Funny Bones

Emma performing "Funny Bones."

And here is Madeline's version.

Student of the Week Loses First Tooth!

Ryan started out the week well by receiving a Student of the Week award. His teacher said she loves how Ryan comes to school with a smile and a good sense of humor. She said he makes his classroom much more fun for everyone. Also, he loves to learn. For his award, he was given a special pencil and got to eat lunch with the principle. He was feeling pretty good and didn't think things could get much better, when he noticed he had a wiggly tooth. It took about 5 days to come out. No pain and no blood, so he was happy. The kids were watching Sleeping Beauty for their Friday night fun, and Ryan was playing with his tooth, when out it came. He woke up the next morning to find a dollar under his pillow. He wants to save up all his teeth money for some Legos.

The Pumpkin Walk

Cache Valley has an amazing fall event, with a truly home-town feeling. It's called The Pumpkin Walk and it's been going since I can remember. It was started decades ago by a family who loved to make fun fall scenes with produce. It has now grown to fill an entire park and all the scenes are created and donated by families, school groups, and businesses. Every year I am surprised at the creativity displayed! The kids absolutely loved it. Look closely and you will see all shapes and sizes of pumpkins, squash, gourds and the like. Here are some of the best displays:

Clint Eastwood

5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

Farmer

Piglets

Snap, Crackle, and Pop

Thomas the Train

The Brady Bunch

Western Town Dog

Mama Duck and her Ducklings

Elephant

Horsey

Sesame Street was a hit with the kids

Our favorite was Big Bird. His legs are just too cute.

Charlotte's Web

An Early Halloween Sneak Peak

So our church held it's annual Halloween Carnival early this year. At first I was pretty ticked off because we weren't prepared at all. When I heard about it Sunday at church, I realized we only had two days to pull it off. I had already purchased fabric and a pattern for Emma's dress which meant I HAD to make it quickly, and that is funny to anyone who knows me. I've never even made a dress before- I'm more of a pillow, curtain, table runner kind of sewer. My mom was a huge help and put in the sleeves for me at the eleventh hour. Emma was so excited about the finished product. When we found her pink wig, you would have thought she died and went to heaven. PINK HAIR??? Pure ecstasy.

So here they are: Maddie is wearing a pink fairy costume that Emma wore two years ago (sorry, kid. Get used to it), Emma is Glenda the Good Witch, and Ryan is a Storm Trooper. He has a great mask, but couldn't wear it to the party, so I compromised with him for glasses and a Nerf gun for props. We'll don the mask for trick-or-treating.

My first dress!!! Complete with sequined butterflies, PUFFS and all...

Okay, I had to add this picture. I put a little mascara and lipstick on Emma to complete her princess look. But she looked so pretty, I almost made her wash her face. I'm definitely not ready for this...

House of Horrors

My mom's computer has a program called Photo Booth where the camera can skew your picture in all different ways. The outcome is hysterical. We played around with it for hours, and when my sisters were here we took pictures of each person, so we could create a House of Horrors picture for Halloween. This is the finished product. Can you guess who is who?

The Colors of Autumn

We took a drive through Sardine Canyon and were greatly rewarded- not only with brilliant colors, but a snow dusting in the tops of the mountains and amazing lighting as the sun broke through the clouds. It was so gorgeous. And yes, I took this picture with one hand while driving... shhhh.

Uncle Eric came over and helped us rake leaves and pull out the garden. The kids were big helpers and earned 50 cents for their labors. Madeline picked up one leaf at a time and threw it in the wheelbarrow, and kept at it for a good hour.

Maddie Moo

Yes, it's true. I take 50 thousand pictures of Madeline every day. I can't stop myself. She's turning into such a big little girl. She has a sweet disposition, a happy smile, and angel hair to go with it. When she wakes up in the morning, she actually just waits for me to come in and get her. She is perfectly content to snuggle with her blanket until I'm ready to get her.... something my other two would have never done. Anyway, when I do come into her room in the morning, she greets me with an excited gasp and says, "I love you, Mama!" And my day is complete before it ever started.

I'm not sure how it started, but Madeline's nickname has become "Maddie moo." Ryan and Emma sing a little song and it goes like this: (sung to the tune of Ring around the Rosie) "Maddie, Maddie moo moo, we love you you. Maddie, Maddie moo moo, we love you!"

Humpskunk Stories

We were thrilled when Grandpa Stobbe came for a visit last week. He made paper airplanes with Ryan and Emma and they raced them for hours. Then, before bed, he promised them a Humpskunk Story on the floor. For those of you who have no clue what Humpskunk is, let me explain: Humpskunk is a giant who Grandpa made up years ago when he told stories to his children. When I was little, I remember him telling them to me too. My favorite one involved some sort of giant rock throwing contest where Humpkunk missed his target and kept hitting the moon- giving the moon all it's craters. Over the years, his stories of Humpskunk adventures have become a family tradition and something I still look forward to hearing. My kids loved it so much. All three snuggled in and Madeline insisted that Grandpa not let go of her finger.

Grandpa's infamous bear hugs...

The Apple of My Eye

While my sister Amanda and her kids were here, we got to pick apples from a friend's tree. Caleb and Jeremiah were little monkeys in the tree, climbing as high as they could to find the biggest apple. Emma was a very diligent worker and picked lots and lots. Emelyse was a great help putting the apples into boxes. Ryan provided us with humor (the ladder was a little wobbly for him), and Maddie just ate as many apples as she possibly could.

This next sequence of pictures makes my mouth water...