10/31/11 - Trick-or-Treat

Carter and Andrew love to wear their Spongebob costumes every year and until they ask to be something different, we will just consider it a tradition :)  Kennedy and her 3 best friends in the world decided not to wear their costumes and instead wear their character hats.   The neighborhood crew all went trick-or-treating together for the first hour until I took the boys home and went out with the big kids to cover as many houses as possible until 8:30pm.  I couldn't believe how much candy these kids got - 2 plastic grocery bags full!  The next few weeks should be lots of fun with Kennedy' blood sugar :(

10/29/11 - Pumpkin Day

We took the kids to an early movie to see Puss in Boots.  After the movie we went to Wal-mart to let them each pick out a pumpkin.  This wasn't as fun as the big pumpkin patch we usually go to, but they enjoyed it regardless.

When we got home - it was carving time.  I helped the boys cut very easy faces into their pumpkins, but Kennedy would settle for nothing less then a Dragon carved into hers.  They all turned out so great!  We took them into the bathroom to see how they looked all lit up with candles.

To finish off this "Pumpkin Day" Grandma Sue brought over a fun craft activity.  They all got to make tissue paper pumpkins and Kennedy got to have a couple friends sleep over.



10/28/11 - Catholic School Dance & Trunk-or-Treat

Kennedy was invited to go to a Halloween dance for grades 5th-8th by one of her best friends, Leighann.  The dance was being held at her Catholic school and Kennedy was so excited to go to her first official dance.  After she got ready we went out into the woods by our house to take some fun pictures of  "Red Riding Hood in the woods with the Big Bad Wolf."  She acted surprised when she saw the wolf (her tiny dog-Chloe).  It was fun and she sure looked cute.  She had a great time at the dance and hopes to be invited again next year. 

While Kennedy was dancing, we took the boys to our ward fall carnival/trunk-or-treat.  They got their faces painted, did the cake walk, balloon pop, fishing pond, bowling, and then finished off the evening with trunk-or-treating in the parking lot.  Lots of fun!

10/27/11 - My Screen Printing Hobby

Screen printing t-shirts is one of the hobbies I developed because I was tired of reading t-shirts that had mean or unkind things printed on them in an attempt at humor.  I wanted to make t-shirts to inspire others to be better people.  I have made shirts that say things like; Stand For Something, Gordon B. Hinckley's Be's, Stand as a Witness, etc.  I also make the t-shirts for our family reunions and vacations.  It is very fun to be able to have complete creative control over this process.

I made a bunch of t-shirts for our Activity Day girls.  We wanted them to have something special to help them remember our theme.

One of the other leaders (Sherron Kendrick) came up with an awesome theme for our girls that we could base future activities on.  Front: Daughter of God - Be Loyal to the Royal Within You.  Back:  Always Remember Who You Are.  I love it!!  The girls liked the shirts and I hope they remember the message.

 

10/25/11 - Boys Don't Like Pink....Do They?

Well.... Drew LOVES pink.  He took Kennedy's old Kindergarten Hello Kitty backpack out of the donation box and wore it around the house proudly all day.  He wore it in the car on the way to the store and when we got to the store, he wanted to wear it inside.  So I asked him, "Drew, do boys wear pink?"  He thought about it for a minute and then took the backpack off saying, "Mom, this backpack is for girls."  Later on at home he found "a boy backpack" with Spongebob on it and wore that instead.

10/24/11 - Hat Dilemma

While at Wal-Mart, Kennedy found and fell in love with these winter hats.  She tried them all on and had the hardest time deciding which one to spend her precious babysitting money on.  This is the one she finally chose.......Animal from the Muppets.

10/22/11 - Falcon's Party

Falcon (Raven's little brother) had a birthday party and Darth Vader showed up to entertain the boys.  Carter and Andrew couldn't take their eyes off him.  A couple of years ago, Carter fought Darth Vader while we were at Disneyland, so Carter was extremely interested to see him again.

10/21/11 - Halloween Rave

One of Kennedy's best friends, Raven, had a costume/dance/birthday party today.  I helped her mother put up all the decorations while the girls were at school.  The garage was covered with black paper and painted with glow in the dark paint.  When it got dark, the black lights made everything come to life.  The girls had a blast while the parents hung out on the driveway and visited.  Kennedy dressed up as Red Riding Hood from the very recent movie - Red Riding Hood (not to be confused with the more juvenile character - Little Red Riding Hood - lol).

I made her costume this year, dress and all.  I'm too cheap to spend lots of money.  hehe.

10/20/11 - Our Little Field of Hopes & Dreams

What a beautiful evening for a baseball game and what an awesome group of young men to assist our little Superstar baseball players.  The Klein Oak High School Baseball Team was the Buddy Team that came to assist our kids in playing baseball tonight.  These young men jumped right in to help - showing no fear for the different disabilities our kids face each day.  These young men helped them bat, catch, field, run the bases, etc.

Carter was the last kid to bat for the night.  He hit the ball for the first time without using a tee.  He got to hit the game ending HOME RUN with his buddies running right beside him.

At the end of the game, the Klein High School Baseball Team had a special present for our kids.  They had a special jersey made up for each Superstar player which they presented to them one by one.  When it was Carter's turn to go up he started pumping his hands in the air....LOL.  One of Carter's buddies helped him put his jersey on to take a group picture.

The Klein Oak HS Baseball Team went above and beyond to make this a special night for our kids.  I hope they got as much out of it as all of us did.  We understand the time these kids take out of their schedules every Thursday night to come help a group of kids play baseball.  You might not see the most exciting baseball on our field, but it's magic to all of the parents and families who love these kids.  This night is filled with love and acceptance for our children's abilities....not their disabilities.  So, thank you - thank you - from the bottom of my heart KOHS baseball team.  You really are an exceptional group of young men!

10/20/11 - Monarch Morning

On our way to school this morning we found a beautiful Monarch butterfly on the sidewalk.  It was very friendly and let Kennedy pick it up and hold it.  What a beautiful start to a beautiful day!

10/19/11 - A Foggy Day

The boys were fascinated by the extremely foggy weather outside when they woke up.  It was still very foggy when it was time to head off to school.  They both kept saying, "It's smokey outside!"  LOL.

10/17/11 - I Quit....I Wish :)

Today was one of those mornings I wished I could yell....I QUIT!!  Yeah Right.  Laundry, dishes, cleaning, etc.....time to buck up and get to it!

10/16/11 - Biebers, Bloody Lips & Dragons

We start off with Carter....or should I say Carter Bieber?  After church Carter changed his clothes and came out wearing this lovely ensemble.  I knew instantly who he was mimicking with his outfit - Justin Bieber.  Carter has a couple Justin Bieber music videos on his ipod touch that he listens and dances to all the time.  I guess this little boy also has "Bieber Fever."  He's so funny!

After falling while riding his bike yesterday, this is what Drew looked like when he woke up this morning.  His lip bled off and on through church and he got blood all over his clothes.  Poor Baby!

To finish off this Sunday afternoon, we have Kennedy.  She left church after sacrament meeting because she ran out of insulin in her pump and was beginning to feel sick.  I brought her home, fixed her up, sent her to bed, and then went back to church.  Later, she was feeling better and was showing off the Dragon themed map (she was born in the year of the dragon and loves it) she created for her Social Studies class.

10/15/11 - Waiting for Daddy

The best part of the day for these two boys is when Daddy comes home.  Today he was late because of problems on the freeway.  Carter and Drew waited patiently on the porch and when Nick finally drove up....even the dog ran out to his truck.

After Nick was smothered with hugs Drew insisted on showing him where he fell off his bike today.  "Bad rock, naughty road,"  was his explanation.  LOL! 



10/15/11 - Pancake Flop

Kennedy saw a pancake recipe on TV and woke up with her brothers at 6:30 am (on Saturday morning) to try it out.  I was more then happy to stay in bed for a few minutes more while she made breakfast.  Half an hour later I made my way to the kitchen and saw the boys eating pancakes, but Kennedy was on the couch looking very sad.  She called out to me, "Don't eat the pancakes...you might die."  Apparently the recipe was horrible.  I asked why Carter and Andrew were eating them if they were so bad.  She said, "I guess those two will eat anything."  I felt sad for her and made her some french toast real quick.  That seemed to do the trick and she was instantly cheered up.  Such a sweet big sister!

10/11/11 - Never Too Young To Serve

Carter is working on his Wolf badge in Cub Scouts.  One of the requirements is to pick up trash in your neighborhood.  After school we took the boys out to pick up trash in the wooded area by our house.  These 2 little boys filled a large trash bag almost completely by themselves.  They were very proud of their hard work and it showed us that your never too young to find ways to serve.

10/10/11 - Digital Photo Albums

For years I made traditional scrapbooks to archive my photos with decorative paper and stickers.  I had all the photos in scrapbooks through 2003 and had already filled 24 huge binders.  I realized I was going to need 5 rooms dedicated to the storage of scrapbooks by the time my children were grown.  So...I started making digital scrapbooks online through Blurb.com with their Booksmart program.  I LOVE IT!!  I can put as many pictures on a page as I want, I can make the pictures any size, I can put borders around the pictures, add text and titles, use colored or decorative backgrounds, etc.  I've made my books a cross between a scrapbook and a photo album.  My goal is to make a book for every year.  So far I have 5 finished books.  They each cost around $60 which is saving a fortune when you compare the cost of all the scrapbooking supplies and having pictures printed.  I can produce these books super fast compared to the way I used to do things.  I scan or take photos of everything to include in these books such as; artwork, medals and trophies, certificates, crafts, hospital bracelets, gifts, school photos, jewelry, ticket stubs, programs, souvenirs, etc. I take TONS of pictures and like to use lots of pictures in my books.  I wanted to share this info with anyone considering going digital.  I also plan to make this blog into a book at the end of each year as a little family journal for my children.  I adore memories!

10/9/11 - A New Calling

I was given a new calling in our new ward that I am so excited to get to do again....I am now one of the Activity Day Leaders for the 8-11 year old girls.  I love to work with the young girls and young woman!  I am ready to tackle this with all my abilities--so excited!!!

10/7/11 - "A" Report Card

I am too proud of my daughter to restrain myself from posting a picture of her report card.  This is her first year in intermediate school and her first ever report card as a Strack Cougar.  A big step for her AND ME....letting her grow up.  We were worried about all the pre-ap classes and the 90 minute swim practices 3 times a week.  She often finishes her homework around 10:00pm.  However, she is off to a great start.  I am so happy that she can see her hard work paying off, and I AM SO PROUD of her (I promise not to post every report card...probably).  Keep it up girl!

10/6/11 - Lincoln Logs

I showed everyone my favorite childhood toy (Playmobil) which I shared with my kids and so I thought it only fair that I should do the same with Nick's favorite toy from childhood....Lincoln Logs.  Nick and Andrew pulled out the Lincoln Logs today and made some creations.  Nick has spoken on many occasions about how much he loved his Lincoln Logs while growing up.  I'm glad he gets to make new memories with his kids to go with the old.  :)

10/5/11 - DUDE

This is DUDE.

If you have seen the animated film, Finding Nemo, you may remember a sea turtle named Crush in the movie that talked like a surfer and said "DUDE" all the time.

When we went to Disney World during spring break this year, we went on the Finding Nemo ride and then watched a show called Turtle Talk with Crush afterwards.  Andrew loved the show and noticed the turtle said dude a lot.  When we got home to our own pet turtles we noticed right away that he was calling them "Dude." 

So, this is Drew's stuffed sea turtle which he has of course named "DUDE." 

10/4/11 - Zoo...Take Two!

The weather is getting cool enough that we are going to be taking Andrew to the zoo in the morning while the other 2 kids are at school, probably once a week.  The 3 of us went from 9 am to 11:30 am and then went to lunch.  While at the restaurant I noticed my phone was missing.....of course it was!!  I called the zoo and THANKFULLY they had it.

I decided to go check Kennedy out of school an hour early and take her down to the zoo with me to get my phone.  Earlier that morning she had been in tears on the way to school when she found out we were going to the zoo without her.  I thought it would make her feel good getting a little special attention.  However, Drew begged me to take him back to the zoo again....he won!

And so this second set of pictures was taken on our second trip back to the zoo.  Kennedy was very sweet to her little brother and they were both so good.  It was different having these two without Carter.  It can be very hard to take Carter places where there are lots of people.  He gets overwhelmed and starts to act out but we usually force him along anyway just so we can be together as a family.  All in all, it was still a fun day at the zoo, just a little longer then we had planned. :)





10/3/11 - Clever Hats...Maybe?

I don't have too much to say about these two little goofballs other then...they're resourceful?

10/1/11 - Happy 3rd B-day Drew!

Andrew's birthday is Oct. 6, but we had to celebrate it this Saturday because Nick works late on his actual b-day.  We started the day off with a donut breakfast and a happy birthday song complete with candles.  Then it was off to Chuck-E-Cheese's (I HATE THIS PLACE, but the boys love it) to play some games.  Andrew love the Dog Pounder game and the ticket machine.  Then it was back home to open gifts and have some cake.  Drew got a new big boy bike, baseball mitt, talking monkey, and a remote controlled SPIDER.  One of the highlights for Andrew were the streamers and balloons I hung all over the house.  Happy Birthday Andrew!