Howe Pumpkin 2011

We didn't make it out to a pumpkin patch this year, so this beauty is from the pumpkin bin at the grocery store. He's missing his stem, but otherwise looks pretty good - good color, good carving surface, and stands up nice and straight. I'm glad to have found him because decent pumpkins are in short supply when you wait until a couple days before Halloween.

I like to carve more than just a face, but I also like making up my own designs. Patterns you find online look cool, but they're just not very personal :) This year I decided to carve "HOWE" with some Halloween themed letters. The pumpkin was pretty thick, so some of the details were pretty difficult, but it turned out great!

Carving away!

Finished Pumpkin

 

A better shot of the letters - Happy Halloween from the Howes!

Rise and Shout the Lamberts are Out!

This last week my parents were in town, and it was a busy few days! We ate out (a lot), saw a movie, played games, and went through the temple with my brother who is leaving on his mission in January. We also took advantage of the fact that we were all in one place and had family photos taken. The pictures were taken up the canyon and hopefully worked out well (I haven't seen them yet).

On the way back, however, we changed into our BYU gear and had a passerby take our picture in front the cougar outside the stadium. It's so fun that we all went to, or are currently attending, the same school and have this tradition in our family!

As for the two of us, not much is new.  We are currently on track to watch season three of Psych in less than a week, we just bought a new TV remote so now we can change channels and adjust volume without having to get up, and Dave and I had a friend connection of only 68/100 the last time we played Wii party. We're both working hard (Dave is getting ready to apply to PhD schools), playing hard (hooray for intramurals), are healthy, happy, and loving life!

Sheepish Lions - Family Kickball 2011

All my siblings are in Provo right now, plus a few cousins, so we decided to put together a Lambert-side family kickball team. Our team name was the 'Sheepish Lions' - if you haven't seen the Disney cartoon from the 50s, go here - it's a classic! We had fun, and for the most part, played well!

The Lambert Family 'Sheepish Lions' + a couple fans

From left to right:  cousins Katelyn & Kristen (cheerleaders), brother Derek, cousin Allison, cousin Kimberly, Kimberly's husband Michael, Me, Dave, sister Natalie, sister Amy, bro-in-law Jeremy, and Anne (cheerleader).

Not pictured: Dan (Allison's friend) and Bryan (Natalie's friend)

School Pictures & Me 20 Years Later

Part of working at a school means having your picture taken on school picture day. I had my mom send me my kindergarten photo for comparison. Below is my kindergarten self at 5 years old, and my present self at 25 years old.

How do they compare?

• Hair - still reddish and wavy, although now I straighten so you can't tell. Thank goodness the little wispy hairs up front either disappeared or grew into full length hair.
• Eyebrows - still dark and a different color from my hair. One of the most common questions my brother and I get is "Do you dye your hair? It doesn't match your eyebrows."
• Eyes - still brown, although now there's some green mixed in so they aren't quite as dark.
• Nose - exactly the same and still bleeds every time I get hit in the face, blow my nose, the weather's cold/hot/dry, or for no apparent reason.
• Freckles - I'm pretty sure I have more freckles now than as a kid. I don't really see any on my kindergarten self, but now after each summer I always have a good collection on my nose and cheeks.
• Teeth - improvement! Braces for a year & good dental hygiene have paid off!
• Skin - still pale
• Height - taller! but still on the short side. When we took the faculty picture I was on the front row, where I've always been my whole life.

Grab a photo of your kid self - it was fun to look at all the changes, or lack of changes. I guess I grew up alright :)

Bundle Up!

It SNOWED today! If you climbed up to the "Y" you could have a snowball fight! I'm still in denial... it was sunny and 80 degrees on Tuesday. Where did this come from?

Our poor 5th graders were on a field trip today at the zoo in Salt Lake and came back soaking wet and shivering. I am glad to be snug at home wearing sweats and drinking hot chocolate. It is supposed to get back to the 70s next week, but mom & dad, I still think you might want to bring some warm clothes for your visit just in case winter decides to stick around!

 

BYU vs USU

On Friday we went to the BYU football game with Amy and Anne (Jeremy couldn't make it). For this game we were sitting in my grandma's seats, which are actual seats, not bleachers! It was a beautiful, warm night and the Cougars put together an amazing 4th quarter to get the win. Go BYU!

Don't judge Dave's lack of team spirit here - he had to come straight from campus. At least his shirt had some little blue stripes :)

For the 3rd quarter I had this cutie on my lap, and she was just giddy with excitement. We weren't sure how Anne would handle sitting for so long, but she did awesome. She loved watching the game, when the crowd did the wave, whenever the cannon went off, and watching the band play at half time. We had to drag her home when it was time to leave.

 

Conference Tradition

Breaking out a puzzle during conference is one of my favorite traditions! On Saturday I did one of Temple Square and today was San Francisco. Both treasures were purchased on Friday at DI for $1.00 each. I love puzzles because they keep me alert and attentive, but don't take my focus away from the great speakers.

Although now I am a little stiff after sitting at the kitchen table for so long...

Fall Colors & My Colors

I haven't posted in a while... my laptop had a minor problem that I had just been living with for the past 6 months, but since my warranty expires in October I finally decided to send it in for repair. So I packed it up in a box, put it in the mail and said goodbye.

And now it's back!

On Monday my school had a half-day, and the staff went up to Sundance after the kids went home. We rode the chairlift up to the top for a picnic and some team building. It was a gorgeous day and the trees were just starting to change colors - so beautiful!

Earlier in the week, the staff had all taken personality tests and were given a 20-page profile based on the results. It was very comprehensive - my personal style, how I interact with others, how I make decisions, my strengths & weaknesses, what value I bring to a team, my communication style, suggestions for development, what motivates me, how to manage me, etc...

I didn't agree with some of the results, but I was surprised by how accurate most of the profile was!

Some parts were great to read:  Melanie is logical and analytical, an ingenious think and long-range planner, and good at anything that requires rapid reasoning. She is a good decision maker and thinks clearly under pressure. Melanie shows loyalty to others and is a pillar of strength for those around her... 

Other parts were a little unnerving: Melanie dislikes being told what to do or how to do it. Her tendency to detach herself from her emotions allows her to retain objectivity, but can make her seem somewhat inconsiderate towards both herself and others. Melanie could benefit from being more open about how she is feeling...

It also gave you a summary of your "color" composition. My strongest "color" was red - competitive, determined, strong-willed, & purposeful. I am the only "red" at the school.  My lowest color was yellow - sociable, dynamic, enthusiastic & persuasive, but that's ok because I married a yellow and we make a great team :)

 

Called to Serve!

My little brother Derek got his mission call today! Since my siblings and I are all in Provo right now, we went over to Helaman Halls tonight to watch him open it. We had mom with us on Skype, but it was exciting to be there in person for this:

Please pardon the quality of this video - it's all I've got for now. There were others there with cameras so I hope to have some pictures soon.

Teresina Brazil!

Elder Lambert will report to the MTC on January 28th. He is the first (and potentially only) missionary to serve from our family, so we are really excited for him!!

Get off the couch & get your head in the game!

Lately Dave and I have had some trouble keeping busy at night. We've just been sitting around looking for somthing fun to do. 

Problem solved. This fall we are each going to play on four intramural teams. I'm playing women's soccer, women's volleyball, women's flag football and co-ed kickball. Dave is playing kickball, men's ultimate frisbee, men's flag football, and men's volleyball. Yesterday I got out the calendar

Behold our schedule for September - 25 games in 23 days

There are also 8 more games in October, and then the extra games for playoffs. Are you tired just looking at this? I am. We're not exactly in tip-top shape right now so this should help out. The next month will bring the end of sitting around, several loads of laundry, more showers, hopefully no injuries, and lots of fun!