Is It Halloween YET??

Does it seem to anyone else that this has been the longest build-up-to Halloween in the history of the holiday? I swear, we have been celebrating for weeks and we still haven't made it to the actual night. The kids have been wearing their costumes for a month. They have been washed so many times I am afraid they are going to fall to pieces before the big event. Something amazing is also happening. I am actually getting sick of Halloween Candy!
Anyway, here is a recap of our month so far. Our first Halloween party was a baby party for Harley and some of her friends. She starred as the PINK PIG, Nash was a party crasher in his CHEESEBURGER suit, and I dressed up as OCTOMOM! Then we went to the AIR AND SCARE party at the Smithsonian where the kids were able to Trick-or-Treat, play games, make crafts, take pictures with STAR WARS characters, and of course check out all of the cool planes. Next we had TRUNK or TREAT at church which meant pizza, more games, and much more candy. Today we had Atley's Halloween party and parade at school. His costume this year-SHARK! Trust me we have had many shark attacks at our house this October. Our shark especially craves cheeseburgers and the occasional pork chop. Hopefully, this might also explain the need to make an evil face for every photo. Of course that is not all. We still have to carve pumpkins and watch the Charlie Brown Halloween Special. By the way Nash's nick name for his baby sister-Harley Brown. Happy Halloween Everyone!!

New Record-Ode to Washington

Earlier this month we broke a family record-living in one place for more than three years! (Right now I am knocking on wood, especially since I have moved when each of my previous babies were nine months old!) While we hate being so far from family, the BYU Cougars, and the west coast time zone, we truly love this city. There is so much to do and see! The architecture is amazing, the history is fascinating, and the topography is beautiful. No matter what season, each time I drive from my home to the city I am in awe at how gorgeous the river looks surrounded by trees and rough edges, the mystique of Georgetown on the river's opposite edge, the monuments jutting out of the ground, and the politicos rushing to Capital Hill in the back of their chauffeured Lincoln Town Cars. They remind me of the common saying here, that Washington D.C. is Hollywood for ugly people. So, I thought I would pay tribute to my fair city with a little picture tour. Maybe it will encourage some of you to come visit or visit more often!
This is the parkway Scott drives into the city each morning. Lovely, in the fall, winter, and spring!
Key Bridge-D.C. is a city full of majestic bridges. This bridge takes us Virginian's into the prestigious Georgetown section of the city. Georgetown is a bustling place full of yummy food, great shopping, row houses containing some of Washington's most powerful political players, and of course the University, which one blogger friend described as looking like HOGWARTS! I couldn't have picked a better description. (Thanks Allie)

Not far from Georgetown is Washington National Cathedral. This is an Episcopalian Church, mammoth in size and well worth visiting.
Closer to the National Mall is Washington's China Town district. This is right next to the Verizon Center where the Washington Wizards and the Washington Capitals play. Did I mention it is a great city for sports too?
While I am a bit of a METRO snob, my boys love riding the subway around the city. I think it is a great option if you enjoy taking risks with your life. Okay, maybe I am exaggerating a bit. It is not that there are scary people on the METRO, although there are a few, it is just the safety record of the transit system is a little sub par at best.

In case you were not aware, Washington is also home to the President of the United States. Most visitors are a little disappointed when they first see the White House in person.

Washingtonians can make a political debate, using the finest legal rhetoric that their Ivy League educations bought them, over just about anything you can imagine. This fact makes it great fun to eavesdrop on conversations all over the city. You just might hear a heated argument from two women in black business suits discussing which Victoria's Secret bra is best and why! This often flamboyant city makes it possible to also hear two men having the same argument. Another fun pastime is to watch all the angry people with their bizarre agendas protesting everything from hormonally charged hamburgers to something President Bush did 9 years ago. Either way, there is never a dull moment.
I must pay homage to the Smithsonian Museums. Above is the Smithsonian Castle but there are more than a dozen Smithsonian Museums around the city. They are all free and all equally educational an entertaining.
Just across the river from the city and back in Virginia is the Pentagon. Pictured above one can see the area of the Pentagon that received the most damage on 9/11 and the memorial gardens that were erected outside the building.

I had a great history teacher but his lessons paled in comparison to what someone can learn spending twenty minutes at Arlington National Cemetery and the Iwo Jima Memorial.

However, one of the most amazing sights was built in 1974. The Washington D.C. temple is literally a beacon of light. When you are driving around the capital beltway, the temple appears seemingly out of thin air and just hovers there for several seconds. The sight is truly inspiring and the location was truly inspired.

HOORAY for Leg-Warmers!

Because I grew up in the 80's, I love Leg-Warmers!!! I once spent $15 for a pair of leg-warmers for Harley, but never again. I found a really cool and inexpensive way to create cute Leg-Warmers! So, here is my tutorial. First, go shopping. I went to H&M and bought knee-high little girl socks. A pack of 5 was $7, but they were also buy one get one free, So, I got 10 pairs of socks for $7. If you are making these for a big girl and not a baby, buy women's socks.
Second, cut the heel and toe off so that you have two different length tubes.
Fold the smaller tube in half, inside of itself.
Turn the larger tube inside out and place the folded tube inside with the cut edges aligned.
Pin along the edge if you need to and sew together.
Turn right side out! There you have it, a $.70 version of the $15 baby leg.
I made 10 Leg-Warmers in less than an hour and my babie's legs look cozy and cute.

HALLOWEEN FAVORITES...

WIGS & SOCKS!

Transformers

What an exciting week for my boys! Transformers 3 has been filming in D.C. and I am not sure who has been more excited Atley and Nash or Scott. We spent many hours searching for the Transformer Cars and watching them film. Tuesday night we watched production until almost midnight and we were able to see some pretty awesome action when they flipped and blew up a police car. Scott saw Shia LaBeouf and the director Michael Bay came and talked to us while they were filming. He probably thought we were insane, out so late with three little kids. I am inclined to think he was probably right. Of course, now we feel like we have a vested interest in the movie and can't wait until it comes out next summer. Check out the videos of our favorite transformers and the grainy sneak peak we filmed of the police car incident.

Dulles Plane Pull

We attended the annual Dulles Plane Pull in September on one of the tarmacs at Dulles International Airport. If you don't know what a plane pull is, here is the explanation. Teams compete to see how quickly their group can pull a plane, with only man power, a certain distance. They also had a school bus pull for the kids and of course lots of planes/helicopters to explore and all of the airport equipment. The boys were especially excited to see and play on all the snow removal tractors.

Get Your Crafty On!

While Harley and Dad doubled their viewing pleasure by watching football on TV and on the computer, the boys and I got our crafty on!!! Doesn't she look like a giant parrot perched on his shoulder? And don't you think the boys should have been watching football and not CRAFTING? All our craft ideas were stolen from magazines, crafty blogs, or friends, which begs the question, have I had an original idea since the Internet was invented? I wonder. First, we made this nifty candy corn wreath with a foam wreath, electrical tape, ribbon, hot glue and of course candy corn.
Next, we made this banner for the fireplace. We used glue and some Halloween craft paper I had in my stash. I could have sewed the ribbon to the triangles but I was too lazy to get my machine out. Hot glue worked great.
The boys absolutely loved making these spiders from black yarn and pipe cleaners. I particularly liked this project too because there was no way to mess it up. Spiders are supposed to be ugly, right? After we finished our spider family we picked up sticks in the yard and created a spider tree! OOOH!!! Spooky....


Our last project was super easy. First, I had some foam pumpkins from Fall's past, that I cut in half with a kitchen knife. Next, I took some more paper from my supply and glued them onto the glass of some cheap picture frames I found at the thrift store for $1. Then I glued one half of my foam pumpkin on each frame. VOILA!!! Instant pumpkin art.
The funnest thing about these projects is that they were all really cheap and quick.
Most of these ideas can be found on one of my new favorite blogs called "eighteen25". Check it out!