Happy Halloween

We had another Happy Halloween this year. The week before Halloween, we attended the ward Halloween party where the kids got plenty of candy at the trunk-or-treating. The older girls loved the spook alley. We tried not to spend too much on costumes this year. All of the kids' costumes, except for Cameron's were one we've used in years past. So here's our Halloween cuties:

Conner as a Dinosaur

Cameron as Woody

Kylie as a 50's girl

Katelyn as Wonder Woman

Courtney as an Indian Princess

Lloyd and I dressed up the week before Halloween for a couples' party we were invited to. We had a lot of fun going on a scavenger hunt throughout Modesto. We even got yelled at by the Modesto Police Department! I felt like I was a teenager again!

It's our family's tradition to have stew on Halloween night. Bryce and Chareen came down for Halloween and we had our traditional meal. However, the night before Halloween we ordered Papa Murphy's pizza and enjoyed this jack-o-lantern pizza. It was cute!

Bryce and Chareen helped all the kids carve their pumpkins. We had quite the variety, including a Thomas the Train for Cameron (on upper left). The kids got even more candy trick-or-treating. I stayed home and handed out candy. I think I'm getting old because I loved being home all alone while the kids were out. I guess I'm not that old though because I still love Halloween!

Del Osso Pumpkin Patch

I took my Girl Scout Troop to Del Osso farms in Lathrop on Monday, October 26. It was pretty windy, but we loved it. We had so much fun going through the corn mazes. All the girls also went through the haunted house. One of the girls did pumpkin blasting and some of them jumped on these inflatable "trampolines." At first it was just a farm, but now Del Osso farms is like a mini amusement park. There were so many fun things to do, I couldn't resist going back there as a family. I knew the boys would love the rides and petting zoo. So we headed back as a family on Thursday, October 29. Our whole family enjoyed the free hay ride.

We also loved the petting zoo with lots of different animals.

After the patting zoo, the girls went to the haunted house. Lloyd and I took the boys on some rides. Cameron loved the train! We also went on a tractor train, tram, and scarecrow ride. The scarecrow ride was my favorite. You got to see over 50 different scarecrows that were made by local schools and scout troops. All the scarecrows were so creative and unique. It was a great time for our whole family. Sometimes you just need to have a little fun together!

My Fourth and Fifth Triathlons

I did my fourth triathlon on September 26. I was excited because it would be my first one with my road bike. I couldn't convince anyone to do it with me so I went on my own. Lloyd was kind enough to take all the kids to their soccer games. This triathlon was held at Woodward Reservoir which is only about 25 minute from my home so it was so convenient. When I started setting up, I realized this triathlon would be a lot less crowded than the previous ones I had done. There were actually only around 130 participants while my other triathlons had 500-900 participants. It was kind of nice having it be so small. It was a sprint distance: 500 yard swim, 16 miles on the bike, and a 3.1 mile run. The swim was a mass start so it was pretty crowded. It also wasn't measured very accurately. I think it was closer to 800 yards instead of 500. The bike had a lot of hills, but I loved the challenge. I was so glad I had my road bike. The bike was also a little long, around 17 miles. Even though running is my strongest leg, it was the hardest for me on this race. It was hot and I was tired. I really had to push myself and I started feeling like,"I hate this. Why did I sign up for this?" I was so glad when I finally reached the finish line. My time was 1:47:56. There was a barbecue after the race. There I found out that I got third place in my age group and I got a medal. I was so excited. So what if there were only 6 people in my age group. I actually came in 9th out of the 30 women in the race. I was thrilled to have a medal. Lloyd took these pictures of me after I got home.

My fifth triathlon and last of the season was on October 17. This one was also held at Woodward Reservoir, but it was a longer distance: .9 mile swim, 25 miles on the bike, and a 6.2 mile run. I was a little nervous about the longer distances, but I knew I could do it. I gave myself permission to just complete the race and not to push myself too hard. I was also nervous about the water being too cold. It can actually be pretty cool in October. I decided I better wear a wetsuit. I bought one online and it came a few days before the race. This time I actually had my friend, Cindy Decker, come with me. It was a very foggy day, but thankfully not too cold or windy. Because of the fog, they delayed the start of the race by about 15 minutes. When I got into the water, I was so glad I had the wetsuit. The water was pretty cold! However,when I started swimming, I ended up hating the wetsuit. We had to go three laps for the swim and I stripped out of my wetsuit after the first lap. I felt like it was restricting me and weighing me down. I felt so much better without it. I think I had the wrong type of wetsuit or the wrong size. It was a little embarrassing taking it off in front of all the spectators, but I didn't care. A nice lady took it to the check in area so I could pick it up after the race. The swim took me around 40 minutes. I think taking off the wetsuit slowed me down. I was one of the last persons out of the water, but at least, I wasn't the very last. The bike was pretty lonely and I hardly passed anyone, but I still really liked it. There was a miscommunication between the race officials and the bike route ended up about 3-4 miles short. I didn't push myself too much on the 6.2 mile run. I just enjoyed it and ended up running a 9:11 average mile, not too bad after the swim and bike. I think the gu I had on the bike really helped me on the run. I loved it all! I finished in 3:01:41. I didn't get a medal this time, but that was okay. I came in 15th out of 24 women. It wasn't great, but I was still pleased I had completed my first Olympic (International) distance triathlon. Cindy and I enjoyed the barbecue after the race. I am now looking forward to next season. I am going to do a Half Ironman on September 11, 2010. I have a lot of training ahead of me, but I am looking forward to the challenge.

Camping at Woodward Reservoir

We had planned to go camping as a family over conference weekend. Originally, we were going to go to Sunset Beach, but we changed our plans and decided to go to Woodward Reservoir instead. It was just easier because it was closer and the girls really didn't want to miss their soccer games. It ended up being perfect. We camped out on Friday night and went to the soccer games on Saturday. We also went out for a yummy breakfast. Saturday evening it started getting a little windy. I had four friends come join me for a little triathlon training - a swim and bike ride. They were considering doing a triathlon at Woodward, but after our experience they decided not to do it. The wind on the water was crazy and there were so many waves; it felt like we were swimming in the ocean! I am really glad no one drowned. Then it started getting dark on our bike ride. We survived though. After my "training session," I went back to our campsite and enjoyed Saturday evening with my family. Even though camping is so much work, I love it for so many reasons. I love getting away from it all -no TV, no phone, no laundry machines, etc. I love just being able to spend time with the family. I love sitting by the fire at night. I love being in nature. We had our tents right next to the water and it was beautiful to see the moonlight and morning sunrise shining on the water. I was in awe of how gorgeous it was. Here's a few pictures from our trip:

The little kids played in the water while the older kids played water baseball with Bryce and Chareen. I did so more swim training for my triathlon.

Conner and Courtney took a little nap in this raft. It was so precious!

Before we knew it, it was time to clean up. We had to take all the tents down and head home with lots of dirty laundry. Yes, it was a lot of work, but it was worth it.

Kylie Runs for Office

Kylie decided to run for Student Council Office this year. As a third grader, the only office she was eligible to run for was Sergeant-at-Arms. As part of her campaign she had to make posters and give a speech in front of the whole school. I got to watch her give her speech. She did an awesome job. Here's a copy of it:

Good Morning, Orchard Owls. My name is Kylie Payne. I am in third grade and I am running for Sergeant-at-Arms. I am the right person for this job for many reasons. I am responsible and hard working. I am a good reader, writer, and speaker. I have good attendance. I respect adults and fellow students. I will support and work with the other Student Council Officers. I will go to all the meetings. You will not be disappointed if you vote for me. So when it’s time to vote, pick the right name! Choose Kylie Payne!

I explained to her that she may not win and she understood that. There were six third graders who ran and only two were elected. Kylie did not win, but she took it really well. She's very competitive, but was very gracious in this situation. We are so proud of her!

The Poop Monster

This little guy is on my "list." It all started on September 28 when I went to his room to get him up from a nap and there was poop smeared everywhere! And I mean everywhere! It was on the walls, on the window, on his bed, on his toys, and even stuck to the top of the ceiling. It took an hour to clean up. Lloyd was working a double shift so he wasn't here to help. I was also suppose to take dinner to the missionaries. I had to call them and tell them their dinner would be a little late. When I told them why, they thought it was the funniest thing in the world - that's 19 year old guys for you. Anyway, this was not an isolated incident. He has gotten into his poop at least four to five times, but thankfully none of them were as bad as the first time. It is usually during his nap time, but one time he even got a diaper out of the garage trash and started playing with it! Some friends (both of them mothers of twins who had a similar problem) told me to try duct taping his diaper so he couldn't take it off. However,this guy is sneaky and he'll even go up the side of his diaper. I tried having him wear overalls during his nap,but again he just reached up his pant leg. Finally,my friend Katie suggested putting a sleeper on with the zipper in back. So far it is working! I had to cut the feet out of the sleeper, but he can't unzip it or reach up the pant leg. I think he's ready to potty train, but I am dragging my feet with it. I can't believe he'll be my last one to potty train. Hallelujah! Thank you, Katie, for the suggestion. I think he actually prefers his sleepers like this because the other day, I tried to put one on with the zipper in the front and he had a fit! Good thing he's so cute and I love him or I probably would have killed him!