It's The Great Pumpkin

This year, for the first time since having children we are getting to experience trick or treating on Sunday. The last time Halloween landed on a Sunday we lived in Idaho and they did it on Saturday.  So, we talked to our children about the Sabbath and what kinds of things we should and should not do. We don't shop, play sports, go to parties, eat out, go to the movies or other things like that. We spend the day together as a family. We go to church, write in our journals, call family, play together, read and sometimes we make special treats together. Then we talked about choices.  We talked about how not every choice we make is between good and bad.  Sometimes we have to make a choice between two good things.  When that happens we need to decide what will be the best for us and our situation.  Then I let the children decide.  They decided that they wouldn't go trick or treating this year (we'll see if it lasts through the day).  They thought the better choice would be to not go.  We did go to trunk or treat at church on Friday so the kids did get to dress up and get candy. They had a lot of fun. Yesterday I got treats to play "Don't Eat Pete" and ingredients to make chex mix. The kids also wanted to make cookies using some of the candy bars they got from trunk or treat. While I was out shopping I thought about Charlie Brown. Then the idea came to me that maybe, since we weren't trick or treating this year, that the Great Pumpkin could come to our house and leave each child a little prize. I thought it would be fun. The kids were very excited when I informed them that the Great Pumpkin comes on the years that we can't trick or treat. So last night I got out my Halloween and fall stamps and each kid made a card for the Great Pumpkin. They turned out really cute! I had one child ( Dillon) who was slightly doubtful about the Great Pumpkin but he was willing to hope! This morning when they woke up the Great Pumpkin had come.  He took their cards and left a little bag of treats instead.  The kids were so excited!  They told all sorts of people at church about the Great Pumpkin coming.  I am proud of them for being able to make a decision and I am glad that they feel good about it.  Of course, since then they have been invited by several people to go trick or treating so we'll see if they change their minds part way through.  If they do, well, that's part of decision making too.  I know I have changed my mind plenty of times throughout life.  But with or without the trick or treating, we will have a fun day filled with treats, family time and a visit from the Great Pumpkin.  Do you believe in the Great Pumpkin? My house does, but only every seven years or so!

Parent Teacher Conferences

Last night I went to parent teacher conferences for the four oldest.  The reports were good.  I went to Zane's teacher first.  She loves Zane and says that he is fun to have in class.  He struggles with math from time to time, but overall he is a good student.  She is a super nice teacher.  Makenna had her too and loved her.  Next I went to Makenna's teacher.  She said Makenna is a sweet heart and an excellent student.  She said Makenna was actually her top student in every subject!  Go Kenna!  It doesn't surprise me.  Makenna loves learning and works really hard on her school work.  Maddi was next.  Her teacher really likes her too.  He said she is a good student, that she uses her time really well in class, she knows when to stop messing around and get to work, and she has good class participation.  His only worry with her is that she needs to slow down and check her work so she doesn't make so many silly mistakes.  She got pretty much all B's but he said it wasn't because she doesn't know the material, he knows she does, it's because she needs to slow down.  Dillon was last.  I never know what to expect from his teachers because he is so young.  She said she was worried when she saw his age at the beginning of the year and actually went to his kindergarten teacher to ask about him.  She said he has done really well though and his age hasn't been a problem at all.  She said she loves him and he is doing excellent in her class.  After that I went to see the girls' reading teacher.  They are in an advanced reading class.  They had also been tested to be in a gifted program so I went to talk to her about the results.  Unfortunately, we just got a new principal and she doesn't know if she wants to continue on in the development of this program like the last principal did so that program may never come about.  I was amazed at the girls' abilities.  I think they get that from me!  Haha!  I felt good leaving the school last night.  You never know what your kids will go off and do when you are not around.  I am proud of the reports that I received and I am proud of my children and the examples they set.  Today I am taking them swimming as a reward for their hard work.

Preschool Party

Olivia and I got to go to school with Zeke today for his preschool halloween party.  All the kids dressed up and looked cute.  Olivia ate breakfast with Zeke and thought that was pretty cool.  Then we went and sat out in the hallway by the classroom.  All the lights were out in the room.  His teacher handed out special glasses, bowls and flashlights.  They were going on a spider hunt in the room.  There were little black plastic spiders all over the floor in the classroom.  The kids turned on their flashlights and went in hunting.  All the spiders they found they put in their bowls and then afterwards we counted them and they each got a certificate telling how many spiders they found on the spider hunt.  After that we carved a pumpkin and picked out the seeds for the teacher to roast over the weekend.  Then we read a story and played games.  The kids had a lot of fun.  Olivia LOVED being a big kid for a day and Zeke made sure to keep her close by in case she needed help.  After the party, Olivia and I ate lunch with Zeke.  Wasn't the best day for school lunch but Zeke liked us being there eating with him.  Here are a few pictures from our morning.

Zeke and Olivia with their special spider hunting glasses

Olivia finding spiders

Zeke with his bowl of spiders

Picking out pumpkin seeds

Zeke cutting out his pumpkin to paint

Olivia finding a bone in a bowl of slimy cold spaghetti

A Good Feeling

This morning Michael had a phone interview with a company out of Rock Springs, WY.  He ended the interview with a very good feeling.  It is a job that he would like more than the railroad.  It would be in a better location, have a better work schedule and a greater opportunity for advancement.  The pay would be similar to the railroad, but I'm not sure about the benefits.  I don't think they would be as good because most places aren't, but I know they have them.  Anyways, the lady he talked to was the initial interviewer.  She will pass his info on and he should receive a call in the next week or two.  She said the fact that he was willing to relocate to the area was a huge plus for him.  They are in great need of e-line riggers in the area.  She said she didn't make the final decisions, but she made it sound like the job was his if he wanted it.  Now it's back to the waiting game...this is the part I don't do well with.  I will say though, that I feel good and hopeful.  This is the first job that we have both felt good about.  I feel some of the pressure and dread lifting.  I hope and pray that this is the answer we have been looking for and that all of this will come to an end soon.  It would be so nice to be moved and settled in before Christmas.  I'll keep you all up to date to what's going on and I want all of you to keep us in your prayers for it all to work out!

Sorting

Today I began a slow process of sorting through things.  I know if we do end up moving (which I am 99.9% sure that is going to happen) we have a TON of things.  There is no way it can all go with us.  With six kids that like to keep pretty much everything, we get a lot of accumulation.  Today I sorted through most of the toys in the toy room.  It is a process that has to happen while the majority of the kids are in school because if they sit there and watch everything is their new favorite!  I had a garbage pile, a thrift store pile and a daycare pile (I have a friend with a daycare that is in need of new toys).  I got rid of quite a bit, but there is still enough left that the kids won't really notice or miss anything - I hope :)  I'd love to get rid of more but I am afraid of the reaction of my six little monsters!  I figure if I do a little bit each day then there won't be so much to do when the time actually comes to pack.  Tomorrow will be the art supplies.  That has become an overgrown mess with a little of everything thrown in it.  Doing this at least makes me feel productive in this whole waiting game - this and filling out applications online for Michael, which I do on a daily basis and which is also productive.  So far, three of the applications I have sent in for him he has gotten call backs on - one being the railroad.  Soooo, anyways, this is my life right now along with laundry, lots and lots of laundry!

Jack-O-Lanterns

Tonight for family home evening I made pumpkin shaped cakes for the kids to decorate into jack-o-lanterns.  The girls did one and the boys did the other.

 They frosted them themselves (except for a little help with the edges) and then they made the faces.

They got a little carried away with the M&Ms and ended up not looking like jack-o-lanterns at all,

 but they tasted good!

I'm Having a Headache!

This is Olivia as she was going to bed last night:

Olivia to Michael - Dad! The boys are giving me a headache!

Olivia to the boys - Boys, I can't talk because I am having a head ache. You can't talk either because I am still having a head ache!

Such a princess!

Early Morning

This morning I awoke from a strange dream in which I had given up some of my children for adoption.  The lady who adopted Dillon made him call her mom and me Emma.  When he would pass me on the street he would always wave and say "hi Emma" and would start crying.  I decided that I didn't want to put them up for adoption after all and took them back.  Strange and sad, I know.  I think it is a sign of the stress I am feeling right now.  This all happened at 2:45 this morning.  I never went back to sleep.  When the alarm went off at 6:45, I had already been up for 4 hours.  My mind is just crazy right now.  See, it hit me that we are only 2 months away from the end of the year.  That means, because of the changes here at the ranch, we have a lot to do before January.  We have to find a job and a place to live.  I have to pack an entire house trying to weed out anything and everything that is not absolutely necessary (which I am not good at).  I have to help 6 children say goodbye to friends again and help them adjust to another move and I have to deal with taking a step into the unknown and not let anyone know how scared I am about it.  During all of this we also have to celebrate Makenna's 9th birthday, Maddi's 10th birthday, Michael's birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas.   Frustrated and overwhelmed are understatements of what I am feeling right now.  I know it will all come together, it always does, but that does not necessarily make the steps easier.  I think the kids are also feeling these emotions.  They know that Michael has been looking for a job.  They know that moving is a possibility and they are unsure what to do with it all.  They are wound up and I'm not sure how to ease their minds.  Dillon last night was talking about Christmas.  Somehow he got in his head that if Michael got a new job he would not be able to be home on Christmas day.  Dillon's hope was that Santa would know that and come early so Michael could share Christmas with us.  We reassured him that we would all be together on Christmas, but I know they each have their misconceptions of what is going on.  I also know that telling them this early, when we don't have clear answers yet, will not help the situation.  I hate that we have to do this again, but we don't have much of a choice.  All we can do is hope that what is in store for us will make up for what we are dealing with right now and that in the end we will be better off.  In the meantime, I deal with each day with strange dreams, ice cream, early mornings and diet Dr. Pepper!

Cake Pops

Today I decided to make cake pops with the kids.  I got the recipe from the website Bakerella.  The concept seemed easy enough and it looked fun.  It was not quite as easy as she made it look, but the kids did have fun and they tasted great! I don't know if I will ever do them again, but it gave us something to do this afternoon and now we have some yummy treats to eat over the weekend.

Conditional Offer

Last night Michael received a conditional offer for the conductor job he interviewed for earlier this week.  He now has forms to fill out, physicals to pass and other things to do before the offer becomes official.  That can take anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks they say.  They also advise not to turn in a resignation yet.  So Michael has begun the process.  We'll see how it goes.  In the meantime, we will still be looking for other opportunities in other places.  If nothing else comes up we will go with the railroad.  In January things here at the ranch will get worse.  Costs are increasing and wages are not.  We already struggle with what we are making now, we can't survive on less.  So whatever happens will happen before then.  Keep your fingers crossed and I will keep you informed!