Masquerade

Saturday night, we went to a Lord's and Ladies Ball in a neighboring town. For those of you who have seen the movie "Enchanted" (and you should), it was just like the Ball at the end. My husband's boss knows the guy in charge (they live practically next door) and actually bought 4 tables to bring anyone in the company that wanted to come. It was awesome! It was a fundraiser for a charity, and besides that, a spectacular evening.

First of all, this place is amazing. Basically he is a very rich Grandpa who wanted to create a wonderland for his family, and he really outdid himself. There was a large building where we ate at, with the most amazing painted ceilings and wood inlays on the floor. And there is a huge playground on the way to an actual castle. The place just kept going, with statues and awesome nooks and crannies everywhere! Every year they host a Princess Festival for little girls in June, and hundreds of little girls come dressed up in their costumes to meet Princesses and listen to stories and play in the castle.

Of course, one of the most fun parts of the evening was getting to dress up. Luckily for me, my prom dress fit the bill quite well. This made me stop for a minute though, and realize that this dress is actually almost a decade old. I remember a woman I was close to in my church helped me sew this dress with my mom, and I still love it! Thanks Sister Weight! But here's the part that gets me. I dug up an old picture of me in the dress for my prom. For those of you who love before and after shots like I do, (Hi Melissa!) this is for you.

Can you believe that? Same girl, same dress, I swear. I showed my husband, and he just blinked and said "I think the last decade has been good to you!" Such a sweetie. I can almost feel how awkward I felt in that old picture when I look at it. John was an awesome friend of mine back then. Neither of us was ever romantically interested in each other- we went on a couple of dates, and they failed so miserably that we took it as a sign. But his family was convinced we were going to get married some day. I wonder what ever happened to that guy! We lost touch not long after his mission. But when my mom told him to put his arm around me to take the picture, I think we both felt rather awkward. I am so glad I am not in the high school awkward phase anymore!

Since I didn't have to rent a costume like most people, I did splurge and get an up-do for my hair. How often do you get to do that? At least for me, it was just wedding and prom.

I don't think the pictures do it justice, because my hair was really fun. They did these cool little spirals in a diagonal line from top to bottom, and it was gorgeous! Thanks Braadyn and friend!

They even had performers for the evening, like some fire jugglers, belly dancers, and the BYU ballroom dance team. And then we got to dance, which would have been more fun if my husband hadn't hiked Timp overnight the night before. Lame planning, hun. Poor guy was dead tired, but tried anyway.



And now, a bunch of pictures of the rest of our group! I honestly love hanging out with these guys, they are hilarious.

Our table for dinner.

Nice sword!

The top hat costume reminded me of Scrooge all night, but he did bring fake fangs to wear. I think he wore them mostly because his wife didn't like him wearing them. They are hilarious.

Since Jeff had a costume that looked like a King, Ken got most of the company to bow down for this shot. All hail King Jeff!

Pending projects

One of the biggest differences between my husband and I is that when Christopher starts a project, he won't rest until it is done. I, on the other hand, seem to always have about 4-5 unfinished projects going at any given time, and some of them never actually get done. The multi-tasking thing is a mom thing, the unfinished thing is pure me. Really, I start projects, and then when I hit a hard part I don't know how to get through, I wander off to think about it for a while and then forget to come back.

So I try not to start craft projects most of the time.

But every year, I allow myself to have fun with Halloween. Way too much fun, actually. The kids don't care. And now, I somehow gained extra projects in addition to costumes. Huh. So here is the stack I have going right now:

1. Tinkerbell

I haven't decided what Tyler will be yet, but for Kaitlyn I wanted it to be a Disney costume since we are going to Disneyland the first week of December and I wanted her to be able to wear it there too. I couldn't think of what Princess suited this high-spirited little girl, until my mother pointed out this obvious choice. Tiny, blonde, and a lot of attitude. Yup, Kaitlyn is a Tinkerbell.

So then I started looking at what the character wears to make a costume.

That is one mostly naked fairy, folks. And it is cold in Utah for Halloween. I got fabric the other day, and I think I am going to make a "nude" bodysuit for her to wear under the dress. Or I might add sleeves. I have no clue how this thing is going to look when I am done, frankly. Here's hoping.

2. Quilt

Growing up, my mother did quilting, and I liked to sew clothes. She gave me the block fabric that she found somewhere because it looked so perfect for a cabin, and I love it. So now I have to make it into a quilt somehow. I spent forever working out the dimensions and stuff on paper, and then I found the blue fabric to border it the other day, but I still have a long way to go. I haven't even decided if I am making a duvet cover or a quilt yet!

3. Little house

My kids love the little play houses, but we just haven't managed to get one yet. They are expensive new, and most used ones are thrashed. And then I was worried about how much space it would take up, especially if the kids aren't using it very much.

And then I found this beauty at a Garage Sale on Saturday. It is a wooden frame for a house. Now I can just sew fabric together to make the sides, and ta-da! Instant house. What I like about this is that I can even make more than one cover, if it needs to be a fire house or a castle or whatever. Or I can cut sides out of plywood and screw them on and paint it too. And then, if it isn't being used or I want to move it or something, I just use a hexawrench and take it apart.

When my husband saw this added to the stack of other projects, I got that look. The eyebrow raise, "I don't want to say anything and get in trouble, but do you actually think you are going to follow through this time and finish these projects?" look.

Time will tell, hubby. Time will tell.

The miracle is that we are going to a Masquerade Ball on Saturday, and I already have a costume. It is black tie formal, and most people have to rent something, but my prom dress is rather Jane Erye style, so I just needed to make a mask. Hooray for putting a ten year old homemade dress to good use! I am really excited for that. Pictures to come afterward . . .

Things that scare me, worry me, and make me sad.

There have been a few things on my mind lately, and I thought I would share and get some moral support from the virtual world. So here we go: something that scares me.

1. Potty training
Oh my, this terrifies me. Why is it that I clean up puke often, but the mere thought of pee on my carpet makes me shiver and gag? Tyler is 3 and a half years old now. He understands what a potty is for, and any time you put him on it he makes his best effort to shoot out what he has. But he has no concept of waiting to go in the potty, telling me when he needs to go potty, or going number two in there at all. In fact, he is not bothered by messy diapers one bit. So I could switch to the expensive pull ups, put my entire life on hold, and take him to the potty every 15 minutes until he gets it, but what if he isn't ready for that? What if I end up doing that for months?

And then Kaitlyn. She loves to sit on the potty. Loves to ask for potty. But usually she just asks for it right after she went. And this morning, when I put her on the potty before a shower, she sat for a while and wanted down, just like normal. So I put Tyler on, and turned around to see her legs wet. Stink bug. I don't think she is ready yet, I just need to keep putting her on when she asks to and reward her amazingly on the off chance something happens while she is there.

But can I just say, the whole thing SCARES ME TO DEATH! I have heard so many horror stories. And I think they will be ready at about the same time, and I think I need Kaitlyn doing it to show Tyler what is going on, because that is the way they usually work.



2. Working out
This one doesn't scare me, just worry me. This is a long story, so bear with me. When I was pregnant with Tyler, I gained 50 pounds. Yes, five - zero, felt like a whale. But then a miracle occured, and I lost 45 of those merely by nursing over the next two months. I had five more I wanted gone, and so I got a gym membership and went five days a week for an hour and a half. For months and months on end.

And never lost a single pound.

Now, before you say it, yes, I know. I know I lost fat while I gained muscle. I know that even though my clothes didn't fit that differently, I was more tone. I was in better shape, and ran a couple of races. But for the love, would it have killed my body to have given me just a shred of quantifiable result for hours upon hours of killing myself at the gym?

So, on to pregnancy number two. I started at five pounds over, because those stupid pounds never left. I gained 24 pounds, after doing fairly close to what I did with the first pregnancy. I lost 16 of those in the hospital: 8 baby, 8 placenta and fluid and such. And now, since Kaitlyn was born, I have actually lost 35 pounds. Yes, that's right, I lost that five that wouldn't leave, and then five more. By doing what, you ask?

Sitting around at home, nursing. And now just sitting around has kept the weight perfectly stable. I watch what I eat, but not like a nutcase.

So last October, I stopped working out. I just couldn't see the point anymore. I never did excercise before I met Christopher. Well, there was a spot in my Freshman year when I tried running a few mornings, but that was just when the Freshman 15 scared me to death. Christopher loves running, and so I have always tried to get into it a little for his sake. But I don't really enjoy it myself, nor any of the other excercises I have done. Yoga is relaxing, pilates/aerobics classes are energizing, and running is great for clearing your mind, but I'd rather be sitting on the couch, thanks.

On to my current problem. I have no energy anymore. I have been ignoring my body for so long, that now I am exhausted just by cleaning my house and doing the laundry. So I know I need to work out, but I also know I have NO self discipline about it, because I have learned I won't get "anything" out of it, so if no one else is depending on me, I won't do it.

I think in order to get it actually done, I would need someone to depend on me. A personal trainer, a friend with an exact schedule, something. Some people are self motivated, but I have to admit I am not that person. I had that drive that one summer, because I kept thinking I would get results. Now that I know in the back of my head that nothing ever happened, I just don't think I will do it again.

When I look at my day, there is this big gap where I could work out - Tyler goes to school at noon, and Kaitlyn goes down for a two hour nap soon after that. The problem is that I have to stay at home because Kaitlyn is sleeping! We have a klunky old treadmill, but at home there are so many distractions. If I was home, I would go off and do the laundry or clean something up or surf the internet instead. Each day, I convince myself that only that particular day is so busy, and I would be back at it tomorrow. But I would be just as distracted then, too. When I go to the gym, my options are a bit more limited. If this was the summer, I would hire a kid to come and watch the house while the baby sleeps. But the only people available from noon to 2 every day are other moms like me, who do not have time to sit at someone else's house for two hours twiddling their thumbs. And my gym membership (which is frozen right now) includes day care, but then Kaitlyn wouldn't get her nap. I could go another time of day, but I already lose Tyler for four hours a day for school, and I think I would feel terrible ditching him any longer than that.

Ideas, anyone?

And now, something that makes me sad:
3. My TI-83 died.

This poor little calcuater made it through 4 years of high school math classes, 4 years of hard core college math classes, 2 years of teaching math, and 3 years of tutoring math. And now it died. You turn it on, and the little black box blinks no matter what buttons you press. No switching of batteries helps. I think my kids got to it. Now I need to go buy a hundred dollar replacement calculator. Since the old one lasted so long, I guess I shouldn't be that sad. But it still had a sticker with my name on it from Geometry class in High School! For a math nerd, I think this is like losing a friend. Sniff.

DigiSoftball

My husband works for a company called DigiCert, and over the years we have decided that anything related to them can be called Digi____. We wear DigiShirts all the time, we take DigiTrips with the company, and now we have a DigiSoftball team. Complete with DigiJerseys with whatever name they chose on the back.
I was so excited when they organized the team! Chris used to play for some intramural teams at BYU, and I loved going to watch him play with the other wives. And since we honestly love hanging out with everyone that he works with, I get to have a blast on the sidelines with the other moms and toddlers while he plays.

Isn't she adorable? My kids finished off their juice boxes very quickly, and then every other toddler wanted to play with the empty boxes the rest of the night.

So cute!

And here is Kaitlyn, trying on shoes that once again do not belong to her. She is such a girl! She loves shoes, getting her nails painted, getting her hair done, and playing with her dresses.

Anyway, back to the game. This was the third week they have played, and well, let's be honest: they stink. This is a team of computer nerds, not jocks. In fact, the first four games that they played were ended early by the mercy rule. The first game lasted 20 minutes.

But not tonight! They had an awesome night, and actually finished both of their games! It was fun watching them make some great plays and run the bases tonight. Go team!

First day of school

I can't believe I am making this post! After months of looking at preschools last spring, I never did find one that felt right for Tyler. He needs someone who understands kids with special needs to pay particular attention to him. But then he made it into the school district preschool this year! I am so happy. My friend around the corner says that it has done wonders for her child, and they are in the same class together this year. She had to stop by and drop something off today, and apparently Tyler was doing great, sitting there and paying attention to the lesson on the weather. She said there were about 9 kids and 5 aides to help the teacher. I don't know if that is just because it's the first day, or what, but wow! I didn't think I would be sad when the big yellow school bus came to take him away, because I have been so excited for him to have this help. But I have to admit I got a bit teary eyed watching him leave! And now he'll be gone four days a week, from noon to four. Good luck litle guy!

Free food, anyone?

I have a problem.

See all of those apples? That's just a small section of the tree. We have some fruit trees that were in the yard when we bought the house. Most of the cherry trees have died, but the apple tree and the pear tree have made it through a couple of rough years with the yard leveling. I was actually grateful the year that the apple tree didn't produce a single apple, because picking rotten apples off the ground is no fun. Now, keep in mind, we never really planned on eating the apples. Usually we find a few that are blemish free and eat them, throwing the rest away. We don't spray for that reason. But of all the years, this is the biggest crop yet. And miraculously, hardly any of them have bugs or worms.

But what in the heck do you do with all those apples? And pears? Because the pear tree did the same thing. Bumper crop, first year with no spots. They are delicious. I go out and pick one for Kaitlyn, and she is happy for a half an hour with her prize.

Now, if I was truly a domesticated woman, I would can for the next few weeks. But I have never canned in my life. And you know what? This sounds spoiled of me, but . . . I really don 't want to learn! I have other talents, I swear. Gardening is not one of them. And my kids won't eat canned fruit (believe me, I've tried and I think they are crazy). We are just eating fruit like maniacs for now.

So the moral of this story is, if anyone reading this lives near me and wants some apples or pears, could you please come to my house? PLEASE!? Because every single one of those apples and pears is going to fall to the ground and have to be picked up soon. I'd rather they got eaten. And picked by . . . not me. So you want 'em? Come pick 'em! I'll get the ladder out for you and help you and everything! There are some with spots, so you avoid those, and the pears aren't all ripe yet, but many are. I don't care if you want a snack on your walk around the block and just wander back to pick a couple off or want to stay for a while and grab some to can for yourself. Just . . . please . . . help me!

Go-Karts!

Last Saturday we got to go up to Miller Sports Park and play with Go-Karts with the rest of Christopher's awesome company. It was so much fun! I tell ya, though, these karts are intense. Supposedly they go up to 45 mph, and gripping that steering wheel was actually a work out. But it was a blast! After trying them out a bit, we had teams of three that competed in a relay, 20 minutes each person. The team that did the most laps in the hour won. By the time my 20 minutes was up, I was car-sick and my arms were tired! But still worth it.


These were Kaitlyn's favorite sunglasses, right before she lost them. Sad.



And at the end of it all, Christopher's team won! Nice work, babe!


Tyler liked the kart that was in the shade so he could play on it.

Oh yeah, you're tough now, hubby! (His shirt says "Built Ford Tough")

After the karts, we had lunch up in the box before the race started. Dang, those things go fast! And LOUD! Unfortunatly, by then the kids were kinda fried, so we ended up leaving not long after the race started. But it was still a lot of fun!