Happy Halloween!

BooBear was sick with a cold all week, so we missed our ward Halloween party Friday. So, in a spur of the moment decision, we took our candy and crashed the trunk-or-treat on Saturday for my in-laws' ward. Grandpa got to walk around with BooBear. Rena and Mecedes showed up, presumably also looking for Grandma and Grandpa, at the trunk-or-treat with my tiny nephew. So, we called up BBug and the 6 of us headed back home to watch Mr. Vampire. Considering we weren't sure if we were going to even dress BooBear up and leave the house, we ended up having an eventful evening. Here's a photo of BooBear as Buzz Lightyear. (The hat was the only purple hat I could find that didn't have girly flowers on it - plus it was warm)

New Tricks

BooBear figured out how to unscrew lids this weekend. The big jar of spices he likes to take out of the kitchen drawer...he can bring it back empty for you. And he can reach up to the kitchen counter. He smelled cookies. He knew they were there somewhere. So, I watched him run his fingers along the edge of the counter trying to find them.

BooBear's Curls - I have Proof!

If you can't see the curls clearly, click on the photo and see it up close. This is what his hair looked like before I cut off the curls, I mean, gave him a hair cut. /sniff

Fun with spaghetti! He took a bath after this one.

Here he is post-haircut.

Nice Things to Say FHE

We had a FHE a few months back about showing love to each other. Rena taught the lesson. For the activity we passed around sheets of paper with our names on it, and everyone wrote down something nice about the person. After writing a comment down, we folded the paper so that it wasn't visible to the next person who wrote a comment. At the end of the activity, you had a list of compliments. As I was cleaning off my desk (there you are desk, I found you!) during this fine Fall Break, I found the papers for Werty and I. Here is what Werty's family said about him:

(keep in mind that the authors range in age from 7 years old to older than Werty)
BFF Bro. So glad you are there to save my butt online.
You are so much fun and you are so considerate. Thanks for chatting film/performance practice/art with me.
I like how friendly and easy going you are. I also like how seriously you take your spiritual responsibilities.
You have a great attitude. I appreciate how you take the time to talk to people and see how they are doing, and sincere you are.
I love your laugh. I love being with you. I love having you in our family. Your example helped me go on a mission. The way you served others helped me to know the value of giving.
You are creative and a leader! You have great knowledge of the scriptures.
You are a great dad!
You have a good voice.
My awesome big brother. I admire you so much!
happy, jolly
You gave me a cousin.
You rock.
Great and caring - talented. Loved by the Lord.
You are very cool.
My big brother!
You are great in your humor, in your knowledge, and in your ability to relate to people. Thanks for being a super older brother and example to me!

Here's what Werty's family thinks about me:
Loving, beautiful, cute, funny, cheerful, giving, kind, thoughtful, considerate (that was Werty's comment, can you tell?)
You have a good personality.
I love how you mix the reasonable with the ridiculous: you know how to have fun and when to be serious. You are a cute mom and a good teacher. (that's my favorite comment)
You are great. I'm so glad I can learn so much from you, especially dealing with students. You are so perfect for Werty. You're a great sister-in-law.
Ongoing, never gives up.
Nice, you gave me a cousin. :D
You are helpful and insightful. You can really connect with people and I really feel like you are a sister to me. Thanks.
You rock!
Observant and precise in expressing your thoughts and feelings.
You are a delight and fun.
Yay! You got a monkey! (referring to BooBear)
You are easy to talk to and good at listening.
You are welcoming and have a great attitude. I like how you stand up for your beliefs and ideas.
Your spirit and determination are a good example to everyone in the family. I'm glad you have a place with us in the eternities to be with us forever. It's a great think to look forward to. Thanks, I love you.

I hope no one's upset that I share these. Since most of my readers are family, I thought it would be nice to share. It's a great FHE idea. (Now I can throw away the papers - I know Klari understands what I mean!)

Dead Harry

Werty has been trying to work more hours lately. Stuff keeps getting in the way. On Tuesday he was on his way to SLC to work when our car died. He had just exited the freeway, thankfully. The car threw a rod, so the engine is toast. No more Harry. The sad thing is that we had just renewed our registration last week. We had also just put a new muffler on Harry last month. But that is the way of things. The trickiest part about the situation is having the car dead an hour away from home. Werty will be working on that problem most of tomorrow.

The good news is that we are going to buy SoyJoy's car. Since she's moving to NC, she needed to sell it within the next month anyway. It's a H0nd@ that's only two years younger than our old H0nd@. Yeah, it's that old. Unlike our old car, it's seen some body damage. However, the engine's been reworked some and it runs well. Basically, it's a blessing because we can buy it with cash. Since we are in the middle of trying to buy a house, buying a car any other way would make us ineligible for our home loan. It feels like deja vu driving SoyJoy's car because it looks and feels so much like our old "little car." It will take me a few days to get used to driving a stick shift again. I will miss how smooth a ride and how quiet an engine Harry had. It's funny how you can feel sentimental about a car, when it's just a thing.

WWI Trenches Class Pic

This is what happens when you turn your back in my IB classroom.

We are currently studying WWI. "Hey, I thought we were going to build trenches today." "We can't she's (me, the teacher) right there." "Can you go into your office for a few minutes?" Then a little later: "Teacher, can we build it higher?" "No way." "You're saying 'No,' but I think you really mean 'Yes, but I can't give you permission because it's dangerous.'" "No, I really mean, no!"

Welcome to the World Nephew!

Rena gave birth to a little boy last night, sometime after midnight. He is 20 inches and 8 lbs 3 oz. Congrats Rena! Werty, BooBear and I went to the hospital and met him this evening. He is so darling!