Pumpkin "Cutie" Pies

Perfect FHE activity for October--carving pumpkins. It was Caroline's first year to really participate and she was way into it (even if she was kind of disgusted by it too :)








I love these little aprons from Williams Sonoma (they were having an end of season sale and I got them for a steal) And don't mind Cares--she is obsessed with toothbrushes lately...















Before Bentley's preschool party yesterday morning--once Beans was in his costume Cares just begged to get into hers too. More costume pics after tonight!

LeBarie Scaries

We had our fabulous LeBaron Halloween party Saturday night. Jessica and Krista's blogs capture it perfectly so check them out here and here. Thanks Nanny and Grandpa for the yummy dinner and all the prizes!

Here's the seriously scary thing that happened that day and it had nothing to do with our party. As I drove home from St George on Saturday afternoon I pulled a totally dumb mommy-move and reached back to help Bentley adjust his pillow. Next thing I knew, we veered off the highway, hit a metal mile marker, spun back onto the road and across both lanes of traffic before sliding off the left side again and stopping in the grassy section between the north and south bound traffic. I honestly couldn't believe it had just happened and that 1) we were all totally fine (Cares was still sound asleep in her carseat) and 2) no other cars were involved. It's still kind of a big blur in my memory (luckily right?). Cecily was caravaning home with us and witnessed it all in horror. She was certain we were going to be severely injured or worse from what she saw happening in front of her. I'm still amazed that we weren't hurt--we were really blessed. Once we stopped and assessed the damage (2 flat tires on the right side of the car and a banged in bumper where we hit the mile-marker), Cec gathered us up into her car with the help of 3 other gracious people who stopped to help and check on us. From there we had a serious detour in Nephi talking to the sheriff and the wrecker/towing service before heading home and meeting Joseph just off of I-15 and Bangerter. Cec--can I ever thank you enough for being there and rescuing us?

We went home, grabbed our costumes for the party that night, threw together some cookie dough for ladyfingers, and rushed back out to Nanny's house. Just before we got there, I realized I had left all of the kids' costume gear and PJs neatly packed by the back door. Perfect. I almost lost it for about the 5th time that day but decided to just breathe and let it go. The party was a great distraction from all the stress and trauma of the day and the kids had loads of fun (especially Caroline the cowgirl in Gracie's adorable outfit!)

All those who braved costumes (the picture doesn't do Johnny's or Maggie's any justice. Mag was a 1980s Flori--so funny!) Caroline the major ham :) Crazy Beans wearing a fish pond prize Cares kissing Tillie Ladyfingers Halloween style (thanks to Joseph, Tommy and Jim for crafting such masterpieces) Can you spot the classic LeBaron pinkie toe and a replica of Joseph's big toe?

Happy Birthday Jessica

Yay for Jess and her special day! She is such a selfless, loving, fun girl--so much so that she allowed us all to celebrate our "LeBarie Scaries" night ON her birthday (more on that later...) and top it off with a little singing and some candles and cake right at the end of the night.

I love Jessica because she is a lot like me...:)!! Seriously, we have very similar hubbies and seem to deal with them in similar ways (for good and bad). Plus, we both rocked in our high school dance companies back in the day and performing in spandex so many times has produced quite a kinship between us.

Jess is just so helpful and willing to do whatever she can to make things easier for others. She jumps right in and always helps with Sunday dinner, finds any crying or distressed niece or nephew and comforts them quickly, and bakes amazing treats and goodies that she doesn't even like to eat so that we can all enjoy them. I love that she let Bentley sleep in the same room with her on our Sun Valley trip, babysat my kids for me while we were in Lake Powell this summer (in expert form I might add), and shows up for kid-friendly events just to play with all of us and our crazy children even though she doesn't have any of her own kids yet (not for long though....) She is going to be such an fabulous mommy. If she shows even half of the love and patience and tenderness to her new baby that she has shown to mine, he will be totally spoiled!

Thanks for being such a great friend and sister-in-law and auntie to Cares and Beans. We all love you and hope you had a wonderful day (and thanks for not having a costume with me tonight--maybe all those dance concerts burned us out on dressing up ages ago...:)

Making Shapes

I'm so glad all those years of grad school are really paying off. Seriously though--these guys make my day every day :) Next week's lesson: axial vs. locomotor movement. Stay tuned...

To the Village Again

We love it at Gardner Village. And this marks our third visit this month. Anyone want to go again--why not right?!












Bentley and his new friend McKay (who likes him much better when he isn't in girl dress-ups--see here for backstory :) Petting zoo fun--this is as close as Cares would come to any animal even though she was totally enamored with them

Happy Birthday Maggie

"This is a blog for Maggie Jean with blue eyes..."

Happy Birthday! I feel like I have known Maggie forever since we were in YM together before I even met Joseph. Mag was the first one in her family to really tell me all about her big brother Joe. We were at a tennis lesson in the summer and she was so excited that the family got to go pick him up at the airport in just a few days (or maybe it was the very next day...) It was a classic Maggie moment. She was so happy and eager and ready to share her excitement--these are all things that easily describe her true nature.

I love how accepting and kind and unassuming Maggie is. She can make others feel so welcome and at ease in her presence. She also seems very willing to try new and even scary or hard things (serving a mission in Germany, running marathons, having a baby in the middle of grad school, and drinking sick concoctions under Joseph's orders :)

Just yesterday, the choir sang "Faith in Every Footstep" during stake conference. That hymn always reminds me of Maggie since we sang it forever ago as the 2 altos in a small YW group in sacrament meeting (do you remember that Mag?) I totally had to listen for her voice and confidence so that I could sing our parts correctly. And our rehearsals were a fun time to get to know her a little better (even though I never expected her to be my sister in law!) Since then it seems like we've had so many great memories: seeing her off at the MTC, hanging out in Phoenix after Lake Powell and her return from Germany, finding her at BYU games to share hot dogs and popcorn, playing down in SG whenever we are down there and so on. Thanks for being such a positive influence and happy presence in my life Maggie--much love to you on your b-day!

Catalog Cravings

After Bentley's nap this afternoon we browsed through 2 catalogs I had been saving: the Pottery Barn holiday issue and the glossy, October Nordstrom. Wow--how is it nearly time for Christmas? Secretly, I am totally excited. OK--maybe not so secretly :) Here's just a taste of what I loved:


Don't be surprised if you see any or all of these items decorating my home come December (or even the end of November...) Oh, and a girl can always wish for a new pair of darling shoes from Santa right? Even this girl who has way too many already but craves them like crazy :)