What would you do if you found some treasure?

Here is a paragraph that J had to write for class today.

J 10/31/07

If I found some treasure, I would save some and donate the rest to animal rescue shelters, children’s hospitals and orphanages. I think this showing respect for others and self-discipline. I have been taught to help others who have less than I do. It makes me sad to see animals and children who need help and a home. I hope that someday I can really donate some money and time to others who are in need and make them happy.

My children always continue to amaze me. I feel very lucky to be able to enjoy them as their mother. I am very blessed.

Happy Halloween!!!

K took the kids out Trick or Treating around the neighborhood. It was REALLY cold so they had to come home a couple of times to warm up. Even Z dressed up and went along for the free candy. They had a really great time and all went to bed coughing, but smiling!








H dressed up as a sick baby so he and I stayed home and passed out candy. After I sent the kids to bed, I went through their bags and took out all the gum and small hard candy that they could choke on and set it in a bowl outside on the front steps for any "late" Trick or Treaters. This morning, most of the "unwanted" candy and gum was gone. Yes!!!

This is the night we've waited for...

We had a friend give us some pumpkins out of her garden. For Family Home Evening, we decided to carve pumpkins and have caramel apples. Sounds festive, right?




K trying to pick out a pumpkin from our kitchen table pumpkin patch.










Z, J and S working hard at designing the perfect face. J held his up and asked, "Can you tell which one is the pumpkin?" NOPE!

H checking his pumpkin out. He kept licking it. It probably tasted like dirt. Yum!























The best part was cleaning out the insides. I decided that Halloween was thought up while someone was carving a pumpkin. The insides felt like spider webs. The kids thought they were digging out guts. They had a hard time getting the heart out. It was scarey and slimey and yucky!

It's alot of work to carve 6 pumpkins. We got the tops off of all of them and they all got cleaned out but we only got 2 carved. Then Ken and I were both tired and my house and kids were a mess. The pumpkins all went out to the front porch, carved or not, the kids went to the bathtub, K went to bed, and I cleaned up the kitchen.

We did end the night with family prayer and K's version of caramel apples. The kids were slightly disappointed that they didn't get to melt the caramels and then put it on the apples but in the end it all tasted pretty much the same. Plus, it was one less mess I had to clean up.





Next year we will only carve one pumpkin per adult, not one pumpkin per child. The rest will be decorated with markers!

"Hot!"

Me: I'm really hot! (as I pull my hair up into a ponytail)
J: (disgusted face)
Me: What's that look for?
J: If your hot it means your like...sexy and beautiful.
Me: (surprised but trying to cover up) Well, duh!
J: (looks like he might vomit)
Me: Okay, at your age hot may mean "sexy and beautiful". At my age, it just means that I feel warm.
J: Oh...Yeah, I agree!

Our Ward Halloween Party

K was out of town for the week last week and so I asked Z to run the camera for me while I held H since Z seems to have outgrown Trick or Treating this year. Today I was looking through the pictures that he took. Hum....here they are!

I just have to say that Halloween is NOT my favorite holiday so I'm okay with not having any really great pictures. It's just funny what he thought was important to take pictures of. I guess that he captured the overall feeling of chaos that I felt that night! On Halloween night, though, I'LL be running the camera!!!

Artistic Adventures Night

At school, they had an Artistic Adventures Night. Every student was encouraged to display one or two items of art.

S loves to make jewelry. She just learned how to make this style of bracelet this week. I am constantly amazed by each necklace that she makes. She would like to try earrings next. I think she is getting pretty good.

J really enjoys drawing so I got him a burn pen and he enjoyed making some wood signs. He also loves aquariums and any living creature but I'm not big into pets right now so he enjoyed making these candles as a cheap substitute for the real thing.

Z loves anything Harry Potter so when we found this card set, he was hooked. This is the begining of Z's interpretation of Hogwarts made out of cards. This has definately been a fun project for him to work on.

My other artistic children:

A is always happy!

K is a tease!

And H is very curious and always dirty!

We also got to meet their teachers and see where their desks are and meet their friends and other parents. I was proud of my kids for participating. They enjoyed the positive feedback from others and they equally enjoyed seeing and complimenting the other childrens projects. It was a very fun evening.

Can you read this?

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid. Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the first and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can slitl raed it wouthit a porbelm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?