A Language of Their Own

You know how sometimes kids say something that's completely incorrect, but is so cute that you can't bear to correct them? This post is inspired by Clara's latest little mix-up. She has very sensitive skin and is constantly irritated by seams, tags, and any other itchy, stiff or uncomfortable clothing. Lately she's started to describe her discomfort as 'boring.' She knows boring is a negative term, but apparently doesn't know what it really means. For example, if the seam on her socks or tights is slightly out of place she says: "These socks are TOO BORING!" She often complains about 'boring' sweaters, jeans, dresses, jammies, and even told me in the store the other day that her underwear was boring. She would love to walk around naked if she could... and come to think of it life would be a lot less boring if we did!

As for Chase, my sister recently reminded me of something he used to say when he was two that I had completely forgotten about, but it used to make me almost cry with laughter. He switched the words 'don't' and 'can't' and also used 'huh?' instead of 'OK.' So when he was going through this little two year old rebellious stage, every time we asked him to do something (like put on PJ's or go to bed) he'd yell "I can't wanna, HUH?!" It was especially funny because he'd be so serious, so upset, and always emphasized the 'HUH!?' at the end. We couldn't help but laugh, and then he'd get even more mad and say "STOP LAUGHING - HUUUHH!?" Hilarious.

Spookalicious!

Happy Halloween! Clara was 'Jesse' from Toy Story, and Chase was 'Dracula.' We celebrated the fun holiday with school parades and parties, pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating and tons of candy... oh yeah and a trip to the Instacare. Once we got the kids in their costumes and ready to go, Clara started complaining of a tummy ache. Not too big of a deal (probably the mummy hot dogs), other than she had been around a Friend with strep throat two days before. The last time she had been exposed to strep and had a tummy ache she turned out to have strep herself. We thought before we sent her door to door throughout the neighborhood we should get her tested just to be safe. Of course there were very few Dr. offices open on Saturday night, so we had to go out to Saratoga Springs. The weather was cold and rainy anyway so we hopped in the car and made the trek to the Instacare. Thirty minutes later we were leaving with a clean bill of health, and the rain had stopped! The kids literally hit the road running and didn't stop till they couldn't fit one more piece of candy in their bags. What fun!

So the annual dilemma is what to do with all the candy. When I was a kid, we ate one piece every day until it ran out. Our dentist suggests letting the kids eat as much as they want for one day and that's it. His theory; the kids will make themselves sick on candy before too long, plus they don't get in the habit of eating candy every day and end up with cavities. He even offers to 'buy back' the candy so the kids are more motivated to give it up. It worked for Chase, he got ten bucks for his leftover candy! I have to say I think our dentist is a genius. Especially because when chocolate is laying around, Mom eats it!

Toothless Vampire

Chase had two wishes come true this week (none involving pet dragons unfortunately)! First, he lost a tooth at school - meaning he got to go to the office and get a super cool 5 cent plastic treasure chest to keep it in 'till he came home. He's been waiting for two years for this to happen and of course he was thrilled when it finally did. I can just picture him walking through the halls with an ear to ear toothless grin, carrying his prized treasure chest.... hilarious. And this is what he looks like with out his two front teeth. Pretty ironic that he was a vampire for Halloween!

Second, Chase got a red dollar sign stamp on his hand at lunch indicating that his account was out of money. This just goes to show how much I love my son, because it was very difficult for me to let this one happen. I typically would have deposited more money to his account at least a week before it ran out. I even casually said "hey I'm just gonna send a check to the school today for your lunch" more than once, but Chase was adamant that we let the money run out so he could get the crazy stamp. He really wanted the stamp on his forehead (don't ask me why he thought they would do that to a child) but had to settle for it on his hand instead. He also brought home a letter explaining that we had a .30 cent negative balance, and outlining how we could sign up to receive government subsidised lunches! I about died laughing - .30 cents! (Thanks Barack, but that won't be necessary) Anyway, this morning I went in to the school and added more money to the account and the lunch lady told me she'd never seen a kid get so excited about the hand stamp. She said Chase yelled 'Finally!' when she put it on his hand. I really hope he enjoyed the moment because that's the last time we're letting the lunch account run out. :)

Fabulous Fall

I don't even know where to start with our fun fall adventures. To describe it all in a word: fabulous! We have definitely taken advantage of the beautiful weather, crafted our hearts out, baked, decorated, visited the witches at Gardner Village, played with friends, partied with the neighborhood, and more. Believe it or not we only captured about half of the activities on camera, and we aren't done yet! We are looking forward to carving pumpkins tomorrow, attending three halloween parties throughout the week, and of course Trick-or-Treating on Saturday. How are we keeping up our energy? Candy of course!

Happy Birthday Brian!

Bri turned 33 this month, and we celebrated as much as he let us (he doesn't like to make a big deal about his birthdays but he's a very good sport). :) Brian likes 'experiences' as gifts which I think is so fun, especially since I usually get to participate also. So the weekend prior to his birthday I took him to the Glass Blowing Art gallery/studio at Thanksgiving Point where we made a glass flower. It was a really fun, hot, and educational experience. I seriously don't know how those glass blowers do it in those extreme temperatures - I thought Bri's arm hair was going to catch on fire! Luckily it didn't...

From Bri's 33

Then we went out to dinner at Asian Star - one of our all time favorite restaurants. We hadn't been there in a while and we loved it!

From Bri's 33

On Brian's actual birthday, the kids and I attempted breakfast in bed but he gets up TOO EARLY so we had to improvise a little. We did manage to catch him before he left for work, and give him a poster the kids colored and covered with his favorite candies, some presents and a quick breakfast. He had a boy scout court of honor that evening (talk about a dedicated scouter) that we all attended instead of partying. The boys weren't about to let Bri get off easy though; they surprised him with a 'Best Scout Master' trophy. I agree with the scouts, but have to say that even more than a dedicated Scout Master, Bri is the best husband and father anyone could ask for.

From Bri's 33

Happy Birthday Brian - We LOVE You!

Busy September

Our September was one BUSY month! The weekend after our three day family campout at the lake, we went on a fun and relaxing trip to St. George. One of Chase's favorite things to do while we're there is going to the 'Dangerous Park' as he calls it. I have to admit the unique equipment is a lot of fun!

From Busy September

From Busy September

The next weekend we were off to Yellowstone with Bri's whole family! We celebrated Michelle's birthday and had a great time searching for animals, hiking, and enjoying the beautiful scenery.

From Busy September

From Busy September

From Busy September

From Busy September

From Busy September

The following weekend I went on a fabulous 'girls night away' to Park City with some friends in my ward. We ate, saw a chick flick, shopped, got pedi's at the spa, laughed, talked, and talked some more. So much fun, so little sleep!

From Busy September

From Busy September

Straight from Park City I met up with my dear family and went to Lagoon for Allstate's annual summer party. 'Frightmares' was going on at the park, the weather was perfect and it was surprisingly not crowded! Chase and Clara are at such fun ages right now for amusement parks too, so we had a blast. I tried my best to keep my energy up even though I was completely exhausted!

Needless to say we missed a lot of soccer games in September, but the fun times we shared as a family was worth it.

Deer Creek Resivoir

One of my all-time favorite things to do: spend a day on a lake in a boat with my family in the hot hot sun! The problem is we don't have a boat, and this summer almost slipped away without a single chance to get out on the lake. Thankfully our friends came to the rescue and hooked us up with a picture perfect end-of-summer day that will deliver warm memories for months to come!