Happy Halloween!

This was the first year that these two adorable little kiddo's carved their pumpkins 100% by themselves (with safety knives of course)!  Aspen realized the problem when you big the biggest pumpkin is that you have way more JUNK to clean out of your pumpkin!  (NOTE to self:  Using rubber gloves to clean out the pumpkins was a GENIUS idea.  Remember to do it every year.) 

The picture that's missing is the one I DON'T have (seriously-- I always have my camera but not on this occasion).  My dad grew these pumpkins in his garden and over the summer we would stop by once a week and the kids would check the pumpkins.  They were SO excited when it was finally time to pick their pumpkins out of the garden.  And I forgot my camera.

My awesome mother-in-law sent me these darling cupcake holders.  I love them!  Really... how adorable are they?  They go perfectly with a fresh batch of pumpkin cupcakes!

High School Musical 3

It's no secret... High School Musical is a BIG deal in our house.  When the first one came out we had a slumber party with my niece (who was 12 at the time) and we stayed up late watching the movie and pigging out.  Aspen was probably 6 at the time and she quickly developed a MAJOR crush on Zac Efron (I gotta admit... I have a little crush on him too... that boy is a CUTIE).

So when the second movie came out-- same story.  We were way excited and had a party to watch it.  We've now watched HSM 1 & 2 more times than should be allowed and can recite nearly every line, song and dance.  We own HSM Twister, HSM dvd board game, and our latest favorite... HSM Sing It for the Playstation (karaoke at it's best).

So, it's no surprise that when we found out about HSM3 being on the BIG SCREEN, we had to get tickets for opening day.  So... this afternoon me, Jaime, and my mom are headed to the movies with all the kids.  Aspen wore a HSM shirt and took her HSM purse to school.  Jackson is actually really excited too (even if he won't admit it).   

Over the summer we took a field trip to East High.  It was better than Christmas for Aspen!  I'm not sure why I never blogged about it... it definitely was a blog-worthy event!  We let ourselves inside the building (they were not actually filming this day but they were getting one of the sets ready).  We ran into a super-nice crew member and he let Aspen wear is "HSM CREW" badge and he took us on a tour.  It was awesome!  Aspen especially loved seeing the cafeteria and Sharpay's pink locker!

The really nice crew guy let us in on a secret (which is no longer a secret since the movie is now released)... but he told us that Troy & Gabriella had a dance scene on the rooftop garden with just the two of them.  He then took us up to the roof where they were setting up the garden and introduced us to the set designers.  We weren't allowed to take any pictures up on the roof-- it was too top secret!

This bottom picture is the rooftop from in front of the school.  You can see the trees and stuff!  We were secretly hoping for a Zac Efron run-in or some kind of star sighting but after a private tour it didn't even matter.  (We also finished the day eating cupcakes at So Cupcake... and we all know how I feel about cupcakes so it was a GREAT day!) 

Aspen and Jackson are SO excited to see the movie today.  I keep reminding them (over and over) what an awesome mom they have to take time off work just to take them to the movie on opening day and Aspen finally said to me, "Mom, you're just as excited as we are."  She's totally right!

Tagged

I was tagged by Taisley... 7 quirky things that nobody knows about me.  I'm pretty quirky (or weird as some people say).... so here goes.  However, a lot of these things people already "know"... I'm not good at keeping things to myself!

1.  I CANNOT stand the sound of someone clipping their fingernails.  It is a trillion times worse than fingernails on a chalkboard.  I flip out a little at the sound of it... just ask my mom.  :)

2.  I love to wear perfume.  If I leave for work and forget it throws my whole day off (I've started keeping a small bottle at work for those days).  I have about 20 bottles... and different perfumes "match" different outfits.

3.  I hate washing my hair.  I like to let my hair last as long as possible before I wash it (sometimes up to 4 days).  

4.   My original life plan included me being a nurse.  Deep down, I really do still want to be a nurse (if only I could do it without all the schooling... ugh).

5.  I am totally into celebrity gossip... I read People & US Weekly faithfully and I love looking at the pictures.  (Aspen asks to look at them too... and I usually let her).  I'm also obsessed with people.com and usmagazine.com.  I found out when Heath Ledger died about a minute after they broke the news and I immediately called Jaime to let her know.

6.  When I like something... it becomes a bit of an obsession (i.e.  cupcakes, pencils, Sprinkles, hot air balloons, shoes, perfume, rubber stamps, gum, note pads, pens, etc.).

7.  I pretty much despise politics.  Some people call it ignorance... but I just plain don't care.  When family members get into discussions on politics I quietly slip out of the room to go find something else to do.  It annoys me when the presidential debates take over the airwaves.

I tag everyone who reads my blog!  I love reading other people's blogs so consider yourselves tagged.  (Jaime... this means you too.  You're not very good at doing email surveys so let's try a tag.)

My Handyman!

Jared was able to come home and visit this weekend (yeah!) but it ended up being very busy for him. Our kitchen faucet started spraying water out the side so Jared put in a new faucet. In order to fit under the sink to install the new faucet, he had to clean out all the crap that had been shoved under there (trust me... there was a lot of crap under that sink. Like my rolling pin that I thought was lost). He also had to make two trips to Home Depot.

In between snow, rain, and freezing cold he found time to mow & edge the lawn that I had neglected for the past month (or so). The backyard was REALLY bad.

He also made sure all hoses were detached (something I probably should've remembered to do on my own). He also drained and shut off the sprinklers.

He did the dishes. Not just once but two or three times. Unloaded AND loaded! He also cleaned the kitchen, polished the table and chairs, vacuumed the carpets, stairs, AND couches. Oh... and checked the beeping smoke detector in Aspen's room.

And in the mornings, he made waffles (note the Shrek reference)! Aspen has an obsession with frozen blueberry waffles... but only if made by Jared. Apparently I'm not capable of making them they way he does.

He played, wrestled, played, and wrestled some more with Chase. Poor puppy is feeling loved all over again. He also held Chase down and trimmed his claws which is NOT a fun task!

Jackson has refused to let me take him to Fantastic Sams for a haircut because he wanted his daddy to do it. So the night before Jared had to go back to Oklahoma, he gave Jacks a haircut (he needed a haircut WORSE than the lawn needed to be mowed).

After all the work, he had the kids read their school take-home books to him. I love hearing the kids read but sometimes a little break is nice. :) Also, on Monday morning (while I was sleeping in since I took the day off work), Jared got up at 6:30, got the kids ready for school (dressed, breakfast, on time, etc.), and dropped them off at school (this might not seem like that big of a deal but their school is 20 minutes away so it is kind of a pain). He also followed my rules and picked my nephew up on the way to school. AND... his plane didn't leave until early evening so he was able to pick them up after school!

I also dragged him to dinner with my friends on Saturday and to my moms for Sunday lunch with my family. He did not even complain (although watching the Cowboys in high-def on my moms flat screen was probably his highlight... until they lost).

Jared also had to go to the Driver's License Division to get a new driver's license (thank goodness they stayed open on Columbus Day). We did manage to sneak in a trip to Ikea and breakfast at Ihop (Aspen's choice).

What was I doing while he was working his butt off? I napped. A LOT. I took a few bubble baths. I read a few magazines. I slept in. I scrapbooked a little. I made a yummy cake. And I followed him around like a little puppy dog just to spend more time with him. I even convinced him to take a nap with me... and he HATES naps!

I am lucky. I am spoiled. I am blessed. I am grateful. I must always remember NEVER to take him for granted. Absense makes the heart grow fonder! Come home soon.

Jackson's Halloween Story

So, on Friday's I go to my kids school to help with the Take Home Library.  As I was walking down the hall to exchange books today I noticed some Halloween stories on the wall with a "scary" picture of the student who wrote the story.  I noticed they were from my kids' class so I took a minute to find their stories and read them.  I'll have to post the stories once I get them home because they were really cute.  

Jackson's story had a disclaimer at the bottom:  "Caution!  8 years and up."  I cracked up.

Jackson's story was also about a vampire.

Not just any vampire.

A vampire named EDWARD!!!!

Chase without Jared = SAD PUPPY!

Chase misses Jared (just like the rest of us).  When Jared is home visiting, Chase won't leave him alone, follows him all around the house, and climbs all over him whatever chance he gets (once again... just like the rest of us).

This is Chase without Jared.  Poor, sad, pouty, lonely puppy!

Jackson does a GREAT job helping keep Chase company (and vice versa)!

Empty 2-liter bottles, a backyard to run in, and playing fetch makes Chase a not-so-sad puppy!

Sprinkles... PUMPKIN Sprinkles!

My love for cupcakes is no secret.  I love love love all things cupcake (like my handmade apron from my awesome sis, or my trendy little cupcake decorative plates from my mother-in-law, and my cupcake display tower from my dear friends, oh and my cupcake coin purse... and my cupcake to-do list pad... the list goes on {and on}.  

However, my love for SPRINKLES cupcakes has crossed the line over to OBSESSION.  If we are ever in Texas visiting Jared's parents, the 35 minute drive to Sprinkles is MANDATORY.  Why oh why can't there be a Sprinkles cupcake store in Utah???  But since there's not one in Utah the next best thing to a Sprinkles store is Sprinkles cupcake mix... available and Williams & Sonoma... which IS in Utah.  

The pumpkin mix is only available during the fall... this was my first time tasting them.  They are SO amazing... and the frosting... not just any frosting... cinnamon cream cheese frosting.  It was actually my BEST frosting batch to date... no doctoring was needed to thin it out or thicken it up!  Mmmmmm....