Halloween

I love the fall and Halloween season.  The weather is beautiful and the air is crisp.  I love trying to find fun things to do with the kiddos.  We always make a trip or two to go see the witches and Gardner Village.  The kids have a fun time doing the little scavenger hunt there.

Unfortunately this year we didn't make it to a pumpkin patch or corn maze.  Cornbelly's was so crowded last year we decided to skip it (plus I went to one with the young women).

Our ward also had a fun chili cook off and trunk-or-treat.  I've never been to a trunk-or-treat before, but it was fun.  We decorated the car with my bean bag toss pumpkin and a few lights.  Easy peasy.  The kids kept going around and around the circle of cars and we ran out of candy to give them.  Oops.  But it was still fun and there were some delicious chilies to try.

This year I had my annual family Halloween party.  I decided to do a Harry Potter party this year (mostly because I wanted to try making Butterbeer and Pumpkin Juice).  I borrowed some really cool decorations from one of my friends and it was really easy.  It was kind-of a hybrid Harry Potter/Halloween party because people could still dress up any way they wanted.

Aspen wanted to be a cheetah and Sophie wanted to be a bat.  And I had hand-me-down tiger and racoon costumes for Luke.  So I made Isaac and I some "creature power suits" so we could be Martin and Chris from the PBS TV show "Wild Kratts".  Apparently it was a costume fail because at our ward party everyone came up to me and said "you're Blues Clues".  Argh.  It probably would have helped if Isaac and I were standing together with all our animal children, but oh well.

My parents, Kevin, and Jamie decided to stick with the Harry Potter theme.  My mom was Professor McGonagall, Dad was Snape, Kevin was Fenrir Greyback, and Jamie was Bellaxtrix Lestrange.  While my mom was trying to decide who to be I said she should be Professor Trelawney, but she said, "No, that's Karla".  So Lacey told Karla she should be Trelawney.  And even though she has never seen the movies, she pulled it off perfectly.

Lacey and her family were the Incredibles.  They had great costumes.  I wanted to do that as a family costume a few years ago, but Isaac said, "I refuse to wear underwear on the outside of my clothes".

Jarem had to work, but Tressa came with the kids.  Afton was a mermaid and Heber was a ghost (who almost disappeared in my pictures with the white fence in the background).

Hannah and Wade were circus people.  Hannah was the strongest man in the world.  And Wade was a bearded woman.

All the costumes were great and we had a fun time playing games (pumpkin bowling, cake walk, pin the spider on the web, and popping the pumpkin balloon).  The food was delicious, and we even made caramel apples.

Finally on Halloween night we went trick-or-treating around the neighborhood.  Our neighborhood always has lots of kids going around (even though it have no idea who half of them are).  The girls had a blast going door to door and whispering "trick-or-treat" so quietly the people couldn't hear them.  Haha.  Silly shy kids.  But we had a great holiday.

Utes

This year we had a party for the Utah vs. BYU football game.  Isaac's brainwashing of the kids is going really well.  Sophie said she couldn't play with one of the boys from her old preschool because he likes BYU.  And on the way to kindergarten one morning Cash said BYU and Aspen reflexively said "BYU stinks like pooh".  Isaac finds it hilarious, but I'm trying to un-brainwash them into being nice to everyone.

We had both our families over for pizza and yummy food.  It was a lot of fun.

Luke is 10 Months Old

My baby isn't a baby anymore.  Luke is officially crawling.  I love it when they can crawl because it's so cute watching him scoot around and explore the world.  (Although he has a knack for getting into everything I don't want him in.  Why is it that you can have a room full of toys and kids will skip over all those and go straight for the DVD player/clock/etc?)

Luke has been sick on and off for the last little while, so nights around here have been rough.  Luke sleeps just fine if I'm holding him or he's next to me, but wakes up crying the second I set him down.  He has been sleeping in our bed the last few nights, and I'm one tired mama.  How can such a tiny little guy take up so much space.  He loves to be snuggled next to me, so I slide away from him and somehow he scoots closer until I have 6 inches left on the bed.  I know we need to be better about making him fall asleep on his own, but they are only little for a while and I will snuggle with him as long as he lets me.

Luke hasn't been eating well lately--again probably because he's had a cold.  But when we try to feed him baby food he just pushes it away.  We thought that was great and could transition him to regular food.  But he HATES it.  Every time we give him real food to try he makes a disgusted face and spits it out.  It's really quite hilarious and I should get it on video.  Luke now has 5 teeth (2 bottom and 3 top) with a 6th one about to poke through.

Luke loves to be included and has fun playing with his very loud and over-protective sisters.  I'm not quite sure Aspen feels the same about him because she's always complaining "Luke is ruining my stuff".

Luke loves swinging.  He will cry if you take him out of the swing or it stops moving.  And Isaac gave him a big boy haircut with the clippers.  I was really sad at first because it was shorter than I wanted it to be, but it's really cute.  It makes him look so much more grown up.

This little kid is such a sweetheart (minus when he tries to bite me and claw my face off).  He is so quick to smile and rarely cries.  He also loves to woo people and everyone is always commenting about how cute he is.  We sure love our little man.

Luke is 9 months old

Again this is late, but better late than never...

For the last few weeks Luke has been having a harder time at night.  He has been getting up around midnight and a few other times.  It's making Isaac and I so exhausted.  But Luke's bottom gums are looking swollen, so I think he will be having some teeth cut through in the next few days.

Luke still isn't crawling, but he's getting closer.  He's beginning to lunge more aggressively for things.  He is able to scoot around a little bit and is starting to do the backwards crawl.  I think this makes him frustrated because he keeps getting further and further away from his target.  He just needs to put it all together and he will be mobile in no time.

Luke is starting to eat finger food, but still prefers baby food.  He really doesn't like the "puff", but loves the yogurt drops.

Luke is such a little schmoozer.  Every time we go to church he will make cheesy faces and smile at the people behind us.  I just hear people laughing at his adorableness throughout sacrament meeting.  He also loves to look at people and shake his head like crazy and hope they do it back to him.

Luke says "dada" (without meaning) all the time, but I'm trying to teach him to say "mama".

This little kid is pure heaven.  He is such a joy to have in our family and I love snuggling with him all the time.  His stats for his 9 month appointment were:

Height: 28 inches (28%)
Weight: 20 lbs 3 oz (59%)
Head Circumference: 45.1 cm (52%)

Luke is 8 months old

Time flies by when the baby is no longer in the belly.  I am really late with this post, but here it goes:

He sleeps really well through the night and usually only gets up once to nurse.  

Luke is the most angelic baby ever.  He seriously rarely cries and is all smiles and laughs.  He is still not crawling, but starting to reach for things a little more.  But he's so content to just sit and watch his sisters or play with the toys he can reach. 

Luke loves bath time.  He's becoming quite the little splasher and can make a big mess.  (Isaac is super cute in this picture.)

Luke is such a little chub and his cheeks and baby rolls are so kissable.  That little guy is munched on all day.

He's a great eater and can down a bowl of baby food in no time.  He still isn't really eating finger foods yet.  I have tried a few times and he gags on them.  He seems to enjoy baby food, so we'll stick with that a while longer.

Luke is the sweetest baby and we are so blessed to have him in our family.  I would have lots more babies if I could guarantee they would come out with his disposition.

Aspen Started Preschool

Last week Aspen started preschool at Apple Preschool.  She goes to the same school that Sophie did.  It's taught by a woman in our ward and is only 2 houses away.  Score!

Aspen has been so excited for preschool.  She asks me over and over, "Are you going to miss me when I'm at preschool?"  When I say yes, she beams and says something silly like, "It's okay, I'll be back in 3 months".

The morning of her first day I think she was a little confused that grandma wasn't coming over to watch Sophie and Luke (because I went to orientation with her a few weeks ago).  When I explained that she would be going by herself she was so thrilled.  And she ran right up to the door when I dropped her off and wasn't apprehensive at all.  I just hope she's going to be good for Mrs. Kathryn and actually learn something while she's there because all my attempts at teaching her the ABCs have failed miserably.  But I'm so glad she's having a good time and excited to go to school.

Soccer

This fall we signed Sophie and Aspen up for soccer.  Aspen has been soooooo excited.  She asked me at least a hundred times, "Did you sign me up for soccer too?" and "When do I have soccer?"

Sophie had her practice first and got her uniform.  This season she is on the Red Fire Dragon team.  I don't know how she does it, but she has correctly guessed what color her uniform will be for the last two seasons. Two of the little boys, Cash and Victor, in our ward are on her team too.

After Sophie got her uniform, Aspen was impatient and anxious to get her uniform too.  Her practice finally came and she got her light blue uniform.  Her team is called the Blue Dolphins.  The morning of her first game she was bouncing (literally) around the house all morning saying "I'm so excited!"  Although her age division has no idea how to play soccer, it's adorable watching her run around in her ginormous uniform.  I'm so glad she is finally getting old enough to have some activities for herself.  I have felt bad for a while that she just has to watch as Sophie goes to school, soccer, birthday parties, friend's houses, etc. while she's been too young.

So we will have a busy September with 4 soccer games each week.  But it's a riot watching those little ones try to play soccer.  And Luke is the cutest little cheerleader for his sisters.

Sophie Started Kindergarten

At the beginning of August Sophie started kindergarten.  She is going to Jordan Ridge Elementary.  It is not the neighborhood school, but it is close to our house, so we had to get an out of bounds permit to go there.  She is in the same class as her friend, Cash.  They carpool to school together and I absolutely love listening to their conversations in the car.  They crack me up.

Sophie only went to school for 1.5 weeks before she was off track.  Jordan Ridge is a year round school, and Sophie is on "C" track.  I've never done year round before, so we'll see how we like it.  Before school started Sophie went to meet the teacher and had a pre-kindergarten assessment.  It was really intense, but the first week when I volunteered in her class they were still working on the letter "A".  So I'm worried she's going to be really bored.  But so far she's been having fun.  I can't believe she's big enough to go to elementary school.

Luke is 7 months old

How is my baby so big already?  I swear the time goes faster and faster with each child.  But my Lukey Lou is the light of my life.  He is the most amazing little boy and I don't know how I got blessed to have such an angel.

• Luke can sit up on his own now and likes playing with toys.  
• He eats baby food about 2 times a day and is doing great with that.  
• He has shown no signs of crawling or moving at all.  He will roll onto his tummy whenever he's on the ground and then start crying.
• He has no teeth, but I keep wondering if some are coming because he is drooling a lot and his gums look a tiny bit swollen.
• Luke still gets up once in the night to nurse and usually goes back to bed just fine.  But he does wake up fairly early and so I'm one tired mama.
• Luke is super ticklish. I try not to tickle him, but his laughs are so adorable that it's impossible to resist.  And his chubby little fat rolls are just begging to be squished.

Luke is seriously the sweetest guy.  He hardly ever cries or fusses.  He has smiles for anyone who looks at him.  And his laughs are the cutest thing.  Luke is by far my easiest kid right now and I wish I could spend all day snuggling with that sweet boy.

Sophie's 5th Birthday

Sophie turned 5 years old!  For a few months now, Sophie has said she wanted a jungle party for her birthday.  So that's what we did.  I decorated the house with green streamers and balloons and borrowed some jungle vines from Sophie's preschool teacher who lives 2 houses down.  I also found some cool jungle decorations at the dollar store.  So I think her decorations turned out really cool.

On the morning of Sophie's birthday we had a party with her friends.  We had a swim party outside.  The kids could play in the swimming pool, go on the Slip'n'slide, or play squirt guns.

Then we had cupcakes and popsicles.

After that we dried off and opened presents inside.  The kids then played while I painted their faces like jungle animals.

It was a really laid back party, but the kids had a ton of fun.  And I hope Sophie felt really special on her big day.

Then as soon as Isaac got home from work we ran to Arctic Circle (Sophie's choice) for dinner.  We had to rush back home for Sophie's family party.

Since Isaac was gone for work before Sophie woke up that morning, we hadn't even had time to open presents yet.  So Sophie opened our presents with all the aunts, uncles, and grandparents.  We gave her a scooter, roller skates, and a baseball bat and mit.  Lacey and family gave her a cool little doll that can slide down a zipline.  Grandma Karla gave her some clothes and books.  And Grandma Sugar gave her Zootopia and some craft kits.

It was a crazy busy day.  But I hope Sophie had fun and knows how much we love her.  Here are a few things about Sophie:

• Sophie is so sweet and thoughtful.  She is always drawing cute pictures to give to her friends and family.  She hates when people are sad and upset and always tries to cheer them up.
• She is really excited to start kindergarten and loves learning new things.  She's super smart and always amazes me with the things she knows.
• She takes after her mom and doesn't eat breakfast very well.  But she loves lunch and is getting better about trying new foods at dinner.
• Sophie and Aspen have been really fun with playing with their imaginations lately.  I love listening to their conversations and hearing the things they come up with.  Sophie is definitely the ringleader, but Aspen loves following her lead.
• Sophie is so friendly and instantly finds people to play with everywhere we go.  I love seeing how accepting she is of other people.
• Sophie is such a good girl I often feel like she's neglected as I take care of Aspen and Luke.  But she's such a sweetheart and always seems to understand.  I really enjoy the time I get to spend with her and love the conversations we have together.
• And she loves drawing.  She's getting to be such a good artist.
• She takes such good care of baby Luke.  He loves watching her and she can get him to laugh more than anyone else.  

I love my Sophie girl so much.  She makes me want to be a better person and mom.  I can't believe she is 5 already and will be starting kindergarten.  It seems like just yesterday she was born.  But I'm so glad to have her and can't imagine life without her.

Farm Trip

This year we went to the farm over the 24th of July weekend.  Barry, Karla, Lacey and her kids, and our family all went.  Hannah and Wade were in Europe on vacation and Jarem and Tressa were preparing for their move back to Utah, so they were unable to attend.

Earlier this year Isaac went up to the farm with his parents and Hannah and Wade to refinish the wood floors with the remodeling project Isaac started a few years ago.  The floors looked great!  The whole farm (minus the bathroom and kitchen) looks so much better.  I can actually walk around barefoot without worrying about stepping on all sorts of disgusting stuff.

We got the the farm late at night, so we basically just unpacked and went to bed.  The next morning we got up and the kids played around the farm and yard.  It's been a lot of fun watching the kids get older and have more fun playing and interacting with each other.

One day we walked up to the canal to let the kids float in our little boats.  That water is freezing, but Aspen and James decided they wanted to walk the boats down instead of ride in them.  So Avery and Sophie were in the boats while Aspen and James walked.  Aspen was so tough.  It was a lot of fun to watch her strength and stubbornness shine through in a positive way.  That freezing water was up to her chest, but she was so determined to be as big and tough as James and pulled Sophie the whole way down the canal.  As soon as she finished, she started bawling because she was frozen so badly.  I immediately pulled her out and took her back to the farm to get on some warm clothes and feel better.

We also went swimming one afternoon at the Star Valley pool.  We've never done that before, but it was my favorite part of the trip.  The farm can be so hot and sticky with all the sunscreen we wear, so it was so refreshing to cool off in the nice water.  Luke was so funny in the pool because he kept slapping the water and splashing himself in the face.  Then he would look sad or upset and confused about how he kept getting wet.  Sophie was brave and finally got the courage to jump off the side of the pool by herself (wearing her lifejacket).

We also went for a hike, a few walks, and the kids painted some mini birdhouses.

And one night Isaac and I made a Dutch oven dinner.  We got a Dutch oven for our wedding 11 years ago, but had only used it once.  So for Christmas last year I gave Isaac a bunch of Dutch oven gear that we were missing and Karla gave us a second Dutch oven.  So we were finally able to use them and made a yummy chicken and potato dinner with cornbread and black forest cake.  It was delicious.  Now Isaac is on a Dutch oven kick and wants to find more opportunities to make new meals.

Although we missed Hannah and Wade, and Jarem and Tressa, it was actually nice to have the cousins play together so much.  They had a ton of fun and keep asking when we can go back again.