Halloween With No Snow... Serious???

I don't know why it has taken me so long to get my Halloween post up. I swear there is always snow on the ground for Halloween. This year was so nice, the kids didn't even wear jackets. We invited Amy and the boys to come up and spend Halloween with us. We had so many great ideas of things we wanted to do and got about 2 of them done. Oh well, what do you do?

Here's Amy all decked out in her hubby's military gear. I think she looks great. She said it was heavy and hot. Could you imagine wearing that in triple digit weather in Iraq? The thought of it makes me cringe. Loved seeing Alleman on the gear. It was a sweet remembrance of Micheal.

Kai was Mudflap from Transformers 2. He told Amy way back in June that he wanted to be Mudflap and she made it on the Thursday before Halloween. She's amazing. It looks so good. Last year she did a Wall-E costume for him, it looked amazing as well. I'm never shocked by the talent of that woman.

Kennet wanted to be Jafar from Aladdin but then changed his mind at the last minute to Moses. Yes, Moses. Amy called him Beachfront Moses because Kennet refused to not be able to wear his swim trunks. He's wearing a Transformer shirt, swim trunks, his Grandpa's old bathrobe and of course he's got his 10 commandments and walking stick. Everything that kid says is hilarious.

CPL Alleman, Beachfront Moses and Mudflap!

Josh was a hunter. He decided it would be fun to wear his gorilla mask too but it scared the living daylights out of Kennet so he left it home. Don't you love the bullet belt?

I was a frumpy housewife. Oh wait... how is that any different from what I am every other day? Okay, so I put on a few pounds and my hair is a little bit rattier but other than that, I look the same.

Chloee was a witch. My friend, Melissa, let me borrow Chloee and Halle's costumes. It was nice not having to buy anything this year. That green paint did not come off Chloee's face very easily, not like the package said it would. It took at least 30 mins and she still had a light tint of green on her face when we went to church the next day.

Hallsies was a baby duck. She was so adorable, I didn't want to take it off of her. Josh said she was his prop. He went hunting and saw this duck but she was just too cute to shoot so he brought her home. She was amazing going around and doing trick or treating. She just loved being outside. She didn't make a peep.

A hunter, his duck, a frumpy housewife and a witch. I think I'll just use this picture as our family photo this year.

Of course I had to do more pictures of this adorable little duckling. Her cheeks are already pretty fat but with this costume on it just made them look even bigger and more pinchable.

It was a fun night. We laughed a lot. I love Halloween but not all the candy that comes with it. I think Chloee is still on a sugar high.

Happy Halloween

I know that I already sent a lot of you the email for this hilarious short video but I just figured out how to post it on my blog, so I thought I'd share it here too! Sorry if you have to see it twice!
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The Ultimate Insult

I was at Kohl's a few weeks ago and I had Halle with me. While I was there I picked up this cute frame for Josh to put a picture of the girls on his desk at work. I realize that it is probably for twins but it doesn't matter, it's still cute and small enough for the space on his desk.

The following conversation occurred as the clerk, who was a girl, decided to just make my day...

Clerk: (as she is scanning my frame) "Oh, I see that you are pregnant with twins." (staring at my stomach all the while)

Me: "NO!" (while glaring at her and said it in a VERY rude voice)

Clerk: (as she pats my stomach) "Oh, just one in there then?"

Me: "NO! I am NOT pregnant, AT ALL!"

Clerk: "Oh." (said all nonchalantly and NEVER saying she was sorry)

Clerk: (talking to Halle) "Hey little buddy! Can you wiggle your little toes for me buddy?"

Me: "She's a girl!"

Clerk: "Are you kidding me? I never would have guessed she was a girl, never would have guessed! Wow!"

Me: "She's wearing pink!"

Clerk: "So, boys wear pink all the time!"

Me: "You are a stupid idiot and you shouldn't even have a job. (Insert expletives here)."
*OK, I didn't say that but I wish I had*

So... to sum it up. I got told that I am so fat that I look like I'm pregnant with twins. That's the first big blow. On comes the second when I tell her NO and then she proceeds to comment on the fact that there must just be one in there then. As if she hadn't insulted me enough, she decided to tell me that my child looked just like a boy and that even though she was in pink, she STILL never would have guessed that Halle was a girl. *A little side note here: If your girl is not wearing a bow the size of Jupiter, naturally everyone assumes your child is a boy. That's a whole post all by itself!*

The kind of day I was having was quite a rough one. I was in one of those moods where I was either going to hit and swear at her or I was going to go out to the parking lot and cry. Considering that I wasn't really in the mood to be hauled off to jail, I went with option number 2 and did some crying. Looking back, I wish I would have just popped her one right in the face. Come on, I could take a few days of jail... right? Of course I can! If I can live through childhood with Amy beating the ever living snot out of me everyday, I can take anything! Love you Ames!

The Culprit

Sunday of General Conference I decided to make Stuffed Green Peppers for dinner. Yum!

Don't these look so good?

This meal was the culprit to a night of throwing up for the entire family (except Halle) only 2 days later. I realized why it made all of us sick. The following conversation took place Sunday night as I was finishing up making dinner.

Me: "Oh shoot, it calls for mozzarella cheese on the top. I don't think we have any."

Josh: "Yes we do. I saw some in the fridge the other day."

Me: "No, I think that's bad. Its' been in there forever."

Josh: (As he pulls it out the fridge and looks at the expiration date) "It expired in April but look there's no mold on it, I'm sure it's still fine. Go ahead and use it."

Me: (Being stupid and actually listening to him) "Isn't cheese basically processed mold anyway? Would any mold be on it if it were bad?."

Josh: "Just use it, we'll be fine!"

Just 2 days later, Chloee threw up 13 times. I was up with her the entire night. It hit Josh in the middle of the night as well. Let's just say that we did A LOT of laundry and ran out of sheets. Oh, the joys of absolute stupidness on my part. I should have known better.

Swine Flu, H1N1, Total Crapola...

Whatever you want to call it, it sucks! Sunday I came down with the wonderful Swine Flu. I was running a fever of 103 - 105 degrees all fetching day. I had the wicked cough, the fever, throwing up and other things that are not okay to write on this blog to the public.

I had stayed home from church because I didn't feel great. It only got worse, then I couldn't get a hold of Josh. I called Amy because of other matters that needed to be dealt with. She talked to me until I could get a hold of him. I tried to sleep it off, the chills set in the headache only got worse with the fever. Josh came upstairs and told me that Amy was at our house. She is such a sweetie. She drove an hour up to our house to help me. She is my best girlfriend. She seriously is so good to me, I don't even deserve it.

Josh took me to the Insta-Care. Sure enough, good old piggy flu. Evidently the "miracle" drug of Tamiflu is on a shortage from the recent high demand. We had to drive to Kaysville to get it. It was the closest pharmacy that had it. I call it a miracle drug because if you get it early enough on, it cuts the flu down from 5 days to like 2. Not joking, it is amazing.

Amy took me and the girls back down with her to her house so that Josh could still work. Her boys have already had it. See what I mean, she is so good to me. She's been taking care of my girls for the past 2 days while I lay around and do nothing. Oh and today she made me laugh so hard that I threw up. Don't worry, she told me, "Make sure you hit the floor!" (I was laying in her bed), which only made me laugh even harder. ;)

NEVER A DULL MOMENT!

Daddy Daughter Love

Yes, they actually fell asleep this way. Chloee cuddled up to Josh, fell asleep and Josh was out just a few minutes after her.

Happy Birthday Amy!!!

Happy Birthday Amy!!! The big 28! Woot woot!!!

I love you to death. Here are the top 10 reasons I love you and have decided to keep and continue to claim you as my sister! Ha ha!

1. You are one of the most selfless people I have ever known. You would do ANYTHING for anyone without the blink of an eye. I know you would give the shirt off your back to help anyone else in need.

2. You forgave me of my $1,000,000 debt to you about "The Bear" or "Masterpiece Theater". I can't quite remember which one it was, I just remember you wiped my debt clean.

3. You amaze me more and more each day. Your strength and faith is unbelievable. The way you have such a positive outlook on everything is truly a strength to many! You have touched so many lives and I'm sure many more to come.

4. You didn't completely ruin my bladder when we were kids, just almost made it so that I have to wear a diaper at such an early age. Thank you for stopping, I really owe ya!

5. You are so incredibly funny! Every moment spent with you is full of laughter. I always have a gut ache after I've been with you because I laughed so hard. Your wit is amazing and it only got better after you married Micheal. Never a dull moment with you, never!!!

6. You have always loved me despite all of the many, awful flaws I have. Even when I was not very nice to you in my teenage years. You have always stood up for me and been a great support to me, even when I didn't deserve it.

7. The love you have for Micheal (even before he died) is like nothing I have ever seen before. Your relationship together was amazing. Susan said the same thing, that it was like a relationship she'd never seen before either.

8. You have so much patience. Patience... a characteristic I do not possess. You must have taken it all out of the gene pool when you came down and left none for me. Thanks a lot! You do have so much patience and it shows in your everyday life.

9. You taught me fashion. You always took me shopping with you when you were 16 and I was only 13 and helped me pick out cute clothes. You always let me tag along with you. You were the best big sister. Oh, and you taught me how to steel Annie's clothes and wear them to school and then put them back in her dirty clothes hamper. Oh... Annie is laughing so hard if she's reading this right now!

10. You are such a people person. You could talk to anyone, someone you didn't even know for an hour (as I'm sure Micheal knows all too well). People are drawn to you and your personality. You are extremely genuine and that seems like such a rare character trait these days. You have a knack for making friends and you make them fast. Your smile and laugh is contagious. I'm sure that was just one of the many things that attracted Micheal to you.

Chance made you my sister,
Love made you my friend!

No Comparison

Chloee has a new fascination obsession. It is with Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. The new one. She wants to watch it all the time. I borrowed the old one from Amy and watched it recently.

The old movie with good old Gene Wilder doesn't even come close to comparing to the new one. Yeah, sure the old one brings back memories of my childhood, but still I could hardly watch it. I can't stand all the singing, don't even get Josh started on who they picked to play Charlie (Amy has heard plenty of that), the acting is terrible and it is really nothing like the book.

The new one is so much better. Hello, who else could play such a creepy, weird part but good old Johnny Depp? He plays the character just how he is written in the book. I love Johnny Depp, he is hilarious. Josh and I could watch this movie over and over again and still laugh at him. Freddie Highmore is so much cuter than that other Charlie too! I would have to say that the only thing I like better in the old one is the Oompa Lumpas.

Incredible Thought

“Our challenges, including those we create by our own decisions, are part of our test in mortality. Let me assure you that your situation is not beyond the reach of our Savior. Through Him, every struggle can be for our experience and our good (see D&C 122:7). Each temptation we overcome is to strengthen us, not destroy us. The Lord will never allow us to suffer beyond what we can endure (see 1 Corinthians 10:13). “We must remember that the adversary knows us extremely well. He knows where, when, and how to tempt us. If we are obedient to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, we can learn to recognize the adversary’s enticements. Before we yield to temptation, we must learn to say with unflinching resolve, ‘Get thee behind me, Satan’ (Matthew 16:23).”

Robert D. Hales, “Becoming Provident Providers Temporally and Spiritually,” Ensign, May 2009, 7

Holding On

Halle LOVES the swing. She loves to hold on. Those little (OK, not so little) hands just clench onto whatever they can. I love seeing her in the swing, whether it's at home or at the park. I think what it really is, is that she loves to just be outside. Whether she's swinging or not, this girl is content just being able to feel the wind in her face.