Tiara and a Hair Cut

So we actually had some plans today, and ended up just staying home and enjoying the cold weather outside by eating Halloween candy and watching movies inside. There was trick or treating on base, and we thought about going, but the kids were happy here; Colton was playing with some friends from up the street and Mason and Ella were playing nicely together. (Jaxon was somewhere in France still). So, we stayed here and I got a lot of organizing and 'putting away' done. This afternoon, Ella pulled out an arts and crafts book and asked to make tiaras. Sure! Mason, Ella and I got the necessary materials, sat down and created some lovely tiaras/crowns, good enough for any princess (or prince). Here are my royal children donning their new headwear:


Here's Ella decorating her tiara:



With these crowns they are now officially a prince and princess, but they still are under the supreme authoritative rule of their Queen Mother who doesn't need a crown, but maybe a slightly larger diamond in her wedding ring (hint hint Sean).
We rented some movies (I LOVE itunes and downloading movies right away) , popped some popcorn, and had a nice afternoon:

Jaxon called around 4 and said he was on his way. I know he was only gone for a whopping 23 hours, but I missed him. Things just don't feel right when one of the kids isn't here. We picked him up, tried to get some details about the trip from him, and came back home to resume candy eating and book reading. Overall, a successful day. Oh yeah, I cut Mason's hair.
The curls are pretty much gone, and it has started to look kinda scraggly. Kinda like Shaggy Rogers from Scooby Doo. So, I pulled out the scissors and went to work. I am by no means a professional barber, so I will probably have to take him to the barber shop within the next few days to fix it, but I think it's ok for the moment. He looks so much different. OLDER! Where is my baby??

Friday

On Friday, I had planned for Mason and Olivia to decorate spider cupcakes. I had everything ready and they were excited to make them. But then, they just started having fun. They decorated their cupcakes with lots of yummy candies and didn't care if the final result was a spider or just a bunch of cool candy smooshed on top of a cupcake. I was reminded of an important lesson: have fun and enjoy the process, the final product isn't always what is most important.



After cupcakes, Olivia and Mason played so well together that I called Amy and asked if I could keep Olivia longer. I was on a roll and getting some serious cleaning done. After cleaning, Mason and I took off to Kaufland because I knew if we stayed in the house it would get messy again and I wanted to keep it clean for at least a few hours. Even if I wasn't home to enjoy it, just the thought of a clean house put a smile on my face. What is Kaufland, you ask? A cool German store. There is a German Payless shoe store right outside Kaufland and we scored with some cool new shoes for Mason. Did we really need anything at Kaufland? No, but once inside we found lots of stuff that we immediately couldn't live without. Like glow sticks, and German waffles, and knee high socks for Ella that she saw someone at church wearing and now totally needs desperately, and a space heater since it is COLD here and radiators just don't cut it folks. We got Ella and Colton from the bus, picked up Jaxon from his Military History club, and got ready to send Jaxon on a Scout camp out. Jaxon reluctantly agreed to attend this latest camp out even though it will be very cold there and no fires are allowed. I purchased the warmest sleeping bag that the BX stocked, loaded him up with chocolate (because everyone knows chocolate wards off dementors and keeps you warm) and sent him off with a bunch of young men and leaders tonight. They are going to Verdun. Yeah, that's in France. Is it SO COOL that he gets to go camping in France, two hours away, and tour WW I sites? Yeah, I think so. Let's not read about history, let's live it and visit it! Since he is a history buff, I figured this trip was right up his alley, but he doesn't really like camping. Camping = no electronics in Jaxon's book. So, it was a bit weird not having him around Friday night. But Mason and Ella had huge temper tantrums and fits and made lots of craziness, so it felt like I definitely had at least four kids. Do your kids go hog wild crazy as soon as you get on the phone or is it just mine? Oh, here's a picture of Ella in her Halloween/fall outfit this morning, all ready for school. No Halloween parties at school, but I convinced her to wear orange today.

Final note: look how pretty the sunrise was this morning:

I love living in Germany!!

What We've Been Up To

I know, I know, I'm getting bad about posting. I really really really would love to post something every day. But then this little thing called LIFE butts in, and things get busy. And crazy. So, what have we been up to? Well, two trips to European Country Living within 24 hours to pick up the new book/toy shelf that I bought last week. I wanted to save money on the delivery charge so Christy and I went over there to pick it up on Monday with some friends and their big truck. German construction blocked the path to the warehouse, so we returned the next day. Our big muscles were no match for the height and weight of this piece of furniture. We did such a good job bringing it in I almost tipped myself a few euros. I put all of Mason's big toys in it, and his room is starting to look much better. What do you think?

We made a book nook in the corner of their room and Colton spent some time tonight organizing his book. Man, that kid is definitely mine. He loves to organize. A man after my own heart!

Mason has had a little bit of a bloody nose all day. He has not been very receptive to the idea of me wiping his nose. But I cannot, in good conscience, have my kid's nose bleeding all day long. So, in comes a tissue. Here he is after I tried to clean his nose:

For all you Captain Underpants Fans: "ME NO LIKE TISSUE!!"
Remember that line from Attack of the Bionic Booger Lady?
Quality literature, folks, that's all I read...
So, what did we do yesterday? Well, we vacummed a little...

(I think wearing Ella's dresses helps Mason get in touch with the domestic diva persona which helps him clean better)
we made mini pizzas for dinner and watched them bake in the oven...



we cleaned out the kitchen cabinet with all our yummy baking supplies in it......



and let Colton have free reign in the kitchen while he used the aforementioned baking items he discovered hidden in the back of our cabinet to create his own perfect cookie: Sugar cookies with heath bar, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and white chocolate chips, decorated with Halloween frosting and icing:

He was so proud of them he took a picture of them while they baked:

On a serious note, please keep our friends, the Moyers, in your prayers. They lived in a duplex and the other half caught on fire two nights ago. They had to leave their house in just their jammies. All their belongings are either wet or damaged by smoke. Just when I think things are a bit hard or frustrating for me, something like this happens and knocks me back in place. They are safe and sound, but their lives just got turned upside down. Right before the holidays. Yuck. So, say an extra prayer for them, hug your family one extra time tonight, and count your blessings as you go to sleep.

Trunk or Treat

Tonight we went to the chapel to partake of some good ol' fashioned Halloween fun. The Primary had a Halloween party in the Primary rooms with games and prizes for the kids. I personally baked 24 adorable bat cupcakes for the cake walk, and watched my kids have a good time at that game, along with the bowling game, fishing game, and ball toss. After a parade, a round of games, and some serious adrenaline, we got down to the business of trunk or treating. Since I wanted to take Ella and Mason around to the different cars, I let Jaxon be in charge of passing out candy at our car. Big mistake. I came back to find him throwing candy at certain children, one of which was his brother. UGH. Mason was done pretty quickly. He just wanted to go home and start eating his cornucopia of candy. His batman bucket was quickly getting filled with enough sugar to put any diabetic in a coma. Ella was all about seeing her friends, saying hi, figuring out what everyone else was dressed as, etc. Colton was all about seeing if he was the scariest kid at the whole activity. He LIVES for Halloween. This one day a year means a lot to Colton. He starts prep work months in advance: research, development, the whole 9 yards. We slacked a little this year and didn't do a dry run before hand. We waited until to night to do a full dress rehearsal. I had fun making him look as gruesome as possible. The only problem was Mason. Colton scared Mason. Colton's costume and make up were a little too good. Mason started to cry when he first saw Colton. But Colton, being the awesome big brother that he is, did everything he could to make Mason realize that it was really him underneath the make up and tried to be cute and funny with him. So, are you dying for some pictures? I thought so. Here are my wonderful pirate princess, Batman, and gruesome zombie!!!





Here is Batman and his fearsome twin, Batman II. The inseparable duo fought crime, protected citizens and devoured candy all evening long.

And what was I, you ask? Well, since I've got being a 'witch' down pat, I figured I might as well put on the costume and make it official for the night!


Here are the kids during the parade:



And getting candy from the trunks:

Family Home Evening

For FHE tonight I thought we would get back to the basics. We have been pretty good about hitting spiritual topics lately, getting ready for General Conference, reviewing the basic gospel principles, etc., so I thought tonight we would focus on some other important issues that have been rising up lately. I figured it was not fair of me to be the only member of this household to possess certain knowledge. I have a responsibility to share my vast wealth of information with my children. So, tonight I taught them the following:
1) How to replace a roll of toilet paper on each of our toilet paper holders.
2) How to fold clothes in your drawers, rather than shove them inside.
3) How to use a certain 'magic wand' to remove certain discolorations, aka 'skid marks' from an unnamed porcelain bowl.

As soon I mentioned what we would be doing tonight, Jaxon smirked, then vanished. Colton, Ella, and Mason, however, were fascinated to find out how to unscrew the toilet paper holder and put another roll on, fold clothes to make the drawers look beautiful enough to make Martha Stewart proud, and they actually fought over who could use the toilet scrubber first. After FHE, Ella actually spent the next hour refolding all her clothes in her drawers and making them look beautiful. Great, now I made her OCD. Just kiddin', she did a great job straightening out her drawers and we'll see how long it takes to make them messy again. I'm starting the stop watch right now...
Here are the kids happily learning the basics of Home Maintenance 101:

Slowing Down

Well, I am trying to slow down a bit these past two days. Once I was done with my book report for Relief Society Thursday night, I vowed to relax a little and enjoy things more. So, after frantically cleaning most of the house on Thursday, I was able to enjoy Olivia and Mason Friday morning while we baked and decorated these:


After watching Olivia, Mason and I played superheroes. Being in his room and seeing his big toys all over the floor made my final decision for me: I had to get the bookshelf at ECL that has big enough cubby holes to house all his jungles, castles, Batcaves and Toy Story Landfills. See, it's really a matter of following the commandments. In D&C we are admonished to have a 'house of order', so I want to be a good little Mormon mommy and have a house that is organized and orderly. I can't have order if toys are all over. And if I finally find a shelf that is tall and wide enough to hold Mason's obnoxiously large spielzeug (that's playthings for all you mono-lingual readers), I think I should jump at the chance and realize that I am not just caving into the carnal desires to visit ECL on a weekly basis, but rather uphold my duty to organize an orderly home. That said, Mason and I strolled on over to ECL. Guess what? They are having a sale!! (Yeah, I knew that already, I'm on their mailing list, are you??) I was a little disappointed that they still haven't completed my preferred customer parking spot, so I had to drive around the block before parking in a sort of legal spot in their parking lot. I am a serious, conscientious shopper, so I even brought my tape measurer to make sure that the openings in the shelves would fit his toys. I measured, I consulted, I pondered, and then I PURCHASED! Wanna hear something cool? I had enough euros in my wallet to buy this thing with cash. Christy and I didn't blow the wad of cash I had taken to France, so I had left over Euros burning a hole in my pocket that needed to be spent before the dollar drops any father down. So, armed with a VAT form, cash, and a Mason who gave the purchase two thumbs up, we bought the shelf and will be back on Monday to pick it up. (You have to give the store time to remove all their decorations from the shelves. Surprisingly, when I bought the shelf, they didn't just throw in everything that was ON the shelves too; weird.)
We went to the post office afterwards and IT had arrived. Jaxon's computer. He has been waiting and wishing and hoping and saving for this thing for MONTHS. I told him he had to earn half the money before he could have it, then as long as he kept his grades up (straight A's at the moment and it better continue), is kind to his siblings, and does his chores, he can keep the computer. So, when he got in the car from the bus stop, he told me that he has almost called me earlier to pick him up since he was feeling sick. Runny nose, stuffy head, etc. I turned to him and said, "Shoot, if you're sick, you won't be able to go home and open up your new computer."
I should have brought the video camera because the look that came over his face was priceless: pure joy meets happiness meets excitement. I dropped him off at home, left him alone with his new favorite possession, and took Colton, Ella and Mason to see The Sorcerer's Apprentice. I like NIcholas Cage. Yup, we've seen it before, but it's a good show. Plus, it is FREEZING outside, so that limits our choices for Fun After School Activities.
Here is Jaxon with his computer. He let the younger kids choose what color his keyboard would be.


This morning Jaxon woke up at 6:25. Funny thing: I can't get him up at 7:00 am on a school day, but now that he has his new computer, he is wide awake at the crack of dawn. We stayed home today, cleaned, played and took things nice and easy. Everyone needs a laid back, lazy day every now and then. We baked (or course) chocolate chip muffins for Colton and blueberry ones for Jaxon. The kids helped change their sheets and make their beds.



I even got help folding laundry and matching up socks. Very cool. The biggest thing we are going to worry about today, is what's for dinner. Any suggestions?

My Life

My life lately has been consumed with two books:

I made the mistake of answering "yes" when asked if I like to read. A lady from our ward asked if I liked to read and if I was willing to read a great little book for the next enrichment meeting and give a short report on it.
"OK, sure" I thought. No big deal. Well, I LOVE to read, and do it every night before going to bed. But, I have been reading fiction, just fluff stuff to let me escape into another world for a few minutes. I had just finished reading The Hunger Games trilogy, so Katniss and Peeta were fresh on my mind. Then I was given Three Cups of Tea to read. Now, to be honest, it is a good book. Probably even great. But it is non fiction, not exactly an easy read, and with more names and places than even a PDA could keep track of, I quickly got lost as to who is who in the book. That said, Greg Mortenson rocks, is a true hero, and helped me see that education is a gift, I was lucky to be educated in America, and I need to step out of my comfort zone and help others. Enough said. Now, anyone have another fluff book that I can read since I did my humanitarian reading for the decade?
Then, if I wasn't reading Three Cups of Tea, I have been studying this:

I know, the picture's sideways, I tried to turn it, but you know what? It's a German book, so chances are you couldn't understand it anyways! So, I'm doing you a favor by keeping it crooked so you don't even have to try to translate the title. I have been trying so hard to learn a little bit of the language. Three classes a week should be getting me up to speed, right? WRONG!! German is a hard language, heck, I can barely speak English, who am I kidding that I can learn a different language? But, I will persevere and not give up!! I will go, I will do, the things that my German teacher commands.....I know that she'll provide the way she wants me to obey.....I won't give up. I can now say "I'm clueless" in German, so really, I think I have all the phrases down that I'll need for a while.

And here is my sweet daughter....no wait....that's my son. He played all morning with other kids and I guess it was just a little too much to stay in boy clothes for such a long period of time. So, as soon as Ella came home, he changed into her clothes and felt much better. I love him, with or without make up and pantyhose on.

And here is my sweet Ella. She has been loving drawing pictures lately. And, you know what? She is getting GOOD!! She has already surpassed me in the ability to draw people. I have been stuck on stick figures for the past 35 years, and Ella has already graduated to drawing people with real bodies: arms, legs, necks, hair, and even fingers and toes. She is fantastic and I think I will soon be able to fund her future college education by auctioning off her artwork on Ebay.

And here is my wonderful Colton. Notice anything different about his face? Maybe his lip? Do you see the blood on it? That would be from his older brother. Last night, while I was trying to have a conversation with their father on Skype, I heard what sounded like a stampede upstairs. Then crying. A battle turned bloody when Jaxon started shooting crayons at Colton with his crossbow. No more medievel weapons for the preteen. UGH!