Primary Program

Today was a rarity -- 3 out of 4 kids in the Primary Program! Matt was not a willing participant. As mentioned, he turns 12 in a matter of days. He looked nice in his blue suit. He left for church early, on his bike, and I didn't get a photo. We got to go to our new church today--the old one was 5 minutes away, this one is 1 minute by car. We are so spoiled!

Emily sang a duet for her part in the program. Megan will get a chance to sing another time--somehow lines got crossed on the message that she was supposed to sing the first verse, with two other girls, instead of the second verse as originally planned. But it's a huge primary, and they did well. After the dry run on Thursday, I knew we were going to need a miracle today. Bad dress rehearsal, good performance, something like that?

Matt's Birthday Party

Matt turns 12 next Wednesday. He wanted to go to Outback for steak, or take all his friends to dinner, but we decided to go for something easier. He invited friends over for pizza and Wii. Unfortunately, the bulb on the movie projector blew out halfway through the party!

They still had a lot of fun, though. He is definitely growing up. The first clue was when I asked him what he wanted to do for the party and he said, "Stuff."

Translation: I'm too old for parties where my mom plans the games. Honestly? Even though we had boys in our house from 11 am to 7:30 pm (one stayed longer) I didn't have to do much except hand out pizza, sprite, and make a cake.

Speaking of cake, I spent ages making a fancy cake with a spider web design and gummi spiders on it, and everyone was so full of pizza they barely touched it. Next year--hostess cupcakes?

The most important part was that Matt had a great time. His favorite party accessory were the plastic 'goblets' that looked like skulls held by a skeleton hand. There are definite advantages to having a b-day this close to Halloween.

Halloween Party

It's been a long time since I've done serious dressing up for a halloween party. The closest was a couple of years ago, when all I did was put on a cat-ear headband borrowed from Emily, white shirt, black pants, and taped an x-ray to my chest. I was a 'cat scan.'

So this year, we got invited to an all-out Halloween party. I thought my mom had thrown out all of her costumes from when she used to dance, but she kept a few. I borrowed this really great dress that used to be my grandmother's (Muzzy.) I wanted to do something different than the witch I've used the dress for in the past, so I took a cue from the botanical pattern and decided to frizz my hair and go as "Poison Ivy." (50's song, but I guess no one but me has heard of it.) Emily had lots of fun helping me, pinned ivy in my hair and helped spray green hair color. We had fun, even though I had to go to church today with slightly green-tinted hair.

The funniest part is how Barry, who boycotted costumes, was the one who got the prize. Milk duds, of course, if you get that reference.

Camping with a Cougar!!

Since Matt is almost 12, he got invited on his first scout over-nighter. They had a grand time, starting the fire from flint and steel. The bad part was when he got scared. It all started when the dog they brought was patrolling the teepee and they thought she was a wolf. They got scared, huddled together, and prayed. Then they heard a growl! It sounded like a cougar. One scout, who shall remain nameless, swore. Then they heard it again and it charged at them. It turned out to be the scout leader, who was bringing them pepper spray and making sure they were okay.

The foregoing paragraph, minus the first sentence, was dictated by Matt to me. He's good with words, don't you think? And it was all real enough to keep everyone up all night. He's still talking about the experience!

He Caught a Fish!!!

After taking Matt over to the pond in Midway several times last summer and the one before that and never catching anything, I asked my Dad to come fish with Matt. He did a better job. He, Matt, and Matt's friend KJ caught a bunch of fish! That was the good news. The bad news? Having to clean them. My dad did that too, thankfully.

Homecoming

Eric wanted a tux with a black shirt, white vest, and tails. He looked very good in it, although he wasn't sure at first. I told him if he was going to get tails, he had to sit down at the piano so I could take a photo. It's not a grand, but you get the idea.

It is really weird having a son old enough to date. I have to admit, I'm not nearly as cool a parent as I'd hoped to be--too worried about where he is, etc. But maybe being cool isn't what a parent is supposed to be. My mom did it better. Is it because I was so trustworthy? One can only hope.

He went with a big group, and they went to Stein Erickson lodge for dinner. I gulped when I heard that--I've never been there, but hear it's pricey. His date, Connor, has a dad who works there. So they only had to pay tax, tip, and valet. Can I get in on that kind of deal? I'd be happy to park my own car.