MEMOIRS OF HALLOWEENS PAST

Well it is October 1st and normally at this time and I running around planning games, activities, and goodies for the best Halloween party in the world (okay, I like to think that but I am sure it is not true). Not this year. Alas, Halloween is a pagan holiday and is not celebrated in the land down under. What is a girl to do? I have seen a few random costumes and trinkets - but nothing to the extent of the States. I am going to go through withdrawals I am sure. I think that we are going to plan a party for the kids and maybe next year when we know more people and have more time we will continue the party here in Australia. We also can't carve pumpkins - it is the wrong season. Here are some pictures to remember the 2006 Halloween party:

4 LEAF CLOVERS

One day after school we ventured out to see if we could find 4 leaf clovers in the clover patch that we call a front lawn. Madi found the first one. I found two more and gave one to Cooper to claim as his own. He quickly put it down a drain by the garage so that "it would never get lost." I guess that makes perfect sense. Madi and I placed ours inside the Harry Potter book to press them and I told Madi that we could frame them later so that she could always have good luck. They also collected flowers - which you can see in Madi's hands - for me. How sweet!!!

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD

At school Madi got to be involved in Operation Christmas Child. She was to get a shoebox and fill it will items and small gifts. The boxes will be collected and given to children in Cambodia, Vietnam, The Solomom Islands, and other countries where children don't get Christmas. Last year over 250,000 boxes were sent from Australia alone and over 8 million worldwide. It was fun to fill the box with things.

We got:
coloring book
activity pack - stickers, coloring pages, and colored pencils
crayons
jump rope
school scissors
three bouncy balls
notepad with dogs on it
two story books
underwear
hair things
and a toothbrush

The box was to be decorated with bright and fun paper and a tag placed on it to indicated whom the package should be for (i.e. boy or girl and what age). Madi then took it to school. In October/November the boxes will be placed in a container and sent to the countries mentioned above. We always try to do a "Sub for Santa" each year and this was a great way to be involved!

a looking into the life of little COOPER

Last week Cooper and Madi were coloring pictures on paper by Kev, who was on the computer. Cooper asked if he could get a pen out of the kitchen drawer and Kev told him that would be fine. A few minutes later from the living room, where I was relaxing in peace and quite, I hear "NO COOPER!!!" Apparently instead of getting a pen out of the drawer Cooper got a blue permanent marker. He had done really well to only color on the paper, but it had leaked through onto the tile floor. Kev quickly picked it up off of the floor - the whole time Cooper is repeating over and over again "I'm sorry dad!" - and places it on the table where the permanent marker continues to bleed through the paper while Cooper scrubs the floor. Remember that we are only renting both the house and the table. This is a picture of the table after being cleaned and the floor after being cleaned. It is mostly gone off of the floor, but the table is a sad site. We are curious to see what they say, and if they charge us, when they come to pick up the table. Poor Cooper, he was just trying to make a masterpiece on paper!!

Everyday now for a week and a half I have heard these exact words come out of Cooper's mouth, "Mom, I really want my trains to come. When is the boat getting here?" Yes, that is right, we still don't have our stuff. Who knew that it would take this long? It is going to be like Christmas when we finally open up all of our boxes and see the things that have been packed away for five months.

Cooper has had a hard time sleeping in since we moved into the house. We are not sure what the culprit is, but we blame it on the sun coming up earlier here and the birds singing good morning. He gets up before Kev has left for work most mornings and then is so tired by the afternoon that he is ornery. On Wednesday night Cooper had hit his limit. He lied to Kev about something, and so Kev told him that he was going to go to be without stories. You should have seen the tantrum that insued after this. I have never seen Cooper act this way. He couldn't stop crying and he was so worried about missing out on something. I even threatened to take away his Thomas trains if he didn't stop crying and just go to bed. He still continued to cry and express his concerns about "missing out on stuff". After an hour of this I finally got into bed with him and we had a "cuddle" (that is what the Aussies call it). I told him that we weren't going to talk and I would sing him a song. He said that he couldn't close his eyes they would just stay opened even when the lights went out. Within minutes he was sound asleep. Poor kid!

Also, whenever he gets into trouble these days he says "Gosh! Everybody just hates me!" Any suggestions as to what I can say to this - I really want it to stop!

"I'M A BIG KID NOW!!"

I HAVE VENTURED OUT TWICE THIS WEEK BY MYSELF - WITH RYLEE AND COOPER ACTUALLY - TO FAR AWAY LANDS (REALLY ONLY CITIES THAT ARE ABOUT A 20 MINUTE DRIVE). A FRIEND OF MINE IN THE WARD IS FROM CANADA, JACKIE, AND HAS ONLY BEEN HERE FOR SIX MONTHS. ON TUESDAY WE DECIDED TO GO TO A PLACE THAT NEITHER OF US HAD BEEN TO VISIT A FREE PETTING ZOO. I ONLY TOOK ONE WRONG TURN (OF COURSE THE GPS HELPS), I ONLY TURNED INTO THE WRONG LANE ONCE, AND I ONLY TURNED ON THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ONCE. THIS WAS A GOOD DAY!!

THE TODAY, THURSDAY, I WENT TO PLAY DATE AT A PARK BY THE CHURCH. I HAD DRIVEN THERE ONCE BEFORE BUT IT WAS RAINING AND NOBODY WAS THERE TO PLAY SO WE CAME BACK HOME. THE FIRST TIME I WENT I GOT LOST LOTS AND MY JAW WAS KILLING ME WHEN I GOT HOME. I REALIZED THAT I HAD BEEN CLENCHING MY TEETH THE WHOLE TIME I WAS DRIVING. THIS TIME I DIDN'T GET LOST AND DIDN'T EVEN REALLY NEED SUE (THE GPS). I NEVER TURNED INTO THE WRONG LANE AND I ONLY TURNED ON MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS ONCE! FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE WONDERING ABOUT THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS - THEY ARE NOW WHERE MY BLINKER USED TO BE.

I DRIVE AROUND HOME REALLY FINE NOW. I CAN MAKE IT TO MADI'S SCHOOL AND THE SHOPPING CENTER CLOSE BY WITHOUT ANY MISTAKES (NO WINDSHIELD WIPERS GOING ON WHEN THERE IS NOT A CLOUD IN THE SKY). I DON'T SEEM TO MAKE MISTAKES UNLESS I GET LOST OR DON'T KNOW WHERE I AM GOING. IT IS EASY TO REVERT BACK TO WHAT IS NATURAL AND INGRAINED INTO MY HEAD. I STILL GET REALLY NERVOUS ON THE BUSY ROADS BECAUSE THE LANES ARE REALLY NARROW HERE. KEV SAYS THAT THIS WILL CURE MY ANXIETY.

ANYWAY, I JUST HAD TO SHARE BECAUSE I AM SO PROUD OF MYSELF. "I'M A BIG KID NOW!!"

TAG YOUR IT!!!

My friend Amy tagged me so here it goes:

4 Jobs I've had:
1. Medical transcriptionist - I started this job at home when Madi was 6 months old and did this for almost three years. It was a great job allowing me to stay home, but it was also really hard at time. Kev got a raise one year that covered what I was making and that was the end of that job.
2. Receptionist at a doctors clinic for a couple of years until I had Madi.
3. Physical Therapist assistant - I did this right out of college and loved it. It is the one and only time I have worked and used my degree. I had to quit and get a new job because it was only part-time and I needed to earn more cash to help put Kev through school. Maybe someday when the kids are older I can do it again!
4. Random BYU jobs: When I first went to BYU I really needed a job and the only thing that I could find was a cleaning lady - at the time I didn't have a car so it had to be close. I had to go early in the morning and clean the Museum of Art building. I actually didn't mind this job much - except the early morning hours. My sister Wendy was my roommate at the time - and she had a car - one morning I woke up late and woke her to ask for a ride. I only asked once. She took me but made it clear that she would only do it this one time. I am a quick learner! I digress - I liked the job mostly because I got to see all of the art work as I cleaned. Also, I am a bit strange and I don't mind cleaning. However, I didn't work the job long before I found another job on campus in the Evening Classes office at the front desk. I did this job until I got accepted into the Athletic Traning program and couldn't work the hours any more. Then I worked at the Provo Craft Warehouse with my sister Wendy. I got to pull and fill orders for craft stores - the job itself wasn't that great but it paid the few bills that I had and the people I worked with were so much fun! I ended up packing up the boxes towards the end with all the fellas and not pulling stock. It was great with my schedule - since I was doing all of my training hours on top of it - and I really only worked about 12 hours a week.

4 Movies I Could Watch Over and Over:
1. Wedding Planner
2. Pride and Predjudice - the long version
3. Little Mermaid and Aladdin
4. Ever After

4 Favorite TV Shows:
1. Lost - can't see this anymore. It is not shown in Australia and we tried to watch it on the internet and you have to be in North America to do that. We will have to catch up when we get back I suppose.
2. Heroes - we are so excited because they do show this one in Australia. The season starts only one week after it does in the States.
3. American Idol - Australian Idol just isn't the same.
4. CNN - I like to know what is going on in the world.

4 Favorite Reality TV Shows:
1. Australian Idol/American Idol
2. Dancing with the Stars - they have this in Australia but I haven't really watched it.
3. They don't have any other reality TV shows here. But back home I liked to watch Survivor and
4. So You Think You Can Dance - they are actually re-running this here and since I missed it this summer I get to watch it now.

4 of My Favorite Places I Have Been:
1. The Great Wall of China
2. Disneyland - "The Happiest Place on Earth!"
3. Hawaii
4. Of course Sydney.
=I am sure that after we visit the Great Barrier Reef while we are here in Australia that will be added to my favorites list!

4 Favorite Foods:
1. Pizza - here it is chicken and BBQ sauce with onions. Delicious!!
2. fresh fruits and veggies
3. Olive Garden breadsticks and allfredo sauce!
4. Chili's baby back ribs!!! YUM!!! Can't wait to have those again!!

4 Websites I Check Daily:
1. Blogger
2. G-mail
3. KSL
4. On Monday - your Sunday - I like to check BYU football to see the results of the game!!

4 Hobbies:
1. Scrapbooking - digital and traditional
2. Gardening
3. Reading
4. My blog - this has become my new hobby and I love it!!

4 Family and Friends I Would Like to Tag:
1. Jules
2. Janae
3. Dera
4. The Jones'
Tag your it!!

more digiscrap

Here are some more digiscrap pages. I have had such a blast! These are a few of my favorites! What do you think?

NATURE

THIS IS THE LIZARD THAT LIVES IN OUR BACKYARD. COOPER HAS NAMED HIM

MR. GRUMPY

EVERYTIME I GO OUT TO HANG UP THE WASH THERE IS "HEAPS" OF MOVEMENT IN THE BUSHES AND I ALWAYS THINK IT IS A HUGE ANIMAL - NOPE JUST MR. GRUMPY. I FINALLY GOT MY CAMERA OUT TO TAKE A PICTURE.

WITHIN THE FIRST WEEK OF BEING IN AUSTRALIA I BOUGHT A BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA BOOK, SO WE COULD IDENTIFY ALL OF THE NEW BIRDS WE WERE SEEING (JUST TRYING TO BE LIKE MY MOM WITH HER UTAH BIRD BOOK). FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO LIKE THE ANIMAL PICTURES HERE ARE SOME OF THE BIRDS THAT WE HAVE SEEN:

THE KOOKABURRA

THE WHITE IBIS - INTERESTING LOOKING BIRD, LIKES TO EAT GARBAGE AND FOOD OFF THE GROUND.

THE RAINBOW LORIKEET

SILVER GULL - OF COURSE WE HAVE SEEN THESE BEFORE, BUT THEY ARE MUCH CLEANER HERE.

EMU - WE SAW THIS AT THE ZOO, THEY AREN'T ACTUALLY WALKING AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

NOW LET ME SHOW YOU PICTURES OF OUR GRASS.
THIS IS A PICTURE OF THE GRASS IN THE FRONT YARD - IT IS REALLY JUST A PATCH OF CLOVERS THAT WE MOW OVER.

THIS IS WHAT THE GRASS LOOKS LIKE IN THE BACKYARD. I AM NOT REALLY SURE WHAT TYPE OF GRASS IT IS - BUT IT IS PROBABLLY DROUGHT TOLERANT SINCE AUSSIES ARE REALLY GOOD AT THAT KIND-OF THING. THE ONLY THING THAT I KNOW IS THAT IT IS NOT SOFT AND HURTS YOUR BARE FEET TO WALK ON IT.

OH HOW WE MISS NICE SOFT KENTUCKY BLUE GRASS.