5 favorite things...october 12, 2008

• sugar cookies. i made a double batch on friday and we finished up the last of them today at lunch...we even ate them for breakfast this morning!
• new recipes to try
• snuggling
• the smell of stove top stuffing, it makes my mouth water
  
• the sound of wind passing through the trees (the Santa Anna's have started)
• my pillow
  

BOO! A Halloween Tradition

For the last few years we have done this fun family/neighborhood activity. It never fails to entertain! It's kind of like doing May Day baskets, but you do Halloween treats instead and those who've already been BOOed, tape a ghost sign on their door! The kids love to doorbell ditch the treats. It's supposed to be a secret, but we always get caught at least once (last night we got caught twice). Here's how it went down.....

Emry and I made cookies and frosting while Luke was at school. She has become quite the little helper in the kitchen. She has some seriously mad stirring and dumping skills! I baked the cookies during quiet time and then we got all the sprinkles and trays out. Let me tell you, it was hard to keep Emry focused on the task at hand once I got out all the sprinkles and decorating tools. Her eyes went bug eyed and she grinned a huge smile. By the time we got past the initial delight, and fished out the Halloween sprinkles (have you ever tried to explain to a 4 year old girl why pink sparkles and candy cane sprinkles don't belong on Halloween cookies????) Luke was off the bus. He was so excited when he saw what was up at our house. He got so into the secret part, that when he heard his friends coming to see if he could play, he closed all the blinds. He wanted to pretend that we weren't home, but we decided that wasn't very nice, so he politely went to the door and told them he couldn't play for a while because he was busy.

A master decorator at work.

Another master decorator...OOPS, I mean finger licker at work. She did a lot better than last time we decorated cookies, but she still has some learning to do. I could tell that she was really trying hard not to put those fingers in her mouth, but she just couldn't help it. It was like some unknown force was drawing her fingers to her mouth to taste of the yummy goodness that was on them. She spent more time washing her hands than decorating!

The evidence.
Actually this photo is pretty tame. After this she started using the black sprinkles and they stained her fingertips pretty good.

These are our scariest Halloween faces!

You might be wondering where Carley was while we were decorating and messing up the kitchen....she was napping! We don't allow her to be around when we do projects like this. She's too curious and tall!! The little stinker.

Here's how her mind works (this is an actual interpretation of the thoughts in her head!!)

Step 1...ooooh, I spy something pretty.

Step 2...If I stand on my tippy toes and reach as far as my little arm can and dig those fingertips into that colorful thing....ha, I got some.

Step 3...Now quick, before anyone sees, stick gooey fingertips into mouth and Mmmm Mmmm Mmmmm. I'm goin' back for more!

Viola, the though processes of Carley Price.

If you've never BOOed your neighbors and would like to you can find the template here.

Halloween crafts

At MRE (Military Relief Enrichment) yesterday we made some cute Halloween themed crafts. The ladies at church are always so good to us! We had a great lesson about giving and receiving thanks, enjoyed good company, made 2 super cute holiday crafts, ate yummy taco salad....and the best part was that they babysat our kids too! It's so wonderful to be able to visit, uninterrupted, with adults!!

This little pot is so cute. My kids were so excited when they saw it. Emry carried it in her lap, most carefully all the way home from the church. Luke really just wanted to eat the mummy and Frankenstein.

I love this simple banner. It's made from tea dyed muslin and Halloween stamps! Now I just have to decide where to hang it...everyone has a different idea of where it should be hung?????

5 favorite things...october 5, 2008

• Twice a year The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds a General Conference that is televised world wide. Conference weekend is always much anticipated since we get to hear from various church leaders, the 12 apostles and our beloved prophet, Thomas S. Monson. It was wonderful to participate in conference, to feel the spirit and to hear the inspired words of all who spoke. For more information on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or to hear the talks given click here or here.
  
• Cool, crisp, fall mornings that make you want to linger just a little longer than normal under the warmth of your covers.
• Soup season. Today we ate chili and corn bread with honey butter. Mm Mm Mm
  
• Bounce houses...you remember, the kind that every kid lined up for at the local fair or carnival. Luke went to a birthday party yesterday and they had rented one. The boys barely came out for cake!
  
• Foods of the Harvest. The stores are full these icons of fall. My kids have enjoyed seeing all the different types of pumpkins, apples, squash and gourds that fill the entryways to the stores. To me they signify yummy comfort foods, fun decorations and jack o lanterns. But most of all, it makes me miss my mom's homemade applesauce. If I lived closer to her, I'd steal some of her jars or perhaps take a more legitimate approach and help her with the canning.
  

My October Tribute to Nie Nie

In true Nie Nie fashion, we gathered around the TV last night to enjoy the month of October with a Halloween movie. We got out the Halloween plates and ate treats as we watched. It was a fun time and a good way to make this month a little different than normal. I always pack my holiday books and movies away with my decorations, so my kids love it when I haul them out. It makes them appreciate the stories and videos so much more. We are planning on having a few more movie nights throughout the month.

Our favorite family Halloween movies are (in no particular order):

• The Nightmare Before Christmas (this gets watched until after Christmas and sometimes in the summer too, it's just too good to have packed away all year)
• The Adventures of Ichabod Crane
• The Heffalump Halloween movie
• It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
• ET
  

Let October Begin!!!

I decorated for halloween today! It's always so much fun to get all the boxes out and arrange the spooky stuff all over my house!! I love halloween because it is such a stress free & fun holiday. I love to make halloween treats, and to make my children smile.

This month is fun, fun, fun!!!

This spooky spider is NOT a decoration. You'll find him in the center of the web. We found this guy outside our side door. His web is absolutely amazing! I'd say the same of him, but he's just big and ugly. Luckily Trent grabbed the camera and got these great shots of our creepy little neighbor. For more information about our little friend click here.

HAPPY HAUNTING!

• At the dinner table tonight, Luke announced in a very enthusiastic and boisterous voice, "Hey guys, I can spell with my eyes shut!"

 

• Emry and her friend Jane are in the same preschool class and they can sometimes get a little naughty. Yesterday was one of those days. Apparently Emry and Jane kept running away from their teacher, Ms. Stacey and got in trouble for it. So at the end of the day when questioned about their behavior Emry piped up and said matter of factly, " We didn't run away from Ms. Stacey, she ran away from us."

 

• Trent turned to me and said, "You know what I just realized, family practicioners work REALLY hard..."

5 favorite things...september 28, 2008

• Women's conference. I hope some of you LDS women listened yesterday b/c it was really wonderful.
  
• Visiting friends. Our friends from medical school, Derek and Emily Ellingson were in San Diego for a conference this past week and I was able to spend a little time with them. It's was so much better to catch up in person. Emily and I didn't stop talking the whole time we were together. Thanks for visiting!!
• Birthdays. I have to say one more time, thank you to Trent for a great 30th birthday...and pie!
• High 5's. This is Carley's latest trick. We are constantly asking her to give high 5's. Every time she gets really excited, smiles and then slaps your outstretched hand. Very cute!
• Good books. I'm reading the 3rd Eragon book, Brisinger. It's pretty good so far.
  

A new baby doll!

Carley and Emry have discovered a fun new game! Carley is the baby doll and Emry is the mama. Trent and I found these two goofy girls trying to get Carley into this doll stroller...so instead of stopping this disaster in the making like normal, rational parents...we helped them out. They've been playing non-stop ever since and we've only had a few 1 roll over and a few minor crashes.

the big 30!

I tried my best to deny that yesterday would come. I busied myself and pretended that the looming deadline didn't matter to me. I don't know why, but turning 30 was really hard. I remember turning 25 and thinking, "WOW, I'm 25...I have a husband and 2 kids aren't I supposed to be feeling mature or something? I still feel like a teen mom who's clueless most of the time."

Since then, the birthdays have been a blur. At any given moment when asked my age, I really had to think and calculate in my head b/c I'd forgotten!! Really, I forgot my age on more than one occasion, who does that?

Anyway, the reality is that yesterday did come and everything is fine, simple as that. I was totally overreacting, as usual. What I have realized is that I am a successful and satisfied wife and mother of 3. I need to work out regularly, go to bed early and stay organized. Those are the key ingredients to my happy self!

So on to the good stuff. Trent really really out did himself this year (if I didn't say thank you enough yesterday, i'm saying it again...thank you!). He always does something really nice for me, but this year he went the extra mile by taking care of 2 details that made all the difference!

• First, he kept his present a surprise! (he NEVER does this, he has trouble keeping his mouth shut if he's excited about something)
• Secondly, he called and arranged for the babysitter! (this is usually my department. he hates to call the sitter.)

You're probably wondering what he got me. He got us tickets for a harbor dinner cruise down in San Diego! It was so wonderful to get dressed up a little and hang out for 5 hours just the two of us. We enjoyed the water, the breeze, some laughs, the sunset, yummy food, the city lights, good company, dessert and even a stroll around the dance floor to Moon River. Does it get any better than that? What a good guy! I heart my TP!

5 favorite things...september 21, 2008

• relaxing on the beach
• having trent home after a very, very busy rotation
• nap time
  
• smiles
• the inquisitive minds of children