Happy Halloween!

M-i-s-s-p-e-l-l-e-d

Kyle had a little friend over to play yesterday and they were building a little fort with pillows. Being mischievous, he chucked a pillow at the friend, which then made the little dude cry.

Me: "Kyle, don't throw pillows at William if he doesn't like it."

(and what comes next is classic)

Kyle: "Fine! Then he's not coming in my fort! He has to stay out! T-O-Y...out!"

Huh?

I think we've got some work to do.

Primary Program Perfection

I think it's safe to say that there's nothing like watching your cute little Sunbeam perform in his first Primary Program. Oh, let's face it. The program's cute even when your child's not performing. But it takes on a whole new meaning when he is.

Our program was on Sunday. And in typical Ruth-type fashion, I was definitely more nervous than he was. We practiced our songs and memorized our part, but I knew it wasn't a done deal. Afterall, our little guy likes to keep us on our toes. I knew that he could either:

1. Get up on that stand and perform with flying colors.
2. Get up on that stand and break down in tears.
3. Grab on to my hand, refuse to let go, and fail to even make it onto the stand.

But then came surprise #1. Not only did he head up on stage, but he RAN. He smiled. He waved. He loved every minute of it. He was the only little Sunbeam to sing all of the songs. In fact, at times you could hear his little voice above all of the others. That should've clued me in to what was coming next.

There's several different types of Primary Program performers. You know what I'm talking about. There are the ones who are:

1. Shy, and refuse to say their part.
2. Nervous ninnies, and speak so softly you have to strain to hear them.
3. So intent on making sure you hear their part that they practically EAT the microphone, thereby causing microphone squeals and very loud decibel levels.

Well, they're all adorable and frankly, I had no idea which one Kyle would be. But then came surprise #2. My son's an eater. Every person in that chapel heard his message loud and clear. And loud. It was absolutely hilarious. I loved it.

And apparently, so did everyone else. The little man received so many compliments that he finally turned to me and disgustingly said, "Why does everyone keep telling me that I did a good job? I'm so tired of it!"

Well, okay then. In an effort to keep the wrath of Kyle at bay, I won't tell him how proud I was.

But I was.

Shhh...

Make New Friends, But Keep The Old...

We recently went on a shopping spree to Lowe's. It wasn't meant to be a shopping spree, but we're finding out that a yard doesn't look pretty all on its own. It takes a lot of work and a lot of money. But that's a whole different story.

Anyways, as we were meandering down the isles, hoping for instantaneous inspiration (and a green thumb) to pass our way, Kevin spotted a familiar face. Turning to me, he said, "Hey, that's Bill!"

"Bill Who?" I asked.

"Uh, I don't remember. But it's Bill!"

"Honey, don't embarrass us," I said to the back of his head, because afterall, he was already chasing the guy down.

"Bill! Bill!"

Well, I've got to give Kevin props, because for a guy that can barely remember the names of college buddies and girls that he dated, it sure enough was Bill. And Karie. And their darling daughter Robyn. Old friends from our days in American Fork! Who would've thunk it.

I can't tell you how good it felt to see a familiar face. A face that brings back memories. Somebody that knows you and makes you feel a little more at home. I'm not quite sure what brought us both to the Middle-of-Nowhere, but if we have to be here, I'm happy they are, too.

And on a completely different note, I was hanging out with a gal from our ward today and started to tell her about my bike mishap the other day. The conversation started like this:

Me: "So Kyle and I went on a bike ride last week..."
Her: "I know. I saw you."

And no, it wasn't an "I saw you guys riding. It looked so fun." It was an "I saw you. I saw you fall flat on your face."

Yes folks, one of the few people I know on this tiny base just so happened to be the first car in line at the crosswalk, who witnessed our catastrophe. She was just about to roll down her window and yell at us when Kyle flipped out. And she was thinking that she should get out and help me when I stumbled over both bikes. And she could clearly see that I was about to burst into tears or completely lose it, so she spared me further embarrassment by driving on. She wasn't even going to mention it, except for the fact that I brought it up. She truly is a kind soul.

But I'm still embarrassed.

I love them, I love them not...

I love them!

I'm not a huge fan of rose bushes and was seriously considering digging these puppies up. Then they went and bloomed and have caused me to reconsider...I'll have to consult my personal landscaper (mom) on this one.

A hunting we will go...

...for some pumpkins, that is.

We visited a little pumpkin patch right off base.

The pumpkins were a little pricey, but all of the other fun, FREE things made up for it.

Like the bouncy slide,

And the petting zoo. These little buggers kept pecking at Kevin's feet. Can't imagine why...

It was a super fun time. We're hoping they don't recognize us when we
go back just to play, but not to BUY...

Special Treat

Once upon a time, there was a little boy who loved watching movies. But even more than that, he loved watching them at the theater (or the "fee-uh-ter" as he liked to say). This little boy's parents were pretty nice and tried to take him whenever there was a good, G-Rated show playing. But, because this little boy's parents were cheap, and also very poor, the venue was usually a Dollar Theater and the movie treats were of the smuggled-in, "it's cheaper at the grocery store" variety.

Then this little boy went to visit his Grandma for the summer. And Grandma introduced him to a whole new, "the sky's the limit" movie-going world. Not only did he get to pick the movie ("Ratatouille"), but she paid full price! And on top of it all, he got his very own popcorn, drink, and candy. This little boy had died and gone to heaven. It was as if Grandma was his very own Fairy Godmother who was around to make all of his wishes come true.

The little boy still talks about that particular trip to the "fee-uh-ter," almost on a daily basis. He still describes every detail of the movie and all of his favorite parts. But I know it wasn't that particular movie that he loved. It was his special day with his grandma, when he had her all to himself. And the treats weren't so bad, either.

Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

List of Tasty Ingredients:

2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 c. packed dark brown sugar
1 c. butter, softened
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
12 oz. bag of milk chocolate chips

Cream the butter and sugars together until smooth and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together, then add to the rest. Last, but not least, add the chocolate chips! We don't do nuts in our cookies, but I suppose you could add those, too. Drop by teaspoonfuls on a baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Hi, my name is Gimpy

Kyle and I decided to go on a bike ride this morning. He'd just recently gotten over his fears of going too fast or cars hitting him, so this was our first attempt at a ride of substantial distance.

It was a beautiful morning and we rode out past the schools, stopped to talk to a neighbor and stopped at the park before turning back for home. Kyle was doing fabulously and getting more confident every minute of the way.

We were 2 minutes from home when we came to a busy street. So we hopped off our bikes and waited for a break in traffic to walk them across the street. (I'm such a good example, aren't I?) Finally, a car stopped and waved us on. So we ventured out.

Now, picture this: We're walking across the street. And when I say walk, I mean w...a...l...k at the pace of a 4-year-old pushing his bike across. By this time there are 2 more cars waiting for us to cross and I'm begging Kyle to please hurry along.

It's at this point that Kyle notices the cars and panics that they're going to hit us. He drops his bike in the middle of the road and runs across to the sidewalk. So I pick his bike up and attempt to wheel it across with mine. Big mistake.

It was at that moment (with 4 or 5 cars waiting) that I trip over Kyle's bike, fall into my bike, and end up in a heap in the middle of the road. Meanwhile, I've got 5 cars looking at me and a hysterical 4-year-old on the other side of the street. Could it get more embarrassing?

Holding back tears, I pick myself up, practically throw Kyle's bike across the street and limping, finish my 15-yard journey.

And that, folks, was my morning. It's a good thing I don't know very many people here.

Apple Fever

We decided to use our first official federal holiday (yet another benefit of working for the government) to get back to nature. I suppose the desert is nature, but we opted for nature with a bit of color. We headed up into the mountains to visit some orchards and pick some apples.

Row upon row of Red and Yellow Delicious apples. Not normally our favorite, but they were DELICIOUS.

They gave us plastic sacks for the picking. Not very quaint, but they'll do the job, I suppose.

Kyle would ask us each and every time, "Is this a good one?"

Afterwards we stopped for lunch at a cute little place called, "The Apple Shed." We had a delicious "Turkey, apple, bacon, avacado" sandwich. Kevin's only beef: it didn't come with fries. A dish of applesauce or cottage cheese means nothing to a manly man!

Check out what we saw on the way home: a honest-to-goodness Wind Farm!

It stretched on for miles...Next time I'm definitely pulling over for pictures.

Now, what did you do for Columbus Day?

Sea World

I just realized that amidst all of our adventures down in San Diego last weekend, the only pictures I took were at Sea World. Oh well. Without further ado, here's our trip to Sea World in pictures, not words. Or at least not many words.

The man of the hour, Shamu.

Watching all of the "Dory's" partake of their lunch.

The boy LOVES his daddy!

This picture is Awful, with a capital A. But Kyle's face just cracks me up so I had to post it.

Posing with the pink flamingos.

Petting a Manta Ray. How cool is that?!

Those Sea World employees are thinkers...washing up at the sanitation station afterwards.

Checkin' out the starfish...

We stopped to eat lunch on the grass and Kyle performed this attractive pose for all of the passersby. Needless to say, we got lots of great comments!

Good versus...A different version of Good?

Sometimes I worry a little about what the future will bring...when Kyle's a teenager. He already has the ability to out-think and out-debate me. Frankly, I'm not sure how much longer my parenting authority will be legitimate. Take our conversation this morning, for example. We were on our way to the library when it occurred.

Kyle: Mom, can I play a computer game when we get there?

Mom: Well, actually, I was going to ask if we could check one out. Then we can take it home and play it. But they might not let us.

Kyle: Why not?

Mom: Well, they might want to keep them at the library for the kids to use while they're there.

.....Long moment of Silence.....

Kyle: I can just sneak one then, because I'm good at sneaking things.

Mom: You're going to sneak a game?!

Kyle: Yeah.

Mom: You can't sneak a game out of the library. That's against the rules. It's not honest. Jesus wants us to be honest.

Kyle: But they're not sharing. Jesus wants us to share.

Mom: Yes, but Jesus also wants us to follow the rules.

Kyle: But they're not sharing! And that's not nice! Jesus would be sad.

It was at this point that we arrived at the library. Fortunately, the library allowed us to check a game out and my little thief wasn't forced to take matters into his own hands.

Learning Curve

As we were finishing lunch today, I informed Kyle that we were going to have some preschool time afterwards.

Looking at me, he asked, "Why?"

I informed him that we were going to work on his numbers, letters, and writing his name so that he "could get smarter."

He looked at me for a minute, sizing me up. Then, as if I'd committed some horrific offense, he accusingly said, "Hey! You're trying to teach me kindergarten!"

Oh, the things I put that poor boy through...

What?

Okay, so am I the only one who just barely realized that it's OCTOBER? When did that happen? Sometime during this whole moving ordeal, I suppose. But still, it's 90 degrees out there, for heaven's sake. I'd better get this house put together so I can display all of my lovely autumn decorations. Priorities, people!

Immediately after that first realization, I had another. Halloween's going to be a big deal this year. For the last 7 years, Kevin and I have been disappointed with the miniscule number of trick-or-treaters who've knocked on our door on Halloween night. We'd prepare big bowls of candy and end up eating it all ourselves (not that there's anything wrong with that).

But now we're living among a multitude of kidlets. This tiny base has over 700 homes, which is 650 more than we're used to. And I daresay 90% of them have children. Do you know how much candy that equates to?!? I'm going to have to start stocking up on my weekly shopping trips in order to have enough for the big day!

Home Sweet Home

This post is primarily for my mom. She's been asking for pictures of our house, and since I'd had a few other requests, I thought I would just post them. I really don't mean to bore you, so I'm sorry! Just move on to the next entry...

The front (obviously)

The park, which is literally right across the street. It continues on to the right.

The living room (we're waiting on couches so we can decorate).

The extra space behind the living room. I guess some people use that as the dining room and what we use as a dining room for a family room.

The kitchen. More cupboards and countertop to the left.

Looking into the dining room. We're refinishing a hutch, so the dining room's on hold, too.

The master bedroom.

The master bathroom. Ahh, the luxuries...

Kyle's room

More of Kyle's room.

The study. Being saved for conference weekend, since we have to watch conference on the internet. BTW, that's Kevin walking in the front door...

The other bathroom.

I saved the best for last - the garage!!! Agh! I love it!

Oh, Happy Day!

We found them! We found them! Hidden deep at the bottom of piles of boxes in the garage, inside another box, we found our photos! I'm so relieved. You can be sure that all of our photos will be traveling in the car with us the next time we move.

I really want to write more tonight, but I'm simply too tired. I hereby promise to blog tomorrow and fill you in on our fun trip to San Diego. And maybe if you're lucky, I'll post pictures of our new house and the coyote that pranced through our front yard today. Yes, that's right. I said coyote.

~Hasta Luego!

...Which reminds me of a funny story. On our trek from Utah to California, we stopped at a gas station in Barstow. While Kevin filled up the cars, I took Kyle in to use the restroom. Keeping us company in the next bathroom stall was a Hispanic lady and her daughter, speaking Spanish.

It was then that Kyle turned to me and said, "They're speaking Californian, huh mom?"

I laughed my head off, hoped they didn't hear our conversation, and hurried Kyle out of the bathroom. Yes, indeed. We're all going to learn a lot. Who knows, maybe we'll pick up a new language!