Cute Costumes

The kids looked adorable in their costumes this year.

Gavin requested a hooded cloak for his Ranger's Apprentice costume. I bought a pattern, but it was a Dracula cloak and wasn't what Gavin had in mind (since I can read his mind apparently). I gave up on the pattern and just starting cutting and sewing. I think his cloak turned out pretty good for winging it and Gavin ended up liking it too.

Enoch requested a VeggieTales Larry Boy costume in July. His was so easy to put together since I used his pajama pattern with a few changes. We found his hat online for the right price and TADA - his costume was done. He was a bit disappointed that more people didn't know who he was, but he loved his costume. In this picture he is showing me his angry eyebrows, like Larry Boy when he is mad.

Kate was beautiful in her angel costume. Her costume definitely took the longest, but she looked so darn cute! And just for Grandpa Randall, she was warm too! She had fun trick-or-treating and especially loved her M&Ms.

Halloween Fun

A few Halloween activities:

Enoch's Preschool Program
Enoch has been practicing his Halloween songs for a month. I hear him singing them everyday. His class performed a very cute program with songs and poems. His favorite song is "A Mean Old Witch" (I remember singing that song, too!). It was very cute and he did a great job. He kept winking at me during the program and it just made me laugh.


Kate's Tutu Skirt
This well may be Kate's first and only tutu skirt. It was such a pain to make. But, it was worth it to see her; she loves it. She also loves her kitty Halloween shirt. She wraps her arms around herself and makes cooing noises when she gives her kitties hugs.























Pumpkin Pizza
I tried to be a fun mom and make jack-o-lantern mini pizzas for dinner on Friday night. I cut pepperoni into triangles for the eyes and nose and used green pepper slices for the mouth and stem. I thought they were cute, but the kids freaked out when they saw the peppers. For Pete's sake, pick the peppers off and eat your pizza! Good Grief!

Carving Pumpkins
I have to admit, carving pumpkins isn't really our thing. We finally decided Friday night to do it. I was surprised at how much Enoch got into it - literally. He had a great time helping Greg scoop out the seeds. Gavin and Kate thought it was gross, but Enoch loved it. Gavin did the carving and, of course, we ended up with a 'Y'. It was a great activity for Gavin since he is going through his knife and fire phase!


Halloween Wake-Up Call
Saturday morning at 5:45 am Enoch woke me up by asking, "Is today Halloween?". "Yes, go back to bed." I replied. "Mom, you told me that when it was Halloween and it was dark outside, we could go trick-or-treating." ARRGGG! A few minutes later I could hear him saying, "Kate, wake up, today is Halloweeen." I got up and went into Kate's room to find the two of them sitting by her crib with Enoch reading to her. It was so cute; I was slightly less mad at him; slightly.

Donuts
We had our traditional Randall donut party on Halloween afternoon. It was so much fun to see everyone in their costumes. The kids had a great time playing and I hope everyone enjoyed the donuts.

We Finished!

I can't believe this day is finally here. Our family has finished reading the Book of Mormon! I don't remember when we started with real consistency, but I will tell you that is has been years since we were in First Nephi.
We read every morning at 7 am in the family room. Everyone has their own Book of Mormon and bookmarks. Kate was very insistent that she had one too. We take turns reading (except Kate, of course). Enoch has to be on the right page even though he just repeats what Greg says.
It's not always easy, but we push through. I try to remember that we are promised blessings from obeying and not how well the end results are (which is good since family scripture study can sometimes be torturous). We are looking forward to reading The Pearl of Great Price. Enoch is especially excited to read 'his' story.

Our favorite Book of Mormon stories are:
Greg: Teancum, Enos praying
Tresa: Brother of Jared, Murder of the Chief Judge, Samuel the Lamanite
Gavin: Murder of the Chief Judge (isn't it funny that Gavin and I both like this story? We are so blood-thirsty!). Any of the military strategy stories.
Enoch: Nephi building the ship
Kate: Samuel the Lamanite

Scattered Thoughts

A few scattered thoughts about our week:

*On the way home from dropping off Gavin at school, Enoch said, "Heavenly Father tells me things in my heart. He only tells me things that are good and true. He told me we need to go boating today." Um, okay. (There was three inches of snow on the ground at it was below freezing.) I was feeling pretty good about what we were teaching Enoch until he got to the lying part!

*I have finished Halloween costumes. What a relief! Enoch's was easy since I just embellished a pajama pattern. Kate's took the longest and I know she so appreciates it because all 20-month-olds know exactly what Halloween is all about (what was I thinking?). I'm quite relieved this is the last costume I have to make for Gavin, because if I have to go through the costume nightmare with him again, he will be going in underwear!

*Kate is constantly running into walls. No joke! It's not from inattention or bad balance, it's because she always has her shirt pulled up over her head trying to get it off. I cannot, cannot, cannot keep clothes on this girl! You would think that she would hate being cold from being naked. Problem solved: she just wraps blankets around herself. She won't keep her diaper on (even taped backwards). I'm breaking out the duct tape.

*Greg and I received new callings a few weeks ago. We are serving in the nursery. We are very excited to be in Kate's class. We have six kids in our class and they are adorable.

*Greg is working horrible hours, but we are just thankful for a job.

*Gavin does homework. Really, that is all he does is homework (2-4 hours a night). He is attending his first Pow-Wow this Saturday and is excited to earn some Merit Badges. He is taking classes in Chemistry, Personal Management and Citizenship of the World.

BRRR!!

Good-bye Fall; Hello Winter. Go away Winter! I'm not ready for you yet.
Grumpy, I know. The older I get, the less redeeming qualities I can find in winter. I just really don't like it. The only good thing is I get to wear sweaters and make soup. I can do that in the fall too if it would stick around for more than 2 weeks.
However, Enoch has been waiting for snow since July. The last few weeks have been torture for him - waiting, waiting, waiting. Finally, the snow came and he is thrilled. He talked me into letting him go out into the blizzard to play in the white stuff. The one highlight of this winter is that Enoch can now put on his snow clothes by himself. Yahoo!

Enoch had a great time in the snow; thoroughly enjoyed himself. Kate hates the cold and was happy to just watch from the window. It was very cold with three inches on the ground and gusty winds. The wind was freezing! But, Enoch endured and was quite happy to be outside.

Check out this cool contraption Greg made for me last year. Necessity isn't the mother of invention, it's whining! I guess I whined too much about wet, smelly snow clothes laying all over my mud room and kitchen. Greg designed this snow clothes dryer to fit over the heater vent and force hot air up into boots, hats and gloves to dry them out quickly and get them up off of the ground. It works great. I told him he should go into business. I can't be the only mom out there complaining about this.

Greg and Enoch are so excited about winter being here, Kate is cold and Gavin and I are cranky and just trying to make it though.

Sa-ay What?

A few days ago while standing in the check-out line at Target (listening to a steady stream of chatter from Enoch), the women behind me said, "Your son has the cutest voice; not just the sound, but the way he says things." I just had to laugh. People tell me this all the time.
Enoch has some kind of accent, we just can't place it (he must be from Enochworld!). It's a bit Southern, a bit Utahn, and a bit Enoch. He drawls big time. He drops his 't's. He also consistently will turn one syllable words into two syllable - ca-at, mo-om, etc.
When you combine Enoch's unique voice, syntax and outrageous ideas, you've got a winning combination!

Tough Guy

Sometimes I feel like I've accomplished something that day when I tuck Enoch into bed at night. Just keeping this kid alive is work! He is so naturally curious, independent and brave. He just goes and does. He's a smart kid, but his curiosity usually wins over safety. He possesses a lot of common sense for a 4-year-old, but he still just has to know what is going on, how things work and how they can be made better. Jeez, do you think he has a bit of his dad in him?! Some nights I tell Greg, "You're the reason he's this way, you stay home and keep him alive!"
Last night, we were out delivering cookies for our Halloween Phantom and Enoch tripped over Greg's foot and took a header into the cement. I know, this could happen to any kid, but Enoch just has so many cuts, bruises, scraps that I never take pictures of them because they are just so common. I though I should finally document how many band-aids we really go through! Poor little guy - his lip was so fat he could hardly talk! He's took it like a seasoned pro; getting his cuts washed and bandaged with minimal crying.


I'm really surprised that we haven't had more stitches and broken bones with Enoch. For how active he is, he really does have great coordination and a lot of common sense. I love his curiosity and energy. Life is never dull with Enoch around!

Kate's wardrobe update

I have spent so much time lately sewing new clothes for Kate. So I know this is tacky, but I'm posting pictures of them (mainly because Kate looks so cute in them). This is the new outfit she wore to church today. I made the shirt with elastic thread - my new best friend! It's amazing. I'm not sure if it is a new product or just new to me, but it is great. Try it out! I also love the headband. Kate still doesn't have enough hair for pigtails and I'm tired of her wearing the newborn nylon headbands, so I made a headband to match her outfit. Greg laughed, of course, but she actually left it in better than the nylon headbands. This is one of Kate's favorite skirts because it is so twirly.


Stay tuned for more outfits!

Our Sparkly Trooper

HOORAY!!! for our Trooper. It turned over 100,000 miles today. I made Greg take the camera to get a picture; corny, I know. At least we didn't drive around the neighborhood and throw candy out of the car like my family did when our station wagon reached 100,000 miles. Ah, memories.

In our family, we pretty much drive our cars until we can't drive them anymore. We have only had four cars in our married years (15 years): the Probe, Saturn, Trooper and Odyssey. Mainly because we are cheap and we hate car shopping. However, Greg is determined to get a natural gas truck, so send any good deals our way!
The Trooper has been a great car for us. Greg loves driving it, even if it is a sparkly girl car!

Christmas Books

I know it's early, but I'm determined to get my Christmas shopping done by Thanksgiving. I'm wanting to get some fun books for the kids. Please let me know the favorites in your family. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

Cold Canyon

As I promised Enoch, we went to the canyon this morning. The drive up was very pretty. Most of the leaves hadn't changed yet or were dead from the snow and frost, but the ones that had changed were gorgeous; lots of reds and yellows. We parked up at the cabin and got out to walk around a bit. Enoch and Kate were immediately cold. You know, the first real cold of the winter season each year when you forget how cold is really can get. It was cold. There was snow on the ground. Enoch was excited about that; he has been asking about snow for three weeks now.


We picked a few leaves and put them in their Conference bags and then they were ready to go. No lingering, no looking - they were cold. We packed up and headed home.


As we were driving home, Enoch said, "Mom the leaves are so beautiful. Just like Kate. She is so beautiful." Such a sweet boy!

Yummy Frost

Bright and early this morning, Enoch wanted to play in the backyard. I told him it to wait because it was very cold and there was still frost on the grass. He ran to the window and said, "Where, where, where?". I told him the frost was all over the grass. "Are you sure?", he asked me. "I'm looking, and I don't see any frosting on the grass." He was a bit disappointed that there was no frosting, but very interested to learn about frost.
Enoch is going through his weather phase. We read weather books every night, listen to weather reports and constantly talk about the water cycle and snow. Enoch can't wait for it to snow. Today we are going to the canyon because Enoch is nervous that "the weaves (that is how he says it) will disappear before we can see them".

Conference Weekend

We had a wonderful Conference weekend. Our activities included:

Saturday Breakfast
Gavin and I started out early (6:30am) for our donut run to Lehi Bakery. We hand-picked donuts for the family and were home before the other kids were awake. Enoch was very excited to have fresh donuts for breakfast. Kate, of course, just picked off the sprinkles and chocolate icing.


Conference Bags
I spent last weekend putting together some fun Conference activities and sturdy bags to hold them. I made the boy's bags from Gavin's holey jeans and Kate's bag from some left over fabric I had. The kids loved them. All weekend long Enoch kept saying, "Thanks Mom for my bag; I love it!". Each bag contained colored pencils, stickers, apostle flashcards and Friend magazine coloring books for Enoch and Kate and a Conference workbook for Gavin. I was amazed at how well it kept the kids entertained. I will put them away until next Conference and then refill them with new activities.


Pumpkin Party
We celebrated the end of the neighborhood garden with the traditional pumpkin party. Each child was able to pick a pumpkin from the patch. The adults had fun visiting. The garden was great this year and although we are sad to see it die, Greg is really tired of picking green beans!


Geography Lessons
We spread our large, laminated world map out and each time a location was mentioned by a speaker, the kids raced to the map and put on of their stickers on that place. They really enjoyed finding the new Temple sites.


Family Home Evening Lesson
The Monday before Conference we had a special FHE lesson about Conference. We read from the book of Mosiah during the reign of King Benjamin while we sat in our small indoor tent. We talked about how the people gathered together and then listened to King Benjamin from their tents. We paid special attention to Mosiah 2:9:
And these are the words which he spake and caused to be written, saying: My brethren, all ye that have assembled yourselves together, you that can hear my words which I shall speak unto you this day; for I have not commanded you to come up hither to trifle with the words which I shall speak, but that you should hearken unto me, and open your ears that ye may hear, and your hearts that ye may understand, and your minds that the mysteries of God may be unfolded to your view.
We challenged our family to listen with both their ears and their hearts. During Conference, we moved our tent downstairs and the kids and Greg had fun sitting in their while watching.


Listening to Conference
Of course, the highlight of the weekend was actually listening to Conference. It was fantastic! As I mentioned, the kids did remarkably well. Gavin listened to all four sessions and filled out his extensive workbook. I was so proud of him. At dinner on Sunday, we discussed our favorite talks and I was amazed at what he remembered and learned.
I know we probably shouldn't have favorite talks, but I will always remember Elder Holland's talk as one of the most powerful I have ever heard. It will be a talk that will be quoted often and I am so thankful that I could listen to it (with my ears and my heart)!

Some things our family learned and will try to do:
1. Bear our testimonies, say, 'I love you", and be consistent. (Elder Bednar)
2. Teach our children how to feel and listen to the Spirit. (Elder Scott)
3. Ask our family each day at dinner what good deed they did that day. (President Monson)

What a great weekend. I know our family benefited from watching Conference. The Spirit was in our home and we are so blessed to be taught by our wonderful leaders.

Hi, This is Greg.
Gavin and I went to Camp Floyd last weekend. We stayed the night in some authentic tents.

It was a great time. We were issued uniforms, that we had to wear all the time.

But they were nice to have during the cold morning. We got to make some cartridges for some muzzle loader muskets and then shoot them.

We also watched some movies about the civil war.


Greg Fowler