The Year of the Pokemon

Because of my disappointing afternoon (see previous post), I was really not looking forward to taking the kids Trick-or-Treating. But I ended up having a good time. It brought back some of the tradition that I knew should be there. The kids were excited about their costumes. I make their costumes every year that I can. Something about tradition for me. The pictures are from our Trunk-or-Treat the previous Friday night (which was everything a Halloween party should be and then some).

For those not yet introduced to the way of the Pokemon, I've included pics of the original characters so you can see who they are supposed to be.

a. is a Pokemon named Butterfree. I know it's not the most authentic, but she had her wings and that was all that mattered to her. Oh and she got to wear her purple snow boots.

M. was Ash, a Pokemon Trainer and owner of the Pokemon Pikachu who you can see in the green backpack. I was honestly surprised at how many kids actually recognized the character he was portraying. (I hope that says something for my costume making abilities.)

A. is an Pokemon named Riolu. He actually evolves into Lucario who is his favorite. But he says he chose this one because he's not as scary. (Lucario reminds me of a mean wolf, so I can see where he is coming from.) Because not every parent gets the opportunity to learn as much about Pokemon as I have, no one really knew who A. was supposed to be. One of my friends asked him if he was a bat-dog. Sure, whatever. It beats trying to explain it. He knew who he was and that's what mattered.

Not Lamb, I Said Lame!

OK, so I just need to vent for a minute.

On the first day of school, M's 2nd grade class picked out of a hat to see which kid's parents were assigned to which class party during the year. (In my opinion I think this is a lame way to get "volunteers".) So, we were assigned to help with the Halloween party. The room mother leaves my a message a week and a half ago and "tells" me that she needs me to bring a few things and wants to know if I will be there to help with the games. Of course! I love class parties! I love seeing the excitement on the kid's faces and I am always willing to do whatever I can to help. So when I call her back, she asks if I can bring a bag of chips. That's it. Oh and can I be there to help? So I show up with my bag of chips and she doesn't assign me to help with anything. So I get to watch the kids go to each of the four stations.

Station #1 - Mummy Wrap and Race Game Two teams of two kids each wrap each other up in a roll of toilet paper and try to run about 10 feet and back. OK, at least this was Halloween themed.

Station #2 - Bouncy Ball Game Each kid has to see how many times they can catch a bouncy ball after the first bounce. Does the Halloween party really have to be the time to work on hand/eye coordination?

Station #3 - Draw Pictures With Shaving Cream As much as the kids enjoyed this, (because who doesn't like to get a little messy now and again?) it wasn't something the kids got to make and keep. Just make a mess, then wash up. What happened to a cute little Halloween crafts?

Station #4 - Apple Game You know the one, where you hold the apple with your chin and try to pass it to the next person. After they failed at that, they could get a plate of snacks. Which was apples (probably the same ones that they held in their sweaty kid necks) with caramel dip, my bag of chips (it's a good thing I grabbed a second variety) and fruit punch. No Halloween cupcakes or cookies or anything fun like that. The mom in charge of this table did think to bring a Halloween table cloth, plates and napkins (but there were no other decorations), and the room mom commented "I'm so glad you brought this." (Shouldn't she be in charge of remembering stuff like that?)

I took a walk half way through the party to distract A. and a. who was bored. We walked around and peeked in the other classrooms. All of whom were having a great time. It was noisy and chaotic as they were decorating cookies, frosting cupcakes, making fun things and eating their Halloween treats amid the extra decorations that the moms put up.

I don't know why I felt so bitter yesterday. Maybe it was the lack of tradition I felt that afternoon. However, I guess I have to give the room mom some props, our classroom was the quietest and we had the least amount of clean up.

I am sad that I won't get asked to volunteer for the Christmas and/or Valentine party. It could be so much more fun for the kids.

Too Lazy To Post

Hey all, check out Loki's Blog for a cute video of the kids. Oh to be able to enjoy even the simplest things in life.

p.s. I forgot that raking leaves can be a good workout. My arms and shoulders are paying the price this morning.

Budding Beckham?

M. (in the grey hoodie) has discovered the position of goalie. It's his favorite position to play and he's learning all the things he can and can not do (which is fun for us to watch). We told him that whenever the ball comes inside the box, he needs to dive on it and not let go (as evidenced in video #2). He loves to drop kick the ball and Dad was teaching him to kick it off to one side instead of straight down the middle of the field. Video #1 was one of his better kicks.

Final Harvest

This was our final harvest for the season. We were advised to pick everything we could before the freeze that was in the forecast. Unfortunately, we only got the one pumpkin, but luckily it is still ripening and should be a nice shade of orange just in time for carving. We also picked all of our green tomatoes and they are ripening nicely in a brown paper grocery sack. I should get in another big batch of fresh salsa (wish I had a pressure canner, though). I couldn't talk anyone into eating fried green tomatoes. And it's too bad that no one else likes spaghetti squash. Guess I get to enjoy it all.

Surprisingly enough, just before it snowed 5 inches on Saturday, Dad picked one last zucchini. M. is busy eating the cherry tomatoes and a. loves her cucumbers and dip.

I Swear I've Done This Before...

4 random things about me
1. I have the ability to fall asleep anywhere, whether completely tired or not. (My husband is so jealous of this.)
2. There are 54 first cousins on just one side of my family.
3. I am slowly learning everything a parent needs to know about Pokemon (I am considering writing "A Parent's Guide to Understanding Pokemon" or "Pokemon For Dummies").
4. I secretly want to be a Forensic Specialist.

4 favorite jobs that I have had
1. The Murray Theater all through middle and high school
2. Worker's Compensation Fund of Utah
3. Mac's Hobbies and Crafts
4. Robert's Crafts

4 places that I have lived
1. Sandy, Utah
2. Midvale, Utah
3. St. George, Utah
4. Pocatello, Idaho (Whew! Good thing we moved out of Utah.)

4 TV shows that I watch
1. Heroes
2. Lost (which I can't believe doesn't premiere until February!)
3. Scrubs (still waiting for the premiere this month!)
4. Survivorman (on The Science Channel)
An honorable mention for Charmed (I finally finished the series, and have now seen all 8 year's worth of episodes, I know, pretty pathetic)

4 places that I have been on vacation
1. Mexico (Cozumel and Ensenada)
2. New York
3. Western Caribbean (Grand Cayman and Jamaica)
4. Central and Southern California (but I really want to see San Fran!)

4 favorite foods
1. Chimichangas, from any good Mexican restaurant (and no, unfortunately, I don't think salsa will make it through the mail. You'll have to come and visit)
2. Szechuan Chicken from Pasta Factory in St. George
3. Anything from Dani's Pizza in Queens, NY (right Sandi?)
4. German Chocolate Cake

4 websites that I visit
1. hotmail.com (to check e-mail and celebrity gossip)
2. southbeachfriends.net (for my fitness challenges)
3. thefreedictionary.com (when I do the daily crossword)
4. allrecipes.com (when I need cooking inspiration)

People that I want to tag
1. Jen Dicou
2. Jeny
3. Jenny (The one that is married to Nick. I need an updated post!)
4. Any of My High School Friends , except Jen, she's tagged anyway (you guys need to get in on this!)
Eris, I tag you too, but I know lots of random crap about you! So surprise me if you want.

Feeling Bad

After all the griping I've been doing, I thought I would would remind myself just how cute she is, potty trained or not.

Believe it or not, she is actually asleep. It was one of those Sundays, for all of us.

We bribed the boys with Pokemon toys so that a) A. would sit on the stand during the entire Primary program (He didn't have to sing all the songs, he just had to stay up there). And b) Neither child was allowed to blow into the microphone after speaking their parts (which they both did during every practice).

I am happy to report that A. did stay on the stand (he tried to run down twice and then thought better of it) and there was no blowing in the microphone. Will wonders never cease? It's all about the Pokemon.

Here We Go Again...

OK, we took a week long hiatus and are now trying a new tactic. She's wearing her "Hello Kitty" panties today (and I'm making her sit on a bathroom rug on the couch if she watches TV). Wish us luck!


Update: Well, we've gone through all the panties and it's not even 2:00 pm yet (off to buy more for another day). Maybe this isn't going to happen before the baby is born. I'm just getting frustrated and mad at her, which I know is not the right thing to do.

Oh, How the Mighty Have Fallen...

We live about 2 blocks directly east from the Bannock County Fairgrounds. Last night we had the very distinct pleasure of being treated to a rock concert. Are you ready?? Warrant and Great White. Yes, two metal bands from the 80's were playing Pocatello, Idaho.

We spread out a blanket on the grass and just chilled while M. played a little air guitar to "Cherry Pie" (Eris, I know your Little Mr. will be jealous!). We got to hear all the hits, from Warrant's Down Boys and Uncle Tom's Cabin to Great White's Once Bitten Twice Shy and Rock Me. And from what I hear, some of the guys haven't aged well and we didn't need to see them to believe it anyway. Although, Jani Lane is no longer with the band, so...

In other news, Chicago (sans Peter Cetera) played the Eastern Idaho State Fair a couple weeks ago, and Peter Cetera himself was in concert here last night as well. Although I'm sure he had a much different audience with his intimate setting and $65 and up ticket prices.

Oh, and coming up? Sawyer Brown in October, although we won't be able to hear this one from our back yard.

Back to School (finally)

I'm finally getting around to posting the pictures of the boys on their first day of school. M. started second grade and so far really seems to like it. Besides lunch and recess, he says his favorite parts are math and science (I'm not sure where he gets that from!). Lately he says he wants to be a doctor when he grows up. It's a good thing he likes his math and science! But he also loves to read (that's our boy!).

A. just started his first year of preschool this week. So far so good. He has lots of friends from Primary in his class, and he seems to be having a good time. He says his favorite part is snack time (isn't it everyone's??) He loves to play with the cars and swirly track there and paint with his watercolors. He's quite the artist.