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...