Halloween Lunch

The kids LOVE holiday lunches!

As can be seen here http://mymixofsix.blogspot.com/2009/04/april-fools-day.html 

or

 http://mymixofsix.blogspot.com/2009/03/happy-st-patricks-day.html

They have been asking for days when they were going to take their Halloween lunch.  Kaylee helped me with the jello worms.  Ashley helped with the chocolate witch’s finger.  We threw in a mummy pizza, bone breadsticks, and a Frankenstien pop from Target.  I LOVE making these!  They change there ordinary day into something to be excited about!

Ash

Ash’s birthday is just days a way, which means it’s birthday photo shoot time.  She is so fun to shoot! 

And let me tell you all the stars were in line to do her shoot.    The sky was perfectly cloudy … The jacket matched her blue eyes … The oriental grass was beautiful … The park behind her was the perfect reward…

 

 

And Yes, this last look was “PLEEEEASE mom can we be done and just go to the park!!!”

Carving Pumpkins

Tonight for FHE we carved pumpkins.  Some of which were grown from our own garden!!!  I LOVE that the kids are older and can do their own.  We only had to help the two little ones.  We listened to a scary stories CD as we carved, and of course ate pumpkin seeds as our treat.

I am sitting here thinking, ‘why didn’t I take pictures of their finished masterpieces’?!?  Then I remembered the huge mess that I was busy cleaning up.  By the way, do you like the Warm Fall colored overlays on the pictures?  I couldn’t have bright white pictures for such a Fall activity!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Just finished making a couple of these for the freezer and thought that I would post the recipe. It’s so easy and we love it!!

Don’t you just love having back ups in the freezer!!!

Fall Soccer

We had FOUR soccer games, TWO birthday parties, and ONE quick late night date.  It was such a GORGEOUS Fall day that I took a ton of pictures.  Kaylee’s game was at El Pomar.  We got there early and so I took a couple pics of Kaylee by the creek.

Just look how gorgeous the backdrops were at the games.

Then there was Becca’s game.  She had an afternoon tea party right before her game.  She had her hair down and curled for the party and insisted on leaving it as such for her game.  I thought that it would get in her way, but NO it did NOT stop her in the least.

Rebecca had an amazing game.  They played against one of the top teams in their division and won.  Nathan too had a great game.  BC was there watching and Nathan kicked a powerful goal at the start of the game.  These kids are so fun to watch.  I love seeing the competitive drive in them.

Soccer Rituals

You play the game

The parents make the tunnel at the end of the game.

(Ashley actually went over to the parents at the FIRST practice and asked why they hadn’t made a tunnel at the end of PRACTICE)

You get your snack at the end of the game, as well as your leftover halftime fruit snack.

Who knows what she is doing in this picture.  It’s Ashley after all!!! 

Anyway, those above rituals are what makes soccer awesome at this age.  When she gets a little older, it will be all about the winning!

The Field Trip Camera

I try to go on field trips, but realistically it doesn’t happen because I have so many kids.  I feel guilty when I don’t go and then even more guilty when they come home saying, “Oh mom I wish you could’ve seen …”  That’s when this little beauty came in to save the day. 

It is our “field trip camera”.  We started doing this last year and Kaylee’s field trip today reminded me to share it.  If someone has a field trip, they can take the camera to capture their special day.  It’s not so pricey that if something happens to it, I wouldn’t be upset, yet it’s digital so that we can easily erase or save pictures.  After their field trip they can sit with me that night and show me all about their day, and the things they loved.   

Of course there are PLENTY of pictures with their friends.  Last year when Kaylee went to the Butterfly Pavilion I think we counted over 20 pictures of her and her friends on the bus. 

The field trip camera helps me with my guilt.  I enjoy seeing their field trips through their pictures and even save some of the pictures to their own picture folders.  Of course it doesn’t compare to actually being there, but it sure works for our family!

Passion

The definition for passion is “a strong affection or enthusiasm for an object or concept“.

I love seeing people’s passions.  You can see the joy and happiness they bring into their lives.  As a parent I’m always putting my kids in this and that trying to find out what they enjoy.  I LOVE when something “clicks” and a passion for something is found.  The problem is trying to find what your kids enjoy, but once you do it is so fun to see them take off with it.  Jacob’s passion is art.  Nathan’s passion is soccer.  Take a look at the holes in his favorite shoes.  Take a look at the leather missing off of every other square on his ball. This picture was taken at a parade this summer.  Who takes their ball to a parade?!?  One who has a passion for it!  This kid ALWAYS has his soccer ball!

Stephen just met with Nathan’s soccer coach and received his mid-season evaluation.  It looks like a report card and then has the coach’s comments. 

It read, “Nathan has an exceptional first touch – an attribute that sets him above most others.  His touch is consistently precise and reliable, and obviously practices extensively at home.  Excellent dribbling skills and confidence to take on opponents with moves and changes of pace.  Work on your shooting technique to become a prolific goal scorer.  He has a fantastic work rate and attitude to training and is constantly seeking to improve in all areas.”

I’m so glad that we found his passion.   I believe that when you do find that passion, you enjoy doing it and are constantly doing it, thus getting better and better until it is something that you excel in.  Now if we could just figure out the passions of a few of our other kids!

Jumping Jerrica Joy

Jerrica LOVES to jump on the trampoline.  She thinks that she is all that and a bag of chips. 

She also LOVES to yell at our dog, Shadow or at the cats.  I saw her out there today, jumping and yelling at the cats.  They were obviously doing something that was NOT approved of.

The Old Mule FHE

I was organizing papers and quotes on Sunday and came across some fun stories from a favorite book.  As soon as I saw this one I KNEW that it would be PERFECT for Family Home Evening.  We have had a few here lately wallowing in their problems and feeling sorry for themselves.  Actually I think I might even be one of them!

Once upon a time there was a farmer who owned a mule.  The mule was old and was losing his sight.  One day the mule stumbled into an abandoned well that lay on the farm.  He was shaken by the fall but not hurt, and as he attempted to get out of the well he began to bray.  The old mule made so much noise that the farmer rushed to the well to find out what the commotion was about.  The well was deep and the mule was old.  The farmer figured the mule was injured and decided that the most prudent action would be to bury the old mule right then and there.  The farmer retrieved a shovel from the barn and began shoveling the old well full of dirt.  The mule was confused and concerned about what was happening as dirt began to land on his head and back.  It appeared, that it was the end of him, until an amazing thing happened.  Each time a shovel full of dirt fell onto his back, he shook it off and stomped it into the ground beneath him.  The more dirt that fell, the more he shook and stomped.  By the end of the day, he’d shaken and stomped long enough that even though the well did fill up, he stayed on top.  With the well sufficiently full, he stepped out and walked, exhausted, to his stall in the barn.  In life there will be people who will throw dirt on you.  If you shake it off and don’t let it build up, like that old mule, you’ll be able to rise above those dark situations that will occur in your life. 

 

I just love the message to that story!  I put up the mule picture on our fridge as a little reminder.  It was a short and quick one tonight, but hopefully will be remembered.

Updates and Questions

I’ve had a couple of emails and calls:  I turned my cards into 8 1/2 x 11’s so that they would fit into a normal binder with normal sheet protectors. 

Yes we DID do the hand bats for a FHE the first of this month.  My kids love pointing out which hands are which.  It’s just googley eyes and red pom pom noses.

Then TWO questions that are ALWAYS asked -

When do you find time to blog?  I usually do it at night after the kids have gone to bed.  I think most of my posts are stamped at 11:00pm.  I’m in a routine and it usually takes only 10-30min, thanks to Windows Live Writer.

Why do you blog?   I have always enjoyed scrapbooking, but with this many kids my family scrapbook is hard to keep up with.  I find that blogging and printing it up in blurb makes it soooo easy.  Now to get each of my kids’ scrapbooks caught up!!!  So, basically I blog to keep a family journal.  The other reason is to keep friends and family caught up on what is going on at the Thompson’s.  Stephen even prints up blog pages at the library (because it’s FREE and in color, you know Stephen all about the FREE) and mails pages to his grandparents that are not computer literate. I guess I have one other reason, I enjoy sharing and getting ideas.

Soccer Thoughts

The above picture is my Becca.  I don’t think a game goes by that she doesn’t score a goal.  She has that “sturdy” body frame and has played so much with older siblings, that she is actually very good.

Interesting to note though, she does NOT jump up and down when she scores.  She doesn’t even smile!  Parents and her coach asked me a few games ago why she doesn’t show any emotion when she scores.  She has always done that and I had just become used to her reaction.  BUT I did question her on the way home from the game and this was her reply -

“Mom I am VERY excited inside, BUT I don’t want to make the other team sad that I scored a goal on them.  Whenever the other team scores a goal it makes me sad, and then I get even SADDER when they jump up and down and get excited.  I just don’t want to make them even sadder by me being happy at my goal.”

Isn’t that such girl with tender feelings for others?!?  I thought how she sure isn’t like me!  I tend to talk a little trash talk when I play basketball.  Maybe I need to take a lesson from my Becca.

Fall Break

The kids had Fall Break this week.  We did A LOT of cleaning in the mornings and then A LOT of playing in the afternoons. 

Halloween Cookies with the Webb’s

The Denver Zoo, which has an amazing elephant exhibit.

A movie, which was really cute!

Ice Skating with Ice Cream afterwards

Swimming with the Wright Family.  I wish that I had a picture of all of us.  Let’s just say there were A TON of kids!!!

Doing a Fall Project (my girls think that there MUST always be some project)  I found this one online  http://thatartistwoman.blogspot.com/2009/09/salt-dough-leaf-prints.html and LOVED how they turned out.  They are made from salt dough, baked til hard and then painted.  My favorite part was when we did the watered down brown paint over the top.  I think I might need a little easel to display one or two of these.

Went to a couple of friend birthday parties

Screamed, Fought, Practiced Piano, Laughed, Ate, Made Messes, Cleaned our Messes, and …I Cried because I had soo much fun with my kids, and they are getting older and they just won’t be with me for very much longer.  And I don’t think that after all the kids are gone that Stephen will sit with me and do these art projects or chase here and there with me. 

What am I going to do when my kids are grown and gone???

Photography Help

So just when I think I’m understanding and learning my camera, I find out that I have SO MUCH more to learn.  I also found out that there are many people ready and willing to help and answer my questions.

Remember my hat pictures?  Well I was getting frustrated about an aspect in them and sent out an email plea for help.  A sweet relative who shall remain anonymous AND an amazing photographer/photo editor from iheartfaces actually replied to me.  I changed settings and did what they suggested and then sent them my retakes.  I was so excited about how much better my photos looked to which I received emails telling me “Great, now you should NEXT work on…”  UGHHHHH…..  There are just sooo many factors involved in taking a good picture!!!  AND everything hinges and changes on each little factor involved.

I do love learning though, AND I’m SOOO grateful for you sweet ladies for helping me. 

Here was my last hat model who sat for a TOTAL of 1 minute, BUT by this time I had my settings all down and could do THE minute!

 

You would think that Jerrica would be my model that would only last ONE minute, BUT NO that would be my oldest!

Nerds = Gentlemen

Last night Jacob went golfing with his scout group.  I had to drop him off, and take Nathan to his soccer practice.  As we were driving I overheard this little conversation.

Nathan glanced over at Jacob, who is wearing his khakis and a collared shirt, and says, “Why are you dressed like a nerd to play golf?”

“Nathan you have to dress up like a gentleman to play golf” retorts Jacob.

To which Nathan replies, “So gentlemen look like nerds?”

I think what made me laugh is how serious they were as they were discussing this.

Recipes

I remember going down to my Grandma Jackie’s house and copying recipes when I was a girl.  She would always tell me that the first step in being a good cook was getting a good recipe.  Isn’t that SOO true!!!  And to this day I am constantly hounding friends for their recipes.

I love pulling out recipes that are in my own handwriting from when I was young.  They are nostalgic to me because they remind me of those days down at Grandma’s.  Sometimes she would sit and copy recipes with me.  I LOVE those treasured ones!  She would even have me cut out recipes from magazines and glue on recipe cards for her.  And for all of you who knew my Grandma Jackie, she had PLENTY of recipes and was an EXTREMELY good cook and baker.  I KNOW that she was right when she said that the first step in being a good cook is to get good recipes!

Well, on to my little recipe books.  This year for Christmas I wanted to give my two older girls a little binder for them to start copying and keeping recipes.  Then when they leave the house they will have tried and true recipes at their fingertips.  It will put them on the road to being great cooks!

My sister Alesha came home last summer and was baking up a storm with her favorite recipes.  I was surprised that she had taken the time to pick all of them out of her box and bring them home to mom’s.  She was quick to tell me that it was actually Haley’s (her daughter) recipe box.  It was small and easy to take on the trip, yet had their family’s favorites in it.

So, I found this fun site http://www.controllingmychaos.com/ with these amazing dividers and set myself to work.  I printed them up at Costco and am so grateful for Ms. Controlling my Chaos for being so crafty and willing to share.  I love how they turned out!

 

Now to type up a few more of my favorite recipes.  I’m just getting excited for Christmas and all the fun projects I have planned to do for my kids.  I have ALWAYS enjoyed the handmade from the heart presents.

Bunnicula

Need a fun Halloween book to read aloud to your kids?  Here it is!  We loved Bunnicula last year and are now reading another one from the collection this year.  I love how my kids get so tickled at the dialogue.

Speaking of books, I finished this one a while back and wanted to post it.

Doesn’t the title alone, intrigue you?!?  I really enjoyed the style of writing by using ALL letters.  I laughed and learned from it.  There were so many points that I had never thought about.  I guess that’s why I read, to make me think!

Hats and the Cold

This weekend looked like this

And was FREEZING!!!  So we played a little of this …

 

And then tried on winter hats and let mom play with her camera…

After taking these hat photos I thought of a fun idea.  Remember my holiday shelf …

I have filled it with Back to School pictures during September, America stuff galore for July, … wouldn’t these hat pictures be cute here and there on it for the month of January.  I could even hang a mini sled up …  Oh how one thing leads to another.

Anyway back to the weekend.  We blew and froze bubbles.  Yes it was that cold.  The boys got a kick out of the way they would crack and fall to the ground once they were froze and too heavy to float.  I remember doing this as a kid. 

Back to the Phase 10,

Do any of you have a fun or favorite card game that you enjoy?