October 25, 2014- Costume Preview

Kate got to dress up for her piano recital this weekend in her costume.  So we decided to let all the kids wear their costumes.  The only Halloween Party we are going to is on Halloween, so we were happy to find another excuse to wear the costumes.
Halloween costumes are sacred ground to me.  Despite the fact that Jake thinks it is silly to buy all new costumes every year instead of just find something we already have, he doesn't fight me.  He knows that I waited to be a mother with all kinds of excitement about dressing my kids up in their idea of a perfect costume for Halloween.  I don't let my kids have their way often but your birthday and your Halloween costume, you get complete control over.

Marianne decided to be Sophia the First this year.  She had her heart set on being Spiderman for a good six months but then after a trip to Disneyland and some Disney Jr. she changed her mind to Princess Sophia.  We bought the purple dress at the store.  But I can't just have a store bought costume, so we added the purple amulet she wears around her neck we made together, and then Marianne and I went to the store and founds some birds we might secure to the costume (Princess Sophia is kind of like Cinderella and Snow White- all the birds and rabbits in the forrest help her and talk to her)  We also got a crown.  Marianne was adorable in it of course.  But kept asking me how we were going to get her to have brown hair like Sophia- I told her we were just going to curl it and she kept asking.

Samuel wanted to be the blue ninja turtle.   His only other idea was a vampire.  But in the end decided turtle. He doesn't know the names just the colors.  One night at the grocery store I found the entire thing in his size just like I knew he would love for a whole $19.  We added a sword I found at the dollar store.  He told me the blue ninja turtle has two swords after I brought it home.  Can you tell my kids are very particular and into accuracy about their costumes :)

Kate bounced around  a few ideas.  She even was trying to get everyone to agree to be a character from Frozen so she could be Elsa.  She had everyone assigned, but Sam and Marianne didn't want to be the same theme as Kate- so she changed all together and decided to be a witch.  But not just any witch.  A scary witch with a green face and raggedy old clothing that was purple.  I showed her about five witch dresses my friends had offered up or I had seen in the store but nothing was "old enough" for her.  Everything was too cute and new looking to her.  So we went to the store where she picked out some material.  I tried to get her to go for some cute spiderweb print even- but she had a vision.  She picked out fabric.  Then together we ripped it all up and sewed it back together in purple and green and black.  We got a hat, some nails, gloves, tights and she  asked to use the candy cauldron.  We got face paint too.  We painted her face, and she said "this is JUST what I WANTED!"  and "I don't look like me at ALL!"  it was a success.  I loved making her so happy.  I also laugh because I think I was a witch in kindergarten- and I loved it so much I was a witch the next two or three years too.

Bethany is often called Rooster.  A nickname that came from Bethy-roo.  Then Roo-Roo, then Rooster.  It works well with her red hair and the fact that she use to wake up yelling to the whole house early in the morning.  I thought it would be fun to find a Rooster- or a Fox- we call her that too.  And one day at Costco we came across the most adorable Rooster costume for a whole $12.  We added the tights.  When I showed Kate when she came home from school Beth's costume Kate said " it would be really great if we had yellow gloves to but on her feet"  I smiled as I ran to the kitchen drawer and pulled out these yellow dishwashing gloves.  We laughed and decided they would be perfect.    Bethany had her costume on the first day and was running around giggling and loving it- and the attention from her siblings and I giggling at her.  When we put the feet on to take this picture the face she made and the way she lifted her foot looked just like a Rooster.

Then here is a picture of my cute four monsters!

October 19, 2014

1. Beth turned 18 months old.  And I intend to do a photoshoot with pictures and info about how she is a giant and adorable etc at some other point.  I thought this might be that photo shoot, but you can see her attitude about it was pretty sour.  It was however her first week in nursery which was amazing.  Jake happened to be in Washington DC last week so I was on my own for church-with four kids- seems impossible.  But not since she was going to nursery.  I took her in and she never looked back, I picked her up and the teachers all said she giggled the whole time and they all fell in love with her.  No surprise... just don't try to make her wear a headband and take her picture to commemorate such love.

2.  Kate at her piano recital.  Her very first piano recital!  She has only been taking since school began but she is learning so much so fast.  Her teacher does the recital and a convelascant hospital so that it is also a serve and as you can see you got to wear your Halloween costume for added fun- all the kids played at least one Halloween type song.  Kate looked a bit nervous to me as kids started to go- I think because they were mostly better than her.  They were also all older and been doing piano for more than 6 weeks, but she didn't know that and I could see how she felt as she waited.  Then she got up and played her first song.  And surprised even me when she did it by memory- like she had seen the other kids before her do.  Then she played a second Halloween song and then a Old McDonald duet with her teacher.  She did really well and I was super proud of her.  She came home and has been playing the piano non stop since.  We also recently put Kate in a children's choir which she is really liking. Kate seems to be the type to like everything and nothing all at once.  I've been trying to help her find that thing that she loves and is good at- and I think maybe music might be the fit for her.

October 26- Iphone

1. Marianne and Bethany and I wait for Sam's early Kindergarten bus.  They got some water bottles and are pretty happy with that.  Everyday we go pick Sam off the bus- which drops off just two houses away from us.  Everyday we pull Bethany in the wagon and sometimes Marianne, or sometimes she rides her bike.  We get to the corner and wait.  And when Bethany sees the bus she starts waving, and when she sees him she runs to him and gives him  a big hug.  It makes my heart explode.  She knows he is our boy.  I'm going to miss bringing the girls to the corner to get him when it starts snowing.  One of Jake's favorite things is when he comes home and Beth runs to hug him the seconds she see him too.

2. Bethany is getting big big big.  She can't actually ride that trike, but she walks it along, as well as the crazy cars- though she just walks them and doesn't let them go full speed ahead like Marianne did at her age.  Bethany really has taken off with several words this last month- which is great since he words were few and far between before.  Now she does lots of animal sounds, and though those aren't actually words- we count them.  Before her vocal was mostly was Mom, Dad..... Uh Oh...there she is.... and an occasional Kate, or book, or dog.  Now she does all the animal sounds but our favorites are a buzzing bee, a cow, a very gentle cat, a butterfly (which she signs so cutely) a monkey and an elephant.    I saw a funny saying online with a picture of a baby saying "why is it so important I know what the dog says"  We have been constantly asking Beth what things say so she must think the same thing... why is this so important.  It is not, but the fact that she is learning to remember and make sounds it.  Other obvious ways she is getting big are that she knows where things are and follows directions.  Like I asked the kids where my phone was last week expecting Kate or Sam to know and Beth went in the other room and came back with it.  I was so amazed that my tiny baby knew what I meant and knew the answer!  Also she likes to hold my hand when we walk. None of my other kids have every really always wanted to hold my hand.  And I love it.

3.  Marianne and Beth and I spend mornings in my bed.  Well mostly they wake up at 7:30 like the other kids, but I have to get Sam and Kate out the door to the bus by 8:10, so usually I get the girls their blankies and stick them in my bed with a cartoon on and let them sit there until I have the older kids off, and then sometimes another few minutes while I shower, and then sometimes another few minutes so I can cuddle them and relax all together.

4. Sam shows off his new ski gear.  We are gearing up for a great ski season with the kids with tons of new gear and I couldn't be more excited to share something I love so much with the people I love so much.

5. Marianne and I made a necklace as part of her Princess Sophia the First Costume together.  Kate and I also sewed a skirt for her costume.  Making Halloween costumes is my favorite, so i am always glad when store bought just won't do in their minds.

6. Park time.  We spent a lot of time at all the parks in town so far this month.  The weather seems to have been unseasonably warm... but I think I said that last year and the year before, so maybe I am wrong.  October is always one of my favorite months especially when it feels like September.  We have been outside most everyday and even often eat lunch out there.

7.  Adorable pictures of Beth eating Spagettio's .  She is a very picky eater.  I've had kids who won't eat much of anything, but not kids who just refuse to eat certain things.  Beth refuses to eat bread.  In fact if we offer her the sacrament she will throw a tantrum and try to throw the bread tray across the pew, and then we have to walk out with her because she is screaming so much so we stopped trying.   She was happy with Spagettio's this day but only if she got to eat them all by herself.  Which is usually also the case with yogurt. She will eat it as long as I don't try to help her.  So she takes lots and lots of baths.  I am sure most of the picky eating is because she has a lame tummy too- surprise surprise (one of our kids?).  We have been in and out of doctors for a while now with no real answers just like with Kate.  Some of the best help we've found is weekly chiropractic adjustments- which to me is something only crazy hippie people would do to their babies. but when you are desperate you are desperate.  So we go once a week with Kate and Beth and are spending a small fortune in chiropractic care and I am contemplating going to chiropractic school as I think it might be a less expensive route in the end... kidding... but not really.

8.  More park time.  I asked the kids what park they wanted to go to and their answer was "the ice cream park"  That is not a park, but apparently this summer we got a lot of ice cream and ate it at this park, thus my kids have named it ice cream park, and when we go there we bring ice cream and sometimes grilled cheese sandwiches.  And I'd hate to break a tradition.  So it continues.

9. Bethy girl has eyelashes that rival most anyone including people with fake eyelashes and I'm not sure how she is mine because of it.

 10. The little girls and I outside blowing bubbles in our bare feet the last week of October.  It is fantastic.

11. We finally finished our fence. We didn't do it lets be clear. Because it wouldn't even be close by now.  We paid for somebody else to dig their lives away in those rocks outside.  And a fence we have.   It looks great.  And is great for security, family time, but as you can see Cola and Beth sometimes have to spend time like this together.

12. Block party.   At least that is the caption I sent in a text to Jake.  On Friday Kate had a little cough and sore throat, I have been feeling the same way and our neighbors had strep so I suspected we all were getting it again... we just had it.  So instead of school the kids stayed home.  Jake and I took them all to get a strep test which came back fine but then we were home all day together.  Which was really wonderful.  I hate that my kids go to school everyday we had a block party that afternoon which is when you bring every Lego, Waffle Block, Wooden Block, Duplo block and build the entire living room into a city.  In the end nobody is really that sick, and really didn't have to miss school or stay home from work to help me take kids the doc, but I liked having a "sick" day anyways.  I think it should be a Friday tradition.


13.  I got to walk home with these two older kids today.  Marianne has been having tummy trouble this week too... really can't we catch a break!  And though she is fine, she was crying the minute we sat down to sacrament meeting that her tummy hurt.  So Jake took her out for a while, then tried again to come in with no luck.  Just lots of crying.  So Jake took Marianne and Bethany too because she is too much anyways and went home.  Which left me to enjoy church with two older kids.  Kate's hair I curled today too which I never do and Marianne said "you look like Mom" to her while they were walking in to church.  I liked that.  I got a new calling today which came with meetings and other things after church so these two waited coloring in the foyer for almost an hour after church like such patient champs.   Then the three of us walked home together.  They mostly talked to me about how the street doesn't have a sidewalk to our church and they really need to do it because it is dangerous..... but the air was crips and perfect and I walked thinking how grateful I am for these two wonderful older kids whose needs get knocked to the bottom especially when there are two sick baby girls in the house.  But they are helpful and kind and try to have good attitudes and I couldn't ask for more from them.