The Follower

Over the past few weeks Katelyn wants to do everything first. Maybe it is a symptom of being the youngest, but she always wants to be the first in the car, the one to set the table, the one to unlock the door, the first one to go upstairs to get pajamas on, etc. It usually only applies to things that she thinks are fun though.

Last night we were getting out of the car after sharing some ice cream at Arctic Circle for a FHE treat. As the doors to the van open, the older kids run out to get to the front door. K has to wait for me to unbuckle her from her carseat. As she gets out of the car she is screaming through tears, "Wait! I want to be the follower!" She really means the LEADER. But even though I have corrected her several times, she still wants to be the follower. Which means first to her. Ethan and Erin see the humor in this too, and have started singing this song from Peter Pan with a few changes...



Their version goes more like this:
Following the follower, the follower, the follower,
We're following the follower, wherever she may go.

I love being a mom!

Of the Imaginary

Lupperloni (Lup-per-lone-ee)


One day just after school started, K and I were in the car going somewhere. She was looking out the window and said, "Lupperloni." I started to ask her some questions, to try and figure out what she was talking about. It came down to purple macaroni and cheese. Okay then. It has since morphed into meaning any kind of food. When I ask her what she wants for dinner, she'll respond with Lupperloni. If there is something we are having and I want her to try it- I'll tell her it's Lupperloni. She will almost always try a bite or two of anything dubbed Lupperloni. So for now it's working... I know the magic will wear off someday, but for now we'll be having Lupperloni every night.


This also reminded me of Erin's imaginary friend, Annalougis, who lived under Erin's bed. Erin was four. Annalougis (Anna- loo- jis) and her dad lived under the bed. We didn't see them much, but apparently they had grand adventures with Erin. Annalougis and her dad have since moved out and into someplace of their own- but it is fun to remember them on occasion.


I love the imagination of little kids. I just wanted to capture the moment so I won't forget. It makes me smile!

Happy Halloween

From the Purple Fairy, Wolverine and Hermione Granger. Hope it's full of lots of treats and a few tricks too!

Pumpkin Carving

And the finished jack-0-lanterns:


L to R: Erin's (inspired by her favorite design on the pumpkin app for the iPod), Ethan's (designed and cut entirely by himself, Mom's (from the pattern book) and K's (she had a request for circles).

And Dad's masterpiece- Flamin' Jack. (Especially for Kentucky Grandma who always likes to see his work in pumpkin.)

Cornbelly's

Last weekend we headed to Thanksgiving Point for some fun at Cornbelly's. We got to slide, jump, and ride our way through the place. We even found our way out of the kiddie corn maze through the big maze's exit- talent! It was a little rainy towards the end of the day, but we still had lots of fun!!

Pumpkinland!

Katelyn and I were able to go on the first grade field trip to Pumpkinland! This was my cutie group of girls to watch out for. We found our way out of the corn maze, saw all the animals, and played a bit on the playground before choosing just the right pumpkin to take home. It was very fun! I think that Katelyn might have enjoyed the bus ride as much as the trip.

Fall Fun

Between sessions of Saturday General Conference we planned to get out of the house and head up to our lovely mountains. We packed ourselves a picnic lunch and headed out. First we played at a park and had lunch. The kids raced sticks in the river and under the bridge. We hiked around some, but then decided it would be more fun to head back down the canyon a bit and go see the waterfall.

Well, we not only went and saw the waterfall- but we hiked up to it too!! Now, this may not seem like such a big deal to some. But it was a HUGE deal to me. Because

* I have never done it before.

*I am way out of shape.

*We had three kiddies with us.

*The path is somewhat treacherous in places as rockslides and avalanches have shifted things since the trail was created.

The view was fabulous! The kids loved experiencing nature instead of just seeing it. I think we just might have a new family tradition to do during General Conference. The kids (and adults) were able to focus more after getting all the wiggles out too.