Techincally, this is still Fall...

This is really sad, but one reason I am looking forward to winter and some freezing temperatures is so I don't have to see slugs on my front and back steps anymore. Anyone else have this problem? Why do slugs like my steps? Blech. How do I make them go away, other than hoping for weather too cold for them to venture out from whatever little cracks they hide in?

I just now copied all of my pictures from November onto my backup hard drive, or rather I tried to, because I was down to just four more little videos and I was informed that I am now out of space. Bummer.

And now, even though I am 95% done with the Christmas shopping, I must backtrack to Halloween and such.

Silly (I was thinking as I put him to bed last night that I should perhaps change his nickname to Dimples...) had a few more stellar soccer games. 





He's so awesome. While I'm talking about him I should share the hilarious things he's said recently.

October 28th - As I'm putting him to bed he tells me, "The night is like a magical thing; it splits the day and when you wake up, it's a new day. It's like a dream.

November 10th - He coached Bubba through the whole alphabet, "Bubba, say 'A'" all the way through Z. He skipped a few letters here and there and he had to stop and say the alphabet to himself real quick every now and then to remember what came next. It was adorable.

November 30th - "I know why I only speak one language - I was born in America!"

December 1st - He asked me who is in charge of the whole world; I told him, politically speaking, no one is (there'd just been something on TV about Pres. Obama). He answered, "Jesus is in charge of the whole world!" I explained that we believe that, and so do lots of other people, but not everyone. He immediately asks, "Well then who do they think made all the trees?"

Anywho...

 

We stopped by our local nursery for some pumpkins. The boys were determined to carry their own pumpkins. Bubba lasted about 10 feet.

We went to our ward Trunk or Treat; which was great (possibly because I had nothing to do with it!) where we finally convinced Bubba that he should wear a costume so he could get some candy. I had a backup plan should he refuse. He has a ghostbusters shirt that I was going to put on him so he would at least be Halloween-ish. He finally gave in to the pterodactyl.





Cakes and all her cute friends, plus the boys



Bubba dumped shredded cheese all over the kitchen, but he did his best to clean it up, with some help from Charlie...





We sent an "army guy," a pterodactyl and a pirate girl out Trick or Treating. They quit surprisingly early.

 Bubba woke up like this the next morning...

from what I later determined to have been a peanut butter cup. It was smooshed all over his bed, even his wall. Still not sure how he managed that in his sleep.

We had fun at Mamie's Second Annual Fall Fest. This year they provided a raincoat for bobbing with apples. One child did end up soaking wet, but it wasn't one of mine.

 

There was a big leaf pile to jump in and Mamie put together a leaf scavenger hunt. She traced and copied all the different leaf varieties from her yard and all the kids had to hunt for the matching leaves. It was pretty fun. Mamie also made lots of donuts, we roasted hot dogs in their lovely fire pit area. Dad was showing Scott all the yard work he'd done all summer. He was one busy man, but that's nothing new for him. If he's not working at work, he's working in the yard.

And then Scott and I got on a plane headed for Hawaii...

Fleet Week

Scott took the boys to the local Fleet Week a few weekends ago. He gave Silly control of the camera for most of the day so we have lots and lots of pictures, most of them are actually good too.

Silly didn't want anything to do with the fake weapons they could touch.



On the Eisenhower's flight deck



 Silly thought it was pretty awesome that the engines are removed from the jets, so no one ca steal them.

Bubbs walking on the launching catapult (or something like that)

And now, brace yourself for the cutest brother picture you have ever seen...

Don't you wish you were here to smooch all of those cheeks? (sidenote - Silly's camouflage is killing me)

And if that didn't brighten your day, prepare to laugh hysterically. Don't eat or drink anything while you read this...

Silly was pretending to shoot this gun, which is real. A sailor who was nearby suggested that he point it down and shoot at the water. Silly told him no, he didn't want to shoot the water, he was shooting at airplanes. He goes back to his shooting and says,

"Take that you Japs!"

Scott was mortified, but everyone who heard him was laughing. Where would he hear such a thing!?! Let alone actually say that out loud with an audience!?! No more History Channel watching at our house I guess.

Scott told that story to some friends at dinner last Sunday (he hadn't told me before then either). We were all laughing so hard we had tears in our eyes. And my friend told me that her husband has laughed over it a few times since then.

Oh that kid just kills me. You should all have a chance to live with him for a week or so to fully appreciate what it's like to listen to him all day.

 

Checking out the hospital and choosing bunks. I don't know if these bunks are as bad as the ones on submarines. On subs you can't even turn over in bed because there isn't enough space for your shoulders



In a helicopter, I think



Philip thought that was some kind of microphone. It is not. Don't make me elaborate.



Bubba's turn to shoot




Trying on some gear (Scott said this vest probably weighed as much as Silly)



 I really should have Scott add his comments to this post, since I wasn't there and I don't know all the details of every piece of equipment like he does. Oh well. You'll have to live with my version.



This has very little to do with my kids, but...

I consider myself someone who is not easily offended. You would have to be an incredible jerk for me to get to the point that I never want to talk to you again. There are lots of things that annoy me, but only momentarily and then I'm over it and move on. I have to confess that the recent media coverage on the "Are Mormons Christian?" issue has really bugged me; not to the point that I'm irate or up in arms over it, but I definitely find myself feeling somewhere between annoyed and miffed. What gives someone else the right to decide who is Christian and who is not? I have friends of other faiths, and while I recognize that we don't have the exact same beliefs, I would never even think of saying "you are not Christian because we don't have the exact same beliefs." We share a fundamental belief, a belief in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer.

Throughout this media discussion/debate, this littls song keep popping into my head:

I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I know who I am.
I know God’s plan.
I’ll follow him in faith.
I believe in the Savior, Jesus Christ.
I’ll honor his name.
I’ll do what is right;
I’ll follow his light.
His truth I will proclaim.

("The Church of Jesus Christ" words and music: Janice Kapp Perry, b. 1938. © 1989 IRI)

That is one of my kids' favorite songs from Primary and I'm so glad they know it, so that when someone, someday confronts them about what they believe, this song will pop into their heads, just like it pops into mine.

I started rereading the New Testament earlier this year, and in the midst of this debate, I happened to be reading Acts 5 where Gamaliel counsels moderation to those who want to kill Paul and the apostles, saying:

38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:

39 But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.

Any church founded by a man would not stand the test of time. I do not belong to a "theological cult." I believe the gospel that was established by Jesus Christ in the New Testament was restored in it's fulness by the power of God, under the direction of Jesus Christ, through Joseph Smith. I honor and revere Joseph Smith as a prophet of God, just as I honor and revere the prophets and apostles of the Bible.

I believe we have a living prophet today, Thomas S. Monson, who recieves revelation from a loving, living, unchanging  Heavenly Father to guide and direct all the saints on the earth today, just as He did through Adam, Noah, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph in their days.

I believe The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, to be the word of God given to us for our day, just as I believe the Bible to be the word of God.

I am a Mormon.
I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior and Redeemer, the only one through whom we can be saved.
I am a Christian.

If you'd like to know more about me and what I believe, please visit http://www.mormon.org/ and read my profile.

Busy Bubba

Bubba has been pretty busy with just the two of us at home during the day now. He sure was sad when Silly disappeared into the bus that first day of school. He just sat on the sidewalk, looking depressed for a few minutes, every now and then yelling "stop bwo-een me!" to the wind.

I love to hear him say, "Mommy, I have sumping tell you..." in his little sing-song voice. He never actually tells me anything after that; he just likes to say it every now and then.

A few weeks ago he started pretending that the step stool in the bathroom was his potty. The top step opens up and he kept opening it and trying to sit inside telling me he was going potty. I figured I better get the actual potty out of the attic before he really used the step so it is now taking up space in the bathroom once again. He uses it just about every night before he gets his jammies on and every now and then he wants to wear underwear and I let him (occasionally I just put it on over his diaper and he goes with it). I'm not pushing it at all. Right now he uses the potty when he wants to and he's completely proud of himself when he pees in it. I'm happy to leave it at that for now. I pretty much let his brother and sister potty train themselves and I'd rather change diapers for another year than push underwear on him.

His other favorite night time thing is playing "super" after he takes a bath. He now rejects all other hoodie towels except for the shark towel and then runs around saying "I super!" for a good long while.

Last Sunday on the way home from church, Cakes taught him how to show 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 with his fingers. HE did it over and over again on our 10 minute drive and hasn't done it since. If I ask him to show me 2 or 3 he just say, "I already did dat" and walks away.

Thursday he was counting pennies on my desk. He said, "one, two, fee, four, nine!" I guess he's got 1-4 down at least. I remember Cakes didn't count 1, 2, 3 for the longest time, she was probably three before she said that. She could say each number and she would tell you if there were 2 of these and 3 of those, but she took a long time to get the whole counting out loud thing down. (Come to think of it, she still has a major issue with counting out loud. She absolutely refuses to count out loud when she plays the piano.)

And lastly, I have no idea why, but for some reason he has decided that poking me is now part of his nightly routine. I tuck him in, sing him a song, give him a hug and kiss then head out closing the door behind me, but most nights he calls me back, wiggling his little pointer finger at me, saying "I wan' poke you" with a silly little squinty-eyed grin on his face. So I go back and he pokes me somewhere on my face then turns over and falls asleep. Whatever works I guess.