What's Happened to Halloween?

Am I the only one, or does it seem that our Halloween practices have retreated too much back to the days of paganism? I should have gotten my first clue when I asked one of the girl's friend what she was wearing for Halloween. A dead rock star?!! What happened to princesses and clowns? I would like to be able to take my two year old to the grocery store on Halloween without him having to be afraid of the cashier who has blood running down her face. Can't we all stay home tonight and watch "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"?

The Name Game

I'm so glad Leslie tagged me because I wanted to post something with a picture of my kids and the picture didn't turn out! So here is the information about why we chose the names we did for our kids.

First of all, Savannah. Early in my pregnancy (before we even knew what we were having) Tyler was inspecting my growing belly and said, "What are we going to name this little person anyway?" I hadn't given it a lot of thought, but all of the sudden I had a feeling that it was a girl and she wanted to be called Suzanna. We both decided we didn't like that named very much, but liked "Savannah" and it was close enough. Everything seemed fine until we got the birth certificate back and a mistake had been made and she was officially "Suzannah." We still didn't like the name, though, and had already been calling her "Savannah," so we changed it back. I've asked her if she wishes we named her "Suzannah" and she says she doesn't know (which makes me think maybe she does). Oh well!

For Emmaline's name, I knew from the beginning what she would look like (I think I was given that gift so I wouldn't be so shocked when she didn't look anything like me). She looked like an Emily to me and I wanted to name her Emma Leigh. Tyler thought that was the countriest thing he had ever heard. One night he was watching PBS and saw a documentary on Emmeline Wells. She was an amazing woman... a plural wife who worked hard to get women the right to vote in early Utah history. He was so impressed, he wanted to name our baby that. I wasn't crazy about the idea, but we changed the spelling so she could have a nickname of "Emma."

After we had Emmaline, Savannah told us one night that her "baby brother was waiting in heaven." I tried to laugh it off as a funny thing that a 2 year old might say, but I really knew that it was true. It took me a long time to recover from having Emmaline (she screamed for the first two years of her life)... and then Tyler started his business, and then Mama was sick... so it took a while for me to be ready to have the little boy I knew was waiting. But I thought a lot about names. We actually chose the name when we lived with Georgia the first time (2001?) ane her neighbor had a dog named "Oliver." I hadn't heard the name for a child in a long time and thought it would be just uncommon enough to be cute, but not weird. Of course there are tons of Oliver's now. My midwife even delivered one the day before we had ours! But I still love it and it fits him perfectly.

If we have another one, I think it will be a boy. I would love to name him "Harrison" (so glad Neal and Leslie didn't take that, although Harry Huntzinger would also be a problem... hope everyone would call him "Harris"). But Tyler wants to name him Tucker, which was my maiden middle name (changed my middle name to "Horn" when I got married), and was a last name from the Horn side. I'm a little hesitant of that since my oldest sister, Martha, named her son "Tucker." But the age difference is so great, it probably wouldn't be a problem. Also, we didn't take any of the other names from geneolgy and I don't know about starting that now. Since Tyler has final say, I guess we know what the name will be. =)

Sadly, I have no one to tag! All you Horn's need to get busy and get a blog.

Washing Clothes- The Old Fashioned Way

So my washing machine is down and it would cost more to repair it than it is worth. I'm so sad! I have a front-loader that I absolutely love. But I'm trying to figure out if I want to pay so much for another, or just buy a top loader. After a front-loader... I'm not sure I can go back, but they are so much less expensive!

This weekend I had to go to the laundramat, which is luckily down the street. I realized that it really isn't so bad. You can get it all done MUCH faster. It's just expensive. I guess I just have that face that says, "talk to me," because I always end up chatting with someone. On Saturday, this lady next to me starts talking about her kids and her son that is on a mission. She was doing laundry for a very TALL son whose pants were huge and she didn't want to wash them at home. As she is talking, suddenly a pair of pink, string bikini underwear falls out of the load. You should have seen her face! She said, "I'm not even going to ask," and continues talking to me. When I got home, Tyler mentioned that it could have been from the customer before her. Pretty funny, though.

"Yes, Mama. I can."

I know I write about Ollie way too often... but 2 is such a cute age! I went into the other room to print a report for Savannah for school, and I guess Oliver decided he couldn't wait one more minute for dinner. He had served himself some oatmeal in his favorite orange bowl. I'm sure you can imagine how much ended up in the bowl and how much was on the floor, counter, and places I am sure I will discover for the next couple of days. I said, "Mister, you can't make oatmeal by yourself." He answered, "Yes, Mama. I can." How do you argue with that logic?

Ollie's Favorite "Book"

We love to got to the library and Barnes and Noble to get books and we have TONS... but Ollie's favorite books are the catalogs that come in the mail. He spends hours just staring at the little detailed pictures featured from toys to holiday decorations. His current favorite is this Thomas yearbook. He loves to tell us about who each character is, which one is his favorite, and what they are doing in the picture. What a cutie!

Martha- Chapter 5

This was a REALLY hard chapter to write. I have read some of the LDS chapter books for this age group, and they get really cheezy when they talk about things concerning the spirit. I tried to keep it a bit simple, only including a couple of feelings a child might have as they feel the spirit. Please give suggestions of how I can make it better.

Chapter 5 The Missionaries

They hurried down the stairs and out into the street in search of Savannah. They hoped she could tell them where they could find the men she had talked about. Carefully avoiding holes in the uneven streets, they almost walked right past Savannah.

“Martha, wait,” she cried. “I just couldn’t wait for you to ask, so I’ve brought them along with me. These are the missionaries from America.”

As Martha looked up, she noticed that Savannah had two men beside her. As she inspected them curiously, one man removed his hat and reached his hand to her mother saying, “Heber Kimball, sister. I’m an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Martha was confused, not only by his strange accent, but by the thought that someone would say that he was an apostle of Jesus, almost like he knew Jesus himself. She expected her mother to protest, but as she looked at her, she was surprised to see her mother’s eyes glistening.

“I don’t know who you are,” her mother stammered, “but I suddenly have a feeling that I’ve waited a long time to meet you.”

“That’s the feeling of the Lord’s spirit, sister,” exclaimed Heber. “After we have attended to the matter at hand, I’ll be glad to tell you more about the prophet the Lord has sent to speak to us.”

Suddenly Martha remembered why they had come looking for Savannah. She wasn’t sure at all that she wanted anything to do with this man. He was so bold and different than any other person she had met. One look at her mother removed all her fear. Her mother’s face was almost glowing as she looked at these men. Martha wasn’t sure what that meant, but she trusted her mother to know what was best.

“Let’s go back into our home,” her mother directed. The group hurried from the street, back to the cottage. The main room was crowded with so many people and Martha felt a bit afraid as she wondered what these men would do.

“Have you a chair for her to sit in, sister?” Heber asked her mother. Martha sat in the chair and the others stood around her, watching. “Brother Parley, would you help with the blessing?”

As the men placed their hands on her head, Martha felt a power surround her. It was a feeling that made her heart pound quickly and made her want to cry. It was also a happy feeling that made her think that everything would be okay. She was startled out of her thoughts by the loud “amen” of the missionaries.

“Now sisters,” said Heber, “we’ve been sent by the Lord to give you the good news of the gospel.”

Going to the Temple

A couple of weeks ago our Stake set aside a day for us to spend the whole day at the temple. It was a really amazing experience. I have struggled over the years with going to the temple. I don't really understand what it is all about. I had memorized most of the session after attending only a few times. After spending an entire day at the temple, I realized some things I hadn't before. One of those things was that usually I am so stressed about getting a babysitter for my kids and getting there on time, I can never truly relax and spend the time to listen. These days it is becoming particularly obvious to me that I need to devote more effort to meditation and understanding the Lord's will. In sacrament meeting we were told that the day we spent at the temple set a record for the most work done on any single day at the Salt Lake Temple. Kind of amazing.

Parent-Teacher Conference

Unlike Leslie, I can't report a brag session after my recent parent-teacher conferences. But I am reminded of a story I recently heard in a fireside at Georgia's ward given by Linda & Richard Eyre. Brother Eyre told about when he was visiting a ward in a little town in Idaho were one father was telling everyone how many great things his kids had done. Finally, a little old man in the back stood up and said, "The Lord must not think much of you, sending you all those easy kids." I definitely don't think that is how it works, but I do like to think that the Lord thought a lot of me, sending me these kids!

We really love the art school Savannah attends. Her teachers had great things to say and it appears she is quite the director (hope that's not a nice way of saying "bossy"). In her Humanities class, they are studying the Renaissance and her group was in charge of making a presentation. It seems she wrote a script for everyone to follow. In her dance class she is also doing a play and appears to really enjoy that. Her math/science teacher said he would like to see her participate more, but everyone else seemed to feel she was really active in group discussions. I think she feels she is in a good place and has a lot to offer.

Emmaline has the teacher Savannah had last year. We were a little worried at first since she is not the "huggy" kind of teacher and is a bit strict. Turns out, she is the perfect match for Emmaline. Emmaline REALLY likes her (might be the first time she has felt that way), and her teacher has enough experience to understand the best way to teach her. She knows Emmaline doesn't do well with the traditional school setting, so she tries to find ways that she can succeed like writing a letter to me explaining concepts rather than taking a multiple choice test. It is so fun to see what she will write and I can really see Emmaline's creativity in what would usually be a dull, mundane task. I think her teacher really sees this as a challenge and she says she is really excited to see the progress Emmaline will make in the next 2 years (she will have her for 3rd and 4th grade).

Really long post... but I love my kids, even though they aren't the most academic. Their creativity is astounding and it really is fun to see what they "produce"... even if it isn't a straight "A" report card. =)

HGTV

I meant to save that last post as a draft since I had to get the pictures from Tyler's computer before he left for work, but I accidentally published it! Anyway... more pictures to come. I'm a little worried to see myself on T.V., Tyler said I was a little stiff! They asked us what we liked about the area, what we were most proud of about the house, and some others details. Then they spent quite a bit of time with the girls in their room. Emmaline explained to them that we built the stairs in their room because we were always making fun of her trying to climb up on the shelf. What?!! Hopefully that will be something they edit, but maybe not since they probably think it was funny. It will probably air in 6 months or more... they will let us know and I will let you know.

HGTV

We're Sad!

Yesterday morning our guinea pig died. It was such a sad day. He has been our kid's constant companion for the last 6 months. We aren't sure what happened. On Wednesday night, the kids went to get him out of the cage and he was all wet. Turns out he had thrown up. We sent the kids to bed and emptied out his food and water. Tyler made a quick trip to the grocery store to get his favorite carrots. He continued to throw up a couple of times and when he drank his water, he let it drip down his front. When we woke up, he was almost gone. Tyler held him all morning, trying to give him water with a dropper, but he was just too sick. We are all so sad. I never knew how much fun and interactive a guinea pig could be. We would like to get another one, but since we don't know what happened, we are a little nervous.

Holiday Decorating Ideas

I don't usually get much response to my blog... but I'll try once again. The Enrichment Committee is in a bind and they have asked if I will give a mini-class next Saturday on Holiday Decorating. Given that I have a little over a week to plan this, don't decorate (that's Tyler's department), and I am a little busy trying to get ready for this Saturday... I need ideas. Got any great, cheap things you like to do to spruce up for the holidays?

Picture Day Fiasco

I spent most of the day yesterday working in the yard and outside of my house. (Of course you can only do so much with a dirt yard.) I left my cell phone inside and when I came in to grab my purse and pick up Emmaline from school, I saw that I had a message from her teacher. The message was that Emmaline had a comb stuck in her hair "very severely" and would I please come and get it out for her. That message was from 12:30 and it was now about 2:45.

I hurried to the school, feeling terrible that she spent the day with a comb in her hair. I was met at the door by her teacher standing beside Emmaline, who was wearing a hat. I jump out and begin to say how sorry I am for missing the call when her teacher says, "Wait, don't say anything. Emmaline and a friend decided to problem solve and they have cut the comb out." I wanted to burst out laughing. There was a huge hunk of hair right on top (where a barrette or pony would be) cut almost to the scalp. I guess when the kids got their pictures taken, they gave them each a comb. Emmaline was, from her explanation, trying to curl her hair with the comb, when it got really stuck in her hair. After everyone (teacher, friends, etc.) tried to get it out, with no luck, one little girl decided she could fix it by cutting a teeny piece. Emmaline says she didn't know the girl was using scissors and she moved her head as the girl was trying to cut. What a day. I'm just glad she did this AFTER the picture was taken!

My little imp

(this is what happens when he eats yogurt)

I just got a new purse and Ollie has been really fascinated by it. The other night, I was trying to grout the backsplash in the kitchen and I wasn't paying a lot of attention to him. He kept talking about the purse and I would answer, "Yes, I got a new purse," and such. It was only later that I realized that each time he saying "purse," he was putting something inside. There was a tape measure, a book, a large toy car, and the best yet... a full glass of juice (and not in a sippy cup). It was so unexpected, I could only laugh!

We're Gonna Be on T.V.!

Ever heard of the show on HGTV called "What You Get For the Money?" A few weeks ago, someone from that show contacted Tyler to ask if he had any clients with homes in the price range $250, 000 to $1 million who would be willing to be filmed for the show. Tyler recommended a couple of clients and also sent pictures of our house. They called us back and said they would be here next Saturday. YIKES!! But it is a good incentive to get things done. Hollywood, here we come.