Chops of Love (Locks of Love)

After a year of growing her hair out and almost daily pony tails, Whitney finally had enough hair to do Locks of Love. For those of you who don't know what Locks of Love is it is an organization that uses donated hair to make hair pieces for kids that have lost their hair because of illness. Whitney especially wanted to do this because red hair isn't as common as blonde or brown and she thought a little boy or girl with red hair would be excited about having a red wig. You have to have a minimum of 10 inches to donate. Whitney has never liked her hair really long so for the last couple of months she has been asking if her hair is long enough to cut. We finally decided that it was long enough, but she would have to get it cut kind of short. She was okay with that. It looks really cute. Here are some pictures.

Katelyn and Lauren got their hair cut at the same time. It was pretty funny to see all 3 of them lined up getting their hair done. I took a picture. It's kind of blurry, but still fun.

Boo To You!!

We had a great Halloween at our house! Whitney, Katelyn and Lauren were all witches. Todd and I had to laugh because we went from having 3 princesses a couple of years ago to having 3 witches this year. Lauren probably would have been a princess again, but she likes to do what her older sisters do. Dustin was a pirate. He had a cute hat that went with his costume, but we couldn't get him to keep it on for longer than 2 seconds. Todd stayed home and handed out candy this year and I took the kids out. Dustin tried to walk right into every house. He wasn't shy at all. If the house had a dog I had to drag him away because he wanted to play. Lauren on the other hand screamed and ran away as soon as she saw a dog.

Todd was the master pumpkin carver this year. One of our neighbors has a farm and grew this huge pumpkin and gave it to us. It is hard to tell from the picture, but the big pumpkin is about 2 feet tall and wide. His masterpiece was a big hit with the trick-or-treaters.

At our ward party on Tuesday they had a pie eating contest. Whitney made us proud. She dove right into the pie. None of this, "oh, my hair will get messed up" it was more like "bring it on!" She didn't win, but she was close. Unfortunately, she said that everything smelled like chocolate pudding for the rest of the night because she got so much up her nose.

Go Timberwolves!!

Last week Todd got 4 tickets to a Minnesota Timberwolves game at work. He ended up taking Whitney, her friend Eliza and Brad (a boy that he home teaches). I'm not sure how much of the game Whitney and Eliza watched, but they sure had fun. They each spent $8 for a "must have" foam finger and Whitney even got a high five from one of the players as he was going to the locker room. Go Timberwolves!! Todd took this picture with his camera phone so it is a little blurry, but still fun.

Also in exciting news, we have our very own Harry Potter. I spend all day pulling Dustin off of the counter, tables, chairs, beds and various other high places, and when he finally falls and cuts his head open he is standing on the floor. How does that happen? He had a little run in with the banister. Luckily he didn't have to have traditional stitches. They were able to use derma bond on it. It actually doesn't look too bad in this picture, but it was taken 5 days after the fact. Dustin is supposed to be a pirate for Halloween, but we have been contemplating a switch to Harry Potter!

Another quick funny about Dustin. On Saturday while I was running errands and Todd was doing yard work Whitney and Katelyn were supposed to be listening for Dustin to wake up from his nap. Katelyn heard him and went up to get him and he was standing at the door waiting for her. We thought maybe he fell out of his crib. Maybe I should say I was hoping he had fallen out of his crib and not climbed. No such luck! Last night I gave him a bath and put him in his crib while I went to go get him a sippy cup and while I'm in the kitchen here comes Dustin running down the hall. Todd thinks its time for a big boy bed, I think it is time for a taller crib.

Our Punkins at the Pumpkin Patch

After 18 consecutive days of rain we finally had a nice day to go to the pumpkin patch. A lot of the pumpkins were rotten because of all the rain we have had, so finding the perfect pumpkin proved a little more difficult this year. After walking up and down the patch and analyzing just about every pumpkin, everyone finally found the pumpkin for them.

Dustin was fascinated by all the pumpkins, animals and lady bugs. He tried to touch all the animals. He would have climbed right into their pens if we'd let him. Katelyn and Lauren like to look at the animals from a distance. Lauren actually touched a goat for a split second and she was so proud of herself that she has asked us numerous times if we remember "the time she touched the goat".

Going to the pumpkin patch is one of my favorite family traditions. We have been every year except one since we've lived here. There is just something about getting your pumpkin at the patch and not at the grocery store. I love watching the kids agonize over which pumpkin to pick. I love watching them feed the animals or run away from the animals depending on which kid it is. I love the hayride and sampling the apples. I love it all!!

Dustin (the destroyer)

I felt bad because we haven't posted any pictures of Dustin recently. He is a busy little boy. He loves to climb, throw, break or eat anything he can get his hands on. His sisters have lovingly given him the nickname Dustin The Destroyer. His new favorite past time is taking all the cushions off the couch. I took these pictures of him today.

"Hey mom, how does this thing work?"

The Milk Worked

Lauren went to the doctor today and came home without a cast. He said that her x-rays looked great! The human body is an amazing thing. I don't know how anyone could doubt the existence of a God when you contemplate how miraculous a creation the body is and how it can heal itself.

Lauren was quite the pro at getting around with her casts. The last couple of weeks she has been walking around without her walker. Her ankle is pretty stiff so she hasn't wanted to try and walk without her cast. She tried for a little while with her walker. The doctor said that it will take a little while for the soreness to go away. We are supposed to go back in 2 weeks for a follow up and he said hopefully by then she will be feeling pretty good.

While Lauren was in her casts we kept telling her to drink lots of milk because it would help her bones grow back together. She's not a big fan of milk so that was hard for her. As we were walking out of the hospital today she started chanting "I got my cast off. The milk worked. I got my cast off. The milk worked." It was hilarious.

Lauren Update

Good news! Lauren saw the orthopedic surgeon on the 18th and after looking at her x-rays he decided she was ready for a shorter cast. Having her cast taken off was a little traumatic. The saw they use is a little scarry sounding, but as usual Lauren was a trooper. Not a single tear was shed. The doctor even took out her stitches once the cast was off and she didn't even flinch. The magic cast color this time is pink. She even got a pediatric walker and a boot for her cast so that when she feels like she is ready to put some weight on her leg she can. It has been a nice change. Now she can bend her leg at the knee so it is easier to carry her, she can sit on regular chairs, and best of all she doesn't need someone to hold her leg out straight while she sits on the potty.

Lauren thought that her boot was pretty cool since her daddy has one that is very similar to it. Yes, you read correctly. A couple of weeks ago Todd noticed that his foot was aching, but didn't think much of it. A few days later he could hardly walk. To make a long story short, Todd has a stress fracture in his foot. Thus the matching boots. Needless to say, we have had an interesting month.