Carving pumpkins

This, hands down, has to be one of our least favorite parenting duties.  But each year it does get better as the kids can do more on their own.  

Brock and Noah both carved their own this year.

And the final products (taken the night of Halloween)

We all loved Noah's becasue it ended up kind of looking like a "noah smile"

Pre Halloween festivities

We went to 2 activities before Halloween.  First we went to our high school's trick or treat street.  They have done this every year but I have never gone.  I figured it would be either too hard, chaotic, lame or just not worth it.  I learned that it is actually AMAZING and totally worth it - BUT you have to get there an hour early to stand in line.  It was freezing cold so I went an hour early and Jason dropped them off 2 minutes before they opened the doors (I am such a self- sacrificing mother.... insert eye roll)

It was really amazing and am so glad we went.  We also had Lincoln with us (Lincoln is usually with us).  They decorated all the halls and every hall was a different theme.  It was SO INTENSE.  While it was cool and the kids loved it I wondered where they got the money and the time - it literally would have taken them all day to decorate.  We got a ton of candy also - but to be honest the real reason we went was to get the candy.  Since Jason still didn't have a job, we talked the kids into going to get candy and then giving that candy away to trick or treaters so we didn't have to buy candy.  They were happy to help out (they did also eat the candy)

This is Kelton.  He is in our ward and the girls' best friend.  (Madison literally says Kelton is her best friend).  They take turns sitting with him and his mom in sacrament and they always bring stuff for the girls to do.  They were excited to see him passing out candy.

Once we left (it took about an hour) we were leaving the high school and there was still about a 1/2 mile line of people waiting to get in (in the dark, cold, and now, snowy night).  Instantly my kids' hearts went out to them and they realized that 1 - they had been waiting now for an hour, 2 - some of them still had an hour wait (or more), 3 - they might not get in and 4 - if they did get in most of the candy would be gone.  So, with out any prompting from me, as we walked to the car, my kids starting handing out candy to the kids waiting in line.  In moments like this you think, maybe, just maybe, your doing something right.

The next night we went to our ward's Halloween party/trunk or treat.  We brought our friends, Finn and Zoe with us.

Here is our Harry Potter crew. This is Noah, Megan, and their friend Finn. Our family read the Harry Potter books and watched the movies this summer (well... up to book 3, after that they can read them if they are in fourth grade). Our kids loved them. Aren't they the perfect Harry, Hermione, and Ron? Love it!

Grandpa comes to visit!

We were so excited when Grandpa Hanna had a purposeful extended layover in Denver and got to come stay with us for a few days.  He got to watch Brock play football and Madison play soccer.  He also took us out to dinner and got to see the kids in their Primary Program (where Megan gave a scripture and Madison sang).  It was a busy weekend.  He also caught a mouse in our basement and the kids let it go out in the open space (although they wanted to keep it as a pet!)

We had a great time with him and are so glad he came!

Friday the 13th party

While Jason was gone hunting it was Friday the 13th.  I got ambitious and decided to have a neighborhood kids party, eat pizza, and watch Hocus Pocus.  It was fun.

We had about 15 kids.  Most watch the whole time, a few got really scared.  Megan wouldn't sleep that night, and Sarah Jessica's immodesty bothered a few of the kids.  Can't win 'um all!

Jason's hunting

Jason has wanted to buy a gun and go hunting for the past... oh, maybe 5 years.  It took us a while to prioritize the purchases but he finally got everything he needed.  He went out with a few ward friends for 3 days.  They didn't see anything.  That is about on par with my experience with hunting.  Hopefully he gets something next year.

Dart Warz, sledding, and a weird Fall Break

We had a very strange fall break at our house.  Every year I look forward to fall, spring, Christmas, and summer breaks.  I plan activities and outings and we always have a great time.  I love having my kids home and always think they are too short.  And this time was no different.  Except I didn't plan any outings.  I am not sure why.  I don't know if it was more me or more them, but I just kind of decided to take their lead.  Every day I asked them what they wanted to do.  They had their own plans.  So I let them do what they wanted.  Some days I offered suggestions, I REALLY wanted to go hiking or on a great fall bike ride.  But they didn't.  I decided this was their break and they should get to spend it how they wanted.  So most days we didn't do much.  They woke up when ever, they had 3 jobs a day, and then they read, played with friends, watched movies, or played x box.  I am still not sure how I feel about it.  But I think it was what we all needed at the time. 

We did do a FEW things:

One of the reasons I was probably in a Fall break slump was that I didn't want to spend any money because Jason still didn't have a job.  That isn't the REAL excuse since most things we usually do don't cost any money anyways.  But one thing Brock really wanted to do all week was go to Dart Warz.  I told him I would take him but he had to pay for himself.  Madison thought this sounded great so she decided to pay her own money and come too.   I actually took him during the day but it was still closed.  He had football practice that evening so the only time we could come back was 8:00 at night.  Turns out not a lot of people go to dart warz on a week night at 8:00 pm.  They were pretty adorable.  Brock LOVES competition and just loves being there.  And it was Madison's first time and she was just adorable.  All the older teenage boys just thought she was so cute and pretty much let her get away with anything.  Several games she was the last man standing.  

I sat in the lobby and caught up on my Ensign.  It was a pretty great way to spend my evening.

I took some pictures of them playing - the quality is pretty bad - but they were just pretty cute playing together.

The other thing we did was go sledding.  It was kind of perfect.  We had 70 degree weather the whole fall break - except one day it snowed.  It was the first (and so far only) snow of the season so we busted out our winter clothing and went sledding for a few hours.  

Brock actually didn't sled, but instead built a snowman

Old journal entry

I may have already posted this in a post somewhere.  But I found this as a draft and I thought I should post it.  So if it is posted twice it is not to magnify this problem - I just wanted to document it.

"I have been having a hard time in my mothering - different than my problems have been in the past.  After a little bit (or a lot) of soul searching I came up with a few reasons.  One was my kids.  I found great joy in my children being home and being little.  I had several times a day when I would have those moments of pure joy where I felt like my heart would burst.  They were just easy little moments - putting together a puzzle, pushing on a swing, sliding down a slide, feeding ducks, reading a book - I would just look at them and I would be filled with joy.  Well turns out that is an endorphin kick.  I don't have those anymore - and while I am not sad that I don't have those moments - my body has not chemically adjusted to having these endorphin shots several times a day.  I now have those maybe a few times a month.  I am now just the referee in the house - telling them what to do when they get home from school - sorry - but I find NO joy in that.  And while I am enjoying this stage of mothering and I find it just as appealing and rewarding - I do not have those joy filled moments."

School Projects

Missed post from last school year.  Here are some random pictures from school projects.  

Brock competed in battle of the books last year (he is currently doing it again right now for this school year).  This was HUGE for Brock and us.  Brock is not a particularly strong reader, in fact at the beginning of last year he was WAY behind in reading.  As a result he didn't like reading.  But there is one thing Brock loves... Brock thrives on...Competition.  He came home and said he wanted to compete and I looked at the list and just knew how hard it was going to be for him - not ONE book was on his reading level.  We talked to him and he assured us he wanted to do it.  Jason and I read each book with him - well... Jason read 6 of the books - I read one.  And he did it!  And in the process he doubled his reading scores and is now reading on grade level.  He is amazing.  Brock never ceases to amaze me.  He loved competing and being on a team.  I was so proud of him!

This was for 100 days of Kindergarten.

Noah and his partner at their Native American display.  This year the blessed teacher decided to have them do this project 100% at school!  Those are the teachers heaven is made of!  I wondered how it would turn out... turns out they are much more capable and creative then we let them be!  I thought all the projects turned out almost better then they would have if they did them at home.  I love great teachers!  AND Noah's cute smile.  I just love his smile - it is so pure and sincere.

Madison was a goose for migrating day.

Megan giving her part at "mindfulness day". 

And this isn't school but I subbed Madison's primary class one day and it was pretty fun.  I have always hated subbing in primary and avoided it at all costs (and have never had a calling in Primary or Nursery and also avoided that at all costs).  But on this day I enjoyed it and thought, "I could have a primary calling".  It was foreshadowing.