Halloweenie . . .

We had a very busy and fun Halloween! First we had a cousin party where we made stuff and played stuff and ate stuff! It was fun, but if you've ever had 12 kids (including two babies not pictured) ages 9 1/2 and under at your house for a Halloween party, then you know the chaos that ensued! But that's how you make memories, right?! Also, please notice the boy to girl ratio - - slight advantage to the girls!! A 9 to 3 advantage, to be exact! (if you include the 2 baby girls!)

Then, it was off to "Trunk-or-Treat"! Gotta say, I'm a big fan of the truck-or-treating! It's much easier for me to stand by my trunk and hand out candy as I watch my kids wander around a parking lot, than to have to go from block to endless block, only to hit a few houses of the people we actually know and trust! But man, I'd have wandered all night given the weather we had! PERFECT! I love it when you can wear your costume instead of having to wear a coat! Loved it! All in all, a very good Halloween. Now I must go 'cause the kiddos are sleeping and this is when I go through their bags to pick out the stuff I want!

You can drop my Mother-of-the-Year trophy off tomorrow.

Question of the day . . .

While sitting on the couch folding laundry, Anna beside me coloring, I answered this question -

Anna - "Mom, when I'm 82 can I take my shower by myself?"

Me - "Yes."

Anna - "Thank you."

I am not ashamed . . .

I admit it. I liked it. Alot. Song every eight minutes, cute 20- somethings playing teens, what's not to like?! Just bring some tortilla chips with you if you go. You'll need them to catch the cheese that drips from the screen.

So much to do, and obviously too much time . . .

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

It's possible I've been avoiding the laundry/cleaning. But all in good fun! I would've killed for hair like that in real life! And how flattered am I that I supposedly resemble a MALE celebrity!! (has anyone ever heard of him?) Kinda fun - give it a try if you have laundry to do! Much more interesting ;)

And so it begins . . .

Right now, Sara is at one of my favorite stages/ages . . . the one where she can sit up and play (with m&m wrappers, apparently!) but not go anywhere on her own.







But, as you can see, this is bound to change quickly - - and from then on, nothing is safe! Soon, she'll be finding the crumbs under the table that can't seem to find their way to the mouths of the other kiddos, and the sock fuzz left behind on the carpet. You see, the reason I don't like the next stage is that I actually have to clean or else risk the afore mentioned ending up in her mouth. Sigh! It was good while it lasted!






I had to hurry and get a picture of her in this cute dress on Sunday! It's the last time she'll wear it. She could barely move her arms because it's a little tight up top!

I made the mistake of sitting by the window with her during Relief Society and Sunday School. The sun was shining right on us - - it got SO HOT! So, I had to disrobe her and remove her onesie (don't you hate not being able to predict whether it'll be too hot or too cold at church? I guessed wrong this week!) then put her dress back on! So, the ward members sitting near us got a bit of a show -but I'm guessing it was nothing they haven't seen before! I also had to take the socks off! Aren't they cute? Socks with shoes built in . . . GENIOUS!







And in case any of you were worried that she might be missing, I believe I found Cindy Lou Who from Whoville!

7 weird things . . .

How exciting . . . I've been "tagged" for the first time! Wa-hoo! I'm supposed to list 7 weird things about myself (narrowing it down was no small task) so, here goes . . .

1. I must have things in even numbers, which means you'll get eight weird things about me 'cause I can't have an odd 7 - in fact it almost made me crawl out of my skin to have the number 7 listed so many times! Which leads me to . . .

2. Crawling out of my skin - - I have what I call "bug spots". These are parts of me that I cannot even touch myself because it "bugs" me! For example . . . the top of my head, the top of my ears, the sides of my neck (can't wear necklaces!) the inside of my upper arm, my wrists, my belly button, the inside of my knees, the outside of my big toes, and the tips of my toes! WEIRD! In fact, just thinking about things touching those places makes me crazy, and seeing OTHER people touching those areas on themselves gives me chills. Yes, I know, the word is psycho, not weird!

3. I cannot fall asleep unless my feet are clean and the fan is on!

4. My favorite number is 4, and I will and have done anything necessary to make things even out to 4 or at least a multiple of. For example, my family's birthdays (in their respective months) are Tommy = 4th, Joey = 8th, Anna = 12th, TR = 16, and Sara = 28th! No small task, mind you!

5. I don't like root beer floats because once when I was younger I had one in the evening and then had a really bad nightmare that night. Haven't liked 'em since!

6. My food can't touch (unless it's supposed to, i.e. potatoes and gravy, casseroles, etc.) This makes for quite the juggling act at Thanksgiving since I have to have 4 plates so that the jello doesn't run into the mashed potatoes!

7. I like things between my fingers and toes - so I can't wear socks to bed, or else I'm unable to tuck the blanket between my toes! (see, I told you narrowing it down was difficult!)

8. The bonus to even things out - - I am unable to float in water, thus making it impossible for me to swim! I know you're thinking 'ya, right' but it is true! There is a genetic "thing" in my dad's side of the family called Dominant Endosteel Hyperostosis - - DENSE BONES basically. Anyway, makes it so I can't float! On the plus side, I've never broken a bone! WEIRD!

I now tag anyone out there brave enough to list 7 of their quirks (or eight, if you need to, too!) And yes, I will be seeking psychiatric help at some point!

6 Months and counting!

This is Sara "cheering" when her brothers walked in the door from school yesterday! So cute! I said "yeah, look who's home" - - she heard "yeah" and knew what to do from there!

She had her 6 month check up yesterday, too. Drum roll please . . . 28.5" and 20 lbs. (Well, technically 19.91 lbs. I say close enough. My back and left arm would tell you it's more like 30 lbs. though!) And to top it all off - that's how big I was at 12 months! Watch out WNBA!

In her hands is the BEST pre-toddler treat ever! (A tip from my father-in-law) It's an empty ice cream cone! They basically disolve without coming off in big chunks! But even if a chunk does come off in their mouth, they can handle it without choking! I gave it to her while I was making everyone else's dinner and it kept her busy until I could feed her her dinner! Perfect - I highly recommend it! The best part is the price! One of her favorite toys is a diaper, and her favorite treat is an empty cone! It's gonna be a cheap Christmas at our house!!

Move over Sarah Palin . . .

Well, I've done it. Somewhere in my 2-hours-of-sleep-daze (see post below) I've figured out the answer to the current economic crisis.
It's simple really. We just need our Senators and Congressmen to sell cookie dough, candy bars, and wrapping paper in a good old Washington style fund raiser! The proceeds go to the sinking lenders and crumbling Wall Street! Think of it! And the jobs that will be created . . . astounding! We'll need people to produce the product, PLUS we'll need people to deliver it! Economy boomed just like that!

Well, that settles it, I be a jeanieous!
P.S. Have I mentioned how much I hate fund raisers?
P.P.S. Party at my house at the end of the month - you see, I have $40 worth of cookie dough coming on the 26th! (sing with me now - - "I'm just a girl who can't say no" and my own kids weren't even the ones selling!)
P.P.S.S. "Wow, look kids! Santa left cookies for YOU this year!"
PPPPSSSS. This is NOT an endorsement for Sarah Palin. I mean c'mon. If I can figure it out, how come the "Hockey Mom Maverick" can't ;)

The opposite of fun . . .

The past two weeks have been spent dealing with the dreaded CROUP. Absolutely, positively, NO FUN. It started with Anna. I ended up at the Dr.'s office with her. Now, I know what you're saying, "you don't take 'em to the Dr. when they have croup. There's nothing the Dr. can do." This I know, however, she sounded like an 80 year old emphasemic man enjoying his last cigarette. Scary. You could hear her gasping for breath in the back room from the front room. Apparently the fix for this is steroids. Yes, my 4 year old had 4 doses of 'roids. That'll come up in therapy later, I'm sure ;) Then, Anna decided to "share" with Sara. And so, here I write, two hours of sleep under my belt last night, approximately 4 the night before. Like I said, the opposite of fun. Six month old baby girls SHOULD NOT have to have the croup. Poor thing. Fingers crossed that tonight will be better. I really didn't know how much I appreciate my kids being able to breathe . . . oh, the things we take for granted ;)