A Happy Halloween!

A beautiful, crisp Autumn evening. About 54 degrees and nice weather after snow and rain earlier this week.

This is Susie's third year at "Trunk-or-Treat" (9 mos. 18 mos. and 2 1/2 yrs.)

The Souper Campbell Clan Doesn't it make you hungry? Soup anyone? We made the costumes to introduce "a New Flavor, April 2010." About five people "got it." The children were great sports even when people didn't want to give to them because they had already seen a soup can--there were six of them!

Poor Morgana, the kitten--dressed here as a kitten! (She was also a witch at times. Hannah bought the costumes at the Dollar Store).

Rebekah and Susie carve her small "sugar" pumpkin (the only ones left the night before Hallow's Eve!)

After Trunk'or Treat, we visited Grandma and Grandpa Clayton up the canyon where it was twilight and much cooler. Then, to Aunt Annes and to see the cousins house.

Anne is a beautiful decorator and was patient with Jonathan who likes to pick berries off decor lately.

More of the Mad Scientist Theme.

Hannah finds herself caught in a Mad Scientist's Laboratory!

Anyone wanta piece of brain? (Jello)

The Loot!

Rebekah sacrificed ALL of her candy to the Great Pumpkin (in hope of getting a great dane puppy). A good haul this year.

School Halloween Parade

Halloween on a Saturday means that school celebrates on Friday and then Trunk-or-Treat (when neighborhoods get together at the church parking lot and open their trunks for children to go "trick or treating" from trunk to trunk is done on Saturday night. Lots of candy and celebration! (I am guessing that next year will be much of the same if Halloween is held on a Sunday). This year Miss H's class went roller blading at Classic Skating. Miss R and Mr. J were in the school parade. Their principle was a "Red Neck Hero" complete with fake teeth, duct tape and WD-40--"That'll fix most anythin!" Jonathan chose to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Rebekah was our family costume: a soup can. I brought a Pegasus costume for Susie to wear. Unfortunately, we were right next to a little Snow White. So, Susie wore her costume for photos and insisted she take it off. (Had she been wearing the princess dress, I don't think we could have pried it off her. That's just her personality.

Susie poses while Dad talks to work on his cell. While waiting Susie got bored and took some photos of Joe and I. Principal "Red Neck Super Hero" leads the parade through the maze of parents and children waiting in the gym.

Our Souper Lady

Ninja Turtle meets Dad

Later, Joe, Susie, and I took naps while big children wash, cut, and carved pumpkins. (They used the pumpkin tools cutter which are not technically sharp, they use serrated edges and friction). When we got up we ate leftovers and watched Disney's Return to Halloween Town.

During the movie, Huckleberry and Morgana snuggled close and slept-- teaching the girls that all their fighting was "cat play." Joe put Huckleberry in Hannah's carved out pumpkin.

Morgana, on the other hand, was having none of it!

Thought for the Day

I have been marveling over Elder Uchtdorf's talk from General Conference on Love and being a better Disciple. I tried to write down the words off our recording, something similar to... "Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God's love encompasses us, completely."

Family Halloween Party

The Clayton Family Halloween Party We had a smashing good time this year (as always) as we met to eat, talk, and have fun together. My camera took two pictures and then quit (low battery). I charged the battery and got some late photos before the shindig ended. For dinner, we ate pizza and Dinner in a Pumpkin, Fruit in a cauldron, Blood Worms, fruit medley, honey bread sticks and smokey cheddar slices, cheesy bread sticks, Green Pear Salad, Apple Cider, and rolls. Dessert: Carrot Cake, and Caramel Popcorn. Games included: Donuts on a string (Krispy Kreme), bobbing for apples, and frosting Anne's delicious sugar cookies. Costumes included: The Campbell Soups, Medussa (Amy), Optimus Prime (Owen) and Bumble Bee (Alex) and their little Puppy (Callie), Luke Skywalker (Grandpa Keith) and his Princess (Grandma Connie), Handy Man (Pop Pop), his Geisha (Grammy), Cowboy Andrew and Flower and Princess Fairies (Lucy and Cami), Pumpkins (Sonya and Steven) and Swan Princess (Kaya). The Goth Girls (Beth, Katy and Hannah) and several witches (Lauren)--including Belatrix LeStrange (Jane) and Narcissa Malfoy (Rebekah). Also, a Firefighter (Eli) and Lion (Sam). Our Chef was Aunt Anne. Ashley came as a Pajama Girl and Bethany was a She-Devil. Other activities: Watching Charlie Brown's Great Pumpkin Special and Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events.

We ate the traditional Dinner in a Pumpkin (Wild and brown rice, turkey, Golden Mushroom)

Beth's Caramel Corn ("To-Die-For" ...no Rebekah, not literally, that's just an expression. Several families took bags home of this ambrosia) Very Decorated Cookies (Anne's--the BEST!)

Celebrity Costumes:

Tired Pediatrician and Lion (taking a milk break!)

Transformers and their little gal.

The Space Prince and Princess

Medusa's hair was all done up in snakes!

Beth and Mike

"Swan Princess"

All smiles!

The Campbell Clan in our homemade costumes (still a work in progress...yokes too big, etc.)

Our party favors were candy stuffed jack-o-lanterns. "Dad, pass those blood worms by Anne's Carrot Cake, will ya?"

"Blood worms did you say--uhm, I think I will try one (Amy's addition to the party--Jello worms).

Blood Worms (aka Jello set up in flexible straws looked so real and life-like some of the children were afraid to eat them).

Crazy Hair Day

As part of Red Ribbon Week (Don't Do Drugs Campaign) Rebekah did this wild hair-do. Jonathan did his own and Hannah had hers all up in ponytail, ribbons, and braids. (Susie snuck in the picture). (She insisted on wearing this hairstyle as a witch at the party, Narcissa Malfoy).

Thought for the Day

Halloween costumes cut up and scattered on the floor. House in shambles. Trick-or-Treat Garland unstrung, unfinished. Halloween Party on Friday--families and dinner, here. Stayin' Alive--day by day. Came across the following quote by Adlai Stevenson, then Secretary of the U.N. Enjoy! "Each human being is a precious individual, no matter where he was born or lives, no matter his race, color, or religion, And it is only through respecting the worth of others, that we ourselves become worthy of respect. And out of mutual respect will come the friendship and understanding so necessary for a truly peaceful world."

Balance (and a new Baby)

This post title may seem a bit of an oxymoron--that is if you have ever had a baby. (Joe and I have been trying for another baby for quite awhile. Doctors, hormones, tests..."It is impossible--you cannot get pregnant right now when your LFH and SFH levels are low and almost the same," we were told by a fertility/hormone specialist at the beginning of August). So, perhaps I overcompensated...At the beginning of this new school year, I am not sure what inspired me to sign up for so much (Back to School Mania?): The Art Start Mom for Hannah and Rebekah's classes, a weekly "Reading Mother"volunteer in Jonathan's class (I thought this was a one time come and read event), room-mother for one holiday per child, per class, etc. At this same time I was asked to speak on Egypt to all the Sixth Grades (Dress ups, alabaster, papyrus, figs/dates/and humus, etc). Shortly after I was asked to speak about serving a mission to Finland to the Achievement Day Girls (Pictures, souvenirs, tastes of the country, etc). I am (was) the first name in our area to answer LLL (breastfeeding calls), sometimes over three hours worth of calls to new parents with "problems" a day, attend leader applicant meetings, teach monthly (free) breastfeeding classes in the community, etc! The morning after Back to School Night, the pregnancy test came back positive. Positive? But it was "impossible" for me to conceive! (Apparently, the word impossible does not mean totally impossible and the Lord works in mysterious ways and has a healthy sense of humor). Then comes that sneaky little cold...which turned into a blazing sinus infection, and then went to my chest! Smoldering fever, hacking coughs, green snot, (you get the picture) for several weeks. Oh, did I mention First Trimester NAUSEA made ten times worse by post nasal drip and thick mucus. Having made it past the first trimester, we want to announce our pregnancy. I am due in April 2010. If any of my odd blogs have thrown you for a loop lately, forgive me. I am nauseated, sleep deprived and try to find--balance.

Funny Kid Quotes (from Susannah, age 2)

• "Here Mom! I have a '(sur)prise for you!" What is it? "It's a bider." I open my hand. Susie puts a squished spider into it (from the playroom).

• I lay out a pink second hand sparkly shirt that is monogrammed "Princess" and some pink knit pants. "Susie, would you like to wear the Princess shirt today?" (Gasp. "Do you mean it?! Am I really a princess! A real princess!?"
• Susie comes upstairs from watching Cinderella. She is wearing her sparkling purple dancing skirt Aunt Lisa made for her last birthday (over jeans and a shirt). "Do you like my dress?" Yes! "Do I look pretty?" Yes, you do! Susie smiles, squishing up her nose. "I will make you a dress (Mom)!" "Hmm, where is my wand?" (Susie looks all around and then goes over to my desk, opens the drawer and pull out a sharpened pencil.) "Do you mind if I use this (Mom)?"
• "Milk tastes like...a white--Popsicle!"

Currently on the Bookshelf

What would life be without a good book? I shudder to think. Currently, we (I) have blazed through some good ones...keeps the old nausea at bay. I am currently reading, Everyday Sacred: A Woman's Journey Home by Sue Bender, The book Thief by Markus Zuzak, and Al Capone Does My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko (Gennifer had an autistic sister growing up. In her books, thirteen year old Matthew "Moose" has an autistic older sister Natalie. The family is working on getting her into a special school for the Autistic). We are listening to Megan Whalen Turner's The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia. Do you have a book to recommend? (Scattered book reviews on the recent novels in Books Read 2009, right hand side bar).