Soccer, crepes and the lighter side of life.

Last Saturday we had a rare evening of nothing planned, sure enough it was filled when we got home from soccer and got an invitation a Crepe Party at the Bradford's. 

We were actually supposed to be judges on whose crepes were best but we just ended up enjoying them. They did a great job and it was fun getting to know the Truppe's and the Bradfords better.

 

I think my family would be happy if I learned how to make crepes :)

This Saturday was a little busier. Taylor was dropped off at the church to help with JJ Lisonbee's Eagle project at 7:30, Jeff went to the Stake Center at 8:30 for Little Philmont and I went grocery shopping. Then before the soccer game I dropped Taylor off at Howies to play video games with all his guy friends who were at the Eagle project and then I drove to the soccer field in pouring rain to meet Jeff and watch Jacob's last game.

Small miracle with the rain. It was cloudy and threatening to rain as soon as we woke up but it didn't start until they were leaving from JJ's Eagle project. JJ prayed the night before that the rain wouldn't start until after they were done...it didn't.

So we had an interesting soccer game in the pouring rain. (They never cancel for rain). Despite jackets and umbrellas we were soaked watching him but it couldn't compare to how soaked Jacob was out running in the field. We came home for hot showers and got ready for Jacob's end of the season soccer party.

The team mom planned it at Fiesta Village. The first event on the agenda was laser tag!

This was Jacob's first time playing and he loved it. At first he was sad when he got his print out for his game and saw he earned 0 points (his gun wasn't working). So they let him play again and he beat Jeff's score (he was happy about that ;) 

Pizza, tokens and trophies completed the party. It was a great way to end the season!

We're so proud of you Jacob!

After the soccer party Jeff and I went to watch Little Shop of Horrors down at RCC. We have season tickets and it's nice that the dates for these plays just pop up and we have somewhere fun to go. The play is pretty morbid for those who've seen it before...not the Broadway happy endings we're used to :) . Pretty much sell your soul to the devil to get what you want which causes everything you want, including yourself to be destroyed....hmmm.

Yesterday we had an early turkey dinner with Angela and Robert and the missionaries.

It's always fun to see them, and it was even more fun to see Angela's cute pregnant belly. Can't wait to see their little baby boy when he comes.

Also this week Jacob had a band concert with his friends. We were told about the night before, but it wasn't as bad as a couple of parents who heard about it that day!

We made turkeys in Ashley's class this week for art. It was funny because you slide a sponge along a string hanging down from inside of the cup and it makes a turkey gobble noise.

The kids loved it....the teacher not so much by the time it was time to leave. He kept asking "Can we stop with the turkeys now???" 

Of course not. You give 25 3rd graders noise makers...they are going to make noise. Ha ha

So some of the lighter side of life....

• Jacob said on the soccer field he would distract the other players. I asked him how and he said he would say hi to them and get them to look at him and then they wouldn't pay attention to where the ball was.
• When Taylor was getting his EKG done the nurse told him to take of his shirt and then pulled a curtain around him. Getting worried about what she was going to do he asked what the curtain was for "For Privacy" That got his mind worrying about what kind of privacy she would need (remembering physicals). She said "I promise it won't hurt" He said "That's what the dentist says." It got her to laugh and he was very relieved when the test only involved his chest area :)
• When Taylor was getting his blood test (which he hates!) the lady was confirming that it was his name on all 5 of the viles. "Is this you..?"  "Yes"...."Is this you...?"  "Yes" as she was showing him the sticker that she just put on his vial of blood.  On the last one she said "Is this you...?" and he said "Yes that's me...but I don't know if that's my blood." It got a laugh out of her.
• Jacob was going to the information meeting about try-outs for his school play (He wants to try to do plays now) and the guy in charge asked for a show of hands for who wants to try out for Dorothy. Jacob raised his hand. The guy scans the audience and told him that only girls can play Dorothy. He kept talking about not being able to play Dorothy...I asked him if he really was thinking he was going to play her??? He said "No I just did it for laughs" Which he got.
• Ashley for 3 days was trying to get ice cream from the ice cream man. The first day I wouldn't let her. The second day she tried to wave him down (hoping I would let her get some) he just waved back. So the 3rd day I let her have a dollar and I went out with her she waved her dollar with me standing next to her...he drove by without a look, looking at the park instead. Ha ha, she finally gave up and went and got a Popsicle from the freezer.
• I couldn't figure out why our backyard was such a swamp. When Ashley mentioned that the sprinklers were on in the middle of the day I check...instead of putting the sprinklers on once every 3 days, I had put them on 3 times every day!
• During Red Ribbon Week Jacob's soccer coach was giving them a little lesson on drugs. Part way through she said "Mom do you hear what your son said??!!" I hadn't. I guess when she asked them if they take drugs Jacob said "Yeah I take cocaine and marijuana"   WHAT!?  "She then gave him a lecture on how rumors get started"  We then had a talk that night about trying to go too far to be funny and to know what the bounds of appropriate is!
• So the Christmas flyers are out and Ashley provided me with circled copies of all the things that she wants...is curious about of course they are all the newest, latest, greatest and most expesive things including a Barbie that's a video camera and a $50.00 dog that walks. (My favorite was the baby doll she circled but wrote "whit one" next to it because it was a black baby pictured.)

• I spent all last weekend driving Taylor all over town to get his last merit badges signed off and then getting the card to Lynette to submit his paperwork for his Eagle Board of Review. Guess what I found in the wash the next day.

Taylor started his science experiment last week (complete with a sample of e. coli drop shipped to our door). He is comparing garlic vs. hand sanitizer as a an antibacterial agent.  So now his room (which is where the samples are growing) reeks of garlic....I think it's spreading too!!

 

• Last Monday we finally got sucked in to buying a dog. Cute puppies at the park...and me with a little more time on my hands to handle a dog and we couldn't resist. We aren't picking her up until Friday because we're going to be gone a lot this week but Ashley is very much awaiting her arrival...These are all the dog pictures she has drawn (in two days).

• This year for Halloween we bought candy sticks...which used to be candy cigarettes when Jeff was little. Jeff of course pulled them out and pretended like they were cigarettes like when he was young and Ashley immediately got very upset (my good girl ;). So of course he does it more to get a reaction out of her. So now the boys have joined in..."Ashley do you have a light?"   I keep trying to tell her if she doesn't give a reaction they will stop bothering her...so far she hasn't been able to resist their baiting.

The Beaulieu Bunch playing the Benjamen Bunch

So this week was Road show week! Tuesday night we put on our costumes and had our dress rehearsal.

Here's Ashley with all her single ladies!

I think ours was the only complete family in the road show. Ashley and Taylor were background dancers. Jacob was a son and Jeff and I were Ma and Pa Brady.

Here's Jeff as Malachi complete with beard. 

(After the dress rehearsal they nixed the beard because they couldn't see his facial expressions so I painted one of for the play instead ;)

Jacob (Bobby) with his soon to be step sister Cindy...(you can see how excited he is)

So we got to run through everything twice and finally got a feel for everything coming together. There were still a few bugs but overall it went pretty good.

My critique was that I needed to have more facial expressions and mouth the words for my solo dancing part.  I felt so awkward during that part because I wasn't familiar with it (we'd only gone through it a couple of times) once Holly sent me the music for it I started working on it the rest of the week :) 

The kids only had school until Wednesday because of Vetran's Day so on Wednesday afternoon I went into Ashley's class to do the art lesson I had to reschedule because of one of Taylor's doctor's appointments.

We painted a color wheel. It was interesting but I think the kids had  a lot of fun. There was a little stray paint on a couple of desks and lots of paint was used...but they got the concept of mixing colors and what it looked like when you had too much of one or the other color. Some of the kids were loving the paint and said they didn't have any paint at home so I was glad to give them a new experience. :)

I'm looking forward to giving them an opportunity to do art projects that they wouldn't normally get to do this year.

While my paints were out I painted up some bad looking bread for Jeff for the road show. (He's supposed to be a bad cook)

When Taylor got home from school he said "What is that bread??!!??" It looked moldy. Ha ha...he wasn't sure he wanted to touch it until I assured him it was paint.

Thursday I had plans to take all the kids to Knotts to use our passes again. Ashley was thrilled to get a call from Jenna's mom to come over and play for the day so she got a whole day of playing with Jenna. (She loved it.) 

So I took the boys alone to Knotts. (After dragging Jacob of the couch, he actually wanted to stay home instead!)

When we got there we were confronted with huge crouds because it was vetrans day all military got in free. So there were lots of families everywhere.

Taylor was smart and said to go to the back of the park first. I just let them go on whatever rides they wanted to. For some reason there wasn't a line for this ride ;) and we got to watch Taylor get right on this.

We loved watching him flip over and over in a random pattern. (he said the operator decides to flip it whenever they want so it's different every time.)

Jacob loves this ride for some reason (you can see the boys on the right) but it makes me sick to my stomach so I just watched and took pictures.

This ride throws your neighbor into you. So I kept seeing them swirl around snuggling. "How cute" I thought. Then they got off and Taylor said "Jacob you're a boulder and you were drooling on me!" 

We didn't stay at the park that long we went on a few rides and then they were done before 3:00. On the last ride of the day (waiting for Taylor) Jacob wanted to try garlic fries. They weren't bad but...

the whole rest of the day he complained his stomach didn't feel so good..."it was those garlic fries" he said.

After we got back from Knotts and Ashley got back from Jenna's we all went to the drive in's as a family. We haven't been in a long time so it was a lot of fun. We saw Megamind (better than I thought) and the Owl Movie (about what I thought but the boys watched the whole thing). Somehow we all fit snuggled in the back of the van.

I think the kids thought the best part was the snack bar food...we got carne asada nachos, a hot dog, 2 hamburgers, popcorn, a large drink and two water bottles for under 20 dollars..not bad.

Friday was a sleep in day and a friend day. Ashley played with Mia all day (here they are mashing and juicing berries in the backyard) and Taylor had Josh Troupe(?) over for the afternoon.

That night it was time for the Road show. We got all costumed up and I painted Jeff's beard as we were walking out the door (and he was talking on the phone)

Here is the cast (Holley the director is on the left)

I stole some of Holley's on-stage shots. Here is Jeff and I deciding to put his poles and my tent together to make a "full house" 

Here's Jeff singing his "I work hard for my money" dance.

 

Here's Ashley at the end of her "single ladies" dance.  

Here's us at the finale with our Brady Bunch square....the girls were supposed to grab the poles for this square but the boys had put them all at the wrong side of the stage so it took almost the whole ending to get the square together. Ha ha.

I have to say when we first started practicing we were a little worried but it all turned out and everyone did a great job and we all had fun.

We got tons of positive feedback and I think it was a memorial experience for everyone who was involved! Thanks for everyone's hard work!!



For Grandma and Grandpa who didn't get to come and see us here is the link for the video of it....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8ggbFs9O40

A week feeling a little like Worried Wemberly

This week has been interesting and a little like life in general...filled with good things but lots of worries and uncertainty too.

Monday started off as a day off for Taylor for parent/teacher conferences. He was worried that he wasn't doing as well as he wanted to in a couple of classes. Not to worry I picked up his report card and he had straight A's! As I met with each teacher they would say he was doing great. One teacher said if she could have a 100 Taylors she would teach for free! I was so proud.

On the downside Taylor has been having some weird dizzy spells and disturbing things going on with his eyes. So we've started the daunting task of trying to find out if we can figure out if anything is wrong. This week I brought him to a neurologist for a bunch of tests and then a couple of days later to a opthomologist since one pupil is larger than the other and his eyesight is horrible. They dialated his pupils and told him his eye is OK he just needs glasses really bad...but we're still waiting on the MRI (not til Dec 18), and blood test results to see if there is anything else wrong.

So we've spent the last little while worrying...his priesthood blessing helped if anything to calm us down. Taylor joked with the nurses when they were doing unfamiliar tests and has had a great sense of humor through it all. We're trying to just take one thing at a time and try not to worry.

After a week of doctor's appointments, seperate hair appointments (couldn't get them in at the same time) and Road Show prep such as costume part buying, and making, and practicing I was ready for Friday and night out!

We did an overdo dinner date with the Stubbs to celebrate him making Council this year at New York Life. We celebrated at Ruth Chris steakhouse.

Good choice Ethan. They have the best food!

Of course Jeff had to let them know we were celebrating their 10th anniversary (that's why we couldn't go earlier). So two celebrations in one :)

On Saturday we had a packed day. We started out with Road Show practice at the Stake Center for 2 hours.

It's coming along but it's hard to ever feel comfortable with it because every time we run through it, something changes! I'm always feeling unsure of myself! Oh Well tonight is dress rehearsal and Friday at 7:00 is the performance...at that point it is what it is and it will be done!

We raced from rehearsal to the soccer field for Jacob's game. We missed the 1st quarter but Jacob was able to play the rest of the game and Jeff was able to be the line judge for the rest of it too.  

(He took the referee class this year and has been working on the sidelines during the game)

After the game we had about 1/2 hour before we were off to a baby shower for Jeff's niece. His half sister Lori's daughter was having a baby so we all went out to see them.

This part of the family is not someone we see often so the kids didn't remember anyone there (except Cheri who dropped in for a bit) but after awhile they warmed up and just enjoyed getting to know a little more family they didn't realize they had. (The cotton candy machine helped ;) 

Behind me is Jeff's other 1/2 sister Michelle that I'd heard about but never had met. She was a sweetheart and was open to getting together again sometime.

The kids liked the jumper too.

Nice!

After awhile at the baby shower we were off to go see the final production of Annie at the High school. Trent Paige (a young man from the ward) was in the play so we were excited to see him too. We had something going on every night it was open so this was our last chance!

Jeff went right when the box office opened and got us front row seats. It was the best! The kids really enjoyed it. Ashley had watched part of the Movie of Annie and thought it was boring. I told her that the play would be more exciting, she agreed. It's always much better to see musicals live!

Now the boys are excited to try out for a play sometime for themselves.

As an added bonus we actually won the raffle!!! With Jeff only buying one ticket!!! The kids were happy.

Well too much Saturday ended up resulting in a sicky family on Sunday. We all came to church but there was a lot of complaining about being achy, having headaches and a couple of sick stomachs.

Monday I was ready to start again...but today is Tuesday and I have Ashley home sick and when I went to investigate the "drips" in my cupboard I discovered something went wrong with my apple pie filling that I canned. All but 2 were fermenting and spilling out of the jars (I could've sworn they were sealed). I had to throw them all out because I didn't want to risk the 2 that seemed good and ended up killing my family!

:( all that work literally down the drain!  I guess a new week brings new worries.  

I called my canning friend (Piper) to ask her what she thinks might have gone wrong and she said if I bring her my jars so she can use them to can applesauce (she got more apples yesterday after canning a gazillion of them!) she would give me some apple pie filling.

 I love friend like that!! :) :) Thanks Piper!

Halloween Week

This last week was red ribbon week at the schools. Every day the kids were encouraged to dress up for the daily dress code...the problem was 3 schools with 3 different ways to dress and nobody but Ashley had any notes home about it. Needless to say it didn't happen very often. Ashley got mismatched day, green day and

sports day, and red day.

Jacob only got red day but he still won the drawing for a $10 dollar Itunes gift card even though he only had one ticket in.

Taylor missed every day...he didn't realize he was supposed to dress in a costume on Tuesday! He laughed at the banana running through the quad being chased by a gorilla and the German boys dressed in leiderhosen drinking pretend beer and singing loudly...there's always next year.

Jacob was allowed to wear Halloween costumes this year (they have so much more freedom when they get out of elementary school) and so he agreed that he would be OK being a skeleton (he has hated costumes for the last 5 years).

We looked for a costume and couldn't find one so late the night before we just bought him a black outfit and I got out my paints to paint some bones on it. I was up late that night and up early the next morning to get it on and dry before he had to go to school.

Jacob wasn't too sure in my abilities before I started...but he was happy with the end result. (Jeff was also a little worried that it would look very "homemade" but he thought it looked good too)

The final touch was his face paint slapped on minutes before he was running out the door.

(My toll paints and brushes right out of the cupboard work better than any drug store Halloween paint I've ever bought)

He came home excited that he had won best costume at lunch that day...I guess his picture will be in the yearbook now too. :0)

Oh the night we were getting the costumes Taylor found this mask and was trying it on...he loved the stares and reaction he got from the store patrons. He hopped up and down and asked to buy it, so he could scare people in the store with it...luckily it wasn't expensive.

He wore it the rest of the time and got a lot of stares. Taylor said "For the first time I'm getting more attention than Jacob!"

It was hilarious when we were waiting in the long line to check out there were two young boys with their dad right behind us who didn't like Taylor's mask.

The would yell "GO AWAY!"

"I DON'T LIKE YOU!"

"I'M GOING TO PUT YOU IN JAIL!"

Taylor started pointing slowly to them and they freaked out more. I told him to show them his face so the poor boys wouldn't go home with nightmares. He pulled up his mask and laughed and they stared at him relieved...and then he put it on to tease them some more. It was a game the whole time...the Dad tried hard not to laugh.

Sure enough we're loaded in the car and the same family ends up walking right by us..the boys called out "Bye Monsty!!!"

As I was painting bones I was also getting snacks together for...Ashley's party for school, seminary, Jeff's office and Taylor's mini party in his language arts class.

The only party I was actually able to attend was Ashley's.

They had a nice 1/2 hour party passing out and consuming lots of treats.

The teacher just sent home a blanket flyer asking for goodies...so they got 6 or 7 cupcakes for each child, probably 5 cookies for each child not to mention enough drinks for the class 3 or 4 times over, chips, candy and all kinds of stuff. What a party.

I had just enough brownie cookies left over to put in Jacob's soccer snack bags for the next day.

Friday night Taylor had a Halloween party at Becca Nelsons and got to wear his costume. (He said he wanted a costume that was unlike him and surprising...so a fat personal trainer was his alter ego)

He came home saying he loved his costume...all the girls wanted to hug him to get the air out ;)

Jeff and I had a party at the Elsworths. We got out our "Queen of Clean" outfit and "Dirt Devil" (along with his dirt bag)....

We got there just as Erin was getting all the food put together...rat tails, lizard eyes, piggy pie and such.

What we weren't prepared for the fun costumes that we would see that night...

Here we have the Bounty Hunter and his classy wife (complete with long mullet)

Officer Lauritzen and her inmate complete with cholo mustache and beard and kiss tattoo on his neck.

(No lie when I went to soccer the next day I noticed that one of the dads had the same tattoo on the same spot.)

Luchador Williamson and his cat.

He was hilarious in this costume and it was hard to take him seriously. (he "borrowed" his wife's shirt and her cape from last years costume)

We got the 70's duo

And Lindsey Lohen (complete with house arrest ankle bracelet) and white trash

Ethan was the bravest walking in the house in a full on speedo and swim cap...all we could do was laugh. After his entrance he put on his towel and then went in to change...

Here we have Octomom and gansta boyfriend...can you pick out the real baby??

Erin planned fun games for us all. We played pictionary and then wrap the mummy before Jeff's migraine took us home. I heard there were all kinds of Halloween party games to follow.  

(Way to go Elsworths! They are a great party couple ;)

When we got home Jeff went to bed until 11:00 the next day!

Saturday after soccer and errands it was time to get ready for Trunk or Treat at the church. Two of our costumed kids complete with toll painted faces.

I grabbed what I had to pull together a witch costume. (I forgot I had tailored these tights to fit Ashley long ago so I cut them to make them knee highs as we were walking out the door.

Our three beautiful children

Can you guess what Jeff is???

He bought his first cigar ever (when he couldn't find a fake one) so he could be Shorty from Pit Boss. (He borrowed the Marquette's hat the night before and looked so much like him we said that should be his costume.)

All our friends from Little People of America who came to the trunk or treat loved it. 

People who have seen Pit Boss on Animal Planet knew immediately who Jeff was supposed to be but people who hadn't seen the show didn't have a clue (hee hee).

We played a game where they had to throw a ball into our bucket. If it got inside the smaller bucket inside they got a full size candy bar if not they had to pick from the smaller candy around it.

Simple game but people seemed to like it.

This year instead of me single handedly running a LPA Halloween party I piggybacked it by inviting them all to our trunk or treat. We got about 50 people there which was great. The ward loved having them and I got a lot of good feedback from the LPs who said they would like to do it again next year.

Taylor with his crew playing keep away from the girls all night.

Tired children ready to go home...

and check out their stash. (Jacob had the most this year by far)

Sunday was filled with church and then a Road Show meeting and then immediately 2 different missionaries open houses. We went from one thing to another...and got home after 7:00.

We weren't really planning to do much for Halloween but we did save a bowl of candy to pass out since we always get bombarded by a million people who caravan and park at the park across the street.

Taylor stood at the front of the house in church clothes greeting the trick or treaters (he probably hasn't had that much fun on Halloween in a long time).

We weren't going to trick or treat but with all the kids coming to the house I agreed that Ashley could do a few neighbors. We saw a lady we visit teach and talked to our neighbors up the street. We went as far as Jenna's old house so she could see who had moved in after her.

The farther down the street we went the more candy people had left..it seems that the closer to the park the more you get hit. Her last house she got 2 full sized candy bars and the guy had a whole bowl of them untouched!  

We got back about 40 minutes later and the light was off, the candy was gone so Halloween was over and we could spend the rest of it undisturbed as a family. (People were still running around about 10:00)

To end my post I have to give props to my sister Virginia in Seatle. This is her pumpkin

(we didn't even carve any this year!)

It's a banshee pumpkin. Pretty talented I must say.