TWO fa-BOO-lous!

From my previous post today, you may have learned that I am a major Luddite. Fortunately for me, my husband possesses the technical skills I lack and was able to help me out. Now you can sit back, relax, and enjoy our Halloween post with LOTS of pictures!

Last year at Halloween time I bought Gavin an adorable Elephant costume. However, when I took it out of the packaging the trunk was missing. I figured I would just cut off the tusks and pretend it was a Mouse costume (after all it is the year of the Rat). I didn't color his nose black or paint whiskers on him though, so maybe he looks like a mouse, and maybe he just looks like an elephant without a trunk and tusks. He and I had a fun time at his Kindermusik Halloween party followed by trick-or-treating through the TYPA office.

Kaleb and Noe have lots of dress-up outfits, so Kaleb wore his Fireman costume to school and Noe wore her Bride dress. I was able to go to their 1st grade Halloween shah-bang too. They divided up in groups and mixed up with all of the 6 1st grade classes. Of course, the 3 Musketeers, Kaleb, Noe, and Minji all got to be in the same group. They rotated through different stations: Halloween Bingo, Coloring, Face Painting, Cookie Decorating, and Story Telling- where I helped and read the story, "Halloween Pie." For our previous 2 years at TAS they did a costume parade for the entire Lower School. I have to admit, it was a little long. This year, they decided to do individual grade parades and it worked much better. After each class paraded across the stage, they all gathered together to sing, "Looking for Dracula."

After our parties at school, it was time for our annual ward festivities. Earlier in the month, I went to this fun store LaCoco with some friends. They had such fabulous costumes at amazing prices that I couldn't pass them up. I ended up buying the 3 kids each another costume. When Len got home from work, he went back and found some for he and I too.

Leonard the Tavern Keeper

Jennifer the Royal Empress (and the scariest Halloween site ever- a 3 months pregnant lady who looks 6 months pregnant- yikes! I think I'm bigger now than when I was 3 months pregnant with the twins!)

Kaleb the Muscle Man

Noe the Renaissance Princess


Gavin the Race Car Driver (that won "Most Creative Costume" at the Costume Parade)

This year there was a fun photo booth set up. After the costume parade, we had some fun there. Our friends, the Ho family joined us, and we all had a great time.

The adorable 3 Musketeers.

We then went through 3 floors of fun Carnival games which included:

Mummy Making

Doughnut Eating (this was more difficult than it looks- no hands!)

Fishing in the Witch's Brew for Bats

And Pin-the-Face on the Pumpkin

While I went with the big kids around to the games, Leonard and Gavin played in the gym. Gavin the race car driver ran into his good friend, Leone the airplane pilot!

The evening concluded with several rounds through the parking lot for Trunk-or-Treating. I went through 3 Costco-size bags of candy this year. We had a great turn-out from the community, and I ended up with a trunk full of cutie-pies!

We hope your Halloween was fabulous too!

Spooky Friends

The awesome party photographer (Adam Robinson) put all of the photos on Flickr, so I snagged some up of our friends.


Me and Morticia, I mean Lydia.


The Parks.


The Seagers.

The Robinsons.

The Millwards.

The Buhler kids.

The Frosts.

The Grimleys.

The Seldon boys.

Bishop Dracula and his victim, Ben.

Ninja Camille and Superman.

Cute superkids!

*If any of you want me to remove your picture, let me know. I just figure it's better to ask forgiveness than permission- tee hee.

Newer, Not Always Better

I am so frustrated right now! My first digital camera was a 2004 Kodak EasyShare. I loved the camera, and the software for organizing and editing pictures. The system was lovely for me. Unfortunately, in almost 4 years of use it got dropped 1 too many times and started acting schizo on me. After my big toe injury this summer I decided that a new Canon Digital Elph camera would really help cheer me up along with the latest PhotoShop. I miss my Kodak camera so much! It could do so much more than my new Canon can (or at least I knew how to use it better). I miss the Kodak EasyShare software too. It was just that-easy! All of my pictures were organized, edited, and then I could put them on the blog easy-peasy. I'm still trying to figure out my new camera, and I have to say so far I'm not a big fan of PhotoShop. I can't organize my pictures as easily, it can't do all of the editing my EasyShare could, and hence that's why I have no new pictures on my blog since we came home from our summer vacation-my family being in town, our trip to Thailand, daily life in Taiwan this new school year, and of course what I wanted to add this morning- Halloween. Ugh! Hopefully, I'll figure it out soon and get back to adding pics of our day to day life.

I Voted!

My absentee ballot finally arrived today. I have now voted and have it all ready to mail out first thing in the morning. I sure hope it makes it home by November 4th. I've voted in every Presidential election since I was over 18 and I don't want to miss one. John McCain, Ralph Nader, Barack Obama, Chuck Baldwin, Bob Barr... who do you think I voted for?



Happy Halloween everyone, and Happy Voting!

The 26th International Food Fair

We enjoyed our 4th annual Food Fair put on by the PTA. The kids had fun playing with their friends Minji, Minhee, Julia, & Kelly. We also enjoyed the international cuisine (except me, being pregnant is hard), Tuti Fruiti ice cream, the bouncy castle, the train ride, and watching Kaleb perform with his Kung Fu class. It was another success!

Prayer Request

The first day my daughter Noe was in the hospital for encephalitis was hell basically. My friend Laura was there to cry with me and to give me her strength, support, and love. Now more than anything I wish I was back in Canada to be with Laura to cry with her and give her my strength, support, and love.

Laura is the mother of 3 beautiful girls that are aged 13, 12, and almost 11. Last week her middle daughter, Tori was diagnosed with Stage 4 Germ-cell Cancer. It started on her ovary and has metastasized into a large tumor in her abdominal cavity and she has spots on her lungs.

Tori is the sweetest girl. She has autism, epilepsy, and a heart murmur, but she doesn't let that stop her. She can do many amazing things. When Laura asked her if she understood what it meant that she has cancer, she said, "Yes, I'm going to look like Caillou and I won't feel so well." That pretty much sums it up, but I was amazed at her bravery. The Children's Wish foundation will also be in touch with her, so Laura asked her if she could do anything in the world, what would she want to do? Tori's first response was, "Nothing. I've already done everything I've wanted to." She's so content in the present and happy whatever her circumstances, those are lessons I'm still working on myself. Laura asked her again, and this time Tori said, "Well there is one thing I'd like to do. I'd like to meet the prophet." Again, I was humbled by this sweet girl. Where most would want to go to Disneyworld, she wants to meet President Monson. I think he'd want to meet her too!

This past Tuesday she began round 1 of chemotherapy. If all goes well, she'll be in the hospital for 5 days of treatment and then get to go home for 2 weeks. After that cycle it will begin again for 3 rounds. They're hoping that at the end of the 3 rounds, the spots on her lungs will be gone and her tumor will have shrunk to an operable size. The next step would then be to remove the tumor and do any possible reconstructive surgery to her organs that the tumor may have damaged. They will finish up with 3 more rounds of chemo, and hopefully in 6 months it will all be a memory. The one nice thing about germ-cell cancer is that once it's gone the doctor's say you are cured from it, not in remission from it, and I hope Tori will be cured from it soon.

I've cried so hard for my friend and her family, but I do have faith in God that he is aware of Tori and loves her. I also have a firm testimony of prayer and that through it miracles happen. My request is that you would please pray for Tori, that the Lord's Spirit will be with her, her family, and all of her doctors and nurses that they will all be guided and directed to do what is best for her. I've learned that faith is not a noun, it is not something you have, instead faith is a verb, it is something you do. I know through our faith, miracles will happen!

These Boots were made for Walkin'

Noe came home from ballet class and put on her rain boots. She was so cute struttin' around and posing that I had to take some pictures.