The Great Pumpkin Report

Halloween, although not my favorite holiday of the year, is always a magical time full of festive parties, haunted houses, colorful decorations and creative costumes.

This year was no exception; October was a busy time in our neck of the woods.  Luckily, we spread out the grand celebrations over several weeks.

The first week of the month, I whipped up treat baskets for some friends.  Although it was not sent via the postal service, this is my attempt to revive the project, "Fun Mail" that I did last year.  So, stay tuned for more tales of Fun Mail... and keep an eye on your mailbox!

We spent one of our date nights (2nd weekend of October) with Dave's brother, Jon, and his girlfriend, Aubri.   I made my lazy lasagna and the giant, mousse-filled cupcakes.  Aubri brought an awesome salad filled with fruit, veggies and a lot of tasty stuff, as well as a bucket of Halloween candy eyes, candy corn and other sugary goodness.  We carved pumpkins and then watched a scary/corny Halloween movie that Jon picked out.  It was such a fun night!

Our combined YM/YW activity was a pumpkin carving contest.  Because one of the scout leaders was unable to be there that night, we also had all of the 11-year-old scouts.  That made for a crazy night, filled with paint-covered, impaled and barfing jack o'lanterns.  Fortunately, Tawnya brought a bunch of fun, festive prizes and made some delicious iced sugar cookies & pumpkin bars to round out the evening.

We attended Mark and Linda's annualHalloween party, which did not disappoint.   While I forgot my camera, we were able to nosh on amazing food (chicken chili, chili-cheese bake, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin-brownie cheesecake and chips & dip).  It was a lot of fun to see everyone in very creative costumes.

Our ward's party, the Halloween Spooktacular, was a ton of fun.  The YW, as always, decorated the YW room into a spooky gallery for our annual cupcake walk.  While the Monster Mash blared, kids meandered around the maze of pumpkins and ghosts, in hopes of winning a delectable, frosted treat!  The Activities Committee provided a nice dinner, which included a baked potato bar, chili, broccoli cheese sauce, green salad, dressing and beverages.  Ward members were asked to bring a spooky dessert; my treat of choice: Frankenstein Brownies.  The kids gobbled them up... they obviously had not had enough sugar yet!

Finally, Halloween night came and we were all a little under the weather.  For that reason, we had to skip out on the Wagners' party AND trick r' treating.  We simply hung out in Edmonds with the rest of the Goodwin clan, where we posed for costume pictures, ate pizza, shared candy and generally enjoyed a spooky holiday.

20 Days of Gratitude: Day 2

DAY #2 - This guy was another easy choice.  

I have so many reasons to be thankful for Dave.  He will hate me for posting an entry like this, but it's my blog and I figure I can say what I want, right? So, without getting entirely too mushy, here are some of the reasons why I am grateful for him.

He has a zest for life and loves to be active.

He provides for our family.

He pushes me to be a better person every day.

He will eat whatever I cook - and normally likes it too.

He is always ready for an adventure, especially if it involves a tent & hiking boots.

He loves the Lord.

He has a kind and generous heart.

He willingly attends plays, ballets and parties with me.

He can be silly.

He can be serious.

He has a strong testimony of the Gospel.

He loves Benjamin.

He loves me.

Oh, and he doesn't mind folding large mountains of laundry into the wee hours of the night. 

For all of those things he does, and a thousand more, I am grateful.

Gratitude Countdown

Starting today, until the end of the month, I'll post a picture (or collage) of something for which I'm grateful.  Last Thanksgiving was a challenging time for my family so it was so important to remember the little things.  Some of my choices may be cute, really silly, a bit weird, and others way too serious.  But, they are just a little snapshot of the things that make my life so sweet.  (Plus, I figure it will help me be more disciplined about my blogging!)

So... get ready for the 20 Days of Gratitude! 

DAY #1 - This little guy was an easy choice.

On Being Eleanor Rigby

Today I was lonely.

Sitting on the pew at church, I felt very alone. Not for want of lovely friends and ward members and our sweet, little Benjamin; something was just missing.

The vacant seat beside me was a new and strange phenomenon. For the past 5 years, Dave has always sat next to me at church. There is a certain sense of comfort, safety and security in having him next to me.

I knew today was coming and I thought I was emotionally prepared, but I was wrong. I was completely shocked at how his absence blindsighted me and how profound that absence felt.

Obviously, I was so happy to see him up on the stand. I smiled when he laughed because I knew what he was thinking. I even tried to pull goofy faces to see if he would notice - he mostly didn't because he was paying attention, as he should. I'm proud that he is righteous and worthy to receive this new calling.

It's a big change for our family and there is such beauty and hope and potential with change. But today, there was a definite sense of loss with this change... and that loss was exquisite.

Just Do It

Normally, I don't get too political on my blog. But I will today... just a little.

Say what you want about politics, government or the voting process. Everyone knows that the people and processes are not perfect and even corrupt, at times. Regardless of all of the negative things surroundings these ideas, it's still important to have your say. In fact, it's your right and privilege as a member of this lovely country.

I'm not going to say, one way or another, how you should vote. Just do it. Besides, it's just a little bit fun to fill out the ballots, right?!

Today is voting day, so make your voice heard! I did - and it felt good.

Oh... and November 3rd is a big deal for another reason:
==Happy Birthday Mom!==

Current Events - October

Rather than trying to catch up and post individual updates about everything that has happened lately, I decided to simply share some brief snippets about life in the Goodwin house. During October, we've been up to all kinds of mischief and fun, such as:

Family:

• watched General Conference - missed Saturday, but caught all of Sunday's sessions.
• got our seasonal flu shots. Benjamin got off shot-free because he is not yet 6 months old.
• tried to get our H1N1 (aka: "the piggy flu") shots at a free clinic on Halloween, but we were turned away... though I got cornered and interviewed by a Seattle Times reporter.

Dave:

• is getting geared up for church basketball.
• is on a personal quest to find the perfect tent... lately, it's been the Mountain Hardwear EV Direct (see, I do listen). :)
• was called as the 2nd counselor in the bishopric. We are all feeling a bit overwhelmed, yet blessed, about that one.

Benjamin:

• weighed in at 10 lbs, 4 oz (10%) and measured 23 3/4" (25%) at his 2-month appointment on October 6th. Needless to say, he has been growing like a weed ever since!
• started wearing 6 months clothing!
• rolled back onto his back during tummy time - he really hates tummy time.

Michelle:

• began the transition at work to a fully digital library. And yes, it's a huge project.
• got a TdaP (tetanus/pertussis) shot updated so that Mr. Benjamin doesn't get whopping cough. Thank goodness I'm good for another 10 years... I'm still nursing a fetching bruise and I got the shot 2 1/2 weeks ago.
• starts a cake decorating class on Thursday and is trying to learn how to do fondant so that she can whip together Brent's wedding cake/cupcakes.

And - what about Halloween Activities?

• Halloween Spooktacular/Church party - Dave was Billy Joe Armstrong (Green Day), I was Janice (Muppets) and Benjamin was Winnie the Pooh. After a big baked potato bar, we headed to our various assigned stations; the YW put were in charge of a very spooky cupcake walk and the YM were in charge of the haunted primary room - both were a smashing success.


• Costume Ball/Mark & Linda's party - Dave was Matt Hasselbeck (Seahawks QB) and I was a generic cowgirl. These were both easy, low-maintenance outfits... no need for wigs, make-up, etc. The night was filled with good food and lots of Beatles Rock Band fun.


• Family get-together - just hung out in Edmonds on Halloween & ate pizza with everyone. While we were all a little sick, we were especially concerned about taking Benjamin out in the cold, rainy night. So, we sadly skipped Benjamin's first night of "Trick or Treating" and missed another festive party.

Count Your Blessings

Three weeks ago, we blessed Benjamin at church.

It was a beautiful & sunny, cool Sunday and we carted him off to the church building, dressed in his lovely navy blue pj's.

Why?

Dave's mom shared the horror story about Dave's blessing day and how he had to be blessed in his pajamas due to a most unfortunate incident. We decided to avert disaster and change Benjamin into his outfit shortly before church started. And, we had some reason to be worried - we were working under a "24-hour, non-soiled diaper" situation. For all of those moms out there, you know the results after a long dry spell are NOT pretty.

We decided to bless him in a white jumper outfit (complete with little booties & a matching blanket) that has been worn by two of his cousins, Matthew & Seth Isaacson. A few months ago, he was swimming in the outfit and we thought we might need to buy something a bit smaller. Fast forward several weeks, a few pounds and a few inches: when we tried it on a week before the blessing, I was shocked to see that he would be wearing knickers, rather than pant legs. Oh well! He was cute and we just wrapped him up in the cozy, white blanket - problem solved!

We were fortunate to be surrounded by many friends and family that day. Two of Dave's BYU roommates came with their families - the Lacanienta family (4 kids) flew in from Las Vegas and the Haladin family (3 kids) drove down from British Columbia! It was fun to meet and spend time with them over the weekend; we had an especially good time at IHOP, which is a vacation tradition for one of the families.

On Sunday, we saved three rows of pews because we knew we would have quite a crowd. In addition to the Lacanienta & Haladin families, our parents, aunts, uncles, siblings, nieces & nephews were in attendance. Due to the large number of guests we had, the blessing circle was quite large. It included:

• David Goodwin (father)
• Ben Goodwin (grandpa)
• Frank Marchant (grandpa)
• Ron Lowe (great uncle)
• John Cahoon (great uncle)
• Bracan Williams (uncle)
• Jon Isaacson (uncle)
• Shane Lacanienta (friend)
• Mike Haladin (friend)
• Mark Watson (friend)
• Bret Webb (friend)

The blessing that Dave gave Benjamin was tender and thoughtful. Besides giving him a name, he blessed him with a desire for knowledge, both spiritual & secular, and that he would be a great example to our family and others in his sphere of influence. We are so grateful to all who traveled (many came long distances) to take part in this special day for our family.

And, we are especially grateful to have this sweet child in our family.

I Ain't Afraid of No Ghost

For my little blogosphere friends, updates are coming - I promise. Tales of intrigue, suspense and dirty diapers await you! So stay tuned.

Until then...

I'm not quite sure how you spell "heebee jeebee's", but - dude - check out this link to "A True Halloween Story by Chip". It is exquisitely spppoooooky! I am still trying to shake off the creepy creeper feelings.

Food for Thought

I had the best intentions of blogging more about the foods I make.  Well, as you can see, that didn't happen.  I'm going to try to be better, even though my husband always gives me weird looks when I pull out the camera and start photographing our dinner.  Anyway, here are a few random snapshots of things I've made lately - enjoy and be sure not to drool onto your keyboard too much!

Left to Right:

• Cedar Plank Salmon with Rice Pilaf and Field Greens Salad
• Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes with Chocolate Mousse & Raspberry Filling
• Potato Basil Frittata
• Organic Fruit Salad
• Spicy Turkey Taco Salad

Worst Day of My Life

I'm sure every other mother feels the same way.  Shot day was sad.  It happened 3 weeks ago and it was so sad.

I asked the nurse what I needed to do.  She instructed me: "just keep him focused on you".  

I was holding his tiny, trusting hands.  I was making sweet, cooing noises.   He was smiling at me.  Then, the needle found its mark - three times.

  And he looked at me - ME - like, why are YOU hurting me?  Yeah, he couldn't see the nurse, just ME - & we remained focused.  I should have directed his attention at the big, bad nurse and let her see his silent scream of pain & sadness, those huge tears and the eyes that were pleading, "Why?".

The worst part?  The despondent sobbing and little heaves of his chest that continued long after the shots had dug into his tiny thighs.  I fed him as soon as it was over, in an attempt to console him and make him forget the worst day of my life.  But he whimpered and drew in quick breaths between bursts of crying as I held him close.  

We stayed in the room for a long time.

 

And it was the worst day of my life.

It Tells A Story

I'm borrowing this cutesy blog title from a friend's blog idea - she will periodically post a picture that is worth a thousand words (posts a picture that speaks so nicely for itself).

So, does it tell a story?  Or at least, can you tell how my 1st post-pregnancy visit to my new dentist went - by the need to purchase this handy dandy tool?  Yeah, it was THAT good.  (As  you can see, I have trouble with the image & no commentary bit - oh well.)

Life has been insanely busy and I've been trying to capture our events on camera - but they have not translated into updates on the blog due to this sweet little guy & his need for my constant attention.  

Stay tuned for the continuing adventures of Benjamin... oh, and us too.

Weekend Synopsis

This one basically sums it up.

Not much to report around here:  just a lot of eating, sleeping, football and conference.   

And, really, is there anything better than just being a tiny bit lazy on a beautiful Autumn weekend?  

Yeah, I don't think so either.