Candy Landy

She really really wanted a Princess party. The problem was she had about 3 boys she really wanted to invite. I'm not into doing a "mixed company" Princess party so I talked her into a Candyland party.

Candy-now that's something everybody likes. So it was a go.

Candyland here we come!

The invite.

There was a lollipop taped to the outside. And I must give credit to my sister Sarah for help with the poetic wording.

My supplies.
All I really needed was candy, cookies, pudding and a few felt squares.

The decor.

Which hung from our ceiling for several weeks because she liked them so much. These were made out of paper plates and tissue paper.

The table.

Not very exciting but I always have to have a picture.
They loved the cupcake cones.

We started the party by reading the little story on the game board. It talks about how you have to follow the path and how you meet all the characters along the way.

We then started our own giant sized version of Candyland, where the invited guests and the birthday girl were the players. They each stood on a colored square and then I came around with the game cards. They picked one and then moved to that color square.

When someone picked a character card that meant that it was time to stop and play a game or do an activity.

The first card picked was the Gumdrop Pass. So we played a gumdrop toss. They each got a handful of gumdrops and then had to toss them into the bowl. After they had their turn they each got a small bag of gumdrops to put in their goody bag. We then went back to the game board.

Lolli was picked next so we did a simple lollipop pass. They passed the lollipop to the music and when it stopped they were out and they got to keep that lollipop and add it to their goody bag.

Someone then chose Grandma Nut. Her game was "Grandma Grandma where's your nut?" (just like doggy doggy where's your bone.) We put a little pack of nutter butters behind someones back and Grandma (the one in the chair) has to turn around and guess who had the nuts. Each child then put some nutter butters into their bag.

When Mr. Mint was picked we found out he had lost all of his mints in the basement and the kids had to find all of them to move on with the game. Add some mints to the goody bag.

They then passed through Gumball Land. That meant it was time to open presents. Each guest was given a colored gumball. Ashlyn then picked a gumball from a bowl, and whoever had the matching color had their gift opened and got a small bag of gumballs for their bag.

When they selected Queen Frostine that meant it was time for cake and ice cream.

Lord Licorice was kind enough to donate the drinking straws for this portion of the party.

It was a sweet success and I'm sure all of the moms loved me for all the candy I sent home with these cute kids.

Oh, and Gloppy provided some chocolate pudding for the goody bag, because you just can't have a Candyland party without Gloppy.

And so we didn't.

The fort

They have spent hours and hours constructing this beauty. In rain or in shine. Getting dirty from head to toe. Brainstorming different ideas and contraptions to add to make it even better. Working hard and working together to make it all happen.

This is it. Yes, this is really it.

Their fort. Their headquarters. Their place.

Where they have been making memories one stick, one rock, one branch and apparently one piece of trash at a time.

It has been a joy to watch.

Thoughts

*My poor Byrson's mouth problems never end. I took him in last week for a retainer check. The orthodontist took one look and asked Bryce how many times he had missed wearing it. Bryson replied that he had only missed a couple of times. I believed him. I don't think the ortho did. The reason he asked was because the retainer really didn't fit anymore. His teeth and jaw had moved. How is that possible one might ask? Well, it is possible when your sweet little boy is not putting in the retainer correctly. For 2 months Bryson has faithfully put in his retainer each night, BUT he has put it in wrong or hasn't clicked it into place. He felt bad. I felt worse. After some tweaking and pushing he finally got it in and now Bryce has to wear it all the time instead of just at night until his mouth adjusts again. One of these days all of his dental problems will be over. One of these days!

*I couldn't register Tyler for SEOP's on the computer. It just wouldn't accept his birthday. Sometimes it's really cool to have a leap year birthday. Sometimes it is a big pain.

*I was in Oregon last week and had a fabulous time (there WILL be a post, I promise Sarah!) I got home and my house was spotless, there was a sign and balloons to welcome me and everything was in order. My sweet husband even made a full on green dinner for my kids on St. Patrick's Day without me. I am wondering if my family even needs me. Everything seemed to run pretty smoothly without me. I decided that either I am a really great mom and had everything so organized and had my kids trained so well that they could do everything on their own OR they really don't need me. I'm going with the first one. It makes me feel better. Anyways, as always it is good to be home.

*Ethan is all of a sudden really into math. Yes, math. I guess while I was gone he found a little math workbook and he fell in love. The other day he did math worksheets, for 2 hours, for fun. Now those three things don't really go together in my mind, but I guess in his intellectual mathematical genius brain they do. If he keeps going at this pace, by next year I won't be able to help him with his homework.

*A couple of weeks ago for FHE we went to BYU. It is so fun to stroll around that beautiful camputs. We browsed the bookstore, bought treats, and ate at the Cougareat. So many great memories from that great campus. We then went to the Carl Bloch exhibit. It was amazing. The spirit was so strong. I think all of my kids were touched. I definitely want to go back.

*We are still working on rotating our 72 hour kits. This week I made my kids do a little taste test. They thought it was great to taste all of these foods that were 6 years old. For the record granola bars, hot chocolate, nuts, and beef jerky are totally not edible after 6 years. Also, for the record, fruit roll ups are, but they will take you about 15 minutes to get them soft enough to chew and swallow (which my kids were successful at). The same is true for the sticks of gum. And the dollar store chicken noodle soup packets won the taste test over the Lipton brand (these were not 6 years old). Come on, I had to give them at least one thing to taste that wasn't rotten.

*Alyssa came home with big news from school this week. It was actually huge news. She came home breathless as she recounted the events of the day. The day where partners for the big 2nd grade dance festival were chosen. The boys probably could have cared less, but the girls, oh the girls. Alyssa told us who she was hoping to get partnered with and who she actually ended up with. It was all very exciting. And even though she got paired with a boy who is shorter than her, she is still thrilled at the thought of dancing with and holding hands with.......a BOY! She refused to stay home from school when she had a little cold because it was a dance practice day and one day I went into her room and she was standing in front of her closet sifting through her shirts. I told her to hurry and get dressed. She said, "but I need to look cute today" and then she quickly added, "ya know, for the teachers and stuff." Uh, huh for the teachers and stuff. It's going to be a long 8 years until this one turns 16!

*It's my own fault. I have always had a joke that if my boys ever wanted to grow up to be doctors they had to be either a podiatrist or a dermatologist. I have worked with too many cardiologists and heart surgeons to know that they get LOTS OF emergency calls in the middle of the night and that is not fun for them or their wives. My joke was what could be the worst emergency for a podiatrist? What about a dermatologist? A big zit on prom night?! Ha Ha, funny, right? Wrong! Guess who made an emergency visit to the dermatologist 2 days before prom? Yep, me- although I wasn't the patient. Kara got the biggest zit she has ever had 2 days before prom. We (I) named it Big Bessie. And she was big. Big enough to warrant an emergency call! Are you serious? I was the butt of my own joke. It was a real emergency and Big Bessie needed to be seen. Thankfully, the dermatologist said he does these "emergency" calls all the time for proms and weddings and stuff. He took care of Big Bessie and she looked beautiful (Kara, not Bessie!) and it looks like dermatology is out of the running. Podiatry it is!

*I'm very sad to say goodbye to my son Jimmer. It's been a fun ride and we will miss him.

Until next week!

Junior Year =

Homework!

Homework!

And more homework!

It has been a killer year so far!

Literally!

With AP classes, honors classes, ACT tests and a bagillion school activities to attend this has been Kara's hardest academic year so far. There are some days where she does homework from the time she gets home from school until 1 or 2 a.m. (In all honesty, 2 am is her average bedtime.) There have been many mornings when we have found her asleep on the family room floor with papers scattered all around her. She is often stressed, sometimes frazzled, constantly cramming, obviously sleep deprived and is frequently heard saying "I'm not going to make it!"

But she is making it.

She always has and I have no doubt she always will.

And only one more term to go.

Hang in there Kara!

(And actually, the above picture with the heating pad is not a homework injury, but a dancing injury from a school dance the night before. She claims she was doing some wild move with her head and hair and tweaked her neck. I don't even want to know!)

balloons

Remember those cute festive Valentines balloons?

Well, nobody told me that high float lasts for over a MONTH!

Now, I can't get them down from the ceiling.


They seem to be in every room in the house.

And they are a nuisance.

There not so cute anymore.

Brrrrrrrrrr

WHY IN THE WORLD

WOULD ANYONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND



CHOOSE


TO GO CAMPING
(Please let me explain the above picture. Dig trench in snow. Lay down tarp in trench. Lay down sleeping bag on tarp in trench. Insert boy into sleeping bag. Cover with other half of tarp. Try to sleep. Crazy!!)

IN THE SNOW?

I'll tell you why.

Because they are men and they love it. Because it gives them bragging rights. Because it makes them tough. And because it is totally awesome and they have a blast, or so they say. I actually felt a little better about sending my sons off to winter camp when I learned that they really do learn survival skills. That there was a purpose to the madness of sleeping in below freezing temperatures, and that purpose was to learn how to survive if you were ever stranded in the cold. So, I was OK to let them go this year. As long as I was home warm and cozy in my bed, I was absolutely OK.

AND when our car drives off the road in a raging storm next winter and nobody can find us for 5 days, I know my boys will make sure we survive, in the snow, freezing temperatures, and trenches....we will survive!

thoughts

*I am not much of a TV watcher. I just don't have time. But hello, Ralph Maccio is going to be on Dancing with the Stars. I had posters of him on my wall when I was a tween. Yes, I did, and I am not ashamed. I just might have to break down and watch my karate kid twirling around the dance floor, at least once or twice. Okay, maybe more.



*KBYU and KUED were having their telethons this last week and both stations were featuring Les Miserables in concert. I watched it like, 3 times even though I didn't have time to. My kids watched it too. We all loved it. And Kara and I have been singing it at the top of our lungs ever since (I swear I have a good singing voice when I sing Les Mis). It is the best musical of all time in my opinion. Hands down.


*I FINALLY took Tyler to get new church shoes this week. I think he told me his old church shoes were too small like 11 months ago. He hasn't complained much, which amazes me now. Why? Well, when they measured him at the shoe store they told me he was a size 9. This isn't too surprising because he is growing like a weed, but what is surprising and a little alarming is that his old church shoes were a size 6! Yes, he had been wearing church shoes that were 3 sizes too small. Yep, another vote for me getting mom of the year award. I deserve it, I know.


*While we were eating lunch one day this week Ethan informed me that when he grows up he wants to be a chef....or work in grocery store....or both. I'm glad. I could use a good chef around here.


*One day last week I walked into the family room where my boys and some of their friends were hanging out. I was taken back by the game they were playing. A little game they like to call "assassinate the Pope." Nice. One of them was dressed in Kara's BYU Snuggie with their arms stretched out (kind of creepy, but it did look like a Pope's cloak) and the others were trying to shoot him with their Nerf guns. Let's just say I put a stop to that game right away. It may have been started because Tyler had just shown his friends the letter he got from Pope Benedict congratulating him on receiving his Eagle. He even sent a picture! And that's the thanks he gets for his nice gesture, assassination attempts. Boys, I tell ya.

*Bryson is working on the artist pin in Weebelos right now. He came home from his last den meeting with one of his projects. It was a ball of clay. I asked him about it and he said it was his sculpture (one of the requirements is to sculpt something out of clay). I said, "You sculpted a ball?" He said, "Yep." I proceeded to probe. "What shape was the clay in before you sculpted it into a ball?" "It was a ball." "Umm, so what you are telling me is that you sculpted a ball of clay out of a ball of clay." "Yes." Well, I am pretty picky about scout requirements and this ball of clay sculpture didn't rest well with me and I let him know. But my Bryson is so tender hearted; I probably should have been more gentle. My first clue that I hadn't been too gentle was when he broke down in tears at the dinner table over my disappointment at his sculpture. Come to find out he did make some other sculptures before his masterpiece, which we now call "the ball." He had sculpted a snowman (isn't that just 3 balls?) and a tower. I was satisfied with this and apologized for my insensitivity to my very sensitive budding sculptor/artist. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

*I knew it was a bad sign when I drove up to Walmart and there was 3 firetrucks outside. But when you got to go to Walmart, you got to go to Walmart. So, I grabbed my cart and in I went. I had a return, so I headed to the service desk. Right when I walked in I felt a little tickle in my throat and started to cough. I apologized to the service clerk as I coughed and coughed and then I went on my way into the bowels of the store. My cough continued as I shopped and at one point when I stopped to look at something on the shelf, I swear I heard a lot of other people coughing, if I listened closely. Weird, and probably just my imagination. At this point Ashlyn started coughing also. Okay, now I had to get to the bottom of this. I asked the next worker I saw and she informed me that there had been a fire in the deli, that is why the firemen were there. The fire had been in the microwave. In the microwave were some jalapeno poppers. Fascinating. I had never experienced anything like it. I went on my way to continue my shop with Ash, and I was coughing every couple of minutes. Every other customer I passed was also coughing. I ran into a neighbor and we had a lengthy conversation, where we had to pause between each sentence to cough. Did I also mention that they had every door open and it was snowy and FREEZING outside? But that didn't stop me or the other hundred customers from shopping away at our friendly Walmart, amidst a jalapeno haze and a tickle in your throat to beat all others. Note to self. If you see a fire truck and smell a hint of jalapeno in the air-stay away!

*I was not happy that I had an early morning Stake meeting on daylight savings day. My meeting started at 7:30 a.m., which was really 6:30 a.m., which meant I had to get up at 5:30 a.m.. No, I was not happy at all. And when will my kids ever go to bed now, if before the change they were all up until 10:30 anyways? I give up.

*My kids were all fascinated with a story in the newspaper about a farmer in Utah who was going to breed his donkey with a zebra to create a zonkey. Really? A Zonkey? With how interested my kids were, we'll probably end up owning one of them one day as a pet. I can just see it now, the Allred family out for a stroll on a Sunday leading around their pet Zonkey. I'm sure they'll talk us into it one way or another, and if they can't get us they'll hit up Grammy.

*Brandon is currently working on his Emergency Preparedness Merit Badge. He went to the class and had an assignment to make or go through his 72 hour kit. I decided to kill two birds with one stone and do it for FHE. So on Monday night we brought down all of our kits, pulled them all apart and updated and talked about what was in them. We then proceeded to have a lengthy discussion about Earthquake safety. We talked about what to do at home or at school, our out of state contact, where to meet, etc. We talked about aftershocks and the dangers that an earthquake can cause. We talked A LOT because the kids had a lot of questions. And then 3 days later the earthquake in Japan hit. I never turn on the TV in the morning, but for some reason I did that morning and of course it was all over the news. My kids were riveted. We had just talked about it. They saw people getting under desks. They saw why it was important to do that. They saw computers and shelves and buildings falling down. They saw the complete devastation and they understood. They understood, better than I could have ever taught them, why what we had just done and learned at FHE was so important. The Lord works in mysterious ways. I am grateful to be prepared. I am grateful my kids are now better prepared. I am grateful for lifesaving merit badge classes. I am grateful all the missionaries are OK. I am grateful for prayer as our family continues to pray for the people of Japan.

Until next week, or the next since I am going to Oregon to see my sis! Yeah!

Bob

Let's review.

This boy has had his jaw expanded, braces on and braces off, multiple teeth pulled and major oral surgery. Did I mention he is only 10! And as of last week, we can now add gum graft to the list of ever growing dental procedures this child has endured. Yes, Bryson underwent a gum transplant last week, where cadaver gum tissue was used to fix gum recession caused by overcrowding. My poor boy. He was nervous beyond belief for the surgery, but despite his anxiety did really well. He healed quickly and is as good as new. His siblings were horrified when they heard that cadaver tissue was used and is now mixing around with his own tissue in his mouth. Bryson could have cared less.

So, now a days, around here, we call him Bryce.....

.....or Bob, depending on the day :)

It's going to be DYNAMITE!

When you find this on your doorstep asking you to Prom

There is really only one way to respond

Napoleon, Pedro and Deb would be proud!
And we're on the hunt for a dress with poofy sleeves!

thoughts on a monday

*Kara went to the Sadies Dance a couple of weeks ago. She was gone almost all day. I barely had time to snap this cute picture of her before she dashed out of the house again to pick up her date. That's Kara these days, dashing here and there and everywhere. She barely has a minute to breathe. I miss her.

*Our dryer broke this week. With the amount of laundry that this household produces, this was not a good thing. Not a good thing at all. We are relying on the downstairs dryer alone, which is a small capacity one until we can get the upstairs one fixed. I sat the kids down and gave them a lecture about dirty clothes. I instructed them to really look at their clothes before they put them in the dirty clothes. If they had a stain or were stinky, yes, put them in the dirty clothes bin and I will wash them. If they aren't dirty, then fold them neatly and put them away. We'll see how this goes. Especially since in this house if my kids even look at their clothes, they end up in the dirty clothes, that is always overflowing with, I'm guessing, not so dirty clothes. I am hoping my lecture will sink in, but I am not really that hopeful.

*Last Sunday, I called out for Ethan to get his church pants on. He ran upstairs, opened his drawer and yelled back down to me, "Mom, the blond ones or the brown ones?" He ended up wearing his blond church pants and he looked handsome.

*Last Sunday we watched the Academy Awards. OK, only some of us watched it. I happened to be bedridden that day so I gave myself the go ahead and some of my kids walked in and out and caught glimpses of the show. Alyssa apparently caught a lot of glimpses, because the next thing I knew we were holding our very own Academy Awards in our home. One of Alyssa's favorite things to play is "church" where she dresses up in dress ups and gives long lengthy talks. When she saw the Academy Awards her eyes got big and she ran out of the room. She came back in layers of dress ups (multiple lacy skirts all worn at once to create a fantastic gown, worthy of any red carpet). She then proceeded to hop up on the fireplace with her microphone and give the most elaborate acceptance speech you have ever heard. She actually gave multiple acceptance speeches to no one in particular. In fact, most of the time I don't think she had any idea I was even watching her. It was darling and I am afraid that her "church" play just might take a back seat to the all new "Alyssa Allred Academy Awards Show." It is a show that could probably win an Academy Award itself. I'm serious.

*So, I finished up my first first aid merit badge class. I had about 7-8 eleven to twelve year old boys. They did really well and I really pushed them, because I feel very strongly about what they were learning. On the 2nd day of the class I had the resuscitation mannequins from the hospital to practice CPR on. It was all going fairly smoothly until we began compressions. They were baffled as to why "Annie" had a girl head and yet when we unzipped her shirt to find our hand placement she had a boy body. They dutifully did their compressions, checked pulses, gave rescue breathes, the whole deal, but continued to be confused. It took a turn for the worse when they started to ask if they should undo a shirt to do CPR. With big eyes they looked at me and said, "NEVER, if it is a girl!" Well, OK, yes, I guess, but when it comes to actually saving a life I don't really think that the person without a heartbeat would really care whether their shirt was undone or not, but I couldn't really tell them to undo a woman's shirt, now could I? So, I told them that most likely there would be another adult there who knew CPR and that they wouldn't have to worry about that decision. Who knows what they went home and told their parents. And I am starting a campaign to change the name of that darn mannequin to Al instead of Annie. Are you with me? I think the boys would be.

*For about 2 weeks in a row Trevor and I have had church stuff every single night. That includes Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. It has been crazy. It has been too much. I believe in service, but I also believe in family time. We have not had a lot of that lately. We are trying to find the balance and to know what to cut out. We haven't found it yet and sometimes feel like we are barely hanging on. I'm praying that things will settle down this month.


*Kara was in the newspaper 2 days in a row this week. She's practically a celebrity around here, well at least among her siblings she is. One picture was at the BYU basketball game. We lined up at one of the tunnels to try to get a high five from Jimmer. Of course, we didn't- there were too many people- but we were there. The next day in the paper they had a picture of Jimmer high fiving people in the tunnel and as I looked at it, I recognized a handsome profile. I could make out my handsome husband standing in the background. Right beside him was this little face with a huge smile. Yep, it was Kara. We were thrilled to have spotted her and her dad. Then the next day she was in a big picture as the High School representative for the community service week. This time it said her name and everything. Now if that's not a celebrity, I don't know what is. Two times in a row, I'm telling ya.

And that's all ya'll.

Until next week, or the next, at the rate I'm going.