Best Buddies ~~ Chasie and Oscie

These two were inseparable this afternoon.  Wherever one went, the other followed.  Cutest thing ever!

Gracie lost her 2nd tooth!

Just like the 1st, Gracie was too scared to pull the 2nd.  Hanging by a string, the tooth came out while she was eating a hard boiled egg!  She thought she had swallowed it, but luckily found it on her plate.  She wrote another cute little note to the Tooth Fairy stating she'd like to keep her tooth, but that the Tooth Fairy could look at it if she'd like to.  When she woke up there was gum and $2.00 and the Tooth Fairy had pulled her tooth out of the baggie and left it next to it after she looked at it.  :)  Also, just like the 1st, she already had a permanent tooth up behind it. 

Parker's Fall Party

I was so thankful that my mom was in town to watch Chase so I could help with Parker's "Fall Party."  It seems so silly to me that they can't call it a "Halloween Party" any more.  My mom and I made the sugar cookies for the kids to decorate--so glad she was here for that because I'm not much of a baker.  :)  Pretty sure I've never even made sugar cookies before.  Haha!  

I was helping at the cookie decorating table and another mom was helping me.  All 19 kids (split into 4 groups) came to our station and Parker was the only one who said please and thank you and acted so polite.  The other mom helping me said to him that he was such a polite boy and had such good manners.  Way to go Park!

Tiger Museum

Liberty's Tiger Reserve classes had a "Tiger Museum" where the kids had to present a topic on tiger facts that they researched.  Gracie's group presented facts on poaching tigers as well as acted out a skit they had made up depicting the topic.  They had to repeat it several times as kids from the school and parents came by to watch.  She was so nervous to do it, but she did an awesome job!  They even got to decorate their own shirt for it.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween was on Sunday this year and we decided as a family that we weren't going to participate in trick or treating for the sake of keeping the Sabbath Day holy.  I felt so good about this decision and I'm so proud of Gracie and Parker for really understanding and not arguing or complaining about it.  Unfortunately the South Dakotan's find no reason to celebrate it on Saturday like some of the more "Mormon friendly" states do.  We did however accept trick or treaters at our door and Gracie and Parker really had such a fun time passing out candy and telling the kids their costumes were cool and happy Halloween.  I loved having them home to pass out the candy.  It was so nice not having to run up and down the stairs every couple minutes. 

We did however have a ward Trunk or Treat and carnival the Friday night before.   So the kids were able to load up on candy there.  The businesses around Harrisburg also let the kids trick or treat at there places on Friday as well.  So all in all I think the kids had a good taste of Halloween!

Gracie wanted to be a vampire again this year and use the same costume she had last year.  Woo Hoo!  Gotta love that!  The only difference is she wanted to be a vampire queen this year.  Easy enough. :)  Parker was a red ninja and Chase was a shark.  So cute!

Every year the kids pick out a design they want cut into their pumpkin and Phil has always been the one to help them gut their pumpkins and carve them.  He had to work late this year so Grandma Holgate and I stepped up to the plate.  She helped them gut the pumpkins and I carved them.  Parker wanted a moon and stars and Gracie wanted bats.  I must say, not too shabby for my first time!  :)

"This is so fun!"

"It's too hard...I can't do it!"

Lots of fun with Grandma Holgate

After Grandma and Grandpa Stephenson left (well actually the day before they left) my mom came to stay for a couple of weeks.  It was so wonderful having her and hard as always to have her go. 

For nearly 14 years now, ever since I was 18 and went away to school at Dixie College, I have had to watch my mom walk away and return home and know that it would be months before I'd see her again.  Without a doubt 14 years later and probably a hundred departures later, it hasn't gotten any easier.  I still cry like a baby every time she leaves.  It always makes me feel like there is a big hole in my heart.  My mom is so special to me and I always look forward to her coming to stay.  I miss my dad so much too and I'm so grateful to him for being such a loving and selfless husband and father for letting my mom come so often to visit.  He gets to come about every other time (that my mom comes), which is hard to go for so long without seeing him.  We can't wait for him to come soon!

I always hope that Gracie and I will have the same close relationship that my mom and I have.  I think it's a rare and special thing that my mom and I share and it would make me happier than anything if I could share that same love and friendship with my daughter. 

While my mom was here I got done everything I could while she could watch Chase.  I volunteered in Gracie and Parker's classes a few times (Gracie's Tiger Museum and squid dissection and Parker's Fall Party), got a massage (given to me when I had Chase), went to the dentist, had my annual physical, primary meetings, flu shots, shopping, hmmmm.....I know there was more.  Phil and I were able to go down to Omaha (2 1/2 hours away) one Saturday to the Winter Quarters Temple while my mom stayed home and watched the kids.  It was awesome!  We left at 5:00am and got back at 1:30pm.  I really enjoyed spending that one on one time with Phil and being able to attend the temple together.  What an awesome blessing our Heavenly Father has given us to be able to attend and feel the love and spirit He offers us.  The time went by way  too fast though.  I really appreciate Phil for the lengths he went to to make it happen.  He was on call that weekend and had to find someone to cover for him.

Grandma volunteered in Gracie and Parker's classrooms at school and also ate lunch with each of them.  They loved having her come into their classrooms!  She also went with Parker out to recess and said that all the girls follow him around.  Hehe!  That doesn't surprise me at all because Parker is so sweet and kind.

A while back I got a denim jacket and Gracie really liked it and wanted one too.  I happened to find one for her on a really good sale.  So she had this brilliant idea that her and I and Grandma Holgate needed to go on a GNO (girls night out) together and wear our denim jackets.  My mom didn't have one and heaven forbid she let Gracie down, so she found one and bought it to bring for our GNO.  Gracie picked the place to eat, Texas Road House and then we went and saw Despicable Me.  Loved that movie!  The best part though was the ride home afterward when Gracie was quoting the movie in the perfect accent.  What a hoot that girl is!  We were rolling! 

The next day Phil and Parker had a "Boys Day Out" and went golfing and got shakes.  Phil let Parker drive the golf cart and from what I heard, they had a lot of fun goofing around. Phil's not a picture taker like I am so unfortunately I have no pictures to document it. :)

At the tail end of my mom's stay, Phil went to San Francisco for a pathology convention.  He was gone from Thursday morning to Sunday night, which happened to be over Halloween.  Bummer!  I'm so glad my mom was here to help me tackle the ward Trunk or Treat.  It's a lot of work getting kids dressed up, pictures taken and out the door. :) 

Grandma brought a mini-cupcake kit for the kids to bake.  They loved it!

At the Sertoma Butterfly House.

Helping Gracie do her homework.

Gracie's new pets!

Gracie's class at school had several crayfish that were considered their class pets.  I guess after a while the teacher got sick of cleaning their water out so she offered them to the kids in the class to take home.  Gracie came home begging me to let her have some.  Initially I gave a firm "NO," but after a day of much thought, I was considering it.  My reasoning--I know the kids are going to want more pets in their lifetime than just Oscar.  I figured it wouldn't be fair to say no to all of their requests seeing as how that's just part of childhood (so I believe).  I know I never want to have hamsters or any such rodents, nor do I want a cat.  SO crayfish it was!  (You know, the lesser of several evils. :)  )  I talked to Phil and he was on board as well.  Actually he pushed my wavering maybe over to the yes side.  So I went to the school and picked up two creepy crawly crayfish.   Phil and I thought we could keep them for a couple of days and then convince Gracie to set them free...for a better life...of course.  :)  She wouldn't let them go, so we kept them for a couple weeks at which point we tried once again to convince her they'd be happier in a more suitable habitat.  Through the two weeks, I of course, was the "zoo keeper" fulfilling all the duties of being a good crayfish owner / mommy.  Was there ever any doubt I'd be the one taking care of them--changing their nasty water and feeding them?!  Well Gracie, with the tender heart she has realized they'd probably be more happy in the wild (a.k.a. swampy ditch canal place a block away).  So we did it!  We set them free!  Not sure if my gut feeling that they wouldn't live through the night in the thick moss and cold temps was with good reason or maybe from the guilt of a mother abandoning her child in such conditions.  Regardless, it isn't much of a life to live in a 7" x 7" plastic container.  Leaving plan B (setting them free) a better option in my opinion.  I guess it was ?fun? while it lasted!

Lots of fun with Grandma & Grandpa Stephenson!

As always, we love having Grandma and Grandpa come to stay!  The kids absolutely love them to death and enjoy every second with them.  I'm sure they go home just exhausted because the kids keep them busy playing and doing projects the entire time they are here.  We got to see Palisades State Park while they were here, which was great because we hadn't been to see it yet.  It is such a beautiful place.  I really want to make it out there earlier in the Fall next year though so we can see the leaves changing colors.  I'm so thankful that the earth was created with "hidden" beauties all around so that we can escape our every day norms and visit the beautiful nature around us.