halloweens of the past

this was the twins' first halloween, october 04. we took these pictures at the pumpkin wagon in front of the holiday inn on bluff street. mason was way into watching the cars. i love his little hat! why do babies have to grow up?

all dressed up on halloween night! yes, the irony isn't lost on us, one of those things smells good, one of those things smells stinky. they were not typecast, (okay, maybe just a little) ;)

travis is putting mason's shoe on, hence the strained expression. :)

halloween 05, mason is a bat, he LOVES his costume. marissa is a witch. her head was too big for the cute hat that came with the costume and so i hastily threw in some piggy tails. note to self, make ALL pieces of costume fit before october 31st.


halloween 06. probably my favorite year, costume wise, for them. mason was a lion. again, he loved his costume. he didn't fight, and actually kept the hood on all night. marissa was dorothy and was beside herself with joy because of her red shoes and lipstick. they actually "got" halloween this year and enjoyed trick-or-treating. anyone recognize the monkey in the middle?

a dream is a wish your heart makes

here she is, miss america. j/k. i'm not a pagent mom. heck, i can't even do a decent up 'do! there is A LOT of hairspray in her hair. it was quite the challenge, but today was the dry run, tomorrow's the real deal. she has been talking about her cinderella dress FOREVER! last night was like christmas eve and today like christmas morning. her eyes were as wide as saucers and she had a mega-watt smile, when i brought out her dress after breakfast this morning. she danced with daddy, sang her cinderella song, pranced, fluffed and got to wear mommy's make-up. this just might be the best day ever!

isn't this what we moms live for? the token photo ops? her preschool class before their halloween party today. left to right, austin, tyler, luke, breken, emma, jacob, marissa, kaylee and ashlyn.

here we have a spider witch, aka emma sullivan, and cinderella

buzz lightyear, aka austin higgins, is her "best friend" every morning when lisa comes to pick her up for preschool

here is her beloved miss debbie. she loves going to miss debbie's super star preschool!

on a side note, i'm not a biased parent, i promise! mason's school did not have a dress up day/hallloween party today. they are having one tomorrow for their MWF kids. mr mason is not really that sad. he could care less. and to be frank, i'm relieved. he is easily distracted as it is, lets not add on, ok?

two peas in a pod

on occasion, after being tucked into his own bed, mason will get up and make camp on marissa's bed. i will find him, all curled up, sound asleep, snuggled with her ariel blanket. on the one hand, i think, i wish he would stay in bed! but really, i think it is very sweet. and as long as he doesn't wake her up, it doesn't bother me. he transitions well back into his own bed so it never is a big deal. it has been 3 years this month since they shared a crib. from the time they were born, the end of may, until the end of october 04, they shared a crib. but they were starting to roll and wake each other up and there was not happiness in the house. then mason was moved to his own crib. and we all slept better. :) i think it must be consoling to know that the one person you have shared your whole mortal life experience with, is just in the room next to you. i hope they will always be close.

week in review

bits and pieces are floating in my brain so i will try to arrange them into some sort of shape, suitable to be deciphered by others. :)

firstly, i finished reading "the 13th tale" today, great read! i found myself in a similar situation like i've found myself with other books lately, i simply couldn't tear away from it. it really did have the elements of a classic austin-esque read, goveness, estate, ghosts, and references to jane eyre. what more does a girl need? thanks to sarah!

here is a one of my favorite snippets from the book (this does not reveal anything of the plot, i love this passage for its imagery and diction)


when i was a child, books were everything. and so there is in me, always a nostalgic yearning for the lost pleasure of books. it is not a yearning that one ever expects to be fufilled. and during this time, these days when i read all day and half the night, when i slept under a counterpane strewn with books, when my sleep was black and dreamless and passed in a flash and i woke to read again- the lost joys of reading returned to me. miss winter restored to me the virginal qualities of the novice reader, and then with her stories she ravished me."


good stuff this diane setterfield writes. anyway, moving on. today i got my flu shot. yippee. just what people love best, being stuck with a needle. this was the first flu shot i have ever received. correct me if i'm wrong, mom. last year, i actually got the flu and missed the book club christmas party. i have learned my lesson and will not let that happen again. that would be dreadful for many reasons, the utmost one because i'm hosting the christmas party this year!

we have had a little GI bug at our house this week. on wednesday we spent a year at costco that morning. our van needed new tires in a bad way. so, it being travis' day off and me loathing errands of that nature, we decided to go as a family to get this done. we left at 10 and didn't come home till 1:30. we shopped, meandered, wandered aisles, sampled fine cuisine, ate lunch, had a frozen yogurt and STILL our tires were not done! frustrating!!! 3 trips to the bathroom later, (mason, marissa, and then mason again) we sat outside and waited some more. turns out they had put the wrong tires on, 16 inchers when our van needed 17 inchers. so because they messed up and had to put tires on twice, we had our morning disappear. i am not a very patient waiter.
finally we came home and within 20 minutes, marissa had puked on the stairs. lovely. she seemed okay that night, and i was debating to send her to school the next day or not, but then at 6am when she came to my bedside and wanted to get in, i thought, she doesn't feel well, no school for her today. and sure enough, she was still sick, throwing up several more times that morning. the yucky, bile, dry heaving, puke. poor thing, she cried every time. but, glad to report, all is well on the home front now. and thank goodness, the rest of us have seemingly escaped. so sorry to hear the shaw's have not experience a similar fate. poor paigey! we shall see how long our luck holds. :)

today was the much anticipated field trip to the pumpkin patch at staheli farms. after a minor directional set back (thanks to robyn for answering her cell phone in my time of crisis!) we found it and enjoyed visiting up close and personal with sheep, a baby cow, a donkey, goats, a dog and some chickens. even though it was marissa's school field trip, mason came as well. of course, kids plus 50 other kids plus farm animals plus running outside equals an extremely exciting adventure! they loved hanging out with their friends, and especially loved seeing adler brough. thank goodness kim had her camera, mine was left at home. she promised to email a few pics. it was fun to visit with fellow book club moms andrea, bobbie, sallie, and natalie, plus lots of other fun ladies from the 8th and 15th wards. the m&m twins had fun finding little pumpkins and despite marissa trying to make everyone else carry hers (she asked adler, kim and lisa higgins to carry it) they both ended up making it home to red mesa drive in one piece. :0)

tonight was ward party and i usually avoid those without having travis there to help me with the kids. but i plucked up some courage and thought, everyone kids always run wild at these events, i guess its okay if mine do too. and they did! we had the pleasure of dining with jen and family. sitting by brianne was a special treat for marissa. mason's highlight of the evening was crawling into someone's (no idea who it belongs to) bike carrier for their kids. he played in there for quite some time before i discovered where he was. of course, millions of kids running and playing together, and he finds someplace small and covered to hide by himself. what a kid! kudos to bob and robyn for pulling off a fun night for families. no small task, i'm sure.

i know there at least half a dozen other things jostling in my brain, things i thought to myself, i need to blog about that, but they will have to wait for another day. my brain is tired and my fingers don't want to type anymore. good night.

big changes

yes, the ward split. wow. its been THE rumor forever, since we moved in almost 6 years ago. and to think that if we stayed on jacob dr, we would now be in the 15th ward. crazy. it is sad. but, i agree with sarah, that i will still see the people i love the most. thank goodness for book club! seriously, it will be so nice to see familiar faces and catch up with everyone. its so interesting that going to church 3 hours once a week bonds you to someone. but i guess its more the shared value system and beliefs than the shared physical experience. i wonder what this week will bring. travis's parents are here in town. its so fun for the kids to visit with grandma and grandpa. okay, time for the question book question of the day:

question #60

would you add one year to your life if it meant taking one year from the life of someone in the world selected at random? would i matter if you were told whose life you had shortened?

my answer is no. i couldn't do it. for one reason, i think my life will be as long as i need it to be, ya know? even if i tragically die when i'm 30, then that was part of the plan then. especially if i'm elderly when i die, i wouldn't want another year because who knows what state (mentally, physically, not so much geographically) i will be in? plus, the fact that it would shorten someone else's life, that would bother me too much. especially, if i knew who it was. i would constantly think, i deprived someone else so i could be selfish.

question #61

can you urinate in front of another person?

yes. can, will and do quite frequently. you try to get away from 2 three year olds long enough to pee in privacy!

funny little people

some snapshots of our little halloween photo shoot this morning. i always (disclaimer: i should say try to) send halloween cards with a photo to grandma's, cousins, the like. these were the cutest ones.

treasures from the garage

first of all, let me just say, i don't know. i don't know why i had this photo taken. i don't know why i'm alone, like no friends or family was stupid enough to pose with me. and i don't know why i kept it. this was taken the summer before my senior year in high school, so i was 17. anyway, here it is, for your viewing pleasure. i was blonde all through high school and freshman year of college. it wasn't until i was 19 almost 20, that i stopped fighting my brunette-ness.

below i have my obituary. yes, i said obituary. again, this happened the summer before my senior year, i attended idaho business week at boise state in boise, idaho. it was a week long conference for high school kids, teaching us about business, marketing, etc. we had workshops and motivational speakers. one of our speakers talked about stephen covey's book, "seven habits of highly effective people" and one of the principles is start with the end in mind. hence, the exercise for us to write out our obituaries. he talked about if you want your tombstone to say you were a great leader or a noble prize winner, then to take the steps necessary to achieve those goals. anyway, here is what i wrote:


Here lies Anne Elizabeth Morris _______?
Born March 15, 1979 California
Died????

She was a loving mother of 5 children and a dedicated and loving wife. Anne loved life and learning all she could. She always tried to see the bright side of things and strove to bring out the best in everyone. All those who knew her would say that she touched their lives for the better. Her family and friends will miss her greatly and await the day of joy when they will see her again.



*a little morbid, yes. but i am pleased to say my goals have not changed. that is still what i would want it to say on my headstone if i were to die today.

questions

while doing some unpacking in my garage yesterday, i stumbled upon an old book of mine. the book is called, "the book of questions" by gregory stock, and i remember we would sometimes play it as a family on car trips when i was a little girl. each page is a question, some funny, some philosophical, etc. anyway, i thought it would make for some interesting/fun blog posts if i answered questions once a week or something. here goes:

Question #11

you are given the power to kill people simply by thinking of their deaths and twice repeating the word "good-bye." people would die a natural death and no one would suspect you. are there any situations in which you would use this power?

off the cuff, absolutely! anyone threatens my family or friends, they would be toast. no suspicion, no mess, its a no brainer. but who gave me the power? why was i chosen? would anyone else know i have this power? is there a character like this on the tv show heroes? (i don't watch it, is there really someone like this?) i would probably want to work for INTERPOL or something like that, where i could take out some major bad dudes. are there any proximity issues? like, does the person have to be within a certain physical range or do i have to be making eye contact? could i just sit in my living room and kill osama bin laden? this question has raised numerous other questions!

in reality- murder is murder is murder is murder. so i would have to say no because an eternity in fire and brimstone doesn't appeal to me.



Question #120

Would you accept $10,000 to shave your head and continue your normal activities sans hat or wig without explaining the reason for your haircut?

um, no. first of all, i checked the copyright and its 1985 so $10,000 was more money back than because that is so not even enough mullah to get me to do it. to even consider, it would have to be a cool mil. if it came right down to it, maybe even more. i am that vain i guess. no hat and no wig, that would be rough. odd head shape, potential sunburn, being cold in the winter time, no thank you. but like i said, if the price was right, i could easily find a way to spend that much money. and hair grows back, yes? but i am firm on my "no" if the price tag is only $10,000.

lately . . .

this past week i have been immersed in a good read. well, actually, 2 good reads. first, i finished shannon hale's novel, "goose girl". loved it. very refreshing, liked her style. it said its a retelling of a classic fairy tale. is there an actual goose girl fairy tale? if so, i am not familiar with it. nonetheless, i enjoyed it and love a good book that sucks me in.

and then, as soon as i finished that book, i started the book club boob for this month, "the winner" by david baldacci. i accidentally called him danny bonaduce to sarah last week. sorry. :) anyway, fantastic book. all the ingredients of a thriller; mystery, intrigue, romance, action, car chases, money, the FBI and danger. i couldn't put it down! and thus, that is not good. travis hates it when i read a book, because then i am gone. off to la la book land. i don't cook, i don't clean, i don't talk to him, i set my mom radar on survival mode and read, read, read. granted, i am a super fast reader so its not long that i am gone to book land. but i am still gone.

i am back now though, so i returned to blog land. loved reading andrea's 800 new posts and accompanying 800 photos. seriously, loved the photos, looking at what her kids were wearing, seeing the picture of her 10 years ago with curly hair (wow) and mentally planning my own family's excursion to the pumpkin patch. fun times!

mini models

one of my cute baby-sitters, kylie shotwell, called me last week and told me about a fundraiser her dance studio was doing. i said, yes, i would contribute and she said great, here's what you bought for ten dollars. a photo shoot! so i dressed my kids up and took them down to the dance tracks studio, on sunset blvd, kinda behind butler's western wear. anyway, sure enough, "studio creations" was all set up there. he must be the high school dance photographer too, because he had the little pillar and the fake rose all set up. yes, i just said fake rose. so he took some of them together and some of them separate. i get to go next wednesday and get my 10x13 that was what my ten dollars bought. then, of course, they try to sell you other packages and get you to spend more money. but seeing as how i have a professional photographer at my disposal (thank you staci) i don't need cheesey backdrop pictures. but i really liked their outfits that i dressed them in, especially mason's sweater and marissa's tights. these are some i took at home before we went.

pumpkin project

here are some photos of our little pumpkin project. i found some cute painted pumpkins in my parenting magazine and thought they looked fun and easy. yes to the fun and yes to the easy. but the end result just didn't do it for me. staci, christy and i were trying to guess as to how the magazine got their pumpkins so prefectly painted and we concluded that they must be fake or photo shopped. you be the judge.

here are the magazine pumpkins
me, staci, christy and emma hard at work. thanks to travis our camera man and cookie baker
marissa was a big helper
emma is a natural crafty, like her mother!
i love sarah jane, so sweet and full of spunk

the stripey ones look okay, but the polka dotted one is pretty pathetic! the paint totally got under the stickers. again, the ones from the magazine probably took a team of 20 and a couple times doing it to make theirs so perfect. oh well. we all know i'm not really the crafty type anyway. :0)

cinnamon rolls

for those interested, i have posted staci's cinnamon roll recipe on our good eats blog. i have heard legends of mary ann's cinnamon rolls, but not being lucky enough to have had one . . . i can only tell you staci's are the best i've ever had. mary ann, if you're reading this, i'm more than happy to sample yours and therefore be more accurate in my findings. :)

merry christmas in october

thanks to my gymbucks for inspiring a little yuletide shopping spree at gymboree! mr mason will look ready to deck the halls in this outfit.
and miss priss mariss will be simply dahling with this and black patent leather mary janes!