Happy Halloween, Part II

Well, she didn't plan to be a witch, but when we discovered this awesome purple hair and the perfect witch hat (at the thriftstore), it was a done deal.

Last year after Maren's graduation from preschool, I thought she was going to throw a toddler tantrum when she found out that she couldn't take the gown home. Imagine my thrill (and hers) when I found this cap and gown at the aforementioned store. She's going to graduate in the year 2020. YIKES! We're gonna be old!

Happy Hallloween! There's no other reason to look like this!

Off to school and work in their fancy polyester duds. The dudes from the 70's - if anyone wants to borrow our fancy yellow get-up, just ring us on the telly and we can arrange something.

Pre-Halloween Jitters

This is what happens when a 5 year old does her own face painting for Halloween! Not sure of the look she was going for here, but after a can of comet - she's clean and fresh. Milah and Maren have parties in their class tomorrow and they are so excited.

Don't suppose you recognize our 70's John Travolta-ish peace loving disco man? His polyester pants suit sports detailed black trim and bell (and I do mean BELL) bottoms. I believe, it is a lady's style and was quite fashionable for that era - a JC Penney tag is still attached. I think you forgot to pick this up on Lay-Away, Mom.

OK Class, Listen Up!

So, in my effort to be a cheerleader to my husband, I have enjoyed reading some "how to" management books lately. I have been working through the Dale Carnegie book, and picked up a new one at the thrifstore (yeah, my favorite department store) called, "FISH." It is the philosophy adopted by the Pikes Place Fish Market - and if you've ever been there, you'll definitely recall it as a unique experience. The FISH philosophy has 4 simple points: Choose your attitude, Play, Make their day, Be present.

From the armchair wear I sit, these books make perfect sense. Then Scott comes home with yet another scenario and I scratch my head trying to imagine how to implement them.

There was an illustration of "choosing your attitude" in another book (YIKES, too many at the same time) that I liked:

Once a farmer was out working in his fields when along down the road came a tired-looking man.
"where ya goin', stranger?" the farmer asked.
The man leaped back, startled, and with a trembling voice and bulging eyes replied, "T-T-To the next town. What are the people like in the next town?"
"What were they like in the last town?" the farmer asked."
"They were all mean and cruel, and I didn't like them at all," the stranger blurted.
The farmer sadly shook his head and looked down. "I'm afraid you'll find the people of the next town to be the same way."
A few days later, another man came down the same road.
"How ya doin', stranger?" the farmer asked, to which the stranger replied, "Very good, sir. Thank you for asking. Say, what do you know of the people in the next town?"
The farmer looked at him for a moment and asked wisely,
"What were they like in the last town you were in?"
"OH MY! They were friendly and kind to me, and I enjoyed them very much!" replied the stranger.
A smile came to the farmer's face and he said, "You'll find the people in the next town to be exactly the same way."

Girl's pics

A few recent pics of the girls that are my favorite . . .

Don't you just want to give them a squeeze?

Mermaid Maren

Today was Maren's 3rd day of swimming lessons. She had lessons in OR when she was much younger, but she is R-E-A-D-Y now!! She is ecstatic about learning to swim, and this program is awesome. See this video clip for an example of what these little tykes are doing - Unbelievable! http://infantaquatics.com/ She is so exuberant that she forgets to listen to the exact instructions, ahem. I believe this may be a reoccuring event in her life.

Ah, what a Relief!

What's this? A necessary evil in the harsh dry Colorado climate. When you live a mile up in the clouds and the sun is closer to your parched lips, it becomes necessary to apply and reapply this stuff every few minutes. I'm not complaining about the sunshine, but when one of these tubes gets lost in the bottom of your purse or rolls under the seat in the car and you are unable to locate the soothing relief, you start to get a little panicked. We know it's time to go on a "chapstick" buying splurge when our family of 5 is digging the ointment out with their fingernails of the last tube available. Yesterday was a "restocking" of lip stuff. With 17 applications, our chapped lips are now smooth - until a child chooses to apply 2 T. to their doll's lips or the tube gets laundered (they don't survive too well, but leave greasy little traces on the clothing).

Ok, I'm Eating my Words . . .

Greetings from Colorado! So this is something that I vowed that I WOULD NOT DO, but I've decided that it's a great way to chronicle our lives. I am not a scrapbooker and I am decades behind in my photo albums, so this is a fun way for us to remember what we've done together. If, by some chance, other people find it interesting - I'm glad to entertain you. I know that I have been inspired, been homesick, definitely been informed and entertained - just by looking at some of your blogs.

To kick off this milestone - I will include my favorite picture of our family (minus me). It was taken at Soap Creek Campground, above Blue Mesa Reservoir in Gunnison. We are living in Colorado for two years (one year left on our "tour of duty"), so we are trying to cover as much ground as possible. I'm sure that we've seen more of Colorado than most Colorado -idians have seen.