Blattman Chronicles

Seeing as Halloween was on Sunday this year, we opted for the church trunk or treat and carnival. Going from car to car was the perfect distance for our kiddlets little feet. They came back with some yummy candy. I finally got smart this year and didn’t park in the parking lot. We shared a trunk with some friends and then after the kids had done a lap and I was out of candy we headed home. Surprisingly enough, the crabbiness was held to a minimum Sunday morning…score one for the parents!

I love parties…especially costume ones and this year one of our friends was kind enough to host one. I was finally a nurse this year, but apparently, not the kind that Will was hoping for. Everyone brought great food and as always the company was spectacular. Everyone were good sports about dressing up and it made it that much more fun. I love my little brain donor!

I have never been one for enjoying a chorus of whining, begging or nagging. So from quite a young age, Will and I made our children quite independent. Hudson often times gets his own breakfast in the morning and will even make something for Annie as well. Hudson has been solid on getting his own breakfast if he is hungry for the last 2 years or so. On Saturdays he will even make himself a sandwich for lunch. Usually if my kids want something done they do it themselves. This independence backfires on occasion and a few days ago was one of those blessed occasions. My kids are free while I do piano lessons on Thursdays from 2-4(I'm maybe 15 feet away from them in the next room). The normal routine includes me letting the kids watch an afternoon movie with some snacks and Will comes rolling in the door as the movie finishes. Now that Hudson has gone full day, he gets dropped off in the middle of lessons on Thursdays so I don't get a chance to chat with him as he walks in the door. ...

The carving of pumpkins commenced a few days ago. We all had our own game plans and got to work. The big question now remains. Can you tell who carved what?…best o’ luck. Just so you know 2 of us had to team up. The other 2 went solo.

What ever happened to Cinderella’s pumpkin after the ball came and went and that glass slipper was lost? All that wonderful pumpkin smashed onto the roadside, covered in mud and left over fairy dust…what a waste! If only she had made cookies. Cookies always make difficult things easier to endure…step-sisters included! Here is a fabulously, easy pumpkin cookie recipe. Not to mention quite healthy as cookies go. Okay, and just one more plug – very good for food storage! Props to my dear friend, Carmen (and one of my old students, Elle) who gave me this recipe. Ready?!…3 ingredients! ~2 cups of pumpkin mash (15 oz. can of pumpkin for you users) 1 box of spice cake mix (Don’t add any of the normal ingredients the box says to. You only need the cake mix!!  In case I was unclear, no eggs, no oil, no water!!) 1-2 cups of chocolate chips (I am a lover of dark chocolate, but you do what you want) Mix in a mixer or with a giant spoon. Spoon onto a cookie sheet. They don’t really spread and g...

We carved pumpkins for Family Home Evening this week. I helped Annie with hers and I botched it something awful!! As I was cutting out the fangs for the pumpkin, I accidentally did a triple root canal/nosectomy removing all of them plus the nose, creating a rather large cavity. The blood sucking pumpkin very quickly turned opera. Yes, Hudson did say Annie's pumpkin looked like it was singing opera. I guess the death aria from the Magic Flute has been on at our house too often. Annie had no idea what was going on. She thought it was supposed to look that way. I wanted to take a picture, but was embarrassed with our final outcome so I present to you, "through the eye of a pumpkin."

We wanted Hudson to see the elementary school he would attend next year so we took him to the Harvest Festival they had over the weekend. What a fabulous festival! Hudson was almost fearless in the face of the "flying bathtub ride." He and I rode together. He can take on spinning tea cups like nobody's business, but I thought he was going to puke and then pass out on the ride, poor little guy. The picture doesn't give the ride justice. It shows us at the end of the ride when it was getting ready to stop. The ride actually gets significantly higher and spins just like the tea cups(hence the little steering wheel in the middle). He tried his hand at everything, ring toss, pumpkin ring throw, fishing, and the bottles. He climbed the inflatable climbing wall several times. While Hudson and Will were in the haunted house, I took Annie to get her fingers painted. Hudson beat us back to the car after everything was said and done. This is how we found him. Even though he didn...

This weekend found us at the pumpkin patch with some of our friends. We had so much fun. Annie and Hudson were content to roll around in the straw and climb the bales. OH my little turkeys!! Despite the discontented faces on the children they really did have fun, especially with all of their friends. I just think the idea of having to stop for a family picture in the midst of all the fun was not their favorite! Of course Annie fully enjoyed the pumpkins with ALL of her senses. How can you not love this little pumpkin licker? I always had secret aspirations to be an ice cream taster. I had to add this picture of Hudson. The pure energy and joy of fall is almost tangible with him. It's impossible not to smile when he's like this. Annie is just good with exploring the world around her. She even found enjoyment with flinging rocks and dirt. Talk about turkey in the straw...

So lately I have been getting calls from my mom some afternoons to hear updates on my brother, Brian. Usually, I can hear screaming fans(okay, very supportive parents) in the background cheering their kids on as she talks to me. In all his Junior glory, Brian has taken up another sport. Since lacrosse isn't until the spring, Brian has added cross country to his fall lineup. Run Forest...I mean Brian, RUN!! Props to my little brother Brian for making Varsity this season and lettering in track.

I decided that I want my kids to look forward to Conference Weekend. In doing so I think I found the first little tradition for our family. Conference always seems to be a time for me to rededicate myself to, "try a little harder to be a little bit better." As a result I thought this weekend would be a great time each year to rotate the 72 hour kits (Yes, I am slowly getting back "on the ball" that I so awkwardly fell off of last year and was subsequently getting steamrolled. Have you ever seen those little cartoon guys that biff it on their skis and turn into a massive snowball with arms and legs? That would have been me last year). Recently, we let Hudson and Annie have their own 72 hour packs. After those packs were taken care of I turned my attention to ours. Will and mine do hold all of the food after all. I figured that no one wants to eat nasty, stale food when they've been kicked out of their house and on the run so Conference time is now officially, ...

Hudson and I welcomed autumn today by making our first apple pie of the season. I had bought a bushel of apples from the Relief Society. Needless to say, I have apples coming out the...well you know. Due to Hudson's history, some of you are probably wondering what tiny surprise he hid in the pie or the degree of dirtiness in which he left my kitchen. Sorry to disappoint, but Hudson was an amazing helper. He had the duty of garbage man. He got to dump each ingredient into the bowl for mixing and was then bestowed with the special job of removing all "garbage" from the cutting board after each apple slicing ("garbage"= core, skin). Hudson expanded his garbage duties to swiping already cut and skinned apple for consumption. Of course I couldn't get mad at him for wanting to eat apples. It's just not the same as swiping cookie dough. Either way, he was delighted with this job and so was I. I had hardly any mess to clean up and my workspace stayed clean. I lo...

We had a blast this last weekend taking family pictures with some friends. The Rands were such great sports following us around as I kept changing my mind about backgrounds. We got some great shots. I had forgotten what a great task it is to harness both Hudson and Annie. Those of you with children numbering above two…props to you if you ever obtain a picture where everyone is looking and smiling at the same time. The wonderful thing about the pictures we do have is the character they capture. So accurate are the snapshots of Hudson and Annie captured in their element. I love my little family!!

So I finally figured out Hudson’s hair. I kept trying to cut it so I could have the style I was looking for. Then I realized that it wasn’t in the haircut, but how I do his hair. Hudson now gets his hair done every morning. What fun for me. I openly admit I’m not very nice about it though. Our conversations in the morning go something like this: Me:  Can I do your hair? Hudson:  No, does my hair look like a Q-Tip? Me:  Yes it does, you can either let me do you hair or I guess I will have to cut it ALL off! Hudson:  But I like my Q-Tip hair.  Do you have Q-Tip hair? Me:  Sometimes, people aren’t supposed to go out in public with Q-tip hair. Hudson:  What’s public? Me:  Out where everyone can see you. Hudson:  Oh, okay, I want a Fauxhawk then. With dryer, spray, mousse and comb in hand I go at it. He always has the choice of a "fauxhawk" or "surfer hair". I used to actually let him have the fauxhawk per his request, but now that his hair is so ...

To Hudson’s horror I gave Annie a haircut. He was begging me to stop cutting her hair, insisting that I was hurting her. I informed him that cutting hair doesn’t hurt unless you miss the hair, getting a finger or an ear instead. I was surprised at his actions considering she was sitting so quietly watching me in the mirror.  She didn’t look tortured in the least. Anyway, her hair was getting down to her shoulders, but a little too straggly for my taste. I always swore I would try to keep her hair cute, even if it meant less hair. In the process I accidentally, "freed the curl". I had no idea her hair got that curly. Putting layers in the back really lightened the load. She now lets me do her hair every morning.  I love it!