Fab Weekend

Last weekend was fab. Here's why:

We went to historic downtown, hit up Great Harvest, and had delicious soup and sandwiches.

We did some light window shopping in preparation for Christmas. Shout-out to the Aunts- I need a babysitter here for a weekend or even a day sometime before Christmas so Trav and i can get the kiddies some things...

We made a house for B and we all got inside. (Not at the same time)

We went to church, ate a delicious roast and veggie dinner, and then played with pipe-cleaners.

Driving in Idaho Falls

I forgot that I promised a special post about driving here in IF. Since day 1 of our relationship I have heard my husband bash on "Utah drivers" He says things like:

"Well, I just cut that guy off but it's ok because we're in your car and we have Utah plates."

While I can appreciate that there are a lot of crazy drivers in Utah, and I don't miss the traffic and construction, here in the heart of Idaho, there is a whole different breed of people. I see them on the road every day and most of the time I wish I had my camera handy. Here are a few things I've seen:

• An old four door car with no doors. Now you might say "Eh, no big deal, sounds fun." Well strapped inside with seatbelts are children. We're talking 10 and under. And the Dad (Bet you can't guess what he looks like) is just driving along like it's no big deal.
• Vinyl lettering on the back window. Now I know what you're thinking- you see it all the time in Utah, a.k.a. the vinyl lettering capitol of the world. Well this vinyl lettering is huge, and it says something like "In memory of Billy Bob 1960-2006 He was a real pal" Now Travis said I shouldn't mess with death and I might hurt someone's feelings, but for heaven's sake, this has got to stop. I see it all the time. Is this reallt how you want to remember your dead loved ones? Vinyl lettering on the back window of your '83 Camry?To each his own I suppose. I apologize if I've offended.
• Now my favorite: We are driving to get on the freeway and head south and up ahead I see an old, slightly hickish truck. Normally I wouldn't give it a second glance, but sticking out of the bed of the truck were the legs of numerous sheep. I had to get a picture, and since Travis was driving I calmly urged him to get closer to the truck for a better view. For some reason he was embarrassed that his wife was hanging out the window taking pictures of dead sheep. Nevermind that. Look at this:

Go ahead, click to enlarge. It's for real.
Thanks Idaho Falls, you're always good for some drive-by entertainment.

Healthy Eating

There are a lot of foods that I choke down because of their health benefits. While oatmeal isn't on top of my "eat because you have to" list, it certainly isn't one of my favorite breakfasts. I eat it because it fils me up and I'm not ravenous in an hour. Plus I know it's good for me and yadda yadda yadda.

One morning while I was staring at my bowl of oats, B asked for a taste. I thought about the possibility of him barfing- because after all, it's Brenner, and lastnight I thought he was going to lose it while watching me eat my broccoli. But I was interested in what his response might be and I needed to mop the floor anyway, so I gave him a little bite.

He ate it and asked for more.

The next morning and many many mornings thereafter he has requested oatmeal. It's foreign to me why he would choose this over frosted mini-wheats, eggs, or french toast, but I oblige him with a huge helping of fiber-rich, healthy oatmeal.

And I can sleep peacefully, because I know my kid's digestive tract is regular, and because oatmeal, in the immortal words of Russell "Keeps the heart-attacks away."

Fine Weather

It has been quite warm here the last couple of days, so rather than do laundry and clean and all that stuff, we've been playing outside. Quite justifiable because I am hearing this kind of thing a lot lately:

"Oh just wait until you have a winter here..."

Ummm... yeah.

So

We had a good time at the park.

Savages

I'm not usually one of those Moms who has to buy and/or make matching outfits for her children, but I decided it would be easier to just make both the boys indians. Of course, I had the idea and bought the fabric and everything before I realized how difficult it would be to find accessories to go with the costume. There were no indian head-dresses, tomahawks, or necklace items to be found. So I improvised, as I always do, and ended up with this:

Ok, freak, they're adorable right?

Well, putting them in the costumes and getting pictures wasn't so easy. And B totally freaked out while I was painting his face, hence the beautifully straight, even lines. Also, I spent at least 2 hours making that necklace B has around his neck, only to have him discard it later like a dead fish. I'm sure if Clark decides to lunge for it, it will suddenly be B's most prized possession. We also forgot the bow-and-arrow set we bought for the occasion.

We also made some home-made rootbeer and carved some pumpkins.

Shout-out to my Mom, the amazing seamstress who helped me make the costumes.

P.S. I am aware there is a black spot on some of the pictures. It's somewhere inside my camera and I am going to freak if I can't get it out. Any suggestions? I think it's somewhere behind the shutter.