Chase's new passion

I think almost everyone has heard of the story "If you give a mouse a cookie" and all it's various reincarnations. (which we love) Our family's current version could be "If you teach a Chase how to make snowflakes.." In various parts of our house, no matter how well he cleans up, we have a dusting of paper snow-remnants of Chase's new passion:

This in only a small sampling. The "kids office" cabinet doors have quite a few as well.


A little closer up-my wall didn't make for a great picture!

Great moments...

brought to you by Chase...

While choosing stories for bedtime a few days ago, Chase chose "The Magic Dreidles" and said-this is my favorite Hannukah story of ALL time!

How many Hannukah stories does he know????

Thanks and waiting

I just wanted to give a shout out of thanks for answered prayers. As many know, Braden has dealt with a host of health and other problems for some time. Over the last few months I have seen how the Lord has placed the right people in our path.

First, the piano teacher. Just someone Matt found online. She's been great and on a day of breakdown, she let me know about her masters in music therapy. So she changed the approach to Braden's piano lessons to one of therapy. Many tears of grattitude shed on that difficult day.

Second, the herbalist. Lady in the stake that is a master herbalist who also does wholesale organic food orders on the side. She came to our ward to present her food options for emergency preparation. Two consultations and many supplements and months later, a Braden with no further symptoms.

And today, the new member of our ward with an amazing voice (you can tell she's TOTALLY holding back in sacrament meeting, and yes, she apparently sung on Broadway)who's career is as a doctor in counseling and alternative medicine who can maybe help Braden with some of his what I call autistic tendencies.

It's an amazing confirmation that the Lord is watchful of us and will place those people we need to meet if we are patient and wait on Him. I think it's often that "waiting" part that's the hardest to do. I need to learn how to "wait" better.

The relativity of cold

So, I must begin this post with a disclaimer...I have lived in Indiana, I have lived in Michigan, I have visited Minnesota many times in the winter, and I know what true cold is. Having said that, it has been relatively cold in Florida lately. I very much enjoy that as it makes it feel like, oh I don't know, November. However, I noticed an oddity last night while I was out with Matt. When going into a store on a cold day in the aforementioned states, the building is warm. In Florida, the air conditioning is still on....not quite the refreshing blast of warm air one would expect on a chilly (I won't actually use the word "cold") evening. Weird.

October 1st

Back in August, I had to make a royal "proclamation". We would not be discussing halloween costumes or decorations until October 1st. Now, before that sounds too ridiculous to you, you must understand that my third child is a Halloween junkie!! I'm mean, a SERIOUS junkie. When he was four, he talked about what he was going to be for the NEXT Halloween every day for NINE MONTHS. He also spent all of his time in the car for a good month poring over the Halloween edition of Oriental Trading-almost hours at a time. So the mandate was for my own sanity. Little did I know that we would have a countdown to October 1st, athough I'm not surprised one bit.

Now, I must mention that my dear mother is the great facilitator! She is on the lookout months in advance for Halloween things. She also has a serious addiction to Oriental Trading, but that's a story for another day. She has been dubbed the "Halloween Fairy" because she will sweep in from time to time and leave halloween things behind.

So, with all that being said, here is our first installment of Halloween decorations. I say first installment since the Halloween Fairy will be bringing craft projects by for the young ones as the month progresses.

So from our house to yours, Happy Halloween Season!!! (Delainey's name for it since she sobbed for about 20 minutes yesterday as she tried to process that Ocotber 1st, was in fact, NOT Halloween!)

The family room. The Halloween fairy delivered the things hanging from the ceiling, and to be honest, it looks really cool. Much to Matt's chagrin. (he's not completely sold on the "early decorating")


Books and sound making stuffables



The duckie line up-they are mummies, vampires, devils, and pumpkins, with a guest appearance of Spookely the square pumpin

Delainey's first day...

of preschool!! She had to wait and wait and wait, but it finally came and she's loving it. I will admit to a small tug on the heartstrings as I drove away Tuesday, but I've enjoyed my "free" time-already been on two bike rides!!

Moments of humor

Like my four year old singing Kelly Clarkson's "Life would suck without you" while putting away dishes...(and I'm sure that's not the real title, but it wouldn't be as funny!)

A very important day in our house

FINALLY, after nearly 13 years of waiting, my little army man has his very own OFFICIAL military uniform. He's in the Marine ROTC at school and after waiting for a month for all the gear to arrive, he finally got to wear it to school. He was all but giddy this morning. Go Andrew!

What to do with an unused kiddie pool

Row, row, row your boat anyone?

It's really hard to wake sleeping beauty

A picture is worth a thousand words...

What happens while the parents are at choir

A couple of weeks ago we came home from choir with dinner already made:



Andrew was very excited with his cooking prowess, making curry sauce to go on chicken



It wasn't too bad!!

The joys of being female

Our first real foray into night time curlers:



Finished product-she looks a bit like her friend Eden, who has beautiful natural curl, and it actually stayed rather curly for the whole day and into the next!

Florida rite of passage

I'm pretty sure that in the "Handbook of growing up in Florida" there has to be a passage on "catching a lizard all by yourself." For Chase, check the box as "done."