A White Christmas??

Okay, it wasn't quite Christmas yet, but we had quite an event this week. I had some old flour that had been in my food storage for way too long. It wasn't useful as flour anymore. So we opened it up, took it outside and had a "flour fight'. We just threw flour at each other for about a half hour we covered the ground and ourselves in flour. It was a great messy activity, perfect for active kids. Afterward, it looked like our yard was covered with snow.

Jack Frost visits Simi

It was a couple of days ago
that Jack painted our window
Since it was the day after the rain
The ice created was a big pain
The ice on the car was thicker than paper
I was grateful I still had an ice scraper



All was frantic at a quarter to eight
And it looked like we would be late
As we drove down the street to go
The kids marveled that it looked like snow
Our whole world was covered in white
All it took was one very cold night.

Packrat-itis

I admit it. My name is Mindy and I am a pack rat. I have tried numerous times to de-clutter my lifestyle only to find my eyes watering at the back of an old baseball ad with a hand drawn bunny on it from 8 years ago. Or convincing myself, "I will have a use for this half empty bottle of hardened glue someday", or "wouldn't it be fun to make something with the kids out of the 3 feathers that I have?" or "That's a perfectly good ice scraper, why should I throw it away?" I look longingly at other people's houses that aren't infected with this disease and think "Why can't my house look like that?" I know the answer, I just can't seem to overcome my affliction.

However, this article is not about the many cons of being a pack rat. Instead I have reason to celebrate my habits. I have wanted a table/cabinet in my front entry hall for years now. I briefly looked for one, and was unsucessful. I determined that the only way of getting a cabinet that I wanted was to make it. But I have put it off for years for various reasons. Recently, I was cleaning the garage and discovered a bunch of oak boards in various shapes left over from the armoire we made 2 years ago. They fell into the "These might be useful someday" category of packrat-itis. But they actually did fulfill their destiny of being useful. I used them to make the cabinet. It turned out beautiful, and it is even better than what I wanted. My favorite part is, it didn't hardly cost me anything for an oak cabinet. It is moments like this that I am proud of my disease. Now, what can I use that half full bottle of hardened glue for?

Falling into December

Yes, I know that it is December. I know that the rest of you have already completed the fall activities, the leaves have fallen and your trees are bare. But around here, we are in the thick of fall. The leaves (the ones that will change) are slowly turning colors and falling to the ground. One of my friends has a large tree next to her house. Her gardeners weren't able to come last week. As a result, her yard was covered in crisp red and gold leaves. We decided we needed a taste of fall.
I went with another friend, Karalee Newberry, and her son. Since it was early day for the elementary school, my older children weren't present. First we raked the leaves into a big pile. Then we ran and jumped into the pile. Then it was time for a good old fashioned leaf fight. We threw the leaves and had a grand time with nature's homegrown entertainment. We finally cleaned up by creating a "wall" border around the edge of her lawn. It was a great afternoon in the fall.

A Poem by Gabe

The Bottom of the Sea
by Gabe Stout

At the bottom of the sea there's rocks
At the bottom of the sea there's fish, crabs, sand, sand and shells
At the top of the sea there's red, white and blue sailing ships
At the bottom of the sea there's broken ships
At the top of the sea there's birds
At the middle of the sea there's salt water.

ThanksGoodness the long weekend is over!

Whew! It has been a busy week. No pics. Sorry, the camera let me down. Let me explain,......no, there is too much. Let me sum up:

• Mindy went to her 6th and last Pilgrim and Indian feast at Katherine Elementary. Gabe was a pilgrim this year.
• We went to my cousins, the Brobergs for Thanksgiving. It was a smaller crowd than usual, but there were plenty of kids for the after dinner football game, and the after desert game of sardines.
• Jeff spent a few days of the weekend working the shocks on the car. Uncharacteristically, the job went smoother than usual despite the fact that he had to rebuild one of the "new" parts.
• We all worked on quilts for the bishops storehouse.
• We went to Santa Monica beach the day after Thanksgiving.
• Jayd went to do baptisms for the dead at the temple.
• Jeff celebrated his birthday. Because it was a 5th sunday, he didn't have to attend early morning meetings. He was very happy that he could sleep late!
• BYU beat Utah in football during overtime.
• Maddie and Jayd played volleyball with mom
• We set up our Christmas trees and decorations
  

Yesterday, our ward made arrangements for us to go as a group to the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood. We saw "A Christmas Carol" in 3D. It wound up being a crazy day, not only did all of the sports seasons end, every one of the kids teams wanted to have the team party yesterday. I had bought the tickets for the movie about a month ago. But through some fancy footwork and ticket swapping, we were to attend all of the team parties AND the movie....just not at the same time. Jeff and Maddie saw the show at 4:00, and Jayd and I went to the 7:00 showing (we thought Allie and Gabe were too young to go, it was a wise decision)
It was so much fun! The theater was very beautiful, it looked like a Broadway theater. We sat in the balcony. Prior to the show, there was a live performance with singing and dancing. The movie was marvelous. I really enjoyed it. The detail in the animation was exquisite. There were moments of surprise, suspense, and humor. My favorite aspect was the fact that they used the dialogue straight from the original book by Charles Dickens. And there were very few deviations from the book, it was almost exact. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone over 10. I did think it was too intense at times for young children. I was on the edge of my seat!

Sweet 16 at Homecoming

On Friday, Jeff and I celebrated our 16th anniversary. I was excited to have an anniversary that wasn't a school night, so we could do something fun, but it isn't quite that easy when you are a family. Maddie was playing with her school band class at the high school football game. I have wanted to take the family to a high school football game for years, so we decided now was the time, anniversary's can wait. It happened to be the homecoming game against the city rivals. The home team lost, but we had a good time drinking (and spilling) hot chocolate, huddling together against the cold (stop laughing Utahns, it was really cold to us) cheering on the home team and just being together as a family.

Update

I took the camera to Maddie's fencing class the other day. Like I said, you can't really tell that it is Maddie, but she is in there.

Having a Ball this Fall

Well, it is fall here...... (okay, it's only the fall months, we still have summer temperatures) which means it is soccer time. Allie and Gabe are playing soccer. Because of the dates of their birthdays, they are both in the same division, U8, but due to their genders, they are still on different teams. There is still a convenience factor for us, they both play at the same location. Allie plays on the Pink Panthers, not to be confused with the other Pink Panthers (slightly darker pink) that play in the same league. We had a panther shootout one foggy morning with a plethora of pink clad girls on the field. Gabe is on the the Tigers, one of the less original boys team names that we have encountered. They are usually the Fireballs, Silver Bullets, or the Terminators. Both children enjoy playing, although I wouldn't call either of them the star of the team. Mostly we are happy if their feet touch the ball more often than their hands.
Jayd is busy with baseball, again. He is on the A's again, another commonplace name. The other team is the LugNuts. But it is fall ball, so there is only one uniform for the entire league. It is a little difficult to distinguish between the runners and players. Luckily, there are only 2 teams and we play each other every week, so we know almost everyone's name on both teams.
Maddie has continued with her fencing classes. Due to the timing of her classes, I don't have any pictures of her yet, but there really isn't much to see. She is completely hidden behind a vest and a mask and holding a foil. You can probably google a picture and pretend it is Maddie for now. She enjoys the challenges that fencing poses.
In addition to these activities, Jayd and Mindy are playing in a volleyball league, Allie has Brownies, Mindy is still a Cub Scout Leader and Maddie and Allie take piano lessons. So our fall schedule has become a maddening rush of here and there's every afternoon. It has been a little crazy, but it only will last for another month, and then it will be winter.........okay, it will only be the winter months, geesh!

Halloween is Us

Halloween is always a big affair at our house. This year the theme was "Peter Pan". Allie selected this year's theme. She was Tinkerbell, with Gabe as Peter Pan. Maddie decided to participate and be Wendy. Jeff wanted to be Captain Hook, but I was doubtful that I could make a suitable costume. Since I found the perfect jacket at a Goodwill, I acquiesced and assisted him to become Captain Hook. He even grew his mustache a little extra long, then shaved off the rest of his beard to fully step into the character. here were several comments concerning his mustache, "It almost looks like it's real!"...."How did he grow that so fast? He didn't have a mustache yesterday." and so forth. I was the crocodile, but as the wielder of the camera, there weren't any pictures taken of me. I thought it was quite symbolic that, as the crocodile, my only goal in existence was tease and torment Captain Hook to the breaking point.

After the trick or treating was completed on Halloween, the kids came home to calculate their candy increases. They systematically layed it all out on the floor, tagged and categorized every piece. A warning has been issued to all candy thiefs that may be lurking in our home.

A Minor Affair

Maddie and Allie performed in "A Minor Affair" this week. It was an impromptu piano recital thrown together in honor of minor music, perfect for an October theme. Allie was so excited to be in her first recital, she could hardly contain herself. She played "Halloween". Maddie was calm and collected as she played "Witches Dance".

A rare opportunity occured this week. Jeff did not have work on Monday (Columbus Day) and the kids did have school! Oh, what to do!! We settled for going to Knott's Berry Farm for a few hours, then out to eat. We loved going on the roller coaster rides together, usually we split up with the kids. It was fun to have a day just with my husband.

We went to the library and made a sad and shocking discovery. The tree that we liked to climb every time we visited the library (see the post "Oh what do you do in the summertime" in June) had been reduced to a stump. Allie and Gabe were instantly reduced to tears as they sat on the stump. This seems to happen to us often. Once we find a good climbing tree, the city comes and cuts it down. I think it is a shame. Kids should climb trees, it's part of being a kid. Sometimes, I even like to climb a tree. They are nature's jungle gyms and I like them. It makes me sad to see a good climbing tree cut down.

Allie and Gabe came home from school on Oct 1st and madly began drawing pumpkins, ghosts, and spiders. They were determined to decorate our home for Halloween. Maddie showed them how to make ghosts out of tissues and bats from black paper. Add a few yarn spider webs, and we are looking pretty good! I think this is the earliest that I have ever decorated for a holiday.

After a 6 week delay, we finally threw a birthday party for Allie. The eight year old party is special because it is the first slumber party. But Allie added a twist, she requested that we invite several boys to her party. So we had a 6-7 boys and girls, then the boys went home and left us with 3 girls. They painted nails, watched a movie, did their hair, and didn't go to sleep until after 1 AM. Allie was quite pleased with her first slumber party. We were quite tired, but survived. After all, you only turn eight once.

Jeff was not home the other day when Jayd was packing for his first camping trip with his new backpack. Hence, I had to help him. It turns out I am not so good at this.........The only redeeming fact was that he didn't have to hike too far, only about a half mile.

We are beaching it!

One of my favorite summer traditions is to spend a week on Balboa Island in Newport Beach. My aunt very generously allows us to stay there, thus enabling the tradition. We had a great vacation. We went to Knott's Berry Farm and Soak City for a few days, then spent the rest on the beach with the boogie boards, the kayaks, the sand and the sun. My friend Jody came with her three kids, and we had a visit from Jeff's brother and his family. It was very relaxing and fun to get away from life for a few days.

Allie said something cute today. We were reading about ancestors. She said "Great Grandpa Reeder was one of our ancestors, except he was an an-brother instead of an an-sister because he is a boy."

All Star Team

Jayd is playing on the All Star Team again this year in a double elimination tournament. He was also on the team last year. They lost two games in a row and were eliminated from the tournament. That itself wasn't too bad, but the scores were a bit humiliating, 31-2 and 30-0. I expected much of the same this year. But I am pleased to report that after losing the first game (with a much more respectable score of 11-1), they won the second game! We are having mixed emotions here. We are thrilled that they won a game and were able to taste the thrill of victory, but a little dismayed that now we have a week (at least) of baseball left. We are ready to be done with sports and get to our summer vacation.

When we moved seven years ago, I was very sad to leave my plum, apricot and orange tree at my previous home. So I dutifully planted an orange, plum, apricot, peach and apple tree the first year we were here. The peach tree promptly died, as the others took root and began to grow. I replanted the peach tree the next year. It appeared to be following in it's predecessor's footsteps, but with some TLC it started to grow. Now, seven years later, I am in the process of ripping out the dead orange, apple, plum and apricot tree (it didn't die, but has never actually produced an apricot). But look at the gorgeous peaches on my peach tree! I am so happy to have one fruit tree that has really taken off. I will try again with the others next year, but for now, I will enjoy all of my peaches.

Oh, What do you do in the Summertime

After school was out, we headed off to the library. The kids insisted on climbing the trees. They were having so much fun, and it looked so pretty with the purple jacaranda tree blossoms in the background that I had to snap a few pictures. Besides, isn't that what summer is about? Reading books, and climbing trees during the lazy days of summer?

Graduation

Jayd graduated from 6th grade! Even though Maddie graduated from 6th grade last year, this was my first graduation. It really made me think about how quickly the time has passed! I can still see him as a goofy kindergardener and now he is going to junior high! I am sure the next few years will just fly by. As a side note, Maddie will be going to junior high next year as well. So I will have another, bigger graduation next year.

Since we live in California, school is still not out! It feels like it takes forever! But we have already started our summer fun. I took Allie and Gabe to Disneyland for Gabe's birthday in May, then took Gabe and Jayd to California Adventure with the two-fer pass in June. We had the best days! The weather was perfect, the lines weren't too long, and we managed to stay entertained in line by playing grammer, math and spelling games. It made me feel a little better about the fact that they weren't in school that day!

Aaauuuugh!! I don't want to go to school anymore! I am so ready for the kids to be out of school, and so are they. I still think that we go to school for too long. We still have 2 1/2 weeks of school left. It will fly by before I know it. Jayd will graduate from elementary school, Allie will have a flag day performance, and I will help Gabe's teacher put together the memory books. Summer will come soon and I'm sure that come next August, I will be ready for school to start!

Today is Mother's Day. I have had a great day with my family. They treated me very well. My favorite part was waking up to a clean kitchen in the morning! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family.

Yesterday was Maddie's 13th birthday. It is official. I am the mother of a teenager. As a special treat for this birthday, we watched Pirates of the Carribean, a PG-13 movie that she has not been allowed to watch until now. Gabe came home from school before it was over, so I allowed him to watch the last 5 minutes. For the last scene, where Elizabeth and William kiss, he said "Oh, mom, next time you let me watch the end, tell me to go out of the room when that happens!"

We went to Knott's Berry Farm last week. For the "Spring Spectacular" they had a foam pit. It was like a room that was filled with soap bubbles. Every couple of minutes bubbles would billow from a 6 foot high spout. It was so much fun!

Do you like my new background?? My oldest daughter has a little too much time on her hands. After personalizing her own blog, she decided that mine needed an update. I think it is very cute. Other than the fact that I am feeling lost in a technological generation gap (she also made it possible for people to comment on my page), I am very grateful for her assistance.

Found My Rose!!

YEAH!! I finally found the rose that I have been trying to find for years. When I moved into this house, I bought a rose called Joesph's Coat. I just planted in a pot, waiting for when we did a little landscaping. It bloomed and it was beautiful, but then it died the next winter. When I had a place to plant it, I tried to find it, but couldn't. I found it today! I hope it grows and is very pretty!

Victim of Identity Theft

Due to testing at work, Jeff was required to shave his beard for the first time in 8 years. We were all so excited, we dragged him into the bathroom and took turns with the razor ( a little scary to have a razor at your neck being wielded by a 5 year old...). It was a family event! Allie and Gabe have never seen Jeff without a beard. Gabe said he looked scary. Truly a moment to remember in the Stout household.