Good Students

Today I had the opportunity to visit with both Kate's and Todd's teacher. They both had great things to say about the kids. They're doing very well.

Todd has had a bit of a rude awakening because 4th grade is a lot different than 3rd grade. His teacher is especially tough, and really expects a lot out of him. He is learning to be more organized, disciplined, careful, and attentive: all important skills for the future.

Kate is thrilled because she has been accepted into the Discovery (Gifted and Talented) Program. She will attend with the 2nd graders once a week for two hours. She's looking very forward to participating in some of the fun activities she's seen Todd enjoying the last couple of years. We're very proud of her for working so hard. She's becoming a great little reader, and starting to play the piano with more confidence as well. At six years old, she's doing great!!!

Some Peoples' Children

Kate came through the door from school today absolutely distraught. Apparently a girl in her class spotted her completely awesome kitchen sink bracelet custom made for her by TaLaisa at TaLaisa's Bead Drawer. Kate absolutely adores this bracelet -- it is the greatest single treasure in her world and she in inordinately proud of it. This little girl saw what a completely cool bracelet it was and decided that she wanted it for herself, so she threatened Kate that she wouldn't be her friend unless she gave her the bracelet. Not wanting to create an enemy, and not having any experience with such matters, Kate gave in and handed over the prized possession. By the time she got home she was a mess -- completely devastated. Well, we had a talk about how wrong it is to blackmail someone into giving something away, and how wrong it is to ask for things that don't belong to you. We also talked about how we have to be strong and stand up for ourselves and not give other people the right and opportunity to walk all over us. This is a good lesson for her. I've coached her about what to say to this little girl tomorrow when she asks for her bracelet back. Also, as luck would have it, we had parent/teacher conferences today and I informed her teacher of the problem. Between the three of us Kate should have her bracelet back tomorrow and be a little more world-wise in the bargain.

Uh......

I was just looking over the pictures I've posted today and, uh, I really need to get a new camera. Sorry about the hazy quality -- just use your imagination.

Late Nights-Early Mornings

Brad has been burning the midnight oil and then getting up early that last few mornings in order to refinish our hardwood floors. They have been in desperate need for a couple of years now, so I'm am thrilled with the results. They 'shine like the top of the Chrysler Building'! Because we have so much square footage in wood, he has done it in sections, moving the furniture around to do it. Not an easy job, but WOW the results speak for themselves. The only thing left to do is the staircase. Thank goodness he built the back staircase or we'd have to move in to a hotel in order to get this done. He's awesome.

A little sidenote: we also finally got our new concrete sealed and it looks amazing. I can't walk on it right now because it is drying, so maybe I'll get a picture of it some other time.

A Few Halloween Decorations

Julie and my friend Amber inspired me to get my act together and get my house decorated for fall. The kids were very excited to help and it turned out to be a really fun afternoon.

These paper bag pumpkins were made from - duh - paper bags!! A couple of years ago I was in charge of centerpieces for our ward harvest dinner. The budget was $20 for 20 tables, so my friend Karrie and I got creative and made these with spray paint, curled raffia, and a little wire.


This little display is just a bunch of stuff that I've had for years . Most of it is gifts from people that I haven't known what to do with at the time. The vase is filled with curly willow from the neighbors bush and some silk Japanese lantern flowers I used for a shower decoration this summer.









This decoration was inspired by Amber Tribe, who did a mini version of this last year on top of her entertainment center. She just took a small pumpkin and stuck in a creepy branch that had fallen off one of her trees. Sooo cute! I used curly willow (again) and large, oblong pumpkins that fit in my urns. The orange berries and leaves are off a bush in my alley, the bow and green berry wreath are from Wal-Mart and Dollar Tree, respectively. I'm really happy with how this turned out. There's a matching one on the other side of the sidewalk.
This is the view of the front of the house now. I am especially happy that this will last from now until after Thanksgiving. I like decorating with fall decorations rather than just specifically Halloween, because I'm lazy (let's face it, folks!)










Up the stairs, wrapped around the banister is a cute orange berry strand (that you really can't see at all in this picture). Also, some fun orange lights, some creepy bony hands, the obligatory spiderwebs, and my personal favorite -- the little ghosty-girl. It's made out of a white, lighted paper lantern with a ghost face drawn on it, then covered with torn up cheesecloth. I added a bow on top of it's head because it just made me smile. Kate thinks it is her ghostly twin!! :)


Today we're going to make cheesecloth ghosts if I get really ambitious. But first, it's off to parent/teacher conferences.

What Happens When You Leave a 9-yr-old In Charge

Brad and I went to the church to get our temple recommends renewed. We left Todd in charge and when we returned 40 minutes later we couldn't find Jack. Todd didn't know where he was and he wouldn't answer us when we called. I was a bit worried because he has learned how to open the door now. We went through the house calling him and Brad found him like this:

Apparently, the last three steps were just too much for him. He was headed upstairs to go to bed (he has taken to putting himself to bed when he gets tired or wants to be left alone at night), but just couldn't muster the strength needed to finish the climb. I love that he is using Scooby Doo as a pillow!

Who Knew?

I inadvertently broke Jack's heart yesterday. I was washing all the bedding in the house, but he was downstairs when I stripped the beds. Later in the morning he went upstairs and completely wigged out because his bed was NOT right. He just kept crying and moaning, "ma ed, ma ed" and "a-keen, a-keen" (that's 'my bed, my bed' and 'McQueen, McQueen' [as in Lightning McQueen from Cars] for those of you who don't speak Jackanese). I had to take him downstairs and let him watch the sheets and blankets roll around in the dryer so he could catch a glimpse of his beloved bedding before he could calm down and start laughing that sad, happy, overemotional laugh we all have when we've just had the scare of our lives. What a drama.