Friends

I failed to mention in my last post that we carved pumpkins with some good friends of ours, the Webbs. And that three of the five pumpkins in that photo down there are theirs. (The good-looking ones. Somehow I thought eyelashes would look good on a jack-o-lantern.) Some friend I am, eh? At least I got to bask in some pumpkin-carving glory for a few days.

No really, we love the Webbs. And I'm Bummed, with a big, fat, capital "B", that they're moving next month. But I'm equally happy that they get to move on with their lives and from school, and from these crazy little houses we all live in.

I'm still bummed though.

Hallie and Sophie are BFF's and it's been so fun watching them grow together. And after being pregnant with Heather last year, we've arranged Ivy and Gavin's wedding. (I hope they don't mind. They'll love it.) It's amazing how much raising (and having) your children with friends bonds you to each other. We have a lot of great friends here, and I'm equally devastated and ecstatic (for the reasons above) that we might be moving next year when Steve graduates.

Crap, I feel like crying.

Anyways . . .

I made doughnuts over the weekend. Phew, tears averted.

P.S. Heather, I posted the soup I made that night. :)

More Halloween

I forgot I had more pics and stuff from Halloween. It turned out to be a week-long fest for us. Sophie loved it. Now when she sees jack-o-lanterns or Halloween-ish looking stuff she goes, "Hey, it's Halloween!" Did you know that Halloween has a sound, too? I didn't until Sophie told me. Clench your teeth together, scrunch your nose, then breath through your nose hard and kinda fast. According to Sophie, "that's what Halloween says."

Just to catch up real fast . . .

We carved pumpkins:

We had a little Halloween block party during which we played a silly game where you try to drop ice cream into a cone, held in someone's mouth who's lying on the ground. Oh, and you have to hold your arms straight out in front of you.

It wasn't a rule that the guys had to be on the ground. It was chivalry.

Sophie thought it was fun, too:

Then a little trick-or-treating afterwards. Steve couldn't find the bucket I got for her (ahem, in plain sight), so she used her goodie bag from the party. And filled it to the top.

It's kind of a tradition in my family to get a Halloween box from Grandma. We got one every year from my grandma and now my mom sends the girls one. Sophie loved it, and I loved it, too. Instead of sending her a box of candy, she sent things she could actually play with, like books and accessories and some toys. Sophie talks about her Halloween stuff all the time and that it was a "present from Grandma". Way better than a bunch of candy that gets put up on a shelf (which she has plenty of already). We all thought it was pretty great. Thanks, Mom! :)

Sophie had just woken up from a nap, so she was a bit groggy.

Ode to the Dollar Section at Target

You know which section I'm talking about, right? The section of $1-$2 items when you first walk in the door. About 90% of it is cheap junk, but the other 10% is cheap, useful junk. I've found so many things there to either entertain Sophie while I'm shopping or to put away and pull out on a rainy day. Or a day when she's driving me batty, I need to get some things done, and I feel too guilty to turn on a movie for her. Ya, it's usually one of those days. They're great for stocking stuffers, too.

Some of these little treasures include stickers, little notepads, books, puzzles, play dough, window decals/gummis, pencils, and Sophie's favorite -- those dissolvable capsules that have foam critters hiding inside. She loves those. I even got a cheap chip bowl to set by my cutting board to use for vegetable scraps while I'm making dinner. (Think Rachael Ray's garbage bowl.) I love it because it keeps all my scraps off the counter, and I don't have to keep reaching over to the garbage can under the sink.

Best dollar I've spent in a long time.

Lately I've been spending some one-on-one time with her during Ivy's morning naps. Sometimes we do little Sesame Street 20-piece puzzles (found in said dollar section) -- her current favorite thing to do. I'll give her something to look for on a piece (i.e. Elmo's fingers), she'll find it, then I'll show her where to put it. Sometimes she figures them out on her own if they're really obvious matches. I love to watch her little brain at work.

A Creepy Photo. . .

. . . for a creepy day.
Happy Halloween!

(Yes, this is as creepy as I get. ;))

The Trunk-or-Treat Post

Halloween isn't my favorite holiday. I don't like most Halloween decorations (unless they're more "harvest" than "creepy"), and part of my humbug attitude is because of the lack of meaning it has. It's ultimately about scary things, dressing up weird, and eating a bunch of candy. Three things that I don't particularly like. (Unless Reese's peanut butter cups are involved, I'd much rather scarf a dozen cookies.) I like having the excuse of not wanting to scare my kids so I don't have to do anything scary. I hate being scared and my tolerance for scary places/people/movies is 0. (Sixth Sense scared the bejeebies out of me.)

Having little ones to dress up makes it a bit more fun, though. This year it was all about finding costume ideas that were cheap, easy, and didn't require any sewing. After a trip to the thrift store and some hot glue, we became Mr. and Mrs. Perry-farmers with our little crops, tomato and peas.

(Side note: Dressing my kids up as food wasn't a reflection of my obsession with cooking. I promise.)

So like everyone in Mormon blogland, after going to the pumpkin patch, we went to the trunk-or-treat at the church.

Commentary on the overalls: I used to have a pair of khaki overalls I wore when I was at Ricks College (I don't think they were off limits then. Neither were flip flops. And it was still called Ricks. I'm sorta old.) I got rid of them a couple of years ago because I didn't think I'd have any use for them. Unfortunately I did. (That always happens, doesn't it?) The only pair of overalls that wasn't a dress or reeking of acid wash at the thrift store were these babies. They were a big too snug for me, so Steve did the honors. (code for: no way am I wearing these, YOU wear them, honey!)

Like last year they had games for the kids and a coloring table. Check out Miss Ivy. . .

That's right, she colors now. More on that later.

And because I'm in a comparison-with-last-year mood, here we have Sophie and best bud, Asher during last year's party:

This year they were Mario and a tomato:

Then it was candy time.