It's a Feline Celebration!!

Parker is officially 5 years-old. We celebrated with his friends - Issac, Asher, Tavan, and Ethan. Spencer painted all of our faces. Look at the cool cats!! Parker wanted a cake that looked like his cat, Pavlo. We meowed, we chased mice, and we ate cotton candy. It was a purrrrrrrfect day!!

A Declaration to Twilight – The Movie

It’s been over a year since I read the first book. I refused to look at all the movie trailers or even look up who the actors were for each of the characters. I didn’t listen to any of the reviews or let anyone influence me one way or the other. I wanted to form my own opinion on the movie. I had built up a lot of anticipation, and I really was hoping for more of what I got from the books, I wanted that intense climax that beautifully unfolds in an amazing plot, with interesting characters. Except, we all knew what was going to happen, we knew the story, we knew the characters, and we just knew too much!! Or did we??? I took my friend that had never read the books, or never heard of the story until last week. After the movie I was dying to get her take on it, and she reported, " the relationship between Edward and Bella, was so erotic, the movie really got across the intensity of their attraction and intimacy." Her exact words. She hit it on the nail, for all of us who went on opening weekend, we wanted to feel that intensity, again. Then she calls me today, and says, "I can’t get those two characters out of my mind. I don’t have time to read the books, tell me everything that happened." My declaration is that the movie Twilight resurfaced those emotions of love, attraction, and sensuality that the relationship between Edward and Bella gave us in the books. Okay so I am a hopeful romantic at heart. Like the rest of you, I did find a few things annoying about the movie. I didn’t like the tree climbing scene. Also didn’t like when Edward reveals his skin in the sunlight, that was just weird or bad acting. Also at the end when he was sucking the blood out of Bella! The angle was wrong or something, he was sucking just too long!!
I’m embarrassed to admit this but I did reopen book four last night and began reading it again. Like my friend said, I just can’t get Edward out of my mind!!!

Upon the Hill by Sam Hill

I can't count how many times my family has travelled to Utah via Highway 84? I must not be that observant or we usually make a mad dash at night, while everyone is sleeping. But upon a lonely bluff overlooking the Columbia River about 25 miles past The Dallas, going east on the Washington side, is an almost identical replica of the English Stonehenge that can be viewed from the Highway!! It was an amazing site!! This man named Sam Hill built and dedicated this monument in 1918 as a memorial to those who died in World War II (Okay I had a typo, it's really World War I.) So the next time you make an exodus on Highway 84, check out this sacred and awe inspiring monument...

Expanding Ball Holds 4 kids

We have this geometric ball that expands to a large size. I had a few kids at my house and four of them decided to get inside and walk around. Imagine 4 strong-minded, independent boys trying to move around in this ball. They all wanted to go their way and it was hillarious watching them!!

Ode to the pie face kids!!

Ever since I was a little girl, I've always enjoyed a good pie eating contest. I really don't like being the one to get all messy, I just like watching them. So every chance I get, I always suggest the idea to others. Well, Spencer was trying to decided what to do with his friends. Dry Ice bombs were on the agenda, but then I suggested a little safer idea, a pie eating contest. Well, he took the bait and even let me take pictures of the event, too. I think I have discovered one of the worlds best pie eaters. One of Spencer's friends, (we won't mention his name, to protect his amazing skill, just in case he decides to enter contests for money) downed the little pie in 15 seconds. It was a site to behold!! Parker even got into the action!!

The Brightest Hues of orange, red, and yellow found in Nature

If you haven't had the opportunity to search for leaves this fall with your children, do it now. Hurry before they fall to the ground and are saturated by the rain. I love the change that occurs this time of year in nature. The warm colors just delight my heart and soul.

State Capital Museum

This museum was located in a large stucco Mansion, just West of the State Capital. Well we missed the Sachswatch display, they just took it down. So we got to see the Navite American display at the Museum. Bummer, Darn!! We've been following the research and developments on "Big Foot"!

Let the Pumpkins decide our Vote

As we were in our state capital, we saw this lawn full of about 100 pumpkins intricately carved. It was amazing. We saw a pumpkin of Obama and Biden. We thought it was a sign so we should vote for them, but then we also found one of McCain and Palin. So we are still undecided as of Monday, November 3rd. Our ballot needs to go into the mail tonight!!

An Acropolis on Mount Olympia, Washington

Our family went on a field trip to the State Capital. It is set on top of a hill just as the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. Most of the buildings mimic the Washington, D.C. Very similar indeed. I think George Washington is memorialized possibly more than he is in Washington, D.C. He is everywhere, on door nobs, in the hallways, on stone fences, on the floor, etc. Check out the photos.

We wanted to show our children where the laws are made for our state. I couldn't help myself by singing the School House Rock song, "I'm just a bill, on capital hill."

Since our country is in a political upheaval, and our congressmen and our government have let the American people down and they all lack leadership and values. I felt it was necessary to teach the boys, " they do have a voice and their vote does count." And we can continue with the hope. My quote for the day "The future is pregnant with Nobel Acheivement in the Whitehouse."

(Even though the electoral college decides who is president, and all 11 votes for Washington have already been cast) Voting no longer is about the party, it's about who can get the job done with integrity. We read some information on each of the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates and the kids helped us decided who we should vote for, voting was a family affair.

It's Boo Day!!

Our celebrations began with a small party after the kids that I watch came home from school. We bobbed for apples, we played musical chairs, we decorated cookies, and we made necklaces. It was a lot of fun. Russ took Spencer and his friend Vincent to a corn maze while I ran the party. Parker had costume confusion this year. During the party he was Darth Vader, but when we went to the Trunk or Treat, he was a lion. Spencer was teen wolf? You've just got to watch the movie agan, for those that are old enough to remember Michael J. Fox. Cooper was Indiana Jones. He didn't like his boots so he ended up not wearing them.

I didn't want to give out candy like everyone else, I like to do things differently. So we found a smoking deal on Shasta soda pop. It was a hoot to watch the kids faces, at first they weren't sure, but then they would smile and say,"awesome". So during the trunk or treat our car was popular, as well as our house. The word on the street was that our house was giving out soda pop. So we went through 200 cans of pop.

Frankenstein and his bride...

Our book club read the classic book Frankenstein. Although the creature that Victor Frankenstein created was nothing like what we have come to know through Hollywood, he was intelleginent, sensitive, and could move with speed and agility. I still decided to create what I know.... Here is my Frankenstein and his wife, made with 3 liter bottles. I know the porportions are off and they have goofy faces, but it was fun to decorate for book club since I was the host for the month of October. I also served Frankenstein cups with green Jello and crushed Oreo's. If you every get the chance to read the book, I highly recommended it, it's deep and addresses some of lifes most reflective questions.