Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Going to Church…. Together!

With Marc's work schedule we NEVER get to attend the same ward. Marc wakes up early and goes to the 8 o'clock ward and I go to our assigned ward. There was one Sunday though were the stars aligned and Marc was able to go to all but about 20 minutes worth of church. It was so nice to be there with him and actually get to sit by my husband rather than looking like the lonely widow. I really hope that he is able to find a new job soon and that this will become a more regular thing!

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

A Description of Christ – By Alijah

Today in Sharing Time they were having the children color pictures of Christ as a baby. They were trying to bring out the point that we can give the baby Jesus presents like the wise men did by being nice to our siblings, reading our scriptures, etc. The older children were asked to write what they would give and the younger children were just asked to color it. One boy in my class is a great colorer! He loves to take his time and never colors outside the lines, etc. In fact he always has to finish his projects at home because he takes forever because he is so careful.
Well today Alijah was very concerned with coloring the picture properly. He didn’t want to color the picture wrong and so he was asking me questions about how Jesus Christ would have looked. He started by making sure that he got a pale enough color for the baby’s face. He told me that the baby wouldn’t be tan because he was just born. But then he asked me about his hair. What color would it be? I responded that most artists have his hair be brown. He accepted this answer and picked out a brown crayon but continued to color the baby’s face. He thought about the hair color some more and then told me he thought I was wrong. I asked him what color he thought Jesus’ hair should be. He told me that it would have some red in it with the brown like his hair. I responded that Jesus’ would be very beautiful if he had hair like Alijah. Alijah then decided that the baby Jesus would have had a red blanket, of course! He continued coloring and I continued to watch. Suddenly, Alijah looked up at me and said, “Do you want to know what I know?” Seeing as Alijah tells me all sorts of interesting facts, like that dinosaurs watch us be born, I responded that I would love to hear what he knows. He looked at me very matter-of-factly and said, “Jesus has blue eyes.” I quickly responded that he definitely could have blue eyes but I didn’t know for certain and we would have to ask him when we got to heaven.
It just made me laugh how certain he was about Jesus’ eye color and blanket color but had to ask initially about his hair color. But thankfully Alijah knows everything and quickly determined that Jesus must have brown/red hair!

Monday, February 27, 2012

The Effects of Signing – By Dylan

One of the things I love about my CTR class is how unique they can be. Today we were talking about paying tithing and we had worked really hard to understand the concepts and how the whole process works. There was a point in the lesson where it asked us to sing a song. This particular little boy starts to wiggle his arms and dance every time we start to sing and so I came prepared and was going to teach him to sign this song. I figured then his hands would be doing something and it might limit the dancing. So we signed the first verse and then the second verse and I was going to do it all together when this little boy stopped me. This is how our conversation went:
Me: Alright are you ready to put them together?
Dylan: No.
Me: Do you not like signing it?
Dylan: (No response but he starts to move his hand like it hurts)
Me: Does your hand hurt?
Dylan: No my leg hurts.
Me: Why does your leg hurt?
Dylan: Because I have been holding my breath and it isn’t getting enough oxygen.
Me: Well why are you holding your breath, silly? You can breathe and sign at the same time.
Dylan: I am holding my breath so that I can practice for when I get baptized! I don’t want to get water in my nose!
Me: Okay, then we won’t sign it again so you can practice holding your breath.
Apparently there is a very direct correlation between not being able to sign because your leg hurts. There also seems to be a very serious condition that exists because one is holding their breath causing their leg to not get enough oxygen. But on the plus side, Dylan will be super prepared for his baptism (which is 3 years away) because he will know how to hold his breath so he doesn’t get any water up his nose!

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Snow Storm/Playing with Dogs

Having rain or snow storms is tough on our family. It means that the dogs can't be outside and trust me, we ALL want them to be outside. One night after a snow storm I had let the dogs out and was amazed at how much snow there was outside. Deciding to be devious I packed a snowball and tossed it at Max. To my amazement he caught it and was ready for me to throw another one. This is the dog that won't play with a ball, stick, rope, etc. for playing fetch but apparently he will play with a snowball. It was fun to sit out there and play catch with him. I always loved when he would miss the ball because he would frantically dig through the snow trying to find his lost snowball. I must say it made having the snow be there not quite so terrible. It reminded me of how much fun the snow can be when you aren't driving in it, shoveling it, or freezing in it! I know Max is desperately waiting for the next storm while I am desperately praying it never comes! But I guess if it does come again then I will just have to be prepared to play catch again.













Saturday, February 25, 2012

Christmas Lights

Growing up I always wanted Christmas lights on our house. I always figured we didn't decorate because we lived to close to the highway and like so many other things, the decorations could get stolen. Marc must have realized how much I wanted Christmas lights put up because I came home from work one day and their were Christmas lights on our house! I couldn't even believe it! They were so cute and it meant so much to me that he would do that! I don't know what I would do without him! I just realized though that we didn't take any photos of our Christmas lights being up.... I will have to remember that next year!

Friday, February 24, 2012

Hanging Out With The Dennis Family Day 3

On Saturday we weren't really sure what we wanted to do. I knew that there were local attractions near by and I suggested a few but honestly didn't even know what the plan was until we were on the road that morning. At first we stopped by Sunset Crater. We quickly discovered that we weren't going to be able to do as much as we wanted and so decided to try some of the other attractions. We did have fun making “earthquakes” in the visitor center though.

Our next stop was Meteor Crater. This was cool and definitely worth seeing once but honestly it is a giant hole in the ground. I guess that is what the Grand Canyon is too but this one is less impressive in comparison. This attraction was cool to see after my astronomy class though because I understood way more than I would have otherwise.

We then drove on to Walnut Canyon. This is going to be a place that I hope to visit often. I LOVED this stop. We showed up and honestly were the last people they let on the trail that day. In fact we were cutting it close enough they had us pay on our way out rather than on our way in. We hiked down a LOT of stairs but it was totally worth it to see those ruins. They were houses everywhere in that canyon. Some on surfaces that completely boggled the mind to even look at! I kept thinking that I would hate being a woman because they were in charge of hiking in and out of the canyon each day to get water. And raising children in a place like that? Oh my goodness, I couldn't even begin to imagine. This is a place that I definitely want to go back to one day with Marc. I also wished that I had brought my camera. It was full of pictures from the previous two days and I had forgotten to put the pictures on my computer. I will have to remember next time! We then hiked back out of the canyon and honestly there were a LOT of stairs! I just kept thinking that Melissa would think I was a wimp because she hikes more stairs than that all the time.

We drove back into town and hung out at the mall until Marc got off of work. We then ate at Ruby Tuesdays. I hadn't ever eaten there before but their salad bar was so good! I am so glad that Marc's Mom suggested that we went!

As it was our last night together we went back to their hotel and played Pinnacle until the adults were ready for bed. Then we let the boys (Marc and Eric) play Halo while the rest of us slept. It was such a fun trip and I can't wait to see them again. We were so lucky to get to spend time with them and will have that opportunity again, hopefully sooner rather than later!

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Hanging Out With The Dennis Family Day 2

On Friday we went to the Grand Canyon.



I have always loved seeing the canyon and can't help but marvel at the majesty that it demands.



It was a little ironic that we were going without Marc because he was the only one to have never seen the canyon. We will be correcting that very soon in the future though. It was nice to spend the day walking around, taking pictures, and talking. I learned more about how school was going for them and how they liked Utah. Marc usually talks to his family instead of me but he isn't very good at relaying information back. It was nice to be able to talk to them and catch up. I took them to my favorite look out point and I was excited that they hadn't seen it before.



This has an amazing view of the canyon but also has some really cool Native American paintings and artifacts through out the building.







We then drove back home and decided to do dinner and a movie. This is a staple in the Dennis household and it was nice to remember the good ol' times of living in New Hampshire with them.

As we drove back to town we agreed that we wanted to watch the first Hoodwinked because recently we had all watched the second movie but some of us hadn't ever seen the first. I knew that we would be able to rent it from Hastings and suggested we would go there since I had a card. Up until this point we hadn't been allowed to pay for anything on the trip and honestly I planned on the same rule applying as we rented the movie. But it just so happened that I had a credit on my account, a credit that has been there since 2008, and I was able to “pay” for something. I was excited to have found even a small loop hole but I really can't even take credit since it happened by accident.

That night as we met up with Marc after he got off work and it was fun to sit back and enjoy life with everyone there. We laughed and watched the movie and ate way too much pizza. Afterward they went back to their hotel and we passed out at home.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Hanging Out With The Dennis Family Day 1

Day 1 was Thanksgiving. We got together that morning and did all of the final preparations that needed to be done on the food. Marc was asked to bring the pumpkin pie and Marc's parents were in charge of bringing fruits and vegetables. It was fun to hear Marc talk to his parents and it was nice to hear how well they all get along. Marc's pumpkin pie isn't the typical pie because you actually don't bake it. It is really good and is a favorite among his family members but you won't find it at any other gathering!



And as for the fruits and vegetables... they were amazing! We had more fruits and vegetables than any other food. We had such a wide variety of colors and options and it was super yummy! In fact, most of my eating that day was fruits and vegetables. But who needs to eat turkey and mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving?

Anyway, after the food was prepared we drove down to valley to meet up with the Hadley family. Being the in-law and not really having a place just yet I tried to stay close to Marc. Marc, however, seemed to ditch me at every possible chance. I would come stand by him and within five minutes I was all alone again. He must have forgotten that I had showered that morning or maybe he remembered that girls have cooties. :) Really I shouldn't tease Marc because he was being very helpful that day and was just busy running errands and such and honestly had no idea that he was abandoning me but it is fun to mock him anyway.

It was nice to know that every family has those weird quirks that just make them unique. As we gathered for family pray we got redirected like 5 different times to different rooms. It was nice when we all gathered into the same room and were able to start the festivities. Everyone got to say what they were thankful for and I enjoyed the variety of answers. They ranged from being thankful for their garbage man, being with family, and being in good health. We did enjoy getting to see his aunts and uncles that we haven't seen since we moved and getting to see his grandparents during this trip. Marc was in charge of the camera and we ended up with a lot of random pictures and a lot of pictures of little Edward.

Random photo:


1 of the bajillion photos of Edward:



We also took family photos and was amazed at the differences between the differences in taking photos. Our family photos take all day and hundreds of pictures are taken of different poses and these family photos were done in 15 minutes and had under 20 photos taken.

Here is one of those photos:


I really enjoyed that day because I got to hang out with Marc's Dad quite a bit. He understood what it was like to be the in-law at the gathering and I enjoyed getting to talk to him and get to know him better. We all left late that night and were quite full. We drove home and went to bed.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving

Let me just say that I love Marc's family. I have never had a bad encounter with them and they are always so welcoming and friendly. With that being said I still seem to have a panic attack every time we see them. I am still so afraid that I will do something wrong or that they will realize that I am not perfect and really their son could have found a better wife. Up until now, Marc had usually been around while we were around his family. For this trip Marc would only be there on Thursday and I would be on my own the other days. I was especially nervous that I would mess this trip up!

This year for Thanksgiving we were hanging out with the Dennis family. Well, we were hanging out with Marc's family but technically it was the Hadley family and not the Dennis family. I was in panic mode. Not only were we hanging out with Marc's family but they were going to see our house. Our house still needs quite a bit of work on it and I wanted it to be perfect before they came. We spent a lot of time cleaning and preparing for this visit and the closer it came the more panicked I got! Marc was ready for the holidays to be over already so that I could return to be a normal person and not like a crazy person anymore.

Marc's family showed up the day before Thanksgiving. They were tired from just having traveled all day but we were excited to see them and have the opportunity to catch up with them. They had fun showing off their newish car, they have owned it for a little bit but Marc and I hadn't seen it yet. It had all sorts of fun features and we enjoyed turning on the car with just the touch of a button as well as playing with the car's lights. We had dinner at IHOP and laughed and joked around. I quickly realized that I was silly for having been so panicked about seeing them again. After dinner Marc's Mom went to bed and the rest of us headed over to our house to play Pinnacle. This is a game that is critical in the Dennis family and they play it any chance they get! I first learned it because I felt that I couldn't be a Dennis if I didn't play Pinnacle. But playing it with them that night made me realize how much I have missed seeing them! Marc and I are always saying that we need to find another couple that plays Pinnacle but really most people our age haven't even heard of it let alone actually play it!

The only problem that we run into with their visit is that his family is allergic to animals. When we first got married Marc told me that we wouldn't ever be able to own animals. I had wanted animals of my own since I was a little girl and now even as an adult I couldn't own any. I was very sad! I then realized that Marc's Mom's best friend owned like 6 cats and they hung out all the time. I said that if Michelle could own animals than I could too! I hadn't realized how allergic his family was though until they came to visit. Eric tried to stay the night with us and the boys stayed up playing video games WAY TOO LATE! But Eric finally had enough at about 3 A.M. and Marc took him back to the hotel that they were all staying at. It was such a fun day and I was excited to spend more time with them!

Monday, February 20, 2012

Marc's Birthday Present

All Marc wanted for his birthday was another cat. I was super against the idea and definitely didn't want to add another little one to our family. He kept insisting and I could see how much it meant to him. I have a very strange bond to our first cat and unless you have witnessed it, it is really hard to explain. But let's just say she is the best thing that has happened since we got married. I think Marc was still trying to find that bond with an animal and hadn't succeeded yet. I knew that he was just going to keep searching until he bonded with an animal and so I finally relented and we went to look at cats. We found one through the humane society that was just the sweetest thing. She slept in Marc's arms the entire time we were there and so super mild mannered. I thought that she would make a good addition because the other cats wouldn't be threatened by her. I mean this little puff ball would sleep just as much as the rest of them. So we named her Aurora after the Disney movie “Sleeping Beauty” and brought her home with us.

Aurora had caught a cold at the Humane Society and so she couldn't be around the other cats for awhile. We put her in the laundry room so she would be warm and she still was just the sweetest little thing though she meowed a little for being shut up in the room. Once Aurora was introduced to the other animals I felt a little tricked. This was not a cat who would just sleep all day, in fact I am still not sure she has slept since we got her! She is fondly known as “The Terrorist” in our home and is constantly finding new ways to drive me crazy!

Aurora is constantly amazing me at how demanding she can be. When we first brought her home she would wake up Carmel and demand that he give her a bath. Carmel would give her a bath and let her snuggle with him until she fell asleep in his arms. Carmel would then proceed to go back to sleep. I was amazed at how patient the other cats were with her.

Though the cats seemed to adapt nicely to having Aurora around the dogs didn't work quite so well. Aurora doesn't like the dogs at all! In fact if they even look at her she is spitting and hissing at them. In fact both dogs are now scared of her but that works out alright because they behave really well when she is around and Kovu no longer chases any of the cats.

All in all she has been a fun addition to our little family and Marc loves her bunches. I am glad that he is so fond of her and that he enjoys his birthday present so much! But next year he is getting something that isn't living, like weights, music, movies, something....



Sunday, February 19, 2012

Happy Birthday Marc!

I had been planning Marc's birthday for weeks now and was so excited that I would have his birthday off with him. I quickly realized that even though I had Marc's birthday off that he would be working on his birthday! I still tried to make it as amazing as possible for him. I tried to have a surprise party for him but since most people had a three-day weekend then they were all leaving town. I then decided that it would just be a party for two.

Marc was able to visit China when he was younger and talks about that trip all the time. I wanted to use that as my inspiration for his birthday this year. I had a coworker, who lived in Japan for a few years, teach me how to write “I love you Marc” in Chinese and I practiced so that it would be right for the big day. I then folded a bunch of origami hearts that I would later use to decorate his car. I went to Cold Stone and had them write the Chinese characters on an ice cream cake and it turned out so good! I used the origami hearts to decorate his car in four 11's on his car. I wrote things that I loved about him and wrote messages through the hearts. It was freezing cold that night and it was so hard to finish decorating his car for him. He came home and we celebrated his birthday and just enjoyed being home together. Happy Birthday Marc! I can't wait to see what this next year will bring!







Saturday, February 18, 2012

Term Papers

This semester has been the semester of term papers. Even scheduling the 6 term papers out that I had this semester I felt that I was always working on a term paper. Some papers were really easy to do and others made me want to cry. No one really wants to read 15 pages of how someone says one word. I mean sure it is cool to know how the muscles work and how the air flows through you but really? 15 pages? Not so much fun! I also had panic attacks as some term papers made me work with others in the community and the people in the community wouldn't get back to me. She finally did and could meet with me 4 days after the paper was due. Thankfully our professor gave us another route if we couldn't find someone to work with. I am so glad these papers are over and behind us and I sincerely hope that I never have to write this many term papers again!

Friday, February 17, 2012

Making Christmas Presents

Christmas has taken over our home. I feel like I have twenty different projects going on at one time. I am constantly trying to keep Carmel out of my crocheting stuff or trying to remember what tools I need for which present. Doing Christmas this way has allowed me to think about what is important to me and what I can truly get each person. The kiddos would have been happy with a LEGO set and it would have been so much faster to just pick one up. But these presents are coming from the heart and I hope the parties receiving them will feel the love that is being sent with them.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Pass Along Cards

Working at the library has been one of my greatest joys in life. I get to meet so many amazing people and I love going to work every day. One day I showed up and one of the first people that I helped that day was a mom with several older children. I helped her find a book for herself and then got her son a library card and then helped her other son find a biography. I didn't feel as though I had done anything special or gone above and beyond but she kept thanking me profusely for being so helpful. After I checked out their items she began to dig through her bag and I was a little curious as to what she was looking for. Eventually she pulled out a pass along card. Before I said that I knew what that was I wanted to make sure it was from my faith. I flipped it over to find that it was in Spanish. I was a little confused because everything we had said up until now was in English. I was reading through it and I must have had a puzzled look on my face. She brightened as she told me it was a pass along card and that she belonged to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I laughed and said that I knew what it was because I belonged to that church as well. She said that that would explain why I was such a saint. She then got a little embarrassed and left with her family.



That experience has left me with a lot to reflect upon. Am I really living my life so that others will know who and what I believe in? Am I a good enough missionary that I have pass along cards on me? Should I feel embarrassed that she didn't know I was LDS or should I feel honored that she wanted me to be part of this wonderful church? I know that since then I have tried to live in a manner that others will know who and what I believe in. I am so grateful that she gave me a pass along card that day. It really has made a big difference in my life.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Totally Stressed Out (Holiday Edition)

With the holidays coming and wanting to have a home-made Christmas this year I was STRESSED! I seemed to always be working, doing homework, or working on Christmas. I felt like I just ran and ran and ran but wasn't every getting anywhere. I think that doing a homemade Christmas is an awesome idea but this next year I am going to have to start in like April! Seriously, I think Marc was as stressed about the holidays as I was simply because I had enough stress that it was contagious! I would wake up early for work and go to bed late after I had worked hard on whatever project needed to be finished. Marc helped with whatever he could be his crafting skills are limited. Thankfully Christmas will come and go regardless of how much I get done and the statement will be true once again, “And it came to pass....”

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Crazy Ideas about Sign Language Discovered at the Library

Being an ASL nut I get so excited when there are other people who share my passion. One day I was working and a man came in asking about some books on signing. I tried to explain that in some regards DVDs work better since it is a visual language but he insisted that he would learn best from a book. Off we went to find some books. (Which will be in the 419 section of your local library... did I mention that I am a totally nut?) So while we were there I found out that he is a priest... pastor... preacher... something that goes into prisons to teach. He wanted to learn ASL so that he could converse with deaf inmates. I thought this was a really admirable trait! That was until I discovered he thought he could look at one ASL book and know ASL fluently. In fact he would be so good at ASL that he would be an interpreter. I tried to explain that there is testing that has to happen for one to become a certified interpreter and that ASL is like any other language and takes time to master. I told him that if he tried to pass himself off as an interpreter and wasn't certified that he could get in a lot of trouble. By the end of our conversation this man was afraid to ever talk to a Deaf person! I tried to explain that one can sign to whoever they want but they can't do it in a professional manner without being certified. He still was terrified but was convinced still that one book would do the trick.... whatever!

The next guy I met about a week later. I was helping him on his laptop and he kept signing thank you to me in ASL. I finally asked him if he had studied the language? He said he had and we swapped stories as to why we started studying the language. I said that I studied because my husband was born deaf and there is a chance our children could be as well. If I can talk to them in English I should be able to talk to them in ASL. He said that he started studying ASL so that he could talk to other planets. Apparently there are other people or creatures that use ASL to converse on other planets. If we ever get invaded then he wanted to be able to converse with these creatures. The part that worried me is that he was dead serious about the whole matter! Hmmm.... I guess that is one reason to learn ASL.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Marc Tests for Police Department Again

Marc was asked to test for the Police Department again. He passed this test with flying colors and went on to do the Oral Boards. He thought it did really well on his testing and felt he connected well with the Department. We are just waiting to hear back now. Can I just say how much I HATE the waiting game? Especially since they say they will get back to you eventually.... I really don't like that word either. I mean eventually was used to mean it could possibly happen one day in the future by my parents. I would rather know sooner than later!

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Marc Fills out Application for Police Department

Right after Marc tested with the Sheriff's Office another position with the Police Department opened up. Marc had been told that he would just need to fill out an application and that they would keep his background application on file for 6 months. They day the position closed Marc went in with his application and they informed him that he would need to fill out the background application again. Now he had just a few hours to fill out 28 pages and he was supposed to go to work. Let's just say our house was a little bit stressful but I filled out one background application and he filled out the other. He was able to get both turned in on time and was asked to test for the position again. I was so grateful that we are a good team and can pull together for each other. I won't lie though it did cost Marc some ice cream but even that payment was totally worth it for both of us :)

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Marc Tests for Sheriff’s Department

Even with Marc quitting Subway his dream was still to work in Law Enforcement. He had already tested with law enforcement before but didn't make it through the sit-up portion. This time Marc was able to make it all the way to oral boards. He had worked so hard in his preparations for this test. I am so proud of how he works to fulfill his dreams and doesn't ever let anything get in the way. We were both a little nervous because the Sheriff's Department standards were even tougher than the Police Department standards but he passed the test with flying colors! We are now just waiting to hear back. CONGRATS babe!

Friday, February 10, 2012

Marc Says Adios Subway

Marc has been working two jobs since we moved to Flagstaff and once again we have run into problems with Subway. Though I enjoy their food, I don't like working for their company. They weren't giving him any hours because the manager's son was stealing at Marc's other job and it was causing issues. Marc finally decided he was done! Luckily another position opened up with the other company he was working for and so we were able to quit Subway but still keep the same income. It was such a blessing in our lives and Marc was so excited to be done working for them!

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Running LEGO Club

Our library is super blessed to have LEGO Club. If your library doesn't have one you should suggest it to them! Basically once a month we have LEGO day and the kids come and just get to play with LEGOs for over an hour! It is so much fun. I have been asked to continue the LEGO Club for this coming session and I couldn't be happier. I have helped out with it in the past and spend most of the time looking for different pieces for the kids. I usually end up looking for these tiny, abstract pieces but am usually pretty successful at finding them. I mean I get paid to play with kids and help them find LEGOs. What more could a girl want?

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Update on the Signing Program

Doing the signing program at the library has been such a blessing in my life. I loved going to work on Fridays because it meant I got to sign. The kids were amazing and picked up on the language so fast! I got thank you letters from the parents and the kids were sad to take a break from signing. But every new program has to be evaluated to make sure that it is worth the time spent preparing. I wasn't sure what was going to happen to my signing program because my Branch manager was leaving for another job. I waited and wondered what would happen to my program. I knew the parents were willing to write letters of recommendation if I needed it and I just hoped that it would be allowed to continue. Thankfully it did continue! I get to start signing again this next week at the library and I couldn't be more thrilled. Now I just have to figure out what I am teaching.... Oh well I still have 6 days to figure it out!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Miscolored Hands

While I was living in New Hampshire I was cooking and got a pretty bad burn on my hand. Between the ointment and the burn my hand turned blue:





For Christmas I was trying to get some message boards done and I was painting them with magnetic paint. It said it would come off with soap and water and so I did a lot of painting with my hand. Let's just say my hands were now black:



Monday, February 6, 2012

Bed Time

Some of our little ones thrive on actually being tucked in. Here are some photos of Kovu, Aurora, and Carmel all tucked into bed.







Sunday, February 5, 2012

Carving Pumpkins

With Halloween approaching we decided to do pumpkin carving with our neighbors just down the street from us. They had little children and we figured it would be more fun that way. My family had always used a sharpie and a kitchen knife to do pumpkin carving but the Dennis' were that way. They used pumpkin carving kits and stencils. I figured we could try doing it the Dennis way this year since it was a big deal for Marc and I didn't really care. It was a lot of fun! We did Sesame Street characters and our pumpkins were Bert and Ernie. Holly ended up doing basically both of her kid's pumpkins but it was a fun night filled with a LOT of pictures.

Our Buddies:







Funny Faces:

















Pumpkin Carving:

(Pick a pumpkin and cut a top)


(Use duct tape to put the top back together)


(Apply template)


(Pose with pumpkin)






(Start cutting the pumpkin)






(Put your name on it so everyone knows it is yours)


(Admire the final product)
(Mine)


(Marc's)


(Kid's)


(Ours together!)


Bored With Pumpkins: