Being nice or criminal?

Grace had a plan today to "do some leave service" (thanks to a sharing time playing service charades). She did well but I think had other motives. She has been eyeing a friends yard (as have I, the colors are beautiful) and even needed to stop by today to jump and fall a few times into their pile.

She raked some from another neighbors yard and the transported them to a corner of our yard. She still building her pile but she did service, that's good.

As opposed to her brother that use the neighbors pumpkin as a soccer ball and wears knit hats like ski masks and think they can't be seen.

FHE

We are getting better at FHE we had a real lesson, activity, 2 songs, a prayer...I'd call it complete. We made snowmen/ladies out a stack of baby lumina pumpkins from the garden, toothpicks, and sharpies. We also had a lesson on Enos hoping to focus on what to do when your soul hungers, complete with reenactments of hunting for beasts, and praying but before we could get to the actual reading of the scriptures Grace noted {cause she's an ambitious kindergartner}, ya know rhymes when Enos?

Thanks Grace, at least we are consistent.

Goob

What a week. "Birth week" and an inevitable early snow always start the holiday season. That and the sad day of being done with Halloween. Gracie got an iDog and has stolen my iPod.

Abby took us to lunch to celebrate and was more entertained than everyone at the table. Our booth had springy seats on the boys side and you can imagine conversation on the girls side. Then top it off with telling the waitress 20 times that it's your birthday, she brought Gracie place full of chocolate cake. Poor Abby wore white and sat in the middle of the girls.

Her concert was great. Her chinese buffet (yes that big dirty place at 4500 S) dinner with dad was as great as it could be. While she was partying, the other 4 of us collected our free stuff coupons and headed to a few places ending at the mall where Katie scored another skirt combo. So she and Grace wore their new stuff this Sunday.

I followed the girls to primary and sat with them until their teacher got there. It was also to help Gracie practice what we have been working on this past week. Jr primary never lacks in entertainment.

Primary Chorister - "In a few weeks we're going to sing with the choir. We're not going to learn the words, we are just going to sing the melody. Let's listen and say gooooooo gooo goooooo."

The music plays through so the kids can hear/recognize the melody...Kate's hand raises.

Kate - "Is that say Goob?"

Primary Chorister - "We're saying gooooo goooo gooo.

Kate - "But I know Goob. Do you know that show with the robot? It says Goob. We sing Goob?"

Primary Chorister - "Ah yes, Meet the Robinsons thanks for the movie trivia. I like that too. Nope, we're gooooo-ing the melody."

So they goooo through it a couple of times and I notice Kate's goooo has turned a little awwoooo. So the hand goes up again and she lets Kate speak again. Really I think they enjoy the random commentary this group puts together. I knew where it was going.

Kate - "It's like we are wolves." {then she demonstrates her howl}

Primary Chorister - "Oh it does."

Kate - "I am going to be like a wolf when I sing." {followed by an evil kate grin}

Miss Kates

Frustration and sarcasm are lost on " almost 4" year olds.

Let me preface this by sharing that I currently have hives spreading over my legs and arms and want to scrape my skin off, literally. 24hr Zyrtec wore off about 10hrs into it's dose and I can't find my 5 yr old steriod stuff that works wonders. Most days I am a decent mom, today... probably not.

Kate spent about 30 minutes going to the restroom. I want her to be able to take care of the whole process like she has been doing for quite some time. Recently, she wants help but I know she can do it {I don't want to do regression} so I ignore {can't you tell I'm doing great at that by blogging about it} the time it takes. After her visit she comes and stands 2 feet from me. I can smell soap. I can see wet shiny hands. I heard the door shut, sink running, and the potty flush. She doesn't need to check in. She stands and stares...kinda like those weird kids at the end of the street when I was little, that couldn't come play so they just stood and watched us play?!?!?

I don't want a weird kid so I broke and asked "What do you want Kate?". "I went potty" "Good job, Kate. I heard you do all the right stuff. You can go play." She's still standing there.

"What do you want Kate?" Blank stare. "Do you need something?" Blank stare. "Kate, what do you want from me?" Blank stare so I try ignoring again to which a few minutes later she quietly said " I went potty", thoughtlessly {and frustrated} I replied "Whadda want babe, a sticker?" to which she replies "I would actually like a trick or treat and a tinkerbell tattoo."

Ahh Miss Kate thanks for breaking my bad additude but sorry no treats or tats today.



OHHH an HaPpY BiRtHdAy Miss Gracie! 6 years young! Don't fret she wanted a concert w/ dad versus a party and has scored several nice gifts from family.

Halloween Eve

For some reason these were in a "private" file on my camera?!? They included a better shot of Kate/Alice, so I will share.

Today was Grace's Halloween Party. We also went over to Gma's to bake and play with cousins. Being on a class budget of no dollars, I was pretty proud of myself for having a party all the kids liked. We played three games. A staring game...

Max said “BE STILL!” and tamed them with the magic trick of staring into their yellow eyes without blinking once.

... which had all the little boys propping their eyes open with their fingers propped on their nose (sorry if we sped up the H1N1 proliferation ). We had a Pin the King of the Wild Things which was my personal favorite, and used one of the hand full of yard signs I can't throw away (cause I might have a project some day).

And lastly we had a wild rumpus walk which kinda looks like a musical chairs game but full of wild things.

“and now, ” cried Max, “Let the wild rumpus start!”

And everyone went home with a King of the Wild Things paper craft filled with candy, which I think is a pretty rockin blog for Kinder-crafts.

Once we were finished with one party we were off to another at Grandma's with cousins.

We made cookies, decorated, and ate.

Some licked their cookies clean.

Some of us skipped the decorating part and just ate the the frosting directly.

Some of us alternated one scoop for our cookies and one for our mouth.

Kate's sporting her backup costume because she helped me at the Kindergarden party today. Can you guess who she is? {click the link to find out}

What does a ___ say?

On out way back from playing with friend I heard James being tested on his animal sounds. Jamie asked "What does a car say?" to which James replies "ermmm errmmm".

"What does a dog say?" to which James replies "uff ufff".

"What does a cat say?" to which James replies "mow mow".

"What does a horse say?" to which James replies "uff uff". Ehh so we miss one, big deal.

"What does a pig say?" to which James replies "mow mow". We'll work on that one too.

"What does a duck say?" to which James replies "wack wack".

"What does a monkey say say?" to which James replies "No jumpin on a bed".

James rocks!

pre-Halloween

This Halloween we are absorbed two themes Where the Wild Thing Are and Alice in Wonderland. Yes I want to see the movies but the books have had us plenty enthralled. Sadly the more I hear about the first the less excited I am to see it but Alice...I'm still really excited. So this year G, K, J, & M were the Cheshire Cat, Alice, March Hare and the Mad Hatter. We also believe in making costumes. We don't need stinking store bought costumes. The March Hare and Mad Hatter refused to keep on the majority of their costume or really much of anything {remember the naked baby phase were enjoying}.

The boys understand Halloween now and love that all they haev to say is "treat" and they are given more candy than they can hold. I think they did well for no nap, setting up a ward party all day, two PBJs, and unmonitored candy consumption. It lead to a passed out March Hare and a hatless Mad Hatter enjoying life.


The cheshire cat also had fun helping set up and partying all day.

Alice was a little stink an wouldn't let anyone take her picture.

Now to the theme... I made a pinata. Isn't it so cute? I couldn't believe they held nothing back and destroyed him almost immediately.

and if you look real close (on the primary/gym dividers) you can see the wild things that the kids helped me color.

And my amazing sisters that support/hold my kids/make fun of my party/always come.

She's a coupon.

She's a wild thing/elvis?

She's a Urology Clinic Office Manager.

Dishes

Naively I went to wash the green off my feet from mowing this morning in flip flops. It was about to rain so I didn't take time to change shoes. I heard Kate "doing dishes", which is fine she does them on occasion. It's a little more like playing in the sink but whatever... it was only 4 bowls and spoons. I finish up and head down to see two little bare bums assisting her and she in her backwards Ariel {a little small but a favorite} panties and two broken bowls and two towels worth of water on the floor. Two things learned.

1. The boys can BOTH take all their clothes off, a step closer to PTing.
2. Kate only tattles if it's not fair. She was fast and loud to tell on the boys that they found suckers while I was upstairs, but no mention that they were naked and breaking stuff.

Downtown

Rich got off work early Friday so we met him and hung out in SL. We rode Trax to Temple Square and toured again. This time we found the Primary area in the Church history museum.

We had so much fun I forget to take pictures until we were waiting for Trax on the way back. We boarded the wrong one so got off and walked back to the Met.

Good times. I like big walking downtowns.

To not by

"You need to eat your nanna before you get a sucker" to which Miles replies "susser" "susser" "susser" "susser" "susser" "susser" "susser" "susser" (ya get where this is going) but I stand firm with "Nope, your nanna need to go to your tummy first". Seconds later he is ready for his "susser" and a brief glance reassures me that it is not throw to the floor somewhere. He can inhale them so I start unwrapping one for him...only to find that nanna right by his tummy (like that part between his skin and shirt). Dirty baby.