Election Eve

Don't worry, no political post here.  I am so excited to go vote tomorrow, though.  I had to drive to Salt Lake today, and got more than my fill of political commentary on every station.  It was very interesting. I have been so focused on the national elections that I really haven't thought tons about the local issues.  Oops.  Oh well.  I think I know enough.  Oh, and so so sad about Barack Obama's grandmother's passing.  I wish she could have hung in there for just 2 more days...  But no matter what, I'm sure she is so proud of her grandson.

So, today was a BIG DAY for our little Finn.  He got his first tooth!  He has been a little crabby over the past couple of weeks, but not bad at all.  And today he was a complete angel all day as we traveled to and from Salt Lake, and then to an appointment for him at the dermatologist.  Poor little kid's got baby acne that I thought needed some attention.  So, first tooth and first visit with the dermatologist, all in one day!  I'm sure somewhere down the road he might be having more teeth and skin problems when he reaches the tender teenage years.  If our kids get Jason's teeth, we are in for a treat.  We'll be paying for some orthodontist's yacht.  And if they get my skin, well, we'll be paying for some dermatologist's.  So it goes.  

Wouldn't it be great if we could pick and choose which genes are passed on to our children?  My teeth, Jason's athletic abilities.  Jason's charm and my sense of direction.  Unfortunately, our children may be doomed in the math department, since both of us are severely challenged in that realm.  I was pleasantly surprised tonight, though, when Bennett told me what a great day he had at school because they did lots and lots of math stuff.  He said he loves it.  WHAT?  How is he my child?  But that's great!  I'll probably be able to help him with his math homework for at least 2 more years, and then I'll be paying Andrea to video-conference some tutoring sessions with the boy.

This is a weird and rambling post, but I have to add one more thing to the randomness. Our reason for being in Salt Lake today was to have a new battery put in our car.  For those of you who don't know (or care, really), we got a Volvo over the summer.  We love it, and love that it is still under warranty!  It means, however, that we have to travel to Salt Lake for repairs.  So this morning when we discovered the battery was dead, we took a trip to AutoZone and realized it would be cheaper to drive to SLC and get the battery replaced there, since parts and labor are still covered.  Soooo, off we went.  It turned into an epic event.  2 hours to get the battery replaced.  I was very irritated, but at the same time highly impressed with the waiting area of the Volvo service department.  It was a little different than what I am used to.  It was really clean, for one thing.  There was a big-screen TV, a big basket of free granola bars, fruit snacks and other kid-friendly items, hot chocolate, vending machines, etc.  They gave us a big box of crayons and coloring packets for the kids, and found Tom and Jerry on the TV just for us.  The kids loved it!

With a big, contented smile Owen said to me, just before they finally came to get us,  "Mom, it feels like we are in a hotel because we've been here so long!"  Indeed.

Julie K. Kabobs. Patent Pending.

Valuable information for parents everywhere:

Have a picky eater at home? Tired of trying to convince your child to eat a balanced meal? Introducing Julie Kirby's lunch-changing idea: Dinner on a stick! Or shish kabob delight! Whatever you call it, your kids will love it. Use meat, cheese, fruit, veggies, bread, or basically anything you can spear in this revolutionary new idea. It makes ordinary or even unappetizing food come alive in a fun new look for your children. Your kids will love it, or your money back.

*Note: Don't learn the hard way, like I did, that you must cut off the sharp end of the stick before presenting this marvel to your children. I'm just going to remind you that boys (and probably girls too, but I wouldn't really know) love sharp, pointy things that can be turned into weapons of all kinds.

Leaf me alone.

Not really! I don't want you to leave me alone. I just wanted to use the word leaf in a sentence before I tell this story:

We have the cutest neighbors ever ever ever named the Thompsons. Rex and Edna are the sweetest people you will ever meet. Edna is Grandma Ed to all the kids in the neighborhood. So don't think I'm poking too much fun at her when I tell this story, because I do love her. It's just that she wastes lots of water by spraying the leaves off her lawn with a high-pressure hose every fall. It cracks me up! But this year I saw her and Rex actually raking up the leaves, placing them on a tarp and moving them to the curb where Logan City comes to pick them all up. (I love Logan City for doing this.) I thought they had perhaps given up on the spray method because we live in a desert and all. But later that day, I passed by again and saw Edna out with the hose, spraying up into the trees in an attempt to knock down all remaining leaves.

I love Edna.

This is Halloween!

This was a great Hallowen. For those of you who may not know, I really like Halloween. I have so many fun childhood memories of Halloween, and it is fun to now create memories with my own family. By the way, the photo above was taken just across the street. Doesn't it look so creepy? But it's really just Donna's backyard, and an antique iphoto trick or two. Anyway... I like to decorate:

Owen got to dress up for preschool, and went trick-or-treating with his class to all the offices in their building. I love how excited kids are to wear their costumes. Here he is with the carpool gang.

This picture is of our little neighbor girl, who came over just as we were brewing up some homemade root beer. I love this photo! She is such a beautiful little witch!

All the kids were so amazed by the dry ice!

This is a Darren and Missy project called E.T. for obvious reasons. Missy made the dinner in a pumpkin, and Darren drew E.T.'s face. I'm highly impressed with both their skills! As it turns out, their family has all of the same Halloween traditions that we do! But Darren's parents, who usually put on the party for them, are serving a mission in Australia right now. So, we combined forces and had a great night doing E.T., homemade root beer, and a donut fry. Oh, and some trick-or-treating thrown in there too. Thanks, guys! It was a great night!

Stopping by the Mohrs' house. Ruby was a beautiful butterfly. I'm not sure what Jake is saying right here. I think he's saying "Trick or treat!!" really loud.

This is Darren and Jason. That's right. Our Bishop and his first counselor. :) Darren's costume was the biggest hit of the night, and the kids had a great time karate chopping his air suit. He was a very good sport. I am a little afraid of what I'm in for with Jake after hearing him shout, "Look at that big fat lady!" Uh-oh.

The gang out on the front porch just before we left to find some treats.

Lee and his impromptu costume. Rock on. Oh, and his shirt was NOT part of the costume. It was his real and actual shirt for the day. That's right.

More rocking with the boys on the porch.

The donut fry was happening in the backyard all night. Jason thinks he fried up over 100 donuts. I didn't try to count how many people were coming and going all evening. It was so much fun! He made a delicious buttermilk cake donut which we glazed and rolled in cinnamon and sugar. Mmmmmmmmmm. If you didn't come this year, make sure to come next year!

This is Lindsay the donut-glazer and Jason. Lindsay is Lee's "special friend." We love her!

Clearly everyone was tired by the end of the night. Lee and Lindsay stayed to watch Nosferatu with us, which was really fun for us. But then again, we're really old, and they are cool young kids, so they were probably bored. But still. It was fun.

A little photo of us after cleaning up the kitchen. Both of us said, "Man, I sure look tired in this picture!" But the funny thing is, we've been saying that about almost every photo of us taken in recent months. I don't think it's that we're tired. I think it's that we are OLD. Getting old is so weird. I don't feel old, but here I am. 33 years old. OLD!

Happy Halloween!

Yep. Lots of leaves out there.

Fall fling...

Thanks to my cousin, Jen, for inviting us to join her family at the American West Heritage Center for some good old-fashioned fun last night. It was fantastic!

Jason, Kory and Grayson test-rode the site of Joyride's first cyclo-cross race around the grounds of the AWHC. Down in the slough, around the corn stalks, through the fields, over fences... I got tired just watching them.

This is how we rode... On the wagon.

This is how Naomi rode... pioneer style! Pull harder, Bennett and Grayson!

Jake liked the kiddie hay maze.

Owen liked jumping off into the pile of hay.

This cracks me up. The corn maze was shaped like this with a pig and a web. Owen makes a very cute Wilbur.

Naomi and Bennett... when did they get so big? They're pretty much looking like teenagers.

Bennett took a little roping class. He did really well, actually. Must be all Jason's rodeo skills.

Owen's luck was not as good. We had to cheat a little to lasso this wild steer.

Flinging gourds with the giant slingshot. On Jake's turn, he forgot to let go, and actually took a little ride himself!

Entering the corn maze, maps in hand. These are the very children who swore they knew where they were going, but got us very, very lost.

Brooke (and Finn) and Jen in standing inside Charlotte, the spider in the maze. I didn't realize that Jen is actually a corn maze master. She navigated us right out of that mess in the nick of time, just before all my kids all entered meltdown mode.

You might guess that the kids were super cold, hungry and tired after this night of fun. We had some hamburgers, hot dogs and hot cocoa next to the fire before we headed home. What a fun night! Thanks, Jen and Kory! We love you guys!

Happy Boy

I know I have said this before, but we really do love the Child Development Lab on USU's Campus. It is the perfect environment for Owen.

We attended "Family Night" there a couple of nights ago. It was fun to meet some of Owen's teachers and hear what they each had to say about our boy.
They certainly know the right things to say to a parent when they say he is so so so so so so smart. :) They're right, of course. But it's obvious to me that they really care and have taken the time to get to know Owen, and that means so much to me.

Owen bounces off to school every day, and loves to tell me about his day at afterwards. Today he told me about colored ice-cubes in the water table, and how he played on the monkey bars and the swings, and how teacher Jasmine played her violin, and Owen got to play some instruments too. It is such a relief and a joy to see that your child feels safe and loved at school. I am really grateful for his sweet teachers.

Sunday Funnies.

As we left the church today, Jake rode along beside me on his little bike singing a favorite primary song called Follow the Prophet.  He repeated this refrain over and over again,  "Follow the prophet, follow the prophet, follow the prophet..."  It was really cute, and I was wondering if he had hear his brothers sing it or perhaps learned it in nursery.  But as we headed up the sidewalk surrounded by lots of other ward-members, his refrain changed.  He began singing in a low, growly voice, "Follow the debil (devil), follow the debil, follow the debil..."  

I laughed so hard and wonder what the passers-by thought.  Noone really said anything.  I think he's had the devil on his mind with his Halloween costume and all.

Also, my parents stopped by for a few minutes this afternoon. What a treat! My mom made the kids Mac & Cheese while I fed Finn.  Mac & Cheese is Owen's favorite.  But he was really surprised to find out that it is actually called KRAFT Macaroni and Cheese.  All this time he thought it was called CRAP Macaroni and Cheese.  Again, I laughed out loud.  Funny that he was okay eating Crap Mac & Cheese all these years.

Trunk-or-Treat (That phrase makes no sense, but okay.)

You know it's going to be a good Halloween when Owen looks this cute as Harry Potter!

We enjoyed yet another great 9th Ward Halloween party tonight. It really was fun, and the kids are in love with their costumes, which makes all the hours of running around, gathering, sewing, and finally dressing them up all worth it. Here are some pics of the festivities.
You'll notice Jason in his traditional rocker garb. This year it was Jake's turn to be a little afraid of him. It's always entertaining to watch the ward members try to figure out if he's really playing the guitar or if it is some kind of tricky shenanigan. They are usually really impressed/amused/amazed to find out it's really him playing with his guitar plugged into a tiny amp in his pocket. It always makes a couple of the older generation nervous. Did I mention he's in the Bishopbric?

The third Lambert baby to wear the dragon costume.

Owen, Anthony Darley and Bennett.

Liv is really excited about the spell Owen is casting!

This has to be one of the all-time greatest pictures of my kids. Post-party partying in the bathtub. Yes, they are eating candy. In the tub.

Grammy!

Here is Grammy Deb with all of her Utah grandkids! She spent 10 days in Highland with the Jules Lambert clan to take care of their 4 kiddies while we went to Boston. We were so happy to drive down and see her last night before she flew out today. We were only there for a few hours, so it wasn't enough time, but it was so great to see her. Deb Lambert has a heart of pure gold, and we are so lucky to have her in our lives.