#10 Favorite Memory From Fall 2008

#10 Election Day

Although I HATE political ads for many reasons ( in case you're interested - a. they are annoying, b. there are so many better ways to spend millions of dollars c. most of the time they don't really educate you on the measures or candidates d. they are often hateful and just bashing the opponent)

I love election day, especially on the years we get to vote for president. It is exciting to take part in choosing our leaders and turning in that ballot. Can I just say I love the mail in ballot?! I enjoyed studying each of the many measures - I did one or two each morning while I ate breakfast. There were quite a few that I started out with one view and after reading the arguments for/against I changed my mind. I love getting to have my "say". I think it is amazing to think about the fact that women have only had the right to vote for less than a century. I'm glad I live in a time when I can take part in choosing our leaders and defining our laws.

Sarah has been very interested in all the political talk and Natalie, who I thought was totally oblivious to the whole thing, came home the day after the elections talking about Barack Obama being our new president. It's great having the opportunity to talk about the way our country works and how lucky we are to live where we have a voice. This is an exciting time.

The one thing that has made me sad this week is seeing the harassment of our church since the Prop 8 measure passed, and even before the elections. It has been so frustrating to hear blatant lies about Mormons, reading about the harassment of members trying to go to the temple in Los Angelas and to hear stories of vandalism and threats to those who dared to put up signs supporting the proposition. So many have been genuinely scared to say what they think. It is maddening to think about people trying to bully others into voting a certain way. That is not how our country works. The topic of homosexuality is very sensitive and I can understand the genuine disappointment of those who saw the proposition as intolerant and unfair, but there are some who have taken their frustration to a very scary level.

On Sunday, I found out there was a death threat to the Mormon kids in the high school that many of my young women attend. They all kind of brushed it off, but the school is taking it seriously and requested police presence the day that the threat said it would supposedly be carried out. I'm sure this is only one story of the intimidation people are trying to use. The saddest part is that our church leaders and doctrine only teach compassion and Christ like love. We are not hateful of anyone, no matter who they are or what their sexuality may be. I am grateful for so many other Christian faiths that have stood up for our church as it has been so unfairly targeted and slandered. I hope that the vicious and ugly turn these protests have taken will cool off before anything tragic happens. It is awful to worry about your own safety and the safety of those you care about because of an election. I am sad that a few people have turned to bullying and lies to threaten our basic rights of voting and free speech. It sounds like stories you hear about in other countries, not America.

Ah, but I hate to end on a negative note. I believe that the vast majority of the people on both sides of the issue are good people and I am grateful for that. I still have faith in our political system and our country. We really are the luckiest people in the world to live in the United States. I feel like I should end by breaking out in song . . . but I'll spare you. (o:

#9 Favorite Memory From Fall 2008

#9 There is Beauty All Around...

Fall in Oregon is breathtaking. The colors are so stunning against the beautiful evergreens.

Angela and I went exploring last week to gather leaves and get some pictures before the trees are bare.

#8 Favorite Memory From Fall

#8 Getting to spend time with grandmas and grandpas.

I love my parents and my "2nd" parents (in-laws sounds so blah) and could not wait to spend some time with them during their visits for the baptism. I really enjoy Halloween and it was so much fun to have them join us in the trick or treating. We had yummy food and great conversation. After the baptism on Saturday, we had so much fun hanging out and watching the BYU and U of U football games together. I loved hearing my dad and Jay (one a big U of U and one a big BYU fan) discuss football - we have a very fun rivalry between our families and we all cheered for both teams on this day since they weren't playing each other! (o: What a fun night! It might sound funny, but it just doesn't get better than that. Hanging out with your most favorite people watching football and laughing and then both of the teams winning! Hooray!

The next day it was fun to go to church all together. Sarah got to sit on the stand for the first part of the meeting to be introduced as the newest member of the ward along with Erin, a cute girl in her primary class who was also baptized. Sarah LOVED this and felt so special. It was a nice testimony meeting and I was feeling so happy and grateful I shared my testimony that day. I am so blessed.

We went home after sacrament meeting so we could eat with Joe's* parents before their flight left. The girls had such a fun weekend with grandma and grandpa, they were very sad to see them go. A few little highlights and funny moments include Sarah giving grandma a personal piano concert and playing duets with her (grandma P. is a wonderful pianist). While she was playing one song, Sarah said a few measures in, "Now comes the juicy part!" Later that night, Sarah was doing a magic show for grandma and grandpa. She told grandma, "Grandpa's figured out all my tricks and that's a big bummer for me!"

My mom and dad got to stay for two more days of play before they had to go home. We filled our time with shopping. We spent an afternoon at "Let's Play" - an awesome toy store with lots of display toys, so Angela was entertained the whole time we were there. Dad got a little bored and his back was bugging him, so he parked in the book area on a chair and played with his cell phone. We got to hear his "Larry the Cable Guy" ring tones throughout the store as we shopped. (o: It was pretty funny. Later, Sarah got to buy a new bedspread with grandma for her birthday present. We ate ice-cream together an hour before dinner - it is fun doing things you would never do normally - we were living on the edge. Sarah picked Chevy's for her late birthday dinner with grandma and grandpa and even got serenaded while she wore a sombrero. She loved it.

The next day I was a little rebellious and had the girls take the afternoon off from school. (The day before we got a letter from to district sent out to everyone about the importance of not missing school except for excused absences - on the list of NOTs was "family outings" Well, in rare circumstances I happen to disagree. I happen to think family, especially grandparents that you don't get to see very often come first.) So we sluffed the afternoon and went on a "field trip" as Angela put it - to OMSI. Ironically, we ran into a friend and a group there from the girls school on an actual field trip there. (o:

We had a fabulous afternoon and spent many hours solving puzzles, trying experiments, watching an IMAX movie about ocean life and exploring the OMSI store. It was a wonderful afternoon together! That night we met up with Jayson and all went to Marie Calendar's for one last dinner before mom and dad had to go. As usual the conversation topics turned to when our next visit will be together. Hopefully soon! We love being with family and can't get enough visits!

Angela loved this big fan that blew cups up high in the air. Pure joy!
Looking at a tortoise in the life science area.

A funny shadow picture of Natalie and Angela being goofy.

#7 Favorite Memory From Fall 2008

#7 Sarah's Baptism

I am kind of just doing these in order of the events, this would definitely rank at #1 for the most special memory this fall.

The first few pictures we took at the Portland Temple about a month ago in her baptism dress.

The purple color of the flower makes me think of the Young Women's value of Integrity (each of the values have colors)

This was my absolute favorite of Sarah - she is so beautiful.

Sarah's baptism day was so special and sweet. We were so grateful to have both my parents and Clovis'** parents there with us. (o: It would not have been the same without them. Besides the fact that there were 7 other children being baptized and the program went kind of long, it was a wonderful day. Grandpa P. gave a talk in the program (He was an amazing sport about the misunderstanding that this was not just a baptism for Sarah, but 7 other families too. That would have been way better, but not the way our stake does it.) There was an interesting musical number where one of the little boys getting baptized played the violin with a piano duet. It was cute, but he played one note through the whole thing and it was very squeaky. I had to try so hard not to laugh when Angela immediately covered her ears and told me, "Dat hurt my ears!" and "I don't like dat sound!" I bit my tongue and tried to say that it was neat he is learning to play violin. "But I don't like that!"

One of the nicest things about the day was seeing the friends that came to see Sarah baptized. Many of Sarah's friends like Taylor and Akiva - both of whom she has known since she was a baby. She also had her best friend Monica there - who isn't LDS, but she loves Sarah so much she wanted to come. Her mom had to make special arrangements with her other children to be there and I was so grateful for that sweet gesture. It meant so much to us. Sarah was also so excited to see her friend Mallory from school and Alyssa and Ashley from our old ward. A nice surprise was finding out that Sarah knew two of the other children getting baptized that day. One was Logan - a friend from preschool days and our old ward and another girl that Sarah goes to school with.

At our open house Sarah was so excited to see Allie - who moved to the other side of town this summer, and her school teacher Mrs. B. It was so sweet of her to come on Sarah 's special day! We just love Mrs. B.! She even brought flowers and a stuffed animal for her. It was so sweet how excited she was for Sarah even though she isn't LDS. She appreciated the importance of the event and made Sarah feel so special. We also had wonderful friends from our ward who were there and came to celebrate. We are so blessed to be surrounded by such loving friends and family.

I am hoping the slideshow of Sarah was enjoyable to those who came to celebrate. I had it playing in the background through the open house. It was an hour long, filled with pictures of Sarah since she was born and set to primary songs. I am so insane. I thought of this idea the day before her baptism - Halloween - when we had a bazillion things going on already. So needless to say, I hit my pillow that next morning at 5:30 a.m. for a "nap". I seriously think I may be obsessive compulsive sometimes. In my defense, it was very sweet going through all her pictures growing up and remembering so many wonderful memories with my sweet baby girl. It just got me even more teary and sentimental about the day - which I think was good. I love my sweet Sarah and I'm so proud of her.

#6 Favorite Memory From Fall 2008

#6 Halloween!

The best treat we got this Halloween was having both grandmas and grandpas with us this year!! (They actually came for Sarah's baptism, which happened to be the next day.)

Dad got lots of laughs when he put on his costume shortly after arriving! We had a fabulous dinner (if I do say so myself) of "skinned monster toes" (pigs in a blanket), brains (mini meatloaves), "monster jaws" (acorn squash), and more gruesome treats. I made lots of comfort foods and assigned Sarah to think of good Halloween names for each dish. She did an awesome job! The girls got a special treat this year - trick or treating with grandma and daddy! The weather was so warm and thankfully dry, the girls went farther than they've ever gone before and came home with more candy than they'll ever need.

Angela changed her mind at the last minute and put on a witch's hat to match her sisters for trick or treating. Luckily, I bought an extra at the dollar store. Notice even in her Halloween costume, Natalie insists on rolling up her pants.

This pumpkin Sarah carved (all by herself), was the largest of our "non-rotted" pumpkins that survived.

This was our new decoration for this year. Natalie and Angela helped make the spider, it turned out pretty cute.

This itty bitty pumpkin stood about 5 inches high. (o:

Angela dressed up as Twilight this year! After I put on her nose and whiskers she was ready to role play. She pointed to the litter box and asked, "Now I go potty in there?" Wow - she really wanted to get into her role. Yikes!

Scary, I know. This was my costume for the adult Halloween party I went to - costumes were mandatory. It was fun to attend the adult party. Some of the other costumes were really good - including a Frankenstein that was about 10 feet tall! He won all the votes for the best costume.

#5 Favorite Memory From Fall 2008

#5 Going to the Local Pumpkin Patches

In Oregon, we are blessed with an abundance of farms in all directions. There are several pumpkin patches to choose from each fall. This year, we visited 3 of them.

As a family, we went to the pumpkin patch on Sauvie Island. We went on a hay ride, the girls got pulled around the farm on a little cow train made out of barrels and we spent lots of time hiking around looking for the perfect pumpkins. Sarah was especially picky. These were the biggest pumpkins we brought home this year and unfortunately, before Halloween, two of them rotted before we could carve them! We have bad luck with pumpkins every year! Last year, we had the lovely pranksters come and smash our pumpkins the day after we got them.

Angela's preschool group went to Lakeview Farms. This one is a big hit for little kids. Rather than a tractor hay ride, you ride on a little train to the pumpkin patch one way and across a "lake" via boat to get back. (Or vice versa) The lake has dragons and a shark that come out of the water for extra thrills. Natalie HATES these so it was good she wasn't there. Angela had a great time with Rylan and Tyler running around the little maze and jumping off the haystacks.

The very next day, Natalie's class had a field trip to Plumper Pumpkin Patch. Their great big slides were a hit for the girls. The kids also got to see lots of animals, including some baby calves. It was a gorgeous day and we came home with two more cute, little pumpkins.

#4 Favorite Memory From Fall 2008

#4 Sarah's Mystery Birthday Party

Sarah chose the theme of a Mystery Party for her friend birthday party this year. We made some fun "secret code" invitations that were a big hit. Thank goodness for the seemingly pointless "WingDings" fonts. (o:

We had the girls come in disguise just to be on the safe side. (o: When they arrived they got to decorate a mask. Then we had a mystery to solve. I wrote a little mystery about a diamond heist at a Halloween party hosted by the wealthy Madame Kate. There were six suspects all whose mug shots were posted on the wall so the detectives could narrow down the actual criminal. I was not prepared for just how into the mystery the girls would get! As they started earning clues after challenges (like the game where you have a tray of random things and take two away and they have to figure out which ones are missing.) - the girls started theorizing away. They got so into sharing their ideas, "Well, maybe Larry set up Martha by putting the witch's hat in the library...", "Betty's lipstick was not on the straw of the cup - unless she wiped it off first...", they went on and on and on so much that we had to cut out some of the activities and barely had time for cake and presents! They LOVED it! We had lots of fun. For the cake - each girl got a cupcake with a mystery ingredient they had to figure out. Some had M&Ms, some had marshmallows, etc. It was a great time, but as always, it was nice to be done and get everything cleaned up and put away! Our craft supplies from the masks were especially "fun" to clean up.

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A friend sent this to me this week - thanks Mel! I thought it was so cute I had to share... Now on to the top ten.

#3 Favorite Memory From Fall 2008

Our newest addition to the family... Twilight.

No, we're not having a baby, oh, how I wish...

but we did get to bring home a bundle of joy that requires no diaper changes and she's pretty cute! Her name is Twilight and she has brought a lot of joy and laughs to our home. Read below how in the world we ended up with this kitty cat.

Twilight at approximately 6 weeks old.
This picture cracks me up - if I had time I'd Photoshop a bubble that says, "Help!" coming out of the kitty's mouth. Oh how little Angela adores the kitty. Oh how terrified we are when we see her swinging the kitty around by her front paws for a game. Yikes! Angela has spent quite a bit of time in time out since Twilight has come home with us. Most of the time, though, Angela is very careful and sweet like the picture below...

Natalie has always been our little "mama" - caring for babies, animals (small ones that aren't too scary) and even bugs and worms. It was no surprise that Natalie has become the most attached to Twilight. She carries her gently around like a newborn. The cutest part is that Twilight loves her so much back, that she lets Natalie carry her like an infant over her shoulder or laying on her back in Natalie's arms. They are quite the pair. Natalie finds the kitty as soon as she gets home from school. She holds her for most of her time at home. When she's doing her homework, the kitty is in her lap. When she eats her snack, the kitty is in her lap. Natalie is head over heels with Twilight.

Sarah will feel bad for not having a picture with Twilight too - I will have to get one later. She is very attached to Twilight too and often argues with Natalie that she is hogging. She's right. Sarah is the one who came up with Twilight's name and is a great guardian over our kitty when Angela is around. (o: She loves to have Twilight take naps on her lap while she is watching SpongeBob or whatever on TV. I think that would be Sarah's definition of heaven. And she is so proud when Twilight purrs while she is holding her because she knows that means Twilight loves her back.

So how did we end up with this little furry friend? That is a great question. I never would have believed that we'd have a cat if you told me three weeks ago. It was a very spontaneous decision and luckily, it has been one that we haven't regretted for a minute.

So back in August, we seriously considered getting a dog. The kids are getting old enough that we felt like we might be able to handle it. We researched in books on breeds and looked through pet care manuals and websites. After lots of research we picked a breed we liked - Border Terrier - and found a breeder in Portland. We knew that we didn't want a puppy - as cute as they are, I wasn't up for the house training. We lucked out because the breeder was retiring a mama dog right when we inquired about house trained dogs. We filled out a very in depth application (with references too!) and within a few days we had an appointment set up to come and meet Hope. We saw pictures of her on the website and thought she was perfect.

About a half hour before we were going to leave on the Saturday of our appointment, the lady called and informed us that someone just came and bought the dog. We were so sad. It took a few days to get over it, the girls were so disappointed, but I think it was a blessing in disguise. The more I talked to people and told them what we almost did, the more people (who were mostly dog-owners themselves) said, "Don't do it! They are so much work." We always planned on trying to find another dog after the Hope incident, but the more people I talked to and the busier life got when school started, the more glad I was that it didn't work out.

Fast forward to the kids' school Fall Festival. We had a fabulous time at this event. I helped a bit with it, as a member of the Booster Club and the girls were great sports to play in the gym while I set up with several other ladies. The girls got to "test out" some of the carnival games beforehand and couldn't wait to come back for more! We had a great time - I did a shift at the snack bar, we ate a healthy dinner of hot dogs, chips and soda with candy for dessert. The girls tried dunking their teachers in the dunk tank, got tattoos (Natalie wanted hers on her forehead - of course) and we tried out the inflatable obstacle course. We were doing everything to spend our tickets by the end of the night - Joe** (my secret husband for those of you who haven't read my entry a few weeks ago) went a little overboard on ticket purchases. (o: When the last ticket was almost spent, the girls noticed a "Free Kittens" sign. They ran over and asked if they could hold one. This dad who put up the sign was ingenious. His cat had kittens and he needed to get rid of them. So who better to dangle them in front of than elementary kids with parents somewhere in tow. The reason why the girls didn't see the sign before was because there were so many little kids waiting to hold the kitties and then begging their parents, "Can we have one, PLEASE!"

When we went over, there were two, maybe three kitties left. I thought it was cute to see the girls hold them, but didn't think much else about it until Joe** started up. "Let's get one! C'mon it'll be fun! Look how cute they are." Oh boy, it's one thing to have the kids doing it, but now I was completely outnumbered. After lots of secretive talking between the two adult members of the family, I finally conceded thinking that a cat was probably better for us and less maintenance than a dog. So we did it!

But we didn't tell the girls. I headed to the car with the girls while Joe** picked the black kitten with white paws. He hid the kitty in his jacket and we drove home like normal. We had to cover up a few "meows", but I have to admit, it was pretty fun being so sneaky. When we got home Joe** told the girls he needed to empty out his pockets because we brought home so much stuff. He went through everything and then said, "What's this?" and pulled out the kitty. The girls were so excited. Sarah said she knew what was going on when she saw daddy being so suspicious at the school. I could tell she suspected something because she had a funny grin the whole ride home.

We have since purchased a few kitty essentials - litter, litter boxes, a food bowl and kitty chow and we are full fledged cat owners. Who knew? Twilight fits in with our family perfectly (I almost did a cheesy "purr" pun, but resisted) and despite the girls fighting over her and the times she tries to walk on my laptop when I'm typing - things have been great with our little kitty. I saved the best picture for last - it says more than words could about why I have loved having her in our home...

Now this is a look of pure joy...

#2 Favorite Memories From Fall Cont.

SARAH TURNED 8!!

What a cutie! My baby is 8 years old now. She is getting so grown up! For her birthday this year she got a new mattress! Wahoo - just what every 8 year old dreams of. But there was something extra special about getting a mattress. This new mattress meant that we could set up her own bed in her own room!! This was HUGE for Sarah. It was time, for all of us, for Sarah to switch with Angela. Angela moved from her toddler bed to the bottom bunk. Her toddler bed was really the crib without the front - sniff sniff - I was sad to take this down after 8 years of being occupied. Then Natalie moved up to the top bunk. It was quite the switch-a-roo and things still aren't exactly in order the way I want, but at least every one's clothes are in the right rooms now! Sarah has been so excited to stay up and read by her "shabby sheek" lamp light (which she bought with birthday money from family - Thanks!) and be more independent. For her birthday, daddy and I also got her a Wii Pet Cat game (kind of a foreshadowing, but we didn't know it for the next in our top ten) and an alarm clock. That may sound even more lame than a mattress, but Sarah has been asking for one since last year. It has made getting her up in the morning soooo much better.

Supposedly, Sarah said her room would be super clean because she would only have to clean up after herself. She had a point - Natalie and Angela make quite a mess in the big bedroom during the day when she's at school and she got stuck helping clean it a lot. However, I think she's starting to notice that, hey, she is kind of messy too!

On Sarah's actual birthday, Angela and I surprised her at school with a SpongeBob balloon during math. She was excited and said everyone wished her happy birthday after that wherever she went. She also picked her favorite dinner - pancakes and we ate Aunt Shanna's yummy chocolate angel food cake for dessert. (Well, I made it, but it was Aunt Shanna's recipe - too bad Aunt Shanna couldn't come from D.C. to make it!)

It was a more low key birthday, but we had plenty of excitement the following week with her friend party and baptism! More on that to come...

Top Ten Things About Fall 2008

In order to help me catch up on my BLOG slacking this fall, I am doing a "Top 10" to recap and get back up to date... Here are some of our families favorite memories from the last two months...

In no particular order of importance/favorites...

#1 was BACK TO SCHOOL

Even though I was sad to see the girls go back - I'm one of those weird moms that likes having the kids home. That's not to say they don't drive me crazy at times, but I really miss them after our long, lazy days of summer together.

Angela was so excited to begin preschool this year in our Smart Cookies co-op with 5 other moms. She didn't really know any of the other children before, but that didn't bother her. She LOVES preschool and can't wait for Wednesday each week. Thursdays are our field trip days and those are a close second in her book. Angela loves to show us her work and do "homework". She is turning out to be a lot like Natalie was in preschool. She LOVES, LOVES, LOVES the art projects and spends lots of time decorating and coloring her work pages and projects. (o:

My little Natalie started Kindergarten this year. Even two months later it makes me a little sad. Don't get me wrong, I love Kindergarten and I'm excited for her. All these little milestones just make me a little sad because it's one more step to growing up and leaving me. )o: I am way overly sensitive about this issue lately, I know.
The picture above was on Natalie's Kindergarten orientation day. She got to do a little scavenger hunt for things on the list she is studiously looking at. She also did an assessment for the beginning of the year. I sat eavesdropping at a nearby table as she went over letters and sounds with a Kindergarten teacher. By the end of the assessment, the Kindergarten teacher was regretting that Natalie was not in her class. She loved Natalie's sense of humor. For instance, one funny thing I overheard was when the teacher pointed to the letter "O". Natalie told her, "That's the letter "O" it says "ahhh" like "OOOOPERAHHH!"" Now when Natalie said the word "opera" she actually sang it, mouth WIDE open, in a very vibrato voice. The teacher and I were in hysterics and Natalie ate it all up. What a character. I wish I could have heard some of the other funny stuff she must have said to win over this teacher.

For Sarah, starting school was a little bit interesting this year. She had to start at a new school because of the boundary changes last winter. We attended an ice-cream social last spring, toured the school and also found out that her best friend Monica would get to be in her class. Whew! Those things all helped Sarah adapt and get over her fear of starting over. We were also thrilled to find out that she would have Mrs. Buckiewicz! The teachers at Jackson told me about her and how great she was. Plus, she is the wife of Sarah's P.E. teacher from Jackson, Mr. B - whom she loved. Somehow, having that connection really made her feel more at home. Mr. B. told Mrs. B. lots of good things about Sarah, so they had a "history" there from the start. So along with Sarah's awesome attitude and confidence in making new friends - these factors made for a very smooth transition. I love the picture above because it shows the genuine friendship Sarah has with Monica. They hugged as soon as they saw each other that first day. So adorable.

My big 2nd grader and Kindergartener! Sniff Sniff

I look tired - 6:45 is not my favorite time to wake up!

I love this picture of Natalie and her best buddy Lydia. Natalie looks so cute in the same dress Sarah wore on her first day of school. Only, because she's Natalie, she added jeans underneath for her fashion statement. Natalie's sense of style is very interesting, creative and frankly - weird, in my opinion. But I love the confidence she has to try interesting combinations and creativity. My only rules are that her clothes must be appropriate for the weather, modest and be appropriate for school (no leotards, swimming suits or dress ups - these often go on as soon as she's home). One of Natalie's latest trends that is driving me crazy is that she HAS to roll her pants up. She will not wear long pants down, she rolls them up to just below her knees as if she was going wading in the ocean. She has done this for about a month straight and I try so hard to bite my tongue and choose my battles. I've talked to her about it and tried telling her that it makes her legs cold and looks a little funny, but she insists that it is "cool" so I just let it go.

When we are organized enough to plan outfits ahead of time (this lasted for about two weeks), the girls like to choose their clothes for the next day and make "people" with them. They have underwear beneath the pants/skirt and everything! Angela set one up in her room too so she could be like her big sisters. (o: