Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Spook Alley

Last night we went to our ward Halloween party. It was a lot of fun and there was a GREAT turn out. The kids got to do a costume parade which I loved. I remember doing those as a kid in school, but my kids don't even get to wear their costumes to school. (SO stupid!)

And then there were lots of different booths/activities for the kids to attend. One was the spook alley put on by the teenage boys.

My girls really wanted to go through it, and I don't find spook alleys scary. (Could be because I worked in my piano teacher's spook alley every year when I was a kid.) So I took Alyssa, Halle, and Carter through. The very first thing that jumped out at us was this creepy guy from "The Village".



That was it for Carter. Then Alyssa and Halle started screaming at everything (a bit of drama on their parts), but that just sent poor Carter over the edge. The poor kid was sobbing, "I want to get out! Take me out!" , and shaking like a leaf. I carried him and told him just to close his eyes, but I think he was too scared not to look. So I have traumatized my son, just when he was doing so good sleeping in his own bed.

We took him back through when they were tearing it down and the lights were all on, in hopes that he would understand that it was just for fun. I think it helped a bit, but he was still creeped out. I am a terrible mother.

I am sure I'll post more pictures from the actual trick-or-treating event tonight.

Happy Halloween!!!

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

This is Halloween, Halloween, Halloween...

It's official, Halloween has started. Yesterday we donned our costumes for the first time and went to Boo at the Zoo. It was insanely packed with people and the candy the kids got was pretty dippy, but the zoo was decorated really cute and the kids had a good time.

Plus, by sheer accident, we saw a baby tamarin monkey be born. We noticed the other monkeys in the cage were acting really strange and then when we looked up, we saw a mother giving birth. How nuts is that!!!?? Of course my kids were freaking out that the other monkeys were going to kill the new baby and we HAD to find a zoo keeper. So when we found one and told them the monkey had just had a baby, they went running and when we came back to look again, they had closed the exhibit.

Anywho.....here are some pictures from our big day.

Carter the knight and Owen the cowboy.

Devils Alyssa and Halle, and Sully Monster Wes.

Little Tinkerbell (Kate) thinks she can fly, apparently.

Look how fun the turtle cage looked. There were pumpkins, lights, decorations, etc. all over the zoo. It really was quite cute.

Wesley enjoying a sucker.

"I vant to suck your blooooood!" Carter got these teeth at Boo at the Zoo. I totally loved these as a kid.

Later that night we got our pumkins carved. Such a stinky mess, but it's not Halloween without it.
Here's a picture of me, just for Elise. :)

Alyssa and Kate both got right into the carving and cleaning process. Alyssa's pumpkin (as last years was) is a 3 faced monster. Of course Jarom and I have to help carve the faces and Jarom says her tradition needs to die until she can carve the faces herself.

Carter chose a ghost pumpkin this year. It's pretty neat to see it lit up. I tried to get a picture of the way Jarom was hollowing it out, but he hid his hand. He had to put a garbage sack around his hand and arm so he wouldn't get guck on him. HA!

Halle enjoyed carving the pumpkins, but hated the smell. She kept gagging and had to hold her breath.

Our completed master pieces. Don't you just love to look at a jack-o-lantern all lit up? So fun!

Monday, October 29, 2007

Alyssa's Hives

Last Saturday night, after the party was over, Alyssa told me that her back was itching really bad. So I looked and her entire torso looked like it was on fire. It was RED and there were hives all over. It really was nasty looking. I had given her a new outfit for her birthday and as far as we can tell she had an allergic reaction to the unwashed clothing. She got in the shower and we gave her some Benedryl and they started to go away.

Sunday morning she woke up and they were back on her neck and upper arms and a few had spread down to her legs. So another shower and dose of Benedryl and she was good to go.

Then Sunday night she started complaining again and this time they were all over her thighs, inner arms and face. I have no clue what is going on. We just keep giving her Benedryl and hoping that her throat doesn't swell. So far so good. I guess if they come back again today I better call the doctor and see if there is something more we should be doing.

Here's her thigh and face (I know she looks completely pathetic) from Sunday night.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

It was SPA-tacular!

Alyssa had a GREAT birthday today. It all started with her favorite breakfast of German Pancakes. Then we prepared for the spa themed party!! It really was one of the best parties I've ever thrown. It went so smoothly and was fairly easy. Of course it helped that I had 6 adults running stations. I want to give a big shout out of THANKS to everyone who helped today. I couldn't have done it without you!!!!!

Mmmm german pancakes with powdered sugar and syrup.

Alyssa and her cake. (It's finger nail polish in case you can't tell).


Jarom made these cute "appointment" cards for each girl telling them which station to go to next. He asked Alyssa what she wanted to call her spa and she chose "The Pink Panther". I thought it was quite catchy myself.

The craft station, run by Bailey's mom, Jill. The girls got to bring home all sorts of goodies, hair brushes, mirrors, head bands, finger nail files, candy lipsticks, so they needed a bag to carry it all in. At this station they decorated their bags and ate appetizers (lunch meat rolled up and held together with a toothpick, ritz crackers with a dollop of cottage cheese, grapes, strawberries, bananas, and lemon water).

Aunt Mimi gave the manicures. The girls got their nails filed, hands lotioned with yummy smelling stuff, and nails painted with little jewels placed on them. It was so cute how whenever they left this station, they would hold their hands so daintily.

Aunt Emily ran the hair station. She did such a cute do on all the girls and then finished it off with glittered hair spray. I think they loved all having the same hair.

A foot massage and toe nails painted done by Deidra. My girls keep talking about how Aunt Deidra gives the BEST massages. (Maybe I needed to get in line!)

Alyssa getting a facial (green tinted cool whip and cucumbers). I took a picture of each girl in this stage that I will use to print the thank you cards with. They giggled and giggled at this station.

After we washed the "masks" off, I put eye shadow, blush, and lip gloss on them. They each got a hand mirror to look at themselves. It was so cute how they would sit and admire how beautiful they looked.

Look how pretty they all look. (I should have taken a before picture.) And they felt pretty too. You could just see it in the way they walked and held their painted hands so delicately.

Watching the presents being opened. Look how cute their hair looks all done the same way. SO FUN!!

Her big surprise present was a new bike. Her old one got stolen this summer, right out of our front lawn. We moved her up to a 24" one and it's almost too big, but she's only going to get bigger, so soon enough she'll fit into it.



Make a wish! What a GREAT party this was. I hope all the girls had as much fun as I did.

Happy Birthday Alyssa!


Happy Birthday to my beautiful daughter Alyssa! She turns 9 years old today. I can't even believe that I have a 9 year old. The time has gone SOOOO quickly. We love Alyssa to death in our family. She is a wonderful big sister and so helpful to everyone. Have a GREAT birthday sis!!!!

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Budapest

Halle has ALWAYS been fascinated by religion. She loves to learn about different beliefs and comes up with some crazy ones of her own. In her class they are studying the world and consequently religious beliefs.

So this morning, she was asking me all sorts of questions about every religion imaginable. I consider myself fairly knowledgeable, but only minimally. I was making sure that I got the point across that even though some people don't believe the same things we do, there are still many good people and many good religions that teach wonderful things. Then she says, "I sure would like to know one of those Boods."
Me-"A who? Do you mean a Buddhist?"
Halle- "Yeah. What do the Budapests believe?"

I am pretty sure she meant Buddhist, but she is studying the world, so she could have meant Budapest too. It was so funny.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Why I love blogging!

Lee Ann had a such a great idea of introducing all her blogging buddies that I thought I would copy. (Hope you don't mind Lee Ann.) I am constantly wondering how everyone knows everyone else on their blog links. So here's how I know my WONDERFUL blogger friends.

Angela & Lou- Angela and I have been friends since 1st grade. We grew up together and went to the same church our whole lives. We went our separate ways when we hit college age, but we try to get together whenever we're both in the same town. I LOVE seeing pictures of her cute little family. She is who introduced me to blogging.

Benjamin & Kaylin- My brother-in-law and sister-in-law. Benjamin is Jarom's brother. Kaylin's relatively new to the blogging community, but I am so glad she has joined. I adore little Eli (new baby) and I can't wait to see new pictures of him.

Brad & Jennifer- Brad and Jarom were college roommates. Jennifer and Brad started dating during those years, so we've known them a very long time. We lost track of each other for a time, and then they moved into our ward when we lived in Boise. Our kids are almost exactly the same ages and it is always a good time when we get together. Since we moved to I.F. we haven't kept up with each other as well as I would like to, so the blog makes it SO nice to keep up to date with the Peterson daily happenings.

Brandon & Emily- Another brother-in-law & sister-in-law. Emily is Jarom's sister. She and Brandon live fairly close so we do get to see them often, but I love to see all the pictures online that I normally wouldn't get to see.

Brent & Shanna- Brent and Jarom served their missions together in CA. (It is currently burning down in many of the areas they served in. So sad!) Brent was our best man at our wedding. He married Shanna and we've tried to stay in contact the best we can, but it's so much nicer to see current pictures of what they are up to. (Especially seeing their cute little boy!)

Dad- It's how it sounds, he's my dad. He tries to update this site monthly for the scout troop that he is charge of. It's fun for me to see pictures of his outings.

Dawnyel- A friend from church. I am her visiting teacher (for my non-member friends this means I basically make sure she and her family are doing okay) and blogging has been THE BEST way to get my visiting teaching done. I know all the happenings at her house and it has made our friendship so much stronger.

Elise- She is actually my sister-in-law Becky's, friend from high school. I have always enjoyed Elise, and she even served at my wedding luncheon. Because of blogging, I now consider Elise a great friend.

Farnsworths- DEAR friends from Boise. They babysat Alyssa when she was 4 months old, so that I could get my student teaching done. (Free of charge, I might add!) We love them so much and consider them family.

Jed & Janelle- Jed is a friend from high school. Jarom and I used to belong to a singing group and Jed (and Angela from up above) belonged as well. We had lots of good times together and we all try to see each other when we are in the same town, (which isn't very often). I have never seen his little girl personally, but I love to watch her grow through his and Janelle's blog. I also love getting to know Janelle a little bit better.

Jonathan & Rachel- Jarom and Jonathan (we call him Johnny) are cousins. They live in a different state, so there is no way we'd get to know much about each other without our blogs. It has been really fun for us to get to peek into their lives so far away. Next time we see them, we'll feel like old friends and have so much to talk about.

Julie & Adrian- Julie is a friend from college. We both majored in music and had good times together during our school years. We also found out, that we are related. Distantly, but still, we share some blood. She moved to Utah years ago, we have kept in touch, but I am glad she finally started her blog. Again, I love to see the happenings in her life.

Justin & Amber- Justin is Jarom's brother. Even though we only live 30 minutes apart, I feel like looking at their blog has shed a whole new light on their family for me. My girls love their girls and love to see pictures of them on a daily basis.

Kade & Deidra- Kade is my brother. Their 3 kids are the only other grand kids (besides my 4) on my side of the family. They live about 30 minutes away (the other direction) so seeing pictures of them during the week is really fun for my family.

Kevin & Becky- Becky is Jarom's sister. I have loved getting to know Becky better through her blog. I have always felt pretty close to Becky, but this just gives us so much more to talk about. Plus, it's fun to see her cute little baby boys.

Lee Ann & Steve- Lee Ann filled my spot with my college roomies, when I got married. We really have only known each other vicariously through Jennifer (Fur). Although, she did mail me a yummy cheese ball recipe once. :) It's great to finally get to know her and her darling family through her blog.

Manwaring Web Solutions- Jarom's internet business that just keeps growing and growing. Woo-Hoo! We like the growing and growing part.

Michelle & Josh- Michelle was a college roommate my 1st year at BSU. We lost contact with each other and just recently caught up again. She just started her blog, but I am looking forward to knowing more about her life.

Quin & Natalie- Quin is my brother. They live in far away CA, so we only see them a few times a year. We love being able to see the fun things they are doing!

Ryan & Jennifer (Fur)- Fur was a college roomie and Ryan was a neighbor boy. Fur and I stayed close while I lived in Boise/Nampa. And I am so glad I have a way to keep seeing them now that I live in I.F.

I really do love my blogging friends. (You make me feel like I have a life. HA!) Thank you so much for sharing your everyday lives with me. It's the highlight of my day to read all about you! Blogging makes the world feel just a little bit smaller.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Happy Birthday Becky!



You've had a birthday shout hooray!! Happy 29th Becky! We love you and your boys so much. Can't wait to party with you tonight and eat some yummy cake and ice cream. Hope your day is wonderful. See you later!

Friday, October 19, 2007

Things I know for sure...

My friend Jennifer did a really cute post about things she knows. So I thought I would copy.

1. I know that if you have kids, as soon as they learn how to write their name, you will find this scrawled all over your house. Walls, tables, columns in your living room, counter tops, etc. Sometimes it's pencil, sometimes crayon, and every once in a while, if you are lucky enough, you'll find pen or permanent marker.

2. Your bathroom will never be clean again. I can find poop smeared in the most amazing places. (Please let me have taught my children to at least wash their hands!) And let's not talk about urine. Don't worry, I keep a tub of Chlorox wipes in EVERY bathroom. Also, toothpaste somehow can find its' way to the mirror, floor, and light switch.

3. Taffy, marshmallows, and gum are VERY difficult to remove from carpet. Even if you do own a dog who tries to eat it out for you.

4. Being a mom is the VERY best thing that has ever happened to me!! :)

I want to know what Becky, Lee Ann, and Julie know for sure....(and Dawnyel, this is your FFAFQ)????!!

Thursday, October 18, 2007

It's Willy not Mary

Lately my kids have been into watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Everytime I turn it on, Carter says, "OH! I love this Mary Wonka show!" (It makes Halle so mad. "Carter, it's WILLY Wonka, not MARY!!!!") I keep trying to tell her that I think it's cute and she doesn't need to get upset, but to no avail.

Pictures of my kids.

I am playing with Picassa trying to figure out how to use it. I really don't have a clue what I am doing, but it's fun. I at least got the red-eye removed. :)







My mom asked me if I had any recent and decent pictures of my kids. She wants one to put in a frame she has. So I thought I would try to take one of my own to give her, since I really don't have any good ones. This is as good as it got. Kate was a NIGHTMARE!!! She would sit for 2 seconds then run off and then the other kids would move out of their pose. Why won't they just cooperate? They really are such cutie-pies, but I can never seem to capture a great shot of them.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Antics from Carter and Kate.

Last night Carter and Kate were down in the family room by themselves. I called down to Carter and asked what they were doing. He said, "You can't see, I not gonna tell you." Instantly I knew they were causing trouble. Sure enough, when I got down there, poor little Mimzy's cage was scattered from one end of the room to the other, and Mimzy was no where to be found. Loverly, just what I needed, a guinea pig on the loose. Thankfully she had taken cover underneath a recliner and when I lifted it up she actually came to me.

Then, this morning they were snooping in my freezer. A few days ago I made one of Jarom's mom's recipes called Butter Balls. Basically it's just bread crumbs, TONS of butter, eggs, allspice, and water. Then you squeeze them into little balls; they pretty much look like meatballs. We put them in homemade chicken noodle soup, they're kind of like dumplings I guess. Anyway, I had made a big batch of them and had put them in a baggie in the freezer. From time to time, I make cookie dough, roll it into balls and freeze those as well. Apparently Carter and Kate thought they were getting cookie dough, but instead got a butter ball. Of course they couldn't stop at just one. I am sure they were thinking, "Yuck, this cookie is nasty, maybe the next one will be better." So, after I got out of my shower this morning, I found half eaten butter balls all around the kitchen. I was laughing so hard imagining their faces as they discovered the nasty "cookies" that it didn't even make me mad.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Human Tetris II

So I am slightly sadistic, (is that the right word?) but I found this HILARIOUS!!! My computer has no sound right now, so I honestly have no idea if there is anything offensive with the sound, but I laughed my head off watching this.

Monday, October 15, 2007

No more binky.

Kate has been our only binky baby. The other's all weaned themselves at four months. But Kate has been VERY attached to her binky, so I wasn't quite sure how to handle the weaning process with her.Over the weekend "binky" got lost. (Seriously, I have 6 and can't find even one.) So, I decided rather than tearing the house apart, or going to the store for a new one, I would just do away with "binky". Kate, believe it or not, is doing really well. She's asked a couple of times, "Where'd binky go?" And I just tell her binky is bye-bye. She'll say, "K" in the most pathetic little voice ever, but doesn't cry about it or anything.

I am definitely more upset about it than she is. I am not sure if it's because she is my baby and I want to keep her that way, or if it's because I had my "plug" long enough that I remember how much I loved it. At any rate, she's doing great and has even slept through the night twice now without it.

I decided that while I was strong enough to take it away, I might as well do away with the bottles too. She hasn't even asked for one. She was never as attached to those as she was binky. I think I am publishing this post because I'll be less tempted to give them back to her if everyone knows. Anyway, here's to staying strong and binky free. :)

Friday, October 12, 2007

The dentist.

Last week I took the kids to the dentist. I had to get a picture of the adorable playhouse they have there. The bottom of the tree is hollow so they can go in and play or they can climb the ladder to the 2nd level. I just think it's SO cute and my kids love it.


Poor Carter fell asleep while he was getting his teeth cleaned. He laid there after the lady was done with his mouth wide open for the longest time. Then it slowly started to close and all of a sudden he did one of those sleeping jerks, and immediately opened his mouth as wide as he could and promptly fell back asleep. It was hilarious! By the time the dentist came in to check him, Carter's mouth was shut tight and we had to pry it open. Poor kid, all he wanted was a little nap. (And yes, we have cavities, so we'll be back. Boooooo...)

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

A funny from Alyssa

Here's a silly from Alyssa. Last night she was doing her reading and asked me what a "bouty" was. I asked her to repeat the word because I didn't have a clue what she was talking about. So she said it again and then spelled it, "b-o-w-t-i-e". I told her it was bow-tie, not bouty. We had a good chuckle. Isn't it funny when your brain makes something so much harder than it really is?

More Funny's From Carter

Today I was looking on the computer for some preschool ideas to do with Carter and Kate. Carter walked in and asked what I was doing. I told him, "I'm trying to find some fun school things for you to do. Do you want to do some school stuff?" He asked, "What kind of school stuff. Like High School Musical things?" This kid definitely has too many sisters!


Then, while we were gone, my mom was driving in the car and passed Jarom's office. Carter shouted out, "There's Daddy's office! Only him's not there." My mom asked where his daddy was and Carter said, "Umm him's at....(thinking)..... him's at the suitcase!"

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Excitement!

After we got home last night and Brandon and Emily left for their own house, it was about midnight. I had just gotten Kate to lay down, she was WIRED, and had taken my clothes off to crawl into bed, when my doorbell rang. At first I thought it was Brandon and Emily and maybe they had forgotten something, but I really didn't think they would ring my doorbell. Then I thought maybe it was a kid pranking us. And as I approached the door, my mind started to play tricks on me imaging the mass murderer waiting to grab me just as I opened the door. But when I opened it, there stood a police man. Of course my mind freaked out again thinking someone had died, but he said he was there to investigate the 911 call that had just been placed from our home. WHAT!!!???? (I knew the kids were all in bed so it wasn't them, and I sure didn't call.) Apparently our phone lines called 911 by themselves because there is water in the lines. He said that it had been happening a lot. But obviously the cops still have to check them out regardless of the time. My mom had been at my house earlier and told me that our phones weren't working. I'd say they weren't! If they can call the cops all by themselves! It added a bit of excitement to our night.

Massachusetts, the 2nd half

The second half of our trip seems like a whirlwind. We got a lot accomplished in only 2 days. We did a lot of driving and Kate was a pretty good trooper. (Not perfect, but pretty good.) Here are a few more highlights from the end of our Massachusetts stay. Minute Man National Park in Concord, MA. SUCH a beautiful town. Probably my favorite. This is us standing in front of the North Bridge.

The other side of the Bridge, where the British stood. You can kind of see the bridge in the background behind us.

Grave for British Soldiers in Minute Man National Park.

The Boston MA, temple.

Site of the first house built by the Pilgrims in 1621 in Plymouth, MA.

Plymouth Rock!

You can't go down near the rock, but here we are in front of the monument over the rock.


The Mayflower II, (recreation of the original Mayflower)

Monument to the Fore-Fathers. Plymouth, Ma

The JFK memorial in Hyannis, MA. (If you ever go to Hyannis, don't stay in the Four Points Hotel by Sheraton. It was our most expensive and dumpiest stay the whole weekend.)

Kate in Cape Cod. She still doesn't love the beach. If she could help it, she would find any patch on non-sand area to stand on.

"Kuck, sand my hams!" (aka "Get this sand off my hands right now!") She really doesn't like sand.

Here we are the the very TIP of Cape Cod (Provincetown). This really was a very pretty town and the only place in MA where we didn't see trees.

Tribute to the Pilgrims in Provincetown, Cape Cod. This is actually the site of their very first landing, but they decided to move on over to Plymouth after the Indians were a bit hostile with them. Check out the gargoyles at the top, this thing would have fit in better somewhere in Salem.

Monument on Bunker Hill, Boston MA.

Standing in front of the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides). This is the oldest commissioned ship afloat in the world. You can go aboard it, but we were running out of time so we chose not to.


Our last stop was the Old North Church (where Paul Revere saw the lantern's to warn the colonists how the British were coming) and Paul Revere's home. They are right next to each other.

We tried to make it down to Boston Common to get a picture of the Make Way for Ducklings statue, but we ran into a marathon and couldn't get out of traffic in time. I did see the cute little ducks from the window of the car though.

It was a really neat trip and I want to give a big THANK YOU to everyone who helped tend our kids so that I could go with Jarom. I know there were lots of you that helped and we really really appreciate it!