JOY!

There are only a few moments in life that can capture full emotion through a camera's lens. This was one of them...
We went to Snowflake Lane in Bellevue and Olivia was mesmerized by the whole experience. The drummers were fantastic and she loved seeing the snow princess. I loved seeing her glow.

Olivia's Sticky Situation

Today was a day that was busy with many activities. The girls and I had many errands to run in preparation for the evenings activities, including a trip to the grocery store. We rushed home to continue our preparations.

This afternoon, right as I started getting dinner together for the kids and to bake a dish for the Relief Society activity tonight, Tyler came and asked if he could have some orange gum. I asked him what gum he was talking about because I had not bought any orange gum lately. He said he wanted the same gum Olivia had and she would not share it.

I called Olivia downstairs and noticed that her mouth was packed full of orange gum that she has put in her pocket when we were at the store.

I turned off the stove and oven, packed up Olivia (the boys went to the neighbors house) and took her back to the store to pay for the gum. The whole time she was crying and saying she was sorry and did not want to go to the store. When we got there, we went to the Customer Service desk and waited in line. Olivia was burying her head in my shoulder when it was our turn in line. I asked her to tell the lady what had happened. She refused to make eye contact.

After paying for the gum, Olivia and I headed home. She was a much more humble girl. We are hoping that this lessons sticks!!

Eden Family Christmas Tree 2009

In the spirit of tradition, we trekked up to our usual Christmas tree farm today. We wandered into uncharted territory (at least by our family) and found the perfect tree.

Of course, we nearly lost it on the way home...

After a funfilled day, we ended with a beautiful Christmas tree to kick off this beautiful season. We are excited to celebrate it as a family once again this year.

Decade's Day

Hilltop Elementary sponsored a Decade's Day today. Carter and Tyler wanted to participate. They asked Ryan how he dressed in the 50's and me how I dressed in the 80's (Smart boys!!). After ransacking their closets, we came up with some great costumes. The boys played the characters very well. Carter liked wearing all denim with white socks and loafers. He even liked doing his hair for the part. Tyler had everything down to the loose tie, no socks with his loafers and the earring in his left ear (look closely).

They came home from school excited. Carter's friend in his class had dressed up in a similar outfit and Tyler even had a teacher tell him that he had worn that same outfit in the 80's. I love it when my kids learn history!!

Carter's Heroes

This month in Cub Scouts, the boys were working towards their Citizenship badges. One of the activities was to build a float to showcase their hero. The parents were given instructions to ask who the boy's hero was and to not offer any suggestions or help. When I asked Carter who his hero was, he thought about it briefly and then said that it was Grandpa and Grandma Clark. I asked him why and he said, "They are a good example and they teach me."

The floats were in a "parade" at the Pack meeting last night. Carter proudly pulled his grandparents. We are glad to have many "heroes" in our lives that teach our children things that they would otherwise not learn.

If at first you succeed...

Try, try again!!Audrey found this costume in the boys closet a few days after Halloween. Being a smart child, she remembered that if she put on a costume, not only will you get a lot of attention, you will get a lot of candy. With Olivia's help, she came downstairs dressed up to see how she would fare. When the costume did not produce the same results, it was taken off and put away. You can't blame a girl for trying.

Halloween 2009

What do you get when you cross a CSI agent, a SWAT team member, a sparkly witch and a ladybug? HALLOWEEN at the Eden's!
We started the evening with pizza with the Klausers. It was fun to be able to spend time with friends before sending the kids out for some holiday cheer. Audrey and I went with them for a short while and then when we couldn't keep up, we came home and handed out candy. She was a great help and really enjoyed it when the kids who visited our house admired her costume.

At the end of the night, everyone had a bag full of candy, a tummy ache and a great night's sleep. It was another successful Halloween!