totally ghetto pumpkin coloring

I have to admit I am against two-year-olds using knives, so letting Zach carve his pumpkin was out. I instead opted to do pumpkin coloring with permanent markers. Permanent markers = outside + no clothes + apron. It worked well and Zach had a great time. He was proud of his pumpkin coloring and kept trying to open the door to take a peek at his work.

animal train and car brigade

So... I have to get ready in the morning. I have to shower. I have to do my hair. I have to brush my teeth. Occasionally, I do deoderant. The basics. I must have been super long this morning however, because Zach started making an animal train and car brigade on the edge of my counter. Kids are so funny to me. The animals and cars must have had a falling out though because they're heading in opposite directions. The cars must not have been willing to get on the ark.

just for fun

I thought it would be fun to post one of the earliest pictures I could find of me and Brandon together. For some of you, this may be the first time you have seen Brandon with hair. I guess this is my proof that he really can grow it, he just chooses not to. :) This picture was taken when we were dating and going to Utah State. We had just had a dough fight.... I know, strange.... but you do odd things when you're young.

man in the pantry

A quick math question for you... what do you get when you take a broken pantry door handle, and add an eager spouse and a drill? Read to find out.

*

It's around 5:00 yesterday and I'm getting ready to make a gourmet dinner (chili) for my spouse. I go to my pantry to grab our dinner in a can and the pantry door won't open. I wiggle and jiggle the handle, but it feels like it's locked. I can't get in my pantry. I wait for Brandon to get home and he quickly grabs a screwdriver and drill and gets to work. After fifteen minutes, I give up on chili. If the man in the pantry who won't let us in wants my chili so bad, he can have it.

*

Ten minutes later, I have submitted to the fact that Brandon might have to take a saw to the door. I'm fine with that. I'm going to need my cereal tomorrow morning. However, like the handyman genius that he is, Brandon drills out the screws (ruining the handle in the process) and opens our door. A few minutes later, Brandon sits proudly down at the table with a huge grin on his face, eating his gourmet dinner of chili. We'll get a new handle tomorrow...

finger painting

I must not be very home-makery because I get so excited when a little project goes so well. I made finger paints... from scratch. Yeah... I know, everyone is thinking, "I've done that since I was 5", but I thought I was ingenious (even though I just followed a recipe). I've been meaning to do some finger painting with Zach for awhile now, but could never find it stores. Finally, as a last resort, I made some. It turned out surprisely well!

Zach did not like getting his fingers dirty - kind of an essential task for finger painting - but I substituted a basting brush and spatula instead. He liked that much better.

Here is Zach looking very Princess Leia-esque:

To find the finger paint recipe, see here. I used the Original Recipe (but not for fried chicken). This activity also reminded me of a great childhood memory when my mom would make homemade play dough. It smells heavenly. Here's the recipe:

2 cups flour
1 tbsp. alum
1 cup salt
2 cups boiling water
2 tbsp. baby oil

Mix flour, salt, and alum (a spice). Add boiling water and mix. Knead in baby oil.

utah voter information pamphlet

So... we received our Utah Voter Information Pamphlet in the mail the other day. Surprisingly, it made for some rather humorous reading. Here are some of our favorites:

U.S. Congressional District 1

• Joseph Geddes Buchman's email is "votefordrjoe@gmail.com". His 8-year-old son must have thought of that one.
• Incumbent Rob Bishop is feeling pretty good as his opponent, Kirk Pearson, says "we do not need change". I guess if he's not offering anything new, I'll follow his advice and not vote for a new guy.

U.S. Congressional District 2

• Every page, minus this one (p. 8), is lined with suit-clad men and women. Mathew Arndt thought it best, when running for a congressional seat, to instead look very professional by including a picture from his high school yearbook.

U.S. Congressional District 3

• Jim Noorlander says, "Voting for either major party is tantamount to rearranging the chairs on the Titanic."

Utah Governor and Lieutenant Governor

• All of "Superdell" Dell Schanze's statement was priceless: "SUPERDELL is your only choice because YOU didn't file. Huntsman took away your freedoms and raised taxes more than any governor in the history of Utah. Springmeyer has admitted that he doesn't care about the constitution. The definition of the word insane is voting for the same people while expecting change. There is no question that Dell Schanze is different [you can say that again]. There are only 3 people on the ballot and SUPERDELL is the only one that is NOT socialist. If you are unsure then fill your heart with love, completely open your mind and pray to God earnestly. You can't afford to get this wrong and will be held accountable for your choice." I am sad to admit we own a Totally Awesome computer.

Utah Attorney General

• W. Andrew McCullough says that he envisions "... fewer people going to jail or prison for simple possession of drugs". Yeah, possession of addictive, illegal drugs is no big deal. Let 'em go.

Utah State Auditor

• Clare Collard has the cool factor going on. She's married to a guy named Que. Is that Q or K? Either way, a letter for a name is a vote in my book.
• Richard D. Proctor says, "Our presidential candidate, Chuck Baldwin, has established goals that I believe in." Chuck who? I'm going to vote for Proc because he has the same goals as Chuck What's-His-Name?

birthday boy!

We now have a 2-year-old on our hands! It was fun planning Zach's birthday festivities which we celebrated in a two-day extravaganza. We had the Tuckers over on Saturday for a BBQ and then the Allans over for Sunday dinner. Zach loved having all his friends come visit!

As a side note, I took Zach to the doctor today for his 2-year wellness check-up. He's healthy. The kid is skinny, a tad short, and has a large head. Because Zach is under the 3rd percentile for weight, my doctor gave me a stack of papers labeled "Power Packing for Children". They should probably rename it: "How to make a Chunky". It gave me all sorts of ideas for introducing calories into Zach's diet to make him chunkier. I laughed. One of the tips: "Compare labels to choose higher calorie products". Zach would get fatter, so would I (bad side effect), and Brandon would stay the same weight he's been since high school. I think Zach's weight is genetic more than food intake. I mean come on, Brandon's not going to be competing for a heavyweight title any time soon. I'll have to see what I can do with my skinny boy - some of the tips sounded pretty tasty to me.