Happy Costume Month!

Isn't it great that holidays last so much longer than they used to when we were kids? I mean, I got to dress up on Halloween Day. Maybe we had a party at church a few days before. But now, wow, we've been dressing up all month!

Deanne hosted a fabulous kids-only Halloween party two weeks ago. Last weekend she and Dan followed up with another party, this time for adults. This weekend we got to attend our ward Halloween party (where Bruce and I WON THE COSTUME CONTEST!!!). And there is no school on Halloween Day this year, so classroom parties for both boys will be on Thursday.

That's four, yes, FOUR occasions to dress up before Halloween Day. And of course, the boys will spend all day in costume on Friday. I have had a blast with all the dress-up, and even though I'm finally getting a little tired of it, at least I feel like we're getting our money's worth out of the costumes. Truly, we always do, since the boys wear costumes year round.

I just have to mention that I love ward Halloween parties, except for our ward being a little less than spirited about it. (C'mon, grown-ups, how hard is it to throw on a wig and a goofy shirt to pass as a costume? Lighten up!) What I love is that THEY ARE ALWAYS THE SAME!!! Chili and doughnuts for dinner--check! Trick or treating, since we all know the kids never get enough candy this time of year---check! Lots of chaos as children run up and down the halls and plow through the crowd in the gym--check! And my personal favorite: local band playing the same selection of oldies with the volume cranked up so high that all conversation ceases and young children cry--check!

I really do love the band thing. Bruce and I danced, even though no one else did. Of course, that makes sense because no one else dressed up either. (Okay, a few of you did.) I would love to hear if any of you have EVER had a ward Halloween party that was different from this--I can't imagine that happening, but maybe I'm wrong.

Finally, look at my amazing hair! Thanks to my friend Annie for making my way-too-short hair look like a poofy, sleek, Wilma Flintstone up-do. Maybe I was meant to be a redhead!

Domestic Diva

Sometimes it surprises me how superficial I am. The dumbest little things can motivate me. For instance, my new project: a vintage "church ladies" apron that makes me feel like a sassy domestic diva.

My house (and life) was in massive disarray after last week's bout with being bedridden. Okay, I can't blame it on the illness because the house has been that way for months. It bothers me a little, but I deal with it.

Then on Tuesday, I finally found the time and energy to start a new project, the apron of my housewifely dreams. Once I started, I neglected just about everything else to finish sewing it (yes, including my children). Despite my friend's promise that it would take only an hour or so to make the apron, I was up until almost midnight. But it was worth every minute! Isn't it darling?

And now, every time I put it on, I channel my inner June Cleaver. Wow, amazing dinner and clean kitchen three nights in a row? Toys sorted and put away neatly? Fresh homemade cinnamon swirl bread (low-fat and low-sugar)? Floor mopped? Thank you, Apron of Action.

You can be expecting our new action figure, apron-wearing SuperMom, in stores in time for Christmas. Vacuum and homemade bread sold separately.

Modern Medicine

If it weren't for modern medicine, I'd be in really bad shape. I guess a lot of us can say that. Today I am recovering from my fifth bout of mastitis (first time with Zeke, but I've had it a bunch with the other boys).

In case you've never had it (you probably haven't), it's a nursing mom infection and it results in soreness, fever, chills, aches, headaches, weakness. Fun! Luckily I know to go right to the doctor where I get a shot and some antibiotic pills, and I'm usually okay within a day or so. And even more luckily, my wonderful in-laws came and watched my children for several hours today (and drove me to the doctor) because Bruce couldn't get away from work. Thank you thank you thank you!

So I'm glad I didn't end up with a large abscess and a two-week hospital stay from all this, like a friend of mine did. I'm SO grateful for antibiotics, even though I hate shots, because this infection can get nasty. (I wonder how many women have died through the ages from something this minor.) And I'm grateful for TV, which is a wonderful babysitter on days like today, no matter what the experts say.

And there are perks of being sick. How often do I just sit on the floor and play puzzles with my kids for an hour? Or read to them all afternoon? (Okay, I'm a little better at that one.) I used to spend a lot more time playing with them, but today I had to do it because they were crazy bored and I didn't have energy for much else. I guess it's a good reminder to do those things, because we all had a great time, even Zeke!

I've been tagged!!!

Thank goodness it wasn't the kind where I have to take photos of what my house looks like this very minute. This is not a good week for that!

3 Names You Go By:
Christy, Mama, "Waa-aa-aah!!"

3 Restaurants That I Love:
The Salmon Cooker
Any great Thai Place
The Sanitary Tortilla Factory (Gone!)

3 Trips To Plan on this Year!
LaVell Edwards Stadium
Mexico!!!
The Funny Farm

3 Things You Want Badly!
Vosges Haut-Chocolat
Sleep
A presidential candidate I actually support

3 People Who Will Do This!
The three people I tag!!!!!!!!!!!!

3 Pets I Have/Had
Two goldfish-Goldie and Bronzie
Betta fish-Ruby
Dog-Taffy

3 Things You Did Yesterday!
Went to the pumpkin patch
Made pumpkin bread
Took a nap

3 Things You Ate Today!
Pumpkin bread
Homemade whole-wheat bread
Yogurt
(No chocolate? What's wrong with me?)

3 Things You Plan on Doing Tomorrow!
Going to a Halloween Party
Grocery shopping
Trimming Riley's fingernails

3 Favorite Holidays

Groundhog Day

Valentine's Day
My birthday

3 Favorite Drinks
Water
Egg Nog from Smith Brothers Dairy
Mayan Cocoa Spice Herbal Tea

Do people actually do this when they're tagged? We'll find out! Now it's your turn:
Deanne, Lisa, Mary

Have kids, WON'T travel!

I'm not leaving the house again for a long time. At least, not to go any farther than the grocery store.

We went to Cedar City with Bruce this weekend so the kids could enjoy the hotel beds, indoor pool, and free hot breakfast. It's their favorite kind of vacation and it's relatively cheap. But Zeke was just finishing cutting his second tooth (came through Sunday!). The kids were wired, a little rude, and unbelievably pugnacious (they usually travel so well, what happened?).

Oh, and the rental car we drove had brakes that were completely shot! We are wondering how this escaped the notice of the people in charge of maintenance. I took it to a shop in town while Bruce was in his meeting. I expected a quick fix or maybe some minor problem that could be taken care of later. No luck! And they couldn't get the part in until the next day. SO. Three boys and me waiting in Big-O for three hours until Bruce got a car from another company that would fit all the car seats. Luckily, Big-O had satellite TV (cartoons!), candy machines, grubby floors for Zeke to crawl on, and an ice pack in the first-aid kit for Riley's large head wound. (Note: dirty, sticky floors are still too slippery for three-year-olds to run around on.)

Four hours and a few spankings later, we made it home, and home we'll stay!

Not for the faint-hearted (really, beware!)

It's really all my fault. Bruce and I admitted, out loud, that we were planning to attend the temple this afternoon. It's been a long time. In our defense, we had to do so because we needed to get someone to watch the kids.

In case you were wondering, no, we didn't make it there.

Bruce had to do some training in Provo for work today, so we loaded up the whole family and pulled out of here at about 7:45. A few minutes late, but not bad considering Sammy's tantrum (didn't want to miss kindergarten). Eerily, there were no major traffic problems. I just thought we were lucky. But by the time we were in Bountiful, we had to stop for a potty break. Still, we made good time to Provo, and that's where things began to go sour. Bruce stopped at a store, and Riley had to go for potty break #2--his face was pale, which was a sure sign of gastrointestinal distress. Then, we barely made it to Bruce's destination in time to rush white-faced Riley inside for potty break #3. Then on to my friend Emily's house, with a detour for potty break #4, and another dash inside her house for potty break #5. Poor Riley.

He felt better for awhile, so we had a great time visiting Emily and her kids. Then we met my friend Megan for lunch. Our mildly bad day started its crash landing here. Riley filled up on chips and chocolate milk. Meanwhile, Zeke sat happily banging on the floor-to-ceiling window while we ate. Too bad none of us noticed the hornet crawling on the glass, trying to figure out how to get outside. Oh, wait, Zeke noticed it. We think he tried to grab it (none of us saw this happen) and it stung him on the thumb. Thats right, my poor baby boy! He went berserk. I calmly gave him Tylenol and a binky while requesting that Bruce KILL THE EVIL INSECT!!! He finally fell asleep. Poor Megan, between that and our other energetic kids, she may never go out in public with us again. Thanks for putting up with us!

Riley turned pale again on the way home. Luckily, it was right by Ikea, and I had wanted to stop there anyway. (Potty break #6) Yeah, we made it to the (very lovely) family bathroom just in time. Then he got sick all over his pants. The shoes survived. It took us a long time to clean up, but he felt GREAT by the time we were done, and he got to walk out in shirt, shoes, and a too-small diaper borrowed from Zeke. Meanwhile, I finally got to the Christmas section to buy the Scandinavian straw tree ornaments I've been trying to get for the past four years. Wouldn't you know, for some unknown reason, this year they decided to dye the straw ORANGE and RED!! What were they thinking? Seriously, I know they're Swedish, but these are BEYOND UGLY!!! What was wrong with the old traditional ornaments? They sell out every year in just a few days--PEOPLE LIKED THEM. This was the final STRAW for me. I bought them anyway because I was desperate, but now I have to return them because they're even uglier now than in the store.

I'm done complaining. We stopped to visit my midwife's new birth center and it was beautiful--and Riley got to have potty break #7. The rest of the ride home was uneventful, except for Sammy needing a potty break (#8) when we were 5 minutes away from our house. We made him wait. At home, I promptly called the hair salon and scheduled an appointment for an escape, I mean, haircut tomorrow.

By the way, everyone was really cheerful today. At least we received that blessing, so other than being a little tired (and having some laundry to do) we are none the worse for the wear today. Zeke's thumb is still swollen but he's not in pain. Riley feels great. Sammy has gotten some extra attention for putting up with everyone else's craziness so well. Now if only the football game turns out the right way tonight...

The lights are on and someone's home!

More about Zeke. What can I say, I just really love this stage of baby development. (Okay, I love most stages. Except 2-year-olds, sometimes.)

About a month ago I was commenting to Deanne that Tate has crossed that threshold of understanding--the one where he's figured out he's in this great big world and there's stuff to learn and do. It felt like Zeke would never get there (because 2 1/2 months is like being years older in babydom).

And now, Zeke has arrived!

It's not that there's one moment when it clicked and he went from infant to older baby. He's been sitting up, crawling, even cruising for awhile, and gradually understanding more. But today, he was turning pages in a book--he understood that that's just what you do with a book. He was pointing at things (with one pudgy little finger--such a grown-up gesture!) and imitating my sounds. "Tat tat tat" he kept saying; he was fascinated by the cat picture. He gets that there are words, and that they relate to things. Language, yeah, I guess it's no surprise that that's part of the whole understanding thing.

But that's not all. Zeke has never been a cuddly child. He likes to be held, but not hugged. Yet recently, he's started giving hugs. He leans in, and he understands it's a nice thing to do to someone. (He pulls away if I try to hold him too long. There are still limits.) He's showing affection! And instead of just having this general reaction of, "Mom's there, she'd better hold me," he seems to get the nuances of being held. As we were looking at the picture book, we were kind of snuggling. He seemed happy. But then he pulled himself to standing, stepped closer to me, and sat right on my lap. He wanted to be on my lap, not just next to me!

Sorry if that seems very minor to you, but it really warms this mother's heart.

Anyway, I guess what it all boils down to is that Zeke is now consciously exploring his little world. He's no longer just reacting to a bunch of random experiences that happen in his life; now he's putting them all together and starting to assign some order and meaning to things. He's learning, he's taking the initiative to act and find things out. He's communicating what he wants instead of just crying because he's generally unhappy, and he's understanding that we communicate to him as well. I love being his mom and being there for all these little steps he's making in his life's journey; I know there are many more ahead (and that they will be vastly different than these baby steps). What a miracle that we are programmed to figure so much out in such a short time. I feel the hand of God in my life more through my children than any other way, and I am so grateful.