My Turkey Munchkins and Halloween Fun

Decorating cookies, obviously. My kids are the worst at it because they've consumed most of the icing and decorations before they've finished their cookie. Either that, or they eat all the cookies and then there's nothing left to decorate. I guess delayed gratification comes with age...

My lame fuzzy-picture-taking camera. It couldn't possibly be the camera operator. Don't even go there. Oh, and, she's a mouse. In case you're wondering.

That's my boy! He actually had three costumes this year. We made a bat costume that he wore to our ward trunk or treat party. We have a cheap Power Ranger costume that I bought on clearance last year, and a Transformer one that I bought on clearance this year, both for our dress up box. He wore all three.

Pumpkin Painting

We were trying to be a little more kid friendly this Halloween. Besides, I don't trust myself, let alone the kids, with a knife while trying carve pumpkins. I have a hard time just cutting up squash. I know, I know. I'm working on the upper body strength. Don't judge.

Erilyn's finished product--an angel.

Another one of Anthon's great smiles!

And his finished product--a bat.

Just Erilyn

I like to make up funny nicknames for my kiddos, and when I call them by the names, they have both, at various times, and in almost identical language, refused to accept my nonsense and insisted on being "Just Anthon!" or "Just Erilyn!". I think this is so amusing! I'm glad they know who they are.

Here she is, in all her glory.


Ya gotta li'l somethin' on your chin, there, babe.

This kid is awesome!

Showing off our cool homemade spiders and his sticker tattoo.

Trying to weigh 100lbs on our scale...I wish I had that problem!

I love his picture smiles!

The two best picture smilers on the planet. A chip off the ol' block, shall we say?!

The Winged Life and Other Life Lessons

To steal a phrase from a dear friend: "Boy howdy! Is it November already?!"

Who knows where that phrase came from, I guess I could ask her, but it still brings a smile to my face. And seriously, it's the middle of November?! Occasionally I catch myself thinking it's early September. I'm not sure if time really passes more quickly as you get older, or if my internal clock is still screwed up with the seasons here. It's just beginning now to feel how I think Septembers should feel, so maybe that's the problem...yes, I'm sure that's the problem. It couldn't be that I don't really pay attention to the calendar. That couldn't possibly be it.

I've been reading a book, well, I'm reading a few books right now, but this particular book I'm reading is one about the writings of Henry David Thoreau. I've LOVED it. I'm well aware that I'm a sentimental fool, but I love dreaming about living as he did at Walden Pond. As a mother, I'm not sure I could do without a Walmart, but I think I could manage. I grew up with a mother who liked doing things the hard way, which included making everything possible from scratch and growing as much of our food as possible in our own yard. Can you imagine? The peace. The perspective.

One particular story Thoreau tells (and he tells it MUCH better, but you'll get the idea) is about a bug who lays an egg inside a small hole in an apple tree. For some reason or another, it doesn't hatch, but stays dormant, living in the tree for years. Eventually, a farmer cuts down the apple tree and makes a table out of it. The egg still lives, now in the table. Years pass. For whatever reason, possibly a warm tea kettle set on top of it warms it enough, but eventually it hatches. The insect then chews its way out of the wood and flies away.

Suspend your disbelief for a moment and consider the possibilities. To me, this is a poignant and beautiful allegorical tale of the potential within all of us. Thoreau had a gorgeous understanding of the divine and of the divine nature in each of us. Ponder for a moment what could, if given the right circumstances, grow in you and help you fly. It's definitely there, we just have to create the right environment and then allow ourselves to soar. I loved this story.

I've also been thinking a lot lately about my ability to reflect. I used to be able to ponder with the best of 'em, and find joy and beauty and reason for introspection in literally anything but most especially things related to the natural world. I guess I could use the excuse that life passed a bit beyond my control when I got married and started having children, but wouldn't you think those beautiful relationships would fill me with even more reason to reflect and be grateful? Whatever the reason, I've been living an un-insightful existence for a while now. Thanks to Thoreau, I found reason to turn within, and to also consider everything without and realized that while an orderly life makes it easier for me to put my thoughts in order, it is not necessary. I can and should and need to find ways to be thoughtful regardless of my external environment.

This probably doesn't make sense to anyone, but it makes sense to me, and I've always found writing cathartic, so feel free to skip ahead:)

Anyway, I love trees, and creeks, and mountains, and the wide openness of prairies, and sunsets, and big skies, and feeling small but still important somehow.

Stay tuned for lighter and more fun stories and pictures...:)

CAUTION...extreme wordiness ahead...

I got this idea from a good friend (thanks, Carrie!), and I know it seems kind of weird, but I absolutely loved finding pictures that represented certain aspects of me. It's fun to externalize the way I view myself. Each picture represents the answer to a particular question.

For those who really love me, who want to get to know me better, or who are extremely bored, here are the questions and my answers:

Q: What is your first name?
A: Sonja. Apparently the name of the girl in the picture is Sonja and she is standing in a street in Istanbul. I want to live on that street!

Q: What is your favorite food?
A: Chocolate. This is also the answer to another question later. Yes, I like chocolate. And, while this particular picture does NOT look delicious, it made me laugh, and I think my sense of humor is a fun part of me.

Q: What high school did you go to?
A: W.R. Myers high school. While I did actually find pictures of the current girls' basketball team (which I used to play on), I liked this picture more of the surrounding countryside. This is where I grew up. The plains of southern Alberta.

Q: What's your favorite color?
A: Purple, yellow, green, brown. I know that's more than one color, but I love them all. It just depends on my mood. There was a quote from Henry David Thoreau accompanying this picture which said, "The heart is forever inexperienced." I thought that was interesting. And this picture makes me feel cozy, adventurous, romantic, and mysterious all at once.

Q: Who is your celebrity crush?
A: I honestly could not think of someone on whom I'm crushing right now, so I decided to pick a representative of some certain requirements, which are: a male celebrity who is actually talented and not just good looking and someone who does not necessarily seek the limelight or choose roles based on blockbuster potential. I loved Ewan McGregor in Moulin Rouge. I guess if you consider that he was in the new Star Wars movies, my last requirement might not fit. I guess I just don't tend to think of him as an actor who seeks out those types of roles. And now I've spent way too much time on this subject...Kirk's going to start getting jealous...:)

Q: What is your favorite drink?
A: Water. As soon as I saw this picture I thought, "I have to go THERE!" Turns out it's in Switzerland...good thing I'm brushing up on my German...

Q: What is your dream vacation?
A: There is no one destination I want to go more than all others, because I want to go EVERYWHERE. But, I'd probably start somewhere in Europe, so that's what I searched. This picture came up and suits me because I'm sometimes oblivious to how goofy I am, and I love dogs:) Besides, my previous picture was of Switzerland, so I've got the travel pic down.

Q: What is your favorite dessert?
A: Again, no ONE dessert pops to mind, but I tend to go for anything with chocolate in it. This was my second favorite picture from searching chocolate (after the chocolate toilet one.) There's a capriciousness about this picture that I envy.

Q: What would you like to be when you grow up?
A: Adventurous or brave. I've spent my entire life playing it safe, and being conservative about EVERYTHING. I'd like to learn how to fear the unknown less, and to try new things more. It seems like everything on my list of things I'd like to accomplish in my life is going to take more courage and/or impetuousness than I've ever shown in my life up to this point. Someday, soon, I hope, I'd like to get started on that list.

Q: What do you love most in your life?
A: My relationships. I'm not sure why this picture came up when searching for "relationships," but I love it. I love its simplicity, its contrasting colors, the size of the windows in relation to each other and all the symbolic implications of that, as well as the fact that one is barred and the other is not. This is a picture whose symbolism I could discuss for a while.

(By the way, Erilyn just got out of the tub a minute ago and I told her to go get a diaper and some jammies. Instead, I just found her going potty--poop, actually--on the toilet. Maybe...if I procrastinate long enough, she'll just potty train herself...it's looking more and more like a possibility!)

Q: What is one word that describes you?
A: This is a trick question. At first, I was trying to think of the ONE word that describes me COMPLETELY, which I found to be an impossible task. So, instead, I chose ONE word that describes a PART of me. Soft. This picture came up because the photographer noted that the lighting was soft, but I picked this picture because I want to go visit that village! Those kinds of villages, built up a hill like that, are so intriguing to me. Can you imagine? You would wake up to a fresh ocean breeze on your face, crawl out from under your blanket, and go to your open, flower-framed window, to see what the rest of the village is up to. I'm completely charmed by this scenario, and this picture.

The last picture is free choice, so I searched "horses," which are an integral part of my past, and, I hope, future. I love everything about this picture. There is something in the horse's eyes that draws me in and I want to jump on her back and see where she'll take me. I love the setting, the lighting, the grace, the beauty, and the freedom and liberation that a running horse always reminds me of. The air feels crisp, or rather, looks crisp, and fresh from a recent rain. I want to be IN this picture. I love it!

To make your own mosaic, type your answers to the above questions into the "search" box of flickr.com, pick a picture from the first page, copy the URL and paste it into the mosaic maker's individual URL spots. When you're finished, push the "create" button, save your mosaic to your desktop, then add it into your post using the "add image" button.

Hope you have as much fun as I did!

Top 5 Signs I'm a Potty-Training Procrastinator...

5. My two-year-and-four-month-old loves wearing Anthon's underwear.

4. She tells me as soon as she's gone either poop or potty in her diaper, although to her, it's all just "I poopy, Mommy. I poopy."

3. Not only does she tell me she needs a diaper change, she takes the initiative to bring me a clean diaper and some wipes, wherever I am, and then lies down and insists I change her. She'll even help with her own wipes.

2. She often gets tired of waiting for me to change her, and will take the liberty of taking off her diaper all by herself.

And the number one sign that I'm a Potty-Training Procrastinator...drum roll please...

1. She takes off her own diaper, sits on the toilet, goes potty, and then skips around pantless saying, "I did it, Mommy! I did it! See...potty in tolit!" For which she gets a sticker.

Adventures of Anthon

At a giant corn maze nearby--strangely, these chickens seemed to be Anthon's favorite thing.


Anthon learning to ride his two-wheeler bike! It seriously took him about 2 minutes. He's a pro.



Anthon and Daddy getting ready to pick apples for family night. We had so much fun! And the kids ate TONS of apples for dinner that night!



Anthon's choice of activity for family night. We had a blast--good choice, Anthon!

I was going through some stuff on our desk the other day and found a post-it note with a list of stories to blog about Anthon. Better late than never, right! So here are a couple of funny stories compliments of Anthon.

When we were visiting Grandma and Grandpa Schramm over the summer, we got a chance to go to the Barnwell Days parade. It was a very hot day, but the kids were troopers...the LOADS of candy they collected helped, I'm sure! The days following, I had a hard time monitoring the kids' sugar intake, so I enlisted Mom and Dad to help me and report if they saw the kids eating candy when they weren't supposed to be. Anthon kept finding where we'd hide the loot, the little stinker. And he would immediately find something to do outside after he located and raided the stash. I guess he figured we'd be less likely to catch him if he were outside.

Anywho, so one day, after just having plundered the cupboard, he was walking around outside eating his lollipop and happened to wander into the garage. After sauntering in a few steps, quite proud of himself and his most recent accomplishment, he saw Grandpa and stopped short, lollipop halfway to his mouth. In a clear show of understanding his predicament, he carefully hid the lollipop behind his back and, at a measured and deliberate pace, backed out of the garage.

After just a few moments, he strolled back into the garage nonchalantly, and gave Grandpa a cheerful "Hi Grandpa!"

We both had a good chuckle when Dad told me the story.

It might have been that same day, but I think it was a day or two later, Anthon recruited Grandma to give he and Erilyn a sucker. They went outside to enjoy the treat. A few minutes later, Anthon came back and told Grandma he needed another sucker for Erilyn because she lost hers in the grass. Grandma said, "Really? She lost her YELLOW sucker in the grass?" "Yes, and now she's sad and wants my sucker. Can she have another?"

So Mom, being the sweet woman she is, gave him another sucker for Erilyn.

Shortly after, she saw Anthon and Erilyn on the deck. Erilyn had her yellow sucker, and Anthon had two suckers. Grandma laughed and said, "Anthon! I see you found Erilyn's sucker!" Anthon's response?! "Yup! And I figured out how to get two suckers!"

Stinker.

Erilyn Lately...

This sweet little girl makes people smile wherever she goes. It is a beautiful gift. I think children in general have the ability to remind people of the joy of life, but she is especially, and noticeably talented at it. Just as Daddy blessed her to be...she is a joy to our family!

Her favorite two sentences right now are, "Yeah, sure.", and "Okay...a minute!" Which are responses to nearly any question you can think of. "Erilyn, will you put Anthon's shoes in the cubby?" "Yeah, sure." "Erilyn, do you like your snack?" "Yeah, sure." "Erilyn, you have very pretty toes." "Yeah, sure." "Erilyn, is Daddy upstairs?" "Yeah, sure." OR--"Erilyn, wil you put Anthon's shoes in the cubby?" "Okay...a minute!" Anthon--"Where did you get that gum, Erilyn? Will you get me some?" "Okay...a minute!" Coming home from Church and taking off various pieces of clothing..."Erilyn, put your clothes in your drawer, and your shoes in your cubby." "Okay...a minute!"

You get the idea.

She likes her hair done, but she'll only stand for it once a day. And she insists on taking it out at naptime. So, for the rest of the day, she has orphan Annie hair and won't let me do anything about it...UNLESS, she's playing with Anthon (which usually involves something very physical) and it's getting in her face, she'll let me put it in a ponytail. She's certainly gotten to the point where she wants to do everything herself. And she's usually pretty good at it. She loves to wear Anthon's pjs everywhere. It's either Anthon's pjs, or Cinderella costume including the clicky high heels.

It's so funny to watch her. She's so different from Anthon! In obvious ways, but also in little ways. For example, to this day, despite all my best teaching efforts, the first two things Anthon does when he comes home from school are drop his backpack and jacket by the door, and rip all his school clothes off in a trail to his bedroom. If Erilyn takes anything off her body, she immediately puts it away, without me asking her to. And it's not only that, she'll sometimes put Anthon's stuff away, too! Just because! And she's so careful about it. She was putting a shirt away for Anthon, and she noticed that she was putting it in the wrong drawer, so she lightheardedly says, "OOps! Anthon's pants...wong door..he, he! Sirt go in Dis door!" And then, as she was closing the drawer, a piece of the shirt was still hanging out, so instead of leaving it, as Anthon would have (well, he would have left it on the floor, or at the most, in the pants drawer), she carefully rearranged it until the drawer would shut properly. ! Who taught her this stuff?! It wasn't me! She is a naturally tidy person. Which I have to say, is a nice change from the tornado in our house known as Anthon.

We definitely love our Erilyn!

Here are some pictures of her apple picking for family night, playing at the mall on a rainy day, temporarily adopting a stray kitten, and, (gladly!) pushing the apple bucket!

Thanks for the reminder, Erilyn!

Erilyn's really into piggy back rides these days. She rides on my back on her way to take a nap, on our way out to the car, up to the breakfast table, out to get the mail...you get the idea. A few days ago, I was giving her a piggy back ride home from getting the mail and I could feel her clutching at my shirt, seemingly trying to find a good holding on spot. She'd never really done this before, so at first I thought she was scared and wanted to get down, but when I looked back, she had a huge smile on her face and she wrinkled her nose at me (which is an endearing sign of pleasure). For some reason it struck me how totally trusting she was of me, and how she believed unquestioningly in my love for her and in my ability to take care of her. As we continued to walk home, and I could feel her little hands grasping onto different spots on my shirt, I felt poignantly the truth of the fact that there is a God I can reach out to, that He loves me unconditionally, and that if I trust in Him, I can feel His loving care every minute of every day of my life, in times of joy as well as uncertainty.

Children are certainly powerful teachers!

I'm free! Free at last!

"My daughter has entered the skirt and dresses phase, where pants and shorts are regularly and vehemently shunned for twirly-girly-ness, preferably PINK twirly-girly-ness. One day, all of her suitable “princess” wardrobe pieces were in the wash and jeans just wouldn’t do. I quickly whipped up a pink skirt for her while she sobbed on the floor next to me bemoaning her mean mother who decided to clean her clothes." (From the blog Balancing Everything)

If I had read this a few years ago, I'd be hurriedly cutting out some fabric, frantic that I hadn't already thought of making a skirt (regardless of the fact that I didn't have a little girl yet), and lambasting myself for being so lazy/uncreative. Now that I'm so much more mature, and wise, and experienced, I just laugh. Did anyone else wonder why she didn't just do the laundry?!

Admittedly, I'm not a sewer. Don't get me wrong, I can sew a skirt if I have to. I'm not too shabby at blankets and pillowcases. But I would never have thought, in the event of running out of clean girly clothes, "Hmm...oh well, I'll just sew some." My mind just wouldn't even go there. I'm so glad I've gotten to the point where I'm comfortable saying, "That's just not me. And that's okay." How liberating!

What's up with my camera?

I must have had something on my camera lense thinga-ma-jigger because some of the pics are not so hot...anywho! This one is of me and the kiddos (with Kirk taking the picture...obviously) on our second leg of our Great Family Party. Our last day before Anthon started kindergarten. It was a fun day...and a bit sad for me. We had a blast swimming, though! And I finally swam the whole length of the pool underwater...not a huge accomplishment since the pool is small, but good for me.




Here's my boy! First day of school. He wasn't nervous a bit. When we got to his classroom he walked right in, put his stuff away, and sat down. I cried, of course, but he had a great day. When I picked him up that afternoon, I told him I'd missed him all day and that all day long I was thinking "I wonder what Anthon is doing...I wonder if he's having a good day...etc" and then I asked him if he'd missed me and he said, "Mom! I didn't even have time to think aboutchya!" Good? I guess. Later that week I asked him what kinds of things he learned about that day and his response was, "Uhmm, pretty much nothing." Which, based on the stuff he brings home, is pretty much true. I guess they have to cover the bases for those who've never been taught anything, but I think Anthon gets bored a bit. He still likes it, so that's good. And I'm getting used to having him gone...and the resulting VERY quiet house. Erilyn and I love meeing him for lunch once a week, and having "Walking Wednesdays" with him.


This is Erilyn, "ready to go." She has little high heels on, my bracelet, and a purse, and she went out to the car saying, "I ready, Mommy. Go!" She didn't like me telling her we didn't have anywhere to go, so I send her up to get her shopping cart so we could pretend to go to the store.














Here she is getting her bear ready for bed. He's wearing a diaper, her nightgown, and she's asking me to help her read him a story so he can go to bed. And she did all this wearing heels...that's my girl!

Friends

I can't believe I didn't get any pictures of these girls actually with me! These two gorgeous girls, Marnie and Jolynne, are two of my best friends...we grew up together. If either of you have any pictures with me, or of me or my kids from our trip, please send them to me!


Thanks for taking us camping, Marn! We had a blast.














We loved hanging out with you, Joe!












Miss you both tons already...

Camping at Fort Steele--Lake Trip

Anthon in true form--helping to build a sandcastle




















The finished product (which you can barely see underneath the posing boys...uhm...egos anyone?!)










Erilyn trying to feed the dolphin...which is plastic. I didn't have the nerve to tell her. She was pretty insistent, though. If you look closely, you can see that she's pushing the food into it's nose










Erilyn doin her part to help build the sandcastle

Camping at Fort Steele

True blue Anthon















The girls
















Erilyn loves horses! I can't blame her...they are pretty cool
















So cute!

More creek

Kirk and Brad contemplating the jump...they both did the deed

















I love this picture. I love the kid, too!

At the creek...at the reunion

Don't even think about taking that noodle away from Erilyn. You will regret it.













Trevor and Spence being chickens about jumping off the bridge. Bri lookin' hot in the background!













My brother Doug who couldn't be shown up by his little sister (me) who jumped off the rocks before he did. Love you, Bro!