Howlin', Screamin', Trunk-or-Treatin'

Earlier this month Mary and I ran another race in Tri-Cities. This one was a 10K called the "Howl-and-Scream Scram". Whenever we run a race, Sydney asks if we won.

"No."

"Did you come in 2nd?"

"No."

"Did you come in 3rd?"

Then we explain that the beauty of the sport of running is that you are really just competing against yourself, constantly trying to improve upon your previous times by daily effort and, occasionally, sacrifice. So most people are not there to win, just to enjoy the sport and feel good by getting out and doing the best they can.

"So you lost?"

. . .

One of the primary reasons that I am LDS is so that on Halloween I can take my kids to the church parking lot, have them walk around a circle of parked cars with their trunks opened and full of candy, and be done with the whole trick-or-treating thing within about 20 minutes. It really is beautiful. Yay, trunk-or-treating!

Sydney and Ethan sported costumes stitched up by Grandma Marjean, and Isabella was the third version of the monkey that has been around since Syd was a tyke. Mary and Stacy were witches. Dressed up as witches, is what I mean, of course.

Cannon Beach

Last month we took a long weekend and went to the Oregon coast. It is our favorite getaway for relaxation time. We did puzzles, read books, played with Legos, and played "Hungry, Hungry Hippos". We also spent some time on the beach playing in the water and making sandcastles, in spite of the frigid temps. The kids didn't seem to notice the chill:

Here is some HHH action. If you can make it through all 30 seconds of clack-clack-clakin' you'll see Isabella score a point.

Morning Burn and Night Glow

Yesterday morning Mary and I again took to the road and ran a 5K in Kennewick, the "Grape Crush Rush." Mary improved on her last race time and finished in 41:09. My time improved too at 21:48. Obviously, we did not take any pictures since all you would have seen is a blur and flash of colors as we ran by due to our excessive speed.

This weekend was the 20th Great Prosser Balloon Rally. During the week one of the balloonists came to Sydney's elementary school to wow the kids with his balloon. Mary took the younger kids too and struck up a conversation with the balloon pilot's wife and, in true Mary fashion, they became bosom buddies. Last night at "Night Glow", where some of the balloons park in the stadium and light their burners, Mary scored a sweet seat right on the field where the school balloon pilot and his wife were. We even helped them get the balloon and basket upright (note my backside in picture #3). We had a great time!

1st Day in the 1st Grade

Sydney's first day of first grade was yesterday. It was a busy day with Ethan's birthday and all, but we did find time to take a picture. She already loves her teacher Mrs. Roberston and can't wait to learn more and enjoy time with friends.

Ethan is 4!

Happy Birthday Ethan!

Yesterday was a busy day. Ethan turned four years old and we had a lot of fun. As you may know, Ethan loves helping in the kitchen so he helped me make his cake. We started in the morning by making the cake (Texas sheet cake brownies) from scratch and then we let them cool while we went to Safeway to pick up the all-important birthday balloons.

Then we met our friends Andrew Gray (and Andrew's cousin) and Kali Giles at McDonald's for lunch and some fun play time. This was the only break I got all day - thanks Stacy and Kari for facilitating my only hour off my feet.


We came home to frost and decorate his cake. We had a Transportation theme to his birthday party this year. I won't bore you with the "I can't find the stupid cake pan I've been saving for a year to use for this birthday" story, but suffice it to say we had to be a little more creative with our cake vehicles than I had originally intended. To be honest, I think it was a bit more fun. When Sydney came home from school Ethan let her help us. The three of us each decorated a car and then I decided to make a motorcycle. Letting the kids help me decorate their cakes was something I started when Sydney turned five and I've really enjoyed the time with the kids. I think the kids just enjoy all the candy.

Ethan got a few fun gifts, including some airplane- and truck-shaped pancake molds from Ma Marne and Grandpa Gray (loves to cook, transportation theme - nice gift Ma Marne!).

And then the highlight of the day - a new bike! Ethan's been able to ride Sydney's bike for a while now, so we thought we'd get him one that actually had pedals and brakes (see May 14, 2009 post). Thanks to Grandma Terry and Grandpa John Babe for going in on his new bike! He hopped on and rode it right away, but he didn't know how to stop, so Dad was always close by.

This is where I get all mushy and write about why I'm so grateful for my Eafie, so if you don't want to read the mush, just skip down to the next post. Ethan is such a happy, snuggly guy. He has been from day one. I'm grateful for the four wonderful years he's been a part of our family. He's always there for a hug and a kiss and always first to ask if he can help in the kitchen. I'm eternally grateful that Heavenly Father entrusted him to us to raise.

I love you Ethan!!

Vegas Baby

Best Husband Ever!

I need to start this post by saying that I have the best husband ever. He encourages me to get away and take time to rejuvenate. I take him up on that often.


My friend Kelley Connor and I try to get away for a Girls' Trip every other year or so. We went to Whistler, Canada five years ago and then two years ago we went Las Vegas. You might think Vegas is an odd choice for two LDS moms, but we had a G-rated blast! We brainstormed different places to go this year, but we had so much fun in Vegas last time and left feeling like there was so much more to do. Plus, we got a room at the Luxor for $39 a night. Can't beat that.

You may know that I love exciting and unique culinary experiences (I didn't come by this figure by eating tofu) and Vegas is definitely a place for that. Our favorite restaurant was Cafe Ba Ba Reeba - a Spanish restaurant where we ordered tapas and paella. Kelley spent some time in Spain while she was at BYU, so she was excited to eat cuisine that was exotic, yet familiar. We loved it so much that we went back the next day and ordered the same thing! Kind of impressive considering how many dining choices there are in Vegas. By the way, if you haven't discovered it - www.restaurant.com is the best resource for restaurant discount coupons ($10 for $25 off coupons). Get on their email list for bigger discounts (I got 80% off the $10). We probably saved $200 on this trip using their coupons. Okay, commercial over.

Mostly we shopped a lot. Kelley is a high school Spanish teacher and she needed to update her wardrobe. I can't understand why my friends' husbands cringe when they find out they're going shopping with me (miss you Summer!). We got Kelley some great suits at Ann Taylor Outlet (we saved you so much money Patrick!) and I became addicted to scarves. I'm sure you'll see me in them all winter. If I can wear them in Vegas when it's 102 degrees....

Our one and only celebrity encounter of the week happened when we got back to the hotel late one night after a 10 p.m. showing of Harry Potter in 3-D (I told you it was a G-rated trip). We were walking by the hotel bar and Criss Angel and Carrot Top, both of whom have shows at the Luxor, were standing on the bar inviting one girl up at a time for a dance contest. So I got a photo and we left before the end of the contest to go to bed. Yes, we party hard.


One of my favorite things we did was to go to the Hoover Dam. It was incredible! Lake Mead, created by damming the Colorado River, was breathtaking and the dam was so tall and the river so far below (it is the Grand Canyon). Unfortunately, we only had about an hour at the Dam. Next time we want to take the Dam Tour. We had fun saying that all the way back to Vegas. Okay, so it was a PG-rated vacation.


On our last night in Vegas we saw the Cirque du Soleil show KA at the MGM. It was magnificent! The stage rotated and was able to go vertical. Then they "shot" arrows into it and the performers climbed up and slid down the stage. It was like watching human Plinko (the best game on the Price is Right!).

Thanks for a great time Kelley!
Can't wait to head to Vegas again in another two years!

How does your garden grow

Fresh tomatoes! Yum!