Pre-Halloween Activities

It's the week before Halloween and we've had activity after activity (Mommy's pooped). Here are highlights of just a few...

Harvest Festival

I thought we would skip Bartlett's annual Harvest Festival as 1. Kyle doesn't go to school there anymore 2. We were crazy busy, but Friday afternoon rolled around and I figured we would check it out. Besides, Tripp's company was providing the power and he was out of town so I was secretly a little nervous everything wasn't going as scheduled. Thankfully it was and Abbie and Daisy couldn't have had more fun. They played games and Abbie even got her hair painted orange, just like Ruby. Of course, orange on Abbie is more like Ronald McDonald then the electric pink it turned out on Ruby's hair but she loved it all the same. Definitely worth putting off some work to hang out at Bartlett for a couple of hours.

Pumpkin Patch

We got invited to visit a Vegas-style parking lot pumpkin patch with a small group of kids. Normally not my thing for so many reasons but I thought we'd give it a whirl. I invited Lindsay and Nate and we had SO MUCH FUN! $5 per child gave our group private access to the rides, petting zoo, train and each child received a small pumpkin and water on the way out. Daisy was feeling yucky and wanted to go to bed (high fever, doctor visit, another story) but Abbie had the time of her life. Her pumpkin sits in a place of honor by her bed. She treats it with all the love and care of a stuffed animal. The ride operators were so kind to the kids and Abbie and Nate got along great (Lindsay has a good photo of them on the train on her blog...check it out). Thanks Marianne for the invite...can't wait until next year!

Trunk or Treat

Our church's annual Trunk or Treat was last night. We combine with two other wards for the event so lots of friends are there. Again, Abbie was in heaven with trick or treating and tons of games. We didn't see Kyle at all. He hooked up with a friend within seconds after arrival and Tripp had to track him down when it was time to go. He had a huge smile on his face and a big sack of candy so I'd say it was a good night for him as well. Daisy just hung out with Daddy and ate some of her candy while she waited for Abbie to play the games. Tripp is looking forward to the day when our kids are all a bit older and both of us (or him at least) can sit in the car handing out candy.

Preschool Party

Abbie had a Halloween party at her school today that she has been talking about all afternoon. When we pulled up she said, "Ms. Joy is a witch mom!!!" So excited about the entire thing. She had so much fun. Tomorrow she gets to dress up for dance class and that is now her focus...Halloween party at dance! So many Halloween events and so much fun, we are truly a lucky family.

Cooking Group Week Six - Lightly Fried Chicken

To Catch A Thief, is one of my favorite movies of all time. In this scene, Carrie Grant and Grace Kelly are driving through the French Riviera with a picnic lunch of cold chicken and beer. I've always liked the idea of driving through the French Riviera in a convertible with a basket in the back filled with cold chicken and in my case, some rootbeer. I think potato salad would be nice as well.

Anyway, the two boys in our house like KFC and I'm not a huge fan so when I came across this recipe for lightly fried chicken, I thought I would give it a whirl. It was very easy and everyone loved it. Abbie in particular ate a ton of chicken that night, which is unusual for her. I got it from my favorite online recipe gal, Prudence Pennywise. You can check out the recipe here.

And if you need a great movie, try To Catch a Thief. I'm certain Blockbuster online or Netflicks has it and we have a copy we'll happily loan out if you promise to return it.

We are big girls now!

Both girls hit milestones last week that they would like to share, along with other interesting facts about themselves...
Abbie was in her very first primary program last Sunday. They asked all the children to wear white (thanks again Butler Fam for the loan!) which isn't Abbie's best color but she looked happy and lovely anyway. She was very, very excited. Her primary teacher was out of town so she bonded with a cute mom in the ward that volunteered to sit with her class. She sang some, whispered her part but showered her picture of "Her favorite thing Heavenly Father created...flowers" like a champ and waved and waved at her family. About 2/3 of the way through she had to use the restroom and decided to sit with me for the rest. I'm really proud of her for giving it a try and having such a great attitude (poor attitudes were in abundance that day in our ward).

Abs is loving school and dance. She still dances to Hannah Montana almost every day. Some days she is Abbie, others she is Hanna Montana/Annaliese(a Barbie)/Sister Anderson (her primary teacher) and we have to refer to her by that name. She likes to tell me how everything "Freaks her out". She is looking forward to Disneyland for her birthday and talks about it nearly daily.

Daisy switched over from her crib to her bed a couple of weeks ago. She has been really good and doesn't get out unless I come in for her. She still wakes Abbie up really early in the morning though with her talking. With Abbie we had to put up a guard but not Daisy. A pillow has worked just fine. She still likes to be covered with stuffed animals when she goes to sleep. This is only half of her normal allotment.

Daisy talks non-stop. Normally she is simply repeating what Kyle and Abbie are saying but if they aren't around she talks and talks to me. She loves to play with her sister. She will dance, walk around with purses, whatever Abbie is doing. She is really good with scissors...much better than Abbie at this age. She isn't sure how she feels about Disneyland but she loves to eat so the treats will be a slam dunk.

Cooking Group Week Five: Baked Ziti With Sausage, Spinach and Tomatoes

Our family ate Baked Ziti with Sausage, Spinach and Tomatoes last week. Luckily, it's a great dish for a crowd as Mama & PapaThom stopped by for a surprise visit and joined us. It easily fed all seven of us without a problem. Consensus, good stuff.

Kyle ate a full portion, no problem. Probably would have asked for seconds but we had bread that night (a rarity for us) so he ate a ton bread with butter (his father's son????).

Abbie ate a few bites of noodles which isn't bad for her, then a lot of bread as well. Daisy asked for more and more. She loved all of it.

It was easy, yummy and had lots of good stuff inside. We all gave it a thumbs up! I read about the recipe from Stephanie in Salt Lake City. You can find it here.

Enjoy!

Haunted Harvest

We heart the Springs Preserve. Not only is it a fabulous indoor/outdoor experience that we can enjoy all year long, but they also have fantastic special events. We experienced our first of the season last night with Haunted Harvest. I invited Lindsay and her family to join us and give the Springs Preserve a try. Luckily, a good friend of mine works for the Water District and hooked me up with coupons so we all received a couple of bucks off admission (I have a few more if you want to check it out. Seriously, we have an annual family membership and use it all year long. This would be a great time to see what the Springs Preserve is all about). Anyhoo, Lindsay, Wes and Nate met us there for some good pre-Halloween fun. The kids had a blast trick-or-treating and playing carnival style games. The weather was lovely so it was wonderful to be walking around outside. The light up the entire garden area and it is truly beautiful. Abbie and Daisy even danced with Sponge Bob, Patrick and a witch! The hayride was sold out until 8 p.m. so we passed on that but otherwise, good fun all around.

All in all, I'd say a good time was had by all. Abbie fell asleep on the car ride home. Both girls are sitting at the table now going through their treat baskets.

Introducing....

Jude Palacios Hurd

I finally got to meet little Jude on Saturday. He is just as a baby should be...sweet, cuddly, lovely smelling, happy to be held (even by a new friend). I loved every minute I got to spend with him but sadly, he got hungry and I promised Tripp not to stay ALL afternoon. But I easily could have. With his old man hair, big cheeks and tiny chin I was quickly smitten. No "Little Mr. Sunshine" here. Of course, the grown-up company was delightful as well. Mom and Dad are definitely glowing. And who can blame them, with two handsome boys...

Fall Garden

We planted our fall garden this week. The girls and I had fun at the nursery picking out our plants and visiting the turtles and fish. Abbie even pulled her own wagon and filled it up with plants while Daisy rode in my wagon with her friend the tomato plant.

We have a variety of starter plants as well as seeds this fall. I've left a couple of plants from the spring including the basil, chives and pepper (it finally has peppers on it!).

We planted the following:
*Lettuce - a few varieties
*Spinach
*Tomato
*Peppermint
*Chives
*Green Onions
*Artichoke
*Lots of Pansies

Phase Two of our backyard remodeling moves into gear this week as we will put the finish coat on the flagstone, begin digging the trenches for the trees and garden area II and begin leveling the rest for sod.

Cooking Group Week Four - Chicken Satay

This week we tried an Asian inspired meal with Chicken Satay and Red Curry Peanut Sauce. To say it was a hit is an understatement. Everyone loved it. Tripp isn't a fan of the flavors of the far east or probably even Indian food for that matter but he even really liked it. Daisy ate a ton of chicken and sauce, as did Kyle.

I made a yummy cucumber salad as well. Again, a hit. Abbie ate a ton of brown rice and cucumbers so I was pleased with that.

All the recipes were courtesy of one of my very favorite recipe blogs Prudence Pennywise. You can check out the full recipes for Chicken Satay, the Red Curry Peanut Sauce and the Cucumber Salad here.

As for week three, sorry everyone but Tripp was in Brazil and Kyle had every activity known to man last week (soccer, Court of Honor, Greenspun Open House, you get the picture) so I just didn't get around to trying something new. I needed old standbys last week...

Court of Honor

Kyle had a Court of Honor last week. He has been working so hard in the scouting program that he not only advanced two ranks, but earned a ton of merit badges and was recognized as the scout who earned the most merit badges since the last Court of Honor and tied for the most required merit badges. It certainly doesn't hurt that his dad loves the scouting program and encourages him to always do his best and try harder.

Tripp was recognized for his service at Scout Camp this summer and going above and beyond despite not being a part of the scouting program. Unfortunately, he was in Brazil and wasn't able to attend.

Abbie enjoyed watching Kyle get his awards, seeing him present the pins to his mom, and eating the cookies afterwards.

Eagles 2009

Fall soccer started in August and Kyle was lucky to end up on the Eagles for another season. This is his fifth or sixth season on the team and he really loves it. Kyle has always been a natural athlete but soccer really is his thing, especially goalie. He has the two greatest coaches a team could ask for. They do an amazing job with the boys and I really feel like they never make one kid into a star...each one gets a lot of encouragement and attention. They are positive when they need to be and tough when they don't. Out of all the sports, teams and coaches we've been through with Kyle, these two are truly the best. Kyle has excelled and we know it is due to the coaches and his true love of the game.

Many of the boys on the team return every season so he's been playing with them for a few years now. They play well together and have developed some good friendships. We really couldn't be happier for Kyle or prouder of him.

And best of all...the pictures always turn out fabulous. The coach's wife takes the photos each season and spends her own time (and money) getting a couple printed for each player. She does a great job getting each kid to smile and look like they want to be on the team (not always easy with 12 yr old boys). The professional photographers have nothing on Christi. Tripp and I are so thankful every season that she wants to do it. It saves us a lot of money and these are some of the best photos we get of Kyle ALL YEAR LONG.

His games are Saturdays at Anthem Hills Park. If you're ever interested in checking one out, let us know. We may even have an Eagles t-shirt in your size!

Can't forget to mention our friend Don who kindly designed the Eagles logo. Thanks!!!!

Brazil

Tripp left yesterday around noon for Brazil. I've been disgruntled about this trip from the get go. I'm normally pretty supportive of his job in general but something about this trip in particular has really bugged me. It's been on again, off again so many times now I can't count. He is missing a session here in the states that he actually would have liked to attend that would only have required a few days away. Because of the entire on again/off again nature of the beast he had to take an extra day away to procure his Visa then missed his window for the Yellow Fever vaccine because of other travels. Not to mention missing soccer, General Conference, Court of Honor, and Greenspun Open House...I just have been in a bad mood about it. Then yesterday he arrived in Houston and the plane to Brazil had mechanical difficulties and I just hoped it didn't crash.

But this morning he arrived and his hotel is 10 minutes away from this...
Somehow, I can't be frustrated or angry anymore. This is the Campinas Brazil Temple. He caught a picture of it from a cab maybe (haven't got the full story yet) and hopes to find time to go back during his visit. He knew he wouldn't have time for sightseeing (in fact we loaned our camera to Kyle's soccer coach who left yesterday for India) but he is going to try and carve out some time, even just to walk the grounds.

Not many Americans see this temple unless they serve a mission in Brazil and since Tripp served his country instead of a mission, I feel like he deserves to see this lovely temple. Maybe this trip was just a chance for him to see it. Maybe the European contingent can't do the training without him. Or maybe I needed him to be near it because now I'm certainly a lot less angry about the entire thing. It certainly is lovely...