, probably because one of her classmates is in the play.  There wasn't a bus and we all walked the half mile to the high school to watch the show and then walked back.  It was fun to hold Janelle's hand and listen to the incessant chatter of her and her little friend the entire way.

The play was fun except for sitting on the very back row next to a loud, energetic little boy from another school with very stinky feet.  The play went longer than we were expecting and I was worried about being late for an appointment.  So I was glad that their teacher hurried their class out the door and started speed walking with them back to school.  She was worried because they were late for lunch.  Since we were later than expected I was relieved that I had made arrangements for someone to pick up Josh from kindergarten "just in case" I didn't make it back in time.  His friend's mom was doing "playground duty" right after and said she would bring him along to the playground to play with her son while she was on duty.  I was stressing because I had an interpreting appointment scheduled and a babysitter was coming to my house at 12:30.  This sitter had never babysat for me before and I didn't have her contact information with me to let her know I might be late.  I literally ran to find Josh on the playground, grabbed his hand and booked it for the van.  We hurried home and made it right at 12:30.  The babysitter was waiting on the porch.  Whew!  I hurried to pick up Jenna from my friend's house, grabbed some food and hurried to my appointment.  After the appointment I went straight to class.

When I got home Jared offered to walk Jaiden to her dance class.  I usually drive her but it is so close that lately I have been walking her back and forth.  When my kids are involved in pre-school, lessons, and sports I always look for those that are closest to home.  I am grateful to have been able to find wonderful pre-schools, dance studios, and piano teachers all within walking distance.  That sure makes my life a lot easier!