Eight is Great

Jara turned eight this year!  What an amazing milestone.  She did not take the decision lightly to be baptized.  There was serious pondering put into this choice. It was a wonderful day.  Extra special because she was able to be baptized on her actual birthday.  Afterwards we had dinner at the house and ice cream cake.  (It might have been frozen lasagna)  However, I did not want to feel stress or overwhelmed on this important day.  The one goal I hoped to achieve for Jara and Jed and I was to be able to feel the spirit and make it a day she would always remember.  (Elaborate parties don't do that for me.)  I felt peace that night as we went to bed.  Jara was baptized with two other kids from our ward.  I spoke on the Holy Ghost, pregnant ladies do tend to get a little emotional, all of the siblings of the kids being baptized sang and bishop gave his remarks.  Making your own covenants is important and great, watching your children is even better.

Halloween

Happy Halloween!

Dark Ninja to the left, my angel to the right, 

Raphael (she insisted) stuck in the middle with you

Living in a neighborhood means you have to be prepared, 7 bags of candy prepared.

Jara's pumpkin is the big smiley one, Jack's pumpkin is the sinister, medium sized one.

Pumpkin Overload

Elise and I accompanied Jack's kinder class to the Hardy Pumpkin Patch.  I love kindergartners, I can't imagine teaching them, bless the wonderful people who do.  Elise hissed the entire 3 mile? round trip, sometimes she is such a treat  and I probably should have had an oxygen tank to support my out-of-shape pregnant body BUT we still had a good time.

How precious is that?  Jack and his good friend M.  

Don't pick out his plot yet Mike.

Jack and his great pumpkin.

Elise and her damn, heavy, added an extra 20 lbs to my stroller, pumpkin.  

All the cuties with their harvest.

Carving time.  Jara and Jack each carved their own this year.  They designed their own faces and carved them out.  I am also a mean mom and told them they would not be allowed to carve their own pumpkin unless, they cleaned their own pumpkin.  Insert wailing and gnashing.  Life gives you pukey looking guts you make a jack-o' lantern.  

Lesson learned.

Jack didn't mind the guts too much. 

 He didn't use a whole roll of paper towels, and construct his own gloves from plastic grocery sacks to clean his.

The master carver.  

A couple Jed and I carved.  Elsie wanted a minion pumpkin.  

Jed made an evil, mustached pumpkin.

You will see pics on the Halloween post of J+J's

Overton Carnival

I love the Overton Carnival.  It's normally a week before Halloween and the games are easy for kids and most importantly they have popcorn, for ME!  I remember something like this when I was little, maybe at the fairgrounds though, the nostalgia level is high.  However, no one wanted to dress up in my awesome blue bunny costume constructed out of footsie jammies and a rolled up sock pinned to my bootie.  I don't remember all of my costumes but probably won't ever forget that one.  Surprisingly no one else was a blue bunny that year.  And no one was Davy Crockett the next year.  Anyway, Jack was a little scared of the spook alley and of course Jara thought it was "laaaaame."  Elise was really old enough to get it and can throw pennies like a professional gambler.  (The dangers of growing up in close proximity to the world's gambling destination.)  Jack was able to pop two balloons with darts which is quite an accomplishment for a kindergartner.  Jara was old enough to play and scamper with friends.

Collecting her loot.

Red Riding Hood's basket was very convenient.

The super hero, RRH and a real ninja.

Fall Family Fun

Sundance Canyon, Provo

I think I need to relocate.

At the beginning of the month we met in this lovely place with all of Jed's siblings.  It is the first time all of us have been together in over a year.  

A little ski lift ride up the mountain.  Elise sang "Book of Mormon" stories in her monster voice the whole way down the mountain, very entertaining.  I think she was a great ambassador for the church.

At the BYU alumni park.  Lisa's alumni that means we were legal.  It was amazing!  The entire place was made to look like a western village, with authentic antiques.  Jed kind-a wanted to pilfer the real-deal barbershop chair but decided not to endanger Lisa's alumni status.

Elise in the slammer. 

She played with Jed the entire two hours we were there.  He was exhausted afterwards!  I think his ears may have been ringing too.   Her excited voice is a little bit louder than usual.

Jack having fun with all. the. boys.

The pony was a little worse for wear after we left.  Old mare.

All the cousins.  All 15 of them.  Count go ahead. 

Our lovely mountainside retreat.  Complete with a basement to trap/entertain children in, pool table, hot tub, sauna, theater room, seven bedrooms and most importantly a giant dining table.   

Phoenix Trip

Phoenix Zoo 

 I have always wondered why LasVegas doesn't have a zoo.  Every city needs a menagerie of exotic animals not dancers right?  Well now I know the answer:  It's too infernally hot to subject people or animals to such nonsense.  Nice try anyway Phoenix.

Elise safely sequestered behind a Plexiglas window lovingly looking into the eyes of a "monkey with a red bum-bum."

Jack and the elephants.  We want a pet elephant.

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Elise and Rodney taking a little break in the shade.  The mom's thought a little break to the zoo between baseball games would be fun.   

The real reason we braved the heat of Phoenix in October.  Baseball.  Jed has come out of his 20 year retirement.  He still has it folks.  You're looking at the game 1 MVP.  Three days, five games, and a  chance to play in Tempe Diablo stadium.  A team of people from the valley, put together by Rodney's dad, traveled to Phoenix to play in the National Baseball Association tournament, i.e. old men world series or something of that sort.  They were the only team that had families with them.  It makes for a good cheering section.  During one of the games someone yelled "Go Pirates"  Elise very indignantly put her hands on her hips and announced, "those not pirates, those DADDY'S!"

I think I like baseball a little more now.

Three and Maybe a Few Months...

She turned 3!  (Maybe two months ago)

Anna and Elsa, of course, made her day.

We had chocolate lasagna, she prefers ice cream to cake.

A little overwhelmed with her big day and the paparazzi.

Cooking up a little trouble with her sidekick.  Clothes were missing, she stole a big kid pair of shoes and I'm hoping that is chocolate all over her face as opposed to mud.

I love her little personality and voice.  There is no one like Elise.  She is, in her own words, a "curious bird." 

My favorite Elise quotes from the past month:

"DADDY, DON'T THROW MY ELSA OUT THE WINDOW, seriously don't."  (After Jed threatened to send Elsa to the side of the highway, somewhere in the middle of Arizona, if she used it's plastic head as a weapon one more time.) 

Directed towards a little boy swinging around a shiny, blue baseball bat.  "That's a nice bat, but don't hit me with it, I got NUMCHUCKS!!!"  (She's really advanced in the making connections department.)

"YOU WANT ME TO DONKEY KICK YOU??!!"  Jack got a little too close.

"You want hot sauce?"  One of her friends likes the potty words.  She used to like them too until she had to say hello to her little friend hot sauce.

She had her well check-up this week and besides being a little inept at pedaling a tricycle, minor details, her stats and milestones are good.  And the doctor volunteered to keep her should I ever want to go away.  Should I be flattered or concerned?