Stake Conference

We've had an interesting month church wise! First General Conference, then Temple Dedication, and this week Stake Conference. We were spiritually fed during each meeting in different ways. I am so grateful to participate in these special occasions.

Evelyn found the most redonkulous toy ever during our Walmart trip. She found a huge Cinderella carriage that actually drives. It was like a toddler dream come true. This week she had a huge crush on making Jell-o. As soon as the kids left for school she raided the pantry and helped herself to a box of Jell-o. Before I knew it she tore the box open and the paper sack of powder. She knows how to get me moving in the morning! I then "help" her boil water and stir, stir, stir powder into the water. She picks out the mold of the day and BAM! Jell-o is ready to set up. Problem is she wants the jell-o ready in five minutes and not three hours. The waiting drives her nuts. So she grabs a can of soup to eat for brunch, a special bowl, and stares at me until I heat it up. She is quite handy with her pleases and thank yous. She and Phillip decided to smash doughnuts all over their faces instead of eat the treat. There were so many crumbs that Josie joined in the fun, or Phillip gave her a doughnut. They even had fun vacuuming up the mess. Wednesday Evelyn and I made a ghost with paper, glue, and cotton balls. She loves her ghost. I spent half the week sorting clothes. Everett was wearing size 3t PJs, he looked quite silly with his shorts up to his buns and his shirts halfway up his chest. Amelia finally grew so I was able to box up all her size 6x and 7s to save for the smaller girls. I gave a large tote of clothes to a family down the street who have 3 small growing boys and one older girl. Evelyn played fashion show with the small clothes I was preparing to donate. She looked hilarious wearing a coat two sizes smaller than she is.

Friday after school we had a huge rush getting the kids ready for Cabela's Trick or Treat street. I did not have Amelia's Rey costume completed so she wore her newish Ariel dress, Josie was baby Ariel! Evelyn wore a Cinderella work costume. I whipped up a head scarf headband to match the outfit. Phillip was Jet Vac again, his costume gave him a fantastic wedgie. Everett was Trigger Happy, another SkyLander character. We found the main suit but he lost the guns and the thrifted costume was without a mask. Mostly, he looked like a short Ewok. The kids were so excited! I love the creativity of the rooms the different departments decorate. There was Adams Family, Hotel Transylvania, Inside Out, Jurassic Park, Peter Pan, Up! and a couple others I cannot remember. Evelyn ate most of her candy before we made it upstairs! Amelia was disappointed over the amount of candy, or lack there of. It is rough growing up! Upstairs was a photo booth and some refreshments. We were late so missed out on the refreshments.

Saturday the kids cleaned out the van. I am always dismayed over how fast it gets cluttered up. Justin drove his motorcycle to Cheyenne for Priesthood Meeting. I took the kids plus Ella for another afternoon at Fanny's Fruit Farm. Hey...why not?! I enjoy having something cute to do that is not miles and miles away. Everett's hair was quite amazing! It was standing on end and sticking out in all directions. The kids spent more time exploring and enjoying their favorite activities. This time the kids tried out laser tag and the goat barn was open. Jen showed up to spend time with us out there. She convinced the kids to help her pick raspberries. I am very sure the kids ate more berries than the handful they collected in the end. Evelyn somehow got chicken poo on her legs, bum, and back. She spread the poo into the millet boxes. Gross. Of course I brought an extra Josie outfit because of last week's barf episode. I luckily had a size 5 dress in the van to cover up Evelyn after I cleaned her up. Seems like Ella had a grand time! She picked a pumpkin with Amelia's help, the kids rode the tractor back to the main house. We ate dinner at the main house, nachos and a couple hot dogs with root beer. Evelyn kept stealing cute toys and candy from the gift shop. I hope I managed to catch all her shoplifts and return the booty. I somehow thought the Adult session started at 7, nope, it started at 6. I was late and all the kids were going nuts. We went home instead to put the cranky kids to bed.

We got up early to make the drive to Cheyenne for the 9 am Stake Conference session. I packed a lunch, drinks, and snacks for the trip. It is not easy to leave on time with so many variables running around. We managed to make it to Cheyenne in time, we walked in the door as the meeting started. Justin put on the Saturday morning session of conference for the drive up. Everett almost barfed several time from carsickness. Some fresh air and movie helped alleviate his nausea. Conference was excellent. I really loved President Brown's talk on sharing the the gospel and being prepared for the temple. Justin chose the very back row, the kids had a large space to make trouble in. They spent more time playing in the extra aisle room than sitting. We took turns putting kids in time-out in the foyer. The more space we have the harder it is to keep the kids reverent. That is a good lesson! After conference we enjoyed a picnic at the discovery park. I am glad the kids got some energy out before we trekked back home. Josie looked darling in a white Bishop collar bubble suit. Swoon.