What the Ooobleck?

The boys didn't have school on Wed. (the day before Thanksgiving) so they came up with some unusual entertainments. Tyler made a cornstarch and water goo called ooobleck. When you have the right proportions, it is a solid when you hit it but a liquid that can ooze through your fingers. When Ryan & Justin found out what he was doing they had to make their own. All three boys spent a long time playing in the kitchen (making quite a mess) and using up all the cornstarch in the house. They giggled and laughed and grossed me out. They liked rolling it hard in their hands and it would be a solid ball, but as soon as they stopped rolling it changed back into a soft runny liquid and spilled over their fingers. It was really weird concoction and they are begging me to buy more cornstarch. Who knew it could be so fun!

Have A Holly Jolly HALLOWEEN?

Ryan decided the day before, that he did want a costume for the ward Trunk-or-Treat party so we went looking for something cheap. There were very few options at that late date, but since the Christmas merchandise is out in all the stores, he found a Santa hat and we decided to make it work. We bought a red sweat suit and trimmed it out with furry fabric. And I made a beard and a belt and added fur to his Frankenstein boots from last year. He really liked the pillow stuffed in his clothes to make him fat. At the party, he won the award for Most Original Costume. Ho, ho, ho!

Justin wanted to be a pile of money like the one on some TV commercials. It follows the people around and its funny. So I looked for play money all over Kansas and couldn't find any. Well, I found some, but it was pretty expensive fake money! So we went back to our old stand-by costume, and Justin went as a Martial Arts Guy! Thanks to Cody for the hand-me-down uniform!

Tyler decided to not dress up this year. He is too old. He can't have hard or chewy candies because of his new braces. So he helped pass out candies at the ward party and then at home while Todd took the other 2 boys around the neighborhood.

We have waaayy too much candy. Fortunately the good stuff is almost gone. And after muching on it for 5 days, even the good stuff doesn't taste good. The thing I like best about Halloween is that when it's over, it's 2 months of getting ready for CHRISTMAS!! I guess Ryan was on to something!

Beautiful Boys

I rebelled against the school pictures rip off this year. I decided to not pay $40+ per boy for pictures I don't love, and took them to get pictures taken on Friday when they didn't have school. The down side is it took over 1 1/2 hrs! The upside is I like the pictures they took and with the package I bought, I got the CD of all the pictures! I Photoshopped some of them and I might use them for a Christmas card. Aren't my boys looking great? They are really great kids and we are soooo lucky and blessed.

I Don't Feel Good

I have a headache that hasn't gone away since Wednesday and I have spots on my scalp that hurt. The doctor says I have SHINGLES! Again. I have medicines that should help but the one for pain sure doesn't seem to be working. I'll try to go to my regular doc tomorrow and hopefully start feeling better soon. It stinks being sick while Mom and Dad are here. I feel like a sick party-pooper sicko. At least shingles on my head isn't hurting as much as I remember shingles on my waist hurting. That's something. It's just depressing to be hurting all the time. And now I'm done whining.

You Got Ta Move It, Move It!

Saturday was Tyler's first Stake Dance! He was so handsome! He says he danced with 6 girls and he had a lot of fun and he'll probably go again next month. I can't believe it. My baby boy went out dancing with girls!! When did he grow up? (And can I embarrass him anymore?)

Cupcake Heaven

I had heard great things about a cupcake shop here in town called Daddy Cakes so Mom & Justin & I went and bought 6 different kinds to sample. We divided them into quarters and shared with Dad and Ryan and Tyler. They were pretty good! Too pricey to have very often, but maybe we'll try to recreate some of their flavors. We had Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Chocolate Mint Grasshopper, Chocolate Cupcake (like Hostess cupcakes), Lemon, Cookies & Creme. They were all very tasty.

Ryan's Turns TWELVE?!?!

Yes, Ryan is 12! His birthday was the 9th and Mom and Dad Ashby surprised us by coming a couple days earlier than planned to celebrate with us! We've been busy every day so I haven't had much time for posting about our fun times. Ryan got a red iPod and he loves it. It's one of the very new nanos and he actually uses it! He also got a Calvin & Hobbs book, and a Wii game. What a great day!

Then next day, he had 5 of his best buddies come to the movies with us to see The City of Ember. They all liked it but they said it didn't follow the book as much as they thought it would. His friends gave him some great gifts (he still needs to write thank yous!) and they played a couple games of football in the backyard. We had pizza and a very chocolatey ice cream cake. It was double chocolate cake, double chocolate cookie crunch ice cream (my new favorite), chocolate frosting, and chocolate sprinkles. Mmmmm. So Happy Birthday to Ryan! We love you soooo much!!!

Happy, Happy Birthday, Tyler Dear!!!

Saturday was Tyler's birthday! He's 14!! How did that happen? He is still a boy and wanted to get up early to open his birthday presents. So at 7am he got his gifts: candy from Ryan & Justin, and a Far Side comic strip book, the Spore computer game (very cool), and his secret birthday wish - a cell phone!! He was soooo happy. He had been looking at ads, comparing phones online, and casually mentioning friends and cousins who have cell phones. He wouldn't come right out and say that's what he wanted until 2 days before his birthday (and I had already gotten his). I think he was too afraid to ask because he didn't want to get his hopes up. It's exciting to see him grow up but it also makes me just a little bit sad - it's just happening too fast!

Later that afternoon, Tyler did his first parade in the middle school marching band. It was only 7 minutes long, but he had a great time. He's liking the marching & trumpet playing.

That night we had ice cream cake from Cold Stone. Tyler had a great day with great presents, fun times with friends, and his favorite foods! Happy Birthday, Tyler!!

We're Skype'n Now!

My brother Ben was the first one to get signed up. My sister Emily raved about it. And since I had heard about it before, we set up our Skype account tonight! It was so easy and Soooo coool! Todd's laptop has the web cam so we all crowded around and were amazed to talk to Ben's family face-to-face! His little boys are so cute - they like to make faces and see themselves, but we got to watch. And Ryan played a little part of his Star Wars song on the trombone. Leslie carried their laptop around their house and gave us a tour, too! It's just amazing to me that technology has caught up with the cartoons I used to see when I was a kid! So eveyone get with it and Skype with me!

The Long Birthday Weekend

Todd's 40th Birthday was on Sunday! FORTY!!! We wanted to take a trip over the long weekend, but he had too many things to do to get away. So on Saturday we drove to Hutchinson, KS (abt. 2 1/2 hrs. away) and went to the Cosmosphere. The boys & I had been before, but Todd has wanted to go since we moved here 13 years ago. It was pretty cool. We saw the Imax show "Fly Me to the Moon" and a laboratory demonstration about the invention of rockets and how they work. We always think that the little towns in Kansas don't have very much to do, but the Cosmosphere surprises us with how much stuff they have and how well put together it is! It is a great space musem, in the middle of Kansas! When we got back to Topeka, we had dinner at Red Robin. Love their tower of onion rings! I get the same thing every time - the Parmigiana burger. Tyler and Ryan had big burgers too, but Tyler had his with lettuce & tomato & everything, and Ryan had his plain, only ketchup. It's fun to see their appetites grow and their tastes change as they get older.

Sunday, after church, the boys & I made rolls, ham, cheesy potatoes, green beans, and chocolate cake - Todd's birthday dinner request. He loved it. Then he opened presents - we gave him socks, candy, computer software, & a bag for his new laptop! He was so happy! He also talked to his parents & brother on the phone - that was a treat. So Happy Birthday Todd! We love you!

Then after all that playing, we spent Labor Day laboring. Our storage room in the basement was overflowing and our food storage needed more space. We dragged everything out into the playroom, put together 6 shelving units, sorted through a mountain of belongings, and put only the best stuff back in. With some clever rearranging by Tyler and Todd, we made it fit! We actually have a whole food storage area now with empty shelves to fill up. And we have a place for all the toys, games, books, holiday decorations, sleeping bags, tables, chairs, beds, treadmill, luggage, fabric, and all the other special things we just can't part with. We did fill up the whole van with donations for the Goodwill! It feels so good to have that room cleaned up!

So I am spending the day catching up on all the regular stuff I let go since Friday. Of sourse, I had to start with the blogging! Justin is staying home sick today with a sore throat so it will be a busy day!