Part II

Trick or Treating: Morgen actually wanted to go, so he put on his made up costume, Max invited two friends from school, Sina & Amon, as well as Justin from the neighborhood to go trick or treating with him.

After school we went to the library and Markus wanted me to take this photo of him. Crazy kid!!!

Halloween, Part I

Max and his teacher Mrs. M.

Max playing pin the nose on the pumpkin

Making edible spiders

Max's class party

After helping in Markus' class and watching his program I helped with Max's party as well. It is so fun to get to know all of their cute friends and connect all of the names with faces.

Markus and his teacher, Mrs. S.

Conner, Hudson & Markus

Markus in his kindergarten program where they sang all the Halloween songs that he has learned recently.

Markus and his classmates waiting for the parade to begin

Wolverine a.k.a., Markus

Sheri

Carving Pumpkins

My fun next door neighbors, Greg & Mindy, were having a party tonight and came over afterwards dressed up as McCain and Palin. They looked so much like them it was amazing!

The finished jack o'lanterns...

Markus did pretty well at carving his own pumpkin

Until he got tired of it, then it was my turn.

He actually scraped all of the seeds out though. Which is great considering I usually end up scraping every one elses pumpkin out by myself. Morgen didn't want to carve a pumpkin this year, I guess he is getting too old for Halloween. He didn't want to dress up either or go to the dance after school today.

Wednesday Again

Haunted Trail

Tonight we went to the Haunted Trail with my friend Shawna and her kids. It was pretty spooky and Markus was holding my hand pretty dang tight! The hot chocolate and donuts afterwards were worth the price of admission - $ 1.50.

Markus also had his field Trip to Thanksgiving point today and brought home a big pumpkin.

Fly Boys

So the movie tonight was fun. The theater was having some technical difficulties, the sound was only playing in one channel and they had scratched the film somehow, but I thought the movie it self was good. Rocco had autographed posters for all of the kids afterwards.

Monet and Rocco

Crazy Weekend

Whew! What a weekend, I need a day off tomorrow to recover from it. Max had hockey practice this morning and then we went right from there to church. Kailey came into my primary class with me and we had a great discussion with the boys that were in there about the three disciples of Christ that are still on the earth today. They were fascinated by that concept and were comparing them to the vampires from the twilight books. It was a crazy class, but they were very excited about reading the scriptures, so whatever works right? Anyways, after that I went to take Darlin's car back out to the airport for her, since she was flying back from NY tonight. She flew out there to be in the show at Rockefeller Center. She hurt her knee somehow while she was there and had an MRI done yesterday and is flying home two days early.

Then Monet came back to pick up her girls and they didn't want to leave. They were finishing their pearler bead projects and I was ironing them for the girls. Monet was with her new boyfriend Rocco in Twin Falls. Rocco is the director of the movie Fly Boys and they went to the opening premiere together. Monet met Rocco last month went she went to the opening here and she says he is her soul mate. So I was excited to meet him tonight, he was very nice and invited us to see his movie in Park City tomorrow evening. I am sure it will be fun.

Do you speak Women?

My friend Julieanne sent me this video via email yesterday, it made me laugh.

Trunk or Treat

After the game today we came home and I hurried to make soup for the trunk or treat at our ward tonight. Kailey decorated the trunk for me and Max decided to hide in it and scare all the kids as they came by for the treats. It was pretty funny to see their reactions to him reaching out from under the blanket to grab them. Morgen came up with some crazy costume with gloves, a cape and a mask. Max wore a beard and wig and was a hobo, while Aria was a hippie and Markus had his wolverine costume but didn't want to wear it since they wouldn't allow masks. So he just went as a BYU fan. Kailey was a vampire from the Twilight books named Rosalie. I think they all had a great time.

BYU game

Kailey, Morgen, Markus, Aria & Max at the BYU vs. UNLV game today
Our front row seats were courtesy of Monet's boyfriend from last month. (The one she went to the ball with - see post from 9/15/08) He played football for BYU in '86 and he gave us tickets before he and Monet broke up. I thought that he wouldn't still want us to have them but he is a really nice guy and didn't mind at all. So we were able to go in spite of he and Monet not going out anymore.

It was a great day for a ball game - especially since BYU won!

I was a little bit sad that Morgen missed his last LAX game today. Max missed one of his hockey games as well. But how often do you get free tickets on the front row to a game on a beautiful fall day?


We sat right next to my parents and Cole

Ben, Max, Markus, Aria, Morgen & Kailey

Halloween Show

Here are some photos from the Halloween show tonight at the rink. The group number that I choreographed was 'Ghostbusters'.
Some of my students that were in the show as well: Callie, Ellie, Emmie & Evie

Callie and I right before she went out to perform with her group

One of my newest students - Sophia. She is such a fun girl to teach, she really has a great attitude. And she is always smiling!

Markus liked the show so much at the dress rehearsal on Wednesday night when he came with me, that he wanted to come back and watch the whole thing tonight. He was singing the songs afterwards as well. Max and Aria came with me too.

Baby sitting Kailey, Aria and the Guinea Pig

Monet asked me to watch Aria and Kailey again this weekend which I love to do, they are such good girls and hardly any trouble at all. I was surprised though when I went to pick up Markus from school today and was informed that it was his weekend to take one of the class pets home - Toffee, the guinea pig. What a fun experience for him!
Markus at the 'spinning park' as he calls it...

On the way to teach skating today I took the kids to the park

We also went back to the park after we finished skating

Morgen and Kailey stayed home and played his new game - Little big planet. Until I took Kailey to ballet.

Bunko

I just had the yummiest soup at my friend Julie's for Bunko tonight. Julie is such a good cook and posted this recipe on her blog so I could have it, thanks Julie!

Corn and squash soup

1 medium onion
1 celery rib, chopped
2 T. all purpose flour
1 can (14 ½ oz.) chicken broth
6 C. mashed cooked butternut squash
2 Cans cream style corn
2 C. half-and-half (I use fat free)
1 T minced fresh parsley
1 ½ t. salt
½ t. pepper
Sour cream, optional

Sauté onion and celery in butter until tender. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually stir in broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.Reduce heat to medium. Stir in the squash, corn, cream, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until heated through. Garnish with sour cream if desired. I always double this recipe.

Julie's house was all decked out for Halloween - I wish I would have remembered my camera to take a photo. Bunko was fun even though I didn't win anything. It was fun to meet some new friends as well, Gwen (Goodson) McNeil and I forget the other girls name - anyways fun times!

Democracy

Wacky Wednesday

What more can I say?

Where is my happy little working song?

I was going to clean house today, but then I decided not to clean the house at all this week.

Dancing with the Stars

Constitution

My dad had his class on the constitution tonight out at my sister Monet's house. I think he has studied it for so many years now, that he knows everything there is to know about it, but I don't know what he is going to do with that knowledge. I guess that is why he is having a class to teach us all about his wisdom.

Max and Markus were playing across the street at the park with Cole and Casey, when Cole threw some rocks at Max and he came in crying. My mom got all upset and left in the car for the rest of the class with Cole. I am not sure why, since Max is the one that got hurt, I think she may have been mad that my dad was trying to discipline Cole.

Defensive

Max played an awesome game today and his team won 4-3. He played defense the entire game and stopped this one kid (Sallenback was his name) from the other team from scoring 4 goals. He said afterwards that he doesn't usually like defense that much but this time he really did. All of his coaches rubbed his sweaty head in the locker room and were telling him that he played a great game and awesome defense. He had a great day, that cute little guy!

Practice

Max had hockey practice tonight and he scored a goal. He was so excited. His first game is tomorrow since he missed last week.

We also went skating this afternoon, I only had one student that was in town this weekend. I am teaching a class tomorrow morning, actually it is a practice for the group that I am teaching for the Halloween show at the rink next weekend.

Book Club

Tonight was book club at my friend Tyra's house and everyone loved the book. Usually everyone gets together and we don't even mention the book that we read. But this month was different - everyone there tonight couldn't wait to talk about it. I still need to finish the last few chapters though, but I still could grasp what they were saying and agreed with most on the dialogue between Sara and Jack as amazing.

My Words

I am listening to this book right now on audio tape. It is the book selection this month for book club and I have found it fascinating so far. I decided to listen to it since I am in the car driving more than 1 1/2 hours everyday, back and forth to the boys school. (I really need to consider if it is really worth it to drive that far these days, I am thinking that the school right across the street sounds better all the time.) Anyways, I like the story line of a young woman in the 1880's during the settlement of Arizona, who is widowed at the age of 20 and the romance that than ensues with handsome Captain Jack Elliot. It is written with so much detail and almost makes me feel like I am watching the whole story unfold. I can't wait to finish it.

Wicked

My friend Kelli sent me a link to register for a chance to purchase tickets to Wicked when it comes here next year. So I did, hopefully I will get to buy some! I have heard a lot about it from Nicole mostly who loved it in New York and says that her kids listen to the soundtrack all the time. I have seen other musicals, but not ever that one in particular.

Staying Busy

My day today:

• Up at 7 a.m.
• Made breakfast for Morgen - off to school
• breakfast for Max & Markus, bathed, dressed, teeth brushed, etc.
• 8:15 first trip to school
• made phone calls, scheduled appointments
• ran to the park center, workout
• 11:40 second trip to school
• lunch with Tanya for her birthday
• back home - took shower, did laundry
• read some I Spy books with Markus
• 2:45 third trip to school - to pick-up Morgen
• Spent Morgen's college tuition filling up the gas tank
• pick-up Max
• helped Max & Markus with homework
• Went to the rink to teach 2 lessons and a class
• Came home, made spaghetti for dinner
• did the dishes
• picked up toys and clothes and backpacks
• read a book
• read a book with Markus, tucked him into bed
• put Max to bed
• told Morgen good-night (he always stays up later than me!)
• bed (after blogging of course)

Merry Christmas!!!

When Markus woke me up this morning, I looked out the window to find a WINTER WONDERLAND!!! What in the world, I thought it was fall?! So much for the Halloween decorations, I guess we will just skip right to Christmas...

Rise and Shout

Max was invited to a birthday party today for his friend Adam. They went down to the BYU game and spent the entire day. I took him out to his friends house at 1:00 and they brought him home afterwards around 9:00. He was so excited to go and told me afterwards that he loved it! The only bad part was that he had to miss his first hockey game that was this evening. His team still won 8-5 though, so I guess it is alright if he misses 1 game out of 20. He had a hard time choosing, but I think that he was glad with his choice in going to the BYU game.

Kindergarten

This week I have spent a lot of time in Markus' kindergarten class. I walked down to the fire station with him on his field trip day. I watched him hold hands with a little girl from his class that he loves to chase at recess named Mya and listened to him tell his friend Hudson that he is his best friend. They were just walking along talking to each other all the way.

I also helped with centers in his class yesterday and listened to all of his little friends talk excitedly about Halloween and what they were going to be. It is my favorite place to be right now, I can forget about myself and just watch, learn and listen to these little people, grow and live. I love it. It also made me start thinking about the following short story:

ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN
(a guide for Global Leadership)

All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I
learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school
mountain, but there in the sand pile at school.These are the things I learned:

Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back
where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that
aren't yours.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands
before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing
and dance and play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick
together.
Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup:
the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but
we are all like that.
Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the
little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
And then remember
the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all
- LOOK.
Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule
and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane
living.
Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated
adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or government or your
world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would
be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk at about 3 o'clock in the
afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments
had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to
clean up their own mess.
And it is still true, no matter how old you are,
when you go out in the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

Source: "ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN" by Robert Fulghum