Happy Halloween FLASHBACK

Halloween Night - 1986

Halloween Night - 1987

Halloween Night - 2011

The Clowns Are Back!

At the ward Trunk-or-Treat and trick-or-treating around the neighborhood everyone loved the vintage clowns.

Caden was such a fun age this year, he would stand by the doors bouncing on heels and grunting excitedly until he got a treat in his bucket and then he would giggle. He wouldn't let go of his bucket all night.

Bad Hair Day

Last night we were trying to wrangle the boys together to say family prayers before bed, and Ethan yelled, "but I can't Dad my hair doesn't look good."

It cracked us up...but I so know how that feels...like the time I burst into tears in front of the Vaterlaus family because my bangs got trimmed way too short right before Junior Prom.

Life's just harder when your hair looks bad.

Scripture Stories

When we moved up here I got a great idea from my friend Debbie, I noticed that she had the Gospel Art Book sitting by her kitchen table on an easel. She told me that at breakfast she picks a picture and tells the story to her son. So we've started the tradition at our house, my boys love having their scripture story while they eat their breakfast.
I love that Ethan is at an age where he really is learning, he remembers and he asks great questions. It is pretty fun for me to hear the things he is learning come out while he is playing.

The other day when Clark got home he was so excited to tell him about Daniel and the Lion's Den that he kept calling Daniel, Dandelion.

The house we are living in now has a giant bath tub, my boys think it is a swimming pool and love to go "swimming." Every once in a while they can convince Clark to put on his swim suit and jump in with them. The other night Ethan kept dumping a tupperware full of water on Clark's head. When Clark asked him why he was doing that I think he was pretty surprised to hear Ethan say, "I need to wash you seven times so you can be healed from your leprosy," (he had learned about Naaman that morning). It made us laugh.

Need For Speed and Bumps

From the time Ethan could walk, he could run. And from the time he could run he has been running in circles. When he gets excited, when he gets scared watching TV or a movie (he's a little sensitive-the mean faces on the Thomas the train engines get him nervous), or just for fun. It is a daily occurence for him to run as fast as he can around and around and around his imaginary track. Unlike Nascar, he only turns right. Lately he's been telling me that when he is tired he needs to run to get his energy back.

Caden on the other hand is just figuring out how to run. It cracks me up, he sticks his head and chest out so far I'm amazed he doesn't face plant everytime. He doesn't run circles, just crooked little lines, he tries so hard to keep up with his brother. He also LOVES speed bumps. It started because Clark was a little dramatic bouncing out of his seat one day as we drove over one. Now anytime we are in a parking lot Caden's eyes light up with anticipation and he giggles histerically as we drive over them.

I'm writing this so I can remember these funny little quirks my boys have, I know they won't last forever. Ethan will probably always be running, but I'm pretty sure speed bumps won't always be the most exciting thing in Caden's life.

I Am A Child Of God

Since living here I have been blessed to attend an Old Testament class once a week. I love it, I come home each week with a renewed desire to be a better mother. Every week I have felt over and over again that one of the most important things I can give my sons is a knowledge that they are truly sons of God, and that their Heavenly Father loves them.

I love hearing Ethan sing this song:

This is what he was singing along to (my boys LOVE this video):

"Did you know that Heavenly Father knows you personally--by name? . . .
"You may not have heard the Lord call you by name, but He knows each one of you and He knows your name. Elder Neal A. Maxwell said. 'I testify to you that God has known you individually . . . for a long, long time (see D&C 93:23). He has loved you for a long, long time. He not only knows the names of all the stars (see Psalm 147:4; Isaiah 40:26); He knows your names and all your heartaches and your joys!'" Elaine S. Dalton

Halloween Party

All week Ethan has helped me plan a Halloween party that we had tonight. He got the idea from all of the Halloween books we've been checking out from the library. Using the books as our guide Ethan helped me plan the party, he insisted we needed to make "pumpwin" sugar cookies and have more decorations for the kitchen.
We invited Debbie's family over to celebrate with us! We started by eating dinner out of a pumpkin. Then we played a few games.
We made the boys into toilet paper mummies and then they raced down the hall.

Ethan thought they were dressing as "mommys."

Caden loved it and didn't want to take his TP accessories off.

We also played a fun game of Pass/Ride the pumpkin and a black cat version of ring around the rosie.

The boys LOVED decorating their pumpkin cookies, but mostly just eating the frosting.

Then Ethan got to try his first carmel apple. He read about them in a Dora book and wanted to see what they were all about. After a few licks he asked me to wash the sticky peanut butter stuff off so he could just eat the apple.

I'm glad Ethan likes celebrating and party planning as much as I do, it will give me a good reason to do it more often. This was our first time since leaving Des Moines that we actually had people over, I've really missed hosting and planning fun things like this. It was such a fun night for everyone, so much fun that my boys are still buzzing around awake in their beds as I type this at 11 PM. Surely the sugar will wear off soon!

A Few More...

So a few days ago I wrote about what only kids can do, well here's a few more.

Only a kid can throw a screaming fit for 50 minutes, nothing could calm Caden down today...nothing!

Only a kid can get away with saying what Ethan did today when Caden was having a rough time, "Mom, I think we should send Caden back to live with Heavenly Father."

Only a kid saying this can make me laugh when really I want to cry when I was having a rough time, "I want two daddys instead," as Ethan said implying that another Dad would be a great replacement to a grumpy mom.

Some days...

What Only Kids Can Do

There are just some things that children can do better than anyone else...

1. Kids are the best snugglers.

Nothing is better than getting a spontaneous hug and kiss from a child.

2. Kids know how to turn a frown upside down. They can go from sad to happy in seconds.

I love how Caden can go from giggling, to hitting his head, and then back to giggling in less than 30 seconds.

3. Kids are quick to forgive, and then they really forget and move on.

I don't know how I managed to catch this candid moment of Clark giving Ethan the "you are this close buddy" lecture, and Ethan picking his nose...clearly he has moved on.

4. Kids can really enjoy their food...no worries about calories here!

5. Kids can stay in the squat position for hours! Show me an adult who can do that!

6. Kids actually look really cute in footed pajamas.

I know they make them in adult sizes too...but I said look cute.

7. Kids make the best personal trainers.

Jillian Michaels can yell at me from the DVD all she wants, but Caden adding the extra resistance to every plank, push up and sit up brings the real burn!

8. Kids see the fun in everyday things.

The other day Ethan created this sculpture with his breakfast and said, "look mom, it's Uncle Weston!"

A cardboard box and a belt brought pure joy here:

So maybe Clark should get a little credit for that one...I guess kids and good Dads see the fun in everyday things.

I'm grateful everyday for my two little boys who can teach me things better than anyone else!

"Behold your little ones, and see within them the wonders of God, from whose presence they have recently come." Gordon B. Hinckley

Our Travels to Destination E: Tacoma

Oh wait...we didn't have to travel to Clark's next rotation! Lucky us, Clark is able to commute to Tacoma so we get to stay here another month!!! It is so nice getting 2 months in the same place. Instead of packing and traveling we got to have the best family day together.

We got to lounge around on our floor (we have no furniture so it makes for plenty of room to play) and watch General Conference on our computer in our jammies.

A game of conference BINGO kept Ethan at least kind of listening.

Then we went to our local fire station's open house. It was so much fun and so many free things including popcorn, cotton candy and ice cream cones...the 2012 Hot Firefighters calendar was not free though, so I didn't get one of those.

Ethan got to do a fun obstacle course where he got to put on the fireman clothes, spray out the fire, ride a giant trike to the smoking house, climb a ladder and rescue a baby doll. He loved it!

I hope this is the last time I see E Money in the back of a police car.

Caden LOVES dogs and was having so much fun talking to this rescue dog, until the dog reached out and ate his ice cream cone right out of his hand! This face was right after the cone was swiped.

Ethan learned all about fire safety in the "smoke house." All night he has been asking random questions, "what do you do if your favorite toy is on fire? what do you do if your clothes are on fire?, etc." I think he learned a lot and thought it was cool to crawl through the smoke filled room and down the ladder.

The pictures now hanging on our fridge to prove we had a good time!

That evening while Clark was at the Priesthood session of conference the boys and I went to the Scarecrow Fest in downtown Sumner. A dancer's company came dressed as scarecrows and basically sat still in different positions all along the streets. When a certain song would come on they would all come to life and start dancing. A little creepy, but the boys loved it.

Here is one of the scarecrows in the background, this girl was GOOD, I don't even think she blinked.

Ethan watching the frolicking scarecrows once they came to life.

What a fun day! I'm so happy to have one more month here...to enjoy the beautiful sights of Seattle area.

The view from our backyard! This cloud was so cool!

A dinner picnic at a lake near our house.

Seattle temple.