October in a Nutshell

I love October. The weather cools, the leaves change and the holiday season officially starts. And there are always so many fun things to do around Seattle that we end up cramming the month full of adventures. This October was no exception!

October 10th: We went to the Penumbra Fantasy Faire where Chad bought not one, but two, fantastically medieval swords. What will he do with said swords? Who knows. But I can tell you that I don't think I've ever seen him quite so giddy.

October 17th: We made a family trip out to Stocker Farms in Snohomish. We got a ton of really cool pumpkins and several bags of crisp yummy apples.

October 19th: I had my gender-determining ultrasound and discovered that in March, it would be a little girl joining our family. Yeah for Baby Anna! Tell me that's not the cutest hand you've ever seen in your whole life. Go ahead. I dare ya!

October 21st: Natty had her first filling. She was so brave at the dentist office and looked so tiny in that big chair!

October 22nd-October 28th: We had a fun filled visit from Aunt Jessica, Uncle Todd, Cousin Luke, Grandma Trittipo and Aunt Laurie.

October 24th: Pumpkin Prowl at Woodland Park Zoo. Mikey was a werewolf and Natty was a "haunted kangaroo."

October 25th: The ward primary program. The kids sounded amazing and I didn't fall off my box even once. Whew.

October 27th: We caught a Casper Babypants concert at the Des Moines Library first thing in the morning, then headed over to Beth's for breakfast. Beth's is a super tasty greasy spoon that we discovered on Man vs. Food (see youtube clip below). Chad and I shared a 6 egg "makin' bacon" omelet and a most delicious cinnamon roll. (p.s. West Coast Adam from the tv show is my hair dresser's boyfriend. So cool!)





After breakfast, we headed out to Thomasson Farms. It is officially the best pumpkin patch ever. We played in the corn hut, ran the corn maze and pet the animals.

That night we headed over to the Showbox in Seattle to see a band called "The Sounds." By the end of the night I was T-I-R-E-D, but it was a great day.

October 28th: Our guests went home and the kids were pretty bummed to be in an empty house again, so Chad and I dragged them back out to Thomasson Farms. This time it was completely empty, so Chad got in the corn hut with them. So cute! We did the corn maze again (this time without clues) and pet the animals. Shorty the miniature horse had a terrible itch that Chad caught on film. So funny!



Tonight is the ward Halloween Party. Chad will be attending as the Goblin King from the infamous movie "Labyrinth." I can't wait!

I love October!!!

It's a Girl!!!

Meet Anna Elizabeth Perkins!!! We had our ultrasound yesterday and it was sooo amazing! They have improved a ton since Natty was swimming around in my tummy. We saw all the chambers of her heart, her brain, her kidneys, her bladder---and really cute things like her hands, ears, lips, feet, eyes, and profile. She seemed bothered by the ultrasound tech. Anytime they tried to take a picture of her hands or feet she would move them. And she kept covering her ears with her hands. It was absolutely amazing. So, Anna is 1.) a girl, 2.) healthy & 3.) Due March 6th. Happy, happy, happy!!!

Confessions of a Spazz

Guys, I have a confession to make. We've lived in the area for over two years now and I just can't keep up the front anymore. It is simply too much effort to pretend to be something I'm not. So, I'm just going to confess. I am a spazz. By which I mean, I am a total, complete klutz. It is in my genetic makeup. No amount of concentration, muscle development, or grace lessons can change who I am. I like to believe that it somehow makes me more lovable--that my mishaps and foibles are more endearing than annoying. Heck, it helped me win Chad's heart back in our singles ward days (the first time I was at his house, I hit my head on a low hanging lamp. Twice. In a matter of minutes. His mom offered me a cold can of pop to hold on my bump). And people certainly aren't intimidated by me as I stumble my way through life, which has to help somewhat in the pursuit of making friends. But, lately I've noticed my "less-than-graceful" incidences are on the increase. Maybe it's because I'm pregnant. Maybe it's because I'm rounding the bend on 30. Maybe it's because I'm so darned tired all the time. Whatever the case, it's made it so that I can't pretend to be coordinated any longer. I have officially been ousted.

One example: Yesterday I hit myself in the head with my car door. What was I doing? Getting in. Hands were free. Vision unobstructed. For whatever reason though, my depth perception was off. And I bashed myself in the face with the driver's side door. A few weeks ago I fell down the stairs. Again, for no apparent reason. Luckily I caught myself (in a rather awkward position) and protected the poor unsuspecting fetus in my belly from becoming a pancake.

My blunders aren't restricted to the realm of physical comedy though. Since being pregnant, my breath has undergone an amazing transformation. Almost overnight it started to smell. And I do mean smell. Like, "does this girl even own a toothbrush?" kind of smell. I brush and floss and rinse to no end, but it makes no difference. Finally I broke down and bought some rather expensive, on-brand mouthwash that claimed to be able to conquer even the worst morning breath. The instructions said to brush your teeth, gargle with the mouthwash for 30 seconds, then rinse. Easy enough. So I set in with high hopes. I brushed my teeth. I measured out the correct amount of rinse. I gargled. And gargled. And gargled. As I daydreamed of donuts and Costco hotdogs (remember, I'm pregnant), my 30 seconds turned to a minute. Then several minutes. I probably had the stuff in my mouth a good 3-4 minutes before I snapped out of it and spit. No bother, right? If 30 seconds is good than 3 minutes should be fine. It's only mouth wash. WRONG. I had apparently swooshed the stuff around my ol' kisser long enough to actually alter the chemical makeup of my mouth. My taste buds were burnt. For 3 days everything tasted like toothpaste. Every time I took a breath through my mouth it had the minty cool sensation you get after eating an altoid. On the upside, Chad said my breath smelled like it had been recently brushed, no matter what I had just eaten.

And so, I confess. I am who I am. I will no longer pretend that I can push a cart through Office Depot without knocking over a huge display of dvds (hey--at least I picked them up). Or that I can run on the treadmill without falling (although this has only happened once, so it hardly counts). Or back my brand new car out of the driveway without hitting a trash can and shattering my rear light (in my defense, it was dark and the trash can had been knocked into the street). Or that I can make a snow cone with a silly $10 kid's snow cone machine without needing stitches (even the nurses made fun of me for that one). I will continue to console myself with the fact that I have never done anything really bad. I have never started a fire or dropped a baby. My accidents only hurt myself, and it turns out I heal rather quickly. And I can live with that.

***One last confession since I'm here anyway: I am a rather newly called Primary chorister and our primary program is coming up in two weeks. Being the uncoordinated goof that I am, the thought of standing on a pedestal in front of the entire ward and "gracefully" conducting music in time with a really good pianist has me really nervous. So nervous that a few nights ago I dreamt that my primary presidency fired me and brought in an amazing lady from another church's gospel choir. I remember being sooo relieved in my dream. Also, really impressed. Somehow the lady convinced Bishop Leder to let the kids all wear choir robes while they clapped and swayed enthusiastically to the music. It may have been just a dream, but it was the most entertaining primary program I have ever attended.

The Summer in a Nutshell

Oh man. I have been a bad blogger. A very bad blogger. So much has happened this summer that I haven't so much as posted a picture from. I am so ashamed.

First of all, Mikey turned 8 and was baptized. It was wonderful! He turned eight on July 2nd and was baptized on July 4th. We had a bunch of family there to enjoy the day with us, including Grandma & Grandpa Davies, Grandma & Grandpa Perkins, Aunt Honey & Uncle Mac, Uncle Todd, Aunt Jess & Cousin Luke. And of course, me and Chad. The baptism was beautiful and all our family contributed to the program. That night we lit many a firework in Mikey's honor.

Mikey went to XXX Rootbeer for his birthday dinner. This is the coolest place to go for your birthday--EVER! They played the Beatles' birthday song over the speakers in the restaurant, called Mikey to the front of the diner, stood him up on a chair, dressed him up in the costume below, and sang to him while he held a big sundae with a sparkler-esque candle in it. Mikey was so stunned by all the attention, he didn't know what to do! It was great!

Also, I'm pregnant again! (Although it probably isn't necessary to blog about it, seeing as how I don't think there is a single person in the greater Seattle area who I haven't told already). I am now 14 weeks and 3 days along. (But who's counting?) I'm due March 6th & get to find out the gender on October 19th. We are all so stinking excited about it. My tummy is expanding at an alarming rate and I love it!!!

My dear sweet Natty has recently started crying at the end of movies. It is adorable. It all started with the Legend of the Waterhorse movie. Yesterday, she cried at the end of Iron Giant. She is sooo cute! It usually happens at the climax of the movie, just as the monster-that-is-really-the-hero either sacrifices itself for the people who have been hunting it, or has to flee for it's safety, leaving behind the innocent child that it has created a lifelong bond with. At this point in the movie, Natty will throw her hands over her eyes and say, "my eyes are watering and I don't know why!!!" The cutest part is that she really doesn't know why she is crying. It is impossible not to squeeze her when it happens--it's just that cute!
Mikey has started cubscouts. He loves it! (Sister Price: you are his new favorite person in the world!) When he put his uniform on for the first time, he told me, "Mom I feel like a wizard. I've got this special costume and this book (his manual) full of instructions that I have to keep with me at all times." Ahh...a real wizard, indeed.

Lastly, my kids started school again (officially), today. Sure, we are homeschoolers, but today was Mikey's first day back on campus at Russell Ridge. He is taking a class on world cultures, speed stacks, science, writer's workshop and art on campus. He loved all his classes today and was excited to see all his buddies again after a long separation.

Well, I think that's it. All caught up. Whew. Now I can relax!

Well, Lookie Here!

Here's Chad's first ever music video. It is for a band from Seattle called Zen Chemists. This is the edited version, but it might still have some language in it that you don't like. So, consider yourself warned! Chad came up with the concept, filmed and edited the entire movie. I am so proud!!!

"Time" by Zen Chemists music video from Chad Perkins on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday, Chaddy!!!

Yep. Today, old man Perkins officially becomes one year old and wiser, too. I love Chad so much. He is my very best friend and my role model in all I do. He's pretty easy to look at too!!! So, in honor of the day he graced the world with his presence, I give you 33 things about Chad you may or may not have already known!
1.) When he was little, he wanted to grow up to be an artist, a comedian or a chef. I think Jack Tripper was his inspiration.
2.) He started reading very early--2 or 3. His dad would have Chad read to him out of the newspaper.
3.) He loves cold cereal with a passion.
4.) As a kid, Chad made a series of short films with his buddies. They were called, "Midget Movies." They are adorable.
5.) In high school, he was in a band called "Noble Cause."
6.) While in said band, Chad had luxurious long hair that came nearly to his waist. It was apparently good for flipping around while he played.
7.) I'm told he used to carry a brush around in his pocket so that he could comb said hair throughout the day.
8.) He held a "hair cutting" party in preparation for his mission at which people took turns chopping off his locks.
9.) His nearly-waist-long pony tail now lives in a box in a garage. The first time I saw it, I was cleaning out the garage and thought it was a rat. Eeww.
10.) Chad served 9 months of his mission in New Orleans. His call was definitely inspired. Chad and New Orleans go together like red beans and rice.
11.) From the time we met until we moved to Washington, Chad was in a band called Wedgekase. He started playing drums and moved on to lead guitar/vocals.
12.) His favorite color is green. Which makes Seattle a perfect home for him.
13.) His favorite season is fall.
14.) His favorite holiday season is Halloween.
15.) He loves cheezy B movies. The cruddier the plot and the lousier the special effects, the happier he is.
16.) He would love to own a huge home and decorate each room in a different theme. Not color scheme, but theme. Like jungle safari or under the sea. As in, Disneyland Home Edition.
17.) He doesn't like pranks or being startled.
18.) He is an incredibly fast learner. I can't tell you how many times he's bought a book on some crazy software program he's never seen before, read it casually and then taught a class on it a week later. An advanced class. It's insane!
19.) If Chad were a character on Lost, he would definitely be Jack. He's a born leader, people are drawn to him, and he's a good guy. A really good guy.
20.) He loves Hitchcock movies.
21.) Once we went to a taping of Mad Tv. Bobby Lee came out to work the line of people while they were waiting to fill the sound stage. Chad made him laugh (hello, he made the comedian laugh!!!). So much that Bobby Lee got our whole group back stage passes. We got to eat their food and shake their hands and everything. So cool!
22.) He loves the movie Stranger Than Fiction.
23.) He read all the Lord of the Rings books. Some of the only fiction he's ever read. Typically he's a nonfiction kinda guy.
24.) He is an incredible cook. In fact, he did nearly all the cooking for the first few years of our marriage. I was in heaven!
25.) His favorite fruit is the Washington apple. Preferably red. Definitely not yellow or green. Pink/red hybrids are okay. I think that oranges and rainier cherries are pretty close seconds.
26.) He has books for sale at Borders, Barnes & Noble, etc. I like to look at them on display whenever we are there. He is usually filed right next to his brother, who also has a book out. It makes me feel like a celebrity to see his name on the shelf!
27.) He has an "agent." I think that sounds really cool.
28.) He won an award for best sound design on a movie he worked on this summer for Seattle's 48 hr. Film Project.
29.) He just finished his first ever music video (for a band called Zen Chemists). He filmed, directed and edited it.
30.) He loves role playing games. He is currently immersed in an xbox 360 game called "Oblivion."
31.) He is an amazing teacher.
32.) He is a perfect dad.
33.) We all love him sooo much!!!

Why Didn't I Think of That?!?

Natty: "Mom, how did you decide what boy to marry? Did you just have them all stand in a line so that you could look at them real close?"