No going back now

On Monday I headed out to the thrift stores, hoping to score some deals on leftover halloween costumes I could use for dress up. I tried 2 thrift stores I haven't been before- big mistake. Stick with the ones you know have lots of kids items! I only found new costumes that were way overpriced marked down by 50%- still not the deal I was hoping for, but I got 2 dresses anyway. The girls knew I got them and so there was no holding them off until Christmas. Last night after much begging, the dresses were tried on. Oh my, this is the end. We set some hard, fast rules about how often and where they can be worn. Mozart was put on and much dancing ensued. Stephen introduced the girls to YouTube clips of dancing ballerinas, it's one of their favorite things to watch. Cheaper than taking them to the Ballet- heh heh. I also started thinking we would have a great time in Disneyland next Spring. The girls know all the Mickey Characters from a series of books they have and of course love the princesses. Stephen is a bit hesitant since he hasn't been there before. I told the girls that Cinderella lived in a castle in California. Rotten, aren't I? No turning back now. Think of it- if we drive there it will make the drive so much more manageable to tell them we are going to see Cinderella in her castle and they need to be good!

Two weekends part deux- trick or treat, smell my . . .

What a week! Wednesday night our friends had a great party where the kids did tricks for their treats, the parents had to get a donut off a string as a team (the 4 yr olds cheered us wildly) and we ate pumpkin soup, deviled egg "eyeballs" and dirt cups with worms coming out of them.

Friday night was the Magnolia Village trick or treat where the shop owners hand out candy. It's a wonderful Halloween costume parade, we had such fun- especially when we met up with friends the Goffs and saw Butikofers, Fischers, Thorns and others. Our church is located on the main street, so we had our own booth complete with photo op and bean bag toss.

Odessa wanted to be the Fairy Godmother. They don't make a child size cape- only adult costumes!

Ada: What do I do now mom?

Odessa using the collar to help move things along

Photo op turned into a moment to check out the goods- check out 18 month Jonah in the right hand corner! So cute.

Odessa is still talking about the green monster she was brave enough to stand next to. He was in front of the China store (as in porcelain). The store owners had some of the best costumes. (thanks for the pic Corey)

Halloween night Dad wanted to take the girls to a few houses, but Ada was done being a puppie. Fortunately I had borrowed a few dress up dresses from Mary. You can tell from her face she is DELIGHTED to be a princess (complete with sparkly shoes).


Yes, I was a witch again this year- Elphaba for the party with green face, but next year I will plan earlier and do something else! Stephen got pretty creative making knickers for his Beast costume. We need a navy cape now. (Odessa took this photo).


We walked up to one of the nicest parts of Magnolia to check out a Haunted Alley that people come from all over Seattle to experience (if only I had a picture of the beast pushing the double jogger! Now that was hilarious). Some neighbors put it on each year and if you make it through, you get a whole candy bar. The place was jammed with kids and the conversations on the sidewalk went like this: "are you going, I'm not going, Stephanie's going, can you believe that?" "Well, we'll just take the kids up there and if they don't want to go, we'll see. . . . " Apparently it's pretty scary!

This house was a few blocks down and the last place we trick or treated. I took a picture because it's so beautiful although the photo doesn't do it justice.

Going to the pumpkin patch enables you to get odd shaped pumpkins, not like the ones in the store! Stephen took our butternut squash shaped pumpkin and turned it into Siamese twins, one sad and one happy- you should have seen the shadows on the wall it made! Odessa drew instructions for the pumpkin on the left.

"See my pumpkin, sitting on a post.
Trying hard to scare me, playing it's a ghost!
But I'm not afraid, and I won't run,
'Cause it's Halloween and I'll have fun! BOO!"

(my kids LOVE this song- thanks Mom)

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!

Two weekends for the price of one, umm part 1

I'll try to keep this brief for my friends who find some of my posts long and tiresome . . . ahem. LOL!
Last weekend Stephen's parents Nancy and Steve were here. They were a blessed distraction from the woes noted in the last post. Friday we went to a pumpkin patch.

Goats and ponies were fed

wheel barrows were ridden in

Pumpkins were selected carefully

industrial sized tubes were slid down

tractors were admired, a good time had by all

Saturday we took an Argosy Cruise boat to Blake Island, a state park that is basically an uninhabited island, you can only reach it by boat. Argosy takes you to Tillicum Village, a recreation of a Native American lodge where they serve you a salmon baked over a fire and do a presentation of native dances complete with legends. SO FUN, GREAT FOOD, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

As usual, grandpa was never far from her sight

We got to see a cargo ship being loaded up close

Pulling up to Tillicum Village

a glance of the dance presentation

Sunday was the Primary Program, the first that Odessa has participated in. She had 2 lines for 2 different parts of the program that grandma helped her memorize. When she was prompted to give her first line, she immediately streamed into her second although she was supposed to give it much later. Too funny. The chorister was exactly blocking Odessa, so I moved pews so I could see her. She pretty much just put her arms down on the railing around the stand and put her head down during the songs. Oh well. You can't expect too much of 3 and 4 yr olds. We had a great time, thanks for coming Grandma and Grandpa Hunt!

Bad week

It's been a terrible, no good, very bad, horrible few days. Murphy's law is in full effect on my life- if it's a bad thing, then it will happen to me. Perspective: no one I love is injured or dead, although I probably may lose my job, we don't count on it for anything but a little spending money and though currently my calling ("church job" for those of you that are not LDS) is more than challenging me, I still believe in Christ. Health: check. Breadwinner: check. Faith: check.

Thankfully, my kids give me lots of perspective and keep me for wailing "woe is me" for very long. (although sometimes they add to my woe!)
During Ada's nap, Odessa is supposed to have quiet time on the couch with library books. Yesterday she informed me she wasn't going to do any such thing. When I got done explaining to her that yes, she was going to have quiet time, she stomped over to the couch with huffy "Fine!"

Odessa: (from the couch) Who gave me to you anyway??

Me: (ignoring comment)

Odessa: Yer crazy, mom. Mom! You are crazy!

Me: (feeling crazy) no I'm not, don't call me crazy.

Odessa: (hopping down from the couch) I need some chapstick.

Me: Don't you go into your room, Ada is asleep.

Odessa: I'm not, I'm getting yours.

Needless to say, there was some discussion about borrowing my things before asking, respecting her mother and the consequences of not staying in quiet time. Sheesh.

Today she was painting and I was again in the kitchen (am I always there??) I bumped her fridge toy and it started singing its' song about a letter (about 10 seconds long) "A says ahhh and A says Ay! Every letter makes a sound and A says ahhhh and Ay!"

Odessa: Mo--om, I can't paint with all that loud music! I just can't concentrate!

Apparently I am living with a 3 yr old turning 14 next month.

Leavenworth Oktoberfest

As before mentioned, Stephen is really into anything German. We've always wanted to visit Leavenworth, a little village done all in Bavarian style. It's about 2 1/2 hours+ Northwest from Seattle. Last weekend we took off early to enjoy Leavenworth's annual Oktoberfest, held each weekend in October. The town is filled with cute shops, but they were jammed with people and even if they hadn't been, they were not kid-friendly. It's the kind of place you want to go with your hubby on a long weekend. The Oktoberfest included access to 3 stages of German polka type music among other kinds and the opportunity to buy lots of beer and really bad bratwurst meals. We decided they probably don't get quality food because after you've had enough beers, it tastes good anyway. Needless to say, since we don't drink, the experience left quite a bit to be desired. We had a good time listening to the music and watching the dancers, but their craft and vendor booths were pitiful. I would never pay to get in again, but that's experience. Later we did the river walk and saw the spawning salmon jumping around in the water! We also ate dinner at a great German place before we left, so some good German food was had all around.

I would love to go back around Christmas time when I understand the whole place is decorated.The drive up there was beautiful, and this was just through the car window

Every shop is in the Bavarian style, even banks and hotels!

Too bad Ada ducked out at the last second, this would have made a great Christmas card- LOL

Bringing in the kegs

Watching the Leavenworth dancers

Doing their own version

Taking the slide upside down

Salmon splashing in the river

One more for the road

We were reading bedtime books and one had Mortie and Ferdie on a farm, then swimming in a lake.

Odessa: We eat pigs and chickens, do we eat lambs?

Me: Well, some people do, but not us.

Odessa: Why not?

Me: It's too expensive. (we're not going to go into my history with 4-H lambs)

Odessa: Do we eat horses?

Me: No! Now, let's finish this story.

later~

Odessa (looking at Mortie and Ferdie swimming): Are there sharks and whales and fishes that eat people in the water?

Me: Well, maybe some fish, but none that eat people.

Odessa: Well, do sharks eat us?

Me: No, not very often.

Odessa: Are we too expensive?

Odessa (and Ada) isms

Odessa learned all about signs from Curious George. She makes "no dinosaurs allowed" signs to go on all our doors (good thing too). She loudly announces that no dogs are allowed in the stores we go to when she sees the signs and asks about any red circle with a line through it that she doesn't recognize.

Odessa frequently asks to play on the computer when I am emailing or doing some other "important" stuff. I sometimes use the fact that I am using it to encourage other activities besides "media time". After one such incident, I came into the room and she showed me some pictures she had been working on post it notes.

Odessa: See this? (Sticking her note on the computer). It means: "moms aren't allowed to use the computer so much".

Me: I see.

Odessa: See this? (sticking the next picture on the computer). This means: "little girls are allowed to use the computer whenever they want to."

(I'm the figure on the left with a line through me)

The other day Stephen was in the shower and Odessa had to use the bathroom. She went in and "Dad" asked her to turn on the ceiling fan. It's a little tough to crank on, so we were both surprised she got it by herself. When Stephen thanked her, she replied "if you need anything else, just let me know!" She also explained to him the other day "Dad, if you have any kind of troubles, you can count on me. And if I have troubles, I can count on you!" We have no idea where she heard these sayings.

Odessa got in trouble for putting stickers on the sofa- it leaves marks. A few days later, Ada did the same thing. She also got in trouble and sent to her room for time out (wailing quite loudly). I went to get her a few minutes later.

Me: Do you know why you are in time out?
Ada: (still wailing) 'cause I put stickers on the co---ou---ch.
Me: Remember when Odessa got in trouble for putting stickers on the couch?
Ada: uh---huuh!
Me: Then why did you do it?
Ada: (wailing) 'cause I a ge-ge-nius!

I asked Odessa the other day what she wanted for her birthday.

Odessa: I want a horse cake.
Me: Ok, but what would you like for a present?
Odessa: A new camera that works (her old one takes terrible pictures and the batteries are always dead).
Me: Well, those are pretty expensive.
Odessa: Well Mom, I'm an expensive kind of girl!