Penny Walk

One of our family's favorite things to do is a Penny Walk. If you've never tried it, you should. We have been on some pretty interesting walks together. If you've never heard of such a thing, the concept is simple. You bring along a penny and everytime you come to any sort of intersection or side street, etc. you stop and flip the penny. Heads means you walk right and tails means you walk left. Sometimes we have to modify it if there isn't a right and left so we may end up choosing between going left or keeping forward. And that's all there is to it. So for family home evening the other night, Spencer begged us for a Penny Walk. It was such a warm day and we thought it would be fun to see the remaining fall colors. For some reason my pictures loaded all out of order, (I'm on Kalen's computer today and I must have done something wrong), but you can still see all the fun we had. This particular walk took us through most of the college campus. This was a cool squirrel we saw. We have a lot of black squirrels in Michigan but we liked the white tip of his tail.

This was actually in a tree in front of our house while we were still waiting for everyone to gather. If only Lynnsey would have smiled like this for her school pictures, I wouldn't be sending her for retakes!

And here's Kendall in the same tree. I never worry about his school pictures which did turn out fantastic and which I will be posting very soon.

Kaya only made it partway through the walk before she decided to take a little siesta.

We made it through with only a minor mishap. Poor Lynnsey was happily running ahead and caught her shoe on an uneven part of the sidewalk. She was on the ground before anyone could catch her. She was pretty sad but didn't want us to go home, so we actually kept walking for another half an hour.

This was such a beautiful crab apple tree with the red apples and red leaves. We also saw a yellow one with yellow leaves too. The fall colors in Michigan have been breathtaking this year.

This was the clan at the beginning of the walk--minus me of course. I'm always much more comfortable behind the camera. I loved Lynnsey's walking stick. Too bad she tossed it aside before she scraped her knee. It might have come in handy.

And here's the most important part of the evening--our penny. Spencer loved when it was his turn to toss it. Usually though, we had to search through the grass where it always seemed to land after he threw it up in the air with all of his might.

It was a really fun adventure and an absolutely beautiful evening. We actually enjoyed ourselves so much that it was dark before we made it home.

Halloween

The last few years we have really enjoyed doing a theme with all of the kids for Halloween (thanks Alison!). The first year we were a zoo (I was the zoo keeper, Kalen was an elephant, Taylor was a jaguar, Kendall was a giraffe, and Lynnsey was a koala.) The following year, we went back to letting the kids do whatever they wanted but the year after that we tried a Star Wars theme (Taylor was Obi Wan, Kendall was Darth Sidius, Lynnsey was Princess Leia, and Spencer was the cutest little Ewock you can imagine). That was so much fun that we kept it going last year with a Harry Potter theme (Taylor was Harry, Kendall was a darling Dumbledore, Lynnsey was the perfect Hermione, and Spencer was a dragon). Well, the kids started planning right after last Halloween for what they wanted to be this time around. I thought it was a great idea and then once I started this blog I knew I had to go with it:

The Wizard of Oz! This is likely going to be the last year that we get all of the kids to go along with a theme (Taylor really didn't want to do this one this year), so I think this one turned out to be a nice way to end it. I also took individual photos of the kids too and will post them on my side bar as soon as I can but I have to go to Kalen's office to do it since it would likely take hours on this ridiculously slow computer. I found Taylor and Lynnsey's costumes on eBay for a good price after a long and arduous search and I found Kaya's dress on there as well, but Mom and I added the sleeves to it since it only had spaghetti straps. I made her crown out of pink foam and covered it with the leftover fabric from the sleeves and finished it off with glitter. We had the lion costume already so that was a bonus. Kendall's costume is actually one of my favorites. He already had the shirt and pants and we just tied the waist with rope. I used the head covering of Spencer's old Ewock costume as the headcovering for this one. We found some little straw-looking wristlets at a Halloween store for practically nothing. The hat was the trickiest because I couldn't find a pre-made one anywhere unless I bought the whole costume which I was unwilling to do for $50. So instead I bought an 80 cent fabric remnant and came up with it myself. I don't sew well at all but the great thing about this costume is that sloppy stitches just added to the whole look! Not bad if I do say so myself.

Anyway, it was a great day. The kids had NO SCHOOL that day due to a teacher inservice day so we spent the morning at a party at our local kids museum. They had events going on throughout the day, the favorite of which was making flubber, but mostly the kids just loved playing and showing off their costumes.

That night we got them all put together again (Lynnsey got paint on her dress in the messy art room at the museum so we had to wash it before going out trick or treating). They have a set time here to do our trick-or-treating from six until eight p.m. The weather was amazing. It has been so cold here recently but Friday was sunny and upper 60's so the kids didn't have to hide their costumes under coats. First we hit our neighborhood. Not too many people actually participate in our area but a few neighbors like for us to bring the kids over so they can see them all dressed up. Then we headed over to what is known as the Faculty Ghetto which is actually a very nice section of town where an inordinate number of college faculty live. They were a big hit over there. Several people would ask us if they could take the kids' picture. As soon as Spencer would see them with a camera, he'd bolt and everyone would laugh because he was playing his role as "cowardly" lion so well. Kaya had been having a great time early on since she loves to be outdoors but partway through she gave up and took a nap. Then we headed to a couple of Kalen's colleagues homes so they could see the kids and finally we wound up at Nana's where she had special bags just for our kids. We visited for a bit but by then Kaya was through! By the time we got home, she was so MAD! Once we got her out of her costume and in some cozy pajamas, she was much happier.

On Saturday we dumped all the candy together and counted out our "tithing" to give to the Branch President for his candy jars. We do this every year and it is a great way to illustrate how little a tenth really is. It has caught on and some of the other families in the branch now do the same thing.

Okay, this isn't from Halloween but Kaya was so stinkin' cute in her little "I Love My Mummy" t-shirt that I couldn't resist. She just had her 4 month check-up a little while ago and is doing great (she's about 24 1/4 inches and 13 lbs 4 oz). She rolled over from her tummy to her back about a week and a half ago and the next day she rolled from her back to her tummy! She might do it more often except she'd much rather be sitting in someone's lap. She's a joy!

Temple Trip

After a late night at our Branch Trunk or Treat and Chili Cook-Off which was a huge success and so much fun, Kalen and Taylor got up bright and early for the youth temple trip to Chicago. We have a temple in Detroit that is much, much closer but unfortunately our area of the state is still in the Chicago temple district. Apparently it was a really great trip even with the 8 hours of driving. This was Taylor's first-ever trip to do baptisms and he was pretty nervous but ended up having a wonderful experience. As he described it: "It was probably my best Saturday ever." I'm glad they had so much fun. It almost made my not-so-spiritual day as a single mom worth it! (Two soccer games, the grocery store, kid's baths...)

We also had our Branch Primary Program yesterday. The best part of the day was knowing that I wasn't in charge of it! I loved being in Primary but I really don't miss planning that program. It turned out really great. Kendall and Lynnsey both had several speaking parts and both did them! I wasn't worried about Kendall but Lynnsey is just SO shy and gets such stage fright that I fully expected her to freeze up and not be able to do it. However the promise of a trip to see the new High School Musical movie seemed to see her through it all. They both sang all the songs this year too. And so did Spencer from the back of the room where we were sitting! It was so cute! We've been practicing the songs nearly every night so he learned them right along with everyone else. Now lets just hope that he'll do the same thing next year when he is in Primary.

Just Call Me Dr. Kit

Spencer just cracks me up sometimes. The other day he and Aksel, the little boy I babysit, were playing with the doctor kit that Aksel brought to share. I was the patient and they were both doctors. Spencer checked my in my ears and I asked: "How does it look?" He said "Good. There's just a dinosaur in there." Once my check-up was all done (I had to have 23 shots), I said: "Thank you Dr. Oswald." And Spencer said: "My name is not Dr. Oswald. It is Dr. Kit."

Babysitting does have its perks. Spencer has a built-in playmate nearly every day and I get to laugh hysterically over some of the crazy conversations and games they come up with. One of their favorite games that they invented recently is called "Dead Kangaroos". It is so named because it involves them both jumping around the room and then dropping to the floor suddenly, yelling "We're dead!". Then they close their eyes and stick out their tongues. After a minute they jump up again and repeat the whole process. They do this over and over again and think it is just the best game ever. Isn't that so funny?

Fun Facts

Okay, so several other family members have posted this on their blogs, so I figured I may as well do it too. It's actually been really fun to read their responses to such silly questions. You think you know a person... I noticed that the one I received was misnumbered and there were only 48 questions so I added two more to the list for an even 50.

1. Do you like blue cheese? Sometimes if I am in the right mood.

2. Have you ever smoked a cigarette? No. Unless you count all the second hand smoke that I've been forced to inhale by people who insist that their smoking only hurts them.

3. Do you own a gun? No. But lots of super soakers, so we should be good to defend ourselves.

4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? I actually haven't eaten there in years. I think I used to do Cherry.

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Not usually. It depends what I'm going for. I'm actually so nervous about an impending appointment right now that I haven't even made the appointment yet.

6. What do you think of hot dogs? I like them if I don't think about them too much. Roasted over a campfire though I can eat many.

7. Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? milk and orange juice

9. Can you do push-ups? Only the girl kind and not too many of those.

10. What is you favorite movie? I love so many movies but probably my favorite is the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice.

11. What is your favorite piece of jewelry? My wedding ring.

12. Favorite hobby? reading, scrapbooking, crochet

13. Do you work with people who idolize you? Definitely. During the day I am home with my 3 year old and 3 month old who think I am the most awesome person on the planet, plus I babysit for two other kids who also seem to think I am pretty cool too, at least until their parent's show up.

14. Do you have ADD? No

15. What's one trait that you hate about yourself? Oh boy. Just one? I'm not too thrilled that I still have to wear my maternity jeans nearly 4 months after giving birth.

16. Name three thoughts at this moment: I need to check on Kaya again to see if she's awake yet. I need to plan the next enrichment night activity. I need to take some cold medicine.

17. Name 3 things you bought yesterday: It's a miracle! I didn't buy anything yesterday!

18. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink: water, milk, and juice

19. Current worry right now? a severe lack of money

20. Current hate right now? politics

21. Favorite place to be? home or visiting family

22. How did you bring in the new year? We stayed home with the kids playing games and watching movies. At midnight we had a ginger ale toast in fancy glasses ( the kids love that part).

23. Favorite vacation spot? We always love to visit New Jersey and Utah, and I've been dying to get back up to Michigan's U.P. to camp at Tahquamenon Falls again and see the sights all around that area.

24. Name 3 people who will complete this. I can name 3 who already have completed it: Alison, Andrew, and Susannah. Anyone else is welcome to do it.

25. Whose answer do you want to read the most? Anyone's

26. What color shirt are you wearing? white t-shirt with a pink hoodie

27. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? I don't know. I've never tried it before.

28. Can you whistle? Yes and I have to say I'm pretty good at it.

29. Favorite color? purple

30. Would you be a pirate? No. I need to shower more than once a year.

31. What songs to you sing in the shower? Pirate songs. No, actually I don't sing in the shower. My kids have enough stuff to make fun of me for without adding that to the list.

32. Favorite girl's name: Lynnsey and Kaya

33. Favorite boy's name: Taylor, Kendall, and Spencer

34. What's in your pocket right now? Lint

35. Last thing that made you laugh? Kaya was giggling at herself in the mirror and it was contagious.

36. Best bed sheets as a child? I can't really remember but I think they probably matched the Holly Hobby bedspreads that we had.

37. Worst injury you've ever had? Actually I haven't had too many big injuries. I have lots of near-accidents but usually escape okay. I guess the broken toe I got when I fell down the stairs was unpleasant. It actually still hurts if someone steps on it or if I bump it on something.

38. Do you love where you live? Yes.

39. How many TV's do you have? Two but one of them doesn't work very well so we pretty much just watch one in the family room.

40. Who is your loudest friend? Hmm...my kids are pretty loud. I guess of my friends I'd have to say Nancy L.

41. How many dogs do you have? Zero.

42. Does someone have a crush on you? Probably. I mean who wouldn't find a mother of 5 kids with a 3 month postpartum body in maternity jeans with permanent spit up stains on all of her glamorous t-shirts attractive?

43. What is your favorite book? I LOVE books. Among my favorites would be Pride and Prejudice, The Work and the Glory series, The Children of the Promise series, and The Doll in McCallaway's Store (and its two sequels) by Kevin Krogh.

44. What is your favorite candy? pretty much anything chocolate

45. What is your favorite sports team? USA mens and women's soccer, Utah Jazz, The Polar Bears (Lynnsey's soccer team), and The Bluejays (Kendall's soccer team). Taylor's team is still in the organizational phase.

46. What song do you want played at your funeral? I Know that My Redeemer Lives

47. What were you doing at 12 am last night? Getting ready for bed.

48. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up this morning? Just 5 more hours please!

49. What is one item you currently don't own but wish you did? a camcorder

50. If you could travel anywhere outside of the US, where would you go? Europe, particularly Spain.

Another Festival

On Saturday afternoon, after watching Kendall and Lynnsey's soccer games (a future blog), we headed over to another Albion festival. This time is was the A-Mazing Corn Harvest. Smaller than the Festival of the Forks, it was still a really fun time. They had lots of vendors selling all sorts of arts and crafts, there were Civil War reinactments, campfire and dutch oven cooking demonstrations, a farmer's market, jumping castle, kids crafts, wagon rides, and of course the corn maze. Here is everyone at the entrance to the corn maze. You'll notice the absence of Kalen who had to miss the festivities because he tore a muscle in his calf the other night at his community soccer game and so he had to stay home nursing his injury. And I, of course, am missing from the picture as well since I am the one taking it (with Kaya strapped to me in her sling which is why you never see picture of her at these sorts of outings either). Anyway, the maze really was quite challenging to get through with all sorts of dead ends. It's really easy to see how a person could get lost forever in a cornfield--at least until harvest time!

Spencer had a great time hunting for ears of corn along the way. He'd have gotten more, but he couldn't fit anymore in his arms. When we got home he promptly put them on display on our book case and won't let me move them because they're his "special corns".

After we had seen and done all we wanted to, we drove back out to the cornfield and watched them harvest all the corn. After watching the big machinery plowing down all of the corn stalks, Kendall remarked: "I'm sure glad we found our way out of there!"

Taylor's School Pictures

Well, it's another low resolution image but again, you get the idea. I was looking at some old photos of Kalen and I at the age of twelve and we were pretty, um, shall we say awkward? So I'm thinking, Taylor is doing mighty well in the looks arena at this age. I thought these came out very nicely and he looks really handsome even though he wore his jeans with the hole in the knee instead of the brand new pair I'd just bought for him. (I know, he's so rebellious!)