Halloween

The week leading to halloween was filled with a different party every night. Carolyn took advantage of all the parties and wore a different costume to every one. First, she was Dorothy. She wore this costume to the Red Butte Garden's "After Dark" party.

Next, she was Raggedy Anne. This was for her school's carnival.

At the next party, she was Glinda the Good Witch (you better not mistaken her for a princess! She was offended when people did not know that she was Glinda). She wanted me to be the Wicked Witch of the West. Steve was a hot dog vendor. We tried to convince him to be the Tin Man, but he did not want to be wrapped in foil and duct tape.

On Halloween (trick or treat), she did not really know which costume to pick. I think she wanted to be the Wicked Witch, but a girl at school told her that witches are too scary, so she hesitated wearing that costume. She finally settled on a yellow gown with a blue cape. I asked her if she was Belle, and she said no. She made up some other name - I forget - and went with daddy to go trick-or-treating. She came back home a few minutes later with four pieces of candy in her bag. She was so excited to have gotten four pieces of candy. We told her that she could go back out and get more, but she was content with her loot. Later in the evening, Steve did get her to go back to a few more houses on the other side of the street, but still her bag was not all that full. After the first day or two, she completely forgot about the candy and never asked for any of it.

Fall Chores

We don't get that many leaves -- not like you do in Ohio -- but we still have to rake some each fall. Carolyn was a big helper this year.

Family Photo Challenge

October 2011

A Day of Adventure

I am not sure why, but Carolyn's school was not open some random Friday. In fact, none of the schools in Utah were.

So, I played hookie from work, and decided to plan "a day of adventure" for us. Carolyn and two of her friends - Ellie and Elise - (plus the moms) met at the downtown train station early in the morning. We waited for the train, and of course, chose to sit on the top level when it arrived. The train took us up North about an hour to a town called Ogden. From there, we boarded a trolley to the Treehouse Children's Museum and then walked through downtown Ogden to a place called Roosters for lunch.

From start to finish, our adventure lasted from nine until 5ish. The girls had a great time, but were a bit tired and kind of grumpy by the end. Thank god for our phones. They kept the girls entertained (and free from meltdowns) on the hour-long train trip back to SLC. As silly as it sounds, I wonder how parents could manage these types of situations before the smart phone was invented!

A Fall Visit with Grandma & Grandpa

My parents came to visit. It was the first time they had been out here in the fall.

When they first arrived, my dad was not feeling all that well. Carolyn sensed it, and made sure she spent some time cuddling with him on the couch.

Once he started to feel better, he decided it was time to do a project. In previous trips, he has taken scrap wood and built stairs leading from the driveway to the upstairs garden. I believe this corner is now finished, with the new wooden gate he built from old cedar we removed from the other side of the house. While he was building, my mom and I went to a movie.

One day, we all went to a park/farm where there was a farmer's market, wagon rides, a hay maze, a pumpkin patch, and lots of Carolyn's friends.

I told Carolyn that she could stay home from school since G'ma and G'pa were in town, but on Monday, she insisted on going to school because it is pizza day for lunch, her class goes to dance studio in the morning, and she has "musical theater" club in the afternoon. She likes school everyday, but Mondays are definitely her favorite day. She was simply not willing to miss it. However, she was very excited when Grandma and Grandpa came to pick her up. She showed them everything, including the fish tank in the lobby.

On Monday night, Carolyn and Grandma had a slumber party. That meant that Grandpa got kicked out of the bedroom. Carolyn said that he could sleep in her bed, but we decided he was too big to fit in her bed, so she helped me set up a bed for him on the couch in the living room. After we got the pillows and blankets set up, she started to bring him all sorts of goodies .... next to his bed, she gave him a night-light, her best stuffed animal friend named "girl" the elephant, a glass of water, and some books. I think she felt kind of bad for kicking him out of the bed, so wanted to make sure he would be comfortable. (I wish I took a picture of the bed she made for him; it was sweet!)

On their final day in town, Carolyn decided that it would be OK to skip school, so we went to a place called Gardner Village. It is a little shopping area that was completely decorated for halloween, primarily with elaborate displays of witches. Carolyn was mesmerized with the witch flying in the sky on a bicycle. We did the scavenger hunt where we had to find all sorts of witches and ate lunch at the restaurant in the old mill. It was a perfect weather and a lot of fun. (oh yeah, and Carolyn who likes to dress up any chance she gets was thrilled to wear her witch costume for the day)

It was sad saying good-bye, but we always look forward to our next visit! And, this time, it isn't even that long of a wait. We will see you over Thanksgiving!

Yep. I have one of THOSE kids.

You know, the kind that always raises her hand to volunteer, the kind that is so eager to be part of everything. Here she is at the Children's Museum. We were watching a puppet show with about 50 other kids, when the woman asked for volunteers to help her out with the show. Carolyn's hand was the first one up, held so proudly and strongly in the air. With her over-eager attitude and her cute little smile, how could anyone not call on her? Seriously, I am not just a biased parent. Today, she got to be part of a puppet show about ghosts. Who knows what she will volunteer to do next! All I know is that she is not shy. She is independent. She is confident. I love this about her.

Some Recent Videos

... of nothing much. Just a glimpse into everyday life in our household, with chatterbox Carolyn.

New stuff in the mail a video by boo4172002 on Flickr.

Video - Carolyn loves getting packages in the mail!

Wow -a package in the mail a video by boo4172002 on Flickr.

Video - a mailbox for me!

Carolyn at 3 yrs a video by boo4172002 on Flickr.

Video - Carolyn playing in the yard

Carolyn & Leo, playing a video by boo4172002 on Flickr.

Video of Carolyn and Leo playing.

Friends in the Forest

A picnic on a Sunday afternoon in Millcreek Canyon. Good food. Good friends. The kids had fun exploring the forest, and were especially excited to find the bouncy log.

Birthday for Steve

A bit delayed in adding it to the blog, but here it is.... the birthday cake that Carolyn envisioned for daddy. She wanted to make an all-chocolate cake, with funny big eyes and a big pink tongue.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE.

Kayaking

A group of us decided we wanted to do something different ... so we spent the morning kayaking on the Jordanelle Reservoire. They were out of single kayaks, so we had to do tandems. Michelle and Becky were in one; Heather and Sarita were in the other.