The Halloween weekend before Halloween weekend =)

The Halloween festivities started the weekend before Halloween. It was a jam packed weekend, with lots of costume dressing up in between baseball and tball games.




Friday night, Kai and Jewel had their Fall Festival at their school.Kai hung out with a group of friends during the event, and Jewel, Jake and Adrian (Kai & Jewel's stepbrother) hung out with us. We played games, went through a haunted house, and watched the live band play. The band was made up of some of the teachers, they did cover songs of the B52's, Michael Jackson, etc. They were actually really good.






..Jake & Jewel were in this huge ball. Jake looked like a pair of socks in a clothes dryer, it was SOO funny.








Saturday was the Zombie Walk on the Vegas strip. This night was full of laughs. It was SO hard for me to make a 'zombie face' for pictures. We walked about 3 miles each way up and down the Strip. At times, I forgot we were all dressed as zombies until people freaked out and stared at us. There were an estimated 500 'zombies' roaming the strip that night.

I decided to go as a zombie farmer, but apparently, that look is not cool. People like to be sexy zombies or rocker zombies. LOL.



















.. I ended up taking wedding photos of people who were at the Las Vegas sign that night, when I was dressed as a zombie. LOL.


Sunday night we had fun Trick or treating, playing games and braving a haunted train car at the Clark County Museum's annual Ghosts & Ghouls event. Kai didn't want a costume since he wasn't actually going to be in town for Halloween. He went to a baseball tournament with his team (and with his Dad) in Temecula, CA. They went to Knott's Scary Farm and a Halloween Carnival on Halloween night. As you can see, we had our '4th kid' aka the kids stepbrother Adrian, with us that night. We also hung out with a friend from playgroup, Katy, and her family.

Stuff

It was a beautiful, crisp 50 degrees this morning. Perfect weather.

I got through my hectic weekend!

- Wood floors were completed in time. B did an amazing job. The next home project to tackle are new french doors in the game room. We have also decided to redo our staircase. We are thinking cherry wood to match the floors downstairs, with black wrought iron scroll designs on the railing. B's close friend (Katie's fiance) is a carpenter and said this project would be a piece of cake for him.

- Katie's bridal shower was amazing. I'm proud of myself that it all came together. I was seriously having doubts. I conjured up this image in my head and didn't know if I could pull off the execution-I ordered most of the table decor online (plates, tableware) and sometimes it comes out differently than originally pictured. I made the centerpieces and ceiling decor. I also folded paper cranes to place on one of the centerpieces (back story on that in the post where I include photos). Katie cried when I toasted her, like I knew she would. LOL.

* I could not have pulled off the shower without B's help. He helped me tremendously with it, even though he wasn't even invited to it. He went food shopping with me and suggested certain dishes, helped me clean the house that day and even cooked/arranged ALLLL of the food and platters. He left after he washed the last dish and as the first of the guests arrived.

- my sister Joey, Katie, Kai, Jewel and I participated in the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) walk Saturday morning. We didn't bring Jake because I think a 5k walk is still a bit much for him. The kids had a lot of fun and want to do it again next year. They learned a lot about diabetes lately, because some of their friends in school have Type 1. They also learned a lot from meeting Justice, the boy who has Type 1 and who's Mom is a friend of mine. We were walking as a team with Justice and his family, and we were called 'Justice's Pancreatic Avengers'.

- Sunday was our SEVENTH annual friends' thanksgiving dinner. Since a lot of my old airport friends go out of town for Thanksgiving, we always get together early in November for a turkey dinner of our own. The past few years it's been held at our house, since the original hosts, Sarah and Casey, have a smaller home and our little group that gets together annually has doubled in size. A lot of laughs and delicious food.

- Yesterday Dad started radiation for his Melanoma. Stage 1 melanoma. His mole on his nose has been removed and basically radiation is to be done 5 days a week for 6 weeks. Dad was on my mind all day yesterday and I've been thinking about him all morning. I called him before his treatment and also after his treatment. He said he felt fine. The Dr. mentioned him possibly feeling ill/nauseous starting the 2nd or 3rd week. We haven't told the kids. Dad's logic was that it's not serious enough for them to worry about.

- Yesterday, Jake & I hung out at home while the kids were in school. I could tell he wasn't feeling himself during lunch, he barely touched his food and went to lay on the couch. He had a temperature of 101. I called and made an appt with the Ped to nip whatever sickness he had, in the bud before it got worse. The only appt they had the same day was at a different location than our normal one (a few blocks from home). B volunteered to take Jake since I had to take Jewel to dance class and Kai to baseball practice. After over an hour of waiting (something we never have to do at 'our' location), Jake was seen. He has a head cold. Negative on strep or any ENT infections. His fever has miraculously disappeared and he seems back to his normal self. He weighed SIXTY FIVE POUNDS yesterday. B was a little worried and asked the Dr if he was normal, and the Dr said that Jake is just a big healthy boy. (so fuck off, haters. LOL)


- The ex, Jason, and I have been getting along really well lately. We've been getting along for quite some time, but now there are even jokes between us. A huge step was taken as well-Jake has been to his house to play. Without me around, obviously. He has always treated Jake with respect (as much respect as you can give a 3 year old), and Jake has asked to go play. Since Jason offered, I took him up on the offer. Jake survived with no tears and even came home excited to tell me what he did there. This will be something that happens frequently, I'm guessing.

- Jason and I have been talking about moving our families together somewhere for the past to years. We could never decide on a neutral area. Jason liked the idea of Phoenix, AZ or Austin, TX. I wanted to move to Denver, CO. I'm amazed that we have

I'll be 32 next Wednesday. Why do all these twenty-something year olds freak out as they approach their thirties? Honestly, I'm loving it. I feel a sense of maturity and I feel more experienced in life. I'm loving my thirties.

The only things I've noticed about aging/getting older:

- the lines in my forehead don't go away when I'm not scowling

- I've become addicted to coffee. This is a new habit. I still don't like wine.

- I can't last past 10pm. My body shuts down and my eyelids insist on closing.

Have I mentioned that this is my favorite time of year?

My absolute favorite, even though it's a pretty 80 degrees right now, in November, instead of in the 60's like I'd like it to be.

Lots to update about, as usual. Right now, I'm just enjoying:

- elections are over which takes away political ads from our televisions. Not that we watch a lot of it, but watching the news was not the same, with dirt slinging ads and that well paid, crazy dramatic commercial voiceover guy's voice reciting a crappy slogan. *clears throat* anyway, glad to be rid of the commercials and the DRAMA. It's safe to say that I have not been disowned during this election. It's a nice change.

- we survived Halloween. This may sound puzzling but with the event overload that happens during the Holidays, it was not a small feat. We paced ourselves and did only the events that we truly enjoyed during previous years. A real farm and pumpkin patch in our favorite area of Utah? yes please. Fall Festival at the kids school put on by the PTA? yes please. An annual trick or treat event at a state museum featuring old, period homes? yes please. A huge Halloween bash thrown by my family and my Dad? yes please. Going to an overcrowded clusterfuck event put on by a radio station with lines 2 blocks long to get ONE piece of candy? nope.

- Kai, Katie, my sister, her BF and a handful of friends participated in the Zombie Walk on the Strip this year. It was SO fun. Definitely not for everyone, but it tickled our morbid, weird pickles.

- that pesky 'home improvement' bug has bit us. It's been over 2 years since we've lived here and we have been doing things one at a time. Currently, the living room is in shambles. Flooring is torn out so that we can continue the wood floor that we have in the dining room, into the living room. I could swallow this fact easier if I didn't have Katie's fancy bridal shower AT MY HOUSE this Saturday. Which means 3 NIGHTS to finish everything before a whole slew of women come over. That and the fact that I scheduled our 7th annual friends' thanksgiving dinner the day after that. *headdesk*. I know, I do this to myself.

- I had jury duty. This consisted of me sitting in a room with a handful of 20 minute breaks throughout the day. At the end of the day, we were released. I caught up on my reading while doing my civic duty. Win, right? =) during jury duty, I learned that Kai's baseball coach is the chief judge of the 8th judicial district here.

- kids are doing amazing. The 'OMG, I can't believe these are MY kids and I love them' moments have outweighed the 'OMG, I can't believe these are MY kids because I want to beat their asses!' moments. Just kidding. I don't beat asses, but I do have to raise my voice every once in awhile.

- I missed the deadline for school for Fall, obviously. I may miss it for Winter as well. I just want to get through the Holidays first. Being wife/Mommy trumps being JEN right now, and I don't mind.

- Jake has a few more tball games and his season will be complete. Kai's baseball never stops, of course. Jewel's hip hop dance classes have been going well. Kai had an amazing time in DC with his Papa.

- the 6th anniversary of Mom's death was on October 27th. My stepdad, sister, brother and I all went and had a lovely meal together that night. We sat and reminisced on all the crazy things we remember. She really was a spectacular woman who touched the lives of many people, especially in her work as a social worker. That day was OK. It's easier on some days, but some days are still horrible and I just want my Mom back.


- my Dad and stepmom are still living together, despite her being adamant on wanting a divorce. We celebrated her birthday during our Halloween bash, her and my Dad spend all their free time together still, they shop for an apartment and a car for her together. It's very clear that they depend on each other for companionship but the love that they should have as a husband/wife is not there, and it seems that everyone is OK with that.


- my cousin came in from Montana to visit us. I LOVE seeing him. He is a few years older than me but we always shared a lot of the same values/opinions when it comes to our lives, so he is easy to talk to and fun to be around. This was the first time he had met Jake, and Jake literally had him (and everyone else) in tears of laughter when we went to dinner with him. I love my family.


Which leads me to realizing I have a TON of photos to post here. I'm such a slacker.

How is everyone doing? is anyone out there still?