Aliens and Snow

Aliens are new to snow. They love it. They are fascinated by it. They love how the snow topples off cars and makes cool patterns of water on the windows. They love to watch it fall. They love to wake up in the morning and check to see if it snowed. They are always dying to get out in the snow. Its been quite entertaining to watch the alien relationship with snow...extreme love to extreme hate..."When is going to snow again?" to "When will it STOP"?. All-in-all, its mostly still a novelty and many discoveries are being made. So far, aliens do love snow.

They think all snow "tasks" are fun - they fight over who gets to clean off my cars...Nice!

They think that shoveling is good fun - they even want to shovel the walks of the vacant house next door...

They sure do think its a great idea to launch snow at grown ups, until...

The littlest alien realizes cold can be painful...

Even the strongest alien - has a breaking point with the cold - and can give up

The after-snow ritual: Blanket-sharing snuggle

Conversation overheard at my house today...

Flower: Want to know something interesting about when Jesus lived here?
Bear: When Jesus lived here? at this house?
Flower: No...when he lived on earth a looooong time ago.
Bear: Okay.
Flower: When Jesus lived here boys wore dresses.
Bear: (shocked and surprised) WHEN JESUS LIVED HERE BOYS WORE DRESSES?
Flower: Yes, long flowy dresses, with just a belt, let me show you.
Bear: Yup. Boys wore dresses.

Learning the Man Jobs

Bear got his first lesson in lawn mowing - because he is a boy. Grandpa helped him learn the ropes. Lawn mowing is definitely manly - and definitely a man's job - right? Then I thought of the 2 summers that I mowed my lawn - before I found that I could pay the neighbor kid next to nothing to do it for me. I wondered if lawn mowing really was one of the "man jobs". One year ago - the man jobs in my world just didn't get done - it was too much of a pain to have to find someone to take the time or to trouble themselves with my list of "fix its" - so if I couldn't figure it out - it just didn't happen. Several years removed from the days of a large group of single guy friends I could call on for "man job" duties - and having no "dating pool" of men that I could flirt with or kiss to get my "fix its" taken care of...I resented the fact that there are man jobs and woman jobs. But, there are. There just are. And the lists are different for every couple - for every person really. A woman in my ward fights her husband for mowing priviledges. One of my closest friends is the techno person in her marriage - her husband can't work the DVD remote. Let alone hook up the player. She's the one with the tool box. But, she is a really bad cook - and he does all the cooking and cleaning. My friend Kendi (and if I knew how to post a link and make it show up - I would link to her blog right now - but, I'm a little stunted in my blog knowledge - help me please!) just posted a blog about finding a 4 foot gopher snake in her yard - and needing to find the closest male at home in the neighborhood...I would definitely agree that snakes would be a man job on my list. Regardless, the man job list and the woman job list are constantly changing and being defined on an individual basis. Its been so nice to have my Dad around to assign these tasks to. When he leaves, I'll go back to my world of "unfinished fix its" - because for me there are just some man jobs - I can't manage. What are the man jobs that you can't manage?

Bear thought he was so tough and strong to be able to pull and push the mower. Grandpa was very encouraging.

He showed him ALL the ropes. How to do it ALL the way.

They even bagged the clippings! Good job Bear!!

Once there was a snowman...

Do you know this song?

Once there was a snowman, snowman, snowman.
Once there was a snowman tall, tall, tall.
In the sun he melted, melted, melted.
In the sun he melted small, small, small.

Bear learned it in kindergarten...or primary...I'm not sure. Whomever taught it to him - is NOT my friend. He sings it NON-STOP. This little ditty is constantly swirling in my head and all the aliens end up singing it. I'm beginning to dream about a snowman melting "small, small, small..." There are moments when I think this song is worse than "Its a Small World" --which sometimes I sing in my head to get rid of the snowman song. Please, please help me.

Halloween Wars

There's a parade at school, a pirate party, a corn maze, a haunted house, a flashlight scavenger hunt, a school party, trunk-or-treat, visits to the great-grandmas to show off the costumes, and a few birthday parties mixed in and finally it all culminates with tonight the big Trick-or-Treat affair. Well, it seems like a fight to determine which is better, most fun -what would you do again. Here is what I learned.

All of the parties are fun. In fact, I should be brave and throw one. However, it is just more days of sugar, sugar, sugar..
The corn maze and the haunted house don't necessarily have sugar (unless you have to buy a treat on the way home to cheer up or calm down a frightened or frustrated alien)
Trunk-or-Treat is for little, little kids the ones you can't let walk up the stairs to someones door alone. They can collect a whole bucket full of candy in 15 minutes and be done for the year. However, for any kid that can go trick-or-treating...trunk-or-treat is a lot of preparation - dressing up for a dip in a big candy bowl...so, if I want the aliens to just have more candy - this is a must, but since I don't...wouldn't do it again.
Visits to the Great-Grandma's to show off the costumes - now this was fun - after the 15 minute burst of trunk-or-treating we made our visits - already made up, it was a nice visit. And the aliens got the biggest fright of the whole season at Granny's house with her handmade Halloween scary man on her front porch.
Trick-or-Treating is where its at. Socializing - running...so much running. Littlest witch, who is 3...just kept chanting "faster, faster, faster...more candy, more candy, more candy!" It was quite entertaining. We have town homes across the street from us - and they were fun because there are a lot of houses close together. Buckets got very heavy by nights end and everyone was exhausted.

Here are the hi-lights of the season...


Visiting with family and friends definitely tops the list...here is great-aunt Susan who came trick-or-treating - and gave birthday boy Grandpa a night at home with Grandma passing out candy.

It was definitely the year of the witch...we had 3 witches at our house and here is another from the neighborhood, this witch and the oldest witch at our house got to trick-or-treat by themselves one street away from the rest of us...oooh!

Here is the scary man on Granny's porch - the scariest fright for the gang of the whole season - he's not real - but he seems eerily creepy and almost real!




On the way to one of the many parties - means getting ready in the broad daylight...and putting your sass on. Parties were definitely fun.

The witch costumes made cool shadows and we played with shadows while waiting for their ride to the flashlight scavenger hunt!


Passing out candy was as popular as trick-or-treating..everyone wanted to hold that bowl and look out the window for looming trick-or-treaters.




The parade at school was kind of fun...at least you get to see how your costumes rank among the kids peers. I'd say we did pretty good. Though, it really was the year of the witch.

And Trunk-or-treat...this was my first time every attending such an event ...and man..it was just about dumping candy and it was over faster than you could blink.


But, at least they all looked cute.

Conference Center Activities

We had regional stake conference yesterday. We were one of the stakes invited to attend AT the conference center instead of via satellite. I thought it would be a great opportunity for all of the aliens to experience the conference center, as children under 8 are usually not invited to attend things there. Plus, the conference was presided over by President Hinckley, who also spoke and President Packer, who also spoke. I kept saying how lucky we were to get to go. We had to get up early, we had to go really early to get seats...we were there a very long time and it was a long day - even with all of the books, writing utensils and fruit snacks I brought. I thought I had kind of lost the battle of getting the aliens to appreciate how "neat" it was...when my grandmother asked Bear what his favorite part was and he said "the end." And Flower said, "when we left". I thought they just didn't get it. But, then I found these tucked in one of the books we brought and I thought...maybe something sunk in. Frog has such interesting artistic vision...




PS Elder Eyring wasn't there....

Ice Cream Heaven

Whoever thought of this was brilliant. At the State Fair a few weeks ago - we just happened to go on the day of the Ice Cream Festival. All You Can Eat Ice Cream! Every Utah Ice Cream producer was there with a stand. Fat Boy Ice Creams were a favorite. The BYU Dairy was there - I didn't remember their ice cream being so good. As you can see, we all enjoyed it plenty. Seriously...good idea. We were in ice cream HEAVEN!!

Back from Blog Vacation

I haven't posted in a month. A month! First, it was because Alien Mommy was in town and I wasn't taking the pictures, Alien Mommy was. Then, it was just cause...well, life happens. Fall TV happens and can take every spare minute you have. Plus, alien life is so much more difficult than I thought and drama has been a constant. But, now I'm back. Back from Blog-Vacation. And - "Its COLD outside"! (Groundhog Day Radio Voice)


Here are the not-so bundled and freezing aliens this morning waiting to walk out to the bus. Adapting to the weather here is very exciting for the aliens who have been used to heat, heat, heat all year round. Its apparently difficult to remember your coat/jacket/scarf all the time and it is impossible to remember where you left them - if you aren't used to carting them around. I walked the entire UT Aquarium with 4 jackets- for fear of them being lost. I can only re-buy jackets so many times when I'm already broke!

Here's an interesting fashion statement. I insisted she wear tights today when Frog showed up at the breakfast table in a skirt - because its COLD. Then, she came back downstairs with this lovely combination. The tennis shoes match - don't you see?? And I love the patterned tights...

It all works so well...here is the full ensemble. Uh-huh, nice Frog, nice

Last Days of Summer

Its cooling off - its getting colder...we may be in the last days of Summer. My freshman year of college, we took a big group picture in front of our dorm on September 22, 1991 - it was a beautiful day- warm and nice. The next day there was a HUGE snow storm - so we went out and took another group picture in the snow. Summer can end when you least expect it. So, after soccer games and shopping and chores - we had a little water party in the backyard. Water guns, hose and water cans entertained everyone for quite awhile.


We attempted to make a "hi" with alien bodies - but the task was difficult with the high powered squirming of little Chick - but, it came out okay.




So, Hi! and now Bye!

Mani and Pedi Night

We went to our appointment at Great-Aunt Susan's Spa for our Mani and Pedi Night. Its good to start instilling the mani and pedi gene in the girls while they are young. Great-Aunt Susan only got her first salon pedicure THIS YEAR - the first one in her entire life! Shocking! I will admit, though she is very good with the brush, so, maybe its understandable, but it did allow her to open her own little shop for the night. However, Bear was offended when told that the polish is not for boys. He whined and whined until he eventually conceded the point and Great-Aunt Susan gave him a fabulous poster making project to work on during our spa treatments - that is what I call a "full-service" spa!




***I try to teach good rules for the mani and pedi-s.



1. Always have someone else apply the polish - and if at all possible - pay someone to massage, polish and do lots of fancy stuff to your hands and feet.



2. Always be sure polish is dry before leaving spa area - if necessary, blow on the polish yourself and recruit help.



3. Always take a picture of just your enhanced limbs when polish is freshly finished - so you can remember what your nails looked like before they were ruined by some sort of happening...




4. Always get manis and pedis in groups - they are much more fun that way.

Great-Aunt Susan's spa sure is a fun place - she really is a "Great Aunt".

Second First Day of School

Second first day of school has arrived. Aliens get very excited for school - they get up way before the alarm goes off and are ready to go a looong time before the bus comes. Little bear was so excited this morning - he was a jumble of nerves and craziness - he fell down the stairs, smacked into the couch, smacked into my head (ouch!) all because excitement seems to make him not fully in control of his limbs. It was definitely an exciting morning...


The over-sized and very cool backpack gang. Brought to you by Great-Aunt-Susan gifts Inc.


We made them hold hands - just long enough to take a picture - though requiring them -to hold hands - brought on a spontaneous run through of Ring-Around-The-Rosie


And off he goes on the bus - now he's just in Kindergarten - and he insisted on riding the bus on his first day. I'm a little worried about him getting OFF the bus..he won't have his sister aliens with him and will he get off too soon? too late? I would really like to pick him up...maybe, I'll sneak over there and follow the bus home. I think its okay to stalk on the first day of school. Its been a crazy first week, back to school night was fun - meeting with the Kindergarten teacher was interesting. This is a lot of fun, but, much, much, much, much, much harder than I thought. Really, does it get any easier? I kind of wish I could be the one with a packed lunch and a driver to and from my daily destinations.

I Wanna Be A Gangsta

Chick wanted 3 ponytails today instead of 2 - so she could use all 3 green hairbands we had in the bathroom. Good things she has the attitude down to go with the hairdo... Peace Out!

First First Day of School

Today was the first of the 2 first days of school (Kindergarten starts next Tuesday) and I didn't think we would make it through the nervous excitement - but the aliens got off bright and early at 7:57am when the bus pulled up. It was the first bus ride to school they've ever taken, I was informed. It was the first time they've gone to school in Utah, I was informed. It was the first time they took their new backpacks and first time they took their new lunchbox and first time I walked with them down to the bus stop - there were a lot of firsts... I'm just glad we don't commemorate the second time we do anything!

All ready - half an hour early! Monochromatic was the theme of the day...

The walk down the street to the school bus - they were in a rush and walking FAR ahead of me.

On the bus - and off they went