My Post Halloween Post

The weather started out pretty poopy, but then cleared so it was just cold (like 20 degrees cooler than the day before) so the trick-or-treaters got to come out bundled up for their candy quest in the 40s. We had about 35 come to our house, which was a good turnout, usually we get around 20-25. There are no sidewalks along the street and the houses are spaced pretty far apart so we don't get very many little kids (too far to walk) and the teens like to go where they get bigger volume of candy-givers. We always give out toothbrushes with the candy so usually our past visitors come around again every year.
It was fun to see all the cute costumes. One little toddler was dressed as a plush pink pig, complete with curly tail. Most of the older kids like to be monster types, but one boy came in his bathrobe, complete with rubber duck, bath brush, and towel. The dental office all dressed up, and I took pictures of how they looked. So now it's time to floss and brush...

Almost time to Head Home

The past two weeks have gone by so quickly--seems like I just got here, but the variety of photos taken shows that we've done a lot, and been a lot of different directions. Kristen has been mucho busy with the rehearsals and then three performances of the stake production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and she was both relieved and disappointed to have it be over. The timing for all the busy-est part of this was (of course) right during the stressful part of midterms for Aaron, which is why Chase invited me to come in the first place, and it was (I think) helpful for me to have been here. I don't think I have spent so much time on the floor sitting and crawling and playing, as lately. Also hurdling baby gates and barriers, and wrestling with a slippery FAST, twisty feisty little guy (who remembers what you just put out of his reach and goes after it the second he gets another chance...) I will miss him, and even though we'll be seeing them all again at Christmas, I wonder if he'll remember me. We've had a conversation of sorts on several occasions, and those are sweet memories I'll replay again and again.

I can see why my mother was always exhausted and a little relieved to see family visitors leave with our little noisy messy ones, but she always saved a few sticky handprints on sliding glass doors and mirrors for a few days, just to keep us there a bit longer. It will be fun to see how big Chase will be the next time we see him--officially one year old.

Boo-tiful Day for a Drive

After church and a quick lunch we drove (for more than an hour, so Grammy sorta snoozed) to Letchworth State Park. It was the perfect day to see the leaves, close to 80 degrees, no wind, and SUNNY. Lots of other folks thought so too, and it was a little tricky finding a place to park. We got to enjoy some of the beauties of Nature. I'll never understand how some people can claim that there is no Creator when we see waterfalls and how gorgeous Fall leaves look with a backdrop of BLUE SKY. (Of course the blue can't compare to the colors we REGULARLY see back in Colorado, but it happens so rarely here that we truly APPRECIATED it!!!)

I felt a little guilty being so enthused about our weather here, because at HOME they were getting the first measurable SNOW of the season, and the cold wind to go with it. I figure there will be more about the time I go back just before Halloween, because Colorado ALWAYS seems to be cold and rainy or snowy for trick-or-treaters. (Chase is going to be one of the BEST because he's got the cutest costume, but that's for another post)

Going to put some of the pix on from our drive, then get ready to go watch the little fishy at swimming class...

Back to Buff I go

Well actually I'm already here, and worn out from crawling around for four days. We've been busy doing all the things moms and baby get to do, and it's quite a challenge climbing over baby gates to get into the kitchen or bathroom, because little one wants to be where all the action is, and little hands can get into big messes in no time!!

There are lots of barricades to go around and frustrate little bodies, and most everything goes into the mouth to be tasted. I am amused and awed at the same time at all the "work" babies do and make. Seems like they go through a LOT of laundry and food time--then diapers, so it's a constant round of stuff to do or catch up on. Such is the life of a mom, and I'm glad I had my turn with the tinies when I had more energy and agility. (I went to bed early last night because this gramma was a pooped person)

I arrived on Saturday afternoon, and we all got reacquainted, which was good, because Chase and Grandma got to hang out together at church while Mama went to Primary and Daddy taught sunday school then went to priesthood meeting. After lunch and a short nap we took a drive to see fall leaves (which haven't really seriously changed yet) and a nearby ski resort (which has a dinky little hill, bit it was well groomed--hey, people here are easily impressed with what there is nearby, but it isn't exactly Breckenridge or Keystone.)

We went to swimming class on Monday and again today, and it was a lot of fun, except the water could have been a few degrees warmer, but once Chase was in he was pretty happy to be there. He sure wants to go after things, and his little legs are constantly moving. The getting in and out, and the drying off and dressing are all an adventure not to be missed. One mom just has her year-old guy sit naked while she gets herself dressed because otherwise she is trying to keep him from getting wet all over again on the dressing room floor. Kristen learned after the first class to come in with an umbrella stroller to lock her little guy in so he's off the floor and safely restrained so she can dry off and change. Lots of work for a 30 minute "lesson" but it makes for some fun pictures!

One Last Day of September

Wow, okay, I guess that Fall is really here, and the first of October clinches it...No MORE SUMMER until next year. Kids are back in the school mode, parents are on their semi-alert status instead of full-alert during the lo-o-ong summer weeks when "there's nothing" to DO (except for the kitchen cleanup,bathroom patrol,laundry that never ends,yard stuff that also never ends, and let's not leave out the trash that could be taken out, as well as the grocery and supply runs that likewise never end...) it's almost time to get serious about Christmas gifts and projects. The stores are already starting to put out Christmas stuff, and it's not even Halloween MONTH yet. So where did Fall go if we're already talking WINTER???

Book Club stuff

One of the enrichment group interests in our ward is a book group. We have a few loyal members and some that attend sporadically (that looks funny, maybe it is misspelled---and so does THAT) anyway, I digress...we are trying to read and suggest "good" books. (At least none of the members who attend are like some of the ones in Kristen's old group in Roxborough, who dissed the choices of others as being inappropriate, or violent, or too physical, but we are mostly reading non-controversial books, anyway.)

This month we are reading 1776 by David McCollough, and I haven't finished it yet even though we had all summer to do the deed. The discussion is tomorrow night, and I'll get it finished sooner or later, (obviously later), and then next month we are reading Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Burns. Kristen has gotten her dental wives' group together to read the Kite Runner, which she swiped from me. Someday I'll get around to that too.

The problem seems to be that I can read a book just fine if it's my speed and my idea, but as soon as it gets "assigned" I seem to have a disinclination to get to it. AND maybe I would just rather read mindless twaddle from time to time...

Oh yeah, K invited me to become her "friend" on a discussion web site where people talk about books they enjoy, and it is a great reminder of all the good stuff there is to read...I just wonder how many of the contributors "censor" the list of books they read, so we look more erudite and highbrow than we really are....Last Sunday's paper had the PERFECT comic strip for what I'm talking about, although I'll never tell everything I read...

BECAUSE I SAID SO: Adventures in Grocery Shopping#links

Kristen sent me a link to an ebay ad with a hilarious story of just why the Pokemon cards were for sale. I checked out the blog of the mother of six who had listed the ad, and it is a hilarious read--I even made a comment on her blog. (mom2my6pack)

I don't know if anyone read this, or tried to get to the funny lady's blog, but it makes my computer freeze, so I disappeared the link. She gets like a bazillion hits a day to her blog, and the ether is full...so I'll try to refrain from going there myself. besides, most of the readers are saying how funny she is, blah blah, and she doesn't have time to be a regular person now that she's famous.

It is much more fun to relive the hilarity from a distance, that way I don't have to have the sometimes agony as well. Other items she talks about are the common joys of motherhood, mixed in with stuff her very NORMAL kids do. ah, memories

birthday week

ever notice how fast the years start going as soon as you get over that hill? I certainly have, and this is kind of a nostalgic week for me. My mom's birthday and my dad's, as well as my own "somethingth" have all occurred, and I realize how much I miss them. Mom has been gone for 10 years and Dad has been gone for 13, and there are days when I would like to speak to both of them. Sometimes I think about calling Mom up to ask her advice, or for one of her recipes, and whenever I think of making comfort food I think of her kitchen, or of her sewing room. I think of my dad when I look at the bookcase that is in my bedroom filled with "church" books. I wish that I had spent more time with them than I did. I wish that my three children had known them better. I appreciate their sacrifices for their seven children as I reflect on my childhood, and I admire them for the lives they lived.

The older I get (and I speak this as the youngest of the seven) the more I realize how great my life has been because of the heritage I received from my parents. I hope that I can be remembered as well-loved as my Mom.

Summer Cometh

This is pretty embarassing to see how long it goes between posts on our blog. I spend a fair amount of time at the computer, but you would never know I ever look at blogs by this. (So for all of you blog-stalkers out there...here are some of my favorite family pix and events of the past month or so.) In May B and I had an enjoyable trip to Williamsburg Virginia/ Washington DC. We spent the week playing tourist around Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown, and learned a lot of previously unknown (to us anyway) history. Our one day in DC was not sufficient to see everything we wanted, but we did a quickie tour of some of the Smithsonian exhibits, and walked (and walked, and WALKED) to see some of the main tourist attractions, like Washington Monument, the WWII memorial, the Lincoln memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, and the White House, as well as the Ronald Reagan building (where we parked.) Don't know how many miles we logged on our shoes that day, but the memorials are best available on foot. It is so amazing to see the green in Virginia. The woods reminded us of our time in Clifton Park. It was a great taste of our nations's history, and we'll go back again to see it again. Our trip to Jamestown was just one week after the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. Pretty cool. We went to President's Park, a really nifty statue exhibit of 18-foot tall busts of all the POTUSes, and were told that Geo Bush I was coming "next week" to see his newly renovated statue. It figures, always a week before or after...

We had an eventful June, with three birthdays and Father's Day, plus the departure of Phil to New Zealand, and the arrival of the Buffalonians. For Brian's b-day we saw Wicked at the Buell Theater. Wow, what an amazingly clever story of how the WW of the W became wicked-out. K and C Wads joined us in the place of K and A (who did not arrive until midmonth and thus missed out), and we had a great time. Phil flew halfway around the world just a few days later, and assures us that NZ is a great place to be for the best part of a year away. We hope that he has found gainful employment by now and is pursuing his dreams of movie production. He calls every few weeks or so. Michelle's b-day is always right around Father's Day, and soon after that K/A/C flew "home" for a month, and then it was Kristen's b-day, which was also the day that Michelle received her asociates degree in massage therapy...and then before we knew it we hit July, and the Fourth has already come and gone. Wow, time goes by fast. We have had a great time watching the progress and development of Chase. He is almost 7 months now, and of course is the brightest, most beautiful, and bestest child. Something new to enjoy every minute we spend with him (and parents...)

Spring Done Sprung

I've been bad about updating this--even have some pictures downloaded and ready to add, but didn't get around to doing the deed until now. The wedding in southern Cal went off wonderfully, and the Women's Conference was awesome, and in between those two events was a great week with Kristen and Chase, and lots of running around. Life then calmed a bit, and now B and I are about to head off to the east coast for a little r and r. That man literally has to go way out of town to get a break from finding stuff to do at the office. We are heading to the airport on Thursday, and he'll likely fall asleep as soon as his head hits the back of the seat on the plane. If you don't get any more updates for a while at least you will know what's planned...

Ides of April are Upon Us

It takes me a long time to think of anything to put in this blog. Things are going on all around but I don't add them when I first think of it, and then the moment passes. We keep getting pieces of winter thrown in with the warm sunny days of spring, and cold stuff makes us feel grinchy. Brian says that Tucson looks better and better, although maybe not for REAL until next winter hits and stays. We are looking forward to next week, after which Kristen and Chase are coming out for ten days while Aaron slogs through finals. K is so consistent about updating their blog, and I enjoy reading all the goings on of her friends that she links to...makes it easy to spend a lot of time at the computer. I just have to put a few of the recent pictures Kristen has posted of Chase. He is already FOUR months, and looking like quite the ladies' man. I love the sunglasses, especially!


On Friday I am flying to SanDiego for my nephew's wedding on Saturday, then traveling with family to the reception in Corona. I fly back home on Sunday (our THIRTY anniversary), and then get to drive back to the airport the next day to pick up the Buffalonians. We have lots of stuff to try to do in the ten days K and C will be here, before I leave the day before they do, as I head to the Womens Conference at BYU. I'm really excited about getting a chance to be with more sibs during these two events. Life goes in ebbs and spurts, sometimes it sems like nothing is happening, and then it's like, whoa, somebody slow the train. Before long I'll be fifty-SOMETHING, and that is a little daunting.

Baby Fun is over for a while--Back to Buffalo

We had a lot of fun while the week lasted, but then they went home. Sure seems like a bigger house when it is just two of us rattling around. They come, and then we want them to come again after we recover...

I took some pictures off of K's blog because she picked some good ones, and swiping is so much faster than finding them for myself. Chase doesn't pose yet, so some pix are really funny because everyone else is looking toward the camera and he does what he does.

We already miss the little guy and his parents.

Addendum

Update, and wanted to put on the latest pix before kristen put some on her blog--I wanted to get something on before she beats me to it! What a grown up little man, and because he was just fed he was very cooperative for the whole blessing business.

Fun Spring Break--and we didn't go anywhere!

We had a great green day yesterday, and it was so warm and sunny. Went for a walk around Clement Park with Kristen and Chase. He didn't enjoy having the sun in his eyes, so it wasn't long before he was in the baby bjorn, and happy to sleep as K and I walked along, and I pushed the empty stroller. This week is going to go by FAST, as they are here for spring break only until Saturday. Baby Chase is going to be blessed today at the H's in Arvada, and we are all excited for the occasion. He has a special outfit to wear; I'll take a picture later today, because he'll get it put on just before the blessing.

Happy B-Day Phil

So now he's a quarter of a century, and almost half my age. We'll be geriatrics together some day...For once we had a mild weekend weather-wise, and the snow is going fast. The weather forecast is for maybe snow this weekend, so we'll see what develops.

I'm going to add some photos of our quick trip to Las Vegas. We saw the Hoover Dam and drove around Red Rock Canyon. For shows we went to performances of the Blue Man Group and Cirque du Soleil "Love" (tribute to the Beatles.) They were both very good, and we used our earplugs at BMG, so we could hear later... It was great to enjoy blue sky and sunshine! (The sun was shining today, so it was great in Colorado too!) Amazing how we appreciate the sun, especially when we haven't seen or felt it lately.
For Phil's birthday dinner we went to Hacienda Colorado for some yummy Mexican food. We thought of you Kristen, but didn't save any...If you clicked on the link I tried to add it took you to the Hoover Dam site instead of Cirque du Soleil...Every time I have tried to add links to this post the words go into cyberspace...if you are interested, we saw the BMG at the Venetian, and the Beatles tribute at the Mirage...Las Vegas casinos are amazing, wear your walking shoes...