Happy Halloween 2016!

We celebrated Halloween a couple of weeks ago at a chili potluck dinner and trunk or treating at our church.   It was great to see old and young having a good time together.  One thing I particularly enjoyed was the fact that the girls ages 8 to 11 were the masters of ceremony; they did all of the announcements, telling everyone where to go for each activity, when it was time to eat, etc.  They were all confident and well spoken.  At one point Isla got a hold of the microphone and did not want to let go.  Hopefully that is a sign of her budding leadership skills.

My feeble attempts at decorating our "trunk" for the occasion.
But, we had a cauldron full of candy and the kids were
allowed to go around and around until supplies ran out,
so it was all good. 

Meanwhile, in Utah, . . . . .  I can't wait to see pictures of Audrey & Hannah in their Halloween costumes!  I know that Audrey is Rapunzel this year and Hillary has made her the cutest wig.  And I believe Hannah is going to be Snow White.  I guess I'll have to do a "Halloween part 2" post in November with all the details.

At school today most of the kids dressed up.  My favorite costumes were Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr.  Those boys looked so classy!  And Lucy - yes there was a Lucille Ball with the perfect 1950s costume - she had so many details going on including the perfect hairdo, right from the show.  I complimented her and asked if she watches I Love Lucy.  She said yes and then told me of her favorite episode.  And finally, the kids in the inflatable sumo-wrestler type suits were hilarious.  They had some kind of pump on the inside of their costumes where they were able to inflate and deflate themselves whenever they wanted.

for Vicky

I visited my friend Vicki last week whom I haven't seen in about 30 years.  She is on hospice and her time left on earth is not long.  Her eyes were open but I don't know if she recognized me.  I sat by her side and had a nice conversation with her young daughter that is caring for her.  Soft, peaceful music by The Piano Guys (who are one of her favorite groups) was on in the background.  This made for a very sacred moment, and their small apartment became a very sacred place.  I told her daughter that I had the experience of spending a lot of time with my Dad the last couple of weeks of his life, and that I was by his side when he passed; and even though it was hard to go through, it was one of the most special experiences of my life and I wouldn't change it for anything in the world.  I'm sure it will be the same for her, and after a while of sadness and tears she will notice herself smiling again - especially when thinking about her Mom.

 Vicki and her daughter are in my thoughts and prayers every day.  Nobody knows, of course, when their last day will be together; I hope and pray and trust that they are receiving comfort from on high.

A few weeks ago Vicki posted about how she loves this song.  Her fight has not been in vain.  Her children will always remember the things she fought for in her life; I think they will be strong because of her, and every moment they had together will be a sacred memory.

October walking

For October I was determined to walk in Half Moon Bay, since it is known for it's fields of pumpkins.

I talked the boy into coming with me.  Most of our walking was by the coast. 

Recently I went on a walking field trip with our class and we were told that ice plant is not native

to this area.  This really surprised me because all of my life I have seen ice plant along the coast, from

San Francisco to Half Moon Bay.  I have never seen it anywhere but the coast line.  So I think

I am going to have to investigate that bit of information.  But whether it is or not, I sure think it is pretty.

I really enjoyed watching the power of the waves landing on the rocks.

We headed home by the sunset.

4

Our adorable Addy turned 4 years old recently.  She's been waiting patiently for her birthday ever since Audrey & Isla had their combined princess party in the summer.  To celebrate we went out to breakfast with some of Reggie's family.  Then they headed out to spend some time with Lester's family.  In the evening, when they got home, it was finally time for Addy to open the present we got her.  She has known for months that there was a "Zootopia" bag in the present closet with her name on it.  She walked in and asked if she could open it.  After doing the typical and irritating adult thing of making her wait for just the right moment, we agreed she could go for it.  I am so lucky to have had these moments with her.  Before bedtime Grandpa called from his business trip in Maryland and Addy told him all about it.  Then it was Isla's turn to talk.  She happily said "It's my birthday in July" and handed the phone back to me.

Life is wonderful when you can be truly excited for someone elses
good fortune, and be content knowing that somehow and in some way you've got some good fortune headed your way too.  These girls are a great example to me of that concept.

Akin to Norman Rockwell

I was looking for some Halloween paintings by Normal Rockwell and came across some done by another artist of the time: Eugene Iverd.  I just love this one, and the information that goes with it:


1934 was a pivotal year for the Great Depression. Unemployment was still high, but we seemed to be turning a corner. FDR was the American president and the political rumblings in Europe were much scarier than a creepy jack-o-lantern. This colorful scene of two trick-or-treaters is a Halloween favorite. I love the use of color against the background of dark houses with twinkling lights.

But, because my theme is a Norman Rockwell painting each month I'm going to add this one.  It cracks me up, and reminds me of the fact that when I was growing up I came home with as many bruises and scrapes as my brother Tom.

Primary Program 2016

For us this weekend has been all about children - from a Halloween party at church to celebrating Addy's birthday to the Primary Program today.  I will blog about the first two when I get my pictures off the camera.

As for the Primary Program, it is consistently the favorite Sunday of the year for most of the congregation.  The children do all of the talks and all of the musical numbers.  They work on it all year long.  They are each adorable, from the little 3 year olds who just smile in front of the microphone or have a look of terror on their faces or whisper their talks because that is what the adult who is helping them is doing -  to the 12 year olds who are so ready to graduate and move into the youth program that they say their talks with a bit of embarrassment or lethargy - to all of the ages in between.  They are all adorable.  And a choir full of children is a beautiful thing to see and hear.  I especially enjoyed watching Addy twirl her way through the first song - not necessarily what she was supposed to be doing, but it was fine.  An hour's long program sitting on the stand can be hard for any child - especially the 3 year olds.  The teachers were all placed strategically to help the kids when they got restless or help them remember when it was their turn to go to the microphone.  I noticed that Addy had several teachers who were kind and attentive and with whom she felt comfortable - she spent most of the program on one lap or another.

After the program there was a "linger longer" activity.  Most church dinners happen on Friday or Saturday nights, but on this special occasion everyone was invited to "linger" after the program and join in a meal together, celebrating the children in our lives.  From what I saw it looked wonderful.  I admit, after having so many social opportunities this weekend what I really needed was a nap, so I headed home and took advantage of having the house to myself and slept for about 4 hours.  It's been a wonderful weekend.

skipping

When was the last time you skipped, or saw someone skipping?  I guess that goes on the list of  fleeting childhood pastimes.

In our district P.E. is done in a variety of ways.  I don't know for sure, but I think there must have been budget cuts years ago, because there is no official P.E. teacher for most of the grades.  So after recesses the kids run laps, and then a few days a week they do some kind of organized sport or game. Sometimes it is their regular teacher leading it and sometimes it is parent volunteers.

I have really enjoyed watching P.E. in this new job of mine.  Once they played capture the flag - their teamwork was pretty flawless.  They had people on the offense trying to get the flag, and in the meantime people on the defense as guards and jail keepers.  Another time they ran relay races.  The first task was to skip across the court and then back to their waiting team-members.  It was just adorable seeing these kids skip as fast as they could.  Then they had to partner up and link arms while they ran across and back.  They all had such good sportsmanship the whole time and I hope I always remember the smiles.  This is a special age - just before the pre-teens, where the boys and girls interact without worrying about romance and crushes.

Like I said, there was a lot of teamwork and cheering each other on.  The schools are focusing hard these days on "no bullying" and I think this is a by-product of it.

So, the next time you are stressed - try skipping - I won't tell!

she's quite the photographer

A few years ago Reggie got me a camera for Christmas.  Whenever Mariah was around she wanted to use it, and took some really good pictures.  Since then she got her own for Christmas and has been putting it to great use.  When I left Utah in September I asked her to take pictures of Autumn as it progressed.  She's done a phenomenal job.

On the one hand it makes me miss the family who are away even more.  On the other hand, knowing that they are enjoying the seasons in their "own little neck of the woods" makes me very happy.  Have you noticed that even when you can't be with someone you love, or be in a place that you love, just knowing that they/it exists makes you happy and keeps you going? Have you also stopped to realize that someone feels that way about you - just feels the world is a better place because you are in it?

 I love looking at my kids Facebook accounts and blogs.  I love seeing the ordinary and extra ordinary things they are doing with their lives.  I also love seeing pictures of them having quality time with their in-laws and other family members.  It gives me such peace of mind knowing that Julia, Hillary & Mariah have married into families that love them almost as much as we do.

31 days

Well, we've been enjoying 31 days of "Arsenic & Old Lace" around here, meaning we put a little tidbit of the movie on each day in October.  Even if it is only back ground noise for about 10 minutes a day we walk away laughing.  Though Luke cannot quote Anne or Pride & Prejudice like my girls can, he can keep up with us with Arsenic & Old Lace and it makes me smile.

As far as Halloween movies go a tradition that Reggie started years ago is watching "The Ghost & Mr. Chicken" - not 31 days of it, but at least once in October, as a family.  It is a good memory he has from his childhood; and really, who doesn't love Don Knotts and so many of the cast members of the Andy Griffith show have a part.

We hope you are enjoying all of your favorites this month - whether they are scary or just silly.  It is the beginning of "The Holidays!' and we love it.

Luke's Birthday

Yesterday we threw Luke an "Amazing Race" surprise birthday party.  I think the kids had a lot of fun - I know Luke did.  And I know that I had a lot of fun planning it out all month with Julia and Reggie. Some last minute ideas, like silly string and water balloons, made it even better since it was such a warm day.  The kids went home a mess!  And thanks goes to Luke's cousin, Leilani and Auntie Linda for being judges.

A pre-activity was the silly string fight - just to get limbered up.

Then we divided them into teams of  two.  The first task was a cake eating contest; one team member had to eat through a giant cupcake while the other team member had to look for a halloween word that was written on the plate under the cupcake. (I didn't get any pics. of this - only video which I can't seem to upload on the blog.)  When they finished they received their next clues.  This sent them running all around the neighborhood, doing tasks, receiving clues, etc.

The teams (5 girls, 5 boys - we divided them up)

Halloween Egg Hunt in the ice plant - yes, I painted plastic eggs black.

group picture - these really are some great kids

The end to a perfect day

(God's gift to Luke, and all of us)

Samantha's roadtrips

This weekend Rocio and family invited Samantha on a road trip to Wyoming for the Star Valley Temple open house.  She had a great time and says the temple is beautiful, inside and out.

Last weekend she joined Hillary's brother in law and his girlfriend on a weekend trip to Salt Lake City.  I'm so happy she is taking advantage of these opportunities.  Before the snow comes that is!  I'm afraid I will be nervous if she calls and tells me she is going somewhere during winter.  Just another one of those times that I will have to let go - a little.  

Quality's side of the quality vs. quantity debate

Mom's are too often pitted against each other with the "stay at home vs. working outside of the home" debate and the "quality time vs. quantity time" debate.  We should make the decisions that feel best for our families and support each other in those decisions.  I think that I, myself, have lived the "stay at home" life for most of my motherhood, but I understand the other side a little bit too.

  Even though he is very independent, I still feel good about being home when Luke is home.  But this weekend he had Friday off and Monday off where I have not, and I am thinking maybe I should have taken at least one of those days to spend with him or be just be around.  (Again, I'm grateful that Julia is here.)  But, we had such "quality" time together yesterday that I am feeling better about the whole thing.

Besides the birthday party that we threw him (which I will blog about later) Luke and I went to Barnes & Nobles last night.  Car rides are such a great time to reconnect, if your both in a talking mood, which we were.  We talked about how fun the party was, family updates, political happenings, and most importantly he clarified for me a lot of my Harry Potter questions.  It was just a great day.

I also found out that Luke doesn't love being the center of attention in certain situations - including online social media.  So I have promised to respect that when doing the blog or facebooking.  He knows I need to, for myself, write about his life every once in a while, like his birthday.  And his 3 out of 4 sisters miss him and want to see pictures.  But I also now know that I need to, in respecting his privacy, not blog about him a lot other wise. And that's okay.  (But this post falls under his birthday, right?)

So anyway, I love that boy and am grateful for the quality time we have together, and the quantity of time we still have in these last few years of his childhood.

best childproofing product ever

We decorated the house for Halloween recently, which included pulling out this bowl:

When you go near it the hand goes down and it says "want some candy?" and "Happy Halloween!"

Addy and Isla do not like it at all!  They don't cry or anything when it goes off, and we've showed them that there is an on/off button, and we warn them when we are going to turn it on.  But on or off they will not go anywhere near it.  Julia realized that might make it the perfect place to put things that we don't want them to touch.  Ingenious!

my own backyard

Isn't there some saying about "you don't have to look any further than your own backyard"?  Well, people say that the Bay Area doesn't have any seasons.  And I loved walking in Utah looking for signs of autumn.  But I have also found autumn in my school's own backyard.  This is the scene out the back window of the classroom I work in:

The stairs lead to a field where the kids do P.E.  I am fine with the stairs, and they are good exercise.  But I prefer the several paths that lead up there - especially the following pictured because of all the autumn leaves. I just can't help but crunch my way through them!

A different pathway up there feels very soft under my feet - almost like carpet, because of the layers of dirt and needles that have fallen off the trees:

And finally, I've always thought the kids were lucky to go to this school because some of the classrooms, at least from the outside, look like cabins at a summer camp.

 So anyway, I hope your autumn and October is going well, no matter what it looks like!