Friday, October 31, 2008

trick or treating

They were gone trick or treating with Clint for over an hour and both came home with their bags full! We didn't have any trick or treaters come to our house though. I think because it is raised and has hedges around it people don't think of coming here. I finally sent the boys out to stand on the sidewalk and hand out the candy to children walking by.

Boys will be boys and they will always have goofy faces.
Before we went home so the boys could get dressed we stopped at Target to get some candy to pass out. As we walked to the car I spotted a rabbit in the parking lot. It was kinda weird to see a rabbit in the middle of the city in a parking lot. I tried to take a picture but in the dusk a dark rabbit against dark pavement doesn't come out very well. It was still fun!

Pumpkin Heads

Shaun and his dad carved pumpkins in his hotel room. These were the pumpkins Shaun got at the pumpkin patch. We don't usually carve our pumpkin at home because after Halloween I carve up and bake the pumpkin to freeze and use in cookies and pie. Real pumpkin tastes so much better than canned!!! I can't even stand to use the canned stuff ever.

We tried to take this picture with Clint's camera but it kept telling us it was out of batteries. He had bought new batteries but the camera still wouldn't work so I eventually had to pull out mine or we were never going to get a picture.

Costume Parade

At school today there was a parade to show off all of the costumes. After the parade Shaun's class posed against the backstop so parents could get pictures.

It rained earlier in the morning. Luckily it was not coming down during the parade, but the kids had to bring out their chairs to sit on.


Shaun's teacher was pooh. She's pregnant so she was able to fill out the belly.
The whole school turned out.
Of course, Shaun waved to someone in the crowd but never did wave to me or look at me so I could get a picture from the front.
David walked with his teacher.
Every year the principle dresses up in elaborate costumes. This year she was wall-e the robot from the Disney movie. It was a pretty good costume. it was a wooden box with holes for her arms and pieces that fit over her arms and head.
Separate parts fit over her feet.
This is what she looks like for real.

Carnival at the park

The park by our house had a carnival the day before halloween. The boys got to play some games and win some prizes.

Captain America and Azurill to the rescue.

The Pumpkin Patch

Clint was in town this week and we stopped by a pumpkin patch. I made him sit with the scarecrows. Can you tell that he is less than excited to pose?


He chose a big pumpkin and a little pumpkin.


He thought that it was funny that there was a pumpkin big enough to be a seat.


Trying to lift the big pumpkin he chose.


Pumpkin heads


There were rides to go on. This is the Titanic.


Sliding down into the "water", pretending to be Leonardo Decaprio (just kidding).


There was also a petting zoo. He got a cup of food to feed the goats but as soon as he started to feed them the big one stole it out of his hand. He freaked out and wouldn't pet anymore animals. We tried to catch a rabbit to pet because he decided that they were ok. When we couldn't catch one the worker pulled this one out of the cage for him to hold, even though holding the animals is against the rules.
Shaun loves bunnies!!!

Ward Halloween Party

The Ward Halloween party was fun as usual. After the chili dogs and chips there were games for the kids, a costume parade, and trunk or treating.

Shaun decided to be "Azurill", for those of you who are not an eight year old boy, that is a pokemon. It is a mouse pokemon who's secret power is an iron, lightning tail that he can use to hit his enemies. I bought him a blue shirt and sweats, I made the hood and ears and tail. He wanted to wear the sweats over his shoes because Azurill doesn't wear shoes and pulling his sweats over his feet would hide his shoes. I made him undo it so as to not ruin his pants. He did wear them over his feet for gymnastics though, but he was barefoot, so dirty but not ruined.
Spencer was "Link"-when his mom asked him if he thought anyone would recognize him he stated that if they know the "triforce" then they will recognize me. How could I have missed that? The triforce, isn't it obvious?

Thursday, October 23, 2008

As for me and my house...

So now that I have posted all of the pictures I have taken over the past two months, I'll catch you up on the personal stuff.
I am officially moved in, roommate and all. There are still several unpacked boxes in the garages, I keep wondering how I got all this stuff? My mom and I painted the living room yellow and it really feels like home. I feel like I have taken over the apartment though. All the furniture, pictures, dishes, everything is mine. I had to beg her to put up two pictures of her and her daughter on the piano so it didn't just look like a shrine to Shaun and I.
I am still getting used to having someone else here. I am so independent, I can't handle having someone to answer to-someone asking me where I'm going, or what I'm watching, reading, cooking, etc. I'm sure I'll get used to it but it has been a long time since I had to tell anyone anything or think of anyone else's feelings in "my" home. It would be different if it was a boy-I would like a boy and want to tell him what I was doing and want to know the same from him but she's independent as far as I am concerned and doesn't need to tell me what she's up to.

I am substituting more now and still working for Source in Anaheim on the days that I don't. I do love substituting more and more. It is just fun to hang out with the kids.
Cub scouts is exhausting! Coming up with a new activity or two or three every week takes a lot of creativity that I'm not sure I have.
I heard the talk from Elder Perry about simplifying our lives and I think there are some days it applies to me. Mon and Wed I tutor a high school special needs kid. Tues. is cubs. Thurs is Shaun's piano lesson over at the college. Tues and Thurs nights are Shaun's gymnastics. Fridays I am helping a woman write a book. She has a great idea but no concept of actually writing it or editing it. This leaves me rather busy. It could have been worse Shaun was supposed to have baseball clinic on Sat. but it was cancelled due to low enrollment.

Heavenly Father seems to answer my prayers in the absolute opposite way of what I am expecting. I went to the Temple today hoping for help in accepting a situation that has recently come up. I have decided to stop wallowing and murmuring about my challenges and just accept them and handle it with faith and trust and calm. I wanted to be charitable and happy in this situation, put the needs of someone else ahead of my own desires and truly be happy for them. So, off I went to the Temple looking for support in my efforts.
The sesson started and I was still praying for help. As it progressed the wierest thing happened. The answer I felt was not to accept what was happening but to have faith that it wouldn't or that in the end it wouldn't. After sitting in the Celestial room and wondering how my expectations could have changed so drastically in an hour and a half, I was ready to go, but felt like I needed to wait for something. Then a sister I know walked in, she was totally an answer to what I was thinking about. Funny, huh?

All in all life is good. I loved General Conference, I always do, and have been gaining peace and answers to prayer in so many ways lately that I usually don't get. I am trying to be better. I want to be able to follow the promptings of the Spirit regardless of what they are or when they come. I don't want to miss anything because I simply wasn't listening well enough or thought, no it's really not important I don't have to do that. I want to make sure that I am choosing the right and that I teach Shaun to do the same. We have been working for this whole prop 8 thing. Keeping up signs, passing along information. The recent email that had been forwarded on from someone in Houston about listening to the prophet and being prepared really struck me. Am I prepared physically for the disasters that might arise. More importantly am I prepared spiritually for the disasters or blessings that might be coming my way? Am I close enough to our Father to know that I can always depend on Him and do I truly "hear" when he calls or do I just let it pass in one ear and out the other?

Well, gotta head to bed, tomorrow is another day.
Love, Shauna

Griffith park Observatory

One of the seven wonders of LA. the amazing Griffith Park Observatory. Hiding downstairs is this incredible room with planets hanging from the ceiling. You can't really see but way down at the lefthand end are a few tiny little planets, ours being the third, of course. These are built to scale. "Insignificant" springs to mind.

There were also scales that tell you how much you would weigh on each planet. I weigh 15 lbs on Pluto, let's go!

The Los Angeles sky line, smog included.
This is a sundial. It was remarkably accurate.
Shaun looks at the pendulum. He was so excited to see it knock down the little markers.
There goes another one.
The real life Hollywood sign.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Autumn festival


The catholic church has an autumn carnival every year so we decided to head over there Sat. afternoon.
Shaun's two favorite rides: the swing you around until you puke ride....
...and the fly you around until all the blood clogs your head and it explodes all over the parking lot ride...
He is a little short so he could slide around but he said he was in there securely. One mom made the attendant go check on her kid twice because she wasn't convinced that it was ok.

Pigs and Alpacas

Apparently there is actually an Alpaca day.
My parents decided to drive out and visit an alpaca farm. They have good, allergy free fur.
On our way we met Timarie, Mark, and the girls at the High School husbandry farm. The piglets were born the night before so we went to check them out.

Can you believe how big the piglet is?

Turkeys as well.
Momma and babies. They have to keep her in a cage like thing so that she doesn't accidentally lay on one of the babies.
Tri and the goat. All of these goats are pregnant-hence "husbandry" farm.
Now, time for the Alpacas...
The girls figured out how to attract the alpacas by feeding them.
The alpacas are not usually social with people but Kalee had almost all of them around her while she fed them hay.
Roam free...as free as the wind...
All week I was getting the kids excited to go see the farm by calling them AAAALLLLLpacas (you have to imagine the pacas part really fast). AAAALLLLpacas, AAAAAALLLLLpacas, now you really want to go see them too don't you? AAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLpacas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shaun's teeth (or lack thereof) make for a great funny face.

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