Daniel helped me down load all the pictures form the digital camera, my phone

and his phone!  We found a lot of overlapping stuff that I had already blogged about!

Darn it!  But here are some good shots from the face painting at the hospital!  Cool, hu?

This year Anna thought it would be fun to be a Jack-o-lantern because she has missing teeth!

She wanted me to paint her face, but I was short on supplies and know how!  So I painted a

paper bag with acrylics instead.  She loved it!  She also loved the bat she made in school and

it went everywhere with us that night!

Katie, as always wanted to be a combination fairy and princess!  We just watched the latest

Tinkerbell movie which may have influenced her!  

Our ward did a Chili dinner before the traditional "trunk or treat", but they missed the mark a

bit with me by serving it outside in the dark, cold, rain standing up!  Here I am on a busy street,

in a crowd of people from various wards in costume, with my kids in costume eating corn bread and chili! 

That was a real balancing act for me!    But the kids had fun and afterwards I took Daniel and Ben home

and took Katie and Anna on their first ever real Trick-or-treat!  We went to the neighborhood where some of

our friends lived and where I used to deliver papers!  Anna got worried that we might not find our car again,

and Katie's bag got "too heavy", and I was sore, but we had a good time!

I am not sure if this guy was thrilled that I took his picture but I had to document the event!  It is a good thing

the girls have an extroverted mother or they would never get this experience!  Dan had no desire!

After we sorted out what we wanted, we "sold" the extra along with some other random candy we had

to a local Dentist for $1 per pound which he then sent on the our troops in Iraq!  Less sugar in my house,

and I used it to buy some jewelry supplies and made the girls some more bling!

Here they are all worn out from the nights adventures! 

Happy Halloween!

 Here is the only one of Ben I got!

It's lousy, but here he is!

It used to be all you needed was a hose and summer was perfect.  I think I even remember

an occasional Slip-N-Slide, but we were fine with the ditch or the sprinkler (or a pond, or a river, or a resavore..).  We didn't know

any better!  We had never seen a spray park!  Some time last summer, or the summer before

they began sprouting up all over the valley!  Some small and simple for the toddler, some bold and crazy

for the bigger kids!  Now we have Two in Medford, one in Central Point, one in Ashland, and one in Jacksonville!

We love all of them.  It is a bit tricky knowing what to bring, and how to dress the kids.  However, the kids get wet

and run wild with very little concern for wardrobe requirements, or changing rooms.  Ben even gets in on the action

in his usual fearless way!  Sometimes, like these pictures, we take the opportunity fully dressed!  My kids have it so easy!

It is a good thing it is so hot that the kids and the car seats dry rather quickly!  Just wish I could figure out how to work some

soap into the mix!  Oh, well!  Dream on mommy.

Katie loves to pick flowers for the dinner table every Sunday!  And Ben likes to mimic the girls and feed the

neighbors horses!

Here we have katie in her play dress and frog puddle stomper boots, and Ben getting friendly with a sprinkler head. 

His face looks like he just put something in his mouth, and it wasn't too tasty!

Anna and Katie liked to help in the garden.  They picked bugs off the corn, and Katie

is singing to encourage the plants to grow!  Can't you just about hear her!  The picture of

Anna has some irony, she is sporting some missing teeth surrounded by corn on the cob! 

Ben has his own set of dishes here at the table, and now it is time to go!  Love you, bye!

This is my Benjamin trying to help me pack one weekend.  He is blurry as usual,

but this all reminded me of a story!

When Wilson was just about 3 years old I got my mission call to serve at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Wilson and I had been buddies.  When everyone was at school, and mom was busy with the house, he and I

would go on walks, read stories and I put him down for his naps.  I tried to explain why I could not take him with

me on my mission, but he did not understand!  He jumped up in my arms and said: "put me in your suit case, and

when they ask, what's that lump, you say it's just a lump of stuff".  I totally cried! I was really going to miss my buddy!

When you have a little boy with more energy, more imagination,

more speed and determination, and indeed more sleep than you,

you can then truly appreciate when he finally takes a nap!

Break time mommy!

Both these girls spent time in the NICU after they were born.  (Thanks Ben,

for breaking that run!)  Traumatizing as it was at the time, I am good with all of that now!

As such, they get invited to a party every year to celebrate the successes

of the hospital staff and their little patience.  There is usually

some food and activities but, this year there was cake, games, goodies bags

and free face painting!  The girls loved it!  When we were done inside, they

begged to walk the grounds and I took lots of pictures. 

The girls pose with a giant stone pear!

This is a maze/mandala designed to encourage meditation and wellness.

The girls sport their face paint!  I wish you could see how fancy and sparkly it really was. 

These pictures just don't do it justice!  I liked the work so much, I got the ladie's card and

I may get to take a class, and get the chance to earn some extra cash with my art skills!

I'll keep you posted on this one! This is the link to their gallery!  Fun stuff!   Happy Halloween!

 http://www.fantasyfacesonline.com/Gallery.html

Anna got to go bowling for the first time ever at her friends party! 

They had bumpers up, and Anna was kicking butt!  She had the highest score!

It was cute because, she was so nervous about embarrassing herself before the party!

There she bowls!  The footwear is as fashionable as ever!

Katie came to watch! 

Ta-Da!  Anna can hold a spoon up with her nose!

This girl has skills!

We were early for a Dr. apt. and the office was all still locked up for lunch!

I was trying to entertain they little people with some simple games.

Q.  Ben, where is your tongue?

Q. Ben, where is your nose?

Q. Ben, where is your ear?

Q. Ben, where is your mouth?

Good job, Ben!  What a smart kid you are!