Facepaint and Fun

My kids ask just about every day when Halloween is, Abigail especially. I should have not even mentioned the subject until about a week beforehand. Oh well. I have been trying to keep them excited with fun projects. For FHE this week we did some fun crafts that my mom (Nana) sent to the kids in a package. She is so great about sending a fun package every year. We wish she lived closer to actually do the crafts with the kids, but they wanted to post some pics for her to see :) The kids colored their wooden figures, made pictures with the Halloween stickers, etc. For the treat, we made cornflake crispies that have red food coloring in them to look like a pile of fall leaves (thanks for the idea, Melissa).

Abigail is obsessed with having her face painted. About three times per week she asks Jake to paint it. I sometimes say no, but then I remember that childhood goes too fast, and usually give in. Luckily, Jake is more artistic than me and always does a great job with the paint. He does flowers, vines, all sorts of animals, etc. Since she wants to be a cat for Halloween, he thought he would practice a fun "cat" face. This picture is at the end of the day when a lot of it had been rubbed off, but you get the idea, anyway.

During General Conference a few weeks ago, I let the kids have "Costume Conference". They thought it was cool to get dressed up and play "Conference Bingo" while they listened. They actually stayed put for about 4 or 5 talks. I think that is a record at our house!

And this last picture is just because. I was looking at Jade today in her little jeans and she looked very grown up to me. I mean, relatively of course :)

Humpskunk and Buttermilk

This one is for all you cousins out there :) About two years ago, my mothers side of the family put together a family cookbook, titled "Humpskunk and Buttermilk" (hard to explain, but means a lot to each of us). I just have to say that I LOVE THIS BOOK! I use it about three times a week. It is the best book I own. I have had fun trying all the "oldies" as well as trying all of the fun new recipes from those who have married into the family and brought their own great recipies.

I have had fun in the kitchen lately. I got to stop in Brigham City on the way home from Mom's a few weeks ago and pick up a half bushel of tomatoes. Combined with those from my garden, I was able to can quite a few bottles of homemade salsa. Now, not to toot my own horn, but SERIOUSLY it turned out great. I love my recipe (I have used it two other years) and there is nothing better than the smell of simmering salsa on your stove all day. Jacob is basically drinking it straight from the bottle...who needs chips? I also got to can a bunch of blueberry syrup and blueberry jam with my mom a few weeks ago. It turned out great, but a little too sweet for me. Again, Jake loves it :) Thanks, Mom!

One of the things I love about cooking is that I get to wear the adorable apron that I made last year. My sister, Marisa has a great pattern for this gathered top apron. I made it reversible and I just had to make it in some retro prints. It just makes me feel connected to prior generations cooking in the kitchen. Fun.

Cousins

It is so nice to have some cousins close for my kids to play with. They are the best of friends. I wish they all lived so close, but we are glad for what we have. On Jacob's side, they are mostly in-state. On my side only one cousin is in-state.
Elle and Ethan are especially close. We spent a few days at Grandma Teresa's while Jacob had some flights, and the cousins had ample time to run around, make snowmen, yell at the top of their lungs, and play, play, play.
Here is a picture of them with grandma Teresa a few months ago, and another with them all cuddled on uncle Kolby's bed for a little quiet time. We can't wait to get together with Caleb, Jeremiah, and Emelyse next month!

Been Awhile...

Just an update:
The quilt show went well. It was so beautiful to see so many quilts gathered together in one place. Truly awesome. It was fun to try out Kristin's long arm quilting machine. I will definately have to rent it out sometime. I loved seeing all my friends (especially Erica from Houston), and just had a great time. The only down side is that we had a poor turn out. There really weren't very many people that came, but it was still worth it just for ourselves. Anyways, here are some of my favorite quilts...

The kids are doing very well. Ethan is loving Kindergarten. He is really cute about everything they are learning every day. He cares about his work and always wants to do his homework. I have been able to volunteer in his classroom once a week, and it is fun to watch the little kids just soaking in the knowledge :) He gave a nice talk in church last week and didn't need any help from me...amazing. He has shown more patience with his sisters lately, and I can tell that he is pushing past the me, me, me stage.

Abigail is enjoying her preschool group. I do a combined preschool with some other moms. We rotate who teaches, and keep it small. So far, I have loved the way it is going. The kids she is with couldn't be cuter, and she is feeling pretty cool to have her own backpack and have her own things to take home and learn, etc. She also has had the chance to spend some one on one time with me every day while Ethan is at school and Jade is napping. I can tell that this has been good for her (she already shows middle-child attributes) Anyways, she is doing great.

Jade just got a cute haircut. She is still her ever-smiley self. She is talking in full sentences now and throws out these big words that shock me almost daily. She thinks it is fun to pretend to be a kitty, a baby, or a dinosaur, and spends hours each day doing a little of each. She loves to feed our new fishes and watch them swim. She keeps telling me about the one that died. Over and over again!

Jacob is working part time at the Ogden Airport flying for Whirlybird Helicopters. He is so glad to have the flight hours! He is loving it, but still needs a job on the side that provides benefits. Time is out for him to look anymore, and he is cracking down :)

I am still working at New Haven about 3 nights per week, I am still running, I just got called back into Young Womens as a Beehive advisor. I am glad to be back there. I just have a great love for the youth. I can tell that this will be a fun group of girls and leaders to be with. I am excited to put together my latest quilt, and I wish I had more time for hobbies :)