The Tale of the Christmas Nazi

Cayden has been pleading since Halloween to put up all the Christmas decorations.  On Monday, November 15 I finally gave in.  Don and I spent most of the day prepping for Cayden's return from school by cleaning and dusting and rearranging some furniture.  We got out our 3 Christmas trees: 1 for the piano room front window, 1 for the family room window and the small red and white one for Cayden's room.  You may remember my boycotting of tree decorating last year and how we bought 2 trees from the Festival of Trees. Well this year I wanted my big tree in the front window so we got it out ready to decorate when Cayden got home.  After cleaning 3 bathrooms, dusting lots of rooms and doing our prep work, I made 2 big pans of  Rigatoni which was basically our family Baked Ziti recipe but I did not have Ziti so I used Rigatoni instead.  I also made chocolate chip cookies from the Nestle Tollhouse recipe on the bag chocolate chips.  I made myself ill on the cookie dough since that was only thing I had eaten all day.  Note to self...Take Pepto PRIOR to consuming half the bowl of cookie dough.  Cayden was home by 3:20.  He was so excited that he stood in the middle of the front room and jumped up and down screaming until we told him to stop.  Then we put up decorations for hours and hours and hours.  Don just kept bringing in tote after tote after tote and Cayden kept emptying tote after tote.  Cayden can remember from year to year where everything goes and it all has to be in the same spot as it was previously or it just won't work for him.  If we tried to divert his attention and hide some of the decorations he caught us and reminded us what was still missing.  Don had to leave at 5 for a business dinner but we persevered.  By 7pm I was exhausted.  Everything was up and tree was decorated, the totes were all stacked ready for Don to put away and the floors were all vacuumed.  I was so tired I wanted to cry.   Connor and Caleb wanted to help for about 5 minutes and that was it.  Cody just wanted to make fun of my BAH HUMBUG sign and rearrange the letters so if said variations on the word bum.  So much for our annual Christmas decorating FHE.  The one thing we did not put up was my Willow Tree nativity because I was just too tired.  I told Cayden that I would put it up the next day while he was at school.  He came home and I had not done it yet so he talked his dad into doing for him.  Connor bought him some lights to go around his bedroom door so not only does Cayden have a Christmas tree in his room but lights around his door too.  We have not done the outside lights yet but the Christmas Nazi will continue to pester us  until we do.  It probably won't happen until after Thanksgiving though.  This may have been the earliest we have ever put up decorations.  Heil Santa!

To Eternity and Beyond

Yesterday morning around 10am a sweet little spirit left this world after fighting bravely and courageously.  His name was Rex Stuart and he is the son of my sister's best friend.  He died of a brain tumor and was only 3 years old.  He loved Toy Story and Buzz Lightyear.  I have been so sad yet comforted at the same time.  I've had this poem in my head for a few days and finally put it on paper today.

For Rex

We cried and whimpered, we begged and we pleaded

It seems though another angel was needed

We hope at these words so often repeated

Our family is forever.

We long for the spirit of peace to enfold us

And wait for the day when His face will behold us

We listen intently, these words that He’s told us

Our family is forever.

Hearts heavy and weighted

Confused and frustrated

We wonder for what each life is created

Our family is forever.

Eyes wet from our crying

The truth undenying

We will not quit trying

Our family is forever.

Please Lord mend our hearts

Let our sorrows depart

When eternity starts

Our family is forever.

Little Shop, Little Shop of Horrors

Moapa Valley High School performed Little Shop of Horrors November 2-4.  Cody played Seymour Krelborn.  This was the first musical Cody has been in but the 5th play.  All the kids worked their behinds off and pulled it all together in 2 months.  I tried to upload some video but it would never work.  We have been singing these songs for weeks now. Grandma Penny was able to come down and see the matinee on Tuesday morning.  Thank you to Aunt Pam and Uncle Dave who drove her down here.  Cody's cousin Taylor was in the play also so many family members from Don's side of the family went to numerous performances.  Cody was AWESOME and AMAZING and GREAT and FABULOUS.  I am not biased either.  He got lots of compliments from all over the place for a long time after the show. The show was even in the paper with a picture of him holding Audrey while she dies. 

Halloween

Halloween this year was a week long event.  Starting on Monday night Connor and Caleb spent 3 days getting ready for a haunted house that their Deacon's Quorum put together for Mutual.  They did it at the Fairgrounds in the livestock building.  It was quite the project.  With chili, hotdogs and hot chocolate the evening was a success.  I did not go because

A.  I am not in Young Men /Young Women  and

B.  I H.A.T.E  hate hate being scared.

So I don't really know exactly how it went only that there was lots of blood, guts and screaming.

We decorated the front yard with scarecrows and witches and 3 lit-up plastic pumpkins plus 6 large pumpkins that we used our Mr. Potato Head pieces to decorate our pumpkins. 

Caleb was a Zombie-Nerd.  I taped boxes of Nerds candy all over his shirt for their dress up day at school.  He said the candy was all gone by the end of 2nd period.

 Connor was an Airhead.  I taped Airhead candies all over his shirt.  They did not last too long either.

Cayden was a vampire/magician.  They always have a costume parade at the elementary.  This was on Thursday, October 28 because we always get Halloween off for Nevada day.   His class also had a party that I helped with.  I decided that I really don't like being in charge of things anymore because I have gotten burned a few times in the past.  I am quite content to "help".   His class decorated candy apples, made a haunted house from foam pieces and played a candy corn relay on top of eating lots of treats. 

Halloween was not actually until Sunday but the kids went trick-or-treating on Saturday.  Caleb dressed up as a Rockstar this time and then went with his friend Logan.  Cayden went with some neighborhood kids and them Caleb took around a bit.   My kids did not want to trick-or-treat much so they only went around around our neighborhood and the neighborhood on the next street.  Don't fret though because I had enough candy to get us through the millennium so they were not going to go without.  Connor was extremely worked up from the whole week of festivities and all the excitement.  Don took him for a long drive to help him calm down.  All the unpredictability and the 5 day weekend was too much for him.  We had Monday and Tuesday off for Teacher Development meetings.   After trick-or-treating we hung out at home and handed out candy.  The kids watched Ghostbusters while gobbling up their goodies.  I made caramel apples earlier in the week but the caramel just sort of slid off the apples.  I wanted to give them to my Visiting Teaching ladies but they did not look very pretty.  They tasted just great to us though.   Cody was rehearsing night and day for his play that was the following week so his Halloween was spent singing and feeding people to plants.  On Sunday we had a few trick-or-treaters but the majority came on Saturday night.  

Cooking With Connor

Connor is taking Home Ec this year.  He had to plan and prepare a dinner with limited help, just supervision. He made Artichoke Chicken with Capers, baked potatoes, apple pumpkin muffins, jello, and fresh cantaloupe.  He did it on a Sunday afternoon and it was delicious.

This is Cayden with his Occupational Therapist, Matt.  We try and see him once a week but it is hard because it is in St. George.  Matt helps with buttons and zippers, and shoe laces, which are some of the fine motor skills that Cayden struggles with.  He also has Cayden climb a climbing wall, climb up a jungle gym, slide down a small ramp on a rolling board and swing on a big swing that goes around in all directions.  Those things are to help him with the sensory processing problems that he has.  You can hear Cayden screaming/laughing all the way down the hall when he is on the swing.  He loves/hates it!  Matt is really good with him and very patient.  Thank goodness the insurance pays 80% of this because they bill in 15 minute increments of $65 each.  OUCH!  We are seeing some small improvements so it is worth it.

Remind Me To Remember

---September 20, 2010
 Don said to the kids "I have to go to Kansas City this week."
Cayden said " Will you bring me an autograph?"
Don said "From who?"
Cayden said "From Dorothy and the Wizard."
Don said "I'll check on that for you."

Sometime in October after Cayden came home from school.  He sits on the couch and says
"Dad, can we go for a drive?"
Don said "Where do you want to go for a drive to?"
Cayden said "To Vegas"
Don said "Why?"
Cayden said "So I can nap."

Cayden informed me after church a few weeks ago that there would not be a primary program this year.  I asked him why and he said just because.  I told him that I knew that there would be a program.  He asked me how I knew and I told him that there is always a primary program.  He again said how do you know.  I told him that Sister Keller (she is the Primary President) was my friend and that I knew there was a primary program.  He said "well I will just sit with my family or lead the music."  Nice try buddy.

Connor had to give a talk in Sacrament meeting on September 27.  He asked his dad how many people would be at church.  Don told him about 200.  Connor said "That's no big deal.  Now if it were a thousand....."

Baskets of Bounty

We have been participating in the Bountiful Baskets co-op the last few months.  Every other week I order a basket online and then I go up to the elementary school on Saturday morning and pick it up.  It is a co-op where everyone pays the same amount, $15, and gets the same amount of fruits and vegetables.  We usually end up getting $40-$50 dollars worth of produce.  The participants are asked to come and volunteer atleast once a month.  Volunteering means helping unload the trucks and distributing the produce to the baskets.  I have been volunteering quite a bit and now I am in charge of the distribution once a month.  I get a free basket out of it so what the heck.  We have been eating so many more fruits and vegetables than we really ever have.  I never know what we are going to get but once we have the produce I try and make menus and figure out ways to use it all.  We always get bananas and grapes and usually lettuce.  We have had broccoli, spinach, potatoes, yams, and even parsnips.  For fruits we have had different kinds of pears and apples, oranges, nectarines, pineapple and one time the most awesome mangoes I have ever had. This time we are getting persimmons.  Hmm that is interesting.  As long as you order a basket you can order what they call add-ons.  One of the add-ons is the most awesome 9 grain bread.  We love it toasted with peanut butter and my homemade peach-nectarine-mango freezer jam.  I also made raspberry freezer jam, raspberry peach freezer jam, bottled tomatoes and apple pie filling.  I end up making banana bread as often as once a week and I make a mean fresh tomato pasta sauce. 

Peppi Lapew Is Not My Friend

Our dog Bailey got skunked twice in a month.  The first time Don was out of town and the smell permeated the house and woke me up at 4am.  The neighborhood stunk for 3 days.  We just left the dog outside in the hope that the smell would just dissipate over time.  The second time it happened it was a few weeks later and Don was home. It woke both of us up that time.  We thought we were going to have sleep upstairs, our room stunk so bad.  It must have happened right out of our window.  The next day Don called the dog groomer and she said not to use water at all but to get Dawn dishsoap, hydrogen peroxide, and baking soda and make a soup out of it and scrub the dog down a few times and let him sit in it for a bit.  Don covered  himself in his rain boots, and rain suit and big yellow rubber gloves.  The grass turned a lovely shade of bronze the next day after the peroxide bleached it.  The dog smelled slightly better but he was still banished to the garage.  Don took him to the groomer a few days later and she shaved him and lathered him up again in the de-skunking mix.  He smelled much better after that and was allowed to come back into the house.  We have lived here almost 6 years and the dog has been outside most of those 6 years.  This is the first time he has gotten skunked ever and then again in the same month.  Peeeeyew!

Rainy Days

We got alot of rain at the beginning of October.  The kids ran through the puddles, rode their bikes through the puddles and generally made a huge muddy mess of themselves.  They had a great time.  I on the other hand washed multiple loads of muddy laundry and tried to keep the muddy footprints in the house to a minimum. 

Wake Me When September's Over-oh wait it is!

September recap

--Don and I, Caleb and Cayden sent to Utah for 3 days for Uncle Wayne's funeral.  Stayed at the Gessel Inn.  Ate Cafe Rio and Burger Supreme and Chic-Fil-A.  Connor and Cody stayed home.  Connor did not want to miss school and Cody did not want to miss rehearsal.  Caleb was rethinking his 3 day absence from school when he got all that homework.

--Cody has been working his fanny off with the play.  He would rehearse for atleast 2 hours a day then 2 days a week he would come home and go to work.  It is so nice that he finally driving himself around although that means that he is driving many others around as well.  He took October off for work because they were rehearsing for hours and hours a day.

--I met with the Special Ed team for Connor's annual IEP.  He is doing sooooooooo great this year.  After the first week of high anxiety he has been doing much better.  One of the kids that he has constant problems with has been moved around out of some of Connor's classes so he does not have to run into him all day.  He has a great Special Ed teacher this year who does more than just talk.  He "TEACHES" and then gently corrects and then takes Connor out to soccer games and assemblies to help him deal with real world situations and not just always talking about it.  He has been such a blessing this year and we have had minimal negative calls about issues that Connor is having at school.  Connor is excited to go to school and his grades are as good as they have ever been.

--Connor got to meet Sharron Angle at a meet and greet here in Logandale.  He was probably more excited than some of the adults.  He was quite the supporter by driving around on his bike asking people if they wanted Sharron Angle signs for their yards. 

--Our dog got skunked in the middle of the night and it was soooooooo bad it woke me up.  Poor dog was banished for weeks.  Then it happened again in October.  You can  see the pics in the next post because now I am to tired to keep going tonight.

WWWAAAYYYYY Behind!

I am so far behind with the blog that I must keep getting farther behind.  We really do have a life but I don't take the time to blog about it.  I have to get out the camera to look at the pictures to remind me what has been going on and since I am not a really great picture taker I don't remember alot of things just "the big stuff".  Maybe soon.