Halloween 2011

Happy Halloween from the Pirate and Indiana Jones! 

The kids are really happy with their costumes this year. :)

I've been enlightened!

Practices for the Primary presentation are not my favorite activities. In our ward, we're basically asking the kids to sit still and be quiet for 3 hours straight, 2 Sundays in a row, in their church clothes, no less. On top of that, we asked our kids to come prepared to focus and do their very best the morning after...

our ward trunk-or-treat.  If I didn't know any better, and know what end results will come from practicing, I'd think I was specializing in the cruel and unusual torture of children!  15 minutes before the end of church I wanted to escape just as much as the kids did!

There was some good to come out of the torture today, though, and that's why I wanted to blog about it.  This will be my 3rd program in 2 years, and it's the first time the kids have really, really known the songs and sung their hearts out.  Oh, and without the usual visual aids and posters, too.  It was amazing--I had to give a major shout-out to our wonderful music people and the parents who've been working with their kids on the songs.  It showed, in a big way.

I also wanted to give a shout-out to Rhiannon.  It's her last program.  She's pretty much fed up with Primary but still tries hard to have a good attitude about it.  On the way home after church Rhiannon had several ideas for how to make the presentation run better and smoother--I felt like I was having a discussion with a Laurel class president and not an 11-year-old!  I am REALLY going to miss having her in Primary with me when she turns 12 in May.  (sniff, sniff!)

My favorite part of the practice was a special musical number with all the scraggly, wiggly boys in the Senior Primary group, Wade included.  It's a good size group of boys, considering how small our Senior Primary is.  All of the kids had been singing great and singing well, but then that small group got up and belted out "I Hope They Call Me On A Mission," and it was electric.  My counselor sitting closest to the boys started crying, and I could feel goosebumps up and down my arms. 

It was powerful and sweet and for that moment, the torture ended and the only place I wanted to be was with those kids.

Rhiannon's first band concert!

Rhiannon's band class put on their first concert on the 14th.  Jason and I got to attend and really enjoyed it.  It was short, sweet, and fun!  I was surprised by how much the kids could do after just 6 weeks, too!

Rhiannon really enjoys Mr. Lacher and says he's her favorite teacher!  Rhiannon is in the back, playing the xylophone with another kid named Spencer.

Enjoy the video! :)

May the Force be with our 8-year-old!

WADE IS EIGHT!

We love this kid so much and had a blast celebrating his 8th birthday on October 21st!




Wade loves all birthdays, especially his own.  He was doing a birthday countdown for several months!  On the morning of his birthday, he woke up to balloons on his floor.  His favorite was the one that said, "On 10/21/03, a SUPER HERO was born!"

His big gift this year was a bigger bike, which we got at the school's garage sale and fixed up at a bike shop here in town.  We've been having "practice sessions" most mornings after we drop off Rhiannon, and he's doing great learning how to ride that bike!  His balance has improved and before long, he won't need Mom to help him with the kick-off.  He has lots to learn, but he gets an A+++ for effort and enthusiasm! :) 

At school he handed out Halloween stamps and vampire teeth to his classmates, and Mom stopped by at lunch to say hi and give birthday hugs.  Then as soon as he got home from school, we got ready for his big party with friends.  He settled on the Star Wars Lego theme for his party, and it was fun and easy to do.  Mom's favorite thing was the decorating, and I think Wade enjoyed the Jedi circuit training, water balloon battle, and of course, opening fun presents!  His guests were great--a good mix of friends from church and school.  After all the kids left, Howard and Sandi came to help us continue the celebration with pizza and peace and quiet. :) 

It was the perfect birthday!  We love Wade so much and are so proud of him.  He can't wait to get baptized next week, too!  WE LOVE YOU, WADE!

Columbus Day weekend in Utah!

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We drove up to Utah over Columbus Day weekend in the truck (since I'd damaged the van in a fender bender and had to wait to repair it) and we had a good time! Jason got an XM radio subscription which was great for listening to baseball games and way random music channels, everything from Rhiannon's favorite top 20 tunes to Jamaiican Me Crazy stuff. :)

We stayed the night in Hurricane and then got up on Saturday and drove to Jordan and Amelia's to spend a few hours with them. We got to meet baby Reta for the first time (sweetheart!!!) and really enjoyed some chill time there. The cousins played Legos and got out the dress-up box, and Jason and I got caught up with Jordan and Amelia--good times.

That night we had de-lish Pie pizza with the Cushing and Cropper clans.  It was wonderful to meet baby Charlie for the first time and shocking to see how much Lilly had changed!  Heather and Jaymie treated Rhiannon and me to a Savers trip that night and we found some great clothes there.  Thanks for being our very helpful shopping assistants! :)

On Sunday we celebrated all things Charlie, enjoyed his baby blessing, and had a fantastic time catching up with everyone over dinner and dessert.  I can't forget Grandma Deb's Halloween cookie decorating extravaganza--she sure knows how to throw a party! :)  Jason has some blackmail picture somewhere of me with Aunt Rochelle's bird, too--let's just say that the kids did a much better job holding the birds than I did--McKaleigh was one heck of a Bird Whisperer, too! :)

Grandma Deb treated Wade to some early birthday shopping on Monday morning, and later we joined Heather and the kids at Gardener Village.  The Halloween and witches theme there, along with the scavenger hunt, were SO FUN!  Thanks for including us on that cool tradition!

Tuesday we got up early and headed back home.  The best way I can describe this trip is that feeling you get when you hold your breath for a long time and finally get to exhale--our short little getaway was an amazing stress reliever.  I'm so glad we went and can't wait til we get up to Utah again!

Exclamation points!

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the blog!  It's been a great month!  The van got fixed!  We went to Utah!  Wade turned 8 and had an amazing birthday!  Rhiannon had her first band concert!  Jason closed the pool!  Jason and I made a trip to the LA Temple!  I'm working on the Primary presentation and have had some good sub jobs!  We've got Halloween costumes picked out!  etc, etc, etc.
The truth is that we've just been busy, busy, busy, and a tiny bit preoccupied with our latest project--The Cushings are ready to get a dog!!!

We've always said we'd like to get a dog "someday."  We wanted to hold off because of Wade's allergies.  We really liked other people's dogs, but weren't feeling any tug to get our own and deal with that huge responsibility.  We fell in love with Cocoa and Bear and Beulah. We got our first pet Toby the Tortoise and got a little taste of what it's like to care for a creature daily.

Well, on our drive down to the temple on Saturday, Jason wanted to talk about a very random comment I'd made earlier in the week:  "If I could get a dog, I'd get a bullmastiff."  I was cooking dinner and remembered this amazing gentle bear of a bullmastiff I'd met at Rhiannon's friend's house, and it just kind of popped out of my  mouth. (I do that a lot.)  Jason wondered what exactly was keeping us from getting a dog, and we couldn't think of too many reasons!   We felt so great about it and couldn't wait to talk it over with the kids.

Since Sunday we've gotten 30+ comments on Facebook on our dog inquiry ("looking for a dog that doesn't shed, doesn't bark, and isn't hyper").  We've visited an 8-mo-old English mastiff named Axle, Shelby the Great Pyrenees, Annabelle the Bassett, and Charlie the Cavapoo (poodle and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel mix).  Every extra minute we're online looking at pictures of dogs or checking out Petfinder.com.  Today I checked out a stack of books from the library and I'm listening to a podcast about dogs while I'm typing this.  When Wade gets home in an hour, we're going to go make another visit to the animal shelter.  Maybe tonight we'll watch the Dog 101 shows that we've DVRed.

I guess what I'm trying to communicate is that we are well aware of 2 things: 

1.  We have a LOT to learn and prepare for!
2.  We are all REALLY excited about finding the perfect dog for our family Christmas present!

Students of the Month!

Wade was chosen by his teacher to be September's Student of the Month, and Rhiannon's math teacher chose her for October's (out of 140 students). We love these kids and are so proud of their hard work at school!

Sadness

Tuesday was a rough day.  We left the house at our regular 6:40am time, but after we picked up our friend JenAi, Rhiannon really wanted to go back to the house and grab her jacket.  She was right--it was cold that day.  Unfortunately the minute it took us to go back to the house cost us an added 10-15 minutes waiting in line at the base gate, and it was very stressful.  We all worried about getting to school on time, and then I added on the additional pressure by telling Rhiannon she HAD to go to the office first to turn in a field trip paper that she kept forgetting about.  We were a little annoyed with each other.  I zoomed to the school and decided to drop the girls off across from the office, something I never do.

The girls got out and walked inside, and then I started backing up to get out of the weird angle I'd parked in.  I heard this strange sound and looked to the front and sides to see where it might be coming from.  Weird, I thought.  I kept backing up and then heard this "crunch" noise.  I finally looked in the rear view mirror and realized that the noise I'd heard was someone honking at me trying to warn me that I was going to hit them, and I had in fact damaged both their vehicle and ours.  

No one was hurt.  For this I am very, very, very thankful.

I'll fast forward through all the gory details and say that I've learned a lot about embarrassment, insurance, adrenaline, adjusters, estimates, and humility--the last couple days have felt like an eternity.  I caused a fender bender and I hope it NEVER happens ever again.  Jason's been so patient with me, my friends Heidi and Michelle have been life savers, and the insurance people have been very quick to help.  The day after the accident I was cleared by the adjuster to set up an appointment with the repair shop of our choice here in town and they were already sending a check to that business.  My prayer is that the next few steps will be just as easy.

Because of my accident, we won't be able to drive the van up to UT.  We're going to take the truck instead.  Should be an interesting trip!  I'm sure grateful for that 3rd vehicle, too!

Welcome, October!

The kids helped me decorate the house after General Conference. It's looking very festive around here!

Good traditions

Last night we hosted another ice cream extravaganza after the General Conference priesthood meeting.  Jason invited the young men leaders and the young men and their dads from our ward.  It was the best turn out so far--I'd say around 25 or 30 showed up. 

We had just the right amount of ice cream--2.5 gallons.  And the toppings were a hit, too--rainbow sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles, strawberry syrup, chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, marshmallows, M&M's, toffee bits, coconut, gummy bears, and canned whipping cream!  Towards the end some boys showed up with extra offerings, too--Whoppers and Nerds candy.  I completely forgot to put out some crushed Oreos--maybe next year!

Rhiannon, Wade, and I were definitely underdressed in our shorts and t-shirts, surrounded by white shirts and ties.   It was a fun night, and a great tradition!

Conference police

I sat down to put some thoughts down on the blog about General Conference.  I was sitting next to Wade on the couch.  He said, "Um, what did that talk say about being on the computer too much?"  (Guess he was listening intently to Elder Ardern's talk...)  Smiling, I said I was putting my time to good use by writing about conference and added that the Nintendo DS game he was engrossed in at that moment could probably be called a time waster, too.  He grinned and got the message that a Conference Policeman needs to pay attention to his own choices and not just those of his family in the room with him! 

Wade cracked me up during our 4 hours of Conference talks today, raising eyebrows at each of us for both good reasons (Primary kids singing "Families Can Be Together Forever") and bad (that killer talk on good use of time).   It is a WONDERFUL experience watching your kids grasp the important messages they hear during General Conference!  Rhiannon and I would usually jinx each other after talks, too, saying, "That was a good one!" at the same time. 

All 4 of us hanging out in the same room, keeping our fingers busy with different activities,  but all listening carefully, too.  Oh, and eating almost-expired "treats" from the emergency kits, too.  I love Conference weekends!

Here's my quick summary of Saturday's messages:

Elder Scott--Scriptures can become our friends.  Fill your mental "filing cabinet" with memorized scriptures.  Grow to love all the scriptures.  Consistently read the Book of Mormon--it is true.

Sister Thompson--Holy Ghost and personal revelation.  We need to desire to know, ask in faith, and keep the commandments, then answers will come in God's way and in His own time.  Our testimonies get us through hard times--they need to be strengthened so that they'll sustain us.

Elder Clayton--Church growth.  Growth of the Church prophesied in the scriptures.  It is happening!  We need to share the important message of the knowledge of a Savior.

President Monson--we loved his enthusiastic "Hello!" at the beginning.  Announced temples in Columbia, the Congo, Durban in South Africa, Star Valley in Wyoming, Paris, and the Provo Tabernacle being rebuilt as a temple.  Loved all the collective gasps from the audience at these announcements!  Also mentioned a new fund set up for members living in remote areas to have money for a 1-time trip to temple.

Elder Alonso--Service and rescuing those who are lost.  LOVED this repeated phrase:  "do the right thing at the right time without delay."

President Packer--great talk directed to the youth.  How to survive in enemy territory and a world in commotion?  Listen to and follow the Spirit.  Too many good things in this talk--we will for sure want to review this with the kids.

President Uchtdorf--Worth of souls.  The paradox of man--man is nothing, but man is everything to God.  Always retain the greatness of God and the worth of souls.  Loved his stories about being in west Texas, and the humble couple who went about doing good.

Elder Bednar--I've heard many talks on family history work, but this talk was especially good.  You don't have to be old to do family history work!  He spent a lot of time explaining how the youth should get involved and not be overly trained, but basically introduced to family work and then they'll catch the excitement all on their own.  Cool story about some young men who were asked to teach the family history course in their ward. Very timely.  All of us enjoyed this talk.

Elder Andersen--Importance of families and having children.  Have faith--multiply and replenish the earth--don't follow what the world says and wait til you have "enough money."  How many or when to have children is a personal decision between God, husband, and wife.  Don't be judgmental of others, too, in this vital, sensitive topic.

Elder Aldern--Make good use of your time.  I took a LOT of notes on this one.  Basic message to me was don't let technology take over your life!  Seek after the things of God and make time for Him and your family.  Make sure that all your busy-ness is productive and not just using up time.

Elder Carl Cook--LOVED this one and loved his story about being in the elevator with Pres Monson--"It's better to look up!"  Prophets lead us to God.  Look up, step up, and you will cheer up!

Elder LeGrand Curtis Jr.--wonderful talk about the Savior's Atonement and several stories of redemption.  Reach out to others--through Christ, people can change their lives.

Elder Christofferson--Jason felt this was one of the better talks he'd ever heard on repentance.  I loved how he talked about repentance being a joyful experience--"Look, I'm smiling!"  He shared 5 keys--repentance is a message of love, striving to change takes effort, commit to be obedient, be serious about repentance (don't do a check-off list), and feel the joy of forgiveness.

Elder Perry--"Be thou an example."  With all the attention the Church has been getting in the media, he reminded us of how important it is to be a good example, speak up, do good works, walk in faith, and share the gospel message.


What's been your favorite part so far?