Halloween FHE

Last night we had the McFadden's come over for some fun times. One of my favorite holidays is Halloween (see other posts for why). I want to be able to have good traditions with Aidan. So how better to do that that with a fun get together with his favorite Zoe? We had them both dress up in their costumes (we did this just because we will be is St. George this weekend playing with family and we needed to see Zoe in her costume). Sorry but I forgot to do pictures...but Aidan was a lumberjack and Zoe was a giraffe. So cute! They colored some halloween pictures and painted a rock. Yes a rock! Why you ask? For a super fun rock garden (sounded cute and fun in my head). Then we ate chili and treats and made sugar cookies and decorated them. By that time I was exhausted as with the McFadden's. It was a great time for all. A special thanks to Nate and Keira and Lorraine for playing with us. A super big thanks to Lorraine... she helped save my sugar cookies. I read the recipe as asking for 1 stick of butter not 1 cup! Oops! That is why she is the baker in the family and I can pretend to be the cook. Thanks again to all!

Halloween Decorations

So for posterity and the sorts I decided to post this picture of how we decorated this year. I took some other pictures only to realize that they didn't turn out right. And I am too stinking lazy to find the camera and try again. So I will give you the run down. On the front porch we put our carved pumpkins. Next year we wont do them so early...I had never done them before. They are now all moldy and wrinkly...like old grandparent pumpkins. Then I bought six feet of pretty fall leave garland, I cut it in half and realized three feet on each side is NOT a lot. Later we will by a lot more garland. On our wood door we hung the grim reaper noise maker. Virgie gave it to us last year and Aidan LOVES it. Last year (after casually watching Aunt Cherie make some) I made some black yarn spiders. I don't have a lot of talent but they did there job. We hung four of them all over the front porch. One from the glass door handle, one from the covering, and one on each side in between the garland. The mailman told me that the one dangling from the covering scared him as he approached the steps the next day! Fun! Mission accomplished! On our front window we hung up some window clings and some fun pumpkins. We also bought one strand of purple lights. At night time they are really cool looking and Aidan has to look at them every night before bed. We also have my BOO blocks upstairs in the living room and we hung up a skeleton on the living room closet door. Aidan loves that too.

I really enjoy Halloween and I can't wait to slowly build up to the house that my parents had growing up. Full of fun stuff. So many traditions and memories are centered around Halloween, I just hope that my kids enjoy this holiday as much as I do.

Happy birthday Matthew!

Just wanted to take a moment and wish Matt a
Happy Birthday!
I just looked through all of my pictures
and can't find one of him. I guess
I will have to get one of him soon enough.
We love you Matt...
hope you have a great
21st birthday!

The great compromise

Today (well yesterday) Brian and I had a breakthrough. We experienced a crucial compromise. As silly as it sounds, a very important compromise to the well being of marriage (just for this week).

Tonight, Monday night, was the game of all games (not really just one that Brian thought was very important to the well being of his beloved Broncos). Just one silly little problem, game starts at 630PM...about the time that we have Family Home Evening begin. So we talked and decided we could make it work this week. We could both do the game and have a good FHE. The awesome thing about Brian being unemployed (yes he still is, so send us information if you know of anything opening up) is that we can do things during the day.

Just after lunch we decided to borrow the idea of hiking around Snowbasin from our friends, the McFaddens. We enjoyed the beautiful drive up Trappers Loop. We drove around the resort (I had never been before) then we decided to walk around a hiking trail. We didn't go far or for very long. But I can say that now I am not afraid to take Aidan. He walked it all by himself. We stopped twice for pictures and drinks (we were gone about 45 minutes). I had so much fun. Here are some of the pictures from our adventure.

Me, documenting that I was actually with them.

Aidan and Brian. Aidan loves to wear his hat like this, silly boy.

My hubby. I love him. Sorry I can't figure out how to rotate this.

Look Mom a little tiny stick!

Trying to get a cute picture of Aidan. This works.

Thanks again to the McFaddens for the idea to go on a hike and take cute pictures.

After this hike we decided to take another minute and drive up to Powder Mountain. I have lived in Utah my entire life and have never been to these resorts (I have never been skiing or snowboarding either). What a nice and relaxing drive. The leaves were beautiful, the weather ideal and the company amazing.

Just something extra....

Today while we watched Monday night television I decided to do something "productive." I had a couple of old Cinemark shirts that I just couldn't part with, I am a bit of a sentimental sap. But hey, I did work there for a combined total of 12 years and I met my husband there. That should all count for something, right? It still isn't finished but I thought I would share any how. I used the black and purple checked Garth Brooks style shirt and the candy striper Dickies shirt. I couldn't resist adding the Cinemark Crew design to the middle. The embellishment on the upper left side and lower right side are supposed to look like movie reels. The upper right is the Cinemark patch from the candy striper shirt and the lower left side is supposed to be popcorn in a container.

This is a quilt I made with left over levi patches from the quilt I made for Brian and I. This one is for Aidan, one of his Christmas presents. I tried to go outside the box and do fancy trim. Keep in mind, I am a work in progress. One day I hope to be able to do some of the very intricate detailed quilts...you know the kind that you don' t use but you hang on the wall.
Today, for Family Home Evening (though it was mid--afternoon) we carved pumpkins. Aidan was pretty confused by it but I hope we have started a family tradition. I was most excited to put the inards into my compost bin. :)
Here is a shot of Aidan with the pumpkins on the doorstep. Brian's is one the top left. Mine is the right, and Aidan's is the one below Brian's. Aidan loves pumpkins. He tries really hard to say pumpkin whenever he sees them.
Something else I decided to do today was these little blocks. Brian had a extra piece of wood in the garage and I stole it! I made him use dad's table saw to cut them and then we used dad's belt sander to smooth them out. Then I painted them. I hope to do some for Thanksgiving and Christmas before long, but the sanding belt started to act funny (I think it needs a new piece of sandpaper). So I guess I will be finishing the other blocks and my yard poinsettia later this week. So many projects so little time, or is it so many projects so little money...

Frightmares.....

Aidan enjoying the planes. He really though he was the Red Baron.

Guess what dad...Aidan LOVES BOATS. He has officially entered
his boat phase.

Waiting in line for the
GREATEST, MOST SPECTACULAR RIDE
EVER!

The Cars...he was able to drive them all by himself.
Just like how Grandpa Bob showed him. :)

The best part of this ride being able to
go faster than those walking.
To the left is Ann and her friend Amy.

We have been meaning to take Aidan to Lagoon all season but for whatever reason, it hasn't happened until last Friday. Friday was Pat's birthday and she had to work and it was employee appreciation day. So the greater Larson clan decided to go to Lagoon (inexpensively) and celebrate with Pat. Lorraine was able to get some great cupcakes and flowers for Pat and then we, along with the greater portion of her staff, sang Happy Birthday. She said she was surprised but I think she knew something was up. LOL. The great part of being there for Pat's birthday was that she is the Grounds supervisor, which means she was able to wander around the park with us for quiet sometime. She just periodically checked her areas and would wander off to deal with something important. She was able to help Aidan on some of the rides and he loved that. We all loved that she was able to both things at once.

I also have to acknowledge that this was BY FAR the GREATEST experience I have ever had at Lagoon. I have always gone with my dad's side of the family and growing up that meant at least once a season. I have never enjoyed riding the rides (if I get too dizzy and mess up my bodies equilibrium...a massive bloody nose soon follows...not that fun), I am not really big on the crowds, and especially the heat. I tend to get bloody noses for a number of crazy reasons but two that are most prominent; heat (raising my normally comfortable body temperate and my nose reacts in a bloody nose), and dizziness (the rides screw up that equilibruim....yaddi yaddi ya). I always went when I was younger because I did enjoy those precious few hours with family. But the older I get nothing is worth the embarassment of a gusher. Sorry. Brian on the other hand LOVES his roller coasters. He hasn't been able to go much the last couple of years. Pregnant wife (being pregnant she really wouldn't even consider it) and then having an infant. Well this year I thought about the reasons and the options. Pat's birthday...absolutely necessary that we go. It's grandma Pat's birthday! Trust me if I could have made a trip to St. George for my mom's birthday we would have been there (stupid unemployment, lack of funds issue). And Frightmares is in October. During the school year when it is cooler. Any one else dig my train of thought.

I enjoyed watching the smile and the glee of Aidan. That made my day. Aidan had never been before so everything was fresh and new. Some of the rides made him nervous. When the rides would go in the air, you could visibly see the nervousness on his face. But put him in the car or the boats and he was delighted. He ended up riding the boats something like 10 times in a row and the cars about the same. My favorite was right as the park was winding down (Brian went to go ride the big rides with his sister, we stayed in the little kid area) Aidan just stayed on the cars. At one point he was so tired he got off the ride and ran to get back into line to ride it again. He fell. He hurt his little hands. But I couldn't give him a love until he was in line with the other kids for car time. Funny huh. And then on that same ride he was so tired I noticed that he fell asleep behind the wheel. Mom called it quits at that point. Sorry Aidan. What a fun and eventful night. I had so much fun, that there will be lots more Lagoon going experiences for my family. And I can't wait until Aidan is old enough to go on the rides with his dad. Then I will be forever off the hook!

Chuck E Cheese

On Saturday, Aidan and I went with Stephanie, Addi, and Seth to Chuck E Cheese. It was to celebrate Addison's birthday. Aidan sure did have a fun time. We ate some pizza and then played on the rides. I haven't been to a Chuck E Cheese since...well...I think it was my sister's 4th birthday party...1986-ish. Wow! Time has passed. I wish I could say that I had more fun on this trip to Chuck E Cheese but the truth is I am learning that with a toddler (a very curious toddler) I am not into large crowds, confined spaces and heat. It was my fault for wearing a hoodie but still the reasoning remains the same. Aidan is so fast he would zip through the game area, he would literally run through adults legs to get to his desired destination, which was just a fleeting thought, he would just run and run. He did love the games and I loved that he loved the games. So even though Mom didn't have as much fun, we will go again. I am a sucker for seeing a smile on Aidan's face. However, my rules for next time... during the week, during school, and during lunch. That should eliminate the large crowds that we saw on Saturday night, right?

Saucie enjoying her "gourmet" pizza.

Aidan happy that I said we could go play on the rides.

Aidan and Chuck E Cheese... he happily was Chuck E's
chauffer for a little bit.

Addi and Seth...waiting to go play on the games.
Thanks for letting us come and play!

Happy Birthday Grandma Pat

Happy Birthday Grandma Pat...we are sorry that you have to work on your very special day, but we hope you enjoy your day nonetheless...and we will party later! We love you....


On a side note the last post was attempted by me, but finished by Aidan...so as a weird treat I decided to leave it just for you.... :)

Happy Birthd.a.

Politics aside....What?

I am very confused this morning. There is breaking news that President Barack Obama just won the Nobel Peace Prize. Huh? Did I miss something? Personal opinions of the President aside (for all of us) what grand thing did he do to get nominated? What event took place that was so spectacular for him to receive it?

I know that I don't follow the news like I should, so maybe something happened that I missed. Did he receive this award for something that he did while in the Oval Office? Or is this something that he did on the campaign trail or even as Senator of Illinois? From what I have understood about the Prizes an individual had to have something to show for the prize. Jimmie Carter and the Peace Accords; Teddy Roosevelt and the national park idea; Al Gore and the global warming issue; Woodrow Wilson and the League of Nations. With these individuals (whether or not I agree with the awarding of the prize is not to be argued) I can see why they were nominated and why the got it. But President Obama's being nominated...I am at a loss. He was quoted by CNN as saying, " he did not view the award "as a recognition of my own accomplishments. But rather as an affirmation of American leadership. ... I will accept this award as a call to action." So by President Obama's thought process is he just as confused? Did he win the award because it looks like he will be deserving of this award in future? I don't understand....help.

Happy Birthday Jordan!!!

We just wanted to take a minute to wish
Ms. Jordan
a very Happy 23rd Birthday.
We love her and hopes she has a great birthday.

A new update...

I have concluded that we, the Brian Larson family, are boring. You may say that it is because we are broke and trying to be wise with our pennies, or because we are just boring. I haven't taken any pictures in a while and that it just pure laziness, oops. Here is a list of semi-important things from this week.

Sunday September 27...Mom and Dad's 31st Anniversary. Holy cow! Congrats to Mom and Dad for putting up with each other for that long! Amazing! I didn't get a chance to put up a special blog in their honor, mainly because I am waiting to get Brian to help me transfer pictures from one computer to the other so when that happens...I will blog just to them!

Sunday we tried to go to church. We made it there and then, right after Sacrament we took off. Aidan some days...seriously...lets just leave it at that. I feel so bad. I feel like some of the issue is he does something and I go crazy. And then if I don't have the spirit, we go. No sense in trying to find the spirit in all of my anger. Brian went to work that night and Aidan and I just relaxed.

Tuesday I went to work. Not so bad. I can handle this thing called day care, as long as Aidan loves it there. I enjoy the kids, but there are a few (three) that drive me nuts. I am primarily in the school age room (4-12 year olds). I mainly deal with the 4-5 year olds. And about an hour of the older kids. I feel terrible that I get so irritated by three 4 years. One is the hitter (he hits everyone -students and me. I know it must mean something else, but if he were my kid he would get punished...the way I feel would be effective but we can't do it at the day care). Another is the tattle tale child. Seriously. Always telling on the others for silly things. And last, the whiner. Always fake crying over something silly or without merit. As I have concentrated more on these three children I have noticed that they behave like this because they want to play with the others and the others don't want to play with them. They don't want to play with them because of the actions the previous children. It is a never ending cycle. Even though they annoy me I have determined to try and figure out how to end this cycle. I don't want to know that the kid that hit becomes violent during the teenage years because of the some unresolved issue with acceptance.

Thursday another day at the day care. School was out due to the fall break, so there were a lot of kids. The real teachers (I am just a substitute) decided to watch Bridge to Teribithia. I have read the book (cried my eyes out) but had never seen the movie so I periodically paid attention to the movie. One child came up to me and said that she couldn't watch the movie because of the scary monsters. I said there were none. She showed me the movie case and said this is a monster. I said but he is a nice monster. No, she said, I hate monsters. They are scary. I said not all of them and she said all monsters are scary. I said my Aidan isn't scared of monsters he loves many monsters. She looked at me like I was a crazy, horrible mother. How can you let him like monsters. I said because I like monsters too. What! She said. I love Elmo and Cookie Monster and Grover and Oscar the Grouch, etc. She looked at me liked I was crazy. Those aren't monsters. And then we read a book that specifically said that they were monsters. She giggled and said then she wouldn't be scared any more of monsters. I just thought that interaction was hilarious.

Friday yard work day and shopping for a compost bin to prep for the spring. Hopefully it all works out.

I have been in love with the slow cooker this week. As the weather gets chilly, I bring it out and make soups. I am glad that Brian lets me do such a thing. This week we have had Creamy Potato, Minestrone, Chicken Tortilla, and Chicken Pot Pie (puff pastry on the side). All but the minestrone I have made before. I loved the minestrone. We have a collection of vegetables in this house and I wanted to find a recipe to use them up. Yum! I also need to figure out creative ways to get Aidan and Brian to eat more veggies. Soup it is. The cool thing about the minestrone is that I put zucchini in it and Brian thought it was yummy...good thing too...we have a ton of zucchini. I think tomorrow is dad's New potato and pea soup (only made with russets).

The other addiction we have in my house this week is Rock Band Beatles. Brian rented last Saturday when the McFadden's came over to play. AWESOME! I love this game. I don't normally enjoy video games like this but I knew a large percentage of the songs and they were fun...just like the Beatles songs themselves. We plan to buy this game as soon as money allows. Brian, Aidan and I have played often this week. Aidan plays the drums. We don't plug in the drums but get them out so that he can beat on them. He enjoys it so much. Some times he likes to sit at the drums and hold the microphone and sing. What a cutie!

Brian and the boys have started playing Shadow run again. I am so happy that Brian can play this game. It makes him so happy. This last week I wasn't real happy but that is just because I was tired and couldn't get Aidan to sleep because he wanted to play with Daddy and friends. I think after we work out the details, it will be a great night for all.

Sometimes I love having Brian home. I got him to clean our carpets and our couch. I am so grateful to have him.

Conference just got over with. Now I can do some yard work before the next session starts.

Later.