Someday My Prince Will Come

The other day Jane and I were playing inside while Trent was out on the deck fixing Christmas lights. Suddenly, Jane jumped up, said, "I have to go potty", and started running for the bathroom. On her way she got distracted when she saw Trent out on the deck. She paused, walked to the window, put her face as close as she could to it, then began singing, "Someday my Prince will come. . . . .and tickle me! tickle me! tickle me!" then she ran to the bathroom.

That girl LOVES her dad. Once we were talking and I told Jane, "One day you will find your prince." She responded, thoughtfully, "Yeah. Right now he's at work."

At night she prays that she will get to "marry daddy in a white dress". If we forget to pray for that, she quickly reminds us.

One day I explained that she couldn't marry daddy because mommy already married him. She got a stern look on her face and said, "Mom, you need to share!!!"

Bassett Christmas

Last weekend we hosted the annual Bassett Family Christmas party. It was a lot of work but it all paid off. We got our first full family picture since Trent and I were married (5 1/2 years ago). Since that last picture, the family has gained one more daughter-in-law, and 9 more grand-kids. It was about time we got a new one. My dear and talented friend, Mindi, took the pictures for us.
After pictures we headed to the church and stuffed our faces with warm soups, bread, and snacks. Then we had a gingerbread house decorating contest. Jane and Trent did most of the decorating on our little house and it turned out beautifully! (We won the award for "Best use of Frosting" (probably due to our awesome frosting lake in the back yard!) After the decorating we did our own version of Minute-to-Win-it games. Our little family won a few medals which Jane proudly wore around her neck. After Grandma Bassett read "The Night Before Christmas", Santa came!!!! He brought little gifts for all the kids and they all got to sit on his lap and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. Jane was scared but brave and for the first year didn't cry. Grant had no problem sitting on Santa's lap--after all, the man was giving out treats/toys! After Santa left, we exchanged gifts between families and then talked about what gifts we were giving to baby Jesus. It was a wonderful party that helped us get in the holiday spirit.

Virgina is for Lovers (and Eskimos)

This last week, Trent and I had the opportunity to fly out to Virgina so Trent could interview at a Grad school out there (Virgina Commonwealth). I was not too excited to be leaving the kids for so long, but it was nice to get away. The flights out there were long, bumpy, and delayed. But, after a day of travel, countless Ginger Ales and peanut packets, and then loosing said Ginger Ales and peanuts at the airport bathroom, we made it to our destination. The next morning, I dropped Trent off at his interview and then went Walkabout for 5 hours. Okay, I live in Utah--a place known for big winters--but NOTHING could have prepared me for the kind of cold they have in Virginia. As I walked around seeing the city, I was frozen to my core! There wasn't any snow and the sun was out but I was so cold that I occasionally had to move my face in weird contorted ways so that I knew it was still there. After having enough of the city, I drove out just beyond it and found the most beautiful homes I have ever seen!!! (We looked them up later. Only $2 million. . .) I also got to tour the frozen gardens of a mansion. That place must be stunning in the spring/summer! (the sweet old ladies from the Historical Society at the mansion, seeing that I was freezing, offered that in the summer, it's blazing hot with 99% humidity. Thanks for sealing the deal there ladies). Having had enough of the cold and fearing for the safety of my ears, I stopped in at a Target and bought both Trent and I hats. Best purchase EVER! My ears were thankful.
The next day we decided to go down to Williamsburg and Yorktown. Williamsburg was surprising buzzing with people (for a Wednesday in early December). You had to pay big bucks to actually go in most of the houses so we just waked around outside (bundled up with layers of clothing, scarves, and our new trusty hats). Each house had a unique wreath on it. I think that was my favorite part of Williamsburg (besides the church).
After walking around Williamsburg we headed over to Yorktown. I had a severe migraine headache come on so I stayed in the car while Trent drove around and saw the sites and learned the history. Yorktown was where our country won our independence. It was a big seaside battle ground with caves and wide open fields. I wish I could have seen more of it than I got to.The next morning we packed up and headed out to Virginia Beach. Being 'beach people' we ere excited to see the ocean. Too bad it was butt-freezing cold. Beaches, as it turns out, are not so fun when it feels like 60 below. Oh well. They had a nice gift shop. It was a wonderful trip but we were glad to be home that night hugging our babies and basking in the 40 degree dry Utah weather.

Trimming the Tree

It is tradition at our house to put up the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. We had two little helpers this year who seemed more interested in pulling things off than putting them on :) Actually, Jane was a really good helper putting lights and ornaments on the tree--she just wanted all the ornaments in one spot. She also had a blast with the stockings (gotta give her credit for putting stockings where they really belong).

First Snow of the Season

Last night my parents were kind enough to watch the kids while Trent and I went to Harry Potter 7 (part one). It was nice to have a night out, but when we got out of the movie, it was a blizzard!!! We drove home going 30 mph max and were surprised that the closer we got to our house, the more snow there was. Trent shoveled the driveway so we wouldn't have to in the morning and then we went to bed.
Much to our surprise, this is what we saw this morning:18 inches of snow!!! It was awesome! Good thing Trent cleared the driveway last night. . .now we have 5 inches less to shovel off! But no worries, he had help.Grant isn't so sure about snow. I think he'll warm up to it but he was not ready to rush into anything today.Trent, however, seemed to have reverted back to his 8 yr old self. He built a sledding ramp in the front yard and sent our kids (as well as the neighbor kids) down it.Then he took to making a snowman. Truly a clever fellow (yes those are bed wheels for buttons and silly pipe for a mouth). While I always hope for a white Christmas, who would have thought we'd get a white Thanksgiving?!?!Just for comparisons sake, here is Grant standing next to the snow.

Tom Turkey

Just now, Jane and I were talking about Thanksgiving.

She says: At Thanksgiving, do we eat Tom Turkey?
Me: yep
Jane: yes we do. But first some things have to come off.
Me: What things have to come off?
Jane: His head and eyes and wings and hat and feet.
Me: (wide eyed-- not sure where my little girl learned how to clean a dead turkey) uh. . . yeah, I guess so. . .

What are they teaching my kid in preschool?!?!?!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween! It seems like this has been the never-ending holiday this year. With parties and movies and costumes and pumpkins, Halloween has kept us on our feet. There were some firsts this year worth mentioning:

Grant helped carve (or at least gut) his pumpkin this year. Last year he slept through it. He wasn't quite sure of the feel of the slimy seeds and when we'd take them out of the pumpkin, he would put them back in. He also thought the pumpkin was for eating and so he sat nibbling on the cap of his pumpkin.Our finished Pumpkins Jane and her cousins, Addy and Brynn, with their pumpkins. (They came and joined us for carving)We went to our first Trunk-or-Treat ever this year. I have been opposed to them for several reasons but it's hard to get out of going when you are on the Activities Committee. It wasn't too bad but I still prefer the old-fashioned way of trick-or-treating.
The Gang Although this was not Grant's first time trick-or-treating, it was the first year he understood how cool it is. He went up to the doors with Jane and loved sorting through his loot when we got home. Jane really enjoyed Halloween this year and continues to ask, about every two hours, when we are going trick-or-treating again so "I can get more candy". Yikes! I was surprised at how few people were out trick-or-treating. Even when the rain stopped, there weren't that many kids out. What has happened to this holiday? Saturday I opened the paper to one of my favorite columnists, Robert Kirby. He wrote a spectacular article on Halloween and how much it has changed over the years (read it here). It really summed up my feelings on the subject and made me laugh out loud.
We had a good Halloween but I'm glad we have 364 days until the next one.

Our Pumpkin Harvest

This year we grew our own pumpkins. We thought they would be a nice little addition to our vegetable garden. Instead, they took over the garden and the flower beds. But this is what we have to show for all that:

11 bright and happy orange pumpkins!
(and a family who can't wait to carve them!)

Field Trip!

Jane's preschool goes on a field trip once a month. Last month they went to Thanksgiving Point's farm. It was so fun and interesting. Jane and Grant loved watching and feeding the animals, going on a tractor-wagon ride, and learning about the animals. Jane was even brave enough to go on a pony ride!! I was so proud of her!Petting the calfLearning about what we get from sheepPetting a bunnyJane on her pony ride!

This month, the preschool went to a local pumpkin patch. They did a fun scavenger hunt, walked through a short corn maze, went on a hay ride, and got to sit up on various tractors. Grant stayed home with Trent for this one, so it was just Jane and I exploring this fun autumn location.

The corn maze

Taking a rest and having a snackJane and Gracie riding the tractor Farmer JaneI was so nervous for Jane to start preschool. Maybe it's something to do with my baby growing up. I don't know. But I have been so impressed with how well she is doing. She is learning and growing and making friends and absolutely loves going to preschool. Her teacher pulled me aside and told me she's ahead of the whole class on her letters (she has passed off the entire alphabet in capitals and is now working on her lower case letters.) I'm so proud of my Jane. What a smarty pants!

This is Halloween

This Saturday was the annual Bassett family Halloween party. We found out a week before when the party would be and at that point, I'd bought all the fabric to make costumes for Jane, Grant, and Trent. Needless to say, I spent much of last week at the sewing machine. But it paid off. While I still need to finish Grant's dinosaur hood and Trent's tunic, I got the costumes done just in time for the party.As always, Cathy B put on a great party! We had an excellent lunch followed by games and treats and good times. It was so fun to see all the kids dressed up and Jane and Grant had a blast!
Later that night, we left Grant with Trent's parents and took Jane to go on a "Halloween Cruise" on the Provo river. It was fun to spend one on one time with her and she loved the Pirates and the pumpkins.
Tonight we are watching, "The Nightmare Before Christmas"--a classic, in my book. There is a chill in the air, the sky is gray, and it smells like fall. This is Halloween----and I LOVE IT!!!