Lisa and John

I love making Halloween costumes! This year was especially fun. I did a new and improved Jolly Green Giant for John’s work costume contest. He didn’t win a prize, but the competition was pretty fierce. I think he looks mighty good.

Ho, Ho, Ho!!!

 

Here is our crew getting ready to trick-or-treat at John’s work.

 

Reed bought this Santa hat a few weeks ago and has been walking around the house with a big bag of toys asking everyone what they want for Christmas. Then, he produces the appropriate giraffe or car or whatever. Very cute. He decided that was what he wanted to be for Halloween. Too fun!

 

Ivan came home from church saying that he wanted to be a ninja, just like his friend, Jacob. I wasn’t about to buy a ninja costume for 5 or 8 bucks! So, I made some with stuff around the house. He did buy a ninja sword, though. It lights up and makes sword swashbuckling sounds. You can’t beat Dollar Tree!

 

Calvin loves my spider costume. I made this after high school and have worn it many times. This is Calvin’s second year. If you look closely, you can see the three extra spider eyes Cal painted on his forehead. Because, you know, most spiders have more than two eyes. Some have even eight.

 

Santa and his elf. Avalon was going to be a penguin, but when we got the costume out of storage, it was too big, so we’ll have to wait until next year. So, I bought some red dye and dyed one of her dresses along with Reed’s pants. Grandma Pratt made the hat when Cal was a baby. Voila! A costume is born.

 

This was about the look that Avalon had on her face when she woke up in the morning to my painted tiger face. She was NOT sure she knew what to think about me. She just kept staring at me with this bewildered look. Too funny!

 

So, last night at 10:30pm I had finished everyone else’s costumes and didn’t know what to do for ME. I had this tiger material and thought I could be a tiger. I googled “tiger face painting” and found a video on how to make this cool tiger face. Soooo easy. At our Friday Fun classes my friend, Melissa, asked if I could do her face as well. Cool, huh?

 

So, we’ve had a good day. The kids are LOADED with candy and I didn’t have to make dinner. Nice! Have a great Halloween!

My new oven!!!!  After two months with no freshly baked bread, cookies, muffins, crackers, potatoes, lasagna, casseroles…….  I have a new oven!  The previous owners did not know the other oven was so bad before we moved in.  They came to fix it a few days ago and it basically blew up in the guy’s face.  Luckily he was not hurt.  They went out and bought me a new one.  Whew!

Isn’t it pretty?  We are THRILLED!!!

Well, we have had a bout with the stomach flu here.  It all started yesterday afternoon when Ivan said his stomach was not feeling well.  He said it felt like a ball with spikes all over it was inside his stomach.  And, I learned a few things:

1.  If your child says his tummy hurts, don’t feed him milk and blueberries.

2.  If your child says his tummy hurts, but that he’s not going to throw up, don’t believe him.  Always prepare the barf bowl.  (See below.)

I did not do this and so I spent the next half an hour cleaning up bright red and blue chunks off their bed and bedroom floor.  Not fun.  When I got done I wasn’t feeling so good.  Now, I am usually not a wuss when it comes to throw up, but my tummy was beginning to feel a bit queasy.

About twenty minutes later Reed said he wasn’t feeling good and so he laid down on the floor with a blanket and pillow (just like big brother, Ivan, was doing).   I quickly prepared the barf bowl and he began using it.  Reed threw up all night.  I lost count after about seven/eight times.  Ivan threw up twice.  I moaned and groaned all night and finally mine came out the other end early in the morning.  (TMI??)  Calvin tossed his cookies around 3am.  John and Avalon have so far escaped, though Avalon has had some strange diapers. Yesterday evening I would clean up one child’s mess, go and lay down, and have to get up five minutes later to clean another one.  I was very glad when John came home and relieved me so that I could crash myself.  Aren’t husbands great??

Well, I’d like to share something that has been a saving grace for me and my family.  My good friend, Krystal C. in Oregon taught me how to prepare the barf bowl.  I have praised her name ever since.  Now, I am passing this valuable information to YOU so that you can praise MY name forever. 

First, you take a clean large bowl.

 Then, you line it with a plastic grocery bag (recycling is great!)  Make doubly sure that there are no holes in the bag.  (They often have holes.  Which is fine for groceries, but not for tossed cookies.)

Then, you fold up a paper towel and place it in the bottom of the bowl.  This helps the cookies not to splash.

 After the deed has been done, you simply tie the straps together and deposit the bag in your nearest trash receptacle.  No cleaning out nasty fluids!!  Quickly prepare a new bag and towel and place it close to your patient.  This has saved my day many time.  It works especially well on long car trips from Utah to Oregon when driver and child are taking turns tossing their cookies.  Ask for bags and towels at gas stations.  Most people are willing to oblige.

Well, we are feeling better, though a little puny.  Luckily no one is very hungry, so I can rest and not have to prepare a big meal.  May you stay healthy and happy.

 

We caught some fish! Calvin, Reed, Ivan, and I went fishing today, and this time we actually caught some fish. Ivan caught one at Salem Pond (which we have tried twice without catching a thing), and Reed and Papa caught one at Spanish Oaks Pond. We also received 4 more fish from neighboring fisherman! They said they didn’t need them, and one even gave us some bait along with some tips! It was so nice to have the other fishermen treat us so well! We all had a great time!

Grandpa Pratt told us a funny story tonight before he and Grandma left to go back home.  He said it was a funny story about John.

He begins by telling us about Grandma.  A few days ago Grandma opened a bag of flour and it was full of weevils.  It was a cold night and so Grandma put the bag of flour outside to “kill” the weevils.  During the night some creature (presumably a raccoon) dragged the flour bag around on the cement, quite a long ways around their house.  There wasn’t much flour left in the bag because of a trail left behind.  Well, Grandma doesn’t want anything to go to waste, so she swept up all the flour and decided to make a “pancake” for the chickens.  The boys were over and Ivan helped her get the hose and make a “batter.”  She even added some whole wheat berries for added nutrition.  Then, she proceeded to cook (and over cook) the pancakes on her kitchen griddle.

Grandma and the boys took off shortly thereafter and, as the pancakes were still very hot, she left them on the stove.  After they had their grand adventure, John picked the boys up and took them back home.  Later that night Grandma noticed that someone had nibbled on the pancakes.  Who could that have been?

Well, the only one in the house was my poor husband, John.  She told us to pick the boys up at 4pm.  There was some mis-communication and they didn’t arrive home from their outing until 6:30.  John was starving and so he ate some of the pancakes!!!!  Poor John was really worried about Grandma’s cooking.  He thought, “My poor mother sure is going down hill in her old age.  She tried to make these all healthy with wheat, but these things taste terrible!!  I can’t eat anymore!  It even tastes like there are rocks and chips of stone in them.”

Well, needless to say, we are relieved that these pancakes were intended for the chickens.  We are relieved that John has a strong constitution and is still alive.  And, we have all had a good chuckle.  I laughed so hard I had tears.  Grandma is devastated and Grandpa thinks it is the most hilarious thing he has heard in a long time.  Whew….  Didn’t Joseph B. Wirthlin give a talk recently about how to laugh?  Case in point.

Have a great day!

 On August 14th, 1998 we were MARRIED!!!  Since we were busy moving to our new home, we put off our  10 year celebration until this week.  Ten years ago we were married for time and all eternity in the Mesa, Arizona Temple.  What a beautiful day!  What a handsome husband!

 

We dropped the boys off at Grandma Pratt’s home and kept Avalon with us.  We stayed at the Pratt Anniversary Inn.  The king size bed was, ohhhh, so comfy.  The pillows just right!  It was a quaint Bed and Breakfast with all the comforts of home.  In the morning we were served creamed eggs on toast, my favorite!  Homemade bread, fresh peaches, orange juice….. Yumm! A feast for a King and Queen.

 

We started our adventure with a drive to Payson Lakes.  The trees were all changing on this crisp October morning.  There was a little bit of snow, even, as we got closer to the lake.  It was very beautiful.

 

 

On our way down the mountain,  Acckkkkkk!!!!!  Deja Vu!!!!!!!

Luckily, they were only beef cattle and NOT buffaloes!!  They were very polite and moved off the road quickly for us.  We had a good chuckle as we reminisced about Yellowstone.

 

 

After lunch we headed up to Salt Lake City and toured Temple Square.  The temple is amazing.  So beautiful and huge.  Just walking around the grounds, you can feel the spirit of the Lord.

 We toured the Church History and Art Museum where we saw the only Angel Moroni that has never been on the top of a temple.  Apparently, it used to be on a church building in Washington D.C. or something like that.  The Church sold the building and kept the statue.

 

 

Joseph and Emma Smith

(They were married, too!!)

 

Avalon was an angel through the whole trip.  She slept in all the right places and was cute.  All the sister missionaries adored her.  We had one sister that asked us how long we had been married.  She thought this was our first child and couldn’t believe we had a nine year old.  Ten years, sister!!

 

We toured the Beehive House and the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.  We also saw the movie there about Joseph Smith.  It was a bit intense, so I wouldn’t recommend it for children.  It was a little much for me, even.  But, it left us humbled and inspired to learn a little more about the life of this prophet of God.  Want to know more?  Check out www.mormon.org .

After the movie, we dined at The Bombay House in Salt Lake City.  It serves Indian cuisine.  We forgot to take a picture until we were almost finished.  It doesn’t look to appetizing, but it was incredible.  Spinach Paneer, Paratha bread, Basmati rice.  We snarffed. It was to die for!  I wish I knew how to make this yummy food.

 

 

 

We had another whole day to ourselves, so we completed various projects around the house.  John hung some new shelves in our laundry room and I did some cleaning, straightening, and a little painting of some new shelves for our computer area.  We had a wonderful time together and can’t wait for the next ten years to enrich our lives.

Alright, it has been a while since I posted a movie.  Hopefully this will work.

Our little angel is crawling!  It is a cute little hoppity crawl.  I love it!  You have to see it from behind to enjoy it in it’s fullest.

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Now, from the front!

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The best part of this video is the first part where she is spitting.  So cute!

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(All videos taken by Ivan.)