Spooktacular

Happy Halloween!

Thank goodness the snow from the beginning of the week melted so that those poor trick-or-treaters here in Utah tonight do not freeze to their cute little costumes.  Yes, it snowed Monday, Tuesday AND Wednesday.  However, the weather man, who is rarely right, claims this should be the last snow until Thanksgiving.  All I can say is, "Let's hope so!"  My kids at work are bonkers when storms come in.  The storm, plus Halloween, plus just pure energy, made for a very long week.  Fun, but long.  They were all very cute in their costumes on Friday at our party.  We had Spongebob, a bee, a shark, a racecar driver, Woody, witches, firemen, Elmo, the works.  The biggest hit at the party was our sensory table full of Jell-o and other creatures.  They all loved squishing it in their hands, along with managing to get it everywhere within a 500 ft radius.  

 ABTC staff all dressed up.  The kids LOVED the sumo wrestler

Earlier in the week, Dallin and my friend Tiffany talked me into going to the Haunted Village at This is the Place, which is where Brigham Young stated that that is where the Saints would settle after their long trek from Illinois.  Later, it was turned into a monument and village with houses and such from Brigham Young's property.  Anyway, at Halloween they decorate the whole village with spookiness and haunted encounterings.  For those of you who know me, you know that scaryness and me do not go well.  I strongly dislike scary things.  Nonetheless, I went, and survived; all thanks to the poor girls in front of us whom I swore were going to have anxiety attacks with the characters feasting off their fear and lurching continously around them.  Hey, it got the lurchers away from me!  

Getting trampled by the Headless Horseman at the Haunted Village

Last night, Dallin and I went to a couple of shin-digs as a 1920's couple.  He fit the part perfectly with his classicly handsome looks (cheesy, but you know its true).  We also carved out pumpkins, and watched "The Corpse Bride," which I only saw about 1/4 of due to moments of narcalepsy throughout the movie.  

Can you guess who carved which one?

 

So presh 

We also celebrated with Tim Tam Slams.  For those of you who do not know what these are, they are a rich, delicious, chocolaty, wonders from New Zealand and Australia.  Dallin served his mission in New Zealand and I learned from a buddy a few years ago how to do them.  We decided it was time to indulge after receiving video texts from Lexi and Brad last weekend while they were enjoying some slams.  SO GOOD!  Dallin so gracefully demonstrated how to do a Tim Tam Slam:

 

Sachet?  

(Pardon my voice.  I got to sound like a squeaky little mouse all week due to a case of laryngitis; most likely a result of hiking in pouring rain for an hour last Saturday.  My kids LOVED it.)

 

Tim Tams!

 Never good when the Tim Tam falls into the hot cocoa.

In four days I will be in Napa!  I am so excited to see the sibs and the parents, along with some buddies.  (PS Congratulations to Lexi for winning Big Game! Woot, Woot!)   I hope all have a happy Halloween, stay warm and are grateful for all they have.  Another thing I have learned from the passing of Drew is that life is way too short to waste time complaining about small things that don't really matter in the big scheme of life, as well as judging others.  Just love and be grateful for all that you have!  Love you all!

"We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues."

  -President Thomas S. Monson