A Jack-O-Lantern Mouth for Halloween

Jason lost ANOTHER tooth. That's 3 teeth in a weeks time! Now all he wants for Christmas is his THREE front teeth. He is having fun sticking his tongue through the holes in his mouth, but it's really hard to eat an apple!

33 days and no Toilet Cleaning...

Thirty-three days ago, I struck a deal with my sister: no eating sweets, eat salads for lunch, no snacking after dinner, and have veggies/fruits for snacks until Halloween. If I failed, I had to clean her 4 toilets. Sorry, no sweet temptation was worth cleaning someone else's toity when I hate to clean my own toities.

I have to admit there were some pretty tough days and many thanks to my family for putting up with me when I was onery that I couldn't have my sweet fix.

I'm grateful for the all the calories that I DIDN'T consume. I'm amazed how tempting it is to have a little treat here and a little treat there. You could justify your sweet consumption til the cows come home.

So, today...I dreamt of the possibilities of eating something I've been craving for 33 days...what would I want most...hmmm...the possibilities. I went with a sugar cookie. How I love a good sugar cookie.

So, I had one...and then another...I was disappointed that it wasn't all I had dreamed off. Which tells me that it's really my brain that WANTS the cookie and you always remember things better (or worse) than they REALLY are.

AND NOW...I'm sick. Apparently, 33 days without sweets makes a difference inside one's body. I'm not used to sugar. What a concept! I see the cookies sitting over on the pan and I really want nothing to do with them. I do not feel well.

So, it comes to this: we really don't NEED treats...our brain just thinks that we do! Life lesson learned...wonder how many times I'm going to have to learn it again.

The Close of the Kindergarten Soccer Season--Hooray!

Jason's first year in soccer has come and gone. His coach was a trooper and coached 2 teams this year. Last night, the two teams had their final game against each other. The coach's wife brought colorful hairspray for their hair. Even the coach colored his hair.

What a fun season it has been for Jason! His coach REALLY taught these kids soccer skills. It was our best kindergarten soccer experience...ever!

Jason LOVED playing soccer!

Matt, the Man of the Day

Matt turned 9 on the 29th! I can't believe it!

He was sooooo excited to celebrate his birthday. He was so worried that we would forget his birthday presents.

I'm so grateful to have Matt in our family. We would be lost without him. He has a very kind and generous heart. He often finds opportunities to help others and show compassion to them. He has a strong desire to be responsible and wakes early to make sure he has time to do all the things he needs to do. He hates to be late and will often make breakfast for others, so they won't be late for school.

We had homemade pizza, carved pumpkins, and had ice cream cake on his birthday. Soon, he will get to go on the "Big 9" date with Mom and Dad. He has been plotting possible restaurants for weeks now.

He also celebrated a little early with Grandpa and Grandma here. We had giant cupcakes on Saturday night and blew out candles.

Toothless!

Jason lost his front TWO teeth today (on the bottom). They have been VERY wiggly for several weeks now. They were literally hanging on by a thread. A little bit of floss and out they came! (For posterity, we should mention that it was Julie who helped the little teeth out...which is nothing short of a miracle as pulling teeth completely grosses her out! She's always more than willing to send the kids to Chad for teeth pulling!)

Jason was quite estatic when I explained that the tooth fairy brings money for teeth. Somehow he had missed the "Tooth Fairy Training Seminar." Poor third kid! He was scared to sleep on his pillow for fear that his head might break the two little teeth. Then panic set in when he thought the tooth fairy might take his teeth. Oh, then came the questions..."When does she come? Why in the middle of the night? Why is she a she and not a he? What is a tooth fairy?"

He's pretty excited to go to Kindergarten tomorrow to announce his news. He also mentioned that now the boys will have lost more teeth than the girls in his class (a point he is pretty proud of!).

Fearless!

On one of the school days off this month, the boys (and friends from the neighborhood) were having a "typical" boy day. Just like in the "old days." They were trying to build a ramp for their bikes/scooters with supplies they were finding around our house. It started with empty shoe boxes and the remains of our old baseboards. After several failed attempts, Sheri donated some stable wood and then they were in business.

The only problem was WHO was going to ride the scooter down the ramp...no worries, Jason was ready to go. (Mind you, no one else was brave enough to try and were quite relieved to send Jason on it.)

Then, ever convident in Jason's ability to survive anything, like a "good" (whatever?!?!) mom, I grabbed the video camera. Man, did I feel bad when Jason flew like Superman at the end of the ramp. Yikes! Gratefully, there was no blood, just the shock (for me that I didn't stop Jason and for Jason...because...he flew!). However, reality had sunk in and Jason had NO desire to ride that ramp again...until Brett brought over his knee pads, elbow pads, and hand pads. Next thing I knew, Jason was ready to roll at the top of the ramp again. Fearless!

Also, Jason is the only Hancock so far to conquer the two-wheeler at age 5. He has the most interesting way of starting his bike. He pushes off with both feet and moves them both up to the pedals. He has an amazing sense of balance.

Pumpkin Patch

If it's October, and you're in Oregon, and it's NOT raining...you better find yourself at a pumpkin patch with the rest of the folks in the tri-state area! (ok, we don't live in the tri-state area...I just borrowed the line from the kids fav cartoon "Phineas & Ferb").

Here's some pictures of our adventures (riding the little train, jumping off bales of hay, riding the boat & seeing sea monsters & sharks, going through a HUGE corn maze, etc.):

Little Mama and "The Family"

This picture does NOT do this story justice as half of "the family" is missing...but the picture will help make sense of the following story:

Ah, Miss Jenna...a little mama in the making. Yesterday, as Chad, the boys, and I played a splendid game of Ticket to Ride, Miss Jenna was playing ever so creatively. We noticed that she repeatedly made trips up and down the stairs. Consumed in the game, we didn't realize what exactly SHE was up to. Until, she proudly announced that she had gathered "the family." We turned around to see all her little dolls/stuffed animals carefully tucked into their "beds" with a specific little blankie. She had used an assortment of baskets, carriers, and boxes to make the beds.

Imagine a line-up of eight to ten little beds. (She'd been busy!). Well, "the family" had to travel everywhere with her...which made for lots of trips. We all volunteered to help "the family" make it up to her room for bedtime...so as to not delay bedtime for Jenna. :-)

After Jenna was tucked into her bed, I went downstairs. Later that night, I returned upstairs for something and saw that Miss Jenna had snuck out of her bed and had lined up "the family" outside her room.

Today, I have found "the family" all lined-up various places inside (and outside) our house! I love that she is developing her "MAMA" skills...oh, but the mess that is left in the wake!!!! I wonder if my mom would say the same thing about me today!

I Looked Out the Window and found...a SNAKE!!!

In our continuing series "I looked Out the Window," we have a whopper of tale. Yesterday, we had some neighborhood friends over. The kids started to form a nice little huddle that quickly spread...a formation that could only mean one thing: a snake!

Yep, in the balmy month of October, there was a snake in our yard. The "snake charmers" informed me that it wasn't poisonous, because it didn't have a diamond pattern or didn't have bright colors. Boy, did I feel better then- yeah, right!

Moments of "true boyhood" came out as they tried to feed a worm and tomatoes to the snake, as they discovered that a snake pees (oh joy!) and where it pees from, and as they tried to frighten the neighborhood with the poor little scared snake.

The snake was released into the great and spacious field (and you've never seen a happier snake than this one who was finally released from the clutches of our little clan).

Billy Socks: He has shoes. He just can't remember where he put them...

The Hancock Children have a problem: they don't like to wear shoes. Trevor is notorious for wearing socks without shoes and thus, making holes in the socks. This picture is a pretty normal occurance around here...Trevor outside playing with only socks on.

Jason & Jenna, on the other hand, are usually without shoes and SOCKS. They just can't keep them on. Even in the rain. Countless times my neighbor has brought me "Hancock Shoes," because they often get left behind at her house.

The Great Backpacking Adventure

Last weekend (Sept 19-20), Chad and Trevor went on their overnight hiking adventure. This year they went with Bob and Dave. This is the 2nd year they have gone. Trevor thoroughly enjoys this grand experience.

Chad's backpack weighed 40 pounds. Trevor's weighed 13 pounds. Chad was just carrying the weight that he had lost over the past 2 years! Crazy!

Trevor had great tales of catching frogs at Twin Lakes (by Mount Hood). He and Dave would name the frogs. Some of their favorites were: dude, little dude, Michael Phelps, Einstein, Jaguar, Squirtle, and Hot Head.

On Saturday, they climbed a big mountain and were excited for the view they would have at the top of this very steep climb. All they found was a cell tower. Disappointing!

They played a bit of football and spied on boy scouts that were also camping there. They were lucky to have good weather (exceptional weather for Oregon). Trevor was amazed at the number of stars in the sky (we don't often get to see them living in the city and with our ever constant cloud cover).

It was another fabulous bonding experience for the hikers!

Conference Weekend Activities

We always look forward to General Conference Weekend for our Church. It happens on the 1st weekends of April and October. Chad calls it the "Mormon Holiday." We enjoy being spiritually fed, spending time as a family, and staying in our PJs on Sunday morning.

We typically play legos and color while we listen to the messages. We are so fortunate to watch conference on our TV! On Saturday, the kids built a huge lego tower. Worthy of a picture.

I looked out the Window and What Did I see THIS time?

Last Sunday, Sept. 28, I looked out the window and saw...Jason playing in his BVDs. We were getting ready for church and Jason couldn't find his pants (they were where they were supposed to be...but that's another story). It was a beautiful day and Jas got sidetracked. Play was more important than wearing pants. I figure it's a picture that he will "appreciate" when he is older. What does it say that he was not embarrassed at all that we took this picture? He's 5.