Halloween is Almost Over!!!

Halloween is probably my least favorite holiday. I really hated trick-or-treating as a kid, and now, as an adult, I hate answering the door every 15 seconds for 4 hours straight. Add to that, my favorite candy is chocolate, but I can't have it too often because it gives me terrible heartburn, so, why should I even bother celebrating???

As a mom, with a very energetic 2 year old (who claims to love Halloween--but ran away from Curious George screaming at the top of her lungs like she had been stabbed by the nice monkey at the Children's Museum today, right after she had waved and said "hi" to him from afar), and as Activities Committee Chair, I HAVE to celebrate. In fact, my mom will be very disappointed to learn that I brought my decoration box up almost a week ago, and it still hasn't been opened. It's just not a priority, sorry.

Anyway, back to the details of our Halloween.

Last Saturday, a friend and I decided to take our kids to "Boo at the Zoo." However, we scrapped the idea when we read signs to park in the overflow lot for the overflow lot (translation: we would be parking in lot #3, and then being shuttled to the zoo). Bad idea, we thought, so we took them to the mall playplace instead. Hence, the pictures of our children sort of dressed in their costumes, playing on the breakfast foods. I'm sure people thought we were really strange, because Cherry Creek is the higher end mall in Denver. So, here are some pics.

Morgan and Pen on the cereal. Pen is a bumblebee, sans wings. Morgan, a fairy, sans everything but the leotard.

Here's the "almost fairy," as we'll refer to her.

On Monday night, for FHE, we decorated our pumpkins. Here's Morgan and I with her and Brian's works of art. You can't see it in the picture, but the middle sized pumpkin has earrings (two on the same side).



I'm hoping to get a picture of the girls on Halloween night. That's if I remember, all while planning a Halloween Trunk-or-Treat that welcomed over 300 people last year (missionary opportunity, not chaos, right?). But, in Colorado, why does it really matter? This is probably what Sadie will look like when we take her out, anyway (okay, maybe not the sunglasses--that's Morgan's touch). Otherwise, she might freeze!

To all of you that enjoy this coming Friday, for reasons other than birthdays (Happy Birthday, Mom!), I can't wait to see cute pics. And to hear great stories about your toddlers running away from Curious George (oh wait, that was MY toddler!).

Shower Time

This morning, Morgan decided I didn't need to take a shower. As I was getting everything ready to take a shower, she insisted that I wasn't going to take one. "Well," I told her, "If Mommy takes a shower, I will be happy. If I don't take a shower, I will be sad. Do you want Mommy to be happy or sad?" She decided she wanted me to be happy. Until...

I got into the shower. I turned the water on, and she came running over to the shower, screaming, "Mommy, be sad! Mommy, be sad! Out of shower!" Then, she proceeded to open the curtain, thus spraying water over the floor. I continued to take my shower, and when I got out, I told her, "That was not good behavior and now Mommy is mad," at which point, Morgan sat in timeout.

Needless to say, I think I will be locking the bathroom door when I take showers now.

Adventures in Motherhood

My Sugar:
Sadie will sleep anytime, anywhere! It's fabulous! Isn't she a doll?

My Spice:

Have you ever had moments where you just wanted to disappear? You know, those times when you wish you were dreaming, all the while hoping and praying you don't see anyone you know?

Well, to all the people in the ward that I saw at King Soopers today (and those that were there around 4:00 today who, in this case, were fortunate enough to be spared from the story that will follow), I would have liked to have disappeared.

We haven't had milk in the house since breakfast yesterday (Friday morning), and, with tomorrow being Sunday, I HAD to make it to the grocery store today. I had planned to go after Morgan's "rest time" (it's our tricky way of getting her to take a nap--she thinks rest time is fun). So, 3:30 rolls around and I need to wake Morgan up so we can go to the store (note: I don't like to let her sleep too long or late during the day, or she won't go down well at night). I go into her room, and she's half-awake as I'm getting her ready to get into the car.

On the way to the store (less than 2 miles), Morgan realizes she doesn't have her shoes on. No worries, I brought them with me. Morgan begins to scream because I can't just turn around while I'm driving and get them for her (they were behind my seat, on the floor). So, when we get to the parking lot, she is in hysterics (to my family: sounds familiar, doesn't it?) and tries to convince me that she will wait in the car while I shop. Ummm....I don't want to have CPS after me, so of course, that's not an option. So, I wrestle her into the cart. Determined NOT to lose the battle, Morgan decides to take her shoes off and tries throw them. I guess she thought if she didn't have shoes on, we wouldn't go. I grabbed her shoes, put them back on her feet, and we continued across the parking lot to the store, me holding her feet with my hands and using my forearms to push the cart. (Here's where I want to disappear) Oh, and Sadie is sound asleep in her carseat in the basket.

So, we get into the store and Morgan continues to scream. I get several "will you please make your kid shut up!" looks, and a few grandmas tried to console Morgan, only to be snapped at by a screaming 2-year old. I think to myself, "she's contained in the cart and I only have about 5 things to get, so I'll make it quick." I ignore Morgan, and within a few minutes, she's quieted to sniffles, and is politely asking if she can get out and walk. Talk about 180 degrees!

Anyway, so, I'm thinking I'm going to get out without any permanent damage on my parenting record. Then, the former bishop's wife comes down the aisle. Of course, we start chatting and Morgan's not so happy demeanor reveals that she was the child heard screaming (I think they could hear her on the moon!) just a few minutes ago. Then, our former bishop meets up with his wife and politely mentions that he noticed us earlier, but thought it wouldn't be a good time to say hi. Thank you. It really wouldn't have been.

I am in the line to check out, Morgan is happy again, and I'm almost home free! Enter two more ward members. The story repeats itself, and now, for all of you at King Soopers this afternoon, you can blame my child for the "mood music" in the store!

I can't leave all of you thinking I hate my child (I'm over it now, but at the moment, I considered leaving her), so here is a picture from this weekend. Morgan "staged" this scene, and then hollered for me to come take a picture. May I present, Morgan and her best friends!

My Everything Nice:

Brian has been on a business trip. Well, that's what he claims, but "other sources" (thanks, Alex, Logan, and Tyler) informed me that he also decided to have fun and hang out with the college crowd again! Okay, so he just spent time with my sisters and our almost brother-in-law, instead of being lonely in a hotel room, bored to death.

Even though I was a single mom for a couple of days, he just got home (like 5 minutes ago) and I'm so happy he's back. If anything, Morgan always seems to be more well behaved when Daddy's around. I think she's getting to the age that she can sense what I'm feeling. She's relieved, too, when I'm relieved when Brian comes home! I love you, Sweetie! Here he is, watching Sports Center, I'm sure, with Sadie.

Sweet Sadie Lady!

It seems like we've forgotten about our precious Sadie as of late. In the loving words of her father, "She doesn't do anything yet." So, here is a video of her doing something. In the words of Morgan, "Sadie's kittit (kicking)!!! Sadie's kittit (kicking)!!!" Thank you, Captain Obvious.

Here's another video and some adorable pictures of our sweet Sadie. It's amazing how responsive she is to life around her! Her face lights up when someone smiles...it's so cute!

Pumpkin Adventures!

We went to Berry Patch Farms yesterday for a "Pumpkin Adventure." Below are pictures (thanks to Kelley's Mom, Billie for taking them) of our excursion. We all had so much fun! It's really nice to have such wonderful friends that we can call family. (Morgan has even adopted a 3rd grandma after this weekend--we had lots of fun with the Larsens and "GrandB")

To finish of our adventure, we all got together this morning to make pumpkin pie. We had lots of "helpers," so we didn't get any pictures of us making the pie, but the kids sure enjoyed it!

Our Newest Tasty Treat!!!

I found this recipe in a family magazine (WonderTime-- I'd never heard of it before) and was drawn to it because it has Flaxseed in it. Flax is a good way to get Omega-3s if you don't like seafood. In trying it out, I discovered that it's almost as yummy as cookie dough (but minus the raw egg and all that sugar)!!


The magazine calls them Powerballs, but I think we will just call them YUMMY!!

Here's the recipe:

Mix together 1 cup peanut butter and 1 cup honey until smooth. Gradually add in 3 cups old-fashioned oats and 1/2 cup ground flaxseed. Add 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup any combination of nuts and soft dried fruit. Mix gently in your stand mixer or smush together by hand. Roll into ping-pong size balls (or, use your cookie scoop for less mess) and, for maximum presentation, place in mini muffin cups. You can eat them right away, but they'll be less sticky after a night in the fridge. They freeze well, too. Place on wax paper overnight in the freezer and then transfer to a ziploc bag.

Ideas for mix-ins:

mixed nuts, choc. chips, M&M's, raisins, cranberries, coconut...

Enjoy! I know we do!

Two-Year Old Talk

Morgan let out a loud, slobbery, wet sneeze in the car and I turned around (I was passenger) to give her a tissue. She licked her mouth and replied, "mmmmmmm!" DISGUSTING!!!

We were discussing airplanes, which seems to happen quite often at our house these days. Morgan was explaining that the "man who drives the airplane is a Pilot." I was trying to get her to understand the two-way connection (meaning airplane driver=pilot and pilot=airplane driver) by telling her Pen and Eli's dad flies an airplane, then asking what he is. Her relpy, "Brother Larsen."

During a temper tantrum last week at Grandma's house, Morgan was on the couch in the living room screaming into a pillow. My mom (Grandma) asked what was wrong and I said, "Morgan's mad because I'm holding Sadie." Morgan stopped crying and yelled, "Don't talk to me, I'm SCREAMING!" and then put her face back in the pillow and continued to scream.

Morgan is probably the ONLY person to actually read (well, look at) the emergency evacuation card on an airplane. Her use for it: to match the picture on the front to the other planes around us. It goes something like this: "Look, mommy, airplane! (Points to picture on card) Look mommy, that one (pointing to plane out the window) has red and blue and orange! Like that one! (Points to picture on card) Look, mommy!"

To Grandma (and Grandpa's) House We Go!

Last week, the girls and I were "evicted" and went to my parents' house for a vacation, so Brian could get some good study time in before his exam. We had a busy weekend, so I thought I'd post some pictures of our trip.

Morgan riding grandpa's tricycle. Her feet don't reach the pedals, so mommy pushed her around.

It's that wonderful time of year--Santa Ana winds. This is a picture of the Camp Pendelton fire from my parents' backyard. Luckily, the winds were blowing away from their house and we didn't have to inhaled nasty smoke!

While the fire didn't even come close to their area, we could still see the flames on the hills in the distance. They are tiny, but that's flames on either side of the telephone pole in the left of the picture.

Morgan was so proud to set the table all by herself! Notice the placement of all the silverware--she definitely add her own creative touch!

Mom's kitchen sink is deep enough to bathe a baby in! Sadie loves bathtime!

What a cutie!

How can this be comfortable??? I would have a terrible kink in my neck!

Ahhh...naptime! Grandpa and Sadie asleep on the couch.
What would a trip to Damma's house be without making cookies?

Sadie and Grandpa hanging out.

The Schroeders came over to visit on Saturday and Morgan instantly found herself a new friend. She went straight over to Brian and sat on his lap!

Michaels craft store hosted a children's craft day and Morgan decorated a pumpkin. She wanted a princess, but I think it's more like a clown hat!

One of Morgan's favorite things to do is lay on the floor with Sadie and insist someone take a picture. I guess it's proof that she can be nice to her sister!

We had lots of fun in San Diego. Despite our crazy trip there (I'll spare details, but Morgan had diarrhea on the airplane and ended up in one of Sadie's diapers because I ran out of clean panties and clothes), we were glad to come and visit! Morgan is anxious to see Damma and Grandpa (well, actually, it sounds more like "tampon", so we refer to him has Papa still) again and can't wait for her "mine flower sunglasses in Papa's black truck. Fall down on floor. Give Sadie at Thanksgibbing. 'Tay? Don't get (forget)."

General Conference

As all of our blog stalkers know, this weekend was General Conference. My friend, Lauren, sent me an email with some cool activities for kids to do during conference. So, I put on my thinking cap and decided to make a matching game for Morgan of the 12 Apostles and First Presidency. When one of them spoke, she could then match their cards together.

My thought was to help her learn the faces of our leaders as she recognized them on TV and then located their photo. Let me say, she was pretty darn good at it! I don't think we had to help her once. We told her that Elder So and So was speaking and she would look at the TV, then at all the pictures, then at the TV, then find the picture that matched. She even compared the speaker just before Elder Cook and said, "Nope, that's not him." Then, pointing to Elder Cook's picture, she said, "He's not talk yet."

So, here's a video of her putting her matches together. She kind of got behind during naptime, so we set the speakers aside for her to finish. Oh, and currently, her favorite Apostle is "Elder Oats." Listen carefully to how she says it on the video.

Here's Morgan with her final project. She loved it so much! Now, we're hoping she learns all of the Apostles before next conference! I wouldn't be surprised!

Also this weekend, Morgan started singing the Cougar Fight Song on her own. In the past, she has always sung along, but now, she randomly begins, in all her gusto and confidence, her own rendition of the Fight Song. I'll help with the translation: "Rise and Shout, Tooters Out! Tail Flame, Gory..." You get the idea that she's trying hard.

We can't forget our sweet Sadie! She spent much of conference asleep, but here's a couple of pictures of her for your enjoyment.

Smiling at Mom (Morgan always gets ALL the toys out for her to play with)

Sitting in the exersaucer...no she's not holding her head up too great yet. I just happened to snap this just before she flopped over. She is making improvements, though.

Chunky Monkey!!!

Remember when Sadie wouldn't eat, and we panicked? For details, click here. Well, we took her to her two-month well baby appointment yesterday and she's filled out quite nicely! Our little Sadie really knows how to eat! She weighed in at 13 lbs, 1.5 oz! For all of you that are a bit removed from the baby world, she's in the 95th percentile for weight! Holy Cow!!

So, for your viewing pleasure, here is a comparison of then (1 week old)...


...and now (9 weeks old).

I am certain that my sister Courtney's theory of the "10 month cooker" is the case!

Sadie's Hearing Update

Sadie can hear!!!

To recap where we are, click here and here. These are the posts from her last 2 appointments.

We went in to the Pediatric ENT this morning, and after a long appointment (1.5 hours total!), Sadie can hear! Well, partially, anyway. We started with the tympanogram (to test ear drum movement) and the left ear showed movement, but the right ear did not. The audiologist thought it was likely due to fluid in one ear, and not the other. Then, the doctor looked in her ears and verified that the fluid has drained from the left ear, but not the right.

So, he sent us back to the audiologist for an OAE (Otoacoustic Emissions) to check her left ear. It was fine (by this, I mean they can only rule out MAJOR hearing loss, but will need more tests to assure there isn't minor loss). I learned how the OAE works--it sends a frequency and the ear responds with an echo, so it can't tell much more than a pass/fail result. However, a pass means NO MAJOR HEARING LOSS! That's great!!

Dr. Freidman is hopeful that the right ear will also drain, because the left ear did. We'll see in 6 weeks.

Because she is hearing in the one ear, we don't need to worry about her speech and language development anymore. Dr. Freidman said that she will get all the stimulation that she needs from the one ear, and she shouldn't have any problems.

Cookies, Cookies, and More Cookies!

My friend, Kelley, called me the other day and left a message on my phone. It went something like this: "Hey, I was wondering if after naptime today you wanted to come over and we could make sugar C-O-O-K-I-E-S with our kiddos." So, the kids had no idea because when I called back, I spelled it out again. Anyway, today, we made cookies. It was a mess, but so much fun! Toddlers are a blast!

Cutting out the cookies

This is the remains of Morgan's attempt to steal the dough. It's one of those, "you had to be there" moments because all three of us moms dove in to rescue the dough and then started laughing! (Adults: make a fist with your hand. This is how big of a ball she thought she'd get away with!)

Kelley, helping her cute kids frost their cookies. Eli was very efficient--frost a cookie, then eat it. Frost the next cookie, then eat it, too! We think he had at least 3 before we were done! Unfortunately, nothing to show on his plate! It was all in his tummy!

Here are all the kids with their creations. Oddly enough, the kitchen wasn't too much of a mess when we were done. And, so far, I haven't found traces outside of the kitchen.

Thanks, Kelley, for a great idea and a super fun activity!

Sadie's Safe Haven!

I've been struggling to figure out where to put Sadie every morning while I take a shower. It seems like anywhere I put her, Morgan can still get to her, and she attacks (literally--she's been biting Sadie and there's been teeth marks as evidence)! Sadie always falls asleep in the stroller during our walk, and usually stays asleep during the car ride back from walking group. So, today, I put her in the crib, car seat and all, and she was still asleep after my shower! In fact, I don't think Morgan even went in there!

Shoe, Flies...Don't Bother Us!!!

Anyone who has visited us since Labor Day Weekend knows what it's been like. To put it simply, Morgan has started saying, "Daddy get fly affer work." They seem to be everywhere! At bedtime, we go through the house (no flyswatter, so the September Ensign seems to be the magazine of choice) and get rid of the last stragglers from the day. Then, in the morning, they reappear! It's like they're hiding! Anyway, the black dot on the ceiling is one of those pesky little guys, about to take his last breath. Probably silly to blog about, but, since this is our journal, of sorts, we have to record the month of flies!

It's Always Fun...

...when the Nordstroms come!

Our good friends, Steve and Megan Nordstrom, and their girls, Kathryn and Juliana, are moving back to Provo from Nashville, so they stopped to see us for a couple of days (and to take a break from the road). We had lots of fun! We're so glad they're back in the west!

Morgan and Megan rocking out on the keyboard! Look at Morgan's stylin' shades!

Steve and the girls enjoying a book on the front porch.

Here's all of us! The crazy thing is, when we met, the girls were younger than Morgan! Now they're in kindergarten!!!! How time flies!

Farmer's Market

Of course I don't find out about it until the end of the summer, but we made it and Morgan loves to go! I don't know which is more fun, watching her "pay" for the fruits and vegetables, or her excitement when I let her pick them out and put them in the bag.

This week, she talked about the plums all the way home. In fact, when I talked to Brian on the phone, she made sure to mention that we bought more because he had taken the last one to work!

We are loving fresh produce at our house, and even Brian likes some of the new recipes I've tried. Oh, by the way, any suggestions for eggplant???


Morgan got $1 to pick out anything she wanted and she chose a pumpkin! She's not excited about it, though!

Saturday Mornings

Brian is the best dad and husband ever! He takes kid and baby duty on Friday and Saturday nights. It's awesome! This past weekend, I got a couple of cute pics of Daddy and his girls.





Morgan LOVES CrunchBerries! She only gets them when Daddy is home (and we have some in the house, which is rarely). As you can see, she was a little impatient for breakfast last Saturday. She thought she'd help Daddy open the box.





Isn't this such a cute picture? If only Morgan hadn't crashed earlier in the week, giving her that lovely bruise (which eventually became a scab on her eyelid) on her face! Oh well, I guess that's what toddlers do!

Thanks, Montierths!!

Since Sadie's been having trouble hearing (we'll find out on Saturday if all of our efforts this past month have paid off), Courtney and Rich decided to get her a mobile. She absolutely loves it! Please ignore the tantrum in the video. In fact, if you watch the video in silence, you won't even know Morgan is being a little stinker! Anyway, here's a couple of videos of Sadie loving her new toy! Thanks, guys!

This second one is a little wobbly, so here's your warning!