Friday, October 31, 2014

Dancing in Autumn

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . visiting with a friend this morning.

. . . savoring the cool autumn weather.

. . . dancing with my husband to one of my favorite songs.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Laughter and Nasturtiums

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . serving in the temple.  I feel so peaceful and happy there.

. . . seeing pea and nasturtium sprouts appearing in my container garden.

. . . playing with Todd and Anna on the big bed, and hearing them laugh together.

. . . husband hugs.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Embracing the Orange Chaos

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . carving pumpkins with the kids.  Yes, we embraced the chaos, and we had such a good time that we'll probably do it again next year.

. . . getting a high five from Sam Gamgee at the ward Trunk or Treat activity, because I knew his wife's name without having to ask.  Yes, I am a geek.

And another thing . . .

. . . Joy's pumpkin rind was apparently made of organic steel.  We bent a kitchen knife trying to puncture it, then Phillip brought out a power tool to get the job done.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Joy School and Pumpkin Angst

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . little Anna going to her first day of Joy School.  She had a great time.

. . . planting seeds in my container garden.  I put in pink nasturtiums, Swiss chard, peas, and colorful carrots.  Joy has requested that I leave a pot free so she can plant peas and lettuce.

. . . snuggling Baby Todd when he was in a cuddly mood.

And another thing . . .

. . . I have oddly mixed feelings about carving pumpkins now that I'm a parent.  I loved carving them with my family when I was a kid, especially because my dad always created such cool faces.  When my own kids broach the subject, though, all I can think about is what a colossal, messy undertaking it is.

Last year we carved one family pumpkin, each of us deciding on a feature's shape (someone chose the nose shape, someone else chose the mouth, etc.).  That seems like a bit of a cop out, though, now that the big kids are old enough to carve their own pumpkins.  I think I need to just take a deep breath and let everyone over age 4 carve their own this year.  Maybe it won't be so bad.

Or maybe it will.

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Song Practice and Shark Attacks

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . playing games with the Primary kids after we practiced their program for Sunday.  If I have a single fun bone in my body it's probably a pretty small one, but Tricia, who serves in the Primary presidency with me, did a great job of getting the kids singing, dancing, or running around like mad during her shark attack game.  They had a blast, and it was fun to be a part of it.