Go Hop On Pop

Aubrey: What’s tomorrow?
Mom: Tomorrow is tomorrow.
Aubrey: NOOO! What is tomorrow?
Mom: When it’s tomorrow you can call it today…
Aubrey: NOOOO!!! What is tomorrow?
Mom: Good Gravy kid, why don’t you tell me what tomorrow is?
Aubrey: Tomorrow is Veteran’s Day.
Mom: Oh.
Aubrey: What is Veteran’s Day?
Mom: It’s the day we think about and thank the people who protect us and our country.
Aubrey: How come we don’t?
Mom: Don’t what?
Aubrey: Say Thank You…
Mom: Hmmm, good point, we should, we will.

Once again, I have been taught by my little ones. Thanks Aubrey.

I had a dentist appointment this morning. This generally, does not put me in the best of moods, and I go in with the attitude of lets get this over with. Today I walked in and almost instantly knew it was going to be one of those days. There before me sat, Michael Jackson, now I know it wasn’t really Michael Jackson that was just my first impression. Here sat a lady, dressed from head to toe in black, covered in fur, wearing a pair of earrings that look like she stole from my Mothers chandelier. This was odd, but it got odder. She was wearing white lipstick, yes, white, it looked like she mistakenly picked up white out instead of her lip gloss. The application of the white out was on her lips and probably and inch around the outside of her lips, and matched her white powder foundation wonderfully. I was nice, and just walked in and sat down… picked up a magazine, and looked preoccupied. I must not have been convincing enough because she started talking to me. She asked me why the people at the office hate her? That they were being so mean to her… I put my magazine down and listened to her, figuring that someday I could be an eccentric old lady who just needs someone to talk to, but if I ever put white out on, someone tell me. So I said, they were mean to you? “Yes, I needed them to check my credit, don’t they know my computer is broken, I give them so much money, the least they can do is get online and check my account for me.” “My car is broken, I had to walk here, and they wont check my account, they don’t have to be hateful with me, I’m a person… on an on she went.” So I asked her if she had her card, that she could borrow my phone and call the number on the back of her card, and get her account info, she declined my offer saying she wouldn’t know how to do that, and not wanting to ask her personal info about her social security number to help her I just let her continue to rant to me. Then walks in a large hairy man. We’re talking pony tails and earrings, and then I smelled something, now I have a pregnant nose so it’s possible it wasn’t as bad as I smelled, but to me it was pretty bad. I thought maybe my Michael Jackson lady’s fox around her neck had passed on, or maybe it was the dead bunnies on her gloves, or the dead squirrel on her head, but I’m pretty sure it was the guy who just walked in. It wasn’t horribly offensive, so I decided to ignore… what would I have done anyway, then the lady opened the door and called my name, I’ve never been so happy to see the dentist in all my life.
I made a promise to myself to be more understanding of people. When I think of this lady, who tried hard to look her best, but had to walk to the dentist, she probably really could use some help. I have my oddities, and I’d rather people be understanding of them then judgmental, which with this lady I really tried but wasn’t sure how I could have helped her. I’m glad everyone is a little odd it makes life more interesting.

So I just had a conversation with Aubrey. She said so seriously and very cute. “Mom, the new baby is a boy.” “Oh Yeah?” I said, then I asked her how she knew, and she said “I’ve been doing some thinking, and my thinking says it’s a boy”. Aubrey seems pretty certain… but we wont be letting her name him, she wants to name him Ella. Tanner would be delighted to have a brother, but then I wonder how much joy he’ll get out of him when he’ll be 8 years older then him… Just some random thoughts. Believe me this is a much better topic then the gross thing that occurred in the back yard this morning.

Alyssa is very shy, and quiet, and the school party seemed to be a little much for her. Everywhere she went there were kids trying to pick her up and adults who stopped to tell her how cute she was, and being the center of attention is not her idea of a good time. She did manage to tell a few adults that she was a lady bug, but that was getting her even more attention. Finally her fingers went in her mouth, and she was done with being cute.

We went to Danny’s work party after school. When Alyssa figured out that they were handing her candy she forgot all shyness and started helping herself to as much as she could take. There was this large, bald, nicely built probation guy there who was encouraging Alyssa to take as much as she could. I thought Alyssa wouldn’t even approach him, but she proved me wrong and took his challenge to heart and the more candy she would take the more he laughed and encouraged her to take more. I guess for candy she’ll put up with being the center of attention.

For your viewing pleasure, Danny as Captain Jack Sparrow!
Only one more day of this Halloween stuff, then on to one of my favorite times of the year… I’ve already been torturing the kids with Christmas music in the mornings… now no one can stop me!
I absolutely love Thanksgiving, I just think Christmas music can be a part of the whole season, including Thanksgiving, I hold off on all Christmas decor, but the music, 30 days is just not enough of it.

Every year our ward holds a trunk or treat a week or two before Halloween. That is when the chaos begins. I really don’t mind Halloween, it just that they have to do costumes so many times. The day Nevada became a state is also Halloween, so in the past they have actually moved Halloween to accommodate Nevada Day celebrations. Recently they passed a law that states that Nevada Day will be celebrated on the last Friday of October, which this year happens to fall on Halloween. So there is no school on Halloween, so I have to get the kids in costume on Thursday and then again on Friday for Trick or Treating. So the trunk or treat is just the beginning of the season of Halloween. When I was a kid, we had Halloween on Halloween, we dressed once, and then it was over. The kids have to make a run into Danny’s office on Thursday for his work party, and they come out with more candy there then when they trick or treat, it’s just amazing how much candy they get. I’ll stop being a scrooge now and move on to some cute picture of the kids in their costumes. The Trunk or Treat was fun. It was combined with the other ward here in Dayton and it was fun seeing the other families that we used to work with when we were just one ward. We had chili and corn bread, and then the candy began.

In case you can’t tell, Emma is a butterfly, Tanner is a mad scientist, Alyssa is a lady bug, and Aubrey is Tinker Bell.

Lynda made this movie for us of the pictures she took for the girls birthday. You can check out her site at www.bluelakephotography.typepad.com I really wanted to share these with Grandparents but couldn’t get it figured out, so I finally asked Danny to help me get this on here.

Thought this picture was worth sharing…
Aubrey cracks me up… I didn’t know she could cross her eyes so well. That kid is always good for a laugh.

Grandpa T, brought Tanner and Emma some books to read when he was here visiting a couple of weeks ago. Tanner is a funny reader, he’ll read almost anything non-fiction, he loves Mythology, how things work, information about animals etc… and Popular Science is often an object of contention between Tanner and his Dad. I read books with him at night that I think he wouldn’t necessarily read on his own and might be a bit of a challenge for him. He enjoys that I think just because it’s one on one time with me. So we have been reading Island of the Blue Dolphins together the last couple of weeks. Anyway, he picked up The Lightening Thief, that Grandpa brought over, and couldn’t put it down. Walking through grocery stores, riding in the car, preferred it over TV time, in the last two weeks he has devoured all 4 books in the series. When I find a fiction book that captures his attention I feel like I have to share it with the world. He came running into my room when he finished book 4, it was pretty late at night, and I was surprised to see him awake. He was so upset, I guess book 4 isn’t the end, and he’s frustrated because they didn’t finish the story. I’m so glad he found something to read besides Star Wars, and Indiana Jones.

A few of you saw an announcement that I made last week on my blog. I quickly deleted it, putting it in writing made it a little too real, and completely sent me into a panic. I’m really struggling with this, and I’m not sure how to deal with the feelings I’m having. Of course a new baby is such a blessing, and we will love this new addition with all of our hearts, it’s just going to take a while to adjust to this. The kids seem very excited about it, Tanner would really like a brother, of course there are no guarantees there. I pray that I will find a way to balance all of the needs of these young spirits, and know how to guide them, teach them, and help them find their place in this sometimes scary world. Excuse my drama, we’re all entitled to a little now and then right?
Anyway, we are excited, scared, worried, I’m sure there isn’t an emotion that we haven’t experienced over the last few weeks, but in the end we will have another beautiful member of our family, and I’m sure that I will look back on this and wonder what I was ever worried about, and wont be able to imagine life without this new little one…
I’ll keep you posted on due date, I haven’t called the doctor yet, I’m not anxious to start all the appointments, blood draws, weigh ins, etc… I have an appointment on the 27th of Oct. to see how the birth control is working for me, so maybe I’ll keep that appointment and let him know how it’s working then.

Snow in Dayton before we left

Why is it whenever I attempt a camping trip we get snow. If you look back, our trip to Yakima– snow! Hope Valley– snow! I thought this trip to Yosemite would be canceled because of the snow. They closed Tioga Pass on Friday, and we have driven all the way around in the past, but I didn’t want to endure that drive, so I told the kids our trip was cancelled. When we got home from church on Sunday, I checked online and they had opened the pass as of noon on Sunday… so off we went.
We arrived in Upper Pines Camp at 7:30pm, and started setting up the tent in the dark. It was far colder then I was expecting, and spirits for me were low, the kids were excited to be out of the car, and were given freedom to get dirty.

Five minutes after our arrival a Ranger came up to us and told us that a bear had just been in our camp, and was now just sitting 100 yards from us. He said that her cub was up in a tree behind us and that we needed to finish our business and get our bear box locked… Great!
The first night dropped into the 20’s, and we were all chilly. Alyssa had an accident on her green blanket, so we were without her comfort, and then there was that bear issue, things were looking bleak. Of course none of this seemed to affect the kids, but I was looking at those hotel lights wishing that we’d gone that course instead of camping. I’m the weakest link.

Tanner was a trooper he got up in the morning with Dad to start the fire, and get some hot chocolate made. It took a little more persuation to get the girls out of the tent, but eventually nature called and we all got up. Alyssa thought we were nuts and just kept asking to go home, finally the morning warmed up and she was OK with the world again. We hung out in the valley on Monday, and did some small hikes, and sight seeing. We played down in the river, where Tanner and Aubrey fell in, Tanner was trying to save Aubrey, although the river is less then a foot deep and I don’t think she needed too much saving, but they were both wet.

The thing I love most about camping is that the kids have so much to do. There are downed trees everywhere, and giant granite rocks, lizards, and streams, just endless things to explore. The kids found a rather large rock and spent an hour climbing to the top and sliding down the side. We had a family from Asia ask if they could take their picture with us… it wierded me out. I was thinking they were going back to show how fat Americans are… but Danny said they were probably just fascinated by a large american family… I still think my answer applies here.

Our second night was a little warmer, and I managed to get Green Blanket cleaned, so we were back in business. We all slept fairly well, at least better then the first night. We had another bear encounter on our second night. We had spilled some bacon greese on the table and a bear scratched at the table trying to get the greese, until a ranger scared it off.

We took a hike to Taft Point and discovered Dad doesn’t care so much for cliffs 3,500 feet in the air. We had to keep tight hold of Aubrey and Alyssa. We had lunch up there, and then headed back.

Taft Point

View from Taft Point
3500 feet straight down

Tuesday night was warm, well, warmer then the 20’s, so I thought we were in for some good sleep, but Tanner got sick and lost it right outside the tent. Thank goodness it was outside the tent and not inside, but then I was stressed about the bears, coming right up to our tent to eat well… what Tanner lost. So Danny did his best to scoop it all up and move it away from the tent. Luckily there was no bear that night, but I was up quite a bit listening for one to come.

Wednesday we headed for home. Before I had kids, and it was just me, camping was fun, a challenge, exciting, but now, I must sum it up with the word miserable. Danny and I talked about how having kids have changed us both, but not in important ways. So I don’t enjoy camping so much anymore, is there really an eternal problem with that? It’s always my idea to go camping, I used to really enjoy it, and I will continue to camp for the children, but someday, when it’s just Danny and I and given the choice, that hotel in Yosemite is going to look very tempting. I’m greatful for a partner who is willing to move vomit, face the bears, and in general take good care of us.