A Christmas Message For All

The Thanksgiving You Should Be Sorry You Missed

We had a really big turn out at my Mom's this year for Thanksgiving. It has been over twenty years since I can remember this many people in my family showing up for Thanksgiving. We had Aunts, Uncles, cousins, in-laws and babies.





It really was a lot of fun. Chris cooked a prize winning turkey and his Mom made a fruit salad that was talked about the next two days.


My kids had a blast playing on the bikes and sleeping in my parents barn/guest house.

Christmas List

As I have stated before, Chris is horrible about remembering what I want for Christmas. I am not all sneaky about it either. I literally see something and say, "This is what I want for Christmas, take notes." But it never fails that Christmas approaches and he asks what I want and when I answer, "you should know already", he looks at me with the deer caught in the head lights look.

So for his safety here is my wishlist.

1. Bethlehem set for the Little People Nativity scene

2. Nancy Drew PC game (the latest two)

3. White fudge covered oreos (I am not pregnant)
4. A plane ticket to see my sister
5. A day at the spa (if you could see my feet, you would agree)
I did get a great pedicure kit from one of my favorite Aunts, which I used tonight and they are looking much better. Thank you Lynette.
6. A personal chef to cook healthy (tasty) meals
7. Dance lessons with my husband

8. A maid to come and deep clean my house

9. A get away with my sweetheart or Chris LOL!
10. and last but not least, a new dress for church, that actually makes me look slimmer.

This One's For You Mom

So after living here for over a year, I finally got a my mom down here to my house. It was a very exciting visit for Halloween. Now all of you young mom's know exactly what happens when your mom comes to visit. All of the sudden every thing that you do isn't quite the way your supposed to do it. Of course they say it with love and try to be subtle, but you get the hint.

I have always hated ironing and usually my ironing board can be found in the garage collecting dust. Well I guess I need to suck it up and put my big girl panties on, cause according to mom my kids look like rag-a-muffins (her exact wording) when they go to church. I told her I have a really hard time with clothes that have to be ironed all the time, so I just buy khakis and polo shirts. And we barely make it out the door on time as it is. The kids usually don't have their hair combed and they are handed a frozen blueberry waffle and a sippy cup of milk (almost all the food groups) as they march out the door. Plus funds are tight so we figured while they were in nursery it didn't really matter, and we would buy them a nice white shirt when they started primary.

To make a long story short the next weekend when my mom came back to bring home Caleb, she insisted on buying my kids all new church clothes. Well, I can't complain when someone is spending their money on me, so needless to say we were very thankful. And this is the end result.



Aren't they the sweetest little future missionaries ever. I have to admit sometimes (sometimes) mom's are right. I definitely feel a difference on Sundays now that we take a little more time to look our best. I think the kids even feel the spirit a little more cause they seem a little nicer during sacrament meeting. Or maybe they just look so sweet I am more forgiving. Thanks Mom.

Super Halloween!!!

We had the best Halloween this weekend. My parents came down to visit and my kids were in heaven. They took Caleb home so I could work on potty training Joshua, so now I am in heaven. I still miss the little booger, but it is definitely easier to potty train with only one little guy running around.

On Friday Benjamin was supposed to dress as what he wants to be when he grows up. He wants to be an astronaut and since we couldn't go buy an astronaut suit, he decided to go as an astronaut who is working in the lab for the day. I think he really liked the idea and really liked his NASA special entrance name tag I made him.

For Halloween the kids decided they wanted to dress up as everyone's favorite plumbers, Mario and Luigi. So naturally we dressed Joshua up as Toadstool.

I searched and searched for Benny some overalls in his size, but couldn't find any anywhere. SO I settled for store bought costumes. They were pretty cute wearing those mustaches. I made Joshua's costume and he actually wore the hat the whole night.



We sat up our dancing and singing skeleton in front of the van for Trunk or Treating at the church and he was a big hit. Some of the little kids wouldn't even come over to our car.

My favorite costume had to be Frankenstein. This guy is already almost 7 foot tall and then he still added the platforms to the bottom of his shoes and he was really freaky. His wife went as a Ghost buster.

I dressed up as a witch and Chris dressed up as a pimp. One of the ladies at church said they were disappointed that I didn't come as a Hoe. HAHAHA! I also had to make two dozen cupcakes for the kids cake walk. I have to brag that my brains and eyeballs disappeared first.




Sunday I made meatloaf brains and then my parents headed home. Chris had to hit the books again, so me and Josh and Benny decided to do a little trick or treating. Since they got a huge bag of candy form the church carnival, we decided to only hit the houses that had really cool decorations. Every time I would pull up to a really scary house I would ask Benny if he was sure he wanted to go to this one, and he would say,"Yeah, I'm not scared of anything".

We had a lot of fun and are so glad Grandma and Grandpa finally made it down this way. I am looking forward to seeing my little Caleb this weekend.

I'm Alive! I'm Alive!

Yes, I know I promised a bunch of great Halloween posts, but this diet is really putting a damper on my holiday fun. Plus with my school and Chris having a test every single week, it has been a little hectic. But don't worry I was able to squeeze in a few fun projects and goodies.

So first off let me just say that as you all know I am a Halloween addict. I love everything about this month. Growing up in Texas, October always marked the beginning of cooler weather. I could finally breath again as the stifling humidity started to let up. Plus I love all the changing colors and pumpkins everywhere. I love that it is sweater season.

I do not watch scary movies, since my husband is gone late a lot and I would never sleep again if I did, but I still love everything scary. I love all the cute goblins and witches.

There is one thing however, that I absolutely despise about Halloween, Pumpkin Carving. I hate carving pumpkins. They are very hard to cute, they are gross to clean , and they only look good for like three days before they rot and mold.
So last year when I did my after Halloween clearance shopping I came across this kit of Mr Potato head like pieces for decorating your pumpkin and for 50 cents I couldn't pass them up. So this year for FHE we decorated our pumpkin with the faces. Each kid got to decorate one side.

A silly face

and a scary face.

Best of all they have a blast changing the faces around whenever they like, and it has been able to sit on our table all month long. Whoever came up with this was a genius.

I made pumpkin rolls for the first time. I have always been a little intimidated by these delicious cakes, but I have to say they were much easier to make than I thought and I will definitely be making them again. The senior citizen that lives next door shared his with his daughter and they absolutely loved it.

Sorry the pictures aren't very cute, but the neighbor kids were over chomping at the bit. Needless to say, my diet was not ruined, on account I didn't get to eat very much myself.

I also tried out this pumpkin cupcake recipe, which was delicious and easy too. They didn't turn out as cute as I wanted but, they were good.


Last, I was able to squeeze in some Eyeball Truffles for the ladies I visit and teach and some of our friends.


These were so good. I should have doubled the batch, but then again maybe not. I only got to eat two, so again my diet was safe.
These were definitely more difficult than I thought they would be. Dipping truffles is much harder than it seems. I was glad that I was decorating them as eyeballs,cause they were definitely sloppy looking. Oh well, I will just have to practice more.

Hopefully I will have some more stuff to post this weekend after I finish our costumes and goodies for the carnival. But, for now that is all I got.
Happy Haunting!

OCTOBER YAY!!

Well it is that time of year again, where I torture you with my love for Halloween. I have already decorated my house. At first the kids were afraid to go into the living room cause of all the scary motion sensors, but they got over it and now I have to turn them off cause they are driving ME crazy! Wishing everyone the best Halloween! I would love to know if any of you have some cute craft ideas or costumes. Leave me a comment and I may try to recreate them.

Teacher Update

I thought this was so funny I couldn't help but share.
First of all thanks for all the sweet comments from my teacher friends. I know teaching has to be a very nerve racking job, especially with small children. I don't think I could ever imagine any of you guys using the tone this lady did. I only use it when I am extremely worn out, and it wasn't the level as much as the tone, but I am very glad that most teachers do enjoy their jobs. The ones that don't need to find another job.

But here is the funny story. So last night at the dinner table, Benny says "sometimes, Mrs Rhoads uses voice level 4."
Now I haven't quite figured out this voice level thing, but when I had lunch with Benny they were supposed to chat quietly at a level 2.
So I asked, "oh yeah, when does she use that voice?"
He said, "when she is really mad and we are being bad."
Trying to gauge how loud he was talking about, I said "well when she talks in voice level 4 does she yell as loud as Mommy or not as loud?"
He said a little too quickly,"Oh no she never gets as loud as you."
Hmmm...Guess I need to work on my voice levels a little...

Benny and the Teacher From the Black Lagoon

As you all know Benny started school a month ago. His teacher was a young lady who had been teaching for about seven years. When I first met her I didn't really feel a connection. But since this was my first time meeting a teacher for my own child, I brushed it off as me possibly just being a little nervous and over protective.

Benjamin started school and loved it. Chris would drop him off every day and I would pick him up. The first week Chris walked him in each day to make sure he knew where he was going. Each day he had an encounter with Benny's teacher and would try to say hello or be polite and each day he felt like he got the brush off. I felt like I was getting the same treatment when I would pick him up.

Now let me make a side note here really quick. I really struggled as to whether or not to home shcool or not and my final decision was made due to the fact that I felt a licensed teacher could do a better job than me. Not that Kindergarten curriculum is all that hard, but Benny can be a little wiggly, and by a little I mean a lot. He can also be a little talkative, with two chatty parents he is pretty much screwed in that area. So correct me if I am wrong, but if I am trusting a teacher with my child for 8 hours out of the day, I should be able to expect them to be sweet and kind and gentle, right, especially with Kindergarten.

So over the next week I started dropping in for lunch or to drop papers off and tried to observe her interaction with the class. She always seemed to be frazzled and impatient. Her voice was never calm or patient. At times I think she could have been close to yelling.

Friday night at dinner, I was amazed that Chris was the one to broach the subject first and we both felt the same way about her, even though we hadn't mentioned either of our experiences to the other before this.

So to make a long story longer I was very excited when we got a note in Benny's back pack saying that his class was over crowded and he was on a list to possibly be moved to a different school. I called the listed number and discussed my options with the Superintendent, not mentioning my reservations about his teacher. Together it was decided that he should switch schools. I decided to keep an open mind and pay close attention to the new teacher just to make sure it wasn't just Chris and I being over protective parents.

On the last at the old school Chris picked Benny up. Now what we do is park and walk across the road and pick him up right there in person. Here is the encounter that took place according to Chris's words:

I walked up to his class and found Benjamin. As we were getting his back pack loaded down with supplies, I said "Benny do you want to tell your teacher goodbye". Benny said "sure" and started calling her name. With out noticing me she turned and said in a very sharp and impatient tone, "I heard you Benny and I already said goodbye",then she looked up and saw me standing their and said a lot more sweetly, "Oh, oh he is saying bye. Bye Benjamin".

This last week was his first week at his new school and his teacher is the sweetest lady and I haven't heard her raise her voice one time. She always has the sweetest things to say about Benjamin and even though they aren't always good I can tell that she really enjoys being a teacher and loves her class. On the first day after we picked him up I asked him which teacher he liked better and he quickly said "the new teacher, cause she likes me." I just wanted to cry. Let me add that Chris and I had been very good about not talking about our concerns with the old teacher in front of Benny. We had asked him several times if he had liked her and if she was nice and he always said, yeah, so this was a big deal for him to say.

Needless to say we are very happy with our new teacher and glad that our opinion of public school wasn't ruined, cause Benny really loves school and has so much fun. He is always awake before any of us, and ready to go everyday. It was a good lesson though for the future, I know to be more trusting of my own instincts and will be prepared to make changes if needs be, with out doubting my own feelings.

Football Season has begun

So BYU football has begun and we had a blast at the party last night for the first game. Here is my contribution to the party food. Check out Babycakesbysara.blogspot.com for my other creations and read below about Benny's big day.

School is in Session

My Baby boy started Kindergarten!! Yeah I know this post is two weeks over due, but it has been crazy. I did much better than I expected. I didn't cry at all. And even though I still miss him everyday, I know it was the best choice for us. He absolutely loves school and tells me everyday "I had a fun day today,Mom". I think it has given me a chance to really spend some quality time with Caleb and Joshua, and now running errands are easy and I am not in tears by the time I get home after a long day. Who knew huh!



I am so glad that he loves to learn. The teacher says he is a little wiggly and talkative, and that he likes to get other kids involved. Oops, guess we will have to work on that. But yay! for making friends, right? It seems that he is still able to retain quite a bit, even while wiggling, cause everyday he sings me songs, and writes his name and spells little words. So if we could just get him to sit still he may be the next Einstein.

Since there are less people to share with at home, Caleb and Josh have been able to enjoy dressing up as super heroes whenever they want. Caleb also gets to pick out the cereal and fruit snacks by himself (well until Josh forms more of an opinion). Joshua gets to pick out the morning cartoon some and gets to snuggle with Mom more.



Caleb has started getting a little more mischievous with all this extra time away from fighting over toys, and has taken to washing his hair in the sink with hand soap, when Mommy is distracted. I haven't figured out if this is a sign that he would like more baths or if he wants to be a Barber when he grows up.

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Since Joshua gets so many more snuggles and cuddles, he has taken to dragging his blanket around with him, I guess so that he is always ready. And he really likes getting in to the fridge when ever he feels like it.

So even though it has been a very busy two weeks, it has also been a good two weeks and we are really enjoying our new routine. Plus I have made it to the gym five times this last week. Whoo Hoo for school!!

Day of Mourning

Today has to be one of the saddest days I have had since my sweet Benjamin was born five years ago. I have been struggling all day to not cry and upset him...but all I want to do is hide in my room and maybe the day will never end.

Why, you ask? Because tomorrow my sweet baby boy will start Kindergarten.


Oh how my heart aches. How can I bare to not have him by my side all day asking me all kinds of interesting questions, like why Mommies and Daddies are fat and kids aren't, or How come the government made it so we couldn't plant fruit seeds from our apples and grow our own fruit trees. He also has very helpful ideas like how to make a slingshot with my bra or that he thinks we should only have pizza or chicken nuggets for lunch cause then we could eat the gross stuff for dinner. Plus he loves to help with chores, as long as I let him try a new one every day.

I have tomorrow planned so that I can do my best to not blubber all day. First, I am giving Chris a ride to school so that we can drop him off together and Chris can walk him in. Daddy has to take lot's of pictures so that I can look at them all day and boo hoo. After I drop Chris off I am headed to the gym so that maybe the energy boost will give me the endorphins I need to cheer me up. After that I have a trip to the grocery store where hopefully the relief from only having to wrestle two kids we'll only add to my relaxation. After that I may let myself cry till I fall asleep for a nap with the babies and then it will be time to wake up and go pick him up. YAY! I think if all goes well I may survive.

Benjamin on the other hand is over joyed and already has his backpack ready to go. He can't wait to meet new friends and sit at his own special chair. He already made two new friends at meet the teacher on Friday (where I almost had a nervous break down may I add). He can't wait to try out the new playground and go to gym class and eat in the lunch room. I am trying to put on a smile when he talks about it, because he is such a tender little heart. Every time I tell him how much I am going to miss him he starts crying and says, well I could just stay here with you and then you wouldn't be sad. I could just play with my action figures all day and have friends over. He is such a sweet heart.

So tomorrow for him, I will put on my big girl panties and wave goodbye to my sweet little boy and hope that he has a great day on his first day of school...but if anyone is mean to him I will be up there like a Hell Cat ready to fight. PTO you better watch out.

Yum Yum

New delicious creations on Babycakesbysara.blogspot.com. So grab a glass of milk and enjoy.

Caleb's party

Caleb wanted a Green Lantern party. For those non-super hero experts, he is a guy who has a ring of power and protects our planet from alien invasions and he wears all green. So we made rings of power for the kids.


We had a few friends over and John and Pam came down.


Chris made the most delicious Avocado Burgers and then we opened presents. I think Caleb was satisfied with his loot.



After all the traveling we have done this summer. I twas really nice to have a relaxing family party. Happy Birthday Caleb!! I can't believe you are 3 already. Please slow down. We love you.