All for One, and One for All

When Danny requested a Musketeer birthday party, I was a little unsure of what to do. Most child appropriate Musketeer gear is related to the Barbie Musketeer movie. Matt made it clear that Danny was not allowed to have a Barbie party. So I did a little more research, and Danny found a Mickey Mouse Musketeer movie that gave us a little more inspiration, and with a lot of help from Grandma Billings (my brother-in-laws parents who live very close and we've adopted), we had ourselves a grand Musketeer celebration.

When the guests arrived, they were greeted by King Matt, who took them downstairs to decorate their Musketeer capes (handmade by Grandma Billings) and begin practicing their sword fighting (I decided the inflatable swords from Oriental Trading would be the safest option with that many kiddos). They got to watch a clip from the Mickey Mouse Musketeer movie
and then practice their skills with King Matt. You can see the simple decorations in the background- just paper banners with a fleur de lis printed on them. After all their practice, they went upstairs to the banquet hall for a grand feast. Instead of silverware, I got some of those sword toothpicks at a party store. The boys thought it was so fun to eat with swords! We kept it simple - IKEA meatballs, cheese squares, grapes, lil' smokies, carrot sticks, and chips. The castle cake made a nice centerpiece for the feast. Danny and I looked at castle cake ideas online, but cakes are always harder than I think they will be and I just don't have much practice, so they never turn out nearly as well as I imagine in my head. It was really fun to do nonetheless. So this is where the party got really fun. The boys were told before it was time to eat cake, they should go downstairs to receive rewards for all their training and work. When they got downstairs, King Matt was shocked to discover his treasure, and all of Danny's birthday presents, had been stolen. The new Musketeers got on their shoes and jackets and followed King Matt outside to find the bandit.

The bandit, was our good family friend Will. Since moving into the ward here, Danny has LOVED Will and looked up to him like a big brother. Will always looks out for Danny too and despite their 8 year age difference, he is always a good friend to Danny.

So Bandit Will ran ahead with the treasure, dropping clues (gold coins) along a wooded trail near our house. King Matt & the Musketeers followed in hot pursuit.

Meanwhile, Grandma Billings, Kaylee, and I drove the presents (yep, I'd stolen those) and cake over to a nearby park, where the trail led. We arrived just in time to set things up and get a little footage of the Musketeers catching the bandit. Bandit Will was such a good sport and the boys were so excited to find the presents & treasure hiding in the playground equipment.

We opened presents, ate cake, and then sent the Musketeers home for some rest. All for one and one for all!

Fall

This autumn I have gained new appreciation and understanding for the name "Fall." As a teacher in Houston, I purchased these fake fallen leaves to decorate my classroom. Now they make their way to my mantel during October and November. But this year, in our new home, it seems ironic to have these inside when my yard looks like this. The leaves just keep falling and falling. Today I filled 9 huge yard waste bags. And the trees are still full of leaves. Hooray for Fall!

We Moved . . .

True. We moved in June. But the exciting news is that our new house now has a new roof! You may notice in this first picture that you can't even see the beautiful new roof. That is correct. Despite not being able to enjoy staring at our new investment, we are happy that we'll be staying dry all winter (spring, summer, & fall ... this is Seattle) for at least the next 30 years. Besides the neighborhood, schools, and perfect location (15 minutes to downtown Seattle, 5 minutes to endless miles of hiking trails, and 45 minutes to a ski slope) I love, love, love the lot that this house is on. From every window it feels like we're in the forest.
It's a classic 1973 Split Level. Head down the stairs to find my 2nd favorite room in the house. Downstairs there's also a storage room, guest room, laundry room, and Danny & Kaylee's clubhouse (an under the stairs storage room we made into a playhouse). Head up the stairs from the front door to find the kitchen (pictures after I paint), office/playroom (great for stacking towers), & bedrooms. And my favorite room in the house.
There's definitely work to be done with the final decorating, but I just love, love the high wood ceilings and watching the seasons change through the big windows in this living room. And there you have it. Our brand new house. It's even better in person, so come on over. We love visitors!

Flashback to the Fair

Why we loved the 2011 Eastern Idaho State Fair . . .

FARM ANIMALS
FOOD
and FAMILY TIME.

And what we wish to forget from the 2011 EISF . . .

SECOND DEGREE BURNS AND STREP THROAT

And while we're doing Fair Flashbacks, let's compare one of my first years workin' the fair . . .

to this year . . .

I'm so glad I married a carny.

Happy Halloween

It was a Happy Halloween indeed. First off, trick-or-treating at Dad's work. The candy was even more dense than at a trunk-or-treat. Nearly every cubicle had something to offer.

At the church Halloween party, Tinker Bell had fun popping balloons and winning a whistle (which was only removed when a sucker could replace it).Our cowboy favored shooting darts at a Haunted House.
Both were huge fans of the cupcake walk. Though Tinker Bell won several times, we held her to only one, vanilla cupcake. I learned at our playgroup Halloween potluck that chocolate & green tutus just don't mix.Trunk-or-treating was fun as always. We were spoiled to have Grandma & Grandpa Couch join us for the event, dressed as a Queen & King. Matt & I were Captain 5k & Miss Marathon, superheroes we'd created for a previous work party. (Yes . . . this is me taking a picture of a picture just like last Halloween. Still haven't gotten the scanner fixed. Danny's face is precious in this one. He's got that stern cowboy look down.)
On Halloween we enjoyed a cool night. We had to layer up underneath the costumes. Our new neighborhood doesn't have a lot of kids, so our new neighbors were thrilled to have some trick-or-treaters. We felt it our neighborly duty to go to as many of these neglected houses as we could (until fingers were numb & toes tired). They were generous with their candy, and even though we left a candy bowl out on a porch while we went around, by 10 at night when I picked it up, there was still candy left.
We'd carved the pumpkins earlier at Danny's preschool party. Danny is holding his pirate pumpkin's eyepatch, and Matt carved the skeleton. We also enjoyed our traditional spooky Halloween menus for several meals. This years features were Witch's Brew (black Kool-Aid), Bones & Blood (bone shaped breadsticks with marinara), Goblin Goulash served over Maggots (Alfredo casserole served over rice), Peeling Ogre Skin with Fungi & Lizard Tongues (salad with mushrooms & bacon bits), and Dirt (pudding with cookies & worms). We also had Mummies (sausage wrapped in biscuit dough) for breakfast with Jack-O-Lantern Juice (OJ in clear cups with jack-o-lantern faces), Oozing Eyeballs (fried eggs), and Blind Mice (Strawberry mice with no eyes or tails). I didn't take pictures, but we had fun sharing the Halloween Meals with our good friends the Hendricks & Mom & Dad.

How I love Halloween!!!
(And, lest you think I'm a neglectful mother that lets her child relish in all her candy goodness without wiping her nose, let it be known that it is merely sparkly fairy dust.)
(OK. I lied. It's a runny, snotty, nose. Hey . . . even fairies get a runny nose in the cold.)