Happy Halloween! I thoroughly enjoy this holiday! I can safely say that I am the most disappointed individual in my household that Halloween is on the Sabbath this year! Our playgroup had a Halloween party this week, we attended the Trunk or Treat last night, and I still want to at least stick a bowl of candy on the front step with a sign “Happy Halloween, Take One” and bring it in when its gone. Brendan thinks that’s a bad idea because it tempts kids to squelch their integrity. Sigh. Next year.
We’ll we’ve had a busy couple weeks since I last wrote. We went camping again, over my birthday weekend, with Bri and Amanda and little Luke! It was lovely weather (during the day! It got down to the 30s at night! Everyone was wearing multiple layers and several blankets each, and hats to sleep in! the kids slept well but I kept waking up to make sure everyone was covered) Dry and Sunny! The fall leaves were beautiful (Shades State Park is a nice one, fyi for you locals) and the biker gang (most of them older than my parents), camping across the way, played some of the best music (in my mind its “oldies” but I’m willing to bet that’s not so for them) on a little battery powered boom box and graciously turned it off at a very pleasant 10:30ish! Saturday, I was awakened around 6:30 by a sweet little Luke voice from the other tent calling, “Whitwee? Whitwee?” It was so cute! We spent the day lazying around the campsite (minus cooking breakfast and the cleanup). Amanda and I wondered aloud what life would have been like if the bulk of our concern for the day was meal making and clean-up…
Last weekend was adventurous (and this weekend, actually, it was like he was trying to finish the job!). My parents offered to watch our kids so Brendan and I could attend the temple! We wanted to go to the early morning session and then do sealings with some friends after the session. So I drove down with the kids on Friday morning. We planned to spend the day with the cousins (Brendan's brother and his family) who live next door to my parents while my mom was at work. We played for the morning and had lunch. Michelle ran a quick errand (seriously, maybe 20 minutes) and I watched her girls so she could run the errand solo. Minutes after she rode off EVERYTHING happened! JE (Michelle's baby) crawled right out of her diaper and The Ocelot (tired and cranky) was having a full on fit and screaming was coming from the backyard where The Elephant, E (Michelle's other daughter), and The Giraffe were playing. I headed out to the injured-sounding screaming to see The Elephant staggering around the backyard until he tripped and lay on the ground sobbing. He’d whacked his chin on the slide and took a little (little) chunk out! The whole process was a little scarier than it turned out to actually be. I didn’t see him fall and so I didn’t know how hard he hit. He was acting like he might have a concussion and he started to go into shock (probably because he’s never hurt himself so bad)! After a brief evaluation he clearly just had a hole in his chin (and no concussion) that required 4 hours in the ER waiting room and 1, yes, ONE stitch. I realize we weren’t an actual, life threatening emergency and by the time we got there he wasn’t really bleeding out much anymore, but really 4 hours for 1 stitch. I found myself frustrated that it happened away from home (and out of our service) if we were at home I could have called Brendan (who was working at his family practice clinic that afternoon) said, The Elephant needs a stitch or two, I’m bringin’ him to you. Walked in. Walked out… Sigh/Shrug. Fortunately, The Elephant was a complete champ through the whole thing, stitch and all! I endured, he enjoyed endless shows of Spongebob (a show he’s never actually seen before, but was a good alternative to Jerry Springer) and a popsicle given to him by an elderly nurse who stood by during the stitch and stared with her mouth wide open. “That was amazing,” she said when the PA finished the stitch, “I’m going to go get you a popsicle!” I was surprised by her reaction. I thought The Elephant was being very good but he’s pretty good about doctors offices, dentists, xrays, etc. Then I learned from Brendan that they usually have to strap the kids to the bed in order to do things like stitches! Brendan removed the stitch here at home on Thursday and the hole is healing quite nicely BUT today from the primary room I heard him screaming in the hallway, so I again followed the injured-sounding scream to its source. It was a nose bleed and he already had a blood soaked paper towel in the hands of poor Sis. Melton (who fortunately has lots of boys and has seen lots of nose bleeds) I gathered that he was racing a car around the nursery. The car was stopped and The Elephant collided, face-first into the berber wall. His little nose is all scratched up as are his lips (and swollen). Poor kid.
This week was spent mostly sewing Halloween costumes, baking, and frosting Halloween sugar cookies! Every year, I make their costumes and we make sugar cookies and every year during the process I think about how much of a chore it is and I wonder why I do it…until it’s finished and I look back and think, “That was so much fun!” Unfortunately, I don’t enjoy the process in the moment as much as I enjoy looking back on it. But I get such a thrill looking back, that I keep doing it! And the costumes turned out so awesome! The Elephant was a mummy (the people’s choice favorite), The Giraffe was a fireman, and The Ocelot was a cupcake (this turned out SO CUTE! I wish you could see it a little better in the picture) and once I’d finished all those, I realized I had enough black felt to make myself a poodle skirt! So I did! And It was so fun! Brought back lots of memories of 5th grade! The Giraffe didn’t quite get the whole trick or treat part. I had to keep redirecting him as his wandering mind just took him wherever he fancied and not ever in the right direction or after the goal of candy… 
The Giraffe wouldn't look at the camera for this one, so we could show off his make up, but then neither would The Elephant
The Giraffe helped me get all the leaks out of the garden this week. Those leaks will grow through anything (including a 9 week drought and frost)! We picked them all and brought them in to wash, chop, and freeze. On the way in The Giraffe asked me if he could have one. I selected one I wouldn’t miss having in soup in the future and he promptly drapped it around his neck like a stethoscope and said, “Mom, I’m a doctor!” and he wore it the rest of the afternoon telling The Elephant and our neighbor friend, JP, that he was a doctor and needed to listen to their hearts! It was so cute.
The Ocelot has learned to wave and clap! She still isn’t crawling and I find that a mixed blessing. She, also unlike the other two, has no words at this point. At 9 months The Elephant was saying, “Ball” and The Giraffe was saying, “Cracker” and “Ball” She’s been a baby for us for a very long time and we’ve enjoyed it! She wakes up most days with hair that is crazy but I’ve attached a picture of an especially crazy ‘do’ from today! Happy Halloween love The Ocelot! :)
Brendan starts into a Cardiology rotation tomorrow, which I’m under the impression is kinda a holiday rotation…guess we’ll find out! We’re excited to see some of you in the next couple for my brother, Kyle, and his fiancee, Anna’s, wedding! Congrats guys! We’re flying out first to Utah to meet up with family for my brother Todd’s endowment and then headed to LA. We’d love to see any of you out in SLC or Provo! (Jenny and Kyle and the gparents you’re all already on the list!) Let me know! The boys’ won’t be coming (read too expensive to fly them out) but The Ocelot will be with us!
We love you all and hope all the best for you!
Love
Whit, Brendan, The Elephant, The Giraffe, and The Ocelot
