Happy Halloween!

This may be the last year we have a princess year for Halloween. Liesel was rather uninterested in getting a new costume. Ireland was campaigning hard-core for Mulan since the live-action movie is coming out soon and the costume was really beautiful. I reminded her there are lots of princesses and she could be Princess Leia or Princess Buttercup who aren't a product of Disney. Even so, Liesel was less than thrilled. Eventually she went with classic Cinderella but I think this is the end of the line for her. 

 The ward Trunk-orTreat was particularly fantastic this year! The exact same elements were at play: games, parade, chili cook-off and the actual trunk-or-treating, but it was an hour earlier than usual and they stuck to the schedule. The whole thing was completely wrapped up (and I mean even the tables and chairs were put away) by 7 PM which is AMAZING!!! The kids went to bed right on time which was such a blessing since our Primary Program was the next morning.

I pulled out my Hester Prynn costume while Brent happily wore his outfit from our White Trash Progressive Dinner. We were colonial era and modern versions of white trash. A few people whispered, "Shame, shame" at me and it made me laugh.

 They always do such an incredible job with the photo background! Brigitta was excited to finally get her crack at the Elsa costume. The shoulders and sleeves are made of really thin material and I'm happy to say that costume will make it through all four girls! I was sure it would snag or wear a hole but they've all been really careful. 

I've always thought the Rapunzel costume was kind of cursed because whoever wore it had some kind of a meltdown in the middle of Halloween festivities. Every. Single. Girl. But Sydney managed to make it through with nary a tear!

 Love these little ones! Ireland stayed home due to some big-time sassing and ended up loving an evening of watching a movie on our bed. Liesel ran off with friends the second we arrived at the church so Brent and I hung out with the little girls. 

Sydney's classroom party was up next. The kids showed off their costumes and the teachers always pretend they don't know them. When Mrs. O'Malley said, "But wait, is this really Rapunzel? Who is this?" Sydney pulled off her braided crown and said, "It's MEEE!!!" It was so adorable. 

FYI- that Fly, Fly Witchy song is an earworm. Which stays for days.

We had lovely weather for the parade at the elementary school. Ireland was living it up as Belle and she gave me a sweet spin. 

Liesel's reticence about a costume led me to believe she's just getting too old for Halloween in general but she lit up when she saw me in the parade. Phew!

Even though they had their official party the day before, Sydney's preschool said they could come in their costumes again on the day of Halloween. I asked her if she wanted to be Rapunzel again or if she wanted to try the angel costume and she was beyond thrilled to have an excuse to wear shimmery wings.

Her hair is still baby fine so I had to get creative when making it into a halo.

I know this costume is really on its last legs, but I love it so much!

Brent came home from work early so I could take the girls and some of their friends Trick-or-Treating. They really did me proud this year. Liesel actually brought an extra bag this year to hold all of her spoils.

Brigitta even hung in with us to the very end which means she got to hit the full-sized candy bar houses. Because they were the last trick-or-treaters of the night, they were given two or three candy bars at those final houses.

Logically I know it's dumb, but I feel like this is where we recoup the cost of costumes. There are few life scenarios where there is such instant gratification for hard work. It always makes me smile seeing them run from house to house.

Our neighbor does a "Switch Witch" who leaves the kids a present in exchange for the candy. She asked me what we do with all of ours and I had a hard time admitting it gets eaten over the next month or so. We slip some in the girls' lunches, we save some for movie nights, we leave some out for guests to snack on... and Brent and I reap our annual parent tax. After Trick-or-Treating was done, we made the girls eat some chili and cornbread Brent had made while we were out and then they could pick a piece or two for dessert. 

This year I tried something new- a glow stick bath. Everyone had makeup and all kinds of hair products on, not to mention they were pretty hyped up from the evening. While I scrubbed Halloween off of them, they calmed down and were much more ready to settle in to bed. That one is becoming a tradition- for SURE!

Orange Ruler Fun Run

I stopped by the elementary school to cheer on my girls with this little cutie in tow:

I timed it so I would catch the tail-end of Brigitta's class, all of Ireland's and then just the start of Liesel's. Otherwise I would have been there all afternoon! After the younger classes did their run, the top 10 classes that raised the most funds participated in a pig race. That's all the email said, it was a pig race. Since this is the midwest, I have to admit I literally thought it was a pig race.

I was waaay off! But I don't think those kids could have been more excited, even if there were real pigs and not little, plush, mechanical ones. Those cheers hit a fevered pitch when the pigs neared the finish line. Each of the classes got to keep their pig, to boot.

I love how fun runs introduce my girls to race culture!

The organizers encouraged the kids to have as much fun as possible so they could cartwheel, dance, skip, floss, wheelbarrow and of course run. Ireland perfected her cartwheels.

The kids were encouraged to wear orange which is perfect for October! It was fun to see the Liesel with friends she has known for so many years now. It was also nice to catch up with some of the moms.

I'm so impressed with the elementary school's parent organization. They raised more than they were hoping to, the kids had a blast, and the teachers and administration loved it. The whole school got a Kona ice party and the principal and assistant principal worked on top of the roof for a day as a reward. It was a really great day and I'm glad Sydney and I could stop by to take it all in and lend a little moral support.

Home to Chicago

This trip was so good for me. It was nice to dress up everyday and not cringe every time I passed a mirror. It was dreamy to see so many friends and family. To have grown-up conversations and make connections. It was lovely to be in a place where I grew by leaps and bounds as a college student. Conference was fantastic and my spiritual cup was full. It was so nice to eat meals I didn't have to prepare or clean up after and to always come home to a clean room and made beds.

This trip was so good for Ireland. It was so nice to have the sibling rivalry put on hold for a significant amount of time. She loved having me all to herself and we held hands and snuggled pretty much the entire time. It was good for her to experience a different part of the country and to marvel at mountains and rainbows and realize what an arid climate feels like. It was good for her to swim and run and zipline and skip about to her heart's content. It was good for her to be seen and heard and not just lost in the shuffle of what needs to get done right now and who needs attention the most. It was good for her to have time to just quietly think.

This trip was so good for us. Going into it, I thought I knew Ireland a solid 85% and there was just a bit that was still a mystery to me. In the end, I felt like I know her more like 40% and I have a lot of work to do as her mother. I need to teach her to laugh more. I need to find time to snuggle with her. I need to help her with patience. I need to let her know how loved and valued she is in our family. I need to demonstrate more kindness. So many of our conversations made my jaw drop. Ireland told me she hates all the fighting between the sisters- even though she seems to be at the center of most of them. She said Brigitta tells really funny stories at night- and we've spent the last several weeks trying to figure out if we should put Ireland in her own room to give the two of them space.

I'm a big believer in these 8-year-old trips with Mom. When all the distractions are stripped away and I get this chance to really, truly get to know my girls, our bond grows so strong. I'm so grateful to Brent for supporting these trips and arranging his schedule so he can take care of things at home. On the surface, it seems like he does all the hard work while I take off on vacation. But these trips are so much more than just a vacation.

A curious thing happened while we were in Utah. I only noticed because it happened half a dozen times, at least. Someone I was talking to or being introduced to found out I was from out-of-town. They would excitedly ask me where I was from and when I said, "Chicago" they were clearly taken aback and responded, "Oh, I haven't been there yet" as if they felt bad. I thought it was odd, and a little entertaining, because of course I had no expectations that everyone in Utah should visit my little corner of the world. But a few of those people added, "But I want to visit." I felt compelled to tell them about the great city of Chicago and over time I became more and more homesick. Ireland and I had gotten all we could out of our trip and then some.

It was time to go home.

General Conference- Sunday Afternoon Session

On our last day in Utah, we finally took advantage of the complimentary breakfast in our hotel. Brent pointed out that part of the reason we stay at Hampton Inns is because we really like their breakfast options. We just happened to have brunch plans with someone every single day! Having missed an opportunity to swim the night before, Ireland was eager to hit the pool one last time. Inadvisable as it is, we had breakfast and then immediately went swimming.

Love those Hampton cups!

Between conference sessions, we headed back to Temple Square and visited a couple of places we had missed the day before. The original painting of this handcart family hangs in the foyer of my home ward in Iowa City (where the handcart companies departed). The artist, Cloy Kent, is one of the first members of the church my parents met when they moved to Iowa City. A dear friend of the family, Sandy English, posed for the mother. Sandy still lives in Iowa City and has been the girls' Primary teacher and made quilts for them over the years. I had to get a picture of Ireland pushing the handcart!

As luck would have it, one of my sweet, former, young women- Madilyn, was driving down from Idaho with her family for conference. Obviously we had to meet up! She looked so very happy and serene and it gave me all the feels to see her doing so well and loving college.

I was determined to get good seats so we lined up really early for the final session.

We made it to the front row of the first balcony but the usher strongly warned me that kids cannot lean over the side, even a little bit. I'm proud to say that I could trust Ireland to toe the line.

It was really fun to be in the Conference Center when President Nelson announced the new temples. When Salvador, Brazil was listed, there was a woman on the main floor, just to our right who was so excited she just couldn't contain her excitement. She squealed with utter delight and after that, it was like the dominoes fell because the normally reverent Conference Center became a pep rally. The group from Auckland, New Zealand almost seemed ready for their announcement because they all cheered at once.

There were also gasps now and again as those in Cambodia and Guam were announced, places you don't automatically think of the church. President Nelson finished with Washington County, Utah and for a split second everyone waited for someone to cheer but it was dead silent. Then everyone laughed, including President Nelson, and it was a pretty sweet moment. So glad we were there for that!

After Elder Oaks announced the closing speakers, he said, "The conference will be adjourned for 6 months." Ireland leaned over to me and asked, "The conference will be a journey for 6 months?" That play on words hit me as so insightful. We do have a journey in the next 6 month. We'd been given counsel and received testimony of the gospel for the past 2 days but now it is up to us to decide how we will direct our lives. Will it be back to the grind? Or will we make changes to help us be better followers of Christ?

As we filed out of the Conference Center, I felt like I needed to embark on a spiritual journey. All my time with Ireland has helped me understand her better than I ever have, and I really want to continue to strengthen our bond.

While we waited for traffic to die down, I snapped a few final photos. I wanted the perfect curtsy right by the temple and we started laughing because Ireland was precariously trying to keep her balance in slippery dress shoes...

...until she just couldn't anymore.

I had planned to meet up with my family at a park so the kids could play, but while we struggled through traffic, the weather turned cold, so we met up at a McDonald's instead. Ahhhh how I love my crazy family!

These cousins are just a month apart. When we pointed this out to them, they just looked at each other awkwardly which kind of made me laugh. Maybe closeness in age is only fascinating to adults?

This is what they looked like the last time they were together 6 1/2 years ago. Tempus fugit!

My nephews have grown as tall as trees and are some of the coolest people on the planet. They are so easy-going and fun to talk to, I could hang out with them for hours.

As the sun set on our time in Utah, we were treated to a most spectacular sunset!

General Conference- Women's Session

My sweet friend Della drove all the way up from Southern Utah with her cute kiddos to meet us for brunch. Even though the little ones distracted here and there from the conversation, I'm so glad we were able to meet them and get to know them a little. 

Her oldest was really fun to talk to, the middle one is just adorable and the youngest one sized me up a bit which reminded me so much of Sydney. This is only the second time in my life I've seen Della in person as our friendship has been forged over the years through Voxer. Man, I didn't realize until I just typed that... we have been voxing for YEARS! It all started around the time her little one was born. Crazy.

I once again tried Swig and once again was so blown away with the sugar I could hardly handle my "Texas Tab" which is Dr. Pepper + Vanilla + Coconut Cream. Ireland managed to finish her "Shark Attack" of Sprite + Lemonade + Blue Raspberry + Gummy Shark but it took several hours.

Between conference sessions, we found a pretty sweet parking spot. 

First we did a little shopping at the City Creek Center. I found a couple of crazy good deals at Lululemon where there was a flash sale. Nothing makes me smile more than discounts on top of reduced-price items! We stopped in at Restoration Hardware which is something I would never do if I had all the girls along. Ireland actually loved it there and dragged her feet when it was time to leave.

There are lots of fountains scattered around City Creek but there's one that is particularly big. 

Side note: Ireland spotted that ruffly green scripture bag and I just couldn't say no! I love that she embraces her name so much. 

Just as we started to walk away from this fountain, a very cool water show began.

It was celebrity hour at the flagship Deseret Book! We saw Gerald Lund (I've read the entire Work and the Glory series):

John Bytheway (I absolutely love his talks):

Jericho Road was playing at the back of the store and it was so jam packed, we had to squeeze around people so Ireland could pick out her CTR ring.

Temple Square was likewise busy, but we managed to get some photos at the iconic spots like this one:

I received so many compliments on my skirt!

This is one of my favorite photos- Ireland had just touched where the reflection of the angel Moroni was on the water.

There were a lot of people waiting to get their picture with the Christus so Ireland popped in super fast. We will have to go back someday and enjoy it when it's not so loud and crowded because it's one of my favorite places on Temple Square.

As the Saturday afternoon session wound down, we headed to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building to have an early dinner on The Roof.

I know lots and lots of couples who were engaged here (including my sister, college roommates, mission companions), and I really wanted to go. It was pricey but the food was amazing. The honey was the most decadent honey I've ever tasted in my life. Ireland had an entire plate of salmon. She was a little disappointed no one got engaged while we were there. Ha!

Ireland was positively enchanted with the little bottles of Martinelli's. She insisted I take a picture.

If you look carefully, you can see all the people spilling out from the conference center behind Ireland.

I dared Ireland to request they play Dvorak's Humoresque. With a few bucks clutched in her little hand, she marched right over to the piano and put in her request. The violinist knew it by heart but the pianist struggled a bit. Even so, I will always think of our dinner in that lovely place every time I hear it from now on.

The Women's Session was pretty spectacular and physically being in the Conference Center made it feel so much more intimate. It's de rigueur to stand and be silent when the prophet enters the room (same for the apostles in a local meeting). Ireland had never seen it before as they don't show it on TV so I was really glad she could see what it's like to have a place buzzing with chatter and excitement and then everything stands still for a moment. It's good to just stand still... just for a moment.

There were other things I appreciated about being in the Conference Center for Women's Session. When President Nelson said people ask him why he's a doctor and he tells them it's because he can't be a mother, everyone said, "Awwwwwwe!" and you could just feel the love for our prophet rolling towards that pulpit. When we stood for the rest hymn, I told Ireland to remember that moment because she may never sing with that large of a group of women again in her lifetime.

President Eyring mentioned a scripture in his talk, "It will be given you in the very moment that which you should say" which hit me as so applicable to motherhood! It was especially poignant in that moment in the Conference Center with Ireland. I have often felt like I need to be better about preparing for those moments when she becomes overwhelmed with emotion. In my mind, I'd been working on a plan. Oh how I love a plan! The Spirit gave me a gentle nudge right then, telling me to not worry so much; He'll help me in the moment.

I think Ireland's favorite part of Women's Session is that she was able to rapidly check off the I-Spy list she'd received from her Primary Leaders. Any of the kids who complete it get a full-sized candy bar and she had that thing complete within about 5 minutes.

If we hadn't eaten so much at The Roof, we probably would have floated back to the hotel. This was the one night we didn't take advantage of the pool or hot tub because we were just exhausted but we slept oh so well!!!