Happy Halloween

Why don't we just call it what it is: begging! (Cliff Huxtable in The Cosby Show).

I love that quote about Halloween from Quote, Unquote Vol. 4. I mean, who really needs a bag full of candy? But it is fun to go around and "beg" for it! Tonight the girls got dressed up again and went around the neighborhood. After they had enough of that, we came back home and they are enjoying handing out handfuls of candy to the other goblins! Eliza and Libby ended up with a lot of good candy; I am especially enjoying the Nerds, Peanut Butter Cups and Twix.

Brian is so excited for tonight because it's the Suns' season opener game. I guess it's the "cable debut." He can't wait to watch it.

Tomorrow is November 1st, so that means Christmas music will start resonating around here, much to Brian's dismay! But I LOVE it. I started my Christmas gift list so we can plan what we will be getting for everyone this year. I love that planning!

Last night I made a chart for Eliza's quest to earn a bike. Well, today she made me a chart, numbered one to ten. She said I need to be nice and when I get it all filled up with stickers, she will give me a Tootsie Roll, Smarties and a back rub. I already have two stickers. Lucky me. :)

Look Ma...No Training Wheels

Look who can ride a bike now without training wheels! Thanks to the neighbor girl who worked with Eliza for a little bit, she can now do it! She is loving it. Now we have to get her a new bike. She learned on the little girl's bike who lives two doors down, so now I think it's time for Eliza to have a new bike. But she has to earn it by improving her listening, so I will be making her a chart to start tomorrow.

Ellie also said "mama" for the first time today.

It's a good start to an already full week. Tomorrow we will be crazy with Halloween festivities in the evening. Wednesday is mutual, and Friday and Saturday Brian has to go to fall regional meetings for work in Yuma, then we top it off by going to my 10-year high school reunion on Saturday night. I am a little nervous to go to that and don't know what to wear! I'm in the awful in between stage of not fitting into maternity clothes yet, but when I wear my regular clothes is looks like I enjoyed a few too many Hershey Kisses. So that will be one task for the week!

Happy Trick-or-Treating tomorrow!

While Mom is Away...

...Dad and the girls will play! On Saturday, I went to Time Out for Women at the Civic Plaza. It was a great time and I am glad I went. I loved each of the speakers for different reasons and heard some great things that I needed to hear and that will help me be a better person. I went with my friend Leslie and we had a fun time.

While I was at that, Brian took the girls on a mini trip around Arizona. They went to Camp Verde, Montezuma's Castle, Strawberry, Pine and a couple of other places. He figures it beats staying home and being bored! He had a fun time and the girls loved it, too. They ate lunch outside on their trip and went on a little walk in the forest. He is always so good to let me go to things and he takes good care of the girls while I am gone.

That night we had our date night and we started out by eating dinner at Babbo's Italian Eatery. The one we went to is out in Surprise at about Bell and Reems. It was so, so good. I want to go back and get the other dishes I was considering ordering. I opted for the Steak Blue Salad, which was divine. I also considered a calzone and a pizza. They serve a soft, flat bread of sorts throughout the meal with an olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette dip. YUM! And the prices were so great. After dinner, we did some errands--Target to get stuff to "boo" others (P.S. In the pictures, Eliza and Libby are wearing the shirts they got from that), Best Buy to get some plugs for Brian's receiver/stereo, etc., and Fry's for ice cream toppings for the fireside we had tonight. Then the rest of our date was spent chaperoning the Saturday Night Dance. So it was a late night, but we had a good time.

This morning I didn't have any meetings before church, so that was nice. Brian let me sleep in. Wonderful! And church went well, then I went to a youth fireside in the evening. The Laurels were in charge, so we served ice cream sundaes for refreshments.

Now it's on to a new, fresh week! Enjoy it!

I Be Trippin'

I finally got an iTrip so I can use my iPod in the car. We originally bought one at Best Buy, but before we opened it I checked on-line to see if we could get it cheaper. Best Buy was $70 and Amazon had the same thing for $40. Score! But I hooked it up today and it works great. I am going to love it!

Tonight was our ward's Trunk or Treat, and it was a fun time. Libby actually dressed up this year. Last year she wouldn't have anything to do with wearing a costume, but this year she was so excited and loved being Cinderella. She looked like a natural Cinderella. Eliza made a very cute cowgirl and Ellie was a cute basketball player. They each got their fair share of candy and are already enjoying it.

Tonight we also got "boo"-ed by one of our neighbors. Someone gave us a Halloween treat, then we are supposed to do it to someone else within two days. And it wasn't just a food treat. Along with the caramel Hershey kisses, they gave Eliza, Libby and Ellie their own Halloween t-shirts. They are adorable. That was so nice of whoever did it. Now I need to think of what to do in return!

Tomorrow I get to go to Time Out for Women with my friend Leslie. I am looking forward to it.

P.S. That picture of Ellie is her new favorite thing to do--getting on her head and feet with her hands up. It is a hoot!

Here She is...

Miss America. I was so excited to learn that one of my former students is going to be a contestant in January's Miss America pageant. Her name is Hilary Griffith. I am so excited to watch it now! Tune in and cheer her on! If you happen to get the magazine Arrowhead Life, there is an article about her in there, too (she is on the cover).

I am so tired tonight. This morning I woke up before the birds and helped my friend Natalie on a wedding photo shoot. I want to be her apprentice! I figure if I can watch her in action, then maybe I'll learn a thing or two and get better.

Let's see...what else:
--Trunk or Treat is tomorrow night at the church...Eliza and Libby are getting excited. Libby said she needed a prince so she could dance. She asked Brian to be her prince. Too bad we don't have a costume for him.
--I am so out of it...I had NO idea that the World Series is going on. Brian had a baseball game on the other night and I asked, "What's so big about this game?" (he doesn't usually watch too much baseball). And, well, it was game three of the World Series. Hello!
--It is getting so nippy outside in the mornings and at night. I definitely need a sweatshirt.
--Got to go to the temple tonight with Brian. Ate at Cafe Rio after.

OK--I need to go to bed!

Expensive Holiday

Halloween is an expensive holiday. I didn't spend too much on the girls' costumes, but it's the Halloween candy that got me! I bought some to hand out at Trunk or Treat on Friday and then more to hand out Tuesday night on Halloween. It was probably over $20! I guess the benefit will be going through the girls' bags and getting some yummy treats! Shhh! Don't tell--but I know you do it, too!!!

I am still on a search to find an outfit for a wedding of a high school friend that Brian and I are going to in November. I can't find anything (unless I want to spend a boat-load of money). I can find a shirt but no skirt or vice versa. I would really like a dress though. So if you have any suggestions of places I can look, I would love it!

And while we are on the topic of money, we had to get new tires on the van today. For a while, the steering wheel would shake a little bit, which was quite annoying. We tried a couple of things, but it came down to new tires. Luckily, Brian has a friend who works at Discount and he got a smokin' deal. Yeah-hoo! At least we'll have new tires for the trip!

Finally!

For the past few months, Ellie would eat small bits of food, but only if we put it in her mouth. She wouldn't grab it and put it in her own mouth. She would grab it, but drop it on the floor or in her seat, etc. But today at lunch I put some morsels of bread on her tray and she reached down and put it right in her mouth. Hallelujah! It was so nice to have her gain that little bit of independence.

I mentioned that I got Becky's new book...well, I finished reading it today. (Mom--now you can borrow it for a little bit). It is very good. It is full of great ideas for preserving family history from organizing to gathering to presenting, etc. It has me motivated!! I am totally excited to get back into it.

I'm excited it's almost Friday. Yay! I have a doctor's appointment in the morning, then Eliza has preschool. Brian gets to pick her up from school and I get to go for a pedicure with a couple of friends. Then I am taking pictures for my friend Leslie and her family. They are such a cute family, so I will have to post a couple if she gives me the okay! :) Then Brian and I will head out on our date. I am thinking he would love to go to Cabela's and look around for a while. And they have a restaurant there, so it might be fun to eat there, too.

Getting in the Christmas Mood

I am in the Christmas mood! I just got some new candles from Gold Canyon and they make me and my house so cheerful! I got a Cozy Christmas, Days of Christmas, Pumpkin Pie, Cranberry Orange and my all-time favorite, I think, which is Strudel and Spice. I absolutely LOVE that one. I also went into Bath and Body Works yesterday and they have their holiday scents out. Yum, yum. If you go there, be sure to check out the Cinnamon Bun, Vanilla Bean Noel and Very Festive pomegranate. They also had small-ish bottles of Three-in-One, which is body wash, bubble bath and shampoo all in one. The girls and I decided on Spice Gingerbread and it is amazing. It smells so good and we love it.

Let's see...what else has been going on? The weather is really cooling off at night. I will be needing a sweater soon. Did I mention that I am going to freeze in Utah? I will be able to handle it for a week though!

Last night Becky and I did our scrapbook night for the people who won it at the service action a couple of months ago. It was Becky and me and seven others. We first talked about "why we scrapbook", and I showed a journal/scrapbook of sorts that my great-grandma started and kept when she was over 80 years old. It just shows how important it is to get things written down and how much we treasure it now. Becky showed a little movie that she does in some of her classes and it was equally as touching and motivating. Then we talked the rest of the night about organization, chronological vs. big picture system, what pages/albums to do for each child, etc. It was very informative and fun. Becky also surprised us each with a copy of her newest book that isn't even out yet: Family History Scrapbooking. I was so excited to get an idea book that I hadn't worked on and seen too much of already! What a treat--thanks, Becky!!

Today has already been full of aerobics, taking Eliza to preschool, and soon we will be off to pick her up. Then I am going to watch four of my young women run in a cross-country meet. I have never been to a cross-country race before, so it will be interesting...I am not sure the proper etiquette, so I'll have to pay close attention! Then it's off to mutual. Whoosh!

I also have the completed spreads for the Look Book that I need to proof, so that will keep me busy. That book is close to going to the printer!

Bye for now.

Yummy Stuff

I went to Costco yesterday and picked up a couple of yummy things. They were giving out samples of some beef enchiladas, so we picked up some of those for dinner. They were good and the girls loved them, too. They were also selling those delicious caramel apples, so we had to buy a set of three. I don't think I've ever bought them there--only salivated or gotten one from my parents if they bought some. The girls picked out one with M&Ms, one plain caramel and one with mini white and dark chocolate chips. Let's just say that 1 and a 1/2 are gone. Yum!

Eliza and Libby are going to my parents tonight for a grandkids' sleepover. They should have fun! I hope Libby sleeps though. She always gives them trouble going to sleep. We got a sitter for Ellie and will be going out to dinner with some friends. Excited!

Note to Self

Remind me not to go back to aerobics for the first time in a few months AND play football at mutual in the same day. I was sooooo sore last night and today. I am doing better tonight, but wow! That was too much for me. We ended up playing football in the cultural hall last night instead of basketball and I guess the little bit of running I did combined with the aerobics in the morning added up to soreness and pain.

Tonight Eliza and I went to the Sunrise Mountain volleyball game and I also got to see one of my young women in her choir concert. I lucked out that they were on the same night! Eliza enjoyed the music and recognized quite a few songs, so that was fun.

Good Stuff

Here is my "good stuff" list for the day:
--clean floors
--clean bathrooms
--LOVING everything I am learning from here
--Friends like Jessi who help me with all my photography questions
--a new modem which means the Internet hasn't timed out ALL day. It is heaven! About 10 times in 5 minutes, it would time out and we'd have to wait.
--For Brian, we got cable yesterday. We have never had cable the whole time we've been married, but we got it today. Mainly, we (Brian) got it for the Suns' season. The only benefit I see is that last year, he would want to watch the games, so he would go over to someone's house who had cable and watch it. Now he can be home. And I guess HGTV and a clear channel 3 and a few other channels are a benefit, too. And we have caller ID now, which is so strange. I don't know if I like it.
--I have mutual tonight--looks like we will be playing basketball with the priests (16-18 year old boys) and having ice cream sundaes after.

Talk soon!
Erin

Winter Trip

Brian and I just decided last night that we are going to take a trip up to Utah. Neither of us have been up there lately and the girls have never been. The Trimble family in West Jordan is going to have a reunion on Nov. 25th, so we finally made up our minds that we would go. We are going to stay in our time share in Park City and probably freeze our buns off. I am not looking forward to the drive up, but I think it will be a really fun time. We are planning to take the girls to see all of Temple Square (the Christmas lights will be on), we want to go to several temples, Gardner's Mill (for me!), other shopping and more. If you have any suggestions for fun things to do in the winter with kids, let me know!! We saw some sleigh rides they offer in Park City, so that would be fun, but we need suggestions! We plan to stay a week; we'll see how long the girls last (and Brian and I)! Off to look for some thermals and jackets and blankets and gloves and scarves, etc!!! I am totally not a cold-weather girl!

First Camping Trip

Eliza went on her first camping trip. Brian took Eliza up to Cherry on Friday afternoon and they came home on Saturday afternoon. On Friday, they set up camp, ate beef stew for dinner (Brian said Eliza ate a ton!), roasted marshmallows and watched the new Barbie movie in the tent. Brian said he was cold during the night, but Eliza wasn't and slept like a log all night. In the morning, they made a fire, had donuts, ate S'Mores, hiked up to see some Indian ruins, then drove through several smaller towns on Old Senator Highway and came home. She said she had a fun time but she didn't like having to go to the bathroom out in the open.

So on Friday night, Libby, Ellie and I went to Target and Old Navy and drove around looking at Halloween decorations. On Saturday morning we went to Becky's house to make cards for the young women birthdays for the year. Brian and I went on our date in the afternoon, then later, I went to Becky's again for a scrapbook night. I didn't do any work--just talked--and it was a great time.

Eliza doesn't have preschool on Monday or Wednesday, so that is a bummer. Hopefully we can find some fun things to do to pass the time. She said she wants to go to Campbell's and get a treat. I told her I was thinking more along the lines of something "free." We'll see what we find to do.

Happy Columbus Day.

Lately

Let's see...
On Wednesday night for mutual we went to the temple visitor's center to watch the Joseph Smith movie, which was amazing! It was very powerful and intense.

I went in the playroom yesterday and saw Eliza's Halloween costume all laid out perfectly. She loves it and takes great care of it.

The other picture is the result of what happens when Libby finds the package of Bubble Tape in the diaper bag and finishes it off. Look at that wad!

I ended up getting the soundtrack to High School Musical from iTunes. I have wanted it for a while, so I finally splurged and got it. We love it!

We broke out Elf and watched it a couple of nights ago and laughed our heads off. That movie is a classic and so hilarious. Watch it if you haven't seen it!

That's all! Have a great Friday.

One More Down!

Yesterday I had a huge deadline with having to get all the projects written up for an upcoming book so I could mail them off to be photographed. I had been so busy with other stuff I hadn't hardly had any time to get to them before last night. But I got them done and even though I was in bed after my early-bird friend, Kristi, probably had been asleep for 6 hours, I still got some sleep! So I am feeling pretty relieved today after the Fed Ex man came and picked up all eight boxes.

Other than that I have been feeling well. I was kind of sick at the beginning--more than I've been with any other pregnancy. I thought at first it might be a boy since I felt so different. But, alas, we get another sweet girl. And after how Eliza and Libby have been lately, I'll take another girl. They have been great and sweethearts.

I got Eliza's Halloween costume yesterday. She is going to be a cowgirl and a very cute one at that. Today she got some darling cowgirl boots that will just be the finishing touch. Libby is excited to be Cinderella. We have the dress, so I think we just need to get some "glass" slippers. And Ellie will either be a basketball player or a cheerleader.

Tonight we went to Sonic for dinner and if you haven't had their new Philly Cheesesteak sandwich you have GOT to try it. It is so, so good. I loved it. And it definitely is big enough to fill you up. Brian and I both loved it.

Happy rest of the week.