Happy Halloween

Faith chose to be a winter snow fairy today for Halloween. She and her classmated paraded around the walking path at school. For being a winter fairy, she sure was cold. I would have thought that winter fairies were used to the cold but evidently she wasn't. Her party at school consisted of treats and GHOST (BINGO). Her teacher was a banana which she just found hilarious. Another boy in her class was a big green booger and her two friends were a princess and another fairy. Tonight we visited our neighbors Pat and Perry. Pat and Perry have no children or grandchildren so they enjoy getting to experience our two on special holidays. They always bring them over something special. Faith and Champ also visited Andma and Pa Pa where she received a bag of fruit snacks, fruit rollups and some other goodies that will just get thrown away....if I can ever stop eating them. I have a love hate relationship with sweets. I love them but I hate that I love them because I know that I shouldn't because they are not good for me. Faith was a dinosaur for the trunk or treat party at church this last Friday. That was a fun outfit also because her face was painted green and striped with black to look like a neck. Halloween is so much fun.

Great Lakes minature train rides

My family has been waiting all summer for the minature train rides to come to a nearby park. They only come one weekend a month through the summer and lucky for us we had it this month for their Halloween ride. This little trains are simple. We swung our leg over the bench and sat down. Then we choo chooed our way through the park on the railroad tracks. I loved this ride. The leaves were all on the ground and the trees were stilled filled with color. The train chugging through the leaves was just amazing. I love the outdoors and so do both Champ and Faith. What made this ride even better was that it was free. Yes, free. They kindly take donations to keep the trains running and tracks cared for but it was a great afternoon. Even Pa Pa came despite being tired. I can't wait for the Christmas one. Faith doesn't know about this one yet but it chugs through the park and stops at Santa for a sit on his lap and a candy cane. This one is going to be a surprise.

Fun in the leaves

Ever have one those Sundays where you just want to hang out with your family and not worry about anything else. Well, that is what I try to do every Sunday. I try to give all of my attention to my children and just hang out with them. This might mean chasing them around the house while trying to cut off their dragon and lion tails or it might mean dancing in our pajamas, playing boardgames or playing in the leaves like on this particular Sunday. Since we have no leaves in our yard we ventured over to our back neighbor Dorothy for some leaf fun. We raked up big piles of leaves and the next thing I knew, I was being attacked from both sides having leaves thrown on my head. I wanted to fight back but how could I take pictures of my troublesome kids enjoying themselves if I put down my camera. So I decided to snap a few of them throwing leaves on each other and then headed off to war. It was war!! I knew that I could outrun them and I knew that my arms were bigger and could carry more leaves than both of them combined. I thought I had a chance until I got tackled and taken down by both Champ and Faith. I love to play with them. They make me so happy. I wish I could just give them all the attention that they deserve all the time but I suppose than they wouldn't learn how to entertain themselves. We had fun on that Sunday. The crunch of the leaves and coolness of the air is a welcome note from nature to come enjoy.

Family day at the temple

It was this time last year that the kids and I were all set to go to the Detroit temple and participate in a special primary activity. However at the last minute something came up. I wasn't prepared to enter into the temple last year. It was a really rough time in our family's lives but I have worked over the course of this last year to be worthy and prepared enough to enter. Two weeks ago I was given permission from the bishop to enter into the LDS Detroit temple. Faith, Champ and I all attended but the children did a special learning activity on the temple and remained at the stake center. I love to see the temple. I'm going there someday. To feel the holy spirit to listen and to pray. That is what the children learn in the children's primary songbook. I wish I would have learned this as a child and maybe I would be in a different spot today. Faith was able to get her picture taken in front of the temple with a wedding veil on her head. This symbolized the fact that she should strive to get married in the temple. I was able to do baptisms for the dead. I felt a breath of fresh air and joy over come me as I entered up from the water after each of the twenty names were read that I stood in proxy for. I imagined them hearing their names being called loud and clear from Earth and them saying, "Thank you. I've been waiting for so long." I want to go to the temple more often. It is such a place of peace and beauty. The quietness is what I long await for as my days here are filled with loud voices and bickering. There is nothing to worry about when I'm in the Lord's house. I have nothing but time to reflect and ponder on what he has in store for me. Faith, I know you will read this one day and my advice is, "Follow the prophet. Grow up and be worthy so you can enter into that temple also. You will be blessed. I love you."

Fire safety month

October is National Fire Safety month and our fire department had an open house earlier this month in which the kids were invited to come look around and learn more about fire safety. Faith found this opportunity extremely exciting as she was able to eat a hotdog and potato chips. We never have potato chips in the house so it is indeed a treat for her. This little robotic fire dog talked to the children from his handy dandy fire truck. A man up in a high ceiling room spoke through an intercom to the kids making them think it was the dog talking. Robot dog liked to spray his water hose at the kids and make them squeal. Last, Faith enjoyed spraying the water hose at a pretend house on fire. She was able to pull back the lever on her own and spray it on the wooden flames. She was a professional. Sometimes I think that a fireman can be a little intimidating but it is times like this that the little kids learn there is nothing to fear. They are our friends and there to help. As part of Faith's homework this month, she had to come up with a map laying out all the exits she can escape out of in case of a fire. We have lots of windows and doors so when we made an emergency exit plan there were lots of ways to get out. We even tested out our smoke alarms at home so she knew what they sounded like. This makes her nervous. She doesn't like candles burning in the house nor does she like aim a flames or space heaters. Fire safety month was a great month for learning here in our home.

Erie apple orchards

Enjoying her new penguin. She bought it with money from the tooth fairy for her second tooth she lost

Hay bale jumping

Luna Pier

It has been a while since I've wrote on this blog but I promise it is not because I don't care anymore. I have gone back to school full time along with becoming co-leader for Brownies and secretary for Relief Society at church. I feel awful busy but I am not giving up on this blog yet. Let's start back at the beginning of October. Our family went to the apple orchard. Although we did not make it into the apple orchard we did have fun listening to music, eating donuts, watching fresh apple cider being made, playing in the straw and finding our way through the corn maze (daddy's activity). I love Fall. I can not say it enough. The colors and briskness in the air makes me just want to be outside. Faith loves the Fall too but only because that means winter and snow are arrivings shortly there after. I can wait for that weather. My toes freeze for three months even in my BOGS winter boots. Pa Pa came along with us and this is the main reason we did not make it into the orchard. Pa Pa is allergic to bee stings. By the time we have seen all there was to see at the Fall festival Champ was getting cranky so we decided that the apples were just not worth the fuss with him. So we headed home. The ride home was alot quicker than the ride there. No one told us that 75S was going to have 3 miles of interstate pushed to one lane on a Saturday morning. We stopped and went at a snail's pace for one hour. As time ticked away I realized that the cranky side of Champ was coming closer and the much anticipated trip was indeed going to be cut short.