Halloween Spooktacular

What a week this has been! Most of our activities have been centered around the Halloween scene. Wednesday began with snow flurries. Cari and Sadie couldn't resist having a hot chocolate in the falling snow. That night, Sadie and Kristi had school concerts for orchestra. They were dressed in their costumes, Sadie being a "confused" teenager and Kristi, Little Red Riding Hood.
Friday was a marathon of a day. The elementary school day began with a parade. The kids were not allowed to wear make-up or masks, but enjoyed wearing their costumes and parading around the school grounds.





After the parade, I was responsible for Kristi's 5th grade party. The kids decorated sugar cookies, and played games. One game was a competition to see which group could make the best mummy using toilet paper.



Another game, called the Candy Bar Game, was a hit with the kids. To play this game, a big candy bar is placed in the center of the group (about 10 kids per group) on a table along with two table knives and a pair of work gloves. One child begins by rolling a pair of dice until they roll doubles. When they get "doubles," they pass the die to the next person who begins rolling, and quickly put on the gloves and use the knives to open and eat the candy bar before the next person gets "doubles" and ends their turn. Round and around they roll trying for a "stab" at the candy bar.


The party was fun but hectic too and I was so glad to head home for some rest and relaxation when it was all over!
________________________________

Sadie is a member of the Zion Youth Symphony Orchestra. They performed with the Southwest Symphony Orchestra in a Halloween Spooktacular concert on Friday night.
Mike was on his way home from work to pick us up for this concert, when he was rear-ended while sitting at a stop sign. Our dinner plans had to be placed on hold. I ended up dropping off Sadie in St. George, then running back home to pick up Mike and head back to the concert with him. We enjoyed the wonderful music of the symphonies and the great costumes the performers wore. Sadie's stand partner was dressed as the swine flu!



Sitting behind us for the remainder of the concert was Connor Lee and his mother. Connor carpools to rehearsals with Sadie each week.
Backstage, before the concert, Sadie was getting ready to play when the concertmaster of the Southwest Symphony Orchestra walked by her. His name is Dr. Paul Abegg and he was dressed as Legolas from Lord of the Rings. His bow ended up getting stuck in Sadie's BIG hair. He said, "Sorry," and got it out of her hair and walked away. She was thrilled this fine musician had spoken to her! Later, Connor asked Sadie why she was blushing so much. It was simply the result of her recent encounter. She has spoken of it many times since!





After the concert, we stopped at Del Taco for a bite to eat before heading home.


________________________________

Halloween day the kids carved pumpkins after doing their chores. Trevon decided to toast pumpkin seeds and they were a delicious treat! The kids enjoyed their different activities. Cari went to a dance; Trevon went to a Halloween party; and Sadie and the younger kids did some trick-or-treating together. Corban was a trooper and walked right along with them - in a warm chicken costume. Elise was a cat and Cameron was a Transformer.

Bike Rodeo

The Elementary School hosted a Bicycle Rodeo this past week. Officers from our local police station came and prepared a course for the children to ride on. They started out with a bicycle inspection. From there, they participated in seven different obstacles. They had to come to a stop without skidding; use hand signals; follow road signs; drive around cones and within certain lines (testing balance); follow cross-walk procedures; etc. The kids were "graded" on each procedure, receiving a pass or needs improvement mark. At the end of the course, each student received a Bicycle Drivers License from the Police Department, certifying they have completed a Bicycle Safety Course and will obey all safety rules and laws. Elise, Cameron and Kristi are officially licensed now!

Having a "ball!"

When I was a little girl, I remember having great fun with my brothers and sisters and dad. My dad would position himself by the fireplace in the living room. He had next to him an artillery of folded socks. We, my brothers and sisters and I, would run down the hallway and around the corner, where we then were exposed to my dad's "sock fire." We would continue through and around to the kitchen, which led us back to the hallway. Round and around we would go, trying not to be hit by the flying socks. We would laugh, whether or not we were hit; and dad would laugh too. Those were good times.

This past week my kids were in the stairwell playing a similar game. They built barriers of pillows to help protect them from flying tennis-balls. I know, to be hit would HURT! Still, I could remember the fun I had when running from the socks and so I just watched, and laughed along with them.

My First Deer Hunting Trip

Saturday, I went deer hunting! I woke at 4:30am and at 5:05am we were on the road. I was with Mike, Trevon and Cameron. We went to the Beaver Mountain range to do our hunting. By 7:30am we were looking for deer, hiking in the sagebrush on the rocky hillsides, with our bright orange clothing, guns and binoculars. You could smell the sage. That is one spice I will never look at the same way again. Gun shots fired all around us. I was a little nervous at first. I didn't want to end up getting shot! I suddenly understood how important the orange clothing was to every hunter around. There were plenty of deer around us, but the hard part was looking for their antlers. We could only shoot the bucks, so if they were doe, they were off limits! It was sometimes hard to tell, even when looking through the binoculars.



At around 8:30am, Mike spotted a two point and took a shot. Trevon began shooting too. I shot my camera at them shooting the deer. They both missed it, but the buck seemed to be limping as it ran from us. We think we may have hit his leg. We tried to track him, but to no avail. At lunch time we went to the truck and ate. I took an hour nap on the tailgate, before we drove around to another area. Here, the vegetation was thicker, including many cedar and pine trees too.




We were hiking the mountainside again by 3pm. We decided to lay low and watch and wait for the deer to come out. Eventually they did. At 5:30pm we spotted a spike deer about 400 yards away. Mike held a close eye on him and at 6:30pm took a shot. One is all it took. He hit it just under the shoulder, hitting its vitals. I watched the area with binoculars, guiding Mike and Trevon to the right spot. After they reached the buck, I hiked over to them with Cameron.




We watched Mike gut it (fascinating), then we dragged the body down the mountain, just as it was getting dark. Cameron pointed out that the deer's eyes were green. I would have never thought to even look at that! He was very observant and seemed to enjoy himself as much as Trevon and his dad did.




Mike and Trevon skinned the deer before we headed home. We were all pretty exhausted by the time we got home, but I was glad I got some good exercise! I took a nice hot bath before going to bed. Would I go hunting again? Yes, I would. I really enjoyed myself, most of the day. The only shot I would dare take though, would be one that was at a close range. I wouldn't want to risk missing and injuring the animal. I guess experience makes the difference . . . maybe one day.

Family Fun

This past week, the Eric Beutler family (from the north) and Papa & Grandma Beutler, with grandsons Jordan and Dillan (from the south), all met at our house for a great three day reunion. There were a total of twenty people at our house, and it made for lots of fun! It was so good to see Eric and his family. We are glad they have moved closer and hope to see more of them now that they are not soooooo far away. While here, we enjoyed visiting with one another, spending time together AND eating of course. The boys went fishing at Grandpa's pond; the girls saw Hungry with a Chance of Meatballs; We gathered around the fire pit at night, roasting marshmallows; the kids played night games; Papa told one joke after another! On Friday night, the adults went out to the Olive Garden and Cold Stone Creamery. I walked into the kitchen and found, on the message board, a heart drawn with the words: I love my cousins! That was great to see. We all had a wonderful time together.

THE WELLNESS CHALLENGE

This past week has been filled with many various activities - including Mike's first elk hunting success (we'll have something in the freezer this winter). I'm actually planning to do some hunting myself this season; deer hunting. I'm not sure how I really feel about that. Part of me wants to be a rough & tough gal, capable of such a thing. Another part of myself prefers to have nothing to do with it. I'm only interested in putting some meat in the freezer (the kind that's perfect for a Sunday Crock Pot dinner). I've taken a Hunter Safety course, and like to target practice, but it has been my experience that I have a hard time eating what I kill. Once Mike and I killed a chicken and cooked it up, and I just didn't have the stomach to eat it. I never looked at "chicken" the same way again. One things for sure, the experience will be a challenge for me.

Speaking of challenges, I LOVE the wellness challenge I have been doing. My sister started the first challenge in January and we are currently doing it again. It lasts for 12 weeks at a time and makes a body feel good! It has been helpful to me in many different areas. It consists of ten daily habits that are done each day to have an overall "wellness." Each week, you can have a free day if you choose to use it. The daily habits are as follows:
1. Get at least 7 hours of sleep
(This is my biggest challenge of the challenge!);
2. Drink at least 48 oz. of water;
3. Get 45 minutes of exercise;
4. Eat 2 servings of fruit and 2 servings of vegetables;
5. No sweets or sugar;
6. No eating after dinner or 8pm;
7. No soda or bad fast food (fried foods);
8. Have 15 minutes of scripture study;
9. Write in your journal (any length);
10. Express sincere appreciation to your spouse or another person if single.

Homecoming 2009

This past weekend was HOMECOMING!!! On Friday, the high schoolers put on a parade for all the elementary students in town. I walked down the street with Corban and Elise so that we could enjoy it too. The football players were all a top the fire engine. Student Council, royalty, class floats, sports, and clubs were represented in the parade. The band was the most impressive, having Cari and Trevon in it!!!





The Tigers won their football game on Friday night, 52-7, against Virgin Valley.



On Saturday, Cari enjoyed her Homecoming date with Wil Wixom. They were in a group of 8 for their date, eating sandwiches, playing games together at the park, watching general conference, eating some more (BBQ Chicken Wraps). One game that Cari really enjoyed playing with the group was Disney Trivia. She came home to dress for the dance while her date attended the priesthood session of general conference.



Trevon poses with Cari before her date arrives to pick her up.
I enjoyed helping Cari curl her hair and apply make up, as she got ready.



We had a tough time pinning on Wil's boutonniere. The rose was huge and after Mike did his best to pin it on, I tried to pin it better. I ended up breaking off the rose. I felt bad about it, but Wil was a good sport and went to the dance with a "sprig" instead!




When they arrived at the dance, they waited in line "forever" to take pictures before dancing. Cari had a great time. In her own words, "It was fun!"