Joy and Tears, and the "Bee" in Curly's nose

It's amazing the range of emotions we can experience. And even more amazing that the physical "symptoms" of opposite emotions can be the same. Tears, for example, can represent happiness or sadness. This week was full of ... well, it was just full. A lot of things happened. Today I enjoyed basking in the glow of twenty Primary children singing their hearts out and saying their parts perfectly. As the "writer/director" of the Primary Program I could not have been more proud of the children in our ward. The final number, "If the Savior Stood Beside Me", brought me tears of joy that quickly combined with tears of sadness when I realized this might be my last Primary Program in our ward. The tears flowed more freely when a little five year old threw her arms around me in a tight hug on her way back to her family after the meeting. Such a sweet experience it is to serve in the Primary.

Another joyful experience has been helping my cousin prepare for her upcoming wedding. This week I was able to help do some shopping, prepare flowers, and help do her hair and bridal pictures. One thing I love about weddings, is that it reminds you of your twittery engagement days. What a joyous time of life.

Now I come to the comedic moment of the week. During an atypically peaceful dinner (Curly had been excused from the table), said redhead came into the room hysterically shouting, "Mom, there's a bee in my nose!"
"A bee in your nose?" I asked incredulously.
"No, a beee in my nose!"
After a few more repetitions of this interchange, we figured out that she was saying, "There's a bead in my nose." I guess putting a bead in a round hole provides the same entertainment as doing a puzzle. Fortunately after a few hard blows, the bead flew free and the funny ordeal was over. I have to admit that we were all laughing pretty hard... which I guess is why I enjoyed a repetition of this event a couple days later during "nap time." This time the bead was a little farther up and took quiet a bit of forceful blowing before it was released from it's slimy cell. I think I have found all the nostril shaped objects in our apartment and they are safely put out of reach from the hands of a curious preschooler.

Hey Baby!

I am the proud aunt of this adorable new little boy. Fisher's sister and her husband had their first baby this week!

Curly welcomed this baby with greater enthusiasm than Lou received at her birth.
And we had our first snow storm this week on election day. We love to play in the snow and I love it even more that all the snow melted and it's nice out again.

Over...until next year

I did get Curly to smile and even wear her hat, which really makes the costume. She was Strawberry Shortcake and Lou was a Strawberry (sometimes mistaken for a Tomato). No more costumes that require hats for my children. We carved Fisher's huge 110 pound pumpkin and used it as our trunk decor for the Neighborhood Trunk or Treat. We even had dry ice steam and spooky music this year. Halloween was fun, but it is kind of a relief to have it over, don't you think? Here's a few pictures from the Halloween Season.

Our Ghost Family

A visit to Gardner Village with the Cousins

Anything hiding in there?

The finished product

That's one scarey witch

Strawberry Shortcake and Her Strawberry

Happy Halloween!

Pernicious Plumbing Problems

Okay, so maybe pernicious is a little strong, but this week we haven't been haunted by ghosts or goblins, we have been haunted by bad plumbing. Curly and Lou both have had the stomache flu, wreaking havoc on their "pipes" - yuck! I am hoping I am spared. To make matters grosser, our kitchen sink suddenly became plugged at the precise moment I was cleaning up a "flu mess" (if you know what I mean). Anyway, Fisher (my hero MacGuyver) once again saved the day by his persistence. We thought we were doomed for the plumber and even Fisher gave up, but his hours with the drain snake must have paid off because alas - the water flowed freely once more. Needless to say, all the excitement has left us all feeling a bit worn out and Curly has yet to smile today... I am hoping to get a good Halloween picture, but we shall see.

Daily Deliciousness

I usually post about the exciting events in our life, but there are so many delicious experiences I have everyday that deserve posting and are very often neglected. Here are just a few:

Curly and her friend, Bitty "swimming" on the kitchen floor. Very entertaining.

My day to teach Curly's preschool. Our theme was dinosaurs. The children got to make dino prints with these foam feet. After preschool we took a field trip to the Natural History Museum.

Curly in her new dance digs ranks with one of the cutest things I've ever seen. She can't help but "dance" when she is wearing them. She is taking a community ballet class for eight weeks. She might not be the most graceful in the class, but she certainly is the most energetic.

My sister in law suggested I sell the bows and headbands I make for friends, so I am giving it a go. I have a few at a children's store and a few online - check it out if your interested.

It was very joyous for me to finally finish this pillow I embroidered as a wedding gift for my best friend.

Lou's hair in two full pigtails is also one of the cutest things I've ever seen, wouldn't you agree!

Curly and I having an evening "reading party". Curly thinks that she needs to read novels, if that is what I am reading, so she pulls our books off the shelf and flips through them pretending to read aloud to herself.

Curly and Lou painting with pudding - a very fun activity - but also very sticky.
Bathing afterward is required.

Lou loves this little backpack and often toddles up carrying it and babbles as if to say "Can you put this on me please?" Then she struts around in her big girl back pack until it requires removing.

I love having these little moments everyday to remind me that life is delicious!