Science Project

One day I looked out my back door window and saw that there were no leaves left on my pentas.  I went out to investigate and found no less than 8 hornworms (6 green and 2 brown) trying to live off the four plants in my pot.  These were pretty impressively big caterpillars, so we saved them and did a little research.  We determined that they would become tersa sphinx moths.  So we made a little habitat for two of them and released the rest.  I just didn't have enough penta plants left to feed more than two!  For about a week they lived in my glass cookie jar.  (But I promise I sanitized it really well afterward, so it's safe to eat cookies next time you come to my house!)  Then the caterpillars went into their chrysalises for a couple weeks.  One morning, we woke up to this:

Halloween Costumes

This year costumes were MUCH easier. And good thing too. I don't think I could have pulled another sewing marathon this year. (Apparently even though I was able to finish the costumes on time this year, it was too much to have me blog about them in anything close to a timely manner!)

Claire wanted to be a penguin again this year, so she made it easy on me! Last year's costume still fit, so I took the opportunity to add the elastic here and there and stitch a few things closed that I didn't get around to last year.


Scott wanted to be a "scary mummy." I wasn't so sure about the scary part, but I was game for the mummy part. (I don't think a four year old with buck teeth and enormously long dark lashes can be scary even if he tries anyway... Unless you count being scary-skinny because he refuses to eat anything. And really really pale because he is my son.)

If you're wondering about construction on this mummy one, here's the deal (if not, feel free to skip ahead):
I used a long-sleeved white t-shirt and I sewed a pair of basic (pajama pattern in fact) elastic waist white pants with leftover fabric. Then I bought several yards of unbleached muslin. I tore the muslin into approximately 3 inch wide strips the length of the muslin. Then I quickly hand stitched along the top of the strips to attach them onto the shirt and pants. I just wound it around and around, making sure to overlap. Don't think quality hand-stitching here. I'm crazy, but not THAT crazy. Just rough and very long running stitch. Every time I stopped and started a strip I left a little hanging down to give it that disheveled look. In order for the shirt to fit over his head, I stretched it and pinned it around the neck and then made sure to sew it very loosely there. I started there and then did the chest. On the chest I didn't wrap around but rather zig-zagged back and forth until I got below the armpits. Then I made sure the wrapping a the shoulders covered the folded edges. Other than that, I worked up from the hands, up from the bottom of the shirt and up from the feet. I sewed a few of the longer ends into random places to complete the "not too perfect look." Because looking messy should always be premeditated, right?

Kate wore a little kimono that used to belong to M's mom when she was a little girl. Let's see if I get this story right. I believe it goes that M's mom was born in Japan while her father was there with the military. She was wearing this little kimono when she returned to the states.

The only thing I did was make a fake little obi (belt) using some leftover scraps of fabric, velcro, and cardboard from a graham cracker box.

I don't have photos, but M and I wore some recycled costumes from a few years ago. We were "The Track Team" or "Run-Over Runners." Basically we just wore running clothes with a t-shirt that had a large black tire track up the front. We continued the tire track onto our faces with black face paint.


Our main Halloween celebration this year was a party at church. Here are a few highlights:

Claire, I don't think that's the conventional way for penguins to catch fish...


Kate pretty much didn't stop moving the entire evening...



Except while she was on the "hay ride."

Phineas and Ferbkins

This year in honor of the kids' (and our) latest screen time obsession, we did Phineas and Ferb themed pumpkins:



The Dr. Doofenshmirtz and Perry pumpkin didn't turn out quite as well, I think. The image was a bit wide for a round surface, and we were a touch too ambitious on the detail. But all in all, I thought the pumpkins this year were a success!

Carving pumpkins is the only part of Halloween M really gets into. For me it's all about costumes, but I'm always up for a little time pretending to be artsy. This is one area where I feel like we stray from our usual, non-traditional jaded selves and REALLY get into the holiday.

I Thought It Would Be EASIER With Just Kate in the Pew...

Yesterday at church was our ward's Primary sacrament program. This is where instead of adults giving talks, the main portion of our meeting is all of the children in our congregation singing the songs they have been learning this year and giving small speaking parts and talks related to the year's theme.

So while M got up to get attendance numbers (he's the ward clerk), I sat and wrangled Kate while trying to watch Claire and Scott sing the songs. Scott is in the youngest class so he was right up front. Right in front, picking his nose. Picking his nose, and then eating it.

When I recovered from my brain aneurysm, and from vomiting due the grossness, I started trying to gesture to him to stop it. I tried to catch his eye and when I did, I would put my hand up to my face, then quickly put it down and shake my head. I tried waving my hand in front of my face. Scott's face simply got more and more confused looking, and I think the mental strain and nervous energy were sending that finger prospecting deeper and deeper. At last I took both arms, folded them in front of me, and then lifted them up in order to suggest he do the same. And it worked! He folded his arms. Phew!

But! In the few second that I used two hands to gesture to Scott, I had let go of Kate. She had rocketed out of the pew and had started toddling as fast as she could down the aisle. She KNEW she was being naughty, and she thought it was hilarious. She was cackling as maniacally as a 15 month old can and she could barely walk straight she was laughing so hard. At least it slowed her down a little! She was halfway down the aisle before I managed to run while hunched over and grab her, which of course she thought was EVEN MORE HILARIOUS!!!

At least the other people watching me seemed to get a good laugh too.

Three Piece Suit and Pink Flip Flops

Or

Why You Should Do What Mom Says

[Warning - Not for squeamish pansies]

We just attended a wedding for Marshall's brother last week. The kids were all in the wedding, so at church yesterday we had them all wear their fancy outfits. When we got home from church, we followed the usual routine. We told Claire and Scott to change out of their church clothes. Marshall and I changed our clothes and got Kate out of her church dress. When I checked on him, Scott was still sitting in his three piece suit reading a book. The only thing he had taken off was his shoes. So I helped him out of his suit coat and then told him again to go get changed.

I went to go do something and then I hear a crashing sound of something breaking. I come running into the dining room to find Kate has pulled a glass off the table and now her foot is bleeding.

[Now here I am torn between beating myself up and being defensive. I KNOW Kate is into EVERYTHING lately. I know she pulls things down off the table. I know we need to be religious about clearing off the table. Why, why did I leave my glass from breakfast on the table??? I know I'm a slob, but it's a whole new problem when being a slob hurts your baby. Shame on me. On the other hand, did I mention Kate is into EVERYTHING lately? It's all I can do to keep up with her. Perhaps if church wasn't at 9am, if M hadn't been gone at meetings leaving me getting everyone ready for church by myself, if I wasn't still getting over a bad cold, if I wasn't exhausted like I always seem to be these days, perhaps then I would have remembered to clear my dishes that morning. There. I made a noble effort at being defensive. But my true nature as a mother wins out. I suck. I can't believe I let her get hurt.]

So her cut was bad enough that while weren't about to call an ambulance or anything, she definitely needed to go get looked at. There was a lot of blood. Yuck. So Marshall crammed his shoes on while applying pressure to her cut. I grabbed the diaper bag with my purse in it and rounded the other kids up. Claire was all dressed and just needed to put some shoes on. Scott on the other hand? Still sitting reading that book wearing his dress pants, white shirt, tie, and vest. Oh well, he got to go in his suit. This is why you listen to Mommy when she tells you to get changed. So I told him to go find his flip flops.

Well, of course, of course! We could only find one flip flop. This is why you put your shoes away when you take them off and not fling them willy-nilly all over the house. So Scott got to wear Claire's pink flip flops.

We were a motley crew there in the ER. Scott, as I mentioned was in a beige suit with pink flip flops. Claire had selected to wear pants with holes in the knee. Pants from LAST winter that were total floods on her. M's shoes were untied because it was too hard for him to tie them while applying pressure to Kate's cut. Oh well, I'm sure they see much worse in the ER.

On the up side, everything at the ER went pretty smoothly. It's pretty near our house and when we got there the waiting room was empty and we got to walk right in. The took x-rays of Kate's foot to check for glass in the cut. No glass, so they cleaned it then they numbed it in preparation to glue the cut. Only problem was that every time they went to push the cut back into place, it would start bleeding again. And the glue wouldn't stick if it was bleeding. But since no one wanted to figure out how to do stitches over her toe nail and nail bed, we REALLY wanted the glue to work out.

Finally after another long bout of constant pressure, it stopped bleeding enough to glue it up. But when they were done, you could tell it was still bleeding a little because blood was collecting inside the cut and it was getting all puffy and gross looking. (Or should I say MORE gross looking.) The glue held most of the way, but in a couple spots it opened enough for blood to keep oozing out. Lovely.

But apparently it was good enough because they sent us home. We were supposed to put a sock on her just to keep her from picking at it, but it was all ooze-y and bleeding a little again. So we put a little gauze and a band-aid on it. But after a few minutes of letting her walk around by herself, blood was soaking through her sock. So despite discharge instructions to just leave it be, we decided to bandage her up rather then go back to the ER. I mean seriously, it was already 4pm and we still hadn't eaten any lunch and Kate still hadn't napped at all. (She already missed her morning nap like she does every Sunday because of church, so she was getting delusional.) The bandage seemed to work until she woke up as we were going to bed. We gave her another dose of Tylenol and took the bandage off. It finally didn't look like it would bleed, so we just put a sock on her. Now it just oozes tiny bits on and off, but seems to be okay. We see the pediatrician for a follow up tomorrow morning. Here's how it looks today:

This photo serves two important purposes: (1) it serves as a diet aid - because, seriously, I don't want to eat ever again every time I look at that thing, and (2) it serves to make y'all feel better about yourselves because, clearly, my rug is in desperate need of vacuuming and still I have posted here for all to see (Isn't it nice that you and I are close enough friends that I can let you see my dirty rug? I'm so glad we're tight like that. Hey, if you want to feel like family, c'mon over because have I got a kitchen sink for you to see!)

UPDATE: Kate's cut seems to have come open again. It's not bleeding, but it's kinda gaping. Guess toddlers are too rough on glue. (Seriously, the number of times in the last 24 hours I have watched her stub that toe into something at full speed, wince, then just keep on running is astounding...) I called the doctor's office, but they said to just put a band aid on it to keep it clean and come in for the appointment we already have set up for tomorrow morning.