Time Marches On

Another year has come and gone and once again I feel that time is passing too quickly. I get nostalgic when I realize just how fast my kids are growing. I wish I could slow things down so I can savor their childhoods for just a little bit longer. And yet I look forward to those things that are still to come. So forward facing, we march into next year…

Happy Holidays!

We had a really nice Christmas this year. In spite of the family party I missed due to Migraine (and yes, it deserves to be capitalized) which the boys were still able to attend (thanks to Uncle Cory for coming to pick them up) we had time with all of our family. On Christmas Eve we ate dinner with all my sibs and their families at my parents’ house. We also had our annual reading of the Christmas story from the bible. Once we got home, the boys watched Santa’s progress on NORAD’s Santa Tracker as they got ready for bed. Each year we give the kids one spiritual gift-something we hope will help them in their spiritual development in the following year-and we open those on Christmas Eve so they won’t get overlooked and lost in the hubbub of Christmas morning. This year Matthew got some scripture stickers and I made Daniel and Nathan some study aids that they could slip into their scriptures. After that we left out cookies for Santa, carrots for the reindeer, and doughnuts for the elves. Nathan and Matthew made the doughnuts earlier in the day. Nathan made two or three and then he was done but Matthew really loved it and made tons. Jingle Jangle (our elf) is probably going to need to go to the gym a couple of times to work off all those doughnuts!

Christmas morning was actually pretty relaxing. When Kev and I got up at about 7 a.m., all the boys were still sleeping. I actually contemplated leaving them and going back to bed, but we decided they would probably be grumpy if we didn’t wake them up. Daniel got a Lego set (no surprise there), a glow in the dark Star Trek model, a Protector model (think “Galaxy Quest”) that Kev is going to help him light, a couple of origami books (Star Trek and Star Wars-there was fist pumping and a great big “Yes!” for those. I love when I can get that reaction!) and some other small sundries in his stocking. Nathan and Matthew gave him an Optimus Prime Transformer.

Nathan was just about the happiest kid ever because Santa brought him an electric keyboard. He has been learning to play the piano and has discovered that it helps him to feel happy when he is grumpy (which I love J) but due to all my stupid headaches there are days when the piano is too much noise in the house. So having an electric keyboard that he can play in another room (and even with headphones if we can find some that work well with it) is just about as perfect a gift as he could get. In fact, it has been at the top of his wish list for months. He was so excited when he unwrapped it that I actually got a little teary-eyed. . I don’t have as many pictures of Nathan as I do of the other kids, but that is because he spent almost the entire day playing his keyboard. Nathan also got a book about how to draw and a nice sketch pad. Daniel and Matthew gave him a Transformer.

Matthew got some pretty cool Avengers masks, an Avengers Lego set that included the Ironman mini-figure and a couple of small Transformers…the exact ones that he had asked Santa for in his note. He was pretty excited about that! He also got a set of Avengers sheets (yes, they were on his bed by the end of Christmas day), some Avengers books and an assortment of small stuff in his stocking…much of it was Avengers themed. Santa must know that he has spent the past four months in his Ironman costume.

Malia wasn’t sure about the whole unwrapping presents thing at first (we’ve been telling her all month not to play with the presents under the tree) but by the end of the day she had it all figured out. She got a Little People House, a baby doll (I found one that can suck her thumb, just like Malia), her very own play phone and a couple of books. Santa stuck a pair of sunglasses in Malia’s stocking and it was so funny to see how much she liked them. She also got a quilt. It was such fun making a totally girly quilt! I’ve made lots of cool boy quilts, but they aren’t really fond of flowers so it was great to be able to branch out. She doesn’t like to be under the quilt, but if I lay it on the floor she will toddle right over and sit on it.

Nathan and Matthew have actually played with the Little People and the baby doll nearly as much as Malia has. It kind of makes me laugh, but with three boys in the house how was I to know that they had an innate need to play the nurturer that I was not meeting? Anyway, I love it. I love that they are men enough to play with dolls and that Malia is a tough enough chick to make awesome car noises.

I gave Kev a wireless keyboard to go with the poorman’s Tivo that he has built for us. He gave me the food processing attachment that goes with my Bosch as well as the cookie paddles and the bowl scraper. He spoils me. J In the afternoon Kev’s parents joined up for some quality hanging out time and dinner.

Yesterday we got to drive down to Cory’s house (Kev’s brother) and spend time with all his sibs there. They have a couple of acres in Mapleton and the boys loved sledding, tromping through the snow, and visiting the horses and chickens in the barn. This morning I walked into the laundry room where Matthew left his soaking wet pants (he took his snow pants but was too darn lazy to get them on) and it took me a couple of hours to figure out why the entire room was stinkeriffic…obviously rolling around in the less than pristine hay in the barn will do that. If I had realized that was what he was doing, I would have washed the pants when we got home last night. As it was, it took two washes in hot water and Oxyclean to kill the aroma. But he had fun so I really think that is what matters. And Malia was thrilled with the huge number of baby dolls, stuffed animals, and tiny kitchen toys she found there. (Cory has three daughters.) She was especially entranced with the toy food. The plastic Oreo looked real enough that she tried to twist it open (she’s one of those people that eats the filling first) and when she couldn’t she tried to bite it.

So good holiday. Lots of time with family. I couldn’t ask for anything more.

At Long Last

Remember way back at the beginning of October when I said I had finished a project and was super excited? Well, Christmas has come and gone, the gift has been given, and I can finally show it to you!

Sometimes when I finish a quilt, I am disappointed with how it turned out. Sometimes I get it done and know that if I were to do it again there is one thing I would do different. And sometimes it turns out just exactly the way I hope it will. This was one of those times. The pattern and the colors worked beautifully together and I am thrilled with how it looks.

I made this for my brother Adam and his wife Ronnie. I hope they will enjoy it.

All Dolled Up for Christmas

It's a good thing I got Malia's dress done earlier in the week. If I had waited until yesterday it would not have gotten done due to the biggest freaking migraine I've had in years. So luckily for me, my OCD worked in my favor and her dress was all ready in spite of the fact that I was only just barely functional this morning...Kev took a bar stool to church so I could lead the choir without falling down halfway through. So although I was not at my best, Malia was dressed to the nines!

Neighborhood Santa

My boys have always really enjoyed delivering our neighbor gifts. It doesn't matter where we live or what we give, they just love doing it. And they are old enough that I can send them out the door with a list and a bag of gifts and they can deliver them on their own. Which works great for me.

This year Matthew really wanted to be Santa for delivering neighbor gifts so I took two minutes to make him a quilt batting/elastic beard to go with his hat. Daniel went festive with his elf hat. It doesn't even matter that 75% of the people they tried to visit were not home. It was still fun to see them head out the door all decked out to spread some holiday cheer!

At Age Five, a Week is a Long Time

First thing this morning, Matthew sidled up to me all bleary eyed and half asleep, hugged my leg and said, "Six days 'til Christmas."

Apparently he's just a little bit excited. If only that excitement would translate into a desire to lessen the bickering with his brothers...

We’ve Acquired a Biped

Two days ago Malia decided she was ready to walk. She is a stubborn little thing and true to form, no amount of coaxing could get her to walk until she decided she was good and ready. That has been her routine with all things. We’ve just kind of had to sit back and wait for her to decide she wanted to do it. But now that she has decided that there are pros to walking (she can roam around and hold onto stuff or even suck her thumb at the same time that she is getting where she wants to be) she is off…

This evening she celebrated her new skill by toddling over to the table as we were getting ready for dinner, reaching up and pulling down a place mat. Unfortunately for us, there was a full glass on the place mat. The glass shattered on the floor, Crystal Light splashed everywhere, and Malia looked completely unconcerned. Sigh. Remind me that not only did I survive Matthew’s toddler years (He was a huge freakin’ turkey!) but now I look back and laugh. He certainly was a creative genius when it came to being naughty. So watch out world…excuse me, watch out ME…here she comes!

Proud Mama Moment

Today Daniel was ordained to the office of a deacon and received the priesthood. I’m so proud of all the good choices he makes. I know that sometimes it is a challenge being the oldest because he knows all his younger siblings are watching him, but he is continually proving to be a good example to those around him. People tell me all the time that he is a great kid and I have to agree. He is friendly and easy to get along with. He is becoming quite responsible and making good decisions on his own. He is now one of sixteen in his quorum and I'm hoping that all these young men will be able to support each other outside of church. Once again, I’m so proud that Daniel has chosen to take this step.

Mmmm…Cheesecake!

It has been a really long time since I’ve had real cheesecake. Not only was I on Matthew’s diet the entire time I was nursing Malia, but while I pregnant I had gestational diabetes so that much sugar was off the menu. As I neared the end of my pregnancy and prepared for my walk on the allergen-free side, I had every intention of blatantly defying my strict pregnancy diet just once and indulging in a slice of allergen-full heaven.  But due to Malia’s haste to arrive, I never got the chance.  I’ll admit I did a little happy dance when Kev walked in the door today with a Cheesecake Factory bag. So here I am, a year and some change on the other side of the gestational diabetes and today I finally got to partake of some creamy, milky, nutty goodness. It was carbalicious.  And so, so tasty.

A Dozen

Daniel is twelve. In one more year he will officially be a teenager and I am unprepared in a myriad of ways. But at least I have another nine months to ponder my unpreparedness before he hits middle school. Anyway, Daniel has had a birthday and is now twelve. On Friday he invited a bunch of friends over for pizza, Avengers cupcakes and a movie (The Avengers, to match his cupcakes). They were all very well behaved and they had a good time. I love that his parties no longer require me to plan a myriad of activities to keep everyone entertained. It makes planning and execution pretty simple. There was no way I would have been able to pull off a more complicated party last week. I would not even have gotten the cupcake toppers done if Kevin and Daniel had not helped. So simple parties are good.

On Sunday we shared an Avengers cake with my family. A bunch of my nephews have already crossed over into teen-hood, and looking at them reminds me that Daniel is not far behind. How does time go so fast?

Hallelujah!

This year Kevin’s parents got all of us tickets for the Messiah Sing In at Abravenal Hall as a Christmas present. Last night was the big night. Daniel and Nathan followed along and sang as best as they could. Nathan nearly sang in that big dead spot at the very end of the Hallelujah Chorus, but honestly I think he did great for being nine and sight reading Handel. Both boys think it is something we should do again. 

I did a lot of sight reading as well. I hadn’t realized just how many of the songs I had never sung before. And I was surprised at how few people were there, but I guess that is just a sign of the changing times. It seems like fewer and fewer people are engaged in the classical arts. But it is not something my family is likely to set aside anytime soon. I’m glad my boys enjoyed themselves so much. And that they have an appreciation for music that does not include an electric guitar. Not that I'm dissing rock music. I just love that they are so well rounded and can appreciate a variety of musical styles.

Matthew’s Solution to the Whole “Malia Standing Up and Pushing Out the Screen Door” Problem

She really is a good sport, you know. She didn’t even complain.

One Little Monkey...

So here’s the story: I took the boys to see a play (“Once Upon a Mattress”-very fun show!). Kev stayed home with Malia. Apparently she dropped a piece of Lego Duplo into the shape sorter and then stuck her hand in through one of the holes to get it out. Once she had the Lego in hand, she could no longer get her fist out. So she stuck in the other hand to try to get the same piece of Lego. And then she was stuck. She was clutching that single piece with both hands and she wouldn’t let go of the Lego. Kev had to wiggle his fingers in and take the Lego away to that she could get her hands out.

Who knew that we were in possession of such a fine monkey trap.

Pin With Abandon, Execute With Caution

Pinterest is a big thing right now. Most of you have probably used it. I have found about a million cool things on there. I’m not a huge pinner or anything. I don’t look at it every day. But it is fun. And I’ve picked up some neat tips. So when I pulled out one of my favorite sweaters and discovered that there were hideous yellow stains on it, I remembered seeing a pin about getting yellow stains out of white clothing and headed over to Pinterest to look it up. It is a simple tip: mix 2 parts hydrogen peroxide with one part dish soap and put it on the yellow spots. Let it sit for a bit and then wash. I tried it out last week but I didn’t let it sit for very long because I didn’t want to damage my sweater. The site where I got the info showed it being used on white t-shirts which can stand up to a lot more abuse than a sweater can. So I was cautious and nevertheless was pleasantly surprised that the stains were considerably lightened.

So today I had planned to repeat the whole procedure to see if I could completely eliminate the stains. I mixed, soaked, and then threw the sweater into the washer with a white towel to balance the load and without any detergent because there was already plenty of soap. If only I had really thought that one through before proceeding. But then all y’all would not have the pleasure of snickering at my lack of brain power... For those of you who don’t have front loading washers, here is a tidbit that will become vital knowledge in just a couple of minutes: if you get too many soap suds in the washer the water won’t drain. That is why there are different detergents recommended for use in your high efficiency front loaders. So when I happened to peek in partway through the wash cycle and notice that there were suds ¾ the way up the washer door window, I started to think that I might have a problem. But I had a white sweater and a big fluffy white towel in there so I was seeing those as well and it was not all suds, right? Right?! Wrong. When the machine finished the cycle there were still suds halfway up the washer window. Not a good sign. I ran one more rinse, desperately hoping it would at least decrease the amount of suds, but to no avail. If anything, the more it got splashed around the more voluminous the suds became. At that point I knew it was time for plan B.

Plan B involved laying a big baking sheet with sides and several towels down in front of the washer and arming myself with a medium sized mixing bowl (a good size for scooping suds), a roll of paper towels and a garbage sack. In spite of the lack of brains that began this whole adventure, I am smart enough to know that in order to get the suds out I was going to have to open the washer and that opening the washer meant that gravity was going to help those suds get themselves out of the washer…which it did. But due to my mid-disaster planning, I actually ended up with very little soap or water on the floor. I scooped up suds and deposited them in the garbage sack until I could get to the sweater and towel. Then I put those in the biggest bowl I own and placed them in the sink to be rinsed. I continued scooping suds and water until it was no longer deep enough to be scooped with the bowl. Then I sent Matthew for the turkey baster. The entire time I was doing all this I was thinking about all those t.v. shows and movies that feature an idiot who puts too much laundry detergent in the washer and ends up knee-deep in soapy water. I’m usually a pretty smart chick, but let me tell you that I have my moments…and this was definitely one of them. Although as far as stupidity goes, if this is the dumbest thing I do all year I will count myself as lucky.

(This is after I got the sweater and the towel out of the washer. All that stuff left in there is suds and about an inch or two of water. And that garbage sack? Completely full of soap suds. I kid you not. I didn't know what else to do with them. If you ever have an opportunity to buy a house with a sink in the laundry room, don't even think twice about it. Just do it.)

Once I had gotten as much water out as I could, I used paper towels to wipe away as many suds as possible. Then I ran another rinse cycle with an empty washer to see what would happen. Luckily for me, the water drained, the suds diminished and three pre-wash cycles later I was able to put the rinsed sweater and towel back in the washer. End result? Although they are not completely gone, those stains appear to be faded enough that I can wear my sweater without feeling like a slob. And the inside of my washer is squeaky clean. :-) It could have been so much worse. I was really hoping that I wouldn’t need to call Kev at work and tell him that we needed to call a plumber to come get me out of a watery mess. And I really, really didn’t want to mop the floor. (I know, my priorities are a bit mixed up. But I really hate mopping.) So in spite of losing my entire afternoon to the mishap, I think it turned out as well as I could have hoped for.

So let me comment on the whole peroxide/dish soap thing. It works. Just be careful how much you use. Or don’t be careful but then don’t come crying to me when you can’t find your turkey baster.

One final word of advice: if you do not own a turkey baster, go out and get yourself one posthaste. I only use mine for actual basting once or twice a year but I use it for more random things than I had ever thought I would. So go. Buy yourself one. When you are in the midst of a stupidity induced near disaster, you’ll thank me.

The First Snowman of the Season

How Malia felt about being left inside while I went outside to take a picture:

Running With Candy

Halloween was busy for us this year. I spent the morning at the elementary school watching the costume parade and then the fourth grade Halloween program. Nathan has been super excited about it for weeks. He is one of those people who loves performing and being in the spotlight…can’t imagine where he gets it from :-). Although it was exactly the same program that Daniel did two years ago, it was still fun to watch and that Frankenstein song still makes me laugh.

After the program I only had a few minutes to spare before I had to pick up Matthew from school. Then it was home for lunch, put Malia down for a nap, and prep our Halloween dinner.

Daniel had plans to trick or treat a bit later in the evening with a couple of friends, so after dinner Kev and I threw Malia in the stroller and took Nathan and Matthew out to trick or treat. Trick or treating is a bit of a tricky procedure for Matthew since he is allergic to so many things. We asked him if he wanted to 1) take whatever he was offered and trade it in for safe stuff when he got home or 2) have us take a bag of Matthew friendly treats to fill his bag when there were no safe choices. He chose the second option, just like he does every year. But honestly, I think that for Matthew trick or treating is more about running around the neighborhood in his costume than it is about the candy. He would run to a house, ring the bell, take a quick glance into their bowl to see if there was anything safe for him (usually not), and take off running for the next door. Repeat…repeat…”Hey! Wait for us!”...repeat…repeat…”Slow down!”…repeat…you get the idea. He didn’t even bother to get a safe treat from us when the offerings didn’t work for him so I just started sticking handfuls of candy in his bag once in a while.

Halloween in our neighborhood is a bit like a block party. People sit out on their porches, whole families walk the neighborhood, there are hot dogs being grilled, doughnuts and hot chocolate, some years there has even been fire grilled pizza. It is a great neighborhood to live in all the time, but Halloween is especially fun. The adults get just as involved as the kids.  At one point in our wanderings we happened to see "Captain America" riding around the neighborhood on his motorcycle. Needless to say, Matthew was totally stoked. And the Cap was great. He told Ironman he had been looking for him earlier because he needed his help.

We managed to get everyone's costumes ready in time and while Malia was cute...

Matthew was "super"...

and Daniel was a bit retro...

Nathan was the talk of the school...and the neighborhood.  I've been trying to convince him to be spaghetti and meatballs since he was about five and he finally gave it a go. All day I kept hearing comments like, “Look! It’s spaghetti and meatballs! That’s so cool!” He put most of his costume together by himself and I think it turned out great!

Squash Offerings 2012

For FHE tonight we carved our pumpkins and made homemade doughnuts. Matthew needs a doughnut for his class Halloween party on Wednesday and since doughnuts are one of those things that we just cannot buy for him, we make them instead. I’ll admit that I don’t do it very often because they can be kind of labor intensive, so Matthew can count all the times he has eaten doughnuts on one hand. But really, I don’t mind the work so much when his response to a warm, glazed and sprinkled doughnut is, “That…was…AWESOME!!”

Before I show you how all our Jacks turned out, I want to share a couple of soundbytes from the evening’s festivities. We had a big bowl that everyone was using for their pumpkin guts. I was speeding up the gutting process by picking up the whole pumpkin and dumping the guts into the bowl instead of trying to scoop them out. Daniel thought this was a great time saving technique and at one point he asked, “Can I take a dump?” Kev and I laughed ourselves silly. And once Daniel realized what he has said, he laughed to. I just love that my kids are just as wacky as their parents!

Matthew has gotten old enough that he can do a lot of the actual carving by himself. He was vigorously sawing away at his Hulk-O-Lantern when he stopped and said, “My cheeks shake when I do this.” (Chuckle) He may be old enough to carve his own pumpkin, but he still has just a bit of baby chub in his cheeks.

Without further ado, here is how it all worked out:

 

A Girl and Her Boots

Malia has a thing about shoes. All summer she would shuck off her sandals as fast as she possibly could, but then it got cold and I started putting shoes on her so she couldn’t pull her socks off. They were cute shoes, of course. She never even tried to take them off. In fact, she prefers to have them on.

Then it got cold enough for her to wear the rockin’ boots that my sister-in-law, Danna, gave us for Malia’s baby shower. I love these boots. If they came in my size I would totally wear them. And Malia seems to have inherited my fancy for footwear. This morning I got all her clothes out and as soon as she saw her boots she started complaining. She grabbed them and held them out to me, holding her feet up as well. She complained the entire time I was changing her diaper and getting her dressed. Then we put the boots on…and she was perfectly content. She sat and admired the boots for a bit. She would not let me take them off her, even at nap time.

I’m equal parts proud and ashamed that my daughter has a thing for purses and shoes.

It Really Is Mesmerizing

It’s snowing outside. Nathan and Matthew were uber excited this morning when they saw the snow. And Malia just peeked out the window and noticed the snow coming down.

Seeing the first snowfall of the season through the eyes of my kiddos always reminds me just how magical snow can be.

Malia, My Baby…Although She Won’t Stay That Way for Long

The last couple of months have included many firsts for Malia. She outgrew the infant car seat which led to her first ride ever in a shopping cart. She thought it was pretty fun, especially because she had a traveling companion.

She has finally figured out how to so from laying down back to a sitting position and although she still lays on the floor and holds books with her feet, more often I find her sitting with a book in her lap. She folds her arms when we say prayers, although not consistently. She has become fearless about standing up and loves to stand at the piano and play.

She has also realized that standing up means that she can reach more stuff and subsequently had become quite a menace! She sings and jabbers all the time. She dances by shaking her shoulders back and forth. She has developed a liking for baby dolls, although she also likes to push cars around. And she has actually started crawling on her hands and knees which leads to the inevitable (at least at our house) sleeping with her bum in the air.

Yesterday she discovered her belly button and when I ask her where her belly is, she will slap her belly with her hands. She grabs at her hair and is constantly pulling out her hair clips and bows. If she gets a hold of a Kleenex, she will rip it into tiny pieces but she won’t try to eat it. When she finds something tiny on the floor, she will offer it to us if we ask and sometimes even if we don’t. She waves goodbye and occasionally says, “Hi.” She laughs and smiles and keeps us entertained!

Unlike Most Kids, He Actually Has a Valid Excuse for Not Eating His Peas…

Matthew’s latest round of blood work confirms our suspicions that he has developed an allergy to peas. He used to eat them all the time, but just over a year ago he quite eating them. He had a vomiting incident involving some split pea soup and that was our first big warning sign. We have been watching him for the past year and he has picked around the peas when he encounters them and been just fine. But two weeks ago he ate around the peas in his chicken noodle soup just like he always does and had a reaction anyway. He was coughing and generating a lot of mucus, both signs of an allergic reaction. I gave him some Benadryl and within five minutes it had all cleared up.  So peas are off the menu around here.

I’m not going to lie to you. I get a bit discouraged. With every new thing he becomes allergic to, it gets harder to imagine that he’ll ever get to the point where we can take him out to eat. And I get nervous about him developing other allergies. I especially worry about other legumes.  If he becomes allergic to soy, we are going to need another all encompassing food and recipe overhaul. I think I’m better equipped to handle it now than I was five years ago, but honestly it kind of stresses me out to think about it and I know there would be tears involved. But all we can do it keep taking one day at a time and see how things play out….

Oh, and one other tidbit: we did a general screening for seasonal allergies since Matthew has been having some red, itchy and watery eyes of late. He showed positive results for both test groups of trees, weeds, grass, and mold. At least all of those aren’t life threatening.

Shhhh!

I just finished a big project. I’m super excited, but I can’t show it to you yet because it is a Christmas present. However, I started planning it in late December last year and started working on it in March so that gives you an idea of why I’m so excited. So stay tuned. After the holidays I’ll share pictures. :-)

A Taste of BYU

Daniel is in sixth grade. That means student council. There are only three student council members from each class and Daniel was lucky enough (actually responsible, capable, and reliable enough) to get to be one of them. He has wanted to be on student council for a few years now and as the selection process was taking place he told me that he was hoping to be chosen but was not planning on it. Good kid. Sets his goals high but is realistic enough to know you don’t always get what you want. Anyway, today all the student council members got to miss school and go down to BYU for a student council conference. They learned skills in leadership, communication, and other things that will help them be successful student council members. Daniel had a great time and informed me that 1) the food was great, especially the doughnuts and chocolate milk (He’s not wrong. Probably the two best food producing entities at BYU are the bakery and the creamery.), 2) John Bytheway was totally funny and 3) he should have taken a notebook to take notes but never having done anything like this before he didn’t know. I hope the rest of the student council experience turns out to be as positive for him as the beginning has been.

Heehee!

This afternoon Matthew turned to me and said, “The only languages I know are English and jibberish.”

The Milk Trials

Cheese, I’ve missed you. Milk, without you my cereal has been a little dry. And cheesecake, I’ve been lost without you. Dairy, welcome back into my life.

Malia has been drinking milk for two weeks and thus far we have not seen any negative reactions. Not only am I enormously relieved (we’ll keep watching off course, but the fact that things have gone well so far gives me a shot of optimism), but it means that I have been able to add dairy back to my diet. I can’t tell you how delicious my very first grilled cheese sandwich tasted. Ooey, gooey and just perfectly crispy. It has been a long year.

‘Round and ‘Round We Go

The boys’ last official off-track day just happened to coincide with the opening day of Cornbelly’s, so Kev took the day off and we headed out to the corn maze a bit earlier than usual. In past years, it has been chilly and wet. But it was sunny and warm. The corn had not been trampled down yet. We were wearing shorts. And when we arrived there were only about a dozen other cars in the parking lot. So all in all, a good time to go. We did get lost and ended up going around and around in Obama’s head (note to self-always look at the design for the corn maze before going in so we have some idea of what we are doing) but in spite of that we had a good time. The boys loved shooting pumpkins out of the air cannons (Malia not so much-the noise freaked her out) and the big slide. Matthew was a bit apprehensive at first, but after a couple of times down in someone’s lap, he was ready to brave it alone. We all agreed that it was a fun way to end the boys’ vacation.