Most of this week was pretty much just routine, so there aren't a lot of exciting things to report. However, I thought of some funny things that I hadn't posted, so here they are.

Sydney has Show and Tell at preschool every Thursday, and a couple of weeks ago they were assigned to bring a small something for each member of the class. We had talked all week about different things Sydney could bring and had settled on stickers. On Thursday, we were about eight blocks away from preschool when I remembered that I hadn't brought anything. I knew Sydney would be crushed if she was the only kid who didn't bring something, so I was getting a little frantic. We had just passed a gas station, and I was trying to think of something I could pick up there and bring back. I was still trying to mentally take stock of what was already in the car when I remembered the change drawer. I dug out a dozen pennies, dropped them in Sydney's pocket and she was on her way. She LOVES money so she was really excited and I wasn't the bad guy mom who forgot Show and Tell.

Tansy constantly walks around with a blanket draped around her shoulders like a cape. She has figured out how to get her things out of her crib and will come out of her room, draped in a blanket from the neck down with her stuffed puppy dangling from her mouth.

Zack has started patting me on the back when I hold him up to my shoulder and pat him on the back. It's so funny but really cute.

Ben had Escape and Evasion this weekend. A bunch of cadets go up the canyon and have a scenario they act out. Some are agressors and some are evaders. They have campfires in several places to go warm up during the night, since they are literally out all night. They stumble in between 7 and 8 a.m. for a breakfast made by the Spouse Club of the detachment. I didn't make breakfast this year since I have way too many kids who are way too small to be dragging them out of bed before 6.

Sydney had her first Primary program today. Her favorite song is "When Jesus Christ Was Baptized," so that was pretty much the only song she sang. The rest of the time, she took it upon herself to help her teachers keep the other kids under control and out of trouble. Since we have been home, she has been singing the very last part of "Called to Serve" over and over again. However, she sings it "Na, na, na, na, na. Fast forward, and we're called to serve and sing." At least she tries.

This week we set up the Halloween decorations. Sydney just couldn't wait any longer. She was kind of disappointed that she is too tall to fit under the witch's arm this year. Last year she liked to pretend that the witch had her arm around her.

Sydney likes to put on our freaky Darth Maul costume and scare Tansy. Tansy does not like masks.


We also made some Halloween treats. We barely got the pipe cleaners and googly eyes on Tansy's Ding Dong before she dug in. Sydney made most of them. Dad decided that his should be dead. It's the one in the middle with the brown, straight legs. We turned him over for this picture.

Ben had Fall Break this past Friday. We went down to the Ogden area for an Abshire Family Fun Day. We got lunch at Red Lobster, made a quick stop at Hill AFB (so Ben could pick something up - not really high on the fun-meter, but necessary), and went to the Eccles Dinosaur Park. Sydney has been really into dinosaurs lately and both of the girls had a great time. Tansy loved being let out of the stroller and trying to keep up with Sydney. They had decorated for Halloween, and Tansy found a mummy that goes "Mmmmm-mmmmm!" every time someone walks by. She kept walking around the museum going "Mmmmm-mmmmm!" after that. The weather was also in the 70s so the outdoor exhibits and playground were also a lot of fun. We had a yummy dinner with our friends the Palmers. Don't ask the girls their opinion though. They were so excited to be with their friends, they hardly ate. We topped everything off with a trip to Baskin Robbins.

Though all of this, Zack was my good little baby. Did I say little? I finally had to stop trying to stuff his into 0-3 month clothes and move up to 3-6. Neither of the girls made this switch until they were about 4 months old, so I didn't see it coming when Zack is only 2 1/2 months old. He's a good eater and putting on a lot of weight. He is also a super sleeper. He now sleeps from 9:00 to 7:00 each night without waking up. He's then ready for a nap at 8:00 and takes a couple more less scheduled naps throughout the day. Plus, he puts himself to sleep. When he starts acting tired, I can usually just lay him down in his crib, put his blanket on him, admire his sleep smile, and walk out while he puts himself to sleep. He is such a good baby.

I'm really blanking on what we have been doing the past couple of weeks. On the 1st we took Tansy and Zack for well-child visits. They are both doing great and are not only on the growth chart, but putting up big numbers - at least for our family. Tansy's weight was in the 33% and Zack's was in the 46%. Of course, both of them were in the 85% for head circumference, but we Abshire are known for our huge heads, I mean intelligence. Don't get me wrong; we love Sydney for being "well proportioned" and "growing on her own curve." It's just nice not to have to wonder if we're doing something wrong. I wonder if I will ever stop feeling new at this whole parenting thing. Maybe, if my kids stopped growing up long enough for me to get used to them.

On the 2nd, we broke into a set of fingerpaints we'd had for entirely too long. They had congealed into a strange, thick consistency more akin to bread dough than paint. Well, all except green. We had a great time with green. Actually, we had a great time with all of them, rising to the challenge. Get it? "Rising" to go along with my bread dough parallel? Oh, never mind.

Ben and I enjoyed a great trip to the dentist on the 8th. That is actually not sarcastic! We went in expecting to spend hundreds of dollars on my tooth sensitivity issues and Ben's cavity. We came out with free sealants on four of my teeth (my dentist is truly a saint) and the news that Ben didn't have a cavity - it's just a divot. We felt really blessed not to have those expenses with Christmas coming.

Zack got his first haircut on the 9th. Most people think I'm crazy, but he had this fuzz in the front, a spot that was an inch and a half long in the back, and a fringe down by his neck below where he has rubbed off his hair in the back. He now has a very cute, but manly, blond buzz over his whole head. I think he's very handsome. One day, I might write about Tansy's first haircut. I don't see that coming for many, many years.

Yesterday, we had family pictures taken. I will post those in a few weeks when we get them. This is always such an undertaking. It felt like it took the whole morning the get the kids clean, napped, and fed at convenient times to have the greatest degree of happiness and cooperation possible for the ten minutes of actual picture taking. When it was time to view and choose our pictures, we had less than half of the shots to choose from. First thought: the kids were that bad? No. I was assured there were lots of cute shots of the kids that had been eliminated. Why? you ask. Because of the curse of taking a picture with Melanie in it. I had my eyes closed in seven shots and a really weird face in another one. Sigh. At least the kids were cute, and that's all anyone wants to see anyway.