HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

I was SO grateful that someone made the brilliant decision to postpone daylight savings time until next week. This Halloween we were able to take advantage of the sunlight and didn't freeze near-to-death as we have in other years.

Per our annual custom (at least for the last two years) cousin Abby came over to do the whole trunk or treat thing with us. Ellie did her own version of "Trick or treat" which more or less sounded like "dahdi dee". I think most people accepted this as okay because they kept handing her candy. All three girls seemed astounded that they could just walk up to someone, say "Trick or treat", and receive candy! Each time someone put something in their buckets they would stare in wonder at the increasing pile of teeth-rotting joy. Oh, ignorance is bliss!

Ellie was seriously adorable in this little costume. It took some convincing to get her to put it on. I even pulled out her Raggedy Ann doll and showed her how similar the outfits were...and praised the doll profusely on her beauty. Apparently Ellie was somewhat mollified because she finally allowed us to put it on. We even got a few smiles out of her. Her whole face lights up when she smiles! She had a wonderful time and is probably going to spend every possible waking moment begging for her "tanny" (translation: "candy").

For the last couple months I would ask Lindy what she wanted to be for Halloween and she would respond emphatically that she wanted to be a ballerina. So, we finally found a cute "Swan Lake Ballerina" costume, waited about a month for it to come into the store, and bought it. She was enthralled. While we were trick or treating people kept asking her if she were a princess. Well, being Lindy, she would respond (with a slight tinge of attitude), "No, I'm a Swan Lake Ballerina". End of discussion.

Here are some additional highlights of the evening.

An Afternoon at Cornbelly's

The Jones Family visits Cornbelly's. We were worn out by the time we went home, but we all had a good time. Ellie was enjoying herself so much we could hardly get her to glance at the camera! Here's some pic's of the event.

It's Not FAIR!!!

I'm not sure how many times a day I hear this. Hundreds. Thousands. Tens of thousands, possibly. You would think that at some point my brain would file that particular phrase under the "Go Ahead and Tune Out" file. No such luck. Each (and every) time it drills through to the irritable part of my brain and nerves begin to fray. Suddenly I find my self professing loudly to all within the sound of my voice that life, as a matter of fact, isn't fair. Somehow I have entered into that golden age of my life when the previously-assumed senility of my parents begins to make sense. They weren't senile. They were parents.
Tonights drama? Rice. With chicken. We sit down at the table and Lindy takes one scornful look at my lovingly prepared dinner and announces, "I will not eat that...not one bite...not at all!" My solution? Quietly and calmly inform her that she will sit there until she eats it. If she sits there all night, it doesn't matter. She WILL eat it. (Sidenote: yes, not my best parenting moment...I know that. In fact, one second into it I realize I have doomed myself to a tortuous no-win ordeal...but not one to give up easily, I prevail.) So here she sits. Alone. Pitting her will against mine. Refusing to take even one little bite. Tomorrow I may have to post a picture of Lindy sitting in front of her breakfast bowl of rice and chicken. Holy crap.

Pumpkin Guts Anyone?

Tonight we did our annual pumpkin carving night with the kids. Since this was the first year Ellie was old enough to participate, we decided to have her jump in hands first. All we got was, "Oooh...yutty!" (Translation: "Yucky") Within seconds she was happy playing with her toys and left mom to do all the rest of the dirty work.

Lindy was SO excited (due to the recent acquisition of the previously-mentioned pumpkin from the Pumpkin Patch) and even managed to pull some sticky, gooey, pumpkin guts from her very own jack-o-latern. She designed the face and had her dad help her cut it out.

Here are the results of our pumpkin-carving evening:

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

Friday was my lucky day to help guide 25 four to five year-olds through the slightly over-crowded Pumpkin Patch. I wish I would have had a little more time to snap pictures of our own, very excited, Lindy...but such is the dilemma when you are trying to make sure no child gets lost or misplaced. Phew, we made it. Lindy had a blast and came home cradling her hand-picked pumpkin like a baby. (She even tried pushing it around in the toy stroller until it fell out 3 times and mom decided it needed to rest on top of the fridge until we could carve it.) It was the highlight of the week!

Not A Fan Of Ebay

I know, some might say I'm un-American, un-fun, or even a communist...but I don't like Ebay. I've seen those Ebay commercials (specifically the one where there are a bunch of people riding horses through the countryside hunting for the Evil Knievil lunchbox). Do I resemble any of those people? I answer with a resounding NO. I don't have time to hover on the internet waiting to see if my maximum bid of $1.25 will be vetoed by "daffdill3qqg" or her cohorts "coolbeppy" and "tuckerdog2000". Is it too much to ask to just pay next to nothing for a simple item and be on my way? In my opinion someone could make a fortune with lawsuits claiming "emotional distress" as we all gasp in collective disappointment because the item listed as 99-cents was nabbed at the last minute by "tigger861" for an astonishing $16.51 plus shipping. Good grief!

Which TV Mom Are You?

So, thanks to Autumn, I took a crazy online "Which TV Mom Are You" test. I laughed when I read the result:

"Amy, you are Lois from Malcolm in the Middle. From coming up with punishments to putting together interesting combinations of leftovers for dinner, there's never any doubt who's running the show at home: It's you. You're pragmatic and proficient, but keeping your kids in line, keeping them fed, and keeping within your budget probably leaves you feeling harried. Sometimes after shouting out orders or admonishments, you might feel more like a monster than a mother. But there's never any doubt that you love your kids and are a mama bear when it comes to protecting them: just ask anyone who's ever tried to criticize them. You've got an extra sense for sniffing out trouble and are a genius when it comes to coming up with tricks for nipping it in the bud."

Should I be worried about that? :)

Snow? Seriously?...

Each fall it's always the same: I anxiously look forward to the "just a light jacket" weather as a change from the ridiculous heat that overwhelms us each and every summer. Just when I think we've reached those days I look outside to see an onslaught of wind, cold, and SNOW! You've got to be kidding me! The girls, on the other hand, were SOOO excited about it. Lindy kept jumping up and down telling Ellie excitedly that they were going to go get their mittens and build a snowman. Of course, I then had to play the bad guy and let them know that the snow wasn't really going to stick around (good for me, apparently bad for them). Check out the excitement:

Mommy, What is Your REAL Job?

This morning, Lindy came into my room to lay in bed with me. After a minute or two she asked, "Mommy, what is your job?" I sagely replied, "I'm a mommy and I take care of you and Ellie." She thought for a minute then said, "Jody helps people go on vacations for her job, Mike helps people get their mail, and daddy flies airplanes. So, what is your real job?" Thought-provoking, isn't it?

My Favorite Night

There is something special about the 3rd Thursday of each month. It's bookgroup night! Every time I think about it I hear a tiny "yipee" in my head. Bookgroup makes me happy. This month we read "Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson. It's one of my fav's and I was excited to discuss it. We spent a lot of time exploring the "opposition in all things" aspect of the book and teasing Heather for ignoring every other chapter. (Your imagination is too active, Heather!) It goes on my recommendations list. So, if you're looking for a fascinating and captivating read...pick it up!

Welcome Home Elder Jones

It's amazing how fast two years can go by (when you're not the mom, right?) Tuesday night we welcomed Elder Richard Jones back from his mission in Denver, Colorado. Apart from looking a bit dazed and confused (in part, I'm sure, to the 3 very lively nieces running circles around him at the airport) he looked great and we were all so excited to see him.

And, of course, mom was grateful to have her youngest son back.

The girls were having a blast getting to know their Uncle Rich. The "getting to know" included several trips up and down (and up and down) the escalators, a couple trips in the elevator, and assorted hugs and kisses. Here they are (Abby, Ellie, and Lindy) expressing their own feelings about this event.

We are glad you're back, Rich. We promise that next time we go to Disneyland, you'll be on the guest list! :)

Our Little Ballerina

Lindy is absolutely LOVING her ballet class. She spends the entire class with a huge smile plastered on her face. She is simply thrilled to be there. She looks for me every few minutes to make sure that I'm watching and that I am appropriately impressed with her grace and poise while she executes each "echape/saute" combo. To see my little girl so completely joyful makes each cent paid worth it. Here she is demonstrating first position (sorry, I had to get the face and therefore didn't actually get the feet in first...).

The Devil Came Down From Her Bedroom

So, it is rather soon to be doing a second post but I had to update a little for this evenings' most recent event. At 9:00pm I usually assume both my girls are busy sawing logs as their bedtimes are 7:30pm (Ellie) and 8:00pm (Lindy). I got a call from a friend who wanted to drop something by and she showed up at the door at about 9:05pm. We chatted for a moment then I walked her outside to say goodbye. Suddenly there was a noise at the closed door behind me. I tried, in vain, to open it only to hear a small (yet surprisingly malicious) giggle from inside. I said in my stern mom-voice, "Ellie, open the door." She responded, "Oh...otay" and I heard a series of rattles and clicks with no luck at all on the now-locked deadbolt.

As we still haven't installed one of those handy-dandy remote thingy's on the outside of my garage door I was feeling a little more than slightly stuck. But I figured that since mommy was now locked out of the house at 9 o'clock at night it probably wouldn't matter if my kids stayed asleep so I decided to ring the doorbell and hope that Lindy would come to my rescue.

She did. I’m saved. I didn’t have to rely on the Lehi Police department to rescue my children from a negligent mother. Phew. (And, by the way, the two-year old is back in bed...I think.)

And So I Attempt My First Blog

So here we are...a momentous occasion in the life and times of the Jones family. I have made the decision to officially join the throng of bloggers out there in the world. I will most likely bore all concerned to death as I pummel unsuspecting friends/relatives/acquaintances with the daily ongoings of our rather dull life. Yes, I know you are asking, "Well Amy, if the throng jumped off a bridge, would you jump too?" Good question.

In keeping with the theme of my life, today was slightly hectic, mostly crazy, and somewhat of a blur. I took the girls to the mall (sorry, hon) and spent a little more than 3 hours playing out the "But I don't have to go to the bathroom"/"Mommy, I need to pee now!"/"I guess I don't really need to go"/"I need to go to the bathroom RIGHT NOW!" scenario. I think one sales lady might have thought I was trying to pull some crazy shoplifting scheme as we raced out, then in, then out, then in the store only to buy one pair of tights.

Good news, though: I didn't throw up at any point during our mall excursion. So considering the way things have been going the last couple of months, today was a grand success.