Halloween

The kids (and us, of course) really enjoyed going trick-or-treating tonight. We got a few comments about the sports theme.

Over the years, we have had lots of fun dressing up together. How about a walk through Halloween memory lane?

2005: Star Wars

2006: Harry Potter

2007: Crayons

2008: Scrabble tiles

2009: Snow White and the 7 dwarves

2010: U.S. Army

2011: Sports

Anyone have any great ideas for next year?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

GO TEAM

We had our annual Halloween party at the church last night. It is a tradition each year (since 2004) to have our family always decide on a theme for our costumes. This year we were TEAM BUSH! The kids were all different sports players. And what were the parents, you ask? Well, look below......

Jonas- our All-star basketball player:

Too bad the Texas Rangers didn't have Leslie on their team this year- maybe they would have beat the Cardinals!

Andre Agassi, eat your heart out! Love the hair, Owen!

Grrr. Troy, get your game face on....

And it looks like Micah is ready to give an uppercut.

I love Evelyn- soccer version:

I don't think even Michael Phelps started out as early as our Reuben:

And - of course, we are the referees of it all!

(I don't think I have ever seen a pregnant ref before,

but I also don't think I have seen a more beautiful one either)

GO TEAM BUSH!!!

Kid Date Repeat

This week Owen asked for an ice cream treat and to watch the movie Cars 2. Oh boy. I got to see it again! But we had fun. We have a yogurt lounge where you get to pick a cup, load it with yogurt, then add your own toppings. The cashier weighs it and then you pay per ounce. He chose dark chocolate, vanilla, almonds, and m&ms. He kept saying, "Yes!" on the way to the movie and offered me a couple of bites. He also believes he is the only kid in the world who likes almonds. I assured him we'd be able to find another young almond lover, but he is a rare, one of a kind, awesome kid!

IHOP scary face deal

Today is the day to go to IHOP! Kids 12 and under can order a scary face pancake for free! 7 of my kids got free meals. (Jonas ate my free birthday meal). I ordered a not so yummy omelet (compared to Bob's homemade ones). I also "splurged"on hot chocolate for everyone.

Yes, I took 7 and 2/3 kids to a restaurant by myself.

It's my birthday present to me!

I'm so happy!*

(name the movie...)

I had a great day, even though Joel was absent.

The kids made my day special. They are awesome.

(But you can ignore our forced camera smiles...)

P.S. Try this brownie in a mug recipe. It is fabuloso.

Credit goes to http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

Make your usual brownie recipe, even if from a box. Leslie and I subbed applesauce for the oil and it was health(ier) and yummy.

Spray mugs with cooking spray. Place them in your crockpot. 4 regular sized mugs should fit.

Bake on high for 1.5 - 3 hours (I know it is a vague time table. Just keep checking.) Check for little bubbles and firmness. Let it cool for about 30 minutes. Top with ice cream or your favorite brownie toppings.

Try not to have seconds like I did. (But if you do, enjoy it, like I did!)

* The movie I quoted in the title and the first line is the animated film Emperor's New Groove. If you haven't seen it, give it a try. It is fun, and very quotable.

An adorable five year old

Krispy Kreme breakfast, "girly" presents, pizza, a yummy heart shaped cake, lots of playtime, a haircut... what more could a cute 5 year old want?

We had a great day celebrating Evelyn's birthday! We are so glad she is part of our family!

Kid Date #3

Troy chose a standard dinner and movie out. We graced Denny's with our presence, and then went to see Cars 2 at the dollar movie theater. We had a great time playing tic tac toe while we waited for our food.

I love this kid!

Kid Dates Week 2

Micah and I went to Gattitown and had pizza and played mini-golf. He got TWO legitimate holes-in-one (or hole-in-ones?) and was a great sport! He also has a unique style of playing - most of his strokes are continuous and he doesn't count them as long as the ball is still moving. I like his rules, since I do better that way!

(Pardon the poor quality of the photos: dim lighting + active 7 year old + iphone = not the best quality...)

Young Women In Excellence

Leslie is an excellent young woman. I really could not ask for a sweeter daughter. She proved that by presenting her Good Works value project tonight. She babysat for a family in our ward for free and planned lots of fun activities for them to do. She taught them about volcanoes since that was one of the little boys' interests, and they had a blast (literally) blowing up the volcano.

Their theme centered on superheroes. She really is a super heroine!

Temple #49

Well, I have a totally unrealistic goal to go to every temple before I die. I will try, though I know they are building them too fast. Anyway, this past week I had the opportunity to go to the Oklahoma City Temple, which makes 49 temples I have been able to perform ordinance work. It was beautiful, as are all the temples. See how I am smiling?

Kid Dates

I took Evelyn and Reuben out for a date tonight. I made them choose our activity/treat, and Evelyn chose ice cream at Baskin Robbins. She picked vanilla ice cream topped with gummy bears (why do kids do that, ewww) and Reuben and I shared a Trick or Treat kid cone topped with m&ms (his choice of topping). We had a great time, and left the shop somewhat cold in the Texas wind.

We came home to find this scorpion in the middle of our kitchen floor. It was dark, and I tried to pick it up thinking it was a dust bunny. When it moved... ugh. It was about the size of my pinky finger, but it still freaked me out and I had Jonas flush it.

Ancient History

That is what we are studying this year! We have had some fun projects, like a cave painting, building an Egyptian pyramid, and writing our names in clay in hieroglyphics. We are excited for more fun to come!

Scouting Awards

Owen, Troy, and Jonas are making progress in scouting! Owen and Troy love scouts and their leaders and now that they have found their books (their leader had them for a few months!) they can continue working. Jonas earned tons of merit badges through scout camps this summer and should have received his star rank last night (due to an "oops" in paperwork, the actual advancement will be later on, but he can still move ahead).

Here are some pictures from the combined pack meeting/court of honor last night.

It is not easy being green...

This yard project has taken a lot of time and hard work. Most of the hard work was done by Dad, the waiting has been embraced by all of us. These pictures show a portion of our labor, but the green is worth it!

Thanks Dad, for giving us the color we need in our lives!

A portion of the garbage and junk in our yard

Laying the sprinkler system down in July 115 degrees

More leveling

(Like our kid labor??!?!?)

Even the little ones helped out

Cool addition to our patio area

(One day it will be home to a grill and eating area...)

Everyone plants seeds in the garden

Hey mom, look, I've got a shovel!

Even the shadows are working

Too bad we worked in the blazing sun most of the time!

Raking up the rocks

Grass seed

Tufts of green that should (fingers crossed and prayers being said) spread and become a beautiful green yard...

On the left you can kind of see the pathway Dad laid (very cool)...

And food growing in the garden!