The Big Top...

I have very fond memories of my dad taking me to the circus every year when I was a kid, so of course when I saw a circus was finally headed our way, I just had to by tickets! In my 41 years of attending a circus, this is the first time I've actually been in a tent to see one....

Added bonus, our seats were this close (that'd be THE VERY FRONT ROW)....

Extra bonuses, our neighbors that we love to hang out with happened to be sitting right behind us, and the announcer guy got so close to me I actually got spit on a few times (wait, were the bonuses supposed to be good or bad, because that last one is a little iffy?)! Buddy was astounded and amazed....especially by these two guys that are 10 and 11 and did some awesome acrobatic tricks....

Buddy went up to them to tell them they did a good job and gave them a thumbs up, which kind of makes me giggle (not sure why, maybe because I'm tired, or maybe I equate it with telling someone like Brad Pitt he's a good actor and giving him a thumbs up, but then again maybe Brad would appreciate that?!).  Also, there was this....

Which reminds me, I had a parent-teacher conference with his teacher this afternoon. Turns out he thinks Buddy is smart, weird and funny....who knew he was smart? Just kidding!!!!! So all in all a super fantastic, joining the circus, day! 

Obscurely famous....

Today I decided to complete my ensemble and eat lunch with my father....or is it my son, no it's my father, wait, I'm just getting confused...

In my eyes, I was clearly Princess Leia, but apparently no one on the islands has seen Star Wars because at least 10 people asked me who I was supposed to be (even when Darth Vader was standing by my side)! Hmmmm, oh well, we'll work on geeking up the islanders. In other news, trick-or-treating was a huge success with our Tie Fighter. I would love to show you pictures of our awesomeness, but I was too busy being awesome. But I'm assuming from the ridiculous amounts of strangers snapping pictures of us we'll be famous in no time! More importantly though, Buddy came out with a haul....

I think he might not have been the only one!

But seriously, I wish I had some pictures of him and the Tie Fighter! It had glow sticks on the trim! Trust me, glow sticks make everything more awesome, plus it worked out well for a little cocoon when Shane couldn't handle being cold anymore (yes, theoretically the temperature wasn't cold, but we're used to being hot). Then it made for a smoother transition to ending the trick-or-treating when ALL THE HOUSES hadn't been visited and it was close to bedtime! Shove three kids in a space ship and end up at home, voila! It was magical. So all in all a super fantastic, waiting to be famous, day!

If only.....

 Buddy decided to help me out with my workout tonight......

If only that would actually help! In other news, it's my brother Chuck's birthday today. In his honor, we set off a few of these....

Chuck still lives on the East Coast so Buddy has only met his Uncle Chuck a few times, but let me assure you, Chuck is a living legend around these parts for all the havoc he wreaked in his childhood! I'm hoping Buddy follows enough in his footsteps to have fun, but enough out of them to avoid the frequent school suspensions for the multiple pranks gone wrong! Happy birthday Chuck, we are giving you a Beeder family underarm binging salute (if you don't understand that statement, it's because you weren't raised in the land of awesome  compliments of a certain older brother named Chuck)! So all in all a super fantastic, living in the footsteps, day!

Birthday Boy....

I had a lunch date with a certain little someone who turned 9 today! After lunch, I got to go to his class and  do some science experiments to wow and amaze his classmates (not sure they were wowed or amazed, but at least they got to go outside, and some of the really lucky kids got hit by stray soda from a mentos explosion gone oh so wrong). After school I took Buddy and some of his friends to the 4D theater and then he had a melt down while doing his homework. In his defense, I think homework on your birthday should totally be outlawed (but that way of thinking is probably a really good reason that I am not a teacher).  Shane had a work meeting tonight at one of the resorts, so, like the good family we are, we totally mooched off a free pass to play in the resort pool! Awesome!!!!! We're a good family like that! In other news, I got an email with these little gems attached (talk about great timing with that first picture)...

I am so proud to be that little buckethead's mother! So all in all a super fantastic, love my boy, day!

Mustache Bash....

Buddy had his birthday party today, he decided he should dress in style for the occasion....

One of these days I'll introduce him to something called a white shirt, because he apparently doesn't realize they actually go under coats, but whatever, he was rocking it! Buddy had wanted a mustache themed party so we went all out.....well, if you call giving all the team members nicknames of mustaches, then we totally went all out....

First we played a game of "mustache dash", each kid had to wear a mustached clothespin on their right shoulder and try to steal everyone else's away. Errrrrm, in case you were wondering, being the first out at your own party is kind of a downer....but on the upside, he makes a really cute Snot Mop!

Next we played a game of "elephant smash and bash" (at least bash went along with the theme)....

Then we played a little round of "sticky stache", the kids really got into this one!

Is it just me, or does looking at these pictures make you realize the power of being an adult? Really? Please come to my party and smear sticky junk on your face and then shove your face into some cotton so not only will you be sticky, but you'll be annoyingly sticky....trust me, it'll be fun!

Since their faces were already a mess, I decided that I should probably get their hands messy too, just to complete the ensemble.....thus a game of "find the stache" (aka hidden rings inside of a cake topped with an entire can of whipped cream....also known as awesome!)

Since the kids were needing a bath by this point, we played a game of "splash the stache", unfortunately I think my professional cameraman (Shane) decided to take a break at this point, so no pictures to document it. Just picture huge shaving cream mustaches getting hit by sponges thrown by exuberant children! Then we did a little "mustache catch" which was more of a catching a water balloon in a bucket marked with a mustache (I mean we have a theme for a reason, right?)

Well, then you know what happens after the water balloons get busted out, right?

Buddy's teacher even made an appearance (when I was in 3rd grade I was convinced that teachers lived at school and never left, much less made an appearance at a party). The kids were more than excited.....to pummel him with sponges soaked in shaving cream.....

After the cake, the straggler party goers decided they should join the dark side for a while....

No worries, they returned to the force pretty quickly and actually cleaned up all the shaving cream and cake smearings left in my cul de sac without me even asking. I do believe the force is strong in the young ones! So all in all a super fantastic, totally bashed, day!

Chock full....

Buddy was helping me set up for his birthday party tomorrow....well, he was helping me set up, until he decided we should have a family water fight.....

That boy is just chock full of good ideas! So all in all a super fantastic, where did all my helpers go, day!

Powerhouse......

This morning Buddy woke me up at the crack of dawn so we could put some finishing touches on his Tie Fighter...

We finished it in record time, so I went back to take a power nap and Buddy decided to just walk around the neighborhood pulling the Tie Fighter. Pretty certain if I were an 8 year old boy, that's what I'd be doing too. Anyway, he walked around a while till another kid broke one of the wings...... so we did a little remodeling (when I say we, I totally mean Shane and Buddy, because I don't do well with things being broken right after I spent hours putting them together... I'm human, I have flaws, pouting like a 3 year after someone broke my toy just happens to be a big one!). After the boys finished the remodel job, I did a remodel job on Buddy's face....

I think it turned out very well, that is,  if you're into the Darth Vader without a mask look....which we totally are!  I'm thinking it turned out pretty awesome if I do say so myself!

I loaded Buddy up and then we took a mile hike to the local park for a Halloween party with our ward (that may of not been my brightest idea every, because it was hot, and long, and full of fun hills, but it was a great workout if nothing else). Buddy melted so much that he immediately took off his bald cap,scars and most of the makeup had run onto his costume! Best laid plans, I tell ya! The ward was putting on a carnival so Buddy wanted to contribute by giving free rides!

Apparently Buddy is part horse from all the carting he was doing! Seriously, even the parents were amazed at his super human (horse) strength. Unfortunately, when the party was over it was my turn again. I'm voting next year's model be attached to something with a motor, but I'm pretty sure that's my biceps talking right now. So all in all a super fantastic, don't need to exercise for the rest of the year, day!