Catching Up

We rearranged the office last week and I lost my camera cable for downloading pictures (granted, it was only lost to me; Sean knew exactly where it was and got me all hooked up again). So now I'm good to go and feel a strange compulsion to actually take pictures again, and then actually post them. Amazing! I have been blogging out of an obligation to record my family's day-to-day history for the past few months, not because I actually wanted to do it. It is nice to be getting back to myself.

And now, back to my post. On Monday we carved pumpkins. Strangely enough I did not remember to take a picture of everyone with their pumpkins when it was all done. Items of note were Erik's extreme disgust of pumpkin guts (shown above). I find this noteworthy because, being a little boy, Erik is fascinated by all things disgusting and dirty and gross - so why not pumpkin guts? This is baffling to me. Another item is Djeryd carved his very own pumpkin all by himself this year. "Big deal," some of you say, but it is a big deal because we don't have any of those fancy, safety pumpkin-carving kits around here. It's kitchen knives, or bust. I was terrified. Sean was pleased.

I also made my very first homemade cheesecake ever. It was so good! I've been making small batches of different sauces so we get a different flavor each time we sit down to a slice - strawberries, chocolate, and lemon-blueberry - delicious! It turned out really good, if I do say so myself. I only had one hang-up while making it. It is an English (meaning written in England) recipe and some of the ingredients (graham crackers - referred to as "digestive biscuits" (that term does not sound appetizing to me in any way)) were listed in ounces. Let's just say there was a minor miscalculation and an emergency trip to the store became necessary. It was all completely worth it, though. YUM!

Last, but not least, in the catching up category, I finished Djeryd's Halloween costume. The boy is set. I LOVE that gold satin. There is some beautiful (if I do say so myself) embroidery on the back. I don't want to give it all away just yet. I will be posting more pictures on Halloween with all the kids in full regalia. I wound up with a small hem problem that I have no intention of fixing, but that is my only complaint. I am extremely proud of this costume. I can't wait to show you more pictures in a few days.

Drum Roll Please . . .

We will be having more of these - ribbons and braids and dresses.
This morning we got a beautiful look at Alyxandria Brynn.
She will be arriving with the daffodils!

Soccer

There was a song on an old Pizza Hut commercial when I was a kid about a little boy who played right field on the baseball team. It talked about how you needed to know lots of skills like catching and throwing, but really when it came down to it the little boy just picked dandelions in right field waiting for the inning to be over. That song kept running through my head as we watched Erik play soccer on Saturday. I have about 15 more pictures just like the one above taken throughout a one hour game. I am certain that he will eventually get the hang of it.

In fact, the last ten minutes or so he actually started playing soccer, and he did a really good job. Erik can be quite aggressive and rambunctious in his day-to-day life. Sean and I are very confused as to why it has not carried over into his soccer career. On a higher note Erik is a good defender and he is really strong throwing the ball in-bounds. When he's engaged in the game it is really fun to watch.

We have loved soccer practice. He has been in practice since August so we had many warm summer days to drag out a blanket and relax on the grass while Erik ran drills and scrimmaged. Now the weather is unpredictable and not quite so fun to sit out in. So far we have been pretty lucky, though. I love seeing how content he is after practice or a game - he loves to run and kick. All boy.

Tidbits

I love fall. It's time to plant bulbs and enjoy apple cider and crisp, cool days with unbelievable blue skies. I get to break out my beloved jackets and sweaters (some of which I still fit in - at least for another month or so). I am really enjoying the kids being in school, although I was very worried it would make me cry everyday (not a tear!). It is a season full of change and promise and curiously fresh even as it is a season preparing for death. Fall does not make me miss spring or summer. I love fall in its own right, independent of other seasons. It is glorious in its uniqueness.

Halloween is just around the corner, and I have been spending every well-feeling moment concentrating on costumes. Djeryd's and Anna's are being constructed from scratch, essentially. Erik just needed a brown cape - no problem. Djeryd found me yesterday feverishly working on his quidditch uniform and asked if his costume was the most complicated. I said yes. His sly little smirk expressed his self-satisfaction over that one.

I LOVE making the kids' costumes every year. It is so fun and rewarding for me to figure things out and just to create. But I am always taken aback by the amount of money I spend creating a home-made costume. I could have purchased Djeryd's complete quidditch costume for half of what it is costing me to make it. But I must admit, the one I am making is gorgeous. Satin-lined quidditch robes are not available at costumes.com.

My last tidbit for today is my sweet baby girl who has recently decided to play with the dolls that have sat in the nether corners of her bedrooms for the past 10 months. Now I often hear the words "Look, Mommy. I'm a good momma." Today she was rocking her baby on the couch because she told me it got a black eye and needed a cuddle. Then she patiently changed her baby's "very stinky" diaper, which she said "made a mess all over the table" (yum). We had one brief discussion about appropriate baby beverages as she was caught trying to pilfer a juice box from the garage to "feed the baby". (Anna is notorious for opening a juice box - which is strictly forbidden as they are for school lunches ONLY - and drinking two swallows then leaving the juice to ferment on the counter untouched for days on end.)

Onward and Upward

General Conference was so inspiring. I love to hear and see all of our wonderful church leaders teach us. Love seemed to be a major theme of Conference and the importance of safe-guarding our personal righteousness. I wanted somebody to talk about food storage because Sean and I are actually doing and okay job with that one and I wanted to give myself a little pat on the back. But alas, I was reminded over and over again how much work I have to do on myself and with my family. It is wonderful to know that Heavenly Father and my Savior are right beside me, helping me along.

The other great thing about this weekend was I got to see my newest little nephew - just one small week old (or is it two? oh, my goodness, did it really go that fast?). Yea for new babies! I feel so lucky to be one of those individuals to which family is a great blessing and strength.

So here's to moving forward and doing great things - great things with our new home, and great things with our family, great things bettering ourselves so that we can better bless others, and great things serving the wide world around us. We are looking ahead to all of the good that can and should be done - good that we want to be part of. (I know that last sentence ended on a dangling participle, but I don't know how else to say it and make it sound normal.) ;>