Jack-O-Lanterns-R Us

Last night we carved our pumpkins for the Halloween weekend. Although they weren't very big, we grew them in our garden, so the kids have been taking care of them all summer and deciding which pumpkin would be "theirs" for the last month or so. We made quite a mess scooping out guts and hacking faces into orange gourds. Logan was jealous that everyone else got to carve on their own. At one point he stole some one's pumpkin carver (not a regular knife...he was relatively safe) and started stabbing a spare pumpkin because he wanted to do it on his own too. Ellie mostly just slept. It was a fun night.

Carving pumpkins (bonus Gavin singing at his pre-school party)

Smoke Follows Beauty

The other day we were getting ready to fry chicken, but the oil got a bit too hot, so it started smoking a bit when we cooked the meat. We opened some windows, but the kids were concerned about the smoke. I teasingly told them that if they showed the smoke where it should go (outside) it would follow them. This is what happened.



Also this week, Logan had a rough day, skipped his nap and ended up falling asleep during dinner.

Finally, I also finished the kids Halloween costumes so the kids would be ready for the primary party on Saturday. We have three vampires, a secret agent, a bumble bee and a fairy/butterfly. As the kids get older, the costumes get harder to make, but they usually turn out alright so I guess it is worth it (I didn't make the bee or the fairy wings, I am not that talented).

What the Hex is Going On

One of my favorite things about Halloween is our annual trip to Gardner Village to see the witch displays. Our kids love it too (except for Bryce who is too old for witches...except for his mother and he is stuck with her). I love Halloween, what other holiday lets you look ugly on purpose and be praised for it...or wander around at work in your pajamas...or send your kids out in the neighborhood to beg for edibles and not have the neighbors look down on you for it. Besides it comes in the fall, my favorite season.

Bryce discovers which witch stinks!!

Josh's new flame.

Chillin...

Look at that, most of the kids looking at the camera...impressive.

One adorable row of children

Gavin and Parker jammin to the sweet tunes.

Aubrey was thrilled to get to meet a real, live witch. I told her she lives with one every day, she said maybe, but I don't dress this cool. I thought this witch's hex for my daughter was very appropriate.

De Week of DeMouxs (What a dumb title, who came up with that?))

It has been a busy week. Sadly, my computer is moving at the speed of continental drift (aka veeeeery slowly) and so I am too frustrated to attempt my usual wit and whimsy in the text of this post.

***Insert snide/anecdotal/ridiculous/humorous comments here***

We took a new DeMoux family picture.

Aubrey was in a parade.

Josh's soccer team won their final game of the season and they played the best they ever have.

This picture has nothing to do with soccer, but I just really wanted to post it anyway.

With the help of my Whitmer family, we expanded our vegetable garden/patch of backyard dirt.

We were able to bless Ellie in Church on Sunday.

Lots of family events and all kinds of excitement. We'd show you the video of Logan dancing naked in the bathtub, but someone might be offended and think we were exploiting him so we'll keep it to ourselves. Here's hoping for another fabulous week to come.

Watch it, I'm Grumpy!!!!

This (below) is how our sweet little newborn behaves during the day. She is quiet and content and adorable. When she is awake, she is pleasant and alert. She is a lot of fun. We adore her!

This, on the other hand, is how our newborn behaves at night (at least lately). Our adorable little angel becomes a terror sheathed in the image of a baby girl!!! It's like Gremlins, without the "just add water" element. The only way to calm this monster is to plug it's face with a binki that it seems determined to spew out the moment you get it in. And so, I do my best to sleep (ha ha ha) with my hand positioned on the infant's face in the bassinet next to my bed so that the gentle pressure of said hand keeps the plug in and the whining/crying/screaming bloody murder to a minimum. (Ok, fine, I still adore her, just with more frustration than during the day).
Possibly I should become a vampire and sleep during the day so that I could be prepared for the night. Do you think sleeping in a coffin is required or is that just a classic cliche?

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To his credit, Josh did get up with her after her 3:00 am feeding last night and took her in the living room to try to let me sleep. Unfortunately I could still hear her so she kept both of us up. But it is daytime now and she is cute again so at the moment, I am sure she didn't do it on purpose.

A Moment as a Mother

I love being a mom. I always have (ok, I have my moments where I throw up my hands and whine "I DON'T WANT TO BE THE MOM ANYMORE!!!"). Even when I was young, I always wanted to grow up to be a mom...and an archaeologist. That second part didn't really come to fruition, and digging around in the dirt doesn't really appeal to me anymore...maybe that has to do with all the bonus laundry and baths I have dealt with over the years (we dealt with that this weekend, thank you rain, and I'm sure there are plenty more to come) because of dirt-digging adventures.

Still, there are always moments that make it all worth it. Yesterday, I was sitting at the computer and suddenly heard very soft singing behind me. I peeked over my shoulder, trying not to disturb whatever was happening, and found that Gavin (who is 4) was laying next to Ellie and singing "If I had a million dollars...I would buy you a green dress...but not a real green dress, that's cruel...I would buy you a monkey...haven't you always wanted a monKEY," as he carefully stroked her hair. It was adorable. I'm grateful that those little angels were sent to my home.

And then today, as we watched conference this morning, Bryce took notes and after each talk he gave me an overview of what the speaker had said. Sometimes he only caught key phrases, not the real meaning in the talk, but I was so impressed that he was trying so hard to get it.

And then President Monson spoke about serving others, sharing many brief stories that were told to him by children and youth. I watched as my children laughed and listened to his urging for us to be more service centered. I listened after his talk as they told me ways they thought our family could help others. I could not have been more proud.

As a mom, you don't get a regular paycheck, there aren't 401k programs, medical benefits or company Christmas bonuses. However, the paydays that do come are much more memorable, and much longer lasting. The moments when children make good choices, take care of one another, reach out to others in need, learn something difficult, or are just happy make my heart swell and I try (like Mary) to keep all these things. A better job, there is not in this world.

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(Lest you think our children quietly sit and listen and ponder the words spoken at general conference--ha ha ha--let me just say we ask kids over 8 to listen to one full session and anyone younger we have listen when the prophet speaks...we give them a conference bingo board to fill out to try to help them focus a little. Although we have conference on every radio in the house hoping that bits and pieces will ooze into the kids brains, we mostly just try to keep the din to a low rumble so that we can hear some of what is said.)