Life Lately

I thought that once school started and we settled down into our routines again, life would slow down a little bit and not be quite so hectic. That lasted all of about two weeks. It's not like I didn't see it coming, but I guess I was hoping for a little more quiet before the storm. Sometimes I long for the simple days of when they were all younger and we didn't have quite so many things filling up our plate. When we could go outside every night together and ride bikes, draw on the sidewalk, and enjoy being together. We still enjoy being together, it's just now on the sidelines of the soccer fields or in the bleachers of a middle school gym. As busy as we are, it's always nice to slow down and play in the grass. Then, when they all go to bed and I look at what's on the calendar for the next day, I can remember these down times!

Kelsie made the middle school volleyball team and has been busy every night with practices and games. I love going to watch her play and have so much fun cheering for her and her team. The boys keep me company as well as some of her friends from church. It's been so great to see her more confident as a result of volleyball. In addition to all the demands of her sport, she also has school, homework, young women activities, babysitting, and friends. She really doesn't have a whole lot of down time, but when she does, we love spending as much time with her as we can (even when it's waaaay past her bed time).

The boys have also started up sports again. We spend our Saturday mornings at the soccer fields, with Wally and I switching games at halftime to watch each of them play. Brandon is a natural at sports and is already starting out great on his team. He scored his first goal for the season during the first game. We are trying something new this fall with Brandon playing both soccer and flag football. We're hoping that we didn't make a horrible decision and that we don't go crazy between all the running around that is inevitably going to happen. He joined the Morning Miles club at school on Friday's and stays busy with Cub Scouts each week as well. He is very determined to pass off everything in his book as soon as possible.

Caleb was excited to play soccer again this fall and quickly made some friends after his first week. We're hoping that he'll have a great season as well and that he'll realize that he's got to kick the ball if he wants it to go anywhere. He loves kindergarten! There hasn't been a single tear about going to school. He has made lots of friends and always comes home with a big smile on his face. I am able to help out in his class once a week and he is always so happy to see me come. His new love is Lego Ninjago. It's pretty much all he eats, sleeps, and breaths. Even at school.

Isaac is just along for the ride. I guess that's how it is when you're two and the youngest of four busy kids. He and I get to spend every day together. He's my little shadow and is constantly narrating everything that I do (Mom washing dishes? Mom vacuuming? Mom reading?). He also thinks that he's just as big as his older brothers and can do just about anything they can do from running football plays with Brandon and fighting ninjas with Caleb.

So, yeah, we're busy. There is always something going on. We try to squeeze in as much family time as we can in addition to all the other balls we're juggling. The kind of family time that involved taking updated pictures which didn't go as planned the first time around. If I'm completely honest with myself, I really love to be busy. Even though it feels like I'm running a marathon for months, it's totally worth it to see all of my kids learning, excelling, and gaining experiences as they grow. There really is nothing sweeter. Except, maybe, bedtime for Isaac at 6 pm.

Halloween Happenings

This is such a fun time of year. I've always liked Halloween and the feeling of the holidays just around the corner. I've enjoyed pulling out the decorations and getting the house ready. Some people can go crazy this time of year and I laugh when I see people out decorating their yards all day long on a Saturday to make them all spooky and scary for the big night. Maybe it is because we have young(er) kids, but I'm not really into the whole scare your pants off thing. I don't feel like I go overboard though. I have some decorations up and we put up the white fake spider web stuff out on the bushes. Wally and I were thinking how next year we need to turn our front porch into a dance party, complete with disco ball, and have music playing during trick-or-treating. Speaking of music, we even put together a Halloween playlist to play from our car during the ward trunk-or-treat. It was awesome.

If there is anything that we do go overboard on, it would be the costumes. I know that I could take the easy route and buy the costumes from the store, but my brain doesn't work that way. I don't know what it is about this time of year, but it makes me want to pull out my sewing machine and piece together costumes that are always harder than I think and I end up emergency calling my mom for advice. This year was no exception.

After thinking about what to make for Isaac this year, I came across a great idea on Pinterest: Rainbow Brite and her sidekick, Twink. I just had to convince see if Kelsie would be up for the idea. I didn't think it would be too hard, especially since she would love the idea of having her little brother as part of her costume. She was very excited about the idea and it was soon put into motion. Armed with a couple patterns I already had and with my 50% off coupon for Joann's, I found the fabric I needed. It didn't take too long and I had a couple of costumes mostly put together and it started to become more real. I realize that putting Isaac in a white furry costume with rainbows may have been a little crazy, but in the end, it turned out so cute. Kelsie loved having him as her sidekick and besides the fact that he looked like a marshmallow with antennae, we pulled it off.

Brandon decided early on that he wanted to be Jango Fett from Star Wars this year. I spent sometime online looking up costume ideas and what we could do to make it easier. We figured that we could put together the basic costume pretty easily, but it was going to be his helmet and armor, Jango Fett's most defining characteristics, to be the challenge. My solution? Wally. He spent a lot more time than he thought and went through more cardboard and spray paint than anticipated, but in the end, we had a Jango Fett clone in the house. We knew that it was worth all the effort when Brandon said, "This is the best costume ever!". That means a lot, especially coming from him.

Caleb was the only easy one this year. He's all about Star Wars and wanted to be Luke Skywalker from Return of the Jedi. We already had everything we needed for that one so it didn't take much to put together. He was especially excited to get his black gloves from the dollar store to complete the ensemble. He perfected his skills with the lightsaber and use of the force and he was ready to go.

These costumes were so much fun to make. What makes it even better is that we finished them a whole week before Halloween. Wally and I have both decided that we both really love a good challenge and project to do. We're already starting to think about next year.

ABQ Balloon Fiesta

My first thought was, "this better be worth it" when I woke up the kids at 5:30 a.m. 

It was totally worth it!

Fall

It's official. Summer is over. As the weather turns cooler and thoughts turn to pumpkins and apple cider, it reminds me how much I love this time of year. This is our first fall in New Mexico and lucky for us the weather has been great and we're still in shorts and flip flops. We're having cool, crisp mornings waiting for the bus and it cools off again as it turns to night with perfect weather during the day. I'm excited to see what this season has to offer for us, but have to admit that I'm missing all the farms and leaves turning bright colors around the country right about now. There's something magical about fall and the transformation the earth makes.


Along with the season, it brings the return of sports. We're in full swing now with volleyball and soccer. Halloween costumes have been decided on and the sewing machine seems to have found a more permanent place on the kitchen table. We're enjoying days at the park with friends and warm afternoons riding bikes and playing outside. The days are getting shorter and our mornings are starting earlier. Saturdays are full of college football and spending as much time outside as possible. I don't think I've realize how much I love this season until it comes around again. Here's to the beginning of a great season!

Apple Pickin'

It has been a long standing tradition in our family to go apple picking in the fall (well, at least 7 years worth of a tradition). It is such a great way to welcome the new season and transition to the cooler weather and all the fun that comes with it! I spent the last few weeks trying to figure out where we could go, since there aren't any farms within an hour of where we live. I finally found a farm that looked promising and since Wally didn't have to work on Saturday, we took full advantage and made a day out of it! I tried to get the kids excited for the big day, but all they seemed to remember was the sticker bushes and weeds at the orchard we went to last year in Washington. After a lot of coaxing and promising that this time was going to be different, they reluctantly agreed.

After a little over an hour's drive, we made it to Prairie Sky Orchard and were very pleased with what we found. It was a cute little farm complete with pumpkins and fall raspberries that needed to be picked. The apple orchard had dwarf-size trees which meant that even the smallest of our group could be put to work. We had such a great time together gathering our 40+ pounds of apples with hardly a complaint from the older kids (that is if you don't count the fighting about who got to pull the wagon). When we decided we had enough apples, we wandered over to the raspberry bushes and started picking. They were so yummy and I'm sure that we ate more than we picked! Caleb had nothing to do with picking for our collection, he would just pick and eat as many raspberries as he could with a very determined look on his face to get as much as possible!

After our fill of raspberries, we made our way over to the pumpkin patch and found the most "perfect" pumpkins for our fall decor. There was a cute little basin full of water to wash off the pumpkins and was a huge hit with our kids. So, with our pumpkins, raspberries, and apples in the wagon, we made our way to check-out. This has been, by far, one of the most enjoyable apple picking days yet!

We love picking apples!

Hard at work.

Don't bother me, I'm eating.

Our official raspberry holder.

More, I just need more!

Raspberries are so fun to pick!

There's nothing like a good bath, even for a pumpkin.

Gobble, gobble

There's nothing like a great turkey, with all the trimmings, and fun people to celebrate with. My sister's family came down from Seattle to be with us which was especially exciting for me since I haven't spent Thanksgiving with anyone in my family for about 6 years. Wally's sister and her family also came down from Idaho to play games with us the night before Thanksgiving. We had lot of fun and decided to bake the pies Kelsie helped me make for everyone that night. We all enjoyed some good homemade apple, pumpkin, and chocolate velvet pies and played an exciting game of Killer Bunnies.

We started our holiday morning participating in our family's 3rd annual Turkey Trot 1-mile fun run. We were lucky enough to talk Ben and Whitney into running with us. As we all got ready to go, Brandon insisted on wearing his boots during the run and was a little put out when we told him there was no room in the stroller for him. It was a cold morning, but once the race started we were able to stay warm. I pushed Caleb and my niece, Lydia, in the double jogger while Kelsie ran with me and Brandon ran (more like walked) with Wally. Kelsie and I finished in14:49 while Brandon and Wally crossed the finish line at 24:41. We were proud of our kids for running and finishing the race. Kelsie mostly enjoyed the race and Brandon informed us that he does not want to do that again, ever (maybe the boots had something to do with it?). We'll see how he feels about it next year.

Upon returning home from the big race, the major cooking operations began. We marinated our turkey overnight in a salt-water solution (1 c salt and 1/2 c brown sugar per 1 gallon of water) and then stuffed it with fruit (apples, oranges, pears, and limes), an onion, and some garlic. We then seared it for half an hour in a 550-degree oven with a homemade tin-foil hat, and then let it cook at 350 for the next 3 hours. In the meantime we set to work mashing potatoes, making candied yams, roasting green beans, cooking the rolls and stuffing, and finishing off with a nice crisp mandarin salad. (Nothing says Thanksgiving like a mandarin salad.) When everything was ready, we all sat down and enjoyed the ever popular Thanksgiving dinner. All the food turned out great, especially the turkey, if I do say so myself. We went around the table and said what we were thankful for, stuffed our faces and our bellies, and then retired to the couch for a long winter's....oh wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.

The rest of our weekend was pretty quiet. Whitney and I braved "black friday" shopping and were able to get a couple good deals. Here's a tip: I will forever and ever shop at Target if I ever shop on black friday again. They had plenty of their great deals there when we went at 9 a.m. which proves that you DO NOT need to get up at insane hours of the morning to get the deal. I was so happy about that, I even let one of those nice people in a red shirt know. Also, there was NO LINE when we went to the check out. We just walked up and paid and walked out. It can't get any better than that.

OK, 1 more tip: check online. We found some some deals online that were just as good as going to the store, except we didn't have to get up early or wait in line for 45 minutes.

Wally and Ben took Kelsie and Brandon out shooting rockets (one apparently blew up which made the excursion that much more exciting) and we enjoyed kicking off the holiday season with music and movies.


We also made this cool "Thanksgiving Garland" out of tissue paper and glue. I got the idea from a friend's friend's blog and thought we would try it out. (It's a lot like making a pinata. Kendra, this should make you proud.) It was super fun to make and maybe next year we'll add what we're thankful for around it.

Trick or Treat!

Once a year, I get a very strong desire to make my kids' Halloween costumes. We have a lot of fun planning together, picking out the fabric, and anticipating the final product. This year we had Hannah Montana, Luke Skywalker, and a pirate. The costumes all turned out good (after a lot of phone calls to Grandma and fixing some boots that were sewn on backwards) and we had so much fun dressing up, going to parties, and trick-or-treating. Wally and I even dressed us as Luke and Lorelai from the Gilmore Girls for the ward party (a little tribute to our show!).

Instead of dressing up at school, Kelsie had crazy hair day and went to school with two braids that stuck out like Pippi Longstocking. After school, we went to the Uptown Center and tricked-or-treated to our hearts content. Needless to say, we came home with their bags about half full of candy and still had our trunk-or-treat party to go to. We headed on over the the church parking lot where we had an endless line of Halloween hopefuls expecting candy. By the time we handed out our last pieces of candy, Kelsie and Brandon came back to the car with their bags overflowing. We came home and Wally took Kelsie and Brandon around the neighborhood (I know, like we really needed more candy, but hey, it's Halloween after all!) By the time 8:00 came around, Brandon was bouncing off the walls, and Kelsie was asking to eat more candy. It was time for bed so we said good night and good bye to the ghosts and goblins and treats of Halloween.

Kelsie takes her role as rock star very serious.













This Jedi's definitely got the force!












Caleb's ready to sail the seven seas!

Apples, Pumpkins, and a little Flag Football

We have had a very busy week here in the Paxton home. Sunday afternoon Wally suggested that Kelsie and Brandon ride their scooters around the block (listening to 4 hours of conference can be very taxing for those so young) and get some energy out. It was a pretty big deal for them to do this without an adult. Kelsie was in charge, of course, with Brandon happily scooting along behind her. They came home and wanted to go again and Wally decided to go with them. While out on their adventure around the block, a lady in her car stopped and asked Wally if he was the father of those two kids. He said "yeah" and she continued on to tell him that she saw them riding their scooters with no sign of adult supervision around and took it upon herself to call the police. To which Wally replied, "Yep, their mine." and walked away. A nice gesture from a concerned lady driving along, ended with her calling the police back and letting them know all's well.

Our week continued on with all our regularly scheduled events (FHE, dance, baths, etc.). Wally has been sick all week with a pretty bad head cold. I don't think I've seen him this sick since the first year we were married and he couldn't swallow his spit because his throat hurt so bad (it went into a cup in case you were worried). I was able to finish Caleb's Halloween costume and get started on Kelsie's and even come up with some fun things for us to do. We were excited for Friday since there was no school and we could sleep in. Well, with a baby it's not as easy as it sounds. Caleb was up and ready to eat by 7 a.m. and Brandon was already downstairs playing his morning's dose of video games.

We decided to pick some apples at a local farm here that morning and really had a great time. I'm sure it was pretty comical watching me herd 2 kids along plus our apple-picking buckets, our boxes, and the stroller with Caleb. We managed to have a fun time except for Caleb's crying and all the bur's that stuck to our pants, which Brandon had a really hard time with. We still managed to come home with 42 pounds of apples, a little more than the 25 pounds I was planning on. The plan was to start making some applesauce together until I couldn't remember where all my canning jars were (still haven't unpacked them).

After eating some lunch and getting everyone going on something I was too tired to think of anything else so I decided to read my book until Brandon got bored and thought it would be fun to repeat things over and over in my face. In an effort to keep my sanity, we decorated our trick-or-treat bags, watched what Rachael Ray was cooking for dinner that night and two compelling episodes of Arthur. Kelsie then had a friend come over for a few hours that ended up being a sleep-over, which meant a late night and early morning with the kids.

Saturday started out really fun with Brandon's final flag football game of the season. The weather was great and he was happy and he even scored a REAL touchdown this week and outran one of the bigger kids on the other team to do it. He did end up getting tackled and fell pretty hard on his face, but he was OK after the tears subsided. If you happened to see his almost touchdown from last week, here's another video of him scoring his real touchdown today.

We also drove out to what is probably the ONLY bona fide pumpkin patch here in the tri-cities. Located at the Country Mercantile Market in Pasco, we were able to enjoy a hay bale maze, hay bale pyramid, tractor hay ride to the pumpkin patch, a corn maze, a barn with some animals in it, and some ice cream. Kelsie and Brandon each picked out the perfect pumpkin that they could carry (very important) and found a nice small one for Caleb, who quickly marked it with his drool. We had a fun time together enjoying the nice weather and the harvest.












Just to prove that I was, in fact, there with my family, here is a rare picture of yours truly:

Perhaps the things most noteworthy about our week:

Caleb started crawling! He has been rolling around all over the place for some time now and has even been up in the crawl position rocking back and forth for a while. He finally figured out how to scoot forward and move. It is an exciting time here for his newly discovered mobility, but also a time to remember how to baby-proof our house. Oh yeah, and buy a gate.

For those of you who know Kelsie, her eating habits are nothing less than fastidious. We have never known another kid who is as picky as she is about food. The food on her plate cannot touch at all, and can only consist of cheese, tortillas, or pizza. This last week we reached a milestone here, folks. Kelsie ate LASAGNA! I figured that she just wanted dessert really bad that night but then she double wow'ed me by eating it again another night! For such a momentous occasion, we happily provide a picture!







Until next time...