Halloween Dinner 08

Last week was my Mom's annual Halloween dinner. Here's what was on the menu-

I wrote all about how it works on last year's post. If you've forgotten or didn't read last year's post and are interested, you can check it out HERE. My Mom had a friend come help out so that all the kids could join in too. It's usually only done for the adults, but the kids are getting old enough to want to join in the fun.

I guess it takes a little practice to get good at ordering. Regan ordered all his utensils, a napkin, and a finger food on his first course. I, of course, did beautifully. Couldn't have done better if I'd of know what was actually on the menu. Anyway, lots of fun, and lots of work for Mom. Thanks Mom.
After dinner, we get the kids all dressed up in costumes for pictures.

This was our sad attempt at getting all the kids to pose in one picture.


My favorite costume of the night: My brother Shaggy and his son Scooby Doo.


Rob's pimp and hippi dogs came in second (they wore the same thing last year).




I had forgotten both Ben and Weston's costumes, so we borrowed some. Neither lasted more than a few minutes dressed up.

Oh, the Drama!

Our family doesn't need girls to have drama, at least not when we have Spencer. The drama he creates himself is probably enough for at least three girls. Here is a small sample of the drama I live with on a daily basis (make sure to keep a whining and yelling voice in mind while reading):

When asked to clean his room the other night-

"I HATE cleaning my room! This is the BADDEST night of my life! I am going to break down my room so I never have to clean it again!"

When asked to get wood from the backyard for the fireplace-

"I can NOT go back there! It is WAY to fweaky (freaky)!"

Okay, Indiana/Batman/Spiderman/Ninja/Ironman/the list goes on and on.

When it's time to pick up dog poop, he must first outfit himself appropriately, which includes tying his apron around his head so he won't smell anything. Apparently the apron doesn't do much for him, because he's outside dry heaving over and over again, all the while bawling his head off. When he's done, he throws the shovel to the ground and yells "I will NEVER pick up dog poop EVER again in my whole life!" We'll see. He's still bawling as he gets on his bike and takes off for school. The bawling continues until he's down the street and around the corner. I'm not sure how much longer it goes after he's out of earshot.

Another time, while hiking with my Dad and brothers he decided he'd had enough. "I want a jet plane to come and take me back to the cabin!" He fell to the ground and starting bawling. "This is the WORST day of my life.....well, it's one of the worst." Perhaps during his short pause he was reflecting on worse days, like the time his head was wrapped in packing tape, or the countless times he's been forced to clean his room.

Here is a scenario that happens at least two or three times a week-

"What can I have to eat? I'm starving!"

"You can't have anything, dinner is almost ready".

"But Moooommm, I am starving to DEATH!"

"I'm pretty sure you'll survive a few more minutes."

"No I will NOT! How about just a yogurt?"

"Nope."

"A banana?"

"No."

"A pretzel?"

"If you ask for one more thing, you're going to your room."

At this point he usually starts bawling and tries to overpower me so he can get into the fridge, which results in him getting sent to his room. After the bawling stops ten or fifteen minutes later, he'll be standing at the top of the stairs..."a granola bar?"

Sigh...here we go again.

Last week at my Mom's house, he had another worst day. He had a loose tooth and wanted Grandma to tie dental floss around it and pull it out. I was really surprised he would let anyone near it. He was being very brave. When string method wasn't working, Grandma told him she was going to use the pliers so she could get a good grip on it. Surprisingly, he didn't object....until she pulled it out. Then he bawled. And bawled. And bawled. Probably a good twenty minutes. Eventually he did get over it, and was able to smile.

Life with Spencer isn't all bad. He keeps us laughing, a lot. When he's not being dramatic in a whining, crying, complaining sort of way, he can be very entertaining. Without him, I wouldn't have near as much to write about.

Missing Money

Finally! After months of waiting, our missing money has arrived. Arrived from where? Well, we're not really sure. Technically, it came from Edward T. Alter, the Utah State Treasurer, because it was "missing money".

Several months ago, my sister-in-law e-mailed me (thanks Suzy) to let me know that Jason's name appeared on a missing money website. We looked into it; not much information is provided, such as the amount of money or from where the money originated. From there, you're linked to a state website with instructions on how to obtain your money. We had to send in copies of Jason's drivers license and social security card plus proof that we had lived at the address listed on the site. Then, we had to wait...for a LONG time (or so it seemed).

In the meantime, we tried to figure out what money we could possibly be missing. Could it be a utility bill overpayment? Probably not, they know where we live. What about a tax overpayment? Not likely, you first have to make enough money to pay taxes in order to have overpaid. Besides, the government knows where we live. Did we invest in some stocks that we forgot about? Even less likely (you have to have money in order to invest it). We heard a rumor going around that we were suing the Leavitts (Jason's former employer). Maybe we won the lawsuit and they forgot to tell us. Or maybe a long lost relative that never knew us died and left us their fortune.

In the end, we decided that we pretty much had NO IDEA! We would just have to wait and see.

Months later (I'm not sure how many), our check finally came. SIX HUNDRED AND SEVENTY FIVE DOLLARS!! Nice! So where did it come from? The attached sheet of paper said "abandoned property". Abandoned property? Okay...we abandoned our old broken down Colt Vista years ago. Do you suppose the State located it, hauled it in, had it scrapped, made $675 from it and then decided to keep it on file just in case we ever checked? Probably not. So again, we pretty much have NO IDEA, and it will bug me until the day I die. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy about the money, it would just be nice to know how it went missing in the first place. Oh well, but make sure to check HERE for your own missing money. You never know.

Yearbook Yourself

I saw this on a friends blog and thought it was funny.

Here we are as a couple:
In the 50's

the 60's



The 70's. By far the most stylish era.

The 80's takes a close 2nd for style.

Sadly, these last photos hit a little too close to home. Below are some real photos from this era.

Yep, don't laugh too hard. I bet most of you have similar picture in one of your yearbooks. Notice my date's hair, looks a lot like the last one of Jason.

BFF

The kids have found a new best friend. Her name is Kacy and she's, well I'm not sure, twenty something, I guess. Anyway, she's way cool, according to the kids. And I would have to agree with them. Anyone that would relieve me of my kids for a few hours is way cool.

They bake cookies every time they go over there. They also play games and take crazy pictures of themselves, like the one below.

I especially like the look on Ben's face. He's wondering what the heck is so funny. All he cares is that he gets cookies when he goes to Kacy's house.

Thanks Kacy, you're awesome; even if you are more popular than me. Oh, and Joe (Kacy's husband), the kids think you're way cool too!

Fall Fever

Yesterday we took a walk in the canyon, up to the "sheep herder's cabin". I'm not sure why it's called that. I think the University owns it, and "cabin" is a bit of a stretch. I might call it a shack. It consists of two rooms: one is empty, and the other has two sets of bunk beds (complete with plywood mattresses). There is also a small loft of some sort. Anyway, it's always unlocked and the kids think it's about the most awesome thing EVER! They'd pack up and move in today, if possible.
The weather was nice and the scenery was beautiful. All the leaves are starting the turn. I love the fall season. I just wish it would last a lot longer, like...until spring. I haven't always been a winter hater, but ever since I've had kids, it's just too much work. All the boots, coats, hats, gloves, and snow suits; it takes at least 20 minutes to get them all ready so that they can spend 15 minutes outside playing. Then it all ends up as a soggy pile in my entryway. I guess it could be worse, at least we don't live in Rexburg (no offense, Johnson's). But, enough complaining. It's not winter...yet. I'm going to enjoy fall while it's still here!