Halloween

Halloween was on a Saturday this year. With COVID going on, plans were up in the air as to what was okay to do. They had cancelled the big BYU trunk or treat and Ben and I had doubts about letting the kids trick or treat around the neighborhood. We debated it back and forth many times. Watching the news and the numbers of positive cases didn't make the decision any easier. We finally decided that we would spend our evening with Beth and Parker and that would do it for us.

The morning was a relaxing morning, at least for the kids and I. Ben did homework all morning and afternoon. We had a late breakfast/early lunch since we would be eating at Beth's party. After the kids cleaned up they food mess, I started making the salads that I was asked to bring with us. I was asked to make my Jello Salad and a Pasta Salad. They came together rather quickly and now we had nothing but time.

When it was finally time, the kids got dressed in their costumes and we headed to Beth and Parker's. When we got there, Annie was the only one there. Beth told me that she hadn't heard from many others about coming. I felt bad because she does so much for the Halloween party and it is always so much fun. I hoped that more would show up as time went on.

After getting settled in, Beth started cooking the pizza and we visited with Annie. She had called the boys over letting them know that she had something for them for their birthdays. They quickly ran over and sat down on the floor. They also had one to open from Beth and Parker. Gabbi was excited to find out that she had one to open as well. They all opened them at the same time. The kids were happy to see books from Beth and Parker. Gabbi got the Disney's Who's Who book, Owen got Dog Man Grime and Punishment, and William got Mother Bruce. They all looked like fun books and the kids seemed really excited about them. When they were done opening the books, Grandma then handed the boys a birthday card. Inside they found a card with a sweet note and some money, so they could pick out what they wanted. 

When they were done they all ran off to play while we sat there and visited while the rest of the pizza's cooked. When they were done, we gather the kids and had them dish up. They had a lot to choose from; Pizza, Jello Salad, Pasta Salad, Sausages wrapped in bacon, Green Salad, and three different kinds of Dessert. After the kids filled up their plates with what they wanted they went and sat down to eat. Then it was the adults turn to dish up. Once we had our fill on our plates, we joined the kids to eat. It was all so yummy.

When the kids were done eating, they ran outside to go and play while the adults stayed in the house. At that point we were joined by Parker's sister and her kids as well as Parker's mom. We sat around and talked about all sorts of things. While doing so we were then joined by Parker's brother and his new bride. They were dressed up as Gomez and Morticia, which of course the kids just had to comment on. They didn't stay long before heading out to their Halloween party. After they left we weren't far behind them.

We called the kids in to clean up the mess they had made in the bedrooms. Once they were done, we loaded in the vehicles and headed to Debbie's house. The plan was to trick our treat around two of the cul-de-sacs by her house. As soon as the kids were done and dinner was cleaned up, we headed out. 

It didn't take long to get there and once we did, we got the kids in their jackets (under their costumes) and waited until everyone was ready to go. When they were we followed Beth and Parker. Well more so we followed their kids. Our kids followed suit and they were having a blast running to the doors and collecting candy. We gave the kids some specific instructions regarding trick or treating and I was surprised that they were actually doing what we asked.

Half way through the first cul-de-sac we were joined by a neighbor that Beth's kids play with all the time when they visit at Grandma's. They had the cutest girls dressed as deer. It was so sweet. The stayed with us almost the whole time. When we got to the second cul-de-sac, they stopped when they got to their grandma's house.

After going through both cul-de-sacs we found our way back to Debbie's house. We went inside to warm up a little. It wasn't bad temp wise until the sun started to go down. When it did you could tell that it was quickly getting colder. The kids ran off to the toy room and we sat down in the front room. Once we were warmed up, we grabbed the kids and told them to come and say thank you for a fun night. 

I wouldn't say they happily got up, but they did as we asked. When they did, Debbie gave each of them a handful of goodies to add to their Halloween bags. Once outside we walked to truck. WE took their bags while they took their costumes off. Once they were done, we gave each of them some sanitizer to clean their hands off with and loaded in the truck. Once we were ready we headed home.

When we got home the kids took turns showering. While the other waited and once they were all done, since it was still early and a Saturday, we let the kids watch Hocus Pocus. It was the perfect ending to our Halloween.

Pumpkin graft

During the month of October William's class has done a few things in the arts department to celebrate the upcoming Halloween holiday. Today I got a message on Boolmz with a picture of William class. They were each holding up the glyph jack-o-lantern pumpkins that they had made. William was so proud of his and happily showed me when he got home from school.

Halloween parade

Despite all the restrictions, the school still planned on having their Halloween parade. They had some extra restrictions but it was still on.

A week before the parade the school sent out an email and a note home to parents letting them know of the restrictions that would be at the parade. We had specific places we could watch the parade from, we weren't to enter the school, the kids weren't restricted on what they could wear (they could actually wear their masks this year), and last but not least they wouldn't be walking through the school at all. All of these things were to help with social distancing on and around school grounds.

With all those restrictions, Ben and I went early to ensure we had a spot to stand/sit to watch the parade. When we got there, there weren't many there yet, which was promising. We were able to get a spot up front next to the yellow line that they had painted on the grass. When it was finally time, Mr. Ben (school computer guy) got the music going and we waited for the kids to come out.

When they did, they came out one class at a time. They stuck to the outlined area to ensure that all of the parents could see all the kids pass by. It was fun watching them try to stick to their social distance walking. A lot of them had their arms up to make sure that they had enough space in between each of them. Some of them had a really hard time remembering, but they had aids along the parade route to remind them.

When the first class was far enough ahead they then would let out the next class. With how many gaps were in between each of the classes I thought for sure that this would take forever. I was surprised that my feelings were incorrect. They were done in not time at all. That was probably because they class sizes are considerably smaller than they have been in the past.

William and Owen both smiled and waved as their classes past were we were standing. They didn't try to hide like Gabbi used to. It looked like they were having a lot of fun in their Halloween parade. 

Once all the classes had gone through, we heard an announcement thanking the parents for coming to see their kids and that they could take them home if they wanted. Once the field started to clear, Ben and I walked towards the school. We waited in a spot where both of the boys could see us. It took William 10 or so minutes to gather his stuff and come out of his designated door. With him he had a handful of stuff; his pumpkin, breakfast/lunch bag, goodie bag, doughnut, and a picture. I was surprised that he was able to carry so much stuff even a short distance. 

Owen on the other hand was an entirely different story. Owen didn't take the fact that we were there as a sign to come out as soon as they were excused. He decided to stay in his classroom and participate in the Halloween game that his teacher put together. At one point we sent William back in the school, mainly to get the book that he forgot, but to also try and find Owen. When he came back and reported where Owen was, William and I went to the van while Ben waited for Owen. He stayed in his classroom until the bell rang, 45 minutes after the parade had ended. I could tell when they got back to the van that Ben wasn't very happy. He did have some homework that he needed to get done before class tonight, so I don't blame him from being upset.

Braces off

At Owen's last appointment they said that if things looked good that he would get his braces off at the next appointment...well that is today. 

After picking up the boys from school, Gabbi walked home with William and Owen and I went to his appointment. When we got there Owen was so excited. He couldn't wait to get his braces off. It has been a year and two month since he got them on and he was so ready to get them off. He literally ran to the front door. Once we got inside, we checked in and waited for his name to be called.

When they did finally call his name, we walked back to the chair and he sat down. The technician looked at him and asked him if he was excited to get his braces off and he literally answered before she even finished asking the question. She smiled and laughed at his clear enthusiasm. She then laid back the chair and took a look at the progress from his last appointment. After she was done, she put his chair up and said that things looked good, we just had to wait for the final okay from the Orthodontist. 

Sadly that took longer than I thought it would. We waited and watched him bounce from chair to chair, patient to patient and skip us. Two of which sat down after we did. I tired to stay patient and he finally came to Owen. He laid the chair back and took a look at his teeth and then at his file. He smiled and said things looked great and that he indeed was going to be able to get them off today.

First things first, he wanted to fit him for a permanent retainer. It's a simple metal wire cemented to the back of his teeth. I could tell that Owen was uncomfortable with all the poking and prodding to get the wire in place. Finally after what seemed like forever, it was done and in place. Now to the actually braces.

I was surprised how quickly the braces came off in one fell swoop. Since they were all connected to the brackets and ties, it took a few tugs and they came off all in one. I don't remember it being that quickly when I got mine off or when Ben got his off for that matter. I guess orthodontia has come a long way since we both had braces on. I was so proud of Owen, he only flinched once while they were coming off. 

The next part was not as easy or as quickly. He now had to clean the glue off his teeth. He was scraping and scraping to get all the glue off. Some of which were small teeth and he had to get so close to the gums that they started to bleed. I felt so bad for Owen. He was trying his hardest to sit still, but couldn't. He asked to hold my hand, so I came over and stood next to him to hold his hand. I just crossed my fingers that he would be done soon. It definitely took longer than I or Owen wanted. 

When it was finally done, they sat him up and had him go to the sink to rinse out his mouth. He had to a few times because his gums wouldn't stop bleeding. When he finally got it clean enough, the Orthodontist sat the chair back down to take a good look. He poked around a little bit further, scrapped off just a little bit more glue and then left his mouth to let the technician take care of the final cleaning and closing x-ray's.

Before moving onto the next patient, He told me that Owen was right on track. He said that Owen would need to come back in 6 months to have a check-up to see if his teeth have moved any further or if baby teeth had come out and new ones in. Overall he said that he could have a year to a year and a half break before having to get a full set put on once all his baby teeth are gone. I told him that we were moving in May and he said to still come back for his 6 month check-up and we'd discuss our options at that point. 

When the technician was done, she put the chair up and told Owen that he was okay to go. We stopped at the front desk and while Owen grabbed his treat for wearing his Ortho T-shirt, I made an appointment for his 6 month check-up.

Well Child check-up

Both Owen and William had their well child check-ups today. They didn't like not being taken to school, but when I told them that they would be dropped off when they were done, they were fine with that. When it was time, I got them in the van and we headed to the office.

When we got there we of course had to check in right at the entrance. They asked us if we had any symptoms, if we had been near anyone who had a positive test, or traveled in a high rate area in the last 30 days. We of course hadn't, they asked us to sanitize our hands and then cleared us to walk to our Dr. Office. Once we were upstairs we checked in and waited for their names to be called.

We waited a lot longer than I thought we would, but were eventually called back. They took the boys to the scale to get their weights and then had them stand against the wall to get their height. Once that was done they walked us to the room and they took their blood pressure and heart saturation rate. The nurse said everything looked good and then asked the typical questions. 

Some of those questions are about whether or not they are around smoking, if they feel safe at home, if they get exercise during the week and how much, how much screen time during a week, etc. She asked them how they were doing in school and how they liked it. Once all the questions were done, she left and were told that the Doctor would be in soon.

When the Doctor came he asked us out we were doing and dealing with the "new normal." We of course are doing the best we can. He then checked both the boys. He checked their reflexes and joints, the sound of their lungs and heart, he even check the straightness of their spines. He then entered that info into the computer into their files and looked at their growth charts. He said that they looked good and they were progressing as they should.

Owen was just above 50% for his height and around 40 % for his weight. He said that Owen would soon see a growth spurt where he could either shoot up and be really skinny until he takes on weight or he could take on weight and then finally thin out. He said that most boys do the later. William was around 30% for both his height and weight.

Now that that was done, he asked the boys a few questions. He first asked Owen how he was doing with his aggression/outbursts (behavior both mental and physical towards his siblings) and attention while in class. Owen told him what he had been working on over the last year. He then asked him how he thought it was going and Owen of course told him that he thought it was going good. So he told him to keep at it. He then turned to William and asked him about his arm, how it happened, and how he was doing with it. William said he wasn't sure how it happened, which surprised me. Maybe he's block out that traumatic event. He then said that it didn't bug him at all and that he couldn't wait to get his cast off.

After touching base with how the boys were doing, he asked about their vitamins and the flouride. I told him that they get a multivitamin as home as well as the fluoride tablet, but would need a refill on the tablets. He went ahead and sent that prescription to the pharmacy and along with that he gave both of the boys a coupon for a free ice cream cone to JCW's.

We were then told that we were done and free to go. The boys and I headed back to the van and once there, they asked if they could go and get their ice cream cones. I told them that we could possible go later, but not now, they had to get back to school.

Trailblazer

Ben got a phone call not to long ago that was kind of special. He was informed that he had been selected to receive an award from the Hospital that he was interning at. He had no idea who would have nominated him for the award, but was kid taken back. He didn't think he did anything to really stand out and was interested in seeing who may have nominated him. He also received instructions on when to come to the hospital to receive it. I couldn't be a big affair because of COVID, but we were going to make it special. 

After dropping the boys off at school, we did a few errand and then we headed to the hospital. When we got there, we walked in and waited where they told us to wait. It took a minute for the representative to get there, but once she was, she told us all about the award. They don't award them often, but when someone it, it's kind of a big deal. She said it would be on their website and even published in some sort of book for the hospital. She then asked him if he was interested in knowing who nominated him. He smiled and said yes. She then handed him a paper which was the nomination.

He took a minute to read it and when he was done, he had a smile on his face. He thought that it was his director that nominated him, but found out that it was actually a patient's daughter. He never felt like he did anything above what was required, but apparently this particular visit made a large impact on her mother and they both felt that Ben needed to be recognized for it. It was so sweet. 

With award in hand, we went outside to have a picture taken for the website. It didn't take very long and when she was done taking pictures, she apologized that it wasn't bigger. She said that they normal have this big thing, but this was the best they could do at the time. Ben of course said that was fine because he didn't want the attention. She then said that we were done and that we could go. We then turned around and walked to the truck.

Once at the truck, I asked Ben how he felt. He said that he felt silly. He didn't feel like he deserved any special recognition for something he was supposed to be doing anyway. He was just being modest and I think this attests to the fact that he will be a fantastic Chaplain and those that he works with are going to get a great individual to confide in.

More birthday fun

Like Owen, William got to celebrate a few different times. Like Owen, William received a birthday treat sign just for him. He was kind of lucky, because he got two this year. One for his birthday and one as a get better when he broke his wrist.

Another birthday surprise came in the mail from his Aunt Amanda. She sent a very funny card and William loved the fact that he could actually read it by himself. He thought it was awesome when she talked about her turtle and how he couldn't wait to see William the next time we are there. 

From school he got a treat and a crown to wear for the day. He was one spoiled kid.

Purple Elephant Wreath

Two weeks ago Tiffany sent me a text asking me if I wouldn't mind adding one more wreath to her list. She wanted to have one made for a friend of hers. She told me that her friend loved elephants, that her favorite color was purple, and that she was a friend who was more like family. She asked if that was enough to be able to put something together. I told her that that was plenty and that I'd text her what I found. 

I first searched for a sign or a centerpiece that would fit what she wanted. Some sort of elephant or saying that expressed a friend being a part of a family. I came across a few different things and sent pictures to Tiffany. She picked out on of the signs and I added that to my cart. 

I then started looking for elephants. That one was a lot hard than the sign. They had all sorts of elephants, but none that would work on a wreath. They were all decorations or jewelry. I then changed my area of search and checked in the arts and craft section. That brought up more options and I screenshot saved some of them to send to Tiffany. I then just typed in elephant to see what I would find. It took searching through a few pages of elephants, then randomly I came across silver elephants that could be hung from a shower curtain. I wasn't sure if she'd like them, but I took a screenshot of that one too. I sent the bunch to Tiffany and waited to see what she thought.

A few hours later, she responded. She had been in a meeting and apologized for not getting back to me sooner, but said that she actually did like the elephants that hung on the shower curtain. That one surprised me, but I was glad all at the same time. They would be easier to use than the craft ones I sent her. With that last confirmation, I ordered what I needed and waited for them to be delivered in order to put it together.

Once all the pieces had arrived I asked Tiffany what she wanted it to look like. She just said whatever looked prettiest. I searched a few videos online to see if I could find anything new that might peck me interest. I came across one that would work for this one as well as one that would work for the one I'm making Tiffany. I saved the video's and once I was ready to make the wreath I watched it a few times to make sure I knew exactly how it was put together. Once I was confident that I could put it together, I started cutting up the deco mesh.

This new technique that I found wasn't too bad and actually came together rather quickly. Once I was done with the deco mesh, I then moved onto the fun stuff, the embellishments. That's always my favorite part and that when the wreath really takes flight. This one sadly had me stumped though. I wasn't sure what to do with the elephants. I knew I wanted some on or really close to the sign, but other than that, I was lost. I sat and looked at it for a bit. There wasn't my much that I could do except just to place them randomly around the sign. I ended up using a wire to tie them through layers of the deco mesh to keep them in place. Once they were all in place, I was done. I just hoped this one would get the same reaction as the rose one.

Birthday

Today is William's birthday. For his birthday activity William chose to make Halloween rice krispies treats. I thought that sounded like a fun activity for the kids and told William while he was at school that I'd go ahead and get the supplies. He was so excited, however slightly bummed that he couldn't help me get the supplies.

While at the store I picked up the rice krispies, marshmallows, two new Halloween cookie cutters, Halloween sprinkles, different colors of icing, etc. Now that we had everything, we just had to wait until the day of his activity.

We planned his activity to be done on his birthday. After we were done with our virtual sacrament meeting, we went ahead and pulled out all of the supplies. Each of the kids placed their placemats on the floor in the front room. I promised them that they could watch a Halloween movie while they decorated them. While I got things set up and pulled out, William picked out a Halloween movie. Once he has chosen which show, they, one by one came over to cut out their rice krispie treat shapes. We had enough rice krispies for each of the kids to make one of each cookie cutter. We had a pumpkin, ghost, bat, cat, and a witches hat. Once each of them had their 5 shapes, they went in the front room and sat down.

When everything was ready, we started the movie, Hotel Transylvania, and I let them decorate their treats how they wanted. I had to help William somewhat because he couldn't control the icing, so I put the icing where he wanted it and he spread it out. He then told me what sprinkles he wanted and I pulled those out for him to place them where he wanted. He got frustrated a few times, but when he was done, he really liked how they turned out.

Gabbi and Owen had no problems at all. They knew what they wanted and did just that. I was surprised at how much they were able to put on these treats. They too, were just as proud of their finished treats as William was. 

When they were done they asked if they could eat them. I told them to go ahead, but not to eat too much for fear that they would get a stomach ache. Owen ate three, Gabbi ate all of hers, and William at two. I couldn't believe how much they ate considering how much icing and sprinkles were on their treats. It made me want to gag. They loved it though. When they were done eating their treats, we paused the movie, cleaned up the mess, and then were able to sit back down and finish the movie.

Later after dinner we pulled out William's leftover rice krispie treats. We placed the number 7 candle in the middle of his plate, lit the candle, and then sang Happy Birthday to him. When the song ended William blew out the candle and then told Gabbi and Owen that he had saved a rice krispie treat for each of them. They happily each grabbed one, saving the bat for William, and they each scarfed them down. William just looked at them in surprise. He had only taken one bite by the time both of them had completely eaten theirs. I thought that they were going to ask him if they could eat his, luckily they didn't.

When William finally finished his treat, we all pitched in to clean up and to get the chores done. Once everyone's chores were done, we all went into the front room so William could open his presents. Gabbi and Owen had pitched in to put together a present for him. Inside the bag he pulled out two hot wheel cars that Gabbi picked out and a fire deck of Pokémon cards that Owen picked out. After that gift, we then gave him our gift. Inside the wrapping he found Chase and his Super Charged Paw Patrol car. Once it was out of the wrapping he of course asked me to take it out of the box. I did and handed it over to William. He was super excited when he found out that it lit up and even made noises. He instantly started driving it around the floor. I dare say he had a blast on his birthday.