A Haunted House

During the past month I have seen several haunted house decorations that I really liked but didn't want to spend the money on. So I decided to try and make one. After several failed attempts here is the semi-final project. I would still like to add some decorations like a skeleton, little pumpkins, or something like that.

Pumpkin Carving Party

Every year my parents grow a ton of pumpkins in their garden. Then the weekend before Halloween we all get together and carve them. So last Saturday most of my family gathered at their house for the event. We all carved pumpkins and the little kids dressed up in their costumes and then we had dinner. It is such a great tradition. Zach's pumpkin was awesome just like it always is and mine was not. At least I carved it without it breaking or me getting upset like I usually do (pumpkin carving is just not my thing. Anyway here are the pics.

Zach's pumpkin

Grandma and Grandpa with all of the little kids (except Toby - he was sleeping)

Marisa and Lizzy

The kids in their Halloween costumes

Tyler's pumpkin

Carolyn carving her pumpkin

Thomas, Marisa, and Lizzy

Jayden and Britton

Zach and Toby

Boo at the Zoo

Saturday our friends Jeff and Sarah were in town. We hadn't seen them in a while and wanted to do something fun with them, so we went to the zoo. After deciding to go I looked on the website and saw the it was "Boo at the Zoo" day where kids come dressed in their costumes and can go trick or treating at different tables set up all around the zoo. Even though Toby is not quite old enough for candy we brought his costume along. He was the cutest monkey in the whole zoo. After the zoo we had lunch at PF Changs, one of my favorite places. It was delicious.

Soccer Game

Friday night we went to the 5A Girls Championship soccer game, Alta vs. Davis. It was at Rio Tinto Stadium. The stadium was awesome. I hope that we can go to a Real Salt Lake game sometime. The reasons we went were:

1. It was something to do (We are always looking for something to get us out of our apartment).
2. Zach loves soccer and had even helped coach the Alta girls team when he went to school there.
3. We were going to be in Sandy to pick out our family pictures that we had taken the week before (They turned out great, so stay tuned to see the ones we chose).

I had thought it would be super cold, so we took coats and blankets. I even had Toby wear two pairs of pajamas and a beanie. It ended up not being too bad, but I got very warm holding Toby. I didn't really care who won. I figured that I would cheer for Alta because that is where Zach went to school and for Davis because it is right by our house. Regulation time ended in a tie (3-3). After two overtimes there were penalty shots. Alta ended up winning after the seventh penalty shot when they made their shot and the Davis shot was blocked. We had a great time.

Halloween

It's Halloween! It's Halloween!
The moon if full and bright
And we shall see what can't be seen
On any other night.

Skeletons and ghosts and ghouls,
Grinning goblins fighting duels,
Werewolves rising from their tombs,
Witches on their magic brooms.

In masks and gowns
we haunt the street
And knock on doors
for trick or treat.

Tonight we are the
King and Queen,
For oh tonight
it's Halloween!

~Jack Prelutsky

Four Months

Toby had his four month well check yesterday. His appointment was for 11:45, but we didn't see the doctor until 1:00. You might be wondering what took so long. Well, as it so happened people that had come earlier in the day had scheduled an appointment for one child and then wanted the doctor to check all of their children. While part of me understands not wanting to come back again for another appointment, the other part wants to attack all of the people who did this that day and anyone that has ever done it because it was nap time and Toby would not sleep in his stroller at the doctors office so he was fussy and screamed for an hour!

Anyway, once we finally saw the doctor things were fine. Toby weighs 15 lbs 15 1/2 oz (73%), is 24 1/2 inches long (35%), and has a head circumference of 43 1/2 cm (80%). So in other words my son is short and chubby with a large head. By the time the doctor had seen Toby, he was exhausted. While we waited for the nurses to come give Toby his shots I laid him down on the exam table and put his binky in his mouth. Within seconds he was sound asleep - until the shots came, and then I had a very unhappy camper.

Now for Toby's likes, dislikes, and behavior at four months old. Toby is mostly a happy boy. He loves to laugh and smile. It is great to hear him giggle. When I get him ready for bed at night and change his clothes he laughs and laughs. His favorite toy is his binky. When we shake it (so that the handle rattles as it hits the base) his whole face lights up and he smiles. He is starting to get used to his jumperoo and plays with the toys, though still hasn't really figured out the jumping part. He is teething. I have seen a little bit of a tooth poking out on both the top and the bottom gum, but no actual teeth yet. In the meantime Toby seems content to drool all over the place and chew on his fingers. As for dislikes, Toby does not like being left in the room alone. Even if he doesn't seem to be paying attention he knows that you aren't in the room anymore. He hates being hungry, but what baby doesn't. He prefers to sit or stand up, but can't do it on his own yet. All in all he is a great kid and I love him a lot.

Gross, But Awesome

Saturday I went shopping with my sister Marie. We drove to the Newgate Mall in Ogden and looked around, mostly at the Quilted Bear. That is where I found these gems.

Halloween Decorations

A few weeks ago I unpacked all of our Halloween decorations and realized that I didn't have that many. As Zach so eloquently put it, "I guess it seemed like we had more decorations because our apartment was so small." So over the past few weeks I have been making some more. By using a lot of things that I already had - like picture frames, stickers, and paper - I was able to make them for pretty cheap. Here are the finished products.

I made this using a picture frame that I already had, buttons and ribbon that were just waiting to be used, and fun fonts that I downloaded off the internet. All I had to do was buy the paper.

This is a bat chandelier that I made at a craft night organized by my sister in law Jackie. It was a lot of fun and I love the decoration.

I got the pictures for this decoration free off the internet from papercrave.com.

I got the idea for this project while shopping with my little sister Marie. I used crackle paint on the frame and the inside is just a couple of pieces of scrapbook paper.

I made this using a frame that somebody gave us for our wedding. It has three panes of glass inside and I was never quite sure what to do with it. I used paper and stickers that I already had so it was super cheap. You can't tell from the picture, but the 3D effect is really cool. I also love all of the fun little pumpkins. They sure make everything look better. That is all I have done so far, but there is more on the way. I am currently working on a wreath and am always up for some more ideas.

A Great Buy

Last week we purchased a jumperoo for Toby. These usually retail for $80 or $90. We knew that it would be worth it, but we didn't want to spend that much. So I started looking on ksl.com and found one for sale in Mountain Green. On Tuesday I drove up there and came back with Toby's new toy. His feet dont' quite reach the ground, but they will soon. In the meantime we help him bounce and he loves it.