Halloween!

Halloween was weird this year as half our family was stuck home either sick or caring for the sick. Andrew pulled that card this year and I went to my parent's house for a chili and cornbread dinner and then some trick-or-treating. Everyone was dressing up, so I borrowed a quick hippie costume off of Kellie and joined in the fun. It was very possibly the first Halloween that I have dressed up as something not scary. I was mildly disgusted with myself, but not dressing up at all when everyone else was would have been even worse.

Ask Ethan what he was, and he'd tell you he was a skeleton-zombie-goblin. This mask has been used a lot since we bought it five years ago.

Cameron was a skeleton, face painting courtesy of Papa.

Matt as Uncle Fester. Not bad, eh?

Me and my boys.

Mom, the dead biker. Always wear a helmet, kids.


Dad went as a party-pooper, that's a real costume, ya know.


You know that Trent is doing good when he once again feels well enough to be fascinated by the clothes spinning in the washing machine.


With our sick days, we spent a few hours putting together the Mega Marble Mania. Not an easy task when Drew repeatedly steals essential pieces. This is staying put together on the kitchen table until Thanksgiving because it's a pain and I'm not doing it again. Completely mesmerizing to watch though.

And I told Andrew that if I ever tell him that I'm going to make sugar cookies with the kids again, that he should just slap me across the face and say, "Remember last time??" But they had fun.

A Long Walk and a Cold Sweat

Every afternoon at 12:45 I head out the door for a walk with the three little guys. I love this time of day because we all get some fresh air and no one talks, (or cries, or whines), for twenty minutes. Trent, Drew and Bryan are all completely silent for most of the walk, excepting the times that we happen upon a tractor or a snail or a particularly loud dog. They just take it all in.



During today's walk, I decided that I love my neighborhood. We could probably never afford to buy a house here because of the city that it's in, but living here, owners or not, is pretty nice. I love that the houses are old. There's a house or two on every block that has been built in the last ten years, but I think that those houses are an eye sore in this kind of neighborhood. They look just like all the other houses that are mass produced in every other city all over the state. I'm a sucker for personality.

I also decided that I love the sidewalks. They are mostly old and cracked and raised up by the roots of hundred-year-old trees. I love that they move to make room for beauty to grow. Yeah, it's hard to push a stroller or pull a wagon loaded with three tubby kids over those kinds of sidewalks, but the trees provide a lovely canopy of shade in the summer and an enchanting shower of golden leaves in the fall.



And though I adore walking in these crisp autumn afternoons with three pacified toddlers, I have to say that this hill can be a bugger. I don't know if you can tell by the photo, but the hill is very deceptive. It may not seem all too steep, but the thing goes on forever. We live at the base of the Wasatch Mountains, so walking in any direction means meeting a hill like this either to or fro. So how sweaty am I after climbing it with the kids in tow? Let's just say that I'm peeling the layers of clothing off so I can shower while the little beasts nap.

A Chilly Gloom

There are several things that I love about autumn. I love the clothes. Sweaters and sweatshirts...and this year I might get funky and add some scarves and hats. I love the approaching holidays; candle lit tables and hearty food enjoyed with loved ones. I love the crunch of leaves underfoot and the beautiful colors that explode on trees overnight. I love traditions; carving pumpkins, making pies and sugar cookies. I love curling up on the couch with a cup of cocoa and a good book.

But when I woke up this morning at 5:45 and it was still dark outside, I felt a little melancholy. Summer is coming to a rapid end, and I feel sad! I am going to miss Cameron and Ethan when they are gone all day, and I think maybe I'm feeling a little bit of Cameron's sorrow for the rapid loss of freedom he's experiencing. Soon it will be books and homework, getting up early and going to bed on time. No more late nights playing basketball with Dad at church or watching Hitchcock movies until midnight. (The boys do so love "Rear Window" and "The Birds".) I want to feel happy to welcome fall. I want my heart to swoon over it's promise. But today I just feel very "blah" about the whole thing.